"No!" Derrick frowned and took a step back. Why should he give clothes to this Old Witch who spent all day arguing with him?

  Ryan's eyes swept over him coldly. Derrick felt a chill at the back of his neck and instantly lost all courage to argue.

  He knew his Mentor's temper too well. On the surface, Ryan seemed carefree and easygoing, but if truly angered, he might use some special method to make Derrick remember the lesson.

  "Fine." Derrick reluctantly gave in. He fumbled through the storage ring Ryan had given him and pulled out a clean set of clothes, dragging his feet as he walked toward Darlene.

  In a corner of the crowd, a figure dressed in ordinary apprentice robes quietly observed the scene. It was Queen Eryndor in disguise.

  She used concealment magic to mask her presence, even disguising her magical aura to that of an Adept Mage.

  Her daughter, Darlene, had come to the academy to compete alone. How could she feel at ease? For the past few days, she had quietly followed behind, observing Darlene's every move.

  "Light Element with Moon Element… what a rare combination," the Queen murmured, a faint smile on her lips, though her eyes quickly reflected a hint of helplessness.

  "And this boy… he's too dense, he doesn't even understand basic concern…"

  She had seen clearly just moments ago: Darlene had been injured on her back, swaying as she walked, yet Derrick was still hesitating about whether to give her clothes. Truly a blockhead.

  Derrick reached Darlene and, in a rough manner, draped the clothes over her back as if tossing a rag.

  "Was I impressive just now?" Darlene, still forcing herself to stand despite her weakness, looked up at Derrick with a subtle hint of expectation in her tone.

  After defeating nine opponents, she secretly wanted recognition, especially from her daily sparring"nemesis."

  "Impressive, alright, you're the best, happy now?" Derrick saw her pale lips and unsteady stance, and the mocking words on the tip of his tongue were swallowed.

  He muttered to himself: forget it, why argue with someone injured? If she got mad and spat blood on me, that would be a mess to clean up.

  "Help me up…" Darlene gritted her teeth, forcing herself not to collapse.

  Her whole body ached as if it were falling apart. She wanted nothing more than to lie down immediately, but her pride would not allow it.

  Especially in front of Derrick, she could not show weakness.

  "You are way too much." Derrick complained aloud, yet his body honestly stepped forward.

  Seeing Darlene sway as if she might fall any second, he bent down and lifted her onto his back, then dashed toward Ryan.

  "I said help me, not carry me!" Darlene exclaimed, instinctively grabbing Derrick's shoulders. Her cheeks instantly turned hot.

  She could clearly feel the firmness of Derrick's back, and her heart involuntarily raced.

  "Darlene, you are way too much!" Derrick scolded without looking back, though he subtly slowed his pace, trying to minimize the jostling.

  He did not want to drop this"fragile item" while running, or else his Mentor would glare at him again.

  Derrick reached Ryan and gently placed Darlene on the bed, then quickly sat back beside Ryan.

  He pretended to focus on the other arena matches but subtly kept his ears tuned to Darlene's movements.

  Ryan raised an eyebrow at him, then turned to Darlene and handed her a bottle of high-grade healing potion."Drink this quickly. Don't push yourself."

  Darlene took the potion, glared at Derrick, and then opened it to drink it all.

  Gentle healing energy spread through her body, easing the pain in her back. She then scolded Derrick,"Couldn't you be a little gentler? Don't you see I'm covered in injuries?"

  "You didn't say I had to be gentle. You really are way too much." Derrick replied without looking, though a faint blush crept onto his face.

  "You deserve to have no girlfriend!" Darlene grumbled angrily, turning away and facing the other direction.

  Ryan leaned over, holding his forehead, sighing silently. This apprentice was fine in every way except his blunt personality.

  He clearly cared, yet he never spared a word. At this rate, it would be hard for him to get along with Darlene properly.

  Time flew by, and a few days passed. The academy's entry matches were gradually approaching the final stages.

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  After the first phase ended, the rules changed to one-on-one duels.

  Ryan stood on the arena, unusually focused, his body slightly tense and eyes full of nervousness.

  His opponent was a slender figure. Even at a distance, her elegance was apparent, though most of her face was covered by a veil.

  At this moment, Ryan had no thought to appreciate it. His heart felt gripped by an invisible hand, and his breathing became a little rapid.

  He knew this figure all too well. She was Evelyn.

  Actually, Ryan had already noticed Evelyn during the round of sixteen.

  At that time, he was puzzled why he had felt a familiar yet unsettling magical aura over the past few days. It was only when he saw the veiled figure that he instantly realized she had arrived.

  During the round of sixteen, he had even entertained the thought of surrendering outright, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and punched his opponent away.

  He could not accept giving up. After spending so many days and enduring so many chaotic battles, if he quit at the critical moment, wouldn't all his previous efforts have been wasted?

  At the very least, he had to gain some tangible reward to make the effort worthwhile.

  "I…" Ryan was about to voice his intention to surrender.

  He had already calculated in his mind that since he had entered the top three, according to the academy rules, he would at least receive a sword intent crystal, which would not be a loss.

  Before he could finish speaking, Evelyn, as if she could read his thoughts, spoke in a cold voice through the veil:"After entering the top one hundred, you cannot surrender on the arena within fifteen minutes. You have not forgotten this rule, have you?"

