Chapter 172: 159, Lu Lin said he was in a hurry, you guys go together (asking for subscription and monthly ticket)
Lu Lin had no idea about Traveler Aviation’s outrageous stunt. Looking at the long staff that had fallen to the ground, he let out a long sigh of relief.
Ever since arriving on Saturn, he had wanted to teach Feng Yuanyu a lesson.
Today, he finally had.
Wu Hongming arrived on the arena stage just in time to announce the competition results.
"Luse Alliance College, Lu Lin, challenge successful!"
"He will obtain the status of an Iron Blood College student!"
"Let’s congratulate him with a round of applause!"
Applause erupted.
Feng Yuanyu silently left the stage. What awaited him was not being sent to Luse Alliance College.
He could continue to study, live, and fight at Iron Blood College, but whether he still had the face to do so was another matter.
At least, among past students of Iron Blood College, those who failed a challenge either dropped out or transferred. No one would choose to stay.
"Student Lu Lin, congratulations. May I ask if you would like to continue your challenge?"
"As long as you defeat three more students, you can become an Elite Student of Iron Blood College."
Lu Lin was startled. Huh? Did Iron Blood College really have a hierarchy among its students?
"Teacher Wu, is there a higher level above Elite Students?"
"Yes," Wu Hongming answered, a hint of admiration in his eyes.
"Elite Students only need to defeat three ordinary students."
"Above that, there is another title that has been passed down since the Blue Star Era."
"Scholar Tyrant."
"Scholar Tyrants are the sovereigns among students."
"Only by defeating all students in the school during the freshmen competition can one truly become a Scholar Tyrant."
"So, do you want to continue the challenge?"
Lu Lin hadn’t expected an even higher level, Scholar Tyrant, above Elite Student.
He nodded and said seriously, "Teacher Wu, I want to continue the challenge."
"Good, your courage is commendable. Name your next opponent."
The conversation between Wu Hongming and Lu Lin was transmitted by the arena’s built-in microphone to the crowd below, and then to the Personal Terminals and home theaters of countless people.
All the spectators watching the match were collectively fired up.
Lu Lin’s recent battle with Feng Yuanyu, though a clean victory, hadn’t been particularly exciting.
From the start of the match, it had always been Lu Lin attacking and Feng Yuanyu defending. It had been all hacking and slashing; not a single Star Skill was used.
This only proved Lu Lin possessed greater strength, not necessarily exceptional talent.
But if he wanted to become an Elite Student, or even a Scholar Tyrant, he would have to keep challenging his way up.
On QingShan Network, the news of Lu Lin continuing his challenge instantly became a trending topic.
Countless netizens, unaware of the full situation, also opened their Personal Terminals, ready to watch Lu Lin’s upcoming performance.
Even in some live broadcast rooms relaying Lu Lin’s matches, many viewers gifted the hosts just to hear them shout, "Lu Lin 666!"
"Teacher Wu Hongming, please help me choose. As for Hang Jianshe and the others, save them for last."
"I also want to see if I can defeat all of them in one go."
What?! Wu Hongming hadn’t expected Lu Lin to be so confident.
He had sensed that Lu Lin’s Star Power Level was likely impressive, perhaps on par with Hang Jianshe.
But where did Lu Lin get the audacity to challenge all fifty elite students of Iron Blood University? Was he crazy?
The Iron Blood College students below the stage who heard Lu Lin’s words were even more indignant.
"Damn it! It’s not even certain if he’s at the Third Level, yet he dares to challenge all fifty of us? He’s really asking for death!"
"Heh, maybe he really does have Third-Level strength. Look at him, eyeing us like we’re easy pickings."
"That’s impossible, even for a Third Level. My big brother is a Third-Level Star Core Warrior, and he says one-on-one and one-against-many are completely different. Even if you win easily at first with ample Star Power, it won’t last. Later on, you’d be so depleted, even a Zero-Level individual could beat you."
"Heh, then let’s just wait and see how many of us this arrogant, conceited kid, Lu Lin, can defeat."
The Iron Blood College students whispered among themselves.
Below the stage, Zuo Yiming’s face was flushed.
"Luo Ling, Luo Ling, did you see that? Lu Lin wants to go through all fifty of them!"
"So awesome! So awesome! I wish that were me up there!"
Luo Ling said coolly, "Heh. Could you please remove your hand from my shoulder?"
Zuo Yiming wasn’t embarrassed at all. He naturally lowered his hand. "Hehe, I just got a little too excited."
Long Qianli watched Lu Lin. His confident demeanor gradually merged in Long Qianli’s mind with that of an old friend from many years ago. He remembered that year vividly; his friend had been as dazzling as Lu Lin is now, a radiant presence in the world. But today...
「On Saturn」
Lu Ping and Meng Yu cheered when they found out about Lu Lin’s decision.
"Lu, Lu, our son is amazing! Want to have a drink tonight? I’ll make an extra dish."
"Yes! Thanks, dear."
Bai Jingwei watched Lu Lin’s video and smiled faintly, murmuring to herself, This kid’s got guts.
Then, her secretary came in to inform her about an upcoming environmental protection meeting.
Bai Jingwei nodded. Without turning off the video, she headed straight to the conference room.
「At Tongyuan, Golden Sword High School」
The principal pointed at Lu Lin in the video and shouted excitedly,
"Students, do you see that? Do you see?!
"This is a graduate of our Golden Sword High School! This is a true Martial Artist!
"Now, I want everyone to cheer for Lu Lin!"
「Back on the arena」
Wu Hongming, on the stage, paused for a moment but quickly reacted.
