As time ticked by, one second bleeding into the next, the early challengers—Gideon King, Skaar, Hugh, and Lucas Law—all met with defeat, one after another.

  Seeing them fail in succession, with some even being carried off on stretchers, many students who had previously been eager to try were now struck with fear. The clamor and excitement that had filled the air just moments ago had now quieted down into a heavy silence.

  "Let's go. It's our turn," Genevieve called out softly, gently taking Fly Ansel's hand as she prepared to step forward.

  Fly, naturally, had no reason to refuse. Seeing this, 'Emperor' Valerius and Jett Gale also stepped forward, moving toward the scroll.

  Just then, Fly suddenly noticed that someone seemed to be missing. He turned his gaze toward the bottom of the stage and locked eyes with Leo.

  "Not going to try?" Fly mouthed the words silently.

  Leo read Fly's lips and understood the message. "Well..." He thought for a moment, then gently shook his head.

  If he had originally harbored any intention of giving it a shot, the failures of Skaar and the others had thoroughly extinguished that spark.

  Leo pondered deep in his heart: Although my ranking in the first year is passable, among the geniuses of the Rocket Class, I'm dead last. My best possible future is to get into a decent, mid-tier martial arts university. To pass this assessment and become the personal disciple of Grandmaster Muse? I'm nowhere near that level.

  If I don't try, I stay safe and sound. But if I force myself to try and end up getting injured, the loss would far outweigh the gain.

  My strength is already mediocre. If I have to spend time recovering from an injury, my cultivation progress will definitely fall behind. Plus, my family background is ordinary at best; they can't provide any extra support. Under these conditions with zero margin for error, any small mistake could cause me to fall behind permanently, doomed beyond redemption.

  So, I must endure. I must wait. I have nothing, so I cannot afford to lose. I can only lie in wait, biding my time for the right opportunity.

  But Fly...

  He also has nothing, yet every time, he dares to fight to the death, giving it his all, and constantly winning.

  Is this the gap between Fly and me?

  He looked up at Fly again. After weighing the options in his heart, he decided not to go up. Instead, he would stay below the stage and silently cheer for Fly and the others.

  Some people are destined to be torches; their very existence is to burn bright. And some people are born only to be illuminated by the light of others' burning. Leo sighed, thinking helplessly.

  "Alright then." Seeing that Leo had no intention of participating, Fly nodded with a hint of resignation and walked closer to the scroll with Genevieve.

  'Emperor' Valerius and Jett Gale exchanged a glance and decisively followed.

  Then, another wave of discussion erupted from the crowd.

  "Look! Fly is going up! Look at those four—isn't that the exact lineup of the Star City High representative team from the Freshman Invitational?"

  "That's right, it's them! The strongest freshmen of Star City High!"

  "Oh my god, every single one of them is so cool!"

  ...

  For a moment, countless gazes filled with envy and jealousy were cast upon Fly and his three companions.

  "Little Genevieve came along too?"

  Seeing them approach slowly, Cynthia Muse took the initiative to greet Genevieve.

  "Hello, Miss Cynthia!" Genevieve responded politely.

  "Mhm. Do your best, okay?"

  Although it was just a brief exchange of pleasantries, it wasn't hard to see that the two were old acquaintances. Such a relationship only sparked even more jealousy in the hearts of many onlookers.

  "Let's go up as well," Preston York, who had been observing from below for a long time, said slowly. He then strode forward, heading toward the stage.

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  "This..." Lance Wolfe couldn't help but freeze. This doesn't seem to fit our plan, does it?

  Back when the exhibition first started, Preston York had already set a strategy: Since passing the trial was all that mattered and there was no order of arrival, they should observe carefully from below first. They wanted to see exactly what was so formidable about The Scroll of Martial Heart-Tempering and absorb the experiences of those who went before them, all to increase their chances of success.

  But now, of all times, Preston York wanted to go up and compete with these first-year kids?

  "Are you scared?" Preston noticed the hesitation in Lance's heart. He turned back and let out a scoff.

  "What do I have to be scared of?" Lance snorted coldly and simply followed him up.

  For all these years, he had been suppressed by Preston York, firmly stuck in the position of the eternal number two.

  If he could be fortunate enough to become Grandmaster Muse's personal disciple, perhaps he could rise rapidly from this point on and surpass Preston.

  Without a doubt, this was a golden opportunity, one he could not easily let slip away.

  My high school career is coming to an end. If I can seize this opportunity, surpass Preston York, and become the strongest at Star City High, I will surely gain the favor of Senior Lysander Thorne. When that time comes... hehe!

  Lance Wolfe thought to himself, his gaze sharpening. Preston York, you can't be number one forever! I, Lance Wolfe, will risk life and limb to drag the emperor off his horse!

