As they tumbled across the arena, Evelyn's veil was blown off, tracing a curve in the air before floating lightly onto the arena floor.

  The audience immediately gasped, both apprentices and spectators staring wide-eyed, all eyes fixed on Evelyn's face.

  Even in her current anger, it could not conceal her breathtaking beauty.

  "Is this a goddess?" someone whispered instinctively.

  Ryan, pinned beneath her, had no time to admire that beauty. His hands were pressed firmly to the stone floor by Evelyn, immovable despite his struggles.

  An unbelievable thought surged in his mind: How is this possible? I am using both magic and physical strength together. How can I be overpowered by a seemingly delicate woman?

  Evelyn cannot possibly have this much strength!

  "Why did you deceive me?" Evelyn pressed down hard on Ryan, staring into his eyes as if she wanted to pierce through all his disguises and extract the truth.

  During their earlier struggle, she finally confirmed it.

  Ryan's teleportation steps were identical to the movements of the man with the goblin-like face who had attempted to assault her in Shrouded Village and even tied her up to drag her back.

  All along, she had been deceived by the same person. He was the one who saw her body, the one who plotted in the village, and the one who tied her up.

  Ryan thought Evelyn was questioning him about hiding his magical level and averted his gaze, feeling guilty.

  But he never expected that she had seen through an even deeper layer of his identity disguise.

  Seeing him silent, Evelyn's long-suppressed anger erupted. She sprang up, grabbing Ryan's wrist and flinging him toward the protective barrier at the edge of the arena as if tossing out garbage.

  A heavy impact echoed across the plaza. Ryan's back collided with the barrier, which rippled immediately upon contact.

  A sharp pain radiated through his entire body. Blood rose in his throat, and he gritted his teeth, forcing it back down, only spitting a small amount onto the ground with a bitter expression.

  Damn, Evelyn really did not hold back this time. That strike almost knocked his internal organs out of place.

  "Hit me! If you have the ability, keep hitting!" Ryan struggled to his feet and charged at Evelyn again.

  They raised their palms almost simultaneously, slapping toward each other.

  A crisp collision sounded. Just before his palm reached Evelyn, Ryan suddenly pulled back his strength. Evelyn's palm, however, landed squarely on his chest.

  Ryan had planned this: he could not win by brute force, so he would use a ruse of self-inflicted injury.

  Using the force of Evelyn's strike, he was thrown backward, slamming his back against the barrier once more. This time, he did not resist.

  A mouthful of crimson blood spurted from him, splattering across the arena floor, staining the stone red.

  Seven tenths of that blood came from the actual impact, while three tenths was deliberately forced out using his internal energy as part of the ruse.

  Evelyn instinctively stepped forward, a flicker of panic in her eyes. She had misjudged her strength, but seeing Ryan vomiting blood still made her heart clench.

  Yet thinking of all the ways she had been deceived, she forced herself to stop. Her nails dug deep into her palms, compelling herself to stay calm: this was the lesson he deserved. No mercy.

  She had forgotten that in the past, anyone who dared deceive her would have been frozen solid by her magic.

  But with Ryan, she could not bring herself to strike lethally, and even seriously injuring him caused her hesitation.

  "Continue!" Ryan wiped the blood from his mouth and shouted at Evelyn, his voice hoarse,"As long as it gets you to vent your anger, hit me however you want!"

  After saying this, he flopped onto the ground, presenting himself completely at her mercy.

  He genuinely did not want to move anymore. The academy referees would intervene if things got critical, ensuring he would not actually die.

  Ryan lay on the arena floor, his mind full of conflict.

  He had finally managed to ease tensions with Evelyn and even nurtured a faint feeling that went beyond mere grudges.

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  He did not want this match to turn them back into mortal enemies.

  After all, the emotional entanglements of his previous eight lives had never been as real as those in this life, and they had all been unsolvable hatred.

  This time, he had been able to get close to Evelyn only because her strength had not yet returned to its peak, giving him an opportunity.

  Now their relationship had improved to the point where they could ignore Derrick calling out"Master's wife." Unless absolutely necessary, he did not want to fall out with Evelyn again.

  Evelyn, standing across from him, watched Ryan lying on the ground but made no move.

  Her hair was lifted by the wind as her complex gaze rested on Ryan, seemingly lost in thought. After a moment, she simply sat down on the arena floor.

  Seeing this, Ryan quietly exhaled in relief. If a fight could be avoided, that was best. He continued to lie on the ground, pretending to be unconscious, closing his eyes to enjoy this rare moment of peace.

  The referee at the edge of the arena hesitated as he watched.

  According to the rules, he could have declared Evelyn the winner immediately, but Ryan did not appear to be completely incapable of fighting. Any rash judgment would have seemed unfair.

  The post-top-one-hundred rules were clear: only if someone on the arena floor completely lost their ability to fight or voluntarily surrendered after fifteen minutes could the referee announce the result. The referee had no right to intervene arbitrarily, especially in the championship match.