This kid, Lu Lin, seems to be serious about this, he thought.
He nodded and scanned the Iron Blood College students in the waiting area below.
"Wang Hua, you’re up."
"Alright." Wang Hua leaped onto the stage.
He bowed to Lu Lin. "First-Level Fire System, Wang Hua. Please give me your guidance."
Lu Lin also cupped his fist. "Third-Level Earth Element, Lu Lin. Please give me your guidance."
As usual, Wu Hongming checked Wang Hua for Prohibited Items, then leaped aside and announced the start of the match.
Like Lu Lin, Wang Hua used a knife and also possessed immense strength.
Wu Hongming hoped to present an evenly matched battle, not just watch Lu Lin steamroll weaker opponents.
Wang Hua’s strengths were very similar to Lu Lin’s, so Wu Hongming thought it would take Lu Lin some effort to defeat him.
At the same time, he had a small idea.
Lu Lin was still a Challenger. If he actually managed to defeat fifty students in a row, Iron Blood University’s admission standards would become a laughingstock.
He had just learned that Lu Lin’s initial refinement level was only 0.78%. If this news got out, Iron Blood College would be utterly disgraced.
Lu Lin glanced at Wang Hua and moved with lightning speed. Like a phantom, he appeared right in front of Wang Hua.
WHOOSH!
A blade descended.
Wang Hua hurriedly raised his knife to defend.
Poor Wang Hua. He usually prided himself on his immense strength. While perhaps not the most talented among his peers, his raw power was definitely top-tier.
Unexpectedly, a single strike from Lu Lin sent Wang Hua staggering back three steps.
Just then, the arena floor beneath him suddenly rose, causing him to lose his balance and stumble to the ground.
Before he could counterattack, Lu Lin’s phantom-like figure was already before him again.
The cold blade was pressed against Wang Hua’s neck.
"I..." Wang Hua started to say, but seeing Wu Hongming approach, his face flushed red, and he was lost for words.
Claim Lu Lin ambushed him? But Wu Hongming already announced the match’s start. Complain that Lu Lin was too fast? Ridiculous! In a duel, who made a rule that opponents must trade blows one at a time? Speed was Lu Lin’s advantage.
Wang Hua lowered his head. Without waiting for Wu Hongming to announce the result, he jumped off the arena and walked away, not looking back.
"Teacher Wu, please speed things up. Later, just call out the names directly. Let the students come up faster."
Wu Hongming looked at Lu Lin, opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately just sighed.
"This match goes to Lu Lin. Next, Fang Weihe!"
Fang Weihe leaped onto the arena.
The moment Wu Hongming announced the start, Lu Lin dashed forward, giving Fang Weihe no chance to introduce himself.
One strike.
Two strikes.
Three strikes.
After three strikes, Fang Weihe lost his footing and fell off the arena. The outcome was obvious.
"This match goes to Lu Lin."
"Next, Lu Zhao!"
"This match goes to Lu Lin."
"Next, Ma Long!"
"This match goes to Lu Lin."
"Next, Liu Haitao!"
"This match goes to Lu Lin."
"Next, Zheng Yueming!"
This pattern continued. Student after student was called, and each was defeated by Lu Lin in moments. Eventually, Wu Hongming found himself standing at a distance; Lu Lin’s rapid victories had even excused him from his duty of monitoring the fights.
He seemed like an emotionless announcer, merely calling out the names of the Iron Blood University students for the challenge, one after another.
The spectators had gone from initial shock to acceptance, and now, to a state of numbness.
When Lu Lin defeated yet another student, the crowd couldn’t even be bothered to applaud.
Whatever, he’ll win anyway, they thought.
Only ten students remained in the Iron Blood University waiting area. Aside from the Four Heavenly Kings led by Hang Jianshe, the other six were all First-Level Martial Artists.
Lu Lin was getting tired too. Not physically, but mentally.
He’d fought so many consecutive battles. Even though each ended quickly, nearly an hour and a half had passed.
Seeing the remaining ten, Lu Lin thought for a moment, then approached Wu Hongming.
"Teacher Wu, please have them all come up together. My classmates are waiting to issue their challenges too. Otherwise, if everyone leaves, who will *they* challenge?"
Wu Hongming looked at Lu Lin speechlessly. Wasn’t this your fault? If you hadn’t been so arrogant, the Challenge Match would only be halfway through by now.
However, he glanced at the ten remaining students in the Iron Blood College waiting area. "Lu Lin, are you sure?" he asked.
"Among them are Hang Jianshe, Yao Zongheng, Zhu Haolin, and Cong Xiaolong."
"If these four team up, even if you’re a Third-Level Martial Artist, you could still lose."
"With the other six assisting them, you..." Wu Hongming shook his head, clearly not optimistic about Lu Lin’s chances.
"It’s fine, Teacher Wu. Just let them all come up together. I’m in a hurry."
"Alright then, as you wish." Wu Hongming agreed, then walked over to the waiting area. "Hang Jianshe, you all come up together. Lu Lin says he’s in a hurry."
Huh? The ten students looked at each other.
These ten were arguably the top new students at Iron Blood College this year, yet Lu Lin was dismissing them so casually.
That was unbearable.
One of them couldn’t sit still any longer. "Teacher Wu, in that case, we won’t be holding back when we get up there!"
"No need to hold back," Wu Hongming said with a wry smile. "If you can teach that kid a lesson, I’ll be the one thanking you."
"He’s already defeated forty people."
"Whether Iron Blood College can save any face now depends on you."
The student was about to say more but noticed Hang Jianshe had stood up and was walking forward. He immediately followed.