Watching from outside the platform, Darlene finally realized the truth: this guy was deliberately suppressing his power level to bully people!

  An ordinary Ninth-tier Adept Mage could never emit such a terrifying aura.

  She had personally felt Ryan's pressure when he was at Journeyman Mage level.

  Though the strength now coming from the platform was different, the weight and density of the aura were unmistakably from the same source.

  But why hadn't the academy's Headmaster seen through this flaw?

  The atmosphere on the platform had completely solidified. The apprentices who had previously been joking and mocking now wore expressions as stern as iron.

  Some even quietly stepped back half a pace, a hint of hesitation flickering in their eyes.

  There were still several rounds of free-for-all battles to come; there was no need to go head-to-head with someone like him.

  The smarter ones had already begun calculating: even without taking the initiative to attack, staying in a corner and observing a strong fighter up close might allow them to learn some combat techniques.

  According to academy rules, as long as they lay down in the corner and admit defeat, they would no longer be attacked. Better to watch than waste fifteen minutes watching others fight.

  The heavy toll of the magical bell echoed across the plaza. Around Ryan's platform, a protective barrier suddenly rose, completely isolating the platform from the outside.

  According to the academy's rules, only one person could remain standing on the platform; all others had to either voluntarily admit defeat or be knocked out.

  "I admit defeat!" Before the echoes of the bell had even faded, a boy in a gray apprentice robe strode to a corner of the platform and laid down decisively, arms behind his head, presenting a posture of total submission.

  The others hesitated for a moment, then one snorted in derision, but soon followed suit.

  Another apprentice in a blue robe walked to the platform's edge and lay down, explaining to those around him,"With that aura, going up there would be suicide. Better to save our strength for the next round."

  Within just a few minutes, eight people had lain down on the platform, leaving only Ryan and the burly Ninth-tier Adept Mage with the beard standing face-to-face in the center.

  Ryan raised a thumb toward those lying down, his tone full of admiration."Those who know the situation are true talents. You're smarter than I expected."

  This kind of prudence and understanding of when to stop was far better than the stubborn youths who refused to back down.

  From his corner, a tall, skinny Eighth-tier Adept Mage called out in a lazy tone,"With your aura, it's not just about fighting you. Just standing here makes my legs weak. Admitting defeat isn't shameful!"

  Ryan smiled and turned to the last standing burly man."You're not going to admit defeat? If you give up now, we can just call the referee to open the barrier and save time."

  Ryan looked at the still-stubborn burly man and slightly moved his fingers. A magical aura far more immense than before suddenly radiated outward.

  "Bluffing!" The burly man gritted his teeth and roared, slamming his refined iron battle axe heavily onto the platform.

  "You only dare to release your aura but won't make a move. Even if you are at the peak of Ninth-tier Adept Mage, I may still have a chance!"

  He didn't believe that the other would really strike lethally during the match. As long as he could survive a few blows, even losing wouldn't be total humiliation.

  Ryan turned to the eight apprentices lying in the corners and smiled."Let's give him a thumbs up, for showing courage," he said, raising his right hand with his thumb high.

  The ones lying on the platform froze for a moment, then suppressed their laughter and raised their hands as well.

  Although the scene was absurd, looking at the burly man gritting his teeth to hold his ground, they genuinely admired his audacious overconfidence.

  Outside the barrier, spectators immediately started murmuring."Those eight lying down, they must have admitted defeat, right? Why are they giving him a thumbs up?"

  "This match is weird. They neither fight nor admit defeat. What's going on?"

  Although some apprentices had laid down in previous rounds, this was the first time anyone had seen eight people giving a thumbs up to a single person. Spectators from nearby platforms gathered, both bored and amused.

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  High above, Evelyn hovered on her Ice Flying Sword, her gaze caught by the strange scene below. She furrowed her brows, puzzled: why is this Ryan participating in the Sword Mage Academy's competition?

  She wasn't the only one in the air. Many others had deployed their flying devices to get a better view. Some stood on rudimentary wind-floating boards, some rode flying beasts, all wobbling awkwardly with strained expressions.

  Compared to them, Evelyn's posture appeared effortless. A faint cloaking magic wove around her, clearly concealing her true magical level. To others, her magic level appeared as Ninth-tier Adept Mage, just like Ryan. Even the Headmaster had not seen through her real power.

  On the platform, the burly man saw the eight thumbs raised toward him and felt a surge of anger. This was no admiration it was mockery!

  He roared furiously, soil-element magic energy surging into his fists. The pale brown glow instantly turned into a dazzling gold. He had clearly activated his secret finishing move, Earth Shatter Fist, intending to crush Ryan on the platform and wash away his humiliation.

  But before his roar could finish, a piercing scream echoed across the arena.

  The spectators only saw a blur, and the next moment the burly man flew backward like he had been struck by an invisible giant hand, crashing heavily into the pale purple protective barrier.

