Chapter 