138: Chapter 138 A Battle to the Death? Let's Kill Someone to Add Some Fun!

"What? You are SSS-rank? How is that possible?"

Mu Qianqian covered her mouth, trying to keep the shock out of her voice.

"Why would I lie to you? I just advanced a while ago," Lin Yuan said with a smile.

Lin Yuan didn't want to hide anything from Mu Qianqian.

"Abilities can advance? Are you kidding me? If abilities could advance, wouldn't the streets be full of SSS-ranks?" Mu Qianqian looked completely unconvinced.

"Others can't, but I'm special, so don't worry. It won't take long before I can send you home."

"Really? Actually... I'm not in a hurry..."

Mu Qianqian used to think about going home as soon as possible, but now that the hope of returning home was in sight, she hesitated. She looked at the handsome young man before her, truly unsure of what to choose.

"I know your concerns. Don't worry, I will not only send you home, but I also won't let you marry someone you don't like," Lin Yuan said solemnly.

"Mmm, I believe you."

Mu Qianqian looked into Lin Yuan's serious eyes, smiled brightly, and nodded.

...The next morning, Lin Yuan arrived at the competition venue and saw Commander Zhao and others in the military's spectator area.

Among them were three other contestants from the military, as well as several division commanders who came to watch. Under Commander Zhao's introduction, Lin Yuan familiarized himself with everyone.

"Lin Yuan, it's up to you this time. Try to secure the top spot for our military!" Commander Zhao said with a smile.

"I'll do my best," Lin Yuan replied with a smile.

The other three contestants had never seen Lin Yuan before. They were first shocked by his age, and now hearing Commander Zhao say that, they became even more curious about his strength.

"Commander Zhao, are you joking? Brother Lin is so young. It's already remarkable that he could cultivate to the Grandmaster level. Could he possibly be a top-tier Grandmaster?" asked a Major named Yang Jun.

"You all just wait and see. Although Lin Yuan has just entered the Grandmaster realm, his combat power can scare everyone to death, haha..." Commander Zhao laughed heartily and mysteriously.

"Commander Zhao flatters me. Everyone, please don't take it to heart."

Lin Yuan smiled modestly. In reality, only he knew his own strength: his martial path had reached the peak of the seventh stage, and his fundamental combat power had reached one billion. The Great Xia Genius Competition did not test levels; they only referenced the reported data and verified age.

If he couldn't take the top spot, it would only be if a Martial God participated...

...The audience grew larger and larger. All influential figures from various sectors were invited. Lin Yuan even spotted two old acquaintances from Spring City.

His two elderly sworn brothers had also arrived. Lin Yuan decided to meet up with them after the competition today.

On the main stage, Mu Qianqian was prominently seated as the representative of the Four Great Sacred Academies.

Beside her was an imposing, white-haired elder. Commander Zhao introduced him as Marshal Xiao Zhantian, one of the two Marshals of the military, commanding the Northern War Zone.

There was also a slightly hunched elder, who was said to be Qi Changhe, the President of the Mercenary Guild Headquarters.

And a Middle-aged man, Tang Tianhao, the Alliance Leader of the Martial Alliance, who was also Tang Wanrou's father.

Soon, the host stepped onto the stage, bowed to everyone, and began the proceedings.

"Hello everyone, I am the host for this Great Xia Genius Competition. Welcome to witness the birth of the Great Xia's geniuses! Without further ado, I believe you are all eager for the competition to start. Let the competition begin now!"

"The first round is a knockout tournament based on the draw results from yesterday. Contestants will fight one-on-one. A single match determines the winner. Now, please welcome the first pair of contestants!"

After the host finished speaking, he left the stage. A transparent shield faintly glowing with blue light immediately appeared on the platform. The residual shockwaves from a Grandmaster Expert's battle were quite strong and required protection for the audience.

A pair of contestants walked onto the stage. After exchanging courtesies, they began to fight.

