Noah Blackstone

The poor supervisor's heart couldn't bear any more surprises. "Impossible, shaping the form of the soul but training it only in the realm of the body. Could it be that..."

Alex paid no attention to the supervisor's widened eyes or the stunned gasps of the onlookers. He wandered his gaze, searching for someone, and when he found them, he raised his finger, pointing at the person with a terrifying smile.

"You, you bald pervert, son of a w**re. Threatening me with harming my mother, I swear today will be your end."

A chilling silence swept the area as they momentarily forgot about the ball in his hand. They turned to where he was gesturing, noticing four young men in the institute's formal attire, including the bald one he indicated.

"Madman, what are you talking about, you wretched person? I don't even know you!" noah, a member of the Blackstone sub-family, couldn't have expected Alex to publicly shout what he had threatened him with. Even an ordinary person, if resistant, wouldn't dare say something like that openly.

His tension made him shout angrily, oblivious to the mistake he committed. Behind him, others whispered, "I saw him talking to Alex before he went up on stage."

"Isn't that noah Blackstone? I heard a rumor that he raped a woman before, and his family covered it up."

One of them mentioned the matter, initiating whispers among the crowd. Rumors, even if they vanish, remain like embers that can reignite with the slightest gust of wind. This was what happened with Noah—his dirty deeds that were once covered up resurfaced again.

One of his companions released his spiritual energy and shouted to the crowd, "Silence, all of you! You haven't passed the exam yet, and you dare tarnish the reputation of a core student. And you, ruffian, how dare you..."

The young man didn't finish his sentence before he found himself on the ground, blood streaming from his head. No one could see what happened; everyone stared at the fallen student, where the object that struck him remained forcefully attached to his skull – a semi-transparent halo in the shape of a sphere, no larger than a walnut.

The sphere floated in the air, and before their eyes, it returned to Alex's hand, his eyes sparking with malice. "Whoever stands by the bald one will suffer the same fate."

"Everyone, stop!" The supervisor's scream, powered by the magical circle, pierced everyone's ears. "What's happening here? How dare you ignore me and disrupt the exam?"

The supervisor was a young woman, not older than twenty-five, and most of her responsibilities were administrative. Amidst the chaos, she struggled to react swiftly but eventually decided to put an end to the situation before it escalated further.

Yet, Alex's words hit her right where it hurt. "You are a woman before being a supervisor. From the moment you thought, mistakenly, that I was flirting with you, you were on the brink of killing me. And now, you stand here with this pervert who threatened to assault my blind mother."

The supervisor froze in place, unable to find her words. Her previous actions were used against her, and he seized the opportunity to declare, "I am now a student of this institute, and I will exercise my right to challenge this pervert. Clear the way for us."

The bald one was seething with anger. Even if Alex tore him apart, it wouldn't change anything – he would still be despised by everyone, labeled a pervert. His reputation was in tatters.

He shouted in fury, "If your wish is death, I'll grant it to you."

One of the students, with small eyes that seemed almost closed, intervened. "Elder brother, he's just a barking dog; he won't bite. We'll handle him."

The student with narrow eyes and his shorter companion released their spiritual energies, preparing to attack.

A chilling smile curved Alex's lips, and he released an overwhelming intent to kill – different this time, colder, as if the aura of death had frozen over, penetrating bone.

"All of you, come against me if you dare, and be prepared to die..."

Student challenges were common, and it was the best way to resolve conflicts between disputants. Everything was allowed except killing or severely injuring the opponent. The third student whom Alex had hit with the sphere was still unconscious, even though he was a level one fighter in the realm of spirits. The cold air infused with the aura of death penetrated their bones.

The two students didn't hesitate to release their spiritual forms. The situation had indeed become tense, and there was no way to avoid a fight. A girl, her head covered with a veil, approached Steve, seeking his intervention. "What are you doing? Won't you step in to save your friend? Try to calm him down."

The veiled girl halted in her tracks, surprised to hear Steve being addressed by someone else before she could say what she intended. She found herself facing a beautiful girl with white hair and an air of affluence and nobility – Emma Fontaine. She had shouted at Steve to intervene, who in turn nodded affirmatively. He leaped into the arena, and the moment his foot touched the ground, silence engulfed the area. Complete stillness, not a single sound – everyone stared at the young man who had entered the battle arena. The friendship between Alex and Steve was no secret; they had hardly been apart since the first exam. What he did now left everyone perplexed.

Steve stood alongside noah and his companions against his friend, who stared back at him. "Steve, what does this mean? Why are you standing there?"

Alex, taken aback, involuntarily eased off the intent to kill that he had been emitting. Steve heaved a long sigh. "Good, since you've calmed down a bit, can you hear me out? If you kill them, you'll be expelled from the institute. Your mother and little sister, Angela, would be devastated. Don't forget the hard work we've put in this intense month. It'll all be in vain."

"The Dragon Earth Institute's rules prohibit killing. I'll settle for breaking their bones and crippling the third guy for the pervert." Alex sighed again, appearing relieved. He turned to the core students and gazed at them with pity. "This is the most I can do. Somehow, I've saved your lives. As for you, I'm sorry about your pe***."

Steve pointed at his lower body, but he felt Elsa's eyes on him from behind. He quickly corrected himself, "I'm not sorry. You brought this upon yourself." He leaped back to his original position, raising his thumb at Alex. Emma kept looking at him, puzzled, and so did everyone else – they wondered about his mental state. But that didn't change the satisfied expression on his face.

"Wow... That was terrifying. He almost convinced him to back down from killing them."

*Punch!*

A blow landed on Steve's shoulder, making him jump and rub his sore shoulder. The veiled girl scolded him loudly.

The punch that landed on Steve's shoulder made him jump and rub his sore shoulder, prompting the veiled girl to shout at him, "Are you crazy? The girl here asked you to calm down your friend, to make him back down from his challenge. Meanwhile, you... I don't understand what you did there. How could you let your friend fight three opponents alone?" Both Steve and Emma stared at the girl in surprise. This girl entered the midst of their discussion without any introductions and even punched him. Yet despite that, all Steve did was shake his head disapprovingly and gesture towards the battle.

"What are you saying? Can't you count? Alex is a magician and a fighter. With that sphere, it's three against three. And despite that, they're in quite an unfavorable position. Insulting his family is off-limits for him." The veiled girl began counting on her fingers before responding in anger, "You've miscalculated the count. It's actually three against six. You didn't account for their spiritual forms."

Emma held her head with both hands, finding it hard to believe their conversation. But she didn't utter a word. What could she say in front of these mathematical geniuses? Steve understood her hesitation and started to blabber as usual, "You'll understand everything soon enough."

Then he turned to the veiled girl and added, "By the way, that thing on your head, doesn't it bother you? It's magical, right? I can't see your facial features, but I can tell you have a beautiful voice. And how do you know Alex? Why is it that every time he disappears from my sight, a new girl appears..."

Emma held her head in her hands in disbelief, struggling to make sense of their conversation. But she refrained from saying anything, realizing that she was in the presence of mathematical prodigies. Steve understood her confusion and rambled on as usual, "You'll understand everything soon enough."

Then he turned to the veiled girl and added, "By the way, doesn't that thing on your head bother you? It's magical, isn't it? I can't see your face, but I can tell you have a beautiful voice. And how do you know Alex? Why is it that every time he disappears from my sight, a new girl appears..."