“What rank is he, exactly? 4th-rank? Or maybe 5th?”
“No way, right? How old is he? He looks sixteen or seventeen at most. How could he possibly be 5th-rank?”
“Then how is he insta-killing 2nd-rank peak contestants?”
No one could answer that question.
In the stands, several contestants wearing the uniforms of other academies looked at each other, their expressions rather grim.
They had come to observe their rivals, but after watching for so long, they had observed nothing at all.
Every battle this golden-haired youth fought ended too quickly—so quickly that it was impossible to tell where the upper limit of his strength lay.
“What’s his background?”
A red-haired female contestant asked with a frown.
“He’s from Saint Brilliance Magic Academy, 5th year, named Jiang Lin.” Her companion beside her flipped through a small booklet. “Other information... there is none. He’s never participated in any public competitions before; this is his first.”
“His first? You’re joking.”
“I’m not. This guy seems to have popped out of nowhere. No past battle records, no public files, and not even an official certification for his rank.”
“Then how did he get a slot in the national competition?”
“Internal recommendation slot. Every academy has a few. They get to skip the qualifiers and go straight into the knockout rounds.”
The red-haired girl fell silent, her eyes fixed on the golden figure walking toward the contestant passage with a complex gaze.
In the days that followed, Jiang Lin continued to steamroll his way through.
In the third round, his opponent was a 2nd-rank peak beastkin warrior who specialized in close-quarters combat.
Jiang Lin didn't even move. He simply stood his ground, pressed his index and middle fingers together, and gave a light tap.
Before the opponent’s heavy punch could even land, the man was sent flying out of the ring by a gentle yet irresistible force.
In the fourth round, his opponent was a 3rd-rank early stage elven archer.
He was somewhat famous in the noble circles of the Royal Capital, and it was said his archery had reached the realm of “Listening to the Wind.”
Standing at the furthest edge of the ring, he drew his bow and notched an arrow. The shaft was imbued with emerald-green wind magic as he aimed for Jiang Lin’s shoulder.
He was being considerate, at least, not aiming for any vital spots.
The result was that his full-power strike was caught directly between Jiang Lin’s two fingers.
Then, Jiang Lin vanished from his spot.
This wasn't his 【Instant Light Flash】, but pure speed.
So fast that the elven archer only saw a golden afterimage flash across his vision.
Then, a hand was placed gently on the limb of his bow.
“You lose.”
Jiang Lin’s voice was as calm as water.
The elven archer looked down at the hand resting on his bow, then up at the face that was so close—a face so perfect it didn't seem real. After a moment of silence, he lowered his bow and took a step back.
“I forfeit.”
His voice was a bit dry, but there was no resentment.
He knew very well that if Jiang Lin had wanted his life in that instant, he wouldn't have even had time to react.
The fifth round, the sixth, the seventh.
Every single match was an insta-kill.
Some opponents, upon learning they had drawn Jiang Lin, chose to forfeit immediately.
This was a rare occurrence in the history of the national competition, but this year, three contestants facing Jiang Lin chose to withdraw.
Their reasons were surprisingly consistent:
“I don’t want to be blasted off the stage by a single finger in front of fifty thousand people.”
The news spread like it had wings through the streets and alleys of the Royal Capital.
“Have you heard? That Jiang Lin from Saint Brilliance won again.”
“Again? Which match was it?”
“The seventh. All insta-kills.”
“Do the three matches where the opponents forfeited count?”
“Of course they count. Winning without fighting proves the point even more. To be able to scare an opponent into forfeiting—just how much of a deterrent is he?”
From street corners to taverns and tea houses, even in the guardrooms of the Royal Palace, that name was being discussed everywhere.
The day after the third round, the 《Royal Capital Daily》 published a report on the front page of its sports section titled 《Rise of the Dark Horse: The Mysterious Youth of Saint Brilliance Academy》, providing a detailed introduction to Jiang Lin’s performance in this year’s national competition.
The report began like this:
“He stands on the ring, his long golden hair glowing with the luster of molten gold in the sunlight, his face so perfect he seems like a creation of the gods.
“He uses no weapons, wears no armor, and doesn't even need to move his feet. With just a single finger, he sends all his opponents off the stage.
“Who is he? Where did he come from? Where is the limit of his strength? No one knows.”
Once this report was released, Jiang Lin’s name officially transitioned from a small-scale rumor to the talk of the town.
