Chapter 617 - 597: Instant Kill

Hearing Cui Ming’s words, Guan An immediately retorted, "Xiang Tianhua is just lagging for now. The competition lasts a full week. How can you be so sure he won’t make a comeback?"

"As for our academy’s number one genius, so what if he’s a freshman? ’Genius’ refers to potential. Who says the student with the most potential can’t be a newcomer?"

"Heh!" Cui Ming sneered. "So you know the competition is a week long, huh? Those seniors from my academy at the Peak of the Body Shaping Realm probably haven’t even gotten serious yet! In a week, if there isn’t a single student from East Sea Academy in the top 10, that’ll be quite the spectacle."

"As for your academy’s so-called number one genius, he’s probably just a smokescreen. After all, who can prove if something like ’potential’ is even real?"

"Hmm! On second thought, your strategy isn’t half bad," Cui Ming said, clapping his hands in mock praise. "After all, just look at the Points leaderboard—your East Sea Academy is falling behind everywhere. To save a little face, you have to prop up a ’greatest genius’ to keep up appearances. If he loses, you can just claim he hasn’t matured yet. Brilliant, simply brilliant!"

His words were incredibly insulting. It wasn’t just Guan An; even the other nearby East Sea Academy students couldn’t stand it any longer. They began to crowd around, glaring at Cui Ming with hostile eyes, looking as if they were ready to swarm him at the slightest provocation.

Guan An, of course, couldn’t take it anymore. Just as he was about to go up and fight, a clear voice suddenly rang out, "The geniuses of Capital University might be strong, but what gives a mere Body Shaping Realm Middle Stage cultivator like you the right to criticize me?"

Everyone turned toward the voice and saw a handsome young man with an upright posture walking slowly in their direction.

To the young man’s left was a beautiful woman with fair skin and bright eyes. Her Combat Suit perfectly accentuated the alluring curves of her upper body and put her long, shapely legs on full display.

With her beautiful face and perfect figure, her appearance made every man in the vicinity’s eyes light up.

As for the over-200-jin fatty on the man’s right, everyone simply ignored him.

Lin Xinghai, leading Liu Miaomiao and Little Fatty, walked straight to the foot of the arena platform and stopped.

Meanwhile, on the platform, Cui Ming had just given Liu Miaomiao a nearly imperceptible once-over. His feelings toward the insolent Lin Xinghai were now a mix of disgust and a new-found jealousy.

"Who are you?" Cui Ming said with a frown. "You haven’t even reached the Body Shaping Realm. What gives you the nerve to interrupt?"

"Heh, I’m that number one genius from East Sea Academy you were just talking about," Lin Xinghai said, laying his cards on the table. "Weren’t you just badmouthing me, saying I have no real skill? Well, I’m here now. If you can beat me, you can say whatever you want. But if you lose, you’re going to stand right here and admit your ignorance to everyone."

Upon hearing Lin Xinghai’s declaration, it wasn’t just Cui Ming who was stunned. Even Guan An and the surrounding students all wore expressions of pure astonishment.

It was certainly a bit awkward to be caught badmouthing someone only for the person himself to suddenly appear.

However, aside from the awkwardness, Cui Ming also felt a flicker of caution.

He could clearly sense that Lin Xinghai’s aura had definitely not reached the Body Shaping Realm.

But the fact that this guy knew he was in the Body Shaping Realm and still had the audacity to challenge him gave him pause.

’Either there’s something wrong with his head, but that’s unlikely. After all, someone with a screw loose couldn’t have earned the reputation of being the number one genius.’

’The other possibility is rather terrifying: he might actually possess the ability to fight opponents in a higher realm.’

It was true that top-tier geniuses capable of fighting above their realm existed.

But that usually meant a top-tier genius fighting an *ordinary* Body Shaping Realm expert.

’The problem is, could anyone who managed to get into one of the three top academies be considered ordinary? Even a Third Class Student from here would be hailed as a genius on the outside.’

’To defeat another genius while fighting above your own realm... the difficulty of that is astronomical. I’ve never even heard of it happening before.’

At that moment, Cui Ming finally began to take Lin Xinghai seriously.

"Alright, I admit I was out of line for badmouthing you without knowing your true strength," Cui Ming said nonchalantly. "If you can prove your abilities later, I will apologize. But right now, completing my missions is what’s important. I have no interest in sparring with you."

Clearly, regardless of whether Lin Xinghai was bluffing or was genuinely powerful, Cui Ming had no desire to fight him at this moment.

After all, he hadn’t come here to get into fights; he was here to climb the Points leaderboard and get more rewards.

Lin Xinghai was surprised that his opponent had simply swallowed his words. This willingness to yield when necessary made him see the man in a new light.

However, he had anticipated this possibility before speaking, so he immediately switched to his backup plan.

He immediately turned to a first lieutenant from the military who was acting as referee. "Officer," he began, "I am a Major in the East Sea Navy Department. This man has shown a complete lack of military discipline by publicly launching a personal attack against a superior officer. I hereby request a ’persuasion by force’."