59: Chapter 59 No one accepted the challenge.

A burst of cheering erupted from below the stage.

Shen Fei jumped off the arena and walked over to a captain. This captain was the former leader of the commando unit he had been part of, and they had developed a good relationship over the past few days.

"Beautifully done!" The captain patted his shoulder, his eyes full of admiration.

"You've grown fast these past few days, kid. From the seventh layer of the first rank to the ninth layer of the first rank—it's only been a few days, hasn't it?"

"It's all thanks to your good teaching, Captain."

"Cut the flattery," the captain teased with a smile before turning serious. "But in all honesty, with your potential, you're definitely at the top of this batch of students. You might even be number one."

A captain from the Sixth Battalion nearby disagreed.

"Number one? Our Sixth Battalion's Wan Jiesheng is the real number one, isn't he?"

Shen Fei's smile stiffened for a moment.

The captain frowned. "Wan Jiesheng? Which school is he from?"

"From Qingyun City. He's also an Awakener with a purple trait. He just broke through to the second rank two days ago. I see this young man in your squad is only at the ninth layer of the first rank; he's still a step behind."

The captain fell silent.

A purple trait as well, and his cultivation had already reached the second rank!

He was indeed a notch stronger than Shen Fei.

The captain who had just spoken paused before continuing, "But if we're talking about the most ruthless one, it has to be that Lin Mo."

As soon as this name was mentioned, the surroundings instantly fell silent.

Lin Mo.

The student who had killed two second-rank veterans from the Sixth Battalion in succession. Nowadays, Lin Mo was even more famous in the Sixth Battalion than in the Seventh; almost every veteran in the Sixth Battalion knew his name.

Having forced Luo Cheng to apologize in public and Zhou Xiong to personally deliver a ring as an apology, Lin Mo's legendary feats were circulating among all the veterans of the Sixth Battalion.

Shen Fei's expression changed.

He had always wanted to find an opportunity to fight Lin Mo.

Not to prove anything.

He just wanted to try.

To see exactly how much of a gap there was between himself and that legendary monster.

But he never had the chance.

As he was thinking, he suddenly heard a commotion.

The crowd parted automatically.

Lin Mo walked in.

He was wearing ordinary combat fatigues, had short hair, and his face was expressionless.

Shen Fei's gaze was fixed intently on him.

So this was Lin Mo.

The person who had been assigned to the Bait Post alongside him, yet had taken a completely different path.

Lin Mo didn't look at him.

He walked straight to the registration desk.

The officer in charge of registration was a middle-aged man from the Sixth Battalion with a businesslike expression. He looked up at Lin Mo and asked routinely:

"Registering for the Battalion Commander selection?"

Lin Mo nodded.

The officer pointed to the sign next to him:

"Look clearly. The registration requirement is a cultivation of at least the seventh layer of the first rank. What is your cultivation?"

Lin Mo opened his mouth, but before he could speak, a veteran suddenly leaned in and whispered a few words into the officer's ear.

The officer's expression changed.

He looked up and sized Lin Mo up again.

"You... you're Lin Mo?"

Lin Mo nodded.

The officer swallowed hard.

He had certainly heard Lin Mo's name. Among the veterans of the Sixth Battalion, who didn't know the name Lin Mo now? It was just that many had never seen him in person.

Without another word, the officer filled in Lin Mo's name.

"Alright, just wait. It'll be your turn soon."

Lin Mo nodded and stood to the side.

Soon, the selection for the commander of the Third Company began.

The referee stepped onto the arena and raised his hand:

"The selection for the Third Company commander begins now! Those willing to compete, come up and fight!"

The area below the stage fell silent for a moment.

Then, someone jumped onto the arena.

It was a burly male student at the seventh layer of the first rank from Qingyun City. He stood on the stage, his gaze sweeping over the crowd with a hint of arrogance.

Although his cultivation had only just reached the minimum requirement for the commander selection, he was still part of the top tier among the three thousand-plus students.

Before setting the participation criteria, the Vice Battalion Commander in charge of the selection had done a background check. There were only fifty or sixty students at the seventh layer of the first rank, about a dozen above that, and only two at the second rank: Lin Mo and Wan Jiesheng.

Among them, Wan Jiesheng had only just broken through.

Therefore, even though this male student was only at the seventh layer and seemed to have just met the baseline for the selection, there was still a possibility he could be chosen.

After all, at the first rank, a difference of one or two layers didn't result in a massive gap in actual combat power; the difference in traits was often more significant.

"Who's coming? Is no one going to fight me?" the male student roared boldly.

As soon as he finished speaking, someone jumped up.

"Seventh layer of the first rank? This commander position isn't your turn yet!"

With that, the two began to fight.

Three minutes later, the burly male student who had first taken the stage was blasted off the arena.

Soon, a second challenger stood up.

Another person challenged.

Another person was beaten down.

After several rounds, a winner finally emerged: a student from Beihe City at the ninth layer of the first rank. He had won three matches in a row, and his momentum was at its peak.

The referee looked toward the crowd:

"Are there any more challengers? If not, the commander of the Third Company will be—"

"Wait a moment."

A voice rang out.

The crowd parted automatically.

Lin Mo walked forward.

He stepped onto the stairs and ascended the arena step by step.

The entire venue instantly fell silent.

When that student from Beihe City saw him, his face turned pale instantly.

"Lin... Lin Mo?"

Lin Mo nodded.

Sweat began to bead on the student's forehead.

Back when Lin Mo was hacking people down at the Temporary Base, this person had been on the scene, and he happened to be standing close by.

Zhao Lie's head had fallen right at his feet, splashing him with blood.

As he watched Lin Mo approach step by step, his mind was filled with images of Lin Mo slaughtering people that day.

"You... don't come over here!"

"Ah!!!"

The man let out a strange cry and then did something that caught everyone off guard—

He turned around and jumped directly off the arena.

"I'm not fighting."

The next second, the crowd erupted in an uproar.

"Holy crap? He surrendered?!"

"He surrendered without even fighting?!"

"What do you know! That's Lin Mo! I heard several veterans died at his hands. Fighting him is just asking for a short life!"

"But he still should have fought..."

"Exactly. No matter how arrogant this Lin Mo is, would he really dare to kill someone in public?"

"Bullshit, go up there and try it yourself, see if he dares to kill you in public!"

The crowd below was in a state of chaos.

The referee froze for several seconds before reacting and raising his hand.

"Winner, Lin Mo! Are there any more challengers?"

There was dead silence below the stage.

Among the three thousand-plus people, not a single one dared to make a sound.

The referee asked once more.

"Are there any more challengers?"

Still, no one spoke.

At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.

"I'll do it! I want to have a match with Lin Mo."

...