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

"Greetings, Martial Saint Canglan!"

It's unclear who shouted first, but everyone around them immediately bowed in greeting.

"Greetings, Martial Saint Canglan!"

Chen Yicheng and the investigators behind him also bowed in unison.

Ye Wufeng, the Martial Saint of Canglan, is the most senior among the four existing Martial Saints in China.

As an awakened being of the water system, one has the ability to block rivers and cut off water flow.

Someone once claimed to have witnessed Ye Wufeng make a rushing river flow backward with a wave of his hand.

If the rumors are not exaggerated, this Martial Saint who can make the Yangtze River flow backward is probably no weaker than a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

Ye Wufeng waved his hand casually, his gaze sweeping between Chen Yicheng and Lin Ran: "I heard that one of the participating students is involved in a murder case?"

"Yes, sir, this is indeed true!"

Chen Yicheng straightened up and recounted earnestly, "In the early hours of last night, Lin Ran had a dispute with a martial artist at the Tongxuan Realm, and a fight broke out outside the Kyoto International Convention Center."

"When the junior led the team to arrive, the martial artist at the Tongxuan Realm had already fled. The sheriff Huang Jingsong, who was present, explained the details to the junior."

"After verifying the situation, I gave Lin Ran a warning and then the team left. However..."

Chen Yicheng changed the subject: "Just a few minutes after I left, Huang Jingsong was attacked and killed. It is suspected that the Tongxuan Realm martial artist who had previously fled returned to the scene to commit the crime."

His explanation was impartial and clear, ensuring that everyone understood.

Ye Wufeng frowned slightly: "Since there's already a suspect, why are you disturbing the students' competition?"

Upon hearing this, those around immediately began to whisper among themselves.

"Yeah, it seems like Lin Ran isn't involved in this anymore, right?"

"It can't be said that it's completely unrelated, after all, Lin Ran was there at the time."

"What kind of talk is that? Does being at the scene mean you're implicated? Does it mean you can't even leave your house anymore?"

"What you're saying seems to make sense."

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, each sticking to their own version of events.

Chen Yicheng said with a hint of helplessness: "Huang Jingsong had two previous disputes with Lin Ran, so Lin Ran is also a secondary suspect."

He paused, then continued, "According to the case-handling procedures, all related persons must be questioned."

"I see." Ye Wufeng nodded. "However, Lin Ran is a strong contender for this year's martial arts exam champion. It is indeed inappropriate for you to take him away now."

"In the current situation, taking away the participating students directly will not only affect the fairness of the martial arts exam, but also have a negative impact on the reputation of the Special Affairs Bureau."

After a moment's hesitation, he looked at Chen Yicheng again and slowly said, "How about this?"

"How about I vouch for Lin Ran and let him participate in the competition first? After the martial arts exams are all over, he can come back to the Special Affairs Bureau with you to cooperate with the investigation, what do you say?"

Chen Yicheng immediately agreed: "Since the Martial Saint is here to vouch for me, I have no objection."

Seeing this, Zhang Qichuan quickly gave Lin Ran a wink: "Aren't you going to thank Martial Saint Canglan?"

Lin Ran then cupped his hands in thanks to Ye Wufeng, saying, "Thank you, Martial Saint Canglan."

If someone comes to your rescue, you should still say a few polite words.

"No need to be so polite!" Ye Wufeng waved his hand, his gaze lingering on Lin Ran for a moment longer: "Get yourself in good shape and prepare for the competition."

Lin Ran solemnly replied, "This junior will certainly do my utmost."

Ye Wufeng nodded, turned and walked towards the stands, and the crowd once again made way for him.

Watching Ye Wufeng leave, Chen Yicheng straightened up: "Remember to come to the Special Affairs Bureau after the match!"

With the Martial Saint as his guarantor, he was not worried about Lin Ran running away, and immediately left with three investigators.

Outside the training center, an aircraft took off and quickly disappeared into the sky above the training center.

The qualifying race officially began at 2 PM.

The stands around the arena were packed, and the giant electronic screen on the dome slowly lit up, displaying the matchups for the quarterfinals.

The ranking competition adopts a points system, in which each player will compete against the other seven players in turn. A win earns two points, a draw earns one point, and a loss earns zero points.

Points start from zero, and there are a total of seven rounds. The final ranking is determined by the total score after the rounds.

