A dozen people spread out, each drawing the swords and blades at their waists, surrounding Xuan Ming in the center.

One fighter charged in with iron fists that seemed to shatter space itself, smashing straight toward him. Another stood tall with a long sword, his sword intent sharp and domineering, the aura of a king’s blade swirling around him.

All their attacks struck at once.

“How much chance do you think they have?” Jiang Mozhi asked Xu Zimo.

“Even though you’ve lost your cultivation,” Xu Zimo replied, “I think your eyes still work, don’t they? Zero.”

Jiang Mozhi sighed. He could see it too, the students of the Celestial Sage Academy weren’t even on the same level as those from the Ghost God Collegium.

And this Xuan Ming, in the Ghost God Collegium, was clearly among the outstanding few.

He’d asked Xu Zimo only to seek a little comfort in his heart.

On the Battle Arena, Xuan Ming remained calm even as all the attacks landed.

The aura of the Black Tortoise surged around him, forming a massive phantom of the divine beast that shrouded him completely.

With a series of metallic crashes, all the attacks slammed against the Black Tortoise’s shell, but aside from the loud sound, not a single scratch appeared.

Blue light shimmered across the tortoise’s back, glowing like the surface of the sea.

“How can this be?” the Celestial Sage students gasped in disbelief.

“Truly disappointing,” Xuan Ming said flatly, shaking his head.

With a wave of his hand, the Black Tortoise opened its mouth and spat out several water arrows.

Each carried the power of frost, freezing the very air and space they passed through as they shot toward the students.

“Dodge!” someone shouted.

The group scrambled to avoid them in panic. Wherever the water arrows struck, even the platform beneath turned to solid ice.

And the Black Tortoise’s assault seemed endless, volley after volley, until in just moments, the entire Battle Arena was encased in ice.

The students had nowhere left to run.

They raised their weapons and charged desperately at Xuan Ming for one last stand.

A cold smile tugged at Xuan Ming’s lips. He raised both hands and clenched them tightly in midair.

With a deafening boom, all the ice beneath their feet exploded.

It was as if a blizzard had descended, icy wind roared and shards of frozen mist burst in every direction.

Snowflakes danced through the air while jagged ice shards, each several meters long, pierced into the bodies of the Celestial Sage students.

Amid the white frost, blood sprayed out, crimson streaks blooming like winter plum blossoms against the snow.

Beautiful, yet tragic.

Above, Jiang Mozhi shouted anxiously, but his cries made no difference.

When the snow finally settled, the wounded forms of the Celestial Sage students were revealed.

All of them lay on the ground, drenched in blood, heavily injured, Xuan Ming had clearly held nothing back.

He stood over them proudly, legs spread apart. “Now admit you’re all useless,” he said. “Crawl between my legs and leave the Ghost God Collegium. Maybe then I’ll let you go.”

“Dream on!” one of the students coughed blood but still roared defiantly.

“We’re born the same as you! If we’d grown up here in the Ghost God Collegium, we wouldn’t necessarily lose to you!”

From above the platform, Xu Zimo looked on and asked curiously, “Does this Xuan Ming have a grudge against every newcomer to the Ghost God Collegium? Or is he always such a cunt?”

“When he joined the academy,” Jiang Mozhi explained, “he suffered greatly, faced mockery and humiliation because of his low status. It twisted his heart a little.”

Before Xu Zimo could reply, a soft female voice joined in beside him.

“To Xuan Ming, the Ghost God Collegium represents the highest honor,” she said. “Anyone who hasn’t endured what he has, in his eyes, doesn’t deserve to be here.”

Xu Zimo turned and saw that a woman had appeared beside him without his noticing.

She wore a long white robe that draped over her graceful figure. The robe gleamed like moonlight, pure and immaculate.

A few strands of dark hair fell across her temples, her skin fairer than snow, her lips pale red, her teeth white, her eyes luminous like a full moon.

She stood about one meter seventy-eight, carrying an aura that was light and ethereal.

“Well... I guess there’s no cure for being a cunt,” Xu Zimo said with a small smile.

The woman ignored him, her gaze instead fixed on the Battle Arena below.

“Xuan Ming,” she called gently, “that’s enough. There’s no blood feud here, why take things so far?”

At her words, Feilin, the referee, grinned and said playfully, “Well, if it isn’t Senior Sister Lan! What brings you out here today? What kind of wind blew you our way?”

The woman gave Feilin a brief glance but didn’t respond. Her eyes remained on Xuan Ming.

Xuan Ming chuckled lightly. “Since Senior Sister Lan has spoken, I’ll spare them. I wouldn’t dare disrespect you, Senior Sister.”

Then he turned his gaze toward Xu Zimo and said coldly, “They’ve all lost. What about you? Care to try your luck?”

He then looked back at Lan and smiled. “Senior Sister Lan, surely you won’t protect him too, will you? He offended Lord Nocturne earlier, even if he doesn’t deserve death, a little punishment wouldn’t hurt.”

The white-robed woman said nothing. She simply looked at Xu Zimo and gave a small shake of her head.

Xu Zimo smiled faintly. “You really want to fight me?” he asked.

“What, are you afraid?” Xuan Ming sneered.

Xu Zimo shook his head, laughing softly. He stepped off the ground and descended onto the Battle Arena.

“The Black Tortoise is a turtle,” he said calmly. “Why not just stay in your shell quietly instead of picking fights?”

“The Black Tortoise is a God Beast!” Xuan Ming snapped, his face darkening.

“God or not,” Xu Zimo replied, amused, “it’s still a turtle.”

“You bastard! I was only going to teach you a lesson, but now you’re asking for death,” Xuan Ming said coldly.

“I heard the Ghost God Collegium is the greatest academy in the Ghost God Heaven,” Xu Zimo replied lightly. “If all its students are like you, I must say, that’s quite disappointing.”

“Die!” Xuan Ming roared in fury.

The Black Tortoise behind him began gathering power, countless icy arrows forming in the air like a raging blizzard.

The temperature around them dropped sharply.

Then, with a wave of his hand, the storm of frozen arrows rained down toward Xu Zimo.

“How can a firefly compete with the moon’s brilliance?” Xu Zimo said with a quiet laugh.

He casually waved his hand, a massive blade of wind erupted outward.

The sword energy swept across the entire platform, engulfing all the falling ice and snow, annihilating it completely.

A dazzling arc of blade light split the air, and in the next instant, the massive Black Tortoise was cleanly sliced in two.

The cut was smooth. Perfectly even.

Xuan Ming spat a mouthful of blood as his connection with the beast broke, and he was sent flying backward.

“One move,” Feilin muttered, standing up abruptly, eyes narrowing.

The crowd that had gathered to watch, all the Ghost God Collegium students, fell silent in shock.