Ragnar rose to his feet, the listening device tucked inside his ear temporarily forgotten. With the kind of chaos unfolding throughout the hall, trying to filter out individual conversations would be far more trouble than it was worth.Thane and Darlene also began packing away the remaining food with practiced efficiency. Thankfully, everyone had finished whatever they had already served onto their own plates.Most of the leftovers still rested untouched in the main serving bowls, with only the serving spoons having gone in and out. They were clean enough to be reheated and eaten later without anyone feeling the slightest bit disgusted.Even the spirit geese had been carefully portioned one after another. The remaining ones were either left completely whole or neatly split into two by razor-sharp wind blades, the cuts so clean they looked almost surgical.Thane methodically stored everything inside the ice storage compartment of his spatial equipment. The dirty plates and utensils wer

Behind Miranda, her teammates stood stoic and ready, each colder and deadlier than the last, their very presence pressing against the arena like the calm before a storm.Of the three people behind her, two were girls. The one standing in the middle, directly behind Miranda, was a boy.The boy was easy on the eyes. Handsome, with the refined, scholarly air of someone who had spent more time buried in ancient tomes than sparring on training grounds. He was dressed in a cream-colored ancient Earth-style hanfu that hung elegantly over his lean frame, while a matching cream-colored hair band neatly restrained his jet-black hair. His black eyes were deeper than the night itself, tranquil yet unfathomable, as though countless secrets had been swallowed by those dark pupils.He held no weapon, only a book rested in his hands.Ragnar narrowed his eyes. "What kind of battle technique is that? His affinity is books? What class of magic could that be?"As far as Ragnar knew, there were only eight

Ragnar wasn't the only one staring apprehensively.Most of the people outside the stage gazed at Miranda with appreciative smiles, utterly captivated by the breathtaking sight before them. Surrounded by fluttering butterflies, her graceful figure seemed almost dreamlike, as though a celestial maiden had descended upon the arena.However, the more powerful geniuses with sharper minds knew better.The more beautiful she appeared, the more wary one should become.She was an extremely dangerous woman.Born with the Devouring Yin Moonsong Physique.She could swallow other people's cultivation if they ventured close enough, while her music enticed them, clouding their judgment until they gradually lost control over themselves.From a very young age, her parents had sought out a fox vixen cultivator to personally teach her even more seductive arts and enchanting techniques.Paired with her innately alluring physique and her terrifying constitution, she was a murderous combination capable of

A cold chill swept across the arena.Everyone was dumbfounded.The announcement hung heavily in the air, pressing down on every spectator like an invisible mountain. Even the previously noisy crowd had fallen into complete silence, as though no one dared to be the first to breathe.Ragnar exhaled sharply, the corner of his mouth twitching ever so slightly.This punishment really was too harsh.Even he hadn't expected Professor Mariette to make such a decisive judgment without the slightest hesitation.On the battle stage, Miranda's face drained of every trace of color.She had turned into a cold block of wood.Motionless and too stunned to react.The guqin still rested on beside her, yet her fingers no longer reached for its strings. They hung limply at her sides as though every ounce of strength had abandoned her body.Even Gu Tiance's usually composed expression cracked.His mouth slowly fell open, disbelief plainly written across his face.For the first time since stepping onto the

Her words surprised everyone.Even Professor Mariette herself.No. Shock was a far more appropriate description.She actually took the initiative to leave? Had they misheard her?For a long moment, no one reacted. Every pair of eyes remained fixed on Miranda as though waiting for her to laugh and admit it had all been a joke.Miranda slowly took another step forward.“Since all these problems started because of me, I should be the one to end them.”Her voice wasn't loud.Yet it carried clearly through the deathly silent arena.She looked up at Professor Mariette, her eyes brimming with pain, remorse, and an unwavering determination that refused to yield.“Let me leave, I will accept my punishment. However, you cannot let my teammates be affected.”“Please, Ma'am... let them continue competing as a group.”There was absolute silence. The entire arena seemed to have forgotten how to breathe.The proposal was so unexpected and absurd that it momentarily slowed everyone's ability to proce