Replace me as the top scholar? Go talk to my Marshal Grandpa!

On the dueling platform.

Wang Xian has been standing there for a minute.

He had his hands in his pockets, his expression calm, and his gaze casually swept over the crowd below the stage.

The referee stood by the table, holding a timer, his brow slightly furrowed.

According to the rules, contestants must go on stage within the specified time; otherwise, they will be considered to have forfeited.

Now, there are less than thirty seconds left until the deadline.

The audience members were buzzing with discussion.

"Why hasn't Long Qingyu arrived yet? Could his injuries be too severe for him to make it?"

"Possibly. I was terrified just watching that punch. If it had been someone weaker, they probably would have been dead on the spot."

"If they can't come, won't the other side just win? They'll get free points?"

"Tsk tsk, what great luck! When we matched with Long Qingyu, he was seriously injured and unable to fight. Isn't this a guaranteed win?"

Some were envious, some were sighing, and some were even gloating:

"If Long Qingyu really doesn't come, that'll be interesting. The young master of the dignified Long family, beaten to a pulp in the first match, and then forfeiting in the second—where will he put his face?"

"Maybe he's mentally broken and too ashamed to continue the match."

"That's possible."

In the crowd, one person stared at Wang Xian on the stage, frowned, and scratched his head:

"This person... looks kind of familiar?"

He tried hard to recall, but he just couldn't remember.

Someone nearby casually asked, "Who is it?"

"That guy on stage, Wang Xian, I feel like I've seen him somewhere before..."

The man glanced at it a few more times, but still couldn't remember. He shook his head and stopped thinking about it.

Just then—

A figure darted in from the entrance of the square!

His speed was astonishing; his footwork was elusive, like a swimming dragon weaving through the crowd!

Swimming Dragon Step!

It's Long Qingyu!

He leaped onto the fighting platform at the last second before the referee was about to announce his forfeit!

A stir broke out in the audience.

"Here he comes! It's Long Qingyu!"

"I thought he wasn't coming!"

"Judging from his appearance, it seems his injuries have healed?"

"How is that possible! How could such a serious injury heal so quickly?"

"They must have used some kind of precious medicine! The Long family is incredibly wealthy; what's a little money to them!"

Long Qingyu stood on the dueling platform, looking at Wang Xian with a gleam in his eyes.

Wang Xian sized him up and smiled slightly:

"I thought you were so badly beaten that you lost your mind and couldn't continue the game."

Long Qingyu snorted coldly:

"Don't get too cocky!"

He gritted his teeth and said, word by word:

"I was just careless in that last match, that's why I lost to your bodyguard!"

Wang Xian frowned and said calmly, "Qin Chong is my brother, not my bodyguard."

Long Qingyu didn't believe it at all.

"Brother? Ha, don't pretend."

"Isn't this just because you were afraid of being bullied at school, so you specifically asked the Wang family to arrange bodyguards for you?!"

"What a waste of space, needing bodyguards even when going out!"

Wang Xian was too lazy to explain.

He smiled faintly, echoing Long Qingyu's words:

"Then you, the young master of the prestigious Long family, who has had top-tier cultivation resources since childhood, can't even beat a bodyguard who's a year younger than you. Isn't that even more shameful?"

Long Qingyu's face instantly turned ashen, and he clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking.

But the next moment, he suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly:

"Ha ha ha ha--!"

The laughter was wild and unrestrained, with a touch of madness.

"Good, very good! You've successfully angered me, and I've been holding my breath for a while now, just looking for an outlet!"

He stared at Wang Xian, his eyes filled with excitement:

"I never expected God to be so kind to me, matching me with you in the second game!"

"This is...so lucky!! Hahahaha!"

He laughed unrestrainedly, his whole body trembling with laughter, as if he had Wang Xian completely under his control.

Wang Xian looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

Then, he smiled too.

His smile was calm and composed.

"Yes, you're so lucky."

"God has been too good to you."

Just then—

A gasp suddenly rang out from the audience:

"Wang Xian! He's Wang Xian!"

He finally remembered the person who had been staring at Wang Xian.

"He's the protagonist of that infamous case of the provincial top scorer being impersonated not long ago! The provincial top scorer of Nanzhao Province! A direct descendant of the Wang family, the son of Wang Quan, Wang Xian!!"

These words immediately caused an uproar among those around them.

"What? He's that Wang Xian?"

"That Wang Xian who announced at the press conference that he had completely destroyed talent transplantation technology?"

"Yes, yes, yes! I remember now! It's that face! Yes, it's him!"

Countless eyes instantly focused on Wang Xian.

Someone remarked:

"So it was him... His experiences have been so incredibly difficult. He finally became the top scorer in the province, only to have someone else steal his place and strip him of his talent..."

Some people admired him and said:

"I still remember what he said at the press conference. 'I'd rather have no future than let talent transplantation technology continue to exist'—that was so cool! Absolutely so cool!"

Some people also speculated about the conspiracy:

"Tch, who knows if he's just putting on a show? Maybe before destroying the technology, he already had the Wang family transplant an even better talent into him? The technology was in his hands for so many days, we wouldn't even be able to tell if it was transplanted!"

No sooner had he said that than he was retorted:

"Do you even have a brain? The three supreme beings have already released the details of the talent transplant technology! That technology is completely immature; the mortality rate for transplantation is no less than 35%!"

"Given Wang Xian's status, would the Wang family dare to let him take this risk? What if something goes wrong? How will the Wang family explain it to Marshal Wang? How will they explain it to Major General Wang Quan?"

"Conspiracy theories all the time, aren't you tired of it?"

The man was rendered speechless by the rebuttal and awkwardly shut his mouth.

Another question was raised:

"But... if he has no talent, why did he come to Tsinghua and Peking Universities? And why did he participate in the Rookie of the Year competition?"

"Just joining in the fun? Or are you resentful and want to test your skills against the geniuses in the academy, despite having no talent?"

Someone thought for a moment and said, "Not necessarily. Although he has lost his talent, he still has the Wang family behind him. With the Wang family's resources, they should be able to cultivate him into a 'pseudo-genius' and have him compete on the same stage as ordinary geniuses."

"I just checked his first match, and guess what? He kicked his opponent off the platform with one kick! A one-hit kill! His opponent didn't even have time to react!!"

"So, he's quite powerful?"

Someone shook their head and said, "So what if he's strong? His current opponent is Long Qingyu!"

"Look at Long Qingyu's appearance; he has clearly taken a precious medicine and recovered from his injuries. If he were still injured, Wang Xian might still have a chance."

"But this is Long Qingyu at his peak..."

He shook his head and didn't continue.

But everyone understands what it means.

The person next to him chimed in:

"Yes, how long has Wang Xian been back in the Wang family? Less than half a year, right? And Long Qingyu? He grew up in the Long family, enjoying the best cultivation resources! How can you compare them?"

"Although Long Qingyu lost the first match, his strength is undeniable! Especially the dragon beast he contracted, the oppressive aura it exuded was terrifying! It's just a pity he encountered that monster named Qin Chong..."

"In short, Wang Xian's chances in this match are slim."