Gao Wu: Oh no! Young Master Zhen is a cultivator!

However, before he could launch the fireball, Lin Ran flashed in front of him and slapped him.

Snapped!

Sun Jingyao did a 360-degree spin and flew off the stage in an instant.

"Who's going to stand here and wait for you to unleash your ultimate move? Are you stupid?" Lin Ran said with a look of disdain.

The fireball exploded in Sun Jingyao's hand, scattering flames that scorched his entire body black.

As the smoke dissipated, those around were stunned.

"Is that all?"

"I never expected that a duel between an A-level Awakened and an ordinary person would have such an outcome."

"Young Master Sun is really having a tough time!"

"His physical injuries are nothing compared to his wounded heart."

Sun Jingyao lay on the ground, his eyes glazed over.

How did things get to this point?

How could an ordinary person possibly defeat a genius like himself?

No, Lin Ran is definitely not an ordinary person!

The Lin family must have secretly given him an awakening potion!

After all, the medicines are all produced by the Lin family and used by their own people, so why would they need to wait for the official release?

That must be it!

Thinking of this, Sun Jingyao's pupils gradually regained focus.

At this moment, the supervising teacher slowly announced, "Lin Ran wins this match!"

Zhao Meng was the first to speak: "Awesome!"

The training hall erupted in chaos afterward.

"If this were an ordinary person, I'd wash my hair upside down."

"Heh... Only a fool would believe that!"

"An ordinary person who defeated a cultivator at the Tongqiao Realm."

"Could he be an awakened being of the power type?"

"But there doesn't seem to be any fluctuation of qi or blood in his body?"

Sun Jingyao stood up and started to leave.

"You think you can just leave after losing?" Lin Ran stood on the ring, looking down at him.

"What else do you want?"

Lin Ran extended his right hand: "A prize!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Jingyao looked enlightened, as if he had just realized this trivial matter.

"for you!"

He took the fire-elemental crystal core out of his pocket and tossed it to Lin Ran.

"You're welcome anytime if there's another good thing like this!" Lin Ran caught the crystal core, tossed it in his hand, and casually put it in his pocket.

After holding back for a while, Sun Jingyao spoke again: "Don't be arrogant. I'll definitely come back to challenge you again after I break through!"

After saying that, he turned and left, looking quite disheveled.

Lin Ran jumped off the ring.

Zhao Meng quickly stepped forward and gave him a thumbs up: "Brother Ran, that's amazing! How did you do that?"

"Didn't you see it all?" Lin Ran asked calmly.

"I mean, how do you have this kind of strength?"

"I told you before, I have superhuman strength."

Zhao Meng rolled his eyes: "I don't believe you for a second!"

"Believe it or not!" Lin Ran strode out of the training hall.

"Brother Ran, where are you going?" Lin Haozhe called from behind.

Lin Ran tilted his head: "Of course, we should go back to the classroom."

"The afternoon is for practical training; we don't need to go to the classroom."

"Is it still early? I'd like to find a place to take a nap."

"Lunch break?" Lin Haozhe seemed to have heard something strange.

The people around Lin Ran also looked at him with the same puzzled expressions.

Seeing this, Lin Ran looked puzzled: "What? Don't you guys take a lunch break?"

Everyone fell silent.

Bai Ruolin explained to Lin Ran, "Everyone wants to make a breakthrough before the martial arts college entrance examination, so they usually train hard at the training hall at noon."

"Prepare for the college entrance exam?" Lin Ran raised an eyebrow. "You should definitely give it your all. But you should also balance work and rest, and not just blindly push yourselves, lest you damage your foundation."

Upon hearing this, Bai Ruolin frowned: "I feel like something's not right, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

The training hall has multiple areas, including a physical training area, a weight training area, a virtual training area, and a fighting ring area.

Lin Ran sat down on a bench by the wall in the physical training area and watched the other students do extra training on their own.

A short while later, Bai Ruolin strolled over from the equipment training area, sat down next to Lin Ran, and took a sip from the water bottle in her hand.

