The entire academy courtyard was crowded.
Students packed the open space around the testing monument, whispering excitedly as names continued to be called.
Today was the Ranking Assessment.
The same test that decided status.
The same test that decided who could step on others—and who would be stepped on.
I stood at the edge of the crowd, calm.
Too calm.
Liu Chen was being carried away on a stretcher, his face pale and twisted with pain.
No one laughed.
No one spoke.
Their gazes kept drifting toward me.
Fear had replaced mockery.
"Next," the examiner called.
"Zhang Wei."
The name echoed across the courtyard.
Gasps followed.
"He's really going to test?"
"Didn't he almost die yesterday?"
"I heard he broke through mid-fight…"
Murmurs spread like wildfire.
I stepped forward.
The stone monument towered before me, ancient runes glowing faintly on its surface.
"Place your hand on the crystal," the examiner said, his tone indifferent.
I did.
The moment my palm touched the surface—
The system chimed.
[DING!]
Ranking Assessment detected.
Calculation in progress…
The crystal flared with blinding light.
The runes began to spin.
Lines appeared.
Numbers climbed.
10…
20…
40…
The crowd held its breath.
The examiner's eyes widened.
"That's… Enhanced Rank mid-tier?"
The crystal didn't stop.
Cracks spread across its surface.
A sharp sound echoed as the monument shook violently.
"What the hell?!"
"Stop the test!"
The light exploded outward.
The crystal shattered.
Silence.
Fragments rained onto the ground.
I lowered my hand slowly.
The examiner swallowed hard.
"Z-Zhang Wei," he stammered, "Rank… Enhanced. Peak-level."
The courtyard erupted.
"That's impossible!"
"He was a Mortal yesterday!"
"Is this some kind of joke?!"
I met their shocked gazes.
This was only the beginning.
Before anyone could say more, another presence descended.
A suffocating pressure swept across the courtyard.
Conversations died instantly.
An elder stepped forward from the academy hall, his robes embroidered with golden threads.
Elder Qin.
One of the academy's highest authorities.
His sharp eyes locked onto me.
"Zhang Wei," he said slowly, "come with me."
The crowd parted instinctively.
I followed him without resistance.
As we walked, the system pulsed.
[DING!]
Hidden Trigger Activated.
Academy Authority Attention.
Warning:
Future actions will attract higher-level enemies.
Reward Preview:
Greater domination yields exponential growth.
I smiled faintly.
Let them come.
Behind us, I could feel it.
Dozens of gazes.
Shock.
Fear.
Jealousy.
And somewhere within the crowd—
My former best friend clenched his fists.
This time, he didn't smile.