122: Chapter 122 Face to Face
The moment the four golden, glittering words "Fourth Rank Peak" appeared on the holographic light screen,
time seemed to stand still.
The entire Central Martial Arts Arena, a massive venue for a hundred thousand people that had been filled with clamor and restlessness, instantly fell into a deathly silence.
It was as if a pause button had been pressed on everyone's movements.
They just stood there dazed, heads tilted back and mouths agape, staring at that massive light screen.
Their minds were a complete blank.
Fourth Rank... Peak?
What kind of joke was this?
A freshman who had been enrolled for less than two months had actually reached the Fourth Rank Peak in cultivation?!
This... this is fucking... is he even human?
One had to know that at Xuanyuan University, the vast majority of students were considered elites if they could reach the Fourth Rank Peak by the time they graduated.
But now, a freshman—a youth of similar age from their own class—had already reached the Fourth Rank Peak.
"Fake... this must be fake..."
In the crowd, a genius from another primary star, who was also at the Fourth-Rank Initial Stage, muttered to himself with a trembling voice.
His eyes were unfocused, hollow, and filled with confusion.
"Yeah... the academy's system must have made an error... how is it possible... how could someone... cultivate so fast..."
Another genius chimed in, looking equally soul-crushed.
They couldn't accept it.
They would rather believe this was a ridiculous mistake than believe the gap between themselves and someone else could be so vast it was despair-inducing.
Standing at the very front of the crowd, Qin Wushuang's reaction at this moment was more intense than anyone else's.
The moment he saw those four words, all color drained from his eerily handsome face, leaving it as pale as paper.
His body began to tremble violently, beyond his control.
His lips quivered; he wanted to say something, but couldn't squeeze out a single word.
Only one thought echoed frantically and incessantly in his mind.
Fourth Rank Peak...
Fourth Rank Peak...
He remembered.
At the entrance of Dragon Gate Valley, that youth had forced the seven of them—all Fourth Rank monstrosities—to retreat repeatedly using nothing but his aura.
At the time, he had felt that blood-qi pressure, refined to the extreme and far surpassing his own.
But he hadn't wanted to believe it.
He told himself it was just an illusion, that the other party had used some secret technique to put on a show of bravado.
He remembered again.
Before the ranking matches began, when he went to provoke the other party, he saw those eyes filled with "pity" and "sympathy."
At the time, he thought it was an insult.
Looking at it now, that was fucking... just telling the truth!
To a Fourth Rank Peak monster, wasn't looking at a Fourth-Rank Initial Stage rookie like him exactly like watching a jumping monkey that didn't know the meaning of death?
He remembered even more.
Just moments ago, he had been like a clown, clamoring here to challenge the other party, wanting to use his strength to prove he was number one.
Yet Instructor Shi Yan had looked at him like he was an idiot and told him, "You don't even have the qualification to make him take action."
So...
So none of it was an insult.
It was the truth.
"Pfft!"
A mouthful of hot blood could no longer be suppressed and sprayed wildly from Qin Wushuang's mouth!
He felt as if his world had collapsed.
All his pride, all his confidence, and all his hard work had turned into one giant joke.
He, Qin Wushuang, had been nothing more than a self-righteous, jumping clown in front of Wang Pingan from the very beginning!
"No... I don't believe it!"
Just as Qin Wushuang's spirit faltered and his Dao heart was on the verge of collapse,
a companion beside him—another Fourth Rank genius of noble birth—suddenly pointed at Wang Pingan and let out an exhausted roar filled with doubt!
"I don't believe he's at the Fourth Rank Peak!"
"A month ago, he was just sent to the medical center because of heavy injuries! How could a heavily injured person break through from Fourth Grade Mid-Stage to Fourth Rank Peak within a month?!"
"This doesn't make sense! This goes against the laws of martial arts!"
"Unless... he wasn't injured at all! That so-called 'Top-Secret Mission' and those 'one million credits' are all fake! They're all lies fabricated by the academy to push him into a high position!"
"He's a fraud!"
The genius's words were like a clap of thunder, exploding across the silent square!
They were also like a life-saving straw, allowing those geniuses about to be drowned by despair to see a glimmer of hope again!
That's right!
This was irrational!
A month ago, the whole school knew Wang Pingan was hospitalized with heavy injuries!
How could he be alive and kicking a month later, and even conveniently break through to the Fourth Rank Peak?
This had to be fake!
"Exactly! We demand a face-to-face confrontation!"
"Make him come out! Let him release his aura himself! Let us see if he really is at the Fourth Rank Peak!"
"If he doesn't dare, that proves it's all fake! He's a fraud!"
The commotion that had just settled down erupted again in an even more violent manner!
This time, their spearhead was no longer pointed at the academy, but precisely at the "fraud" who hadn't said a word from beginning to end!
Wang Pingan!
Countless gazes filled with scrutiny, suspicion, and anger turned toward the figure in the corner.
"Wang Pingan! Do you dare to come out and give us an explanation!"
Qin Wushuang also seemed to seize a sliver of hope from that endless despair. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and hissed in a hoarse voice,
"You fraud! Do you dare to step forward!"
High on the platform, Instructor Shi Yan's brow furrowed tightly as he watched the scene spiral out of control again.
He hadn't expected things to develop to this point either.
He subconsciously looked toward the youth being targeted by everyone.
He wanted to see how this little fellow, who always managed to create miracles, would deal with it this time.
In the corner, Wang Pingan felt the wave of hostility and finally raised his head.
A helpless, even slightly "annoyed" bitter smile appeared on his consistently calm face.
"Sigh."
He let out a soft sigh.
"I originally wanted to get along with you all as an ordinary person."
"But in return, I only got alienation and suspicion."
"I'm done pretending."
"I'm showing my cards."
His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.
Then, under everyone's stunned and bewildered gazes,
he slowly walked out from that inconspicuous corner.
Step by step, he walked to the very center of the square.
He walked into the spotlight, the focus of ten thousand eyes.