Thud!

A loud sound of impact echoed.

Ma Xiwei, the only Gene Fuser among the freshmen, made her dazzling entrance under the eyes of all.

Her facial features were beautiful, her figure tall, slender and well-proportioned, with a pair of adorable beast ears on her head.

Because of her beast-ear girl appearance, she was extremely popular among male freshmen, the dream lover of many.

“Sister Wei is so cool!”

“Sister Wei, crush Lin Zichen, show him the true strength of the Gifted Class!”

“Brother Chen, the Ordinary Class depends on you!”

“Lin Zichen, don’t hold back just because she looks pretty, make sure you directly crush her with full strength!”

“Brother Chen, victory is yours!”

The moment Ma Xiwei appeared, the freshmen of the Gifted Class began shouting for her, their collective sense of honor burning strong.

Seeing them cheer, the freshmen of the Ordinary Class refused to be outdone, shouting in support of Lin Zichen.

Because they were far greater in number, the cheers of the Ordinary Class quickly drowned out those of the Gifted Class.

Listening to the shouts of the Ordinary Class.

Feeling the support everyone held for Lin Zichen.

Shen Qinghan, standing in the ranks of the Gifted Class, couldn’t help herself and joined in, shouting, “Xiao Chen, you can do it!”

Her sweet, crisp voice was pleasant to hear.

However, it rang out from within the Gifted Class ranks.

It sounded out of place.

Several classmates turned their heads toward her.

Realizing her mistake, Shen Qinghan instinctively covered her mouth, lowered her head and quietly withdrew to the side, pretending to be invisible.

In her heart she vowed to be more cautious in the future.

* * *

On the arena.

Neither Lin Zichen nor Ma Xiwei paid attention to the cheers from below, both focused solely on each other.

Ma Xiwei glared at Lin Zichen as if facing a great enemy.

Lin Zichen, however, looked calm, carefully observing Ma Xiwei, the only Gene Fuser among the freshmen.

He had seen Gene Fusers countless times before on videos and in books.

But this was his first time examining one up close.

As for the Ratmen of the Rat God Cult, every encounter with them had been a life-or-death crisis, leaving no chance to observe properly.

Buzz!

Suddenly, a sound of rushing wind rang out!

Ma Xiwei, who had just been watching Lin Zichen with sharp vigilance, blurred into an afterimage, darting toward him like lightning.

She didn’t bother with self-reporting her exam results like the two provincial top scorers before.

She was ruthless and sparing with words, choosing direct action.

‘Such speed… Is this the enhancement of the Shadow Nightcat gene?’

As Lin Zichen marveled, he slightly shifted his body, easily dodging her kick.

She had been evaded so effortlessly?

Missing her strike, Ma Xiwei was shocked, doubt creeping across her face.

She had fused with the Shadow Nightcat gene, her speed reaching the level of Ordinary Fifth Tier.

Yet Lin Zichen had casually dodged her attack.

The gap between their strength was far too great!

At that thought, Ma Xiwei instantly pulled back, putting distance between them.

She knew well that as she was now, she posed no threat to Lin Zichen.

To keep attacking was meaningless.

“I can’t beat you as I am now. Give me thirty seconds. Once I fully activate the Shadow Nightcat gene within me, then we’ll see who’s stronger. If you attack me during this time, it will be a dishonorable victory, without any martial virtue.”

After her moral coercion, Ma Xiwei, now retreating to the edge of the arena, twisted her expression as she began activating the Shadow Nightcat gene inside her.

Quickly, the features of the Shadow Nightcat grew more pronounced on her body.

Her beast ears lengthened, fine whiskers sprouted beside her mouth and her eyes grew more feral, exuding pressure.

Her appearance was shifting from that of a cute beast-ear girl into that of a savage beast.

As the gene activation deepened.

The biological pressure she emitted steadily rose, climbing from the threshold of Ordinary Fifth Tier to the higher levels of that stage.

“Lin Zichen, don’t let her get stronger, attack her now!”

