The noise in the Central Arena did not fade after the match ended.
If anything, it grew even louder.
The moment the referee declared, "Winner—Lin Feng," the entire audience seemed to ignite at once. Shock, debate, disbelief, excitement, and heated discussion all erupted together.
"What was that final attack?"
"That was really Fireball?"
"No way that was a normal fireball! Since when does a fireball hit that hard?"
"The damage isn't even the weirdest part. The control is. That thing didn't look like a skill—it looked alive!"
"Don't talk nonsense. How could a skill be alive?"
"Then explain how it changed direction by itself, chased targets by itself, and exploded at the perfect timing by itself."
"Well…"
For a while, the entire arena was talking about a single name.
Lin Feng.
And at that moment, Lin Feng had already stepped off the stage.
He moved slowly along the side passage toward the resting area.
His pace remained steady, and his expression didn't change much, but only he knew that the battle had not been as easy as it looked on the surface.
Especially the final strike.
That had not been a simple burst of power.
It had felt more like forcing everything the Fire Spirit could still control into a single instant and driving it out at once.
The result was enough.
The impact was enough.
But the price was not small either.
Lin Feng lowered his head and glanced at his palm.
The flame was still there.
But it was so weak that it looked as if a single gust of wind might extinguish it.
"Still there?"
Lin Feng asked inwardly.
Two seconds passed before the Fire Spirit answered.
"Obviously."
Its voice was faint.
Clearly tired.
But that familiar coldness was still there.
"I'm not weak enough to disappear from this."
The corner of Lin Feng's mouth moved slightly.
"Fine."
"Then stop talking for now."
The Fire Spirit fell silent for a moment.
Then quietly gave a low "Mm."
It was the first time it had behaved this honestly.
Lin Feng didn't tease it again. He just let out a slow breath and entered the resting area.
There were already many people inside.
Some were contestants who had just finished their fights. Others were eliminated students who had stayed behind to watch the results.
And when Lin Feng walked in, the previously noisy resting area fell into an eerie silence for a brief moment.
A great many eyes turned toward him at once.
Shock.
Complexity.
Jealousy.
And faint wariness.
Lin Feng could tell, but he didn't care.
He simply found a seat near the corner, sat down, closed his eyes, and began to recover quietly.
However, just because he didn't want to talk didn't mean others didn't want to approach him.
Before long, someone walked over.
Lin Feng opened his eyes.
It was a boy he had barely paid attention to before.
The other party stood in front of him with a complicated look, as if he wanted to say something but didn't quite know how to begin.
"Something?"
Lin Feng asked directly.
The boy froze for a second, then forced a bitter smile.
"Nothing major."
"I just wanted to ask… how did you do that move just now?"
Lin Feng looked at him.
"I trained it."
The boy: "…"
That answer clearly was not satisfying.
But he had no way to push further, so he could only laugh awkwardly.
"That answer tells me nothing."
Lin Feng looked at him calmly.
"Then let me put it another way."
"You can't do it."
The boy's expression stiffened.
The people around them, who had been pretending not to listen while secretly paying attention, also went quiet at once.
The words were too direct.
So direct that they left no room at all.
And yet—
No one dared to argue.
Because everyone had seen that fight.
Lin Feng had not only won.
He had won so decisively that no one had the confidence to challenge him verbally.
The boy opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing more and left awkwardly.
After he left, Lin Feng closed his eyes again.
The atmosphere in the resting area changed quietly.
At first, there had been people who wanted to come over and make conversation, or at least try to get on good terms with him.
But after what had just happened, no one dared approach him casually anymore.
Lin Feng was perfectly happy with that.
Silence suited him.
About ten minutes later, the announcement sounded again.
"All freshmen who have entered the top ten, please gather in front of the central platform."
The voice wasn't loud, but it made the entire resting area tense at once.
Top ten.
It was finally time.
Lin Feng opened his eyes and slowly stood up.
The flame in his palm was slightly more stable than before, but it was still far from fully recovered.
"Can you still hold on?"
Lin Feng asked inwardly.
"Won't die."
The Fire Spirit replied.
"That's enough."
Lin Feng did not ask more and walked straight outside.
Along the way, people kept making room for him.
The change was obvious.
Just a few days ago, when people talked about him, their first reaction had been, "That useless mage with zero elemental affinity."
But now—
No one dared attach the word "useless" to him anymore.
Because the result had already spoken for itself.
By the time Lin Feng arrived in front of the central platform, the rest of the top ten had also gathered one after another.
Qin Chuan was there as well.
His shoulder had already received basic treatment, and while his breathing had steadied considerably, his face was still somewhat pale.
Their eyes met briefly in the air.
Qin Chuan said nothing. He only looked at Lin Feng, then gave a slight nod.