  The rules were strict to ensure the most exciting peak battles and to observe the character and talent of these elite apprentices.

  But the audience below was not so patient. They had expected the top two to engage in a thrilling duel, yet one lay flat while the other meditated. Complaints rose up from the crowd:

  "Is this really the level of first and second place? Not as intense as the third and fourth place matches!"

  "If I had known it would be like this, I would have watched the other arena matches instead!"

  "That beautiful woman should attack! Don't just sit there like a statue!"

  Fifteen minutes passed quietly amid the audience's grumbling.

  Just as the referee prepared to step forward to remind them, Evelyn suddenly opened her eyes. She stood up and said to him,"I surrender."

  With that, she raised her hand and gestured toward the ground. Her veil, which had fallen nearby, was immediately drawn back to her hand, and she skillfully placed it back over her face, concealing the beauty that had captivated the spectators.

  A wave of disappointment rippled through the audience, and someone even thumped the railing in regret."Why did she surrender?"

  The referee froze for a moment, then quickly reacted. He walked forward to lift the protective barrier, looking at Evelyn with a hint of puzzlement.

  He could not understand why Evelyn, clearly in absolute control, would suddenly surrender.

  Evelyn ignored the referee's gaze and walked off the arena floor. She did not leave the plaza but stood a short distance away, her eyes fixed on Ryan, clearly waiting for him.

  The referee stayed on the arena floor, watching Ryan still lying motionless, unease growing in his chest. Had he really fainted?

  The barrier should have automatically signaled if someone was near death. Had Ryan already collapsed the moment the barrier was lifted?

  He hurried to Ryan's side, crouched down, and checked his neck for a pulse, then probed his magical aura.

  Just as his hand was about to touch Ryan's chest, Evelyn, who had been watching the arena, held her breath.

  She stepped half a pace forward, her heart tightening for no reason, and even her hand gripping the ultimate ice sword trembled slightly.

  "What are you doing?"

  Just as Evelyn was about to rush onto the arena, Ryan suddenly opened his eyes. He rubbed his dazed eyes and sat up.

  He complained lazily to the referee who had been poking and checking him, his tone still carrying the sluggishness of someone just waking up.

  Evelyn's worry vanished in an instant, replaced by a mix of exasperation and disbelief. This foolish boy had not actually fainted, he had fallen asleep on the arena floor!

  He was a complete trickster. From his identity to his magical level, nothing was true. He could even sleep through a life-or-death match as if it were perfectly normal. Ridiculous.

  "Step down, the match is over!"

  The referee grabbed Ryan by the collar and dragged him off the arena. Ryan's hair was messy, his face still bearing the laziness of someone just waking up. The audience below could only stare in silence.

  "What! It's over?" Ryan finally realized what had happened. He shouted in shock, his voice full of disbelief.

  A wave of synchronized eye-rolls rose from the crowd. This guy's nerve was incredible! He could sleep so soundly during the championship match! Even more baffling, the goddess-like Evelyn had voluntarily surrendered, giving first place to this seemingly unreliable fellow.

  "Yes, it's over. You are the champion of this competition," the referee said, his tone full of helplessness.

  In all his years as a judge, he had never seen such a ridiculous match. One competitor lay down pretending to sleep, while the other voluntarily surrendered. It completely defied his understanding of fair competition.

  "What about her…" Ryan gestured toward Evelyn nearby. He did not need to finish speaking to understand. Clearly, Evelyn had voluntarily surrendered, giving him the victory.

  "Who is she? You let her hit you without even trying to resist, yet she could have easily claimed first place but chose to surrender to give it to you," the referee said, curiosity overtaking professional discretion. He could not help but gossip.

  This match was by far the most baffling in his entire career.

  Ryan leaned close to the referee, raised a hand to cover his mouth, and whispered,"I'll tell you quietly. She is my fiancée."

  "I accidentally upset her not long ago, and I did not expect to encounter her here. I had no choice but to take the punishment and try to make it up to her."

  "Oh, so that's how it is." The referee nodded in understanding, thoughtfully glancing at Ryan's back.

  Evelyn was standing there, her cold gaze fixed in their direction.

  Ryan noticed the referee looking at her. He stiffly turned his neck and met her eyes.

  She could not have heard us, could she? Ryan's heart skipped a beat. He cautiously asked,"Did you hear what we just said?"

  "You said she…" the referee started to ask, but Ryan quickly clamped his hand over his mouth before the words could escape.

  Ryan cursed silently. This referee had a knack for bringing up exactly the wrong things at the wrong time.

  He quickly gestured to the referee, lowering his voice to warn him,"Don't say a word! If you talk again, I swear you will regret it."

  The referee, almost gasping for air under Ryan's hand, immediately understood from Ryan's panicked eyes.

  He was genuinely afraid of his fiancée and did not want to make an unnecessary enemy. He quickly nodded to show he would stay silent.

  Seeing the referee cooperate, Ryan finally released his hand. He was about to hurry away to escape the awkward scene when a familiar tug at the back of his collar caught his attention.