134: Chapter 134 An Unexpected Joy

"It seems Little Senior Sister's actual Vital Energy is still a notch higher than mine."

"Otherwise, logically speaking, they should have equipped me with a treasure of that level as well."

It seems that in the school's evaluation, my threat level or the necessity to hide my abilities hasn't reached that level yet."

Qin Yan curled his lips with a hint of envy as he thought.

The Monthly Exam's Arena Tournament was held as scheduled in the massive Martial Arts Arena.

Qin Yan stood steadily on Arena Number Four, which belonged to him, feeling a trace of boredom in his heart.

With his current stable strength and fourth-place ranking, fewer and fewer people dared to step onto the stage to challenge him.

Most students preferred to challenge lower-ranked opponents where the chances of winning seemed greater.

However, this boredom was quickly broken by a familiar opponent—Leng Feng.

With determined eyes, he once again walked toward Arena Number Four and issued a challenge!

Leng Feng's strength had clearly improved as well, successfully breaking through to the mid-stage second grade.

His gaze was sharper and deeper than before, Vital Energy surged around his body, and his fighting spirit was high.

His challenge piqued a bit of interest in Qin Yan.

However, the course of the battle caused the interest Qin Yan had just mustered to quickly fade, and he felt "bored" once again.

Leng Feng's progress was indeed considerable, and his Spear Technique was even more sharp and ruthless.

But whether it was the number of bones tempered, the majesty of his Vital Energy, or the core realm of his Spear Technique skills...

There still existed a clear, insurmountable chasm between him and Qin Yan.

The battle was almost entirely one-sided.

Leng Feng couldn't even last ten moves against Qin Yan. He was forced into a pathetic state by the tempest-like offensive infused with sharp spear force, ultimately suffering defeat once again.

"Good game," Qin Yan said, his wrist steady and his voice calm.

A flash of gloom and disappointment that was hard to hide crossed Leng Feng's face, but more than that, he was thoroughly convinced by the loss.

He took a deep breath, cupped his fists, and said in a heavy voice, "Impressive! I lost."

It seems the gap between us hasn't narrowed, but has instead grown wider."

He lost with nothing left to say.

Though brief, this battle completely solidified Qin Yan's fourth-place position as "rock-solid."

No one dared to easily question his strength anymore.

Ultimately, this Monthly Exam concluded without any further surprises.

Afterward, Instructor Lin Jian ascended the high platform, his gaze sweeping over the students below who wore various expressions.

He announced loudly, his voice carrying clearly throughout the Martial Arts Arena, "The Key Class cultivation mode for this semester officially ends here!"

He paused for a moment, his gaze landing primarily on the ten people on the arenas.

With expectation and solemnity, he continued, "Based on the comprehensive evaluation, the top ten students of this grade..."

...will automatically become the first-year participants for Modu University of Martial Arts in this year's National University Exchange Competition!"

I hope you will cultivate diligently and live up to the expectations of the school and your Classmates!"

*Whoosh—*

A cacophony of envy, loss, frustration, and well-wishes immediately erupted from below the stage.

Many students who were once in the Key Class looked sorrowful, their eyes dim.

Their gazes were fixed on the ten figures on the arenas, eyes filled with undisguised envy and a hint of jealousy.

To represent the school in the national competition—what an honor that was!

It didn't just mean supreme glory and becoming a prominent figure on campus.

It also represented a further tilting of school resources in their favor and an even more brilliant and radiant future!

In the crowd, Jingang, who was once in the top ten, clenched his fists tightly, his body trembling slightly.

But in the end, those clenched fists relaxed weakly, bit by bit.

Ever since he fell out of the top ten, his family's support and investment in him had been drastically reduced, and their attitude had turned cold.

With one side gaining and the other losing, in just a few short months, the gap between him and those on the stage...

...had already grown to a point of despair, as if separated by a natural chasm.

He looked at Qin Yan on the arena, who had a calm expression and a deep aura.

A deep sense of powerlessness, mixed with bitterness and resignation, welled up in his heart.

...

December 1st, the first day of a new month, symbolizing a new beginning.

Early in the morning, Qin Yan's smart bracelet received a text notification:

[Dear Student Qin Yan: After calculation, the total academic credits you earned through completing off-campus missions in the past month ranks first in the Key Class!]

[A reward of 100 academic credits is hereby granted as encouragement!]

[We hope you will continue your efforts, achieve great results in the Exchange Competition, and bring glory to the school!]

Qin Yan stared at the message, slightly stunned, feeling somewhat surprised.

He didn't expect that he would actually take first place in the mission academic credits ranking!

Logically, the strength and efficiency of Xiao Wangshu and Lu Qingfeng shouldn't be lower than his.

The quantity and quality of the missions they completed should have been higher.

"Those top three... what were they doing last month?"

A trace of doubt couldn't help but rise in his heart.

With this small unexpected joy, Qin Yan enjoyed a hearty breakfast in a pleasant mood.

Afterward, he set off for the new training ground designated by the school—this was the exclusive training site for the ten members of the Exchange Competition team.

For the coming period, they would receive more targeted guidance and training here.

When Qin Yan arrived at the training ground, many members were already present.

His gaze swept across, matching the faces—some familiar, some just recognizable—with their names.

There was Xiao Wangshu, with her cold, snow-like temperament.

Lu Qingfeng, standing with arms crossed and a sharp gaze.

Lu Youyou, who was giggling and talking with her best friend...

Afterward, several more people arrived one after another.

Finally, all ten official team members were present.

From first to tenth place, they were: Xiao Wangshu, Lu Qingfeng, Lu Youyou, Qin Yan, Leng Feng, Sun Kong, Zhao Qingyun, Su Wan, Li Mu, and Wang Hao.

It was worth mentioning Sun Kong; this guy had finally successfully broken through to Rank Two.

Moreover, relying on his exceptionally solid foundation and powerful combat ability, he had "come from behind."

In this Monthly Exam, he surged all the way to sixth place!

He claimed the top spot on the reserve team list.

"Little Senior Sister,"

Qin Yan leaned over to Lu Youyou's side and asked directly with curiosity, "How many missions did you complete last month?"

How is it that your mission academic credits rank below mine?"

"Oh, you mean that,"

Lu Youyou didn't shy away at all. She turned her head and admitted frankly, "Last month, I only symbolically completed two low-difficulty missions, mainly to gain some practical combat experience. As for the rest of the time..."

She blinked, "I was in seclusion at the manor, going all out to digest the large amount of resources my family sent me."

You know, the Exchange Competition is coming up soon."

She seemed to think of something and lowered her voice slightly, revealing to Qin Yan, "Don't underestimate this Exchange Competition. It's not just the school that attaches great importance to it; the families behind us also value it extremely highly, investing far more resources than usual!"

"Although I'm not quite clear on the specific deeper reasons..."

But the family elders have repeatedly instructed that I must go all out in the Exchange Competition and strive for the best performance!"

So in terms of resources, there's naturally enough to go around. They told me not to waste time on academic credits and to focus on improving my hard strength."