"Why aren't you practicing extra?" Lin Ran asked casually.

"I think you have a point. Cultivating martial arts should also involve a balance between work and rest," Bai Ruolin said solemnly.

Lin Ran nodded: "This child is teachable."

"Hehe..." Bai Ruolin turned to look at Lin Ran: "I heard you used to be bullied a lot at No. 3 Middle School?"

"Who told you that?"

"Just tell me, is this true or not?"

"Yes, I used to be bullied a lot," Lin Ran readily admitted.

Bai Ruolin asked with slight confusion, "You're so strong, why don't you fight back? Are you hiding your strength?"

"Why can't it be that I become stronger overnight?"

"Do you even believe it yourself?" Bai Ruolin pursed her lips.

"Of course I believe you!" Lin Ran leaned back, resting his head against the wall. "It's not surprising that anything can happen to a genius like me."

"You're so shameless!"

"So-so, needs improvement."

Bai Ruolin tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear: "I heard you were targeted by Sun Jinghuan because of a woman?"

"Is that so?" Lin Ran asked, looking puzzled.

"You don't know anything about your own affairs?"

"I don't know."

Bai Ruolin scrutinized him for a moment, confirming that the bewilderment on his face was genuine, before nodding: "That must be a rumor."

For some reason, after Lin Ran denied the matter, a hint of secret joy flashed through her heart.

Lin Ran stroked his chin, looking thoughtful: "Whether it's a rumor or not remains to be verified."

"Are you serious?"

"Although I don't know about this, who knows, maybe some discerning young lady secretly likes me, which is why Sun Jinghuan is targeting me?"

Bai Ruolin's face suddenly felt hot; she felt that Lin Ran was teasing her.

"Pah! What kind of taste is it to have a crush on someone like you?"

"Huh? I disagree with that."

Lin Ran pointed at himself: "Am I not good enough? Look at my stunning looks, and look at the strength I just demonstrated. Don't I deserve someone's secret admiration?"

"Hmph, I can't be bothered with you." Bai Ruolin got up and left.

"Where are you going?"

"Extra training!"

"Isn't it said that we should balance work and rest?"

"I've changed my mind."

Bai Ruolin quickly walked towards the equipment training area, her waist twisting with youthful vitality.

"Tsk... It's so good to be young." Lin Ran sighed and continued to close his eyes to rest.

Two hours later, the practical training class officially began.

The class of over thirty students stood in neat rows in the center of the training hall.

A tall figure walked in through the side door.

He was over 1.85 meters tall, his muscles stretched his training clothes so angularly, and he had an old scar on his left cheek that looked rather fierce.

His gaze swept across the line, stopping in front of Lin Ran: "A new student has joined the class?"

Lin Ran stood at attention: "Reporting, Instructor, my name is Lin Ran, and I just transferred here today."

"Hmm, very good, very energetic." The instructor said with his hands behind his back, "My name is Qin Hanzhong, and I will be your training instructor from now on."

"Yes, instructor! Got it, instructor!"

Qin Hanzhong's scar twitched slightly as he thought to himself, "This kid has a pretty loud voice."

"Today's training project is a virtual exercise. You need to survive in the corresponding scenario and try to kill as many mutated creatures as possible."

He raised his hand and pointed to the virtual training area on the east side.

It was a row of cylindrical holographic capsules, all silver-white, with open doors and internal sensors flashing a pale blue light.

"Same as always, warm up first. Go to the double gravity training room and stretch your muscles."

Qin Hanzhong raised his wrist and glanced at the timer: "Now, get moving."

The group of over thirty people turned around in unison and ran towards the gravity training room.

Zhao Meng leaned closer to Lin Ran and whispered, "Brother Ran, double gravity is no joke. If you can't handle it, come out sooner rather than later, don't try to tough it out."

"understood."

The gravity training room is right next to the physical training area.

As Lin Ran stepped inside, a heavy, oppressive feeling washed over him.

The room is about 100 square meters, with a gravity generator on the ceiling and dark cushioning mats on the floor.

More than thirty students rushed in, each taking up a section to warm up.