It wasn't surrender.
It was more like recognition.
Lin Feng gave no special reaction. He simply withdrew his gaze calmly.
Soon, several instructors walked out from the other side of the platform.
Zhou Yuan stood in front.
Behind him were the academy higher-ups who had appeared before.
The moment they appeared, the entire arena fell silent.
Even the audience members who had still been whispering instinctively lowered their voices.
Because it was obvious to everyone—
What was about to be announced would not be just simple rankings.
Zhou Yuan stopped and swept his gaze across the ten students in front of him.
Then he spoke slowly.
"The freshman combat tournament has come to an end."
"The top ten rankings are as follows."
With a lift of his hand, a light screen unfolded in the air.
Names lit up one by one.
Tenth place.
Ninth place.
Eighth place…
As each name appeared, the tension in the arena rose.
By the time it reached the top three, even the breathing in the audience had noticeably slowed.
"Third place—Qin Chuan."
The result triggered a wave of low exclamations.
Third place.
That meant—
Two people had ranked above him in the final evaluation.
A lot of people instinctively turned to look at Lin Feng.
And at the quiet girl standing off to the side, the one who had not shown too much flair yet had steadily advanced all the way through.
Then Zhou Yuan continued.
"Second place—Su Wan."
The audience stirred again.
The quiet girl looked up. Her expression remained calm, as if second place had not surprised her at all.
Then, under everyone's gaze, Zhou Yuan paused for a second.
When he spoke again, his voice rose slightly.
"First place—Lin Feng."
Boom.
The entire arena felt like it ignited all over again.
Even though many had already guessed the result, hearing the words "first place" spoken aloud by an instructor still shocked them.
Because it meant—
A mage with zero elemental affinity had defeated every other freshman and taken first place in the tournament.
That fact alone was absurd.
Shocking.
Memorable.
Lin Feng stood where he was without much reaction.
But in his mind, the Fire Spirit gave a very soft snort.
"Normal."
A faint smile appeared in Lin Feng's eyes.
Even this exhausted, it still refused to stop acting tough.
On the platform, Zhou Yuan did not leave much time for the crowd to react before continuing.
"According to academy rules, this year's top ten will all receive additional resource rewards."
"The top five may enter the academy's internal resource vault and choose one basic enhancement resource."
"The top three will additionally receive one private guidance session with an instructor."
At this point, many students' breathing changed.
A basic enhancement resource was already valuable.
A private guidance session from an instructor was something most freshmen would never normally get access to.
But what Zhou Yuan said next was what truly made the entire arena explode.
"In addition—"
"This year's first place will directly receive one advance qualification to unlock the next attribute selection."
Boom!!!
The entire arena completely erupted.
Advance qualification for the next attribute!
What did that mean?
It meant that something which normally required level progression, time, and standard advancement—
Lin Feng would now receive directly in advance.
And that also meant he would come into contact with a second attribute earlier than every other freshman of the same generation.
One step ahead.
A widened gap.
The audience immediately broke into a wave of shocked cries and envy.
"That reward is insane!"
"Advance second attribute unlocking?!"
"That's basically getting ahead of everyone by a huge margin!"
"First place really made a fortune…"
Even among the other top ten, expressions visibly changed.
Especially Qin Chuan. When he heard that, his eyes shifted slightly before quickly returning to calm.
A loss was a loss.
The strongest deserved the resource.
He had enough pride to accept that.
As for Lin Feng, when he heard those words, even his gaze changed slightly.
Advance unlocking of the second attribute.
That had come even sooner than he expected.
At that moment, the Fire Spirit, which had been quiet the whole time, suddenly spoke.
Its voice was not loud.
But clearer than ever.
"Take it."
Lin Feng paused.
"As if you needed to tell me."
"Not the qualification."
The Fire Spirit said in a low voice.
"The second attribute."
"I want to see it."
Lin Feng fell silent for a moment.
Then lowered his eyes slightly.
For once, he did not answer immediately.
Because he suddenly realized that although the Fire Spirit had spent the last few days acting forceful, proud, and stubborn, it had never truly been indifferent about the matter of the second attribute.
It cared.
Very much.
It simply hadn't shown it clearly.
Zhou Yuan's voice continued.
"The rewards will be issued tomorrow morning."
"All top ten contestants are not permitted to leave the academy tonight and must await further notice."
"And as for first place—"
At this point, his gaze landed directly on Lin Feng.
"After this, come with me."
Once again, every eye in the arena gathered on Lin Feng.
Lin Feng simply nodded calmly.
"Alright."
And at that moment, he understood very clearly—
From today onward, his competition was no longer only about victory or defeat on the arena.
The truly important things—
Were only just beginning.