  Ryan's heart instantly sank to the bottom of a valley: This is bad. She has definitely come for revenge.

  If Evelyn had also been in the academy these past few days, she would have already discovered that he was not the Third-tier Adept Mage he had disguised himself as before, but a Ninth-tier Adept Mage.

  She knew Ryan's personality too well. If she realized the opponent was him, he would most likely choose to surrender and avoid the fight.

  By now, she had broken through to Second-tier Journeyman Mage. If she truly wanted to act, bullying Ryan, a Ninth-tier Adept Mage, would be effortless.

  However, to comply with the academy's battle level restrictions, she had to suppress her level by using the hidden magic power from the body of the Grand Magus she had refined, which had once belonged to Ryan's eighth incarnation.

  Although this suppression made her body uncomfortable, it was currently the only way to perfectly conceal her true strength.

  Moreover, she urgently needed that sword intent crystal and had to win this match.

  "Evelyn, can you go easy on me later?" Ryan grimaced, finally recalling that a new rule had been added after advancing to the top one hundred.

  To ensure the quality of the battles, arena fights had to last at least fifteen minutes, and surrendering without reason was forbidden.

  At this moment, the two on the arena both appeared to be Ninth-tier Adept Mages, their strength seemingly equal.

  The audience below instantly erupted, discussing who might win this peak confrontation:

  "Ryan previously punched a Ninth-tier Adept Mage away in one blow. His strength must be incredible!"

  "But the veiled woman's aura is strange. She might be hiding her real power!"

  "No matter who wins, this match is going to be spectacular!"

  Derrick and Darlene stared at the arena without blinking. They could feel the cold aura around Evelyn growing heavier, as if the surrounding air itself was beginning to freeze.

  When Evelyn heard Ryan's plea for mercy, she did not refuse as usual, but responded calmly:"I will."

  Before he could react, her figure suddenly disappeared, leaving only a faint purple afterimage.

  The next moment, she appeared behind Ryan. Holding her ultimate ice sword, she did not use the sharp edge, but slammed the broad side forcefully against Ryan's rear.

  The crisp impact echoed across the arena. Ryan felt a burning pain on his backside and let out a wolf-like howl:"Aowoo!"

  He hurriedly leapt several meters forward to put distance between himself and Evelyn, clutching his rear, his face red and pale at the same time.

  This woman had no intention of holding back! And she even humiliated him in this way?

  Unable to endure any longer, the fire in Ryan's heart was instantly ignited. All his previous fear and hesitation vanished without a trace.

  Today he would make sure to properly punish this woman, finally settling the grievance of being"bullied by her" in his previous lives.

  Besides, both of them now appeared to be Ninth-tier Adept Mages. He refused to believe that he could not defeat her!

  "Evelyn, now I am serious!" Ryan's eyes instantly sharpened. The magical aura around him suddenly erupted, spreading a subtle yet undeniable presence.

  This sudden surge of power even caused Evelyn to pause slightly.

  Ryan stomped his feet hard against the ground. He did not choose to attack with his sword. Instead, like a swift leopard, he leapt toward Evelyn.

  Evelyn looked at Ryan as he lunged through the air, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes, followed by a frown. Close-quarters combat?

  Especially with her holding the ultimate ice sword, this approach was full of openings, almost equivalent to abandoning defense.

  Yet in the end, she could not bring herself to truly harm Ryan.

  Hesitating, she rotated her wrist, turning the blade of the ultimate ice sword outward and leaving only the hilt facing Ryan.

  She intended to lightly knock him away with the hilt, both following the rules of the duel and avoiding any serious injury.

  At the very moment Evelyn adjusted her stance, Ryan suddenly grinned in midair. The sly smile made Evelyn's heart tighten. Something was wrong.

  Before she could focus fully, Ryan vanished from midair, leaving only a faint afterimage.

  "Damn it!" Evelyn thought in alarm. Instinctively, she tried to retreat backward, but her body reacted too slowly.

  Frantically, she twisted her wrist, and the ultimate ice sword traced a beautiful arc in the air, its blade turning sharply backward, slashing at empty space.

  Even without seeing Ryan's exact position, she had put nine tenths of her strength into this strike. Only at the last moment did she secretly hold back thirty percent, afraid of really hurting him.

  "You think I would only dodge behind you?"

  A teasing voice suddenly came from Evelyn's left. She whipped her head around to see Ryan standing there with a mischievous grin, barely half a meter away.

  Before Evelyn could swing her sword again, Ryan leapt, crashing heavily toward her. He had calculated the blind spot in Evelyn's close-quarters defense and gambled that she would not truly strike to kill.

  Evelyn's pupils contracted sharply. She tried to block with her sword, but it was too late.

  Instinctively, she raised her arms to protect her chest and leaned back, trying to avoid Ryan's charge.

  But Ryan's speed was too fast. In the end, they collided.

  A heavy thud echoed across the arena as Ryan and Evelyn slammed to the ground, rolling several times down the sloped platform.

  In the chaos, Ryan tried to turn and pin Evelyn, but unexpectedly, she suddenly erupted with a burst of strength.

  Using the momentum from the roll, Evelyn flipped nimbly and ended up pinned on top of Ryan.

  Her knees pressed against his waist and abdomen. Her hands held down his shoulders while the ultimate ice sword was tossed aside onto the ground.

  Ryan was trapped, unable to move.