Following that, media outlets like 《Magic Weekly》, 《Adventurer's Bulletin》, and 《Royal Capital Current Affairs》 all followed suit.
Some analyzed his fighting style from a competitive perspective.
Some discussed the school of swordsmanship he might have mastered from an academic angle.
One gossip tabloid even dedicated an entire page to listing every bit of public information about Jiang Lin since his enrollment.
Even if that information was pitifully sparse.
What truly caused the citizens of the Royal Capital to explode was an in-depth report published by 《Magic Weekly》 after the fifth round, titled:
《The Sleepless Genius: A Closer Look at Saint Brilliance Academy’s Most Mysterious Student》
This report featured interviews with several teachers from Saint Brilliance Magic Academy and some of Jiang Lin’s classmates.
“...He never sleeps.”
An interviewee named Neil stated in the interview:
“I’ve known him since the first day of school. It’s been over a year, and I’ve never seen him close his eyes.
“Of course, it’s not that he doesn't rest; he likely uses meditation as a substitute for sleep.”
“I suspect he has a magic crystal furnace inside him.”
Another classmate named Rex gave an anonymous tip:
“Those of us in the elite class all work hard, and pulling all-nighters is the norm, but Jiang Lin’s energy is simply inexhaustible.
“He only eats one meal a day and never rests, yet we’ve never seen him look tired.”
Vice Dean Keith was much more cautious during his interview, merely stating:
“Jiang Lin is one of the most outstanding students since the founding of Saint Brilliance Magic Academy. His diligence and talent are equally impressive.”
But once this report was out, the circles of young people in the Royal Capital completely blew up.
“No sleep? Is that for real?”
“It’s fake, right? How could a human possibly not sleep?”
“But his classmates all say so. And it’s not just one person, it’s several.”
“That’s too absurd... though it makes sense. To reach this level of strength at this age, how could he not put in effort that ordinary people can't match?”
Consequently, a somewhat familiar phenomenon began to spread throughout the Royal Capital.
First, several lower-year students at the Royal Academy started pulling all-nighters in the study rooms, claiming they were “learning from Jiang Lin.”
Then, this trend rapidly spread to other academies.
Even a few ordinary middle schools had students hanging banners in their classrooms that read “No Sleep, No Rest, Surpass Yourself.”
After receiving an inquiry from the Royal Capital Education Bureau, Vice Dean Keith wrote a long letter overnight to explain:
“Student Jiang Lin’s lack of sleep is an isolated case, a combination of talent and a special cultivation method. It is not suitable for and should not be imitated on a large scale.
“Excessive all-nighters will cause irreversible damage to the bodies of teenagers. Parents and teachers must guide students to arrange their schedules reasonably...”
But after this letter circulated among the youth of the Royal Capital, it had the opposite effect.
“See? Even the Vice Dean admitted he doesn't sleep! It’s true!”
“A combination of talent and a special cultivation method? What special cultivation method? I want to learn too!”
“You can't learn it. Do you have a face like his?”
“...What does that have to do with his face?”
“Do you think if you looked like him, you’d even need to pull all-nighters to cultivate?”
“...Fair point.”
What truly pushed Jiang Lin’s fame to its peak was a feature article published by a magazine called 《Girls' Friend》 after the seventh round.
The title of this feature was incredibly blunt:
《The Man the Capital Most Wants to Marry—The Mesmerizing Golden-Haired Youth of the National Competition》
The content of the article praised Jiang Lin’s appearance, temperament, strength, and “mystery” to the high heavens.
“...He stands on the ring, his golden eyes like two pieces of amber pierced by sunlight, calm and profound.
“His eyelashes are very long, casting a small fan-shaped shadow beneath his eyes.
“When he lowers his gaze slightly, that shadow trembles gently, like a butterfly flapping its wings...
“...He doesn't cheer after a victory, doesn't wave to the audience, and doesn't even show a single unnecessary expression.
“He simply walks off the stage with such composure, his long golden hair fluttering slightly in the wind, leaving behind a silhouette that haunts one’s dreams, like a prince from a legend...”
“...Who wouldn't want to marry a man like that?”
Once this article was published, Jiang Lin’s popularity among the young women of the Royal Capital skyrocketed through the roof.
On match days, the proportion of young women in the stands of Ring 17 was visibly higher.
They held homemade support signs with slogans like “Go Jiang Lin,” “Golden-Haired Angel,” and “God of Insta-kills.”
Every time Jiang Lin stepped onto the ring, a wave of suppressed screams would erupt from the stands.