"In the first round, Lin Ran from Xinhai No.1 Middle School will face Zeng Aniu from Yuncheng No.1 Middle School."

After the host made the announcement, the two stepped onto the ring.

Zeng Aniu lived up to his name, standing nearly 2.1 meters tall and weighing over 200 kilograms, with not an ounce of excess fat on his body.

With each step he took, the alloy floor made a dull thud under his feet.

A power-type awakener, at the peak of the Inner Breath Realm, whose explosive power in both arms can overturn an armored vehicle with his bare hands.

Of course, compared to Lin Ran, he is still far inferior.

As soon as the referee announced the start, Zeng Aniu charged towards Lin Ran.

He pulled his right arm back, causing the muscles in his arm to swell. When his fist slammed down, it carried a gust of wind, showing signs of breaking through to the Innate Realm.

In order to play the role of a martial artist at the Innate Realm well, Lin Ran could not defeat his enemy in one move, so he could only engage in appropriate combat.

He turned slightly to the side, and Zeng Aniu's fist grazed his collar, creating a gust of air.

Before the first punch was finished, another punch came flying in.

His fists moved alternately, continuously.

Lin Ran dodged several times, then tapped his toes and retreated.

Seeing this, Zeng Aniu quickly followed.

"drink!"

He swung his fist and smashed it down at Lin Ran.

"That's about it!"

Lin Ran brought his right fist to his waist, bent his legs slightly, and met the punch head-on.

Bang!

The two fists collided, creating a shockwave that caused the protective shields around the ring to flicker violently from the impact.

Zeng Aniu's expression changed from confidence to astonishment the moment their fists collided. His massive body flew backward and landed several meters away.

Bang!

He struggled to his feet, his gaze towards Lin Ran slightly complicated: "Are you really only at the Innate Realm?"

It's no wonder he had his doubts; both of them were power-type awakeners, but he was an A-rank while Lin Ran was only an F-rank.

Moreover, he was only one step away from entering the Innate Realm. If we don't consider the release of his Qi, the difference in strength between him and Lin Ran shouldn't be so vast.

Lin Ran shrugged: "I was born with superhuman strength."

Upon hearing this, Zeng Aniu paused slightly, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled: "You won!"

Lin Ran cupped his hands in a respectful gesture: "You flatter me."

The two stepped down, and the others took the stage.

Chu Xining was not very lucky. In the first round, she encountered Ye Chen, an SSS-level space-type awakener who was also at the Innate Realm.

The opponent's movements were elusive, and Chu Xining had no way to make a move, so she had no choice but to admit defeat.

Su Jin encountered Li Feiyu, who possessed water-type abilities. His fire-type abilities were countered, but he unexpectedly unleashed amazing potential and won the round.

The second opponent was Wang Lin from Hangzhou No. 1 High School, an S-level wind-elemental awakener at the peak of the Inner Breath Realm.

Her speed was extremely fast, and the afterimages she left on the arena were enough to dazzle most martial artists of the same level.

Wind blades shot towards Lin Ran from all directions at tricky angles, as if several enemies were attacking at the same time.

Lin Ran moved through the wind blades, quickly approaching Wang Lin, but the dense wind blades posed no threat to him.

Seeing this, Wang Lin quickly cast a wind element barrier on herself.

However, this obstacle was practically non-existent for Lin Ran.

He dodged a wind blade, arrived in front of Wang Lin, and threw a punch.

Bang!

The wind element barrier shattered instantly, and the force of the punch struck Wang Lin's chest, forcing her to retreat several steps before regaining her balance.

She rubbed her chest, her eyes filled with resentment.

"Cough cough cough... Sorry, I couldn't control myself." Lin Ran glanced at the other person's chest and thought to himself, "He's a promising talent."

Upon hearing this, Wang Lin did not continue to insist and immediately admitted defeat.

The referee announced loudly: "Lin Ran wins, 2 points."

In the third round, Lin Ran's opponent was Li Feiyu.

A water-elemental awakener, at the peak of the Inner Breath Realm.

She immediately used her signature move, making a gesture of holding her hands in front of her body, which condensed into dozens of water arrows in the air, densely packed, with their arrowheads aimed at Lin Ran.

"Wow! You're unleashing a powerful move right from the start. I doubt you can last long," Lin Ran casually remarked.

Li Feiyu remained silent and immediately activated the water arrows, launching a volley of fire.

In an instant, dozens of water arrows flashed and reflected a seven-colored halo.