When it came to Evelyn, the reason he hid his true strength was because he intended to win over this Queen of the Frozen Domain step by step.

  But when facing this group of female apprentices who wanted to use him as a stepping stone to build their own reputation, there was no need to be polite at all.

  He would crush every single one of them!

  "I have something to say!" Ryan coughed twice, cleared his throat, and raised his hand toward the crowd below, motioning for them to quiet down.

  The noisy Declaration Square gradually fell silent. Every gaze focused on Ryan standing on the high platform, eager to hear what this man, personally accepted by the Headmistress as her apprentice, had to say.

  It had to be admitted that the man's appearance was quite refined. His features were delicate and well shaped, his nose straight, and his eyes shone with a hint of cunning brightness. Even among the men of the Magic Continent, he could be considered exceptional.

  Some inexperienced young female apprentices blushed when his gaze brushed over them by accident, their eyes darting away uncontrollably.

  "I hope anyone below Eighth tier Journeyman Mage will refrain from challenging me."

  Ryan's tone was relaxed, but his words dripped with unapologetic arrogance.

  "I am afraid I might not be able to control my strength and shatter your magic cores with a single punch. That would ruin you permanently."

  These words exploded like thunder. Countless women below were instantly stunned.

  They had assumed that this boy, so gentle and scholarly in appearance, would be well mannered and rule abiding. Never did they expect him to be so outrageously arrogant.

  "You arrogant brat! Come down here! We will ruin you ourselves!"

  Insults and shouts erupted at once. Many of the female apprentices had already gripped their enchanted swords, looking ready to rush onto the stage at any moment.

  "Wait a moment!" Ryan shouted again, but the noise completely drowned out his voice. No one paid him the slightest attention.

  In desperation he shouted,"All of you, sit down first!"

  "Who do you think you are? How dare you order us to sit!"

  A fiery tempered female apprentice retorted immediately, her voice full of disdain.

  Clearly, none of the apprentices below intended to give Ryan any face. Helpless, he turned his head toward Evelyn with a pleading look in his eyes.

  Evelyn stood beside him, wishing she could kick this troublemaker off the stage. Their first assembly with the entire academy and he had already behaved so arrogantly. Did he have a death wish? Was he not afraid of being torn apart by a mob?

  "Sit down."

  Seeing the situation, Elara finally spoke. She raised her hand slightly, and the high tier magic pressure radiating from her calmed the chaos instantly.

  She wanted to see exactly what kind of game this boy, favored by the Headmistress, was trying to play.

  With Elara's order, the apprentices below, though still filled with resentment, had no choice but to sweep away the accumulated snow at their feet with magic and sit down reluctantly.

  Their eyes, however, remained firmly fixed on Ryan like blades.

  Ryan cleared his throat again. After regaining everyone's attention, he said,"What I want to say is this. Every single one of you here is trash."

  He deliberately raised his voice when saying the word"trash," even channeling a bit of magic to give it a slight vibration so the words echoed clearly in every person's ear.

  "You bastard! I will kill you!"

  "How dare you insult us! You will pay for this today!"

  Countless female apprentices shot up from the ground, eyes blazing with fury. Enchanted swords were drawn, magic flared wildly, and they were just about to rush onto the stage to cut Ryan down.

  Even the female elders standing to the side felt their mouths twitch, dark lines forming on their foreheads.

  No wonder the boy insisted they sit down. He had clearly planned from the beginning to humiliate them.

  Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Ryan darted behind Evelyn in a flash, hiding with only half his head exposed, his eyes filled with innocent fear.

  The enraged apprentices attempted to soar into the air with magic, but the elders beside them quickly raised magic barriers to block them, preventing anyone from reaching the stage.

  Whether it was that their anger suddenly subsided, or that they were gently pulled and persuaded by their companions, the female apprentices who had already started channeling magic actually stopped in their tracks.

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  Yet the looks they gave Ryan were still icy, as if they wanted to tear him apart alive.

  At that moment, a female apprentice with sharp, stern features stepped forward from the crowd. She bowed to Evelyn on the platform, her tone filled with hostility:

  "Headmistress, this male is arrogant and reckless, showing no respect for the academy's rules. If left unchecked, he will be difficult to control."

  "I suggest we cast a Purification Castration Curse on him. It would sever his romantic desires and allow him to fully integrate into the academy. Then we could treat him as a fellow of the same gender, and no one would reject him."

  "I support this! The Purification Castration Curse can be activated using an Ice Crystal Core, painless and without side effects, most suitable!"

  "I also support it! Only this way can we quell the anger of the students and maintain the academy's order!"

  As soon as she finished speaking, many female apprentices in the crowd echoed her words, the voices of support rising one after another.

  Hearing this, Evelyn slowly turned her head toward Ryan hiding behind her. Her voice was calm and even, betraying no emotion:

  "What do you think of this method?"

  Though her tone was the calmest of all, Ryan felt a chill run down below, his scalp tingling as if it were about to explode. He quickly waved his hands, speaking urgently:

  "No! Absolutely not!"

  "Think about it! If you cast the Purification Castration Curse on me, I would become the academy's only immaculate apprentice. When other academies speak of us, they would say that Glacial Arcana Academy accepted a castrated apprentice. That would be a direct insult to the academy's reputation! Absolutely not, this method is completely inappropriate!"