“He’s out! He’s out! He’s out!”
“Oh my god, he’s wearing dark blue today! This color suits him so well!”
“Did he just look at me?! He looked at me!”
“Stop dreaming, he was looking at the old lady in front of you.”
“You’re the old lady! Your whole family are old ladies!”
Fenrir couldn't help but shrink his neck every time he saw this scene.
Sitting in the entourage rest area with his greatsword across his back, he watched the screaming girls holding their signs with a complex expression.
“Teacher Jiang Lin’s fanfare... is even more exaggerated than when the Prince of the Silver Moon Kingdom travels.”
Alicia glanced at him indifferently:
“A prince travels based on his status. Teacher Jiang Lin relies on strength and... well.”
She paused, not finishing the second half of her sentence.
Elune sat quietly in a corner, holding a cup of flower tea. Her pale purple eyes watched the golden figure walking down the steps through the rising steam.
Her expression was calm, but her fingers gripping the teacup tightened slightly.
She had, of course, seen that article in 《Girls' Friend》.
And she had read it more than once.
The points she noticed were entirely different from everyone else’s.
One sentence in the article read:
“His eyelashes are very long, casting a small fan-shaped shadow beneath his eyes. When he lowers his gaze slightly, that shadow trembles gently, like a butterfly flapping its wings...”
She stared at that sentence for a long time, then silently closed the magazine and tucked it into the deepest part of her spatial ring.
She couldn't quite describe the feeling, but she just felt the reporter for that magazine had observed him far too closely.
She was a bit miffed.
The eighth round, the quarter-finals.
Jiang Lin’s opponent was the top student of the 5th year at the Royal Academy, a 3rd-rank peak magic swordsman who excelled at infusing thunder magic into his swordsmanship.
It was said he had once killed a 4th-rank mid-stage storm eagle alone in the wild.
This opponent had also performed exceptionally well in the previous rounds, winning every match with overwhelming dominance. He was called “one of the favorites to win this year’s national competition” by the media.
Before the match, the 《Royal Capital Daily》 ran a special feature titled:
《Spear vs. Shield? The Strongest Dark Horse Faces the Tournament Favorite》
The article analyzed the technical characteristics and past records of both individuals in detail, finally concluding:
“This will be a match between equals.
“Contestant Jiang Lin’s overwhelming strength in the previous rounds is unquestionable, but contestant Rex.
“Coincidentally, he is also named Rex, but he is not the same person as the student of the same name from Saint Brilliance Academy.
“He has also shown staggering explosive power in the previous rounds.
“When two undefeated geniuses meet on a narrow path, the outcome is hard to predict.”
Once this report was released, the atmosphere in the arena was instantly dialed to the maximum.
On the day of the match, the stands for Ring 17 were packed to capacity, with people even standing in the aisles.
Reporters from several newspapers had long ago claimed the best spots, pens and paper in hand, eyes fixed on the ring entrance for fear of missing any detail.
When Jiang Lin stepped onto the ring, a cheer louder than any before erupted from the stands.
The screams of the girls holding their support signs rose one after another. Someone was even so excited they held their sign over their head, nearly hitting the back of the spectator in front of them.
“Go Jiang Lin!”
“Insta-kill him! Insta-kill him!”
“Aaaah, he’s wearing white today! He looks so good!”
The Rex from the Royal Academy stepped onto the ring from the other side.
He was a well-proportioned young man, about seventeen or eighteen years old.
His short dark brown hair was neatly combed, and his features were handsome.
There was a sense of composure and confidence in his eyes that was characteristic of the academic-style elite.
A slender magic sword hung at his waist, its hilt inlaid with a blue-purple thunder magic crystal that flickered with fine arcs of electricity in the sunlight.
After stepping onto the ring, he didn't immediately assume a combat stance. Instead, he first looked at Jiang Lin.
“I finally get to meet you.” He spoke, his voice not loud, but enough for the spectators in the front rows to hear. “I’ve heard your name since the first round. I’ve always wanted to see for myself just how strong you really are.”
Jiang Lin looked at him but said nothing.
Rex didn't mind. He slowly drew the magic sword from his waist, the blue-purple arcs on the blade crackling and throwing small sparks into the air.
“I won't fall in one hit like your previous opponents.” His voice carried a hint of confidence. “I’ve studied your fighting style. Your attacks are indeed very strange, but I’ve found a way to deal with them.”
...
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