Chapter 57: Bei Beibei, Scared to Tears

Time is like the dowry money you save up; it accumulates slowly, but it is spent very quickly.

In the blink of an eye, the night passed quietly.

It must be said that having good grades really does come with privileges; the exam venue even arranged a private room for each of them to rest in last night.

Ye Lin, feeling refreshed after a good sleep, arrived at the Blue Stone Plaza, only to bump straight into Zhuge Ni.

Zhuge Ni had two large dark circles under her eyes; clearly, she hadn't slept well at all last night.

"I won't lose to you in the arena!" Zhuge Ni said, gritting her teeth.

"Uh..."

Ye Lin was speechless; he didn't know what had gotten into this woman, but she had been targeting him ever since the day of the class transfer ceremony.

He couldn't be bothered to pay her any mind. As the clock struck seven-thirty, Lin Yuan and the other examiners appeared right on time.

"What will be held today is the arena tournament! The college entrance exam trials for other candidates have already ended, but your trials have only just begun!"

"The rules for the arena tournament are very simple. The matches are decided by drawing lots. Everyone must compete in at least five rounds. Winning a match earns you 10 points and advances you to the next round. Losing a match does not deduct points, but once you lose, you enter the losers' bracket, which means you have no chance at becoming the top scholar."

"And whoever wins from start to finish will be this year's Qingcheng college entrance exam top scholar!"

"By the way, let me remind you that the arena tournament is being broadcast live in real-time. This means your friends, family, parents, and relatives are currently watching you from outside the exam venue, silently cheering you on."

As soon as Lin Yuan finished speaking, a candidate who had been picking his nose immediately stopped.

"Alright, now, the drawing of lots begins. There are 104 candidates, and here are 104 small balls with numbers written on them. Number 1's opponent is 104, number 2's opponent is 103, and so on. After drawing your corresponding tag, proceed to the arena as guided by the proctors."

As soon as Lin Yuan finished speaking, a proctor walked over carrying a large box covered with a black cloth.

Ye Lin understood the rules: everyone had to compete in at least five rounds, and if one wanted to compete for the title of top scholar, they would have to compete in a sixth, seventh, or even eighth round.

Although this rule seemed to have some loopholes, in reality, there was no problem at all; after all, the top scholar is the strongest of all candidates, and if one cannot even win from start to finish, they would be unworthy of the title.

As for the others, even if they drew a stronger opponent in the first round, as long as their strength was sufficient, they would certainly still be able to win the next four matches and obtain a high score.

When it comes down to it, strength is what matters!

A sharp glint flashed in the depths of Ye Lin's eyes; in order to enter the Supreme Academy, he was determined to become the top scholar!

The candidates took turns drawing their numbers. When it was Ye Lin's turn, he fumbled around and pulled out a small ball with 18 written on it.

"Boss, what's your number?" Ji Lingyu couldn't help but ask.

"18," Ye Lin said.

"18? Hehe, I'm 24! Great! It looks like I definitely won't run into you so soon, you scared me to death!" Ji Lingyu let out a long sigh of relief.

If he had run into Ye Lin in the first round, he would have definitely been depressed on the spot.

As long as he didn't run into people like Ye Lin, Zhuge Ni, or Luo Jun, his level 15 strength was enough to sweep the arena.

Guided by a proctor, Ye Lin walked onto an arena.

According to the rules, his opponent was the candidate who had drawn the ball numbered 86.

A petite young girl stood opposite Ye Lin with a stubborn look on her face.

"Both candidates, please stand within the circle. Do not make any unnecessary movements until I announce the start."

The proctor announced the rules with an expressionless face.

"Now, both candidates, please display your profession and level."

[Ye Lin, Forbidden Spellcaster, Level 18]

[Bei Beibei, Water Mage, Level 10]

"Profession and level display complete. The match begins!"

After glancing at the opponent's level and profession, the corner of Ye Lin's mouth couldn't help but twitch.

"Classmate, you should just concede."

"No! I won't concede! Even though you're very strong, don't look down on me! Make your move!"

Bei Beibei's expression was extremely stubborn, and her palm-sized face was filled with determination.

Anyone who could score over 85 points in the comprehensive ability assessment was no pushover. Having finally made it to the arena, she naturally wasn't willing to concede easily.

In truth, it wasn't that Ye Lin looked down on her; it was just that, aside from forbidden spells, he didn't know any other skills.

Given the level gap between the two, plus the fragile physique of a mage, Ye Lin was certain that no matter which forbidden spell he cast, the opponent would be severely injured if she just grazed it, and would die if she touched it.

It seemed she wouldn't give up until she saw the Yellow River. Ye Lin shook his head helplessly, then sacrificed one of his wisdom teeth.

"Forbidden Spell—World-Ending Mad Thunder!"

Ye Lin gave a light shout and raised his right hand toward the sky. Turbulent thunderclouds immediately gathered, and dazzling silver-white arcs of lightning darted through the clouds like spirit snakes.

Rumble!

A violent thunder dragon, as thick as a man could embrace, swept down from the clouds and connected with Ye Lin's hand, resembling a chain of thunder. At this moment, Ye Lin looked like a deity in control of lightning.

This terrifying scene not only caused those watching the live broadcast to switch their perspectives over, but it also caused the candidates at the scene to stop and look back.

"Holy crap! He's casting a forbidden spell and summoning lightning right from the start? Did that little girl on the other side commit a capital crime?"

"Such a cute girl, and this guy is summoning such thick lightning to strike her? How could her small frame handle that!"

"When others say they're risking their lives, it's a figure of speech, but this guy is actually risking lives!"

Casting a forbidden spell in a college entrance exam arena match is as absurd as Ke Jie participating in a primary school Go tournament; sending Zhan Ying to that kind of match would be more than enough.

The proctor was even more startled, then shouted in terror.

"Candidate Ye Lin! Killing is strictly prohibited in the arena tournament! Otherwise, your college entrance exam qualification will be revoked!"

"I don't want to either, but then you should make her concede," Ye Lin said helplessly.

By this time, Bei Beibei was already so scared that she stood frozen on the spot. When she watched the recording of Ye Lin yesterday, she already knew Ye Lin was very strong.

But watching a video was nowhere near as shocking as experiencing it firsthand. Only after truly standing opposite Ye Lin as his opponent did she realize just how terrifying he was!

Bei Beibei felt like a novice who had just stepped into a boxing ring, only to have peak Mike Tyson walk in from the other side.

Then, peak Mike Tyson shook her hand and told her with a smile: "Hello, I am today's referee, Tyson. Your opponent is Zero from the M78 Nebula."

Under this terrifying pressure, Bei Beibei's legs went weak, and she plopped down onto the ground.

The next second, she burst into tears with a wail.