Confusion.That was the first emotion that washed through the crowd of spectators. The professors most especially.One moment, the machine was giving a critical notice, plunging them into a state of emergency. Everyone was on flight mode, ready to activate the mitigation protocols.The next instant, everything disappeared, like it had never been there before, leaving everyone wondering if they had imagined it.From the moment the black, misty dome appeared till the moment it disappeared, it had only been two minutes and forty-eight seconds.What kind of power could do all that in less than three minutes?Next was curiosity.No one saw what happened. Everything was too fast. The chaos stopped almost the moment it started—blink and everything is over.Then there was the scoreboard, visibly exhibiting the winners.Group Thirty-eight.Miranda slowly looked up at Ragnar, her eyes burning with hatred, loathing and something resembling fear.Even though he was currently being supported by Ni

The noise kept climbing, with more and more people demanding that Ragnar be investigated and brought before a panel. The staff could only watch in confusion, uncertain how to proceed.In a school where ninety percent of the students came from formidable families, they couldn't afford to offend any of them. Every decision had to be handled with extreme caution, backed by adequate justification. One wrong move could easily turn into a political nightmare. Or worse, bloodbath, if the parties involved were unreasonable enough. Nika looked around, her face pale and eyes wide. “You…you all…”“The school must explain to us how trash with no cultivation suddenly became the second highest individual scorer. Tell us how a reject suddenly scored higher than legendary seniors from decades past. Explain everything to us now. Otherwise this feud would not be over.”“I thought they said the academy's grading system is fair, albeit daunting. You preach transparency yet doctor results after accepting

Mariette wasn't the only one shocked by Lord Jorvin's words. He should be supporting the academy instead of adding fuel to the chaos.“Master Jorvin,” the chief of the security bureau began impatiently. “It's already midnight. The results are obvious. Is there a need to drag this out and help kids who are intentionally being jealous and unreasonable?”Lord Jorvin's lips curled into a crooked smile. “This is a Citadel of higher learning. We need to broaden our horizons everyday. The students are right to request a review. After all, this tournament determines their future.”Ragnar's eyes narrowed imperceptibly and he chuckled. Although he didn't know who the old man was, it's obvious he was powerful and must have guessed he drew power from a mysterious artefact. Hence this dramatised mumbo jumbo to force him to hand over the artefact. From inspecting it, Ragnar was almost certain he would claim there's a fault with the artefact and insist on keeping it for purification. Once enough ti

Kelvin's face turned pale, eyes going wide with horror. Tiny popping sounds seemed to go off in his head. He couldn't believe Ragnar, the certified doormat, would dare humiliate him so in public.The students were already giggling and chuckling. Kelvin had always maintained a cold honest image in public. Only a few who had fallen victim to his treachery in the past actually knew how dark his heart was.From playing a kind young master and honest junior brother always looking out for his useless elder brother, he had been exposed as the son of a woman who entered through the back door.Even the A-tier geniuses who were patiently waiting for him to deal with Ragnar on their behalf couldn't help but laugh. Most heirs hated illegitimate children and treated them worse than trash. Especially when they've experienced a partial father loving the bastard more than the rightful heir.Kelvin’s face turned red, then green and sallow. “You bastard!” He snarled. “I was only thinking about you, t

Ragnar's head snapped toward her so fast his neck cracked, shock flashing across his face.The veiled man frowned. The girl stepping in obviously wouldn't bode well for them. Whatever she was about to say certainly wasn't the answer they needed.The other students were suspicious as well. Everyone knew how close Nika was to Ragnar. Would she really be willing to harm him?Unless…“Nika…” Ragnar whispered, scowling at her.Lord Jorvin was visibly displeased too. But refusing to let Nika explain would only make him appear suspicious and unreasonable.Nika sighed and gently patted Ragnar's hand. “It's alright. No one can steal it anyway.”Her eyes were filled with sorrow as she looked at him.“Besides, your internal injuries need urgent attention. The longer we wait, the worse they become. Let me handle this.”Nika turned toward Professor Wang and took a deep breath, her eyes hardening with determination. “We used a dual cultivation technique.”The words chilled everyone in the arena.Ev