Right now, all of Xu Lang’s teammates were blushing with embarrassment, wishing they could crawl into a hole and disappear.
Xu Lang himself frowned deeply, staring at the glaring “18,900” on the screen, each digit like a thorn stabbing into his heart.
Amid the crowd, someone secretly gazed at Su Nan.
A faint blush flashed across their eyes and vanished in the blink of an eye.
“The freshman trial assembly is now concluded. All formally admitted students, please report tomorrow. Those placed in the preparatory class, please prepare for the next trial.”
“Dismissed!”
With Xi Qinyu’s dismissal, the students began to disperse.
Yet all anyone could talk about was the battle between Su Nan and the A-rank ghost.
Xu Lang, brows still knitted, pushed through the crowd and walked straight toward Su Nan.
He wanted to gauge the true depth of this freshman’s strength.
After all, how could Xu Lang willingly bow his head without knowing for sure?
But just then—
The cold and aloof goddess Mu Qing appeared in front of Su Nan first.
She even greeted him.
“Hello, Su Nan. I’m Mu Qing.”
Mu Qing stood before him, her voice calm and clear—just like her personality.
Su Nan, in contrast, wore a warm and sincere smile.
“So it’s classmate Mu Qing. Hello.”
His smile was radiant, filled with sunshine and devoid of any pretense.
Combined with his dazzling good looks and eyes like the starry sky, even the icy beauty Mu Qing couldn’t help but blush.
She had thought she was different from the others.
But…
She was just as shallow!
She had absolutely no resistance.
“You’re the truly famous one.”
Mu Qing’s voice softened and grew shy as she looked at the beautiful boy who had shocked the entire academy days ago.
“I knew you were strong—but I didn’t know you were this strong!”
“Oh, no no, it was all just luck.”
Su Nan smiled modestly, then turned and saw Xu Lang approaching.
Xu Lang was just about to speak, when Su Nan cut in first:
“You must be Xu Lang, right?”
“I’ve heard so much about you. Seeing you in person—you’re every bit as impressive as they say, dignified and commanding!”
“Running into the A-rank ghost was pure luck. If it had been you, I’m sure you would’ve done even better!”
There’s an old saying: You don’t punch a smiling face.
Especially not one this handsome.
Even someone like Xu Lang couldn’t muster any anger.
Looking at Su Nan’s dazzling face, he finally clenched his fists and said seriously:
“Su Nan, I will surpass you!”
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and left.
Seeing this, Mu Qing didn’t linger either.
She spoke up softly,
“Su Nan, get some rest. After such an intense fight, recovery is most important.”
“Mm.”
Su Nan nodded.
Just as the crowd was dispersing—
Suddenly—
Su Nan’s brow furrowed slightly, as if sensing something.
He looked around.
Silent. Still.
Nothing unusual.
But in the brief moment he turned, a pair of deeply affectionate eyes from the crowd were fixed intently on him.
And they didn’t seem… human.
***
Outside Tianlan Academy’s hall, Su Nan stood on the plaza and let out a long sigh.
The freshman trial was finally over.
He looked up at the sky.
Through the hazy gloom, he could faintly make out nine mysterious bronze gates floating in the heavens.
Thinking back on all that had happened since arriving in this world, Su Nan couldn’t help but sigh.
This was a bizarre, dangerous world full of challenges and chaos.
When the first spiritual tide surged across the land, those nine bronze gates appeared in the sky.
Monsters and demons, once only myths, began to manifest and terrorize the world.
But humanity evolved as well.
Over the past century, humanity had given rise to powerful cultivators and martial masters to combat the growing supernatural threats.
The most direct method of confronting them—
Was the trial Su Nan had just participated in.
Although it was called a “map,” that was just a simplified term.
Each time the bronze gates fluctuated or spiritual events distorted reality, parts of the world would change—this was known as the World Erosion Phenomenon.
There were two main types: one where spiritual phenomena invaded the real world, twisting it unnaturally, and another where anomalies arose spontaneously within the real world.
In response, humanity’s strongest used powerful methods to seal these anomalies into dimensional rifts, forming “map worlds” that could be entered and monitored with current technology.
Cleansing these maps of their dangers allowed them to be reintegrated into the main world, strengthening its resistance against further distortions.
Those who participated in such missions received contribution rewards from the human race.
Thus, a complete system had been developed.
Map difficulty rankings: Normal, Common, Hazardous, Horrific, Nightmare, Inferno, Catastrophic, Doomsday.
The greater the map’s difficulty, the higher the rewards.
The evil entities—collectively known as “Corrupt Spirits”—were also categorized by strength:
E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS…
Each tier represented a significant leap in power and threat level.
The role of Tianlan Academy was to train the next generation of humanity’s defenders—to prepare them to fight increasingly terrifying specters.
***
Su Nan reflected on all this as he returned to his quarters.
Lying on his bed, his mind raced with thoughts.
Today’s events had been exhilarating, but also eye-opening.
His battle with the A-rank ghost had stretched him thin.
Without the Great Dragon of Divine Might, he might not have made it out alive.
If an A-rank ghost was already that terrifying, then what about S-rank? Or SS, SSS?
Facing them now would be certain death.
He suddenly thought of his Confession System.
Although he’d looked down on this golden finger of his, today’s experiences made him reconsider.
Refusing to cheat when you need it—that’s the real stupidity.
But… this method of growing stronger…
Gave him a massive headache.
As he mulled it over, Su Nan didn’t rest. Instead, he opened the True Dragon Body Refinement Technique he had received earlier and began to study it.
True Dragon Body Refinement Technique consisted of nine levels and three realms:
Dragon Shadow, Dragon Form, and Dragon Aspect.
Once fully mastered, it allowed one to transform into a true dragon and wield its power.
Though the technique seemed domineering, a closer read of its training methods made it clear: this cultivation path was grueling and difficult.
Suddenly—
“Gentle reminder!”
“Cultivating techniques is slower than completing confession missions!”
“Reminder to Host: Check mission notifications, complete confessions quickly, reach the peak of life, and marry a rich, beautiful—”