An anxious freshman of the Ordinary Class shouted from below, fearing he might show off too much and lose the chance.

Lin Zichen ignored the cries, focused intently on observing the process of her Shadow Nightcat gene activation.

This was a rare opportunity to collect data on the traits of a Shadow Nightcat Gene Fuser.

To miss it would be a loss.

As for Ma Xiwei getting stronger… even then, she would still fall with a single kick.

* * *

On the second-floor corridor.

The school leaders were all visibly surprised by Ma Xiwei’s transformation on the arena.

“Dean Ma, your daughter’s Shadow Nightcat gene has already integrated to this extent, her talent for gene fusion is extraordinary.”

“Such a genius, even more than we imagined!”

“As expected of the third-ranked from Kyoto’s college entrance exam. Her talent in this area surpasses even the provincial top scorers.”

Several leaders flattered Ma Zhenhe by praising his daughter.

Ma Zhenhe, however, only furrowed his brow.

His daughter had only recently fused the Shadow Nightcat gene, her body still unadapted.

Excessive activation would inflict backlash damage on her body.

At this rate, she would likely need half a month of bed rest.

‘Sigh, this child hasn’t changed a bit. Still as competitive as ever…’

Ma Zhenhe sighed inwardly.

At this time, Liu Chuanwu said, “Dean Ma, your daughter is overexerting herself. If she wins Freshman King, it will be worth it. But if not, it will be too high a price to pay.”

Ma Zhenhe shot back, “Hah, even overexertion is more useful than your Pureblood Human Path. At least it allows for temporary bursts of strength in desperate times. Your worthless Pureblood Human Path doesn’t even allow for that.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Liu Chuanwu, knowing his Pureblood Human Path had no such advantage, kept silent.

* * *

On the arena.

Ma Xiwei had fully activated the Shadow Nightcat gene within her, the pressure radiating from her body approaching Ordinary Sixth Tier.

“Lin Zichen, you’re too arrogant. You actually stood there watching me activate my Shadow Nightcat gene, watching me grow stronger. Now you’ll pay the price for your arrogance.”

Her eyes, filled with oppressive force, locked onto Lin Zichen as she spoke coldly.

With that, a buzz rang out!

Her legs exploded with force and in an instant-step she appeared before Lin Zichen, swinging her long right leg at his head.

Yet Lin Zichen remained calm, simply shifting his body aside, dodging as easily as before.

Ma Xiwei’s expression twisted. She still couldn’t land a hit?

‘How could this be?!’

Shocked, she immediately unleashed her full strength, attacking with everything she had.

Side kicks, whip kicks, sweeps…

Straight punches, hooks, jabs…

Knee strikes, elbow strikes, flying kicks…

Ma Xiwei unleashed all her power and speed, employing every move she knew in a frenzied assault against Lin Zichen.

Yet the result remained the same—Lin Zichen dodged them all.

The freshmen below and the leaders above on the corridor were dumbfounded, unable to believe what they saw.

Ma Xiwei had grown so much stronger, yet still couldn’t touch Lin Zichen?

Just what was going on with him?

Even Liu Chuanwu was shocked.

He had believed Lin Zichen would win Freshman King because of his body’s enhanced defenses after Skin Tempering, enough to outlast opponents by sheer endurance.

But now it was clear—his opponents couldn’t even touch him!

Lin Zichen’s speed was simply too overwhelming!

On the other side, Yuan Dongzhi frowned slightly.

She had thought Lin Zichen was just a provincial runner-up, not worth much attention.

But the raw physical power he was showing now was far beyond the level of an ordinary exam runner-up.

‘Could this be the result of the Pureblood Human Path?’

Glancing toward Liu Chuanwu, she saw him just as shocked as the rest and her frown deepened.

‘No, this wasn’t the Pureblood Human Path’s doing. This was Lin Zichen’s own strength, unrelated to the Celestial Pavilion.’

In that moment, Yuan Dongzhi realized Lin Zichen definitely had secrets.

And Shen Qinghan and Lin Zichen, those childhood friends, were both not as simple as they appeared.