44: Chapter 44 Tenth on the Heavenly Ranking? That's my spot!

Modu Martial Arts University, Central Plaza.

Standing here was a fifty-meter-tall black obsidian stele, upon which golden light flowed, engraving name after name.

【Modu Martial Arts University · Heaven Rankings】

This was the highest symbol of honor for this war academy, recording only the one hundred students with the strongest combat power in the entire school.

These one hundred people were almost exclusively elites from their third or fourth year, or even prospective officers about to graduate who had already been reserved by the military.

Anyone who made it onto the Heaven Rankings could not only receive massive amounts of credit rewards every month but also possessed the qualification to represent the school in the "Hundred Schools Hegemony Competition."

At this moment, Lin Yuan stood beneath the stele, looking up at those golden names.

"So this is the Heaven Rankings?"

Standing beside him, Xiang Lie held a freshly roasted exotic beast leg in his hand and said indistinctly, "Old Lin, according to the rules, a New Student wanting to climb the rankings has to start from 100th place and climb up level by level."

"These seniors are very cunning. Everyone has the right to avoid a battle once. If you encounter someone who doesn't want to fight, they can stall you for three days. If you want to fight your way up, it'll probably take half a month."

"Half a month?"

Lin Yuan shook his head. "Too slow. I don't have the time to play house with them."

His gaze skipped directly over the dense crowd of names below, traveling all the way up until it finally settled on the ten names at the very top.

NO.1 Xiao Hongyi (Fourth Year)

NO.2 Ye Tian (Third Year)

NO.10 Lei Bao (Third Year)

"Since I'm going to fight, I might as well fight someone of sufficient weight."

Lin Yuan's lips curled up slightly, and he slapped his student card directly onto the challenge terminal beneath the stele.

"Beep!"

"Please enter the ranking of the challenge target."

Lin Yuan entered a number without hesitation: 10.

An electronic synthesized voice instantly rang out across the entire plaza:

【Announcement! First-year New Student Lin Yuan has initiated a Heaven Rankings challenge!】

【Challenge Target: Heaven Rankings Tenth Place, Lei Bao!】

【The challenged must proceed to the Central Arena within one hour! Otherwise, it will be considered a forfeiture!】

This broadcast was like a thunderclap on flat ground, instantly shocking the entire Modu Martial Arts University.

"Holy crap? Did I hear that right? A New Student challenging the top ten?"

"Lin Yuan? Is that the tough guy who just turned in the S-rank mission? But hasn't he gotten too arrogant? Doing missions and one-on-one duels in the arena are two different things!"

"Lei Bao is the 'Lightning Artillery' of the third year, a Third Rank Peak elemental martial artist! It's said that one of his feet has already stepped into the Fourth Rank! Lin Yuan is courting death!"

In the third-year teaching area, inside a training room filled with violent lightning elements.

A young man with a buzz cut, shirtless, with muscles bulging like granite and blue electric arcs coiling around his body, suddenly opened his eyes.

Lei Bao.

Tenth on the Heaven Rankings, nicknamed "Thunder Tiger."

"A New Student? Lin Yuan?"

"Are juniors these days so arrogant just because they got the top spot as a New Student?"

"Want to use me as a stepping stone? Don't be afraid of breaking your teeth!"

He casually threw on a trench coat and strode out of the training room, lightning flashing in his eyes:

"Since you want to throw your life away, then your senior will teach you well what respect and hierarchy are!"

One hour later at the Modu Martial Arts University Central Arena.

This giant coliseum, capable of holding fifty thousand people, was packed to capacity at this moment.

Not only had all the New Students arrived, but even second and third-year seniors, and quite a few instructors had rushed over upon hearing the news.

A New Student challenging the top ten of the Heaven Rankings was extremely rare in the history of Modu Martial Arts University.

In the VIP box at the highest point of the spectator stands.

Wang Ye was sitting with his legs crossed, holding a flask of wine in his hand, watching the scene below with great interest.

Beside him sat several directors from other academies.

"Old Wang, this student of yours is a bit arrogant."

The director of the Weaponry Academy laughed. "That kid Lei Bao is famous for his explosive power. A Third Rank Peak lightning mage, his destructive power is comparable to a Fourth Rank. Lin Yuan is only Second Rank, right? Isn't this gap too big?"

"Being a bit arrogant is good."

Wang Ye took a sip of wine and chuckled. "If a young person isn't spirited, can they even be called young? Besides, the seed I've taken a liking to won't lose so easily."

On the arena stage, Lei Bao had already been waiting for a long time.

He stood there, and the air around him sizzled due to the gathering of lightning ions, creating a sense of intense pressure.

"Lin Yuan, I acknowledge that you did well on Black Tide Island."