  "Hmm." Evelyn responded coldly, still betraying no emotion, then turned back to the students and spoke again:

  "The challenge rules I mentioned earlier may be carried out starting tomorrow. Remember, you are only to break his momentum, not harm his life, and forbidden magic is strictly prohibited."

  "Why wait until tomorrow? Wouldn't it be better to start now?" A female apprentice immediately questioned, her tone anxious, her hand slightly trembling on her enchanted longsword.

  "The Headmistress has her arrangements. It is not your place to question them!" Elara's eyes turned cold, radiating authority, and she sharply reprimanded the apprentice.

  The apprentice shivered, her magic disrupted, and she could only lower her head, too intimidated to speak further.

  The other apprentices, having received clear instructions, immediately became excited. Even though they had to wait until tomorrow to challenge Ryan, the anticipation in their eyes could not be hidden.

  This boy was far too arrogant. Tonight, they would prepare their treasured Binding Rune Scrolls, Immobilization Crystals, and short blades coated with Paralyzing Potions.

  When the time came, they would first bind him with spells, activate the Immobilization Crystals so he could not move, then take turns challenging him one by one.

  They would teach this arrogant fool a lesson, leaving him bedridden for a month, completely crushing his pride.

  "Disperse." Elara waved her hand, signaling the students to leave.

  Yet the apprentices did not leave immediately. They formed small groups, excitedly discussing how they would crush Ryan tomorrow, devising all sorts of ruthless techniques.

  Meanwhile, in a nondescript corner of the plaza partially blocked by ice sculptures, a beautiful young woman with a hint of allure in her gaze quietly watched Ryan's retreating figure. Her red lips parted slightly as she murmured softly:

  "Interesting. He actually said such words. I wonder if, like me, he also came from Earth."

  With that, she lifted her slender, long legs and walked away gracefully in her ice-patterned boots. Along the way, the female apprentices who saw her bowed respectfully and greeted her:

  "Divine Maiden, greetings!"

  On the other side, the three senior elders hurriedly followed Evelyn and Ryan, continuously advising Evelyn:

  "Headmistress, this boy is stubborn and arrogant, not a talent that can be shaped. We suggest the three of us personally discipline him to temper his temper."

  "Leaving such a proud individual by your side will only disturb your focus, interfere with your progress toward Grand Magus, and even delay your magical path!"

  Ryan hid behind Evelyn, putting on a pitiful expression, his eyes timid and unsure, like a new apprentice stepping into the academy for the first time, unfamiliar with everything.

  "I'm usually very well-behaved," he said softly,"I was only afraid those people would rush at me all at once to challenge me. If that happened, I wouldn't even have time to study magic."

  "Headmistress, please reconsider!" The three senior elders completely ignored Ryan, still speaking to Evelyn with sincere concern, their eyes full of worry.

  Evelyn remained silent, seemingly pondering their proposal seriously.

  "Evelyn!" Seeing this, Ryan quickly ran in front of her, his eyes red, brimming with tears.

  "I only wish to stay by your side and serve you. That alone would make me completely satisfied."

  "But if you insist on handing me over to others for discipline, though I would be extremely unwilling, I will not refuse!"

  His voice trembled with sorrow yet carried a hint of resolve."As long as you give the order, I will not utter a single complaint. I will accept whatever treatment you decree!"

  "You little brat, don't use sweet words here to confuse the Headmistress!" Maelira shouted angrily, slamming her staff, embedded with an ice magic crystal, into the ground.

  "Follow the three of us. We will teach you orthodox magic and provide you with high-tier magic crystals. We will never treat you unfairly!"

  Oh no! Ryan cursed silently in his heart. If he ended up in the hands of these three old stubborn women, could he even have a good life?

  He imagined being forced to study magic day and night, perhaps subjected to mental cultivation arrays to pressure and temper his personality, tortured to death.

  He could only fix his gaze on Evelyn, silently praying that she would not hand him over to the three senior elders.

  Evelyn quietly looked at Ryan, still saying nothing.

  The four of them remained in this tense standoff, with everyone's eyes fixed on Evelyn, waiting for her final decision.

  "He will stay with me." After a long pause, Evelyn finally spoke, giving her answer.

  The three senior elders beside her all let out a heavy sigh at once.

  Having spent millennia with Evelyn, they understood her nature best, which meant she would never hand Ryan over to them for discipline.

  "Very well. The Headmistress has made her decision, and we have no choice," Elara said, shaking her head, her tone full of helplessness.

  "But we still hope the Headmistress can discern priorities and not let this boy delay the critical timing for reaching Grand Magus."

  "Hmm." Evelyn naturally understood the deeper meaning behind her words, but only responded lightly, offering no further explanation.

  Seeing this, the three senior elders said nothing more, turning away with heavy steps.

  Their stooped figures looked especially lonely in the wind and snow, evoking a touch of sympathy from onlookers. Of course, Ryan's sympathy was not included.

  Watching them leave, Ryan's heart was already bursting with joy, though his face still feigned a look of regret.

  "Stop pretending." Evelyn's cold voice rang out again, shattering his act.

  "I knew you were the best!" Ryan immediately dropped the act, smiling as he stood up, reaching out to affectionately take Evelyn's arm.

  But Evelyn slightly shifted her body and nimbly avoided his hand.

  "Don't overstep." Her tone was icy, like the distant, indifferent Ice Queen from her previous eight lives, cold and unapproachable.