Chapter 52: The Second-Tier Spirit Beast—Shadow Wolf

“Lin Xiao, you brought this upon yourself, so don’t blame me. Let me personally eliminate you!”

Lin Xiao looked speechlessly at Liu Ruyan, who was so full of herself; where did she get her confidence? Was it from a pop song or some misplaced bravado? And Ji Boxiao really had no shame—he wouldn’t even make a move himself, but instead sent a girl to do his bidding. Truly contemptible.

He felt nothing at all for Liu Ruyan now; such a woman deserved a good lesson. Her words sparked curiosity among those present. Everyone wore the expression of a spectator enjoying the drama, especially the students from No. 1 High School, who quickly divulged the tangled love-hate relationship among the three.

Those who hadn’t known the details now understood, their faces lighting up with realization. What a fantastical scenario: a heartless girl abandoning her childhood friend for a wealthy heir, and now even turning against her former companion. Just imagining it was thrilling.

For a moment, the previously tense atmosphere relaxed in a strangely magical way.

At that moment, Shen Yao approached Lin Xiao.

“So… She’s a woman—are you reluctant to fight her? If you are, you’ll owe me a favor and I’ll take care of her for you.”

Lin Xiao glanced at Shen Yao in surprise, not expecting her to offer help at such a moment.

“No need. I’ll handle it myself. Someone like her can be dealt with in minutes.”

Lin Xiao would never let Shen Yao intervene; he wasn’t in the habit of striking women himself, but he didn’t want to miss the opportunity to teach this one a lesson. Besides, Shen Yao’s offer came with a price—a personal favor owed. That was the hardest thing to repay. For a woman like Liu Ruyan, it wasn’t worth it.

Zhou Zhi knew Lin Xiao’s strength, so he wasn’t worried at all. In fact, he began to cheer Lin Xiao on.

“Brother Xiao, don’t bother with chivalry now! Hit her, give her a good thrashing!”

“Even if I wanted to show mercy, there’d have to be something worth cherishing, wouldn’t there? Is she even worthy?”

Liu Ruyan couldn’t hold back any longer after Lin Xiao’s mocking retort. Flames appeared in each of her hands, and without warning, she hurled two fireballs at him.

Lin Xiao had kept his attention fixed on her the whole time; to him, a level one fireball spell was laughably slow. If he were hit by such a clumsy technique, his training these past days would have been for nothing.

Now that he was no longer weighed down, dealing with Liu Ruyan would be child’s play.

As the fireballs drew closer, Lin Xiao didn’t retreat; instead, he rushed forward to meet them.

His move left the spectators dumbfounded.

“What’s going on? Is he courting death?”

“I thought an F-class could make it this far because he had some skill, but maybe we overestimated him.”

A mocking smile appeared on Liu Ruyan’s face. Trash was trash, after all, actually running straight into her spell.

But her smile quickly froze. Lin Xiao, nimble as a butterfly, dodged her fireballs with two effortless sidesteps as he advanced.

By the time she realized what was happening, Lin Xiao was already in front of her, moving so fast she had no time to react.

Liu Ruyan was a fire-type awakener, a ranged mage. Lin Xiao’s powers might be mediocre, but with his recent training, he was now a melee fighter.

For a mage caught at close quarters, the outcome was already decided.

Lin Xiao showed no mercy. He landed two resounding slaps, holding back his strength—otherwise, his current power might have knocked her out cold.

Even so, Liu Ruyan’s face instantly swelled, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

“Lin Xiao! You—”

Before she could finish, Lin Xiao seized her throat and lifted her off the ground.

“Noisy. And your taste is really poor. Even after being beaten like this, your little boyfriend doesn’t seem interested in helping you.”

Liu Ruyan struggled to breathe, and Lin Xiao’s words forced her to look toward Ji Boxiao. Seeing his evasive gaze, for the first time she began to doubt her choices.

When he judged the timing right, Lin Xiao dropped Liu Ruyan to the ground—he had no desire to accidentally cause a death.

“You’ve lost, and you’re eliminated. If you keep making trouble, don’t blame me for being harsh.”

Liu Ruyan dared not fight anymore. Coughing violently, she looked at Ji Boxiao with a face full of misery.

Ji Boxiao, knowing he was in the wrong, quickly comforted her, “Ruyan, I hope you understand why I didn’t intervene. Once this assessment is over, I’ll make it up to you. And I won’t let this guy get away with it.”

Liu Ruyan opened her mouth, but in the end said nothing.

She knew how important this trial was for Ji Boxiao, but as a woman, his behavior had left her bitterly disappointed.

At that moment, she even wondered—if she hadn’t abandoned Lin Xiao, faced with such circumstances, Lin Xiao would surely have fought to protect her. No, Lin Xiao would never have pushed her out in the first place.

Just then, a man appeared beside Liu Ruyan.

He glanced at her and said quietly, “You’ve been eliminated. Come with me.”

Liu Ruyan offered no resistance, silently letting him lead her away.

Around them, the crowd finally snapped out of their shock, staring at Lin Xiao in disbelief.

Lin Xiao’s combat prowess now filled them with deep apprehension.

Was this really an F-class awakener? Even they might be no match for him.

After dealing with Liu Ruyan, Lin Xiao had no intention of seeking trouble with Ji Boxiao. He merely cast a disdainful glance at him, muttering, “You’re nothing.”

He wasn’t uninterested in eliminating Ji Boxiao—he had planned to block him from the top ten—but for some reason, a growing sense of unease gnawed at him, as if something was about to happen.

So he decided not to make a move.

After returning to Shen Yao and Zhou Zhi, he immediately warned them, “Be careful. Something feels off around here.”

Both nodded. The place was indeed strange.

With Lin Xiao and Liu Ruyan’s fight over, the atmosphere grew tense again. Most people resumed their wary vigilance.

Everyone’s points were close, and could change at any moment. No one wanted to be eliminated now.

Meanwhile, unnoticed by the crowd, a pair of eyes watched from a shadow.

It quickly selected a target.

These humans dared to trespass on its territory—it was time they learned fear.

Li Ding was among the remaining fifteen, his attention entirely on the competitors nearby.

He failed to notice the eerie figure emerging from his own shadow.

Suddenly, others saw a wolf-shaped shadow leap from Li Ding’s feet and attack him while he was completely unprepared.

The assault was so sudden, Li Ding had no chance to react.

Even the hidden guards never expected a spirit beast to appear here.

The wolf-shaped beast clamped its jaws around Li Ding’s throat; after only a brief struggle, his life ended.

The crowd finally saw the creature clearly—a giant wolf, as dark as ink.

Someone soon recognized it: a shadow-type spirit beast—a Shadow Wolf.

Judging by the power it displayed, it was a level two spirit beast.