Lin Yuan instinctively took two steps back, hands raised.
"Oi—don't look at me like that. I was your teammate during the Continental Elite Young Soul Master Tournament, remember?"
Shi Ming rolled his eyes.
"Actually, we didn't require your help at all."
A visible vein popped on Lin Yuan's forehead.
Meanwhile Feng Xiaotian, Shui Bing'er, Huo Wushuang, and the others from the visiting academies quietly observed the strange atmosphere.Lin Yuan cleared his throat and straightened up.
"Ahem, well—team selections were made by rules, okay? Besides…"He flashed a confident grin."Among all of you, no one here can defeat me one-on-one except Jiang Mo."
Tian Yue's lips curled into a feral, predatory smile.
"Oh? Then why don't we have a fight right now?"
Lin Yuan immediately coughed into his fist, eyes darting away.
"O-Of course, including you. We were tied last time anyway."
Jun Wuhen quietly pinched the bridge of his nose. Chu Yue hid her laugh behind her hand.
Just then, Dugu Yan chimed in with a smirk of her own.
"You wanted to know what we were talking about, right? It was about Qian Renxue."
The moment Lin Yuan heard Dugu Yan utter that name, a cold shiver shot straight down his spine.
Lin Yuan froze , his expression became happy then it changed again
Qian Renxue.
Just the thought made him instinctively wrap his arms around his stomach.
He screamed internally:
'System! Quick—check if Renxue is anywhere near us!'
[ System: Host, do not be alarmed. The system does not sense Qian Renxue nearby. ]
Lin Yuan let out a shaky breath and rubbed the spot on his abdomen where the phantom pain resurfaced—vivid as the day it happened.
The memory flashed in his mind:
A golden-haired girl, face and eyes so beautiful that he wanted to be lost in it, with a lazy flick of her finger, a pebble shooting like a meteor.
BANG.
His trauma stirred.
Another thought emerged with dread.
'System… how strong is Qian Renxue now?'
[ System: Host did not request a scan during your last visit, so the system does not possess that information. ]
Lin Yuan felt his soul deflate, ready to sigh in despair.
But then—
[ System: However, based on the precision and power behind the stone flick—which did not fatally injure you despite its destructive force—Qian Renxue is estimated to be at least a high-level Soul Douluo with extremely high control over her strength. ]
Lin Yuan's heart shook violently.
Then, like a delusional romantic:
'If… If I had completed the novice mission back then…''Qian Renxue would have been mine…'
He clenched his fists dramatically.
'System! This is your fault! If you had just helped me complete the novice mission—'
[ System: Host, the system is merely your helper. If the system must carry you through everything, what exactly is your purpose? ]
Lin Yuan stared blankly into the void.
Everyone around watched in confusion as his expression rapidly cycled through:
Terror → Nostalgia → Delusion → Despair → Rage → Emptiness.
Shi Ming discreetly poked Jiang Mo.
"Why does he always look like he's arguing with his ancestors?"
Jiang Mo sighed with the weariness of someone who had known Lin Yuan too long.
'I don't know when his mental illness will finally be cured.'
To them, Lin Yuan's periodic muttering and dramatic facial changes were a familiar sight.Since no one could hear the system in his mind, everyone had collectively concluded:
Lin Yuan was a little mentally unstable.
And honestly, no one could refute that assessment.
In addition to that Qian Renxue's dislike of Lin Yuan is not a secret among them, so Lin Yuan does not have a good reputation among them.
Lin Yuan was staring at the sky, silently blaming the heavens for stealing his goddess.
Only after recovering from Lin Yuan's "episode" did Jiang Mo finally turn his attention toward the two unfamiliar faces trailing behind him.
His gaze paused sharply on one of them.
"…Are you Jun Wuhen?"
The black-haired boy bowed slightly, polite yet dignified.
"I am honored that the champion Jiang Mo remembers my name."
Jiang Mo's brows drew together, a faint pressure leaking from him.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your classmate—the Holy Maiden, the Saint of Spirit Hall?"
A few ears perked at the tone. It wasn't hostility… but it wasn't friendliness either.
Jun Wuhen glanced at Lin Yuan, who had finally recovered enough from his internal meltdown to look somewhat normal.
Then he said calmly, almost casually:
"I hope you won't take offense by my words… but although Hu Liena is indeed a genius, she is not talented enough to deserve the title of Saint."
"…"
The surrounding Spirit Hall youths froze.
Even Feng Xiaotian and the others who weren't from Spirit Hall felt their hearts skip a beat.
This boy dared to say such a thing openly?
Jun Wuhen didn't stop there.
"With respect… even I, who have reached Level 40 at age 13, must admit: you people are the true geniuses."
A few jaws dropped.
Those words carried neither flattery nor submission—just simple, unvarnished truth.
And strangely, because of that, they sounded even more respectful.
A small smile curved Jiang Mo's lips. But his eyes stayed narrowed, still testing.
"…Continue."