  A muffled thud, and ripples spread across the barrier. He slid down along it, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His battle axe clattered to the platform, losing its shine.

  Ryan retracted his fist, flicked his wrist lightly, and wore a slightly exasperated expression."I already said I didn't want to hurt you, but you just had to be stubborn."

  Finished? Just like that?

  The eight lying in the corners were completely dumbfounded. They hadn't even clearly seen Ryan's strike, and the fight was already over.

  They had hoped to learn a few combat techniques but had only witnessed a one-punch knockout. How was this any different from watching for nothing?

  "Good grief, is this the so-called‘One Punch Breaks Ten Thousand Spells'?" muttered a tall, skinny apprentice, secretly relieved.

  "Good thing I admitted defeat early. If that punch had hit me, I'd probably have passed out immediately."

  The others quickly realized the situation and shouted to the referee outside the barrier."Referee! We admit defeat! Open the barrier!"

  They no longer wanted to remain on the same platform with Ryan. The power gap was too great, and the longer they stayed, the more anxious they became.

  The referee in charge of Ryan's platform also revealed a trace of astonishment he could hardly hide. His eyes fixed on Ryan's fist, filled with shock.

  The force behind that punch was in no way weaker than a full-strength blow from a First-tier Journeyman Mage.

  It should be noted that the referees at the hundreds of academy platforms were all Journeyman Mages.

  If it weren't for that, they wouldn't have been able to follow Ryan's punch at all. Even if they managed to catch a glimpse, all they would see were heavy afterimages.

  "Looks like the academy is about to gain another Journeyman Mage." The referee sighed quietly to himself, slowly opening the protective barrier.

  He knew very well that an apprentice capable of delivering such a strike would inevitably attract the attention of the academy's higher-ups, and their future achievements would certainly not fall short of his own.

  As for the burly man who had just been knocked into the barrier, he struggled to his feet and silently left the platform.

  That punch had already made him fully aware of the vast gap in strength between him and Ryan. Continuing to cling to the fight would have been nothing short of courting death.

  He didn't even dare to glance at Ryan, feeling a chill down his spine, only wanting to leave this place where his pride had been utterly shattered.

  High above, Evelyn's hands quietly clenched at her sides. Her red lips were gently bitten by her teeth, and beneath her veil, her eyes silently condensed with anger.

  "You've deceived me again. No, twice!" She clenched her pink fists tightly, her gaze locked onto Ryan, who was still joking with the apprentices lying on the platform. Her voice was filled with both grievance and fury.

  She had never been able to discern Ryan's true magic level, and what he had shown her was always only Third-tier Adept Mage.

  Until now, seeing Ryan effortlessly knock a Ninth-tier Adept Mage off the platform, she finally realized how completely she had been fooled.

  Last time in the capital, she had struck Ryan and thrown his aura into chaos. Thinking back, that had clearly been a disguise.

  The strength of that strike could at most reach the lower end of Third-tier Adept Mage, but judging by the power he displayed now, there was no way he could have been truly disrupted like that.

  What puzzled her even more was how Ryan could cause his own magical energy to become chaotic without triggering self-detonation.

  This contradicted every principle of magic she knew and made her even more curious about him.

  At this thought, Evelyn's anger surged sharply. She startled, trying to calm the storm of emotions rising within her.

  For tens of thousands of years, her mind had been as calm as still water, never stirred. But after encountering Ryan, feelings she had never experienced before anger, doubt, curiosity had all arisen in rapid succession.

  "Why does a man make my temperament so unstable?" Evelyn wondered, utterly perplexed. The complex emotions in her eyes grew even more intense.

  On the platform, Ryan suddenly shivered for no reason. He scratched his head, muttering in confusion,"Weird. Why does it suddenly feel chilly in this heat?"

  No! With the magical perception he had accumulated over his previous eight lives, he could not claim absolute certainty, but he was ninety-nine percent sure.

  This bone-deep chill was unmistakably familiar. It was the same sensation that had killed him again and again in his past eight lives. It was Evelyn!

  Ryan immediately became alert, frantically scanning the surroundings. But even after the protective barrier was fully opened, he did not see that familiar figure.

  Only then did he let out a small sigh of relief, comforting himself:"I probably just haven't seen her in a few days. I've been thinking about her too much, so it's just a hallucination. That must be it."

  High above, Evelyn watched Ryan's sudden alertness and subsequent relaxation, then quietly turned her gaze away.

  She did not want to meet Ryan at this moment. At least until she understood why her emotions were so unsettled, she refused to face the man who disturbed her inner peace.

  Ryan quickly walked down from the platform and returned to the large bed under Darlene's watchful eye. His gaze immediately shifted to Derrick's platform.

  Since he confirmed Evelyn was not nearby, he had no interest in anything else, only wanting to see how his apprentice would perform on the platform.