By the time he walked out of the Grand Auditorium, the sky outside had turned completely dark.
But Lin Zhiran's world was as bright as day at this moment.
"Mr. Lin, this is your copy of the S-Rank contract, and the Black Gold Card containing the 5 million advance salary."
"Thanks."
Lin Zhiran took the Black Gold Card, feeling the cold touch with his fingertips, but his heart was burning hot.
At this moment, at the entrance of the auditorium behind him, the Principal, the Dean, and Zhao Tai, who was previously arrogant, were all standing in the distance watching. The Principal waved goodbye with a face full of smiles, while Zhao Tai shrank in the shadows like a defeated rooster, not even having the courage to look up.
Lin Zhiran didn't look back at them once.
A dragon does not live with snakes.
From the moment he revealed his S-Rank (Pseudo) Talent, he and Zhao Tai were no longer people on the same level. Step on him again? Unnecessary; that would only dirty his shoes.
"Take me home."
Lin Zhiran sat in the car and said indifferently.
...
Low-rent District, downstairs of the dilapidated tube building.
A luxury suspension car, completely out of place here, slowly descended, causing the surrounding neighbors to poke their heads out and watch.
Carrying a silver metal suitcase, Lin Zhiran rushed up the stairs. His heartbeat was fast, even faster than when he faced the Gold Rank sniper.
Pushing open the door.
Lin Qingyu was lying on the table, her face so pale it was almost transparent. Hearing the door open, she raised her head weakly. "Brother... you're back? Why so late today..."
Before she finished speaking, she coughed violently, blood spilling through her fingers.
"Qingyu!"
Lin Zhiran threw down his schoolbag, slammed the metal suitcase heavily on the table, and entered the password with trembling hands.
Click.
The case popped open, and a puff of white cold air drifted out. In the center of the cold air, a spiral potion emitting a deep blue glow lay quietly.
High-Grade Genetic Repair Serum!
This was a military special supply that couldn't be bought on the market at all. Just one dose could reshape the foundation and bring the dying back to life!
"Brother... what is this? It's so beautiful..." Lin Qingyu looked at the potion dazedly.
"This is life."
Lin Zhiran took a deep breath, took out the potion, and injected it into his sister's arm with gentle but firm movements. "Qingyu, sleep for a while. When you wake up, everything will be fine."
As the blue liquid was pushed into her blood vessel, Lin Qingyu's body trembled slightly.
Immediately after, a miraculous scene occurred.
Under her originally pale-as-paper skin, a healthy rosy luster began to appear. The aura of life, which was like a candle in the wind, was now like a flame injected with high-energy fuel, starting to burn and grow frantically!
Her breathing became steady, her brows relaxed, and she fell into a deep sleep.
Lin Zhiran sat by the bed, staring dead at his sister's face, not daring to blink for a moment.
Ten minutes. Twenty minutes. One hour.
It wasn't until the Vitality value on the monitor soared from the dangerous 0.3 all the way up and stabilized at 0.8 (healthy level for ordinary people) that the nerve Lin Zhiran had kept tight for three whole years finally snapped completely at this moment.
"Phew..."
He exhaled a long breath, collapsing onto the chair as if exhausted. His eyes felt hot, but he held back the tears.
Saved.
The mountain that pressed on his heart and made him breathless was finally moved away.
From the first day he transmigrated to this world, he lived in fear. Fear of poverty, fear of weakness, fear of his only relative leaving him.
And now, all shackles were broken!
Lin Zhiran stood up and walked to the balcony. The night wind blew on his face, and he felt relaxed as never before.
Since there were no more worries...
"System."
Lin Zhiran recited silently in his heart, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "Let me see that newly unlocked skill."
[SSS-Rank Talent · Heart of the Spear God (Stage 2) Activated.] [Current New Skill: Spear Domain · Absolute Territory.] [Skill Description: Within a 3-meter radius of the Host, form a spherical force field of absolute control. Within this domain, the Host's spear attack speed increases by 300%, and possesses the 'Sure-Hit' causality attribute! The weakness of any hostile target entering this domain will be forcibly exposed!]
"Sure-Hit? Causality?"
Lin Zhiran was shocked.
This wasn't just fast; this was domination on the level of rules!
"Let's try it."
He casually grabbed a drying pole from the balcony. Although it wasn't a spear, under the blessing of the Heart of the Spear God, everything could be a spear.
At this moment, a mosquito unaware of death was buzzing past.
Lin Zhiran closed his eyes, his mind sinking into that profound state.
[Spear Domain, Open!]
Hum!
Centering on him, the air seemed to freeze instantly.
In his perception, the high-speed flying mosquito suddenly became incredibly slow. And on the mosquito's body, a bright red light spot appeared—that was its fatal weakness.
No need to aim, no need to calculate trajectory.
Lin Zhiran just shook his hand casually.
Pa!
The tip of the drying pole left an afterimage in the air, clicking on that mosquito with incomparable precision.
The mosquito didn't even leave a corpse; it was directly shattered into powder by that sharp energy!
"Is this... Absolute Territory?"
Lin Zhiran looked at the drying pole in his hand, his eyes getting brighter and brighter.
This was just hitting a mosquito. What if it were on the battlefield?
As long as the enemy dared to step within three meters of him, they were stepping into a forbidden zone! Within this range, he was God!
"Not enough, still not enough."
Lin Zhiran threw away the drying pole, the ambition in his eyes expanding.
Although he had an S-Rank identity and a new skill, he knew very well that his current base strength (Vitality) was still too weak.
That Ye Hongyu said just now she wanted to send him to the "Ladder Elite Training Camp."
That place gathered geniuses from the entire Jiangnan City and even the whole province.
"Before that, I want to raise my strength by another level."
Lin Zhiran took out his phone, looked at the remaining millions in his bank card, and then at the empty potion case beside him.
"System, open the Infinite Slaughter Panel."
"I want to exchange all this money for Vitality Potions."
"Tonight, I'm sprinting for Limit Breaker Warrior!"
Since there were no cares in his heart, then...
Evolve frantically!
...
Meanwhile, Jiangnan City Ladder Branch Building.
Ye Hongyu sat in a large office chair, holding a freshly printed document in her hand.
The document contained all of Lin Zhiran's experiences from childhood to adulthood. Parents died, living with a seriously ill sister, reticent at school, often bullied...
"Background is clean, personality is tenacious, values relationships and loyalty."
Ye Hongyu nodded with satisfaction and closed the file. "A good seedling. And with that 'Spear Intent Connection' talent, if cultivated well, he might become the second 'Spear God' Ye Gucheng in the future."
"Commissioner."
At this moment, an assistant walked in hurriedly, his expression a bit strange. "That 'Cold Light'... came online again."
"Oh?"
Ye Hongyu became interested. "That mysterious expert who was a flash in the pan on the Nova List? Have you found out who he is?"
"Haven't found out yet. His IP is multi-encrypted, and it seems there is some kind of high-level authority protecting it."
The assistant reported, "However, his current behavior is a bit... strange."
"How so?"
"He didn't go to play ranked matches, but... opened a 'Custom Room' and changed the room name to—"
The assistant glanced at the tablet in his hand and swallowed saliva:
"[Seeking Defeat: Anyone below S-Rank is welcome. Within three meters, killing you is like killing a chicken]."
Ye Hongyu was stunned, then laughed dumbly.
"This tone is even more arrogant than that Lin Zhiran."
"Let's go, take a look."
She didn't know that the well-behaved student who just signed the S-Rank contract and this boundless arrogant "Cold Light" were essentially the same person.
And tonight's Ladder was destined to set off a storm of blood again because of this name.