Qingyan and Lin Hao fell asleep together in his bed. It was a heavy sleep, filled with raw emotions. Qingyan drifted off with her head resting on Lin Hao's chest, feeling his warmth and his calm breathing. For the first time in a long while, she slept without nightmares, even though her body still throbbed with the memory of the previous night.
When the first rays of dawn entered through the window, Qingyan opened her eyes. Lin Hao was still sound asleep, one arm wrapped around her waist. She looked at him for a moment, feeling a strange mix of warmth and guilt. With great care, she slipped out of his embrace, got up from the bed, and straightened her black dress as best she could.
She didn't want to wake him. She didn't want to talk about what had happened last night.
Not yet.
She left the room in silence and walked toward the Vice Dean's residence. The cool morning air helped clear her mind a little. Her dantian spun with dense, powerful energy. The Initial Golden Core was real. She could feel it in every step.
She arrived at the Vice Dean's private training hall and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
The Vice Dean was seated, reviewing some reports. When he saw her enter, he looked up, his eyes widening with genuine surprise.
"Mo Qingyan…" he said, slowly standing up. "What happened with your cultivation?
Yesterday you were at Foundation Establishment… and now… Initial Golden Core!"
Qingyan stopped in front of him and bowed her head respectfully.
"I had a sudden breakthrough during the night, Master. I didn't expect it."
The Vice Dean approached and extended his hand, placing two fingers on her wrist to feel her Qi. His eyebrows rose.
"This is… extraordinary. The density of your Golden Core is impressive for someone who just broke through the realm. But such a sudden advance can be dangerous. Your foundation isn't solidified. The Qi is unstable."
He paused and looked at her seriously.
"To solidify your cultivation, you need real combat. Not gentle training. You need to test your new power against strong opponents."
Qingyan nodded.
"I understand, Master. I'm ready."
The Vice Dean walked over to a map of the academy hanging on the wall.
"I'll send you to face the Top 50 best students in the Golden Core realm. They are elite disciples who have been at that level for years. They won't be easy, but they're perfect for solidifying your foundation. You'll start today. The fights will take place in the Central Arena, in front of other disciples. I want everyone to see what you're capable of."
Qingyan felt a familiar wave of arrogance rise in her chest. The mind of the Immortal Emperor awakened with force.
"As you command, Master. I won't disappoint you."
The Vice Dean looked at her with a mix of pride and concern.
"Go prepare yourself. The first fights will be in two hours. I'll be watching."
Qingyan bowed her head and left the hall.
Two hours later, the Central Arena was packed with disciples. The news of Mo Qingyan's sudden breakthrough had spread like wildfire. Everyone wanted to see if the "arrogant genius" who had arrived recently truly deserved her reputation.
Qingyan entered the arena wearing her black uniform, her hair tied in a high ponytail. Her expression was cold and arrogant—the same one she had shown since her first day.
Her first opponent was a Top 50 disciple named Zhao Feng, a young man at Mid Golden Core who specialized in fire techniques.
"Mo Qingyan," Zhao Feng said with a mocking smile. "They say you broke through to Golden Core overnight. Is that true or just a rumor?"
Qingyan looked at him with disdain.
"You talk too much. Attack already."
The fight began.
Zhao Feng unleashed a wave of flames. Qingyan vanished in a flash of speed and appeared behind him. A single sword strike concentrated with Qi sent him flying out of the arena.
Victory in less than ten seconds.
The spectators murmured in shock.
The second opponent was a girl named Sun Li, Mid Golden Core, an expert in ice techniques.
Qingyan defeated her in fifteen seconds with a lightning sword combination that froze her own techniques and left her unconscious.
The third, the fourth, the fifth… one after another.
Qingyan defeated them with overwhelming ease. Her arrogance was palpable. Every time she won, she delivered cutting remarks:
"You don't even deserve to stand in front of me."
"If this is the best of the Top 50, the academy is in decline."
"Come back when you've cultivated for another ten years."
As she moved up the list, the fights grew longer, but Qingyan continued to dominate. Her new Golden Core gave her an enormous Qi reserve and a speed her opponents couldn't match.
When she reached rank 15, a disciple named Han Lei (Advanced Golden Core) put up a fight for nearly two minutes. Qingyan had to use more power, but in the end she defeated him with a cutting technique that sliced through his defense like paper.
The crowd was in shock.
By the time she reached the Top 10, the arena was completely full. Huo Ling watched from the stands with an unreadable expression. Lin Hao was also there, watching with a mix of pride and hidden excitement.
The rank 8 fight was against a girl named Mu Qing, considered one of the best swordswomen in the Top 10.
This time the fight lasted almost five minutes. Mu Qing was fast and precise. But Qingyan was superior. In the end, she defeated her with an explosive technique that sent her flying out of the arena.
Only the Top 5 remained.
The Vice Dean watched everything with his arms crossed, clearly impressed.
Qingyan was sweating, but her expression remained arrogant and cold.
"Next," she said clearly, looking toward her next opponent.
Her breakthrough to Golden Core had been humiliating.
But her talent as the Immortal Emperor remained intact.
In the high stands, a group of five young men with lustful gazes watched with special attention. They were members of the infamous Beauty Thieves Club, known among all the women of the academy as "The Dogs." No one approached them voluntarily.
"Look at that ass…" whispered Zhang Mu, the obese leader of the club, his eyes gleaming. "It's even better in person. The way it moves when she walks… fuck, it's perfect."
Wang Chen, beside him, smiled maliciously.
"They say she's the new #1. We have to get something from her no matter what. Her underwear must be worth a fortune at the auction."
The club's Photographer already had an illusion technique active, discreetly capturing images of Qingyan from different angles, especially when she turned and her large, round ass stood out against the fabric of her uniform.
In the arena, the referee announced:
"First match of the Top 5: Mo Qingyan versus Zhao Lei, ranked number 5 in the Golden Core ranking."
Zhao Lei, a tall, muscular young man holding a spear, stepped onto the arena with a confident smile.
"Mo Qingyan, the newly arrived genius," he said in a mocking tone. "They say you broke through to Golden Core overnight. Was it thanks to some treasure or did you simply spread your legs for someone?"
A wave of laughter swept through part of the audience.
Qingyan looked at him with absolute disdain, her violet eyes cold as ice.
"You talk too much for someone who's going to lose in less than a minute."
The fight began.
Zhao Lei attacked with a barrage of spear strikes loaded with Qi. Qingyan moved with impressive speed, dodging every attack with elegance. Her sword flashed and cut through the air with surgical precision.
In the stands, the perverted club didn't miss a single detail.
"Look at how that ass moves when she dodges…" murmured one of them. "You can see it even with the uniform. It's fucking hypnotic."
"Imagine spanking that," another added, laughing under his breath.
In the arena, Qingyan counterattacked. A clean cut disarmed Zhao Lei, and a second strike with the flat of her sword sent him flying out of the arena boundaries.
Victory in 47 seconds.
Qingyan turned toward the audience with an arrogant expression.
"Is this the best of the Top 5? Pathetic."
The members of the perverted club looked at each other with renewed excitement.
"We definitely have to get something from her," said Zhang Mu. "That ass deserves to be this year's main trophy."
The referee announced the next match.
Qingyan remained in the center of the arena, cold and superior, while the crowd murmured and the perverted club continued devouring her with their eyes, especially her prominent ass.