Grandmaster battles were rare sights, and the audience immediately became enthusiastic, cheering loudly.

Lin Yuan, however, was uninterested and simply closed his eyes to rest.

After more than a dozen matches, Lin Yuan finally heard his name. He opened his eyes and slowly walked onto the stage. Standing opposite him was a Middle-aged man with a rather gloomy expression.

Lin Yuan glanced at the other person; this must be Feng Yihang.

Just as the host was about to announce the start of the match, Feng Yihang interrupted him.

"Host, I demand a Life-and-Death Battle with Lin Yuan!"

Feng Yihang stared at Lin Yuan, his eyes revealing no emotion.

"Hmm? Who is this guy? Does he have a grudge against me? He wants my life right away?"

Lin Yuan racked his memory; he truly didn't know this person. Even if the surname was Feng, he didn't know anyone named Feng...

Feng Yihang's declaration immediately caused an uproar in the venue. Even the audience hadn't expected Feng Yihang to request a Life-and-Death Battle in such an important competition.

Mu Qianqian also frowned, appearing somewhat nervous.

"Sister Qian, do you know this Lin Yuan?" Tang Tianhao asked from beside her.

Mu Qianqian and Tang Tianhao had known each other for a long time and were good friends.

"Brother Tang, this is a student from Qing University, who just graduated and is now serving in the military," Mu Qianqian replied.

"Oh? Then Qing University has produced a remarkable genius. To be a Grandmaster at such a young age is incredible. However, his name sounds a bit familiar. My daughter mentioned that she had a classmate also named Lin Yuan," Tang Tianhao said.

"He is your daughter's classmate, but he graduated not long ago... I remember now! I saw this Feng Yihang in the historical student records of Qing University. He was a genius there over a decade ago, possessing an S-rank Cheetah ability. He disappeared before graduating and hasn't shown his face in years. Why would he hold a grudge against Lin Yuan?"

Mu Qianqian grew uneasy, looking nervously at Lin Yuan. Although she knew Lin Yuan possessed an SSS-rank ability, his cultivation time was still too short. How could he compare to Feng Yihang, who had cultivated for over a decade?

"He was my daughter's classmate? Possessing Grandmaster strength in his freshman year? Truly monstrous!" Tang Tianhao marveled.

Mu Qianqian intended to warn Lin Yuan, but she was stopped by Qi Changhe, the President of the Mercenary Guild standing next to her.

"Dean Mu, we are judges of the competition. You cannot let people say we are unfair."

Mu Qianqian could only stop for now, hoping Lin Yuan would not agree to the opponent's demand.

Everyone waited for Lin Yuan's reply. Since Lin Yuan couldn't recall this person, he stopped overthinking it. 'I haven't even made a big splash yet, and someone is forcing me to be high-profile. Fine, bring it on.'

Lin Yuan suddenly smiled and said loudly, "That works too. This competition is quite dull. I might as well kill someone for the audience to liven things up!"

The venue immediately erupted in enthusiastic cheers. They were all people who loved watching drama unfold...

Only Mu Qianqian's heart clenched tightly, along with the two elderly sworn brothers who had just recognized Lin Yuan; they were also sweating for him.

Lin Yuan turned back, gave Mu Qianqian a slight smile, and nodded at her. Seeing this, Mu Qianqian felt a little relieved. Lin Yuan was steady in temperament and never did anything he wasn't confident about, and he frequently defied expectations. This time should be no exception.

"Very well, in that case, the two of you sign the Life-and-Death Battle contract, and we can begin the match," the host stepped forward to say.

Both men placed their handprints on the contract, which immediately took effect. Once such a contract took effect, it was legally binding.

"Lin Yuan, you will surely die today!" Feng Yihang stood firm, his face grim, his voice icy.

Lin Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, confident and elegant:

"Heh... Does hanging that donkey face make you so tough? It doesn't matter who sent you; it's unimportant. Anyway... whoever comes will die!"