Lei Bao looked down at Lin Yuan, who was slowly walking onto the arena stage, and said, "But that was by relying on external forces and team cooperation."

"On this arena, it's just you and me. I will make you understand that the gap between Third Rank Peak and Second Rank is an unbridgeable chasm."

Facing Lei Bao's trash talk, he only replied indifferently:

"You have more nonsense to say than you have lightning."

"You're courting death!!"

Lei Bao was instantly enraged.

"The match begins!" With the referee's command.

Boom!!

Lei Bao held nothing back; his opening move was an ultimate skill.

"Lightning Art: Ten Thousand Lightning Heaven Prison!!"

He thrust his hands violently toward the sky, and countless thick blue lightning bolts erupted from his body, instantly forming a terrifying thundercloud above the arena.

Immediately after, dense lightning columns fell like a torrential rain, covering the entire arena indiscriminately!

This was an area-of-effect attack that gave the opponent no room to dodge at all!

"Such strong momentum! This Lei Bao is serious!"

"Lin Yuan is finished! There's no way to dodge this!"

The audience in the stands exclaimed repeatedly.

In Lin Yuan's eyes, a faint, deep blue light flashed.

【Gods Insight · Lock-on】

【Target: Lei Bao.】

【Shield Strength: B-rank Lightning Armor.】

【Weaknesses: Throat, center of eyebrows, heart, dantian—they are all weaknesses.】

"Too slow."

The next second.

On his finger, an invisible ring vibrated slightly.

Whoosh!

No one saw what happened.

They only saw Lei Bao maintaining the thundercloud storm with a ferocious smile on his face, preparing to watch Lin Yuan be struck into charcoal.

However.

A hair-raising chill of death suddenly descended without warning.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

"What?!"

Lei Bao's smile froze on his face.

Before he could even react, he felt his vision blur.

The thunderclouds filling the sky instantly dissipated because they lost the maintenance of subsequent spiritual power.

The entire arena fell into a deathly silence, and everyone widened their eyes.

Lei Bao still maintained his spellcasting posture, but he dared not move.

He dared not move at all.

Because at his center of eyebrows, eyes, throat, heart, dantian, knees, and wrists... nine fatal points were each suspended with a flying knife as thin as a cicada wing and nearly transparent!

The tip of every flying knife was less than 0.01 centimeters from his skin.

The sharp blade qi had even pierced his skin; if he dared to move even an inch, or if Lin Yuan had a single thought...

He would instantly turn into a pile of minced meat!

Cold sweat streamed down Lei Bao's forehead frantically, instantly soaking his back.

The anger and arrogance in his eyes transformed into the most primal fear at this moment.

That was the fear of death.

"What... what kind of speed is this?"

Lei Bao's lips trembled; he hadn't even seen how Lin Yuan attacked, yet his defense had been pierced as if it were non-existent.

Lin Yuan stood ten meters opposite him, still maintaining his posture with his hands in his pockets.

"So this is the tenth place on the Heaven Rankings?"

Lin Yuan looked at Lei Bao, a trace of disappointment flashing in his eyes, and shook his head:

"Flashy but useless."

"Too weak."

Snap, Lin Yuan snapped his fingers.

The nine [cicada wing] flying knives suspended at Lei Bao's vital points instantly turned into nine streams of light, flying back to Lin Yuan's side and disappearing.

Only then did Lei Bao feel his legs go weak, as if he had just walked through the gates of hell.

"I... I lost."

Lei Bao lowered his head, his voice hoarse.

"One-hit kill!! Another one-hit kill!!"

"My god! Was that Telekinesis?! Is Lin Yuan a Mentalist?!"

"Too strong! Even Lei Bao couldn't block a single move? Is this really a Second Rank?!"

"Tenth place on the Heaven Rankings! A New Student has charged directly into the top ten! The historical record has been refreshed!"

On the arena's large screen, the Heaven Rankings were instantly refreshed.

The name of Lei Bao, who was originally ranked tenth, moved down, and in its place was a brand new name—

NO.10 Lin Yuan (First Year · War Academy)

And higher up.

In the VIP box, Wang Ye slapped his thigh violently, laughing so hard tears were almost coming out.

"Hahaha! Good! Good kid!"

"This is the suppression power a Mentalist should have! Silent, one-hit kill!"

Wang Ye stood up, looking at the figure below who was the center of attention, a flash of determination in his eyes:

"I was still hesitating about who to lead the team... now there's no need to choose."

He instructed his assistant beside him:

"Pass on my order."

"For the 'National Hundred Schools Exchange Delegation' visiting next week, and the subsequent 'Hundred Schools Hegemony Competition'..."

"The overall team leader for Modu Martial Arts University is Lin Yuan!"

"I want to let Imperial Capital Martial Arts University's old guys see what a... true monster is!"