  It was a well-known fact that Preston York and Lance Wolfe, as the President and Vice-President of the Sovereign High Student Council, were rivals.

  There were even many who called them "The Peerless Duo" of Star City High!

  Although, it was universally acknowledged that this "Prodigy Lance" was far inferior to "Prodigy Preston."

  Seeing the two of them walk up one after the other, the discussion below the stage became even more heated.

  "Even Preston York and Lance Wolfe are jumping in? They're already elites in their fourth year—is it really appropriate for them to come and snatch opportunities from us?"

  "They aren't twenty years old yet. Theoretically, they are eligible to go up and challenge it."

  "But still..."

  "Shh! The Star City High Student Council has eyes and ears everywhere. Watch your mouth—if you get entangled with them, you're in trouble..."

  At these words, the murmuring instantly quieted down. After all, the prestige of the Star City High Student Council was far-reaching. Their style of eliminating dissidents and acting with supreme arrogance was well-known; no one wanted to provoke such a plague god.

  After stepping onto the stage, Preston York walked directly toward Fly.

  "Junior Fly, we meet again."

  Immediately after, an invisible pressure expanded outward, directed straight at Fly and his group.

  Jett Gale, the weaker among the four, immediately felt a wave of dizziness. His body swayed, and he nearly tumbled off the stage.

  Fly, on the other hand, looked calm and breezy, watching Preston with a faint, cold smile.

  Cynthia, who was hosting the trial nearby, also felt this pressure. She frowned slightly but didn't say anything.

  After all, this trial was for her father to select a disciple. It was stated that fighting was not allowed, but applying pressure like this was not explicitly prohibited.

  Whatever is not forbidden is permitted.

  She and Genevieve were old friends, so naturally, her heart leaned more toward Fly. However, if Fly's group couldn't even withstand this bit of pressure, they certainly couldn't become her father's personal disciples. If they fell off the stage now, it could only be said that their strength was insufficient.

  So she glossed over the incident, her red lips parting slightly as she spoke. "Everyone in front of the scroll, please focus your minds and gaze upon The Scroll of Martial Heart-Tempering."

  Hearing this, Fly paid no more attention to Preston York. He focused his entire being on the scroll, and in that instant, the surrounding scenery began to change rapidly.

  In the blink of an eye, Fly found himself inside a cavern.

  And...

  The wind here, the soil here—it all gave Fly a sense of familiarity.

  "Is this... where the origin of my Beast Totem resides?"

  Fly was stunned at first, but he quickly recognized the place.

  Immediately following that, a piercing, eerie shriek rang out. Then, the earth cracked open, and the ground beneath Fly's feet rose violently.

  This sudden change caught Fly off guard. His foot slipped, and he fell directly onto the ground. He could only feel the mound of earth lifting him higher and higher...

  He didn't know how much time had passed before the movement of the ground gradually subsided.

  "What... is going on?"

  "Is this The Demon Within?"

  Fly recalled Genevieve's words and mumbled a few sentences under his breath. He stood up and dusted the dirt off his clothes. Looking around, he discovered that it wasn't just the patch of earth beneath his feet that had risen; the ground in other places had risen as well, all reaching the same height, their tops transforming into square platforms.

  "Hiss... hiss... hiss..."

  The next second, a gloomy and low-pitched sound came from behind Fly.

  "That voice is..."

  Fly's mind spun, sensing something was wrong. He turned abruptly, only to see the ferocious and terrifying Roach Matriarch standing on the opposite side of his square platform.

  The Roach Matriarch held a black scythe in one hand and a Staff in the other, her entire body radiating a sharp, piercing killing intent.

  "Is this my inner world?"

  "Is this my Inner Demon?"

  Fly muttered to himself.

  According to Genevieve, this scroll could infinitely amplify a Beast Warrior's Inner Demon until it materialized within The Sea of Consciousness, appearing right in front of the person.

  He hadn't entered the Inner Realm, nor had he mobilized the origin of his Beast Totem. So, Fly judged that the scene before him was the result of the scroll making him see The Demon Within.

  What The Scroll of Martial Heart-Tempering was showing him was very likely the fear deep within his own heart!

  "So that's it..."

  Having figured this out, Fly felt a sense of clarity in his heart. "As long as my mind is as still as water and I no longer feel fear, I can make this Inner Demon disappear completely!"

  Fly took several deep breaths in succession, slowly relaxing his state of mind.

  However...

  The Roach Matriarch standing opposite him dragged her black scythe and walked toward him, step by step.

  The killing intent radiating from the Roach Matriarch was so intense it was almost tangible.

  "Hiss... hiss... hiss..."

  In this moment, Fly actually understood the meaning the Roach Matriarch was conveying through her hissing.

  [You puny human, actually daring to dream of becoming the King of the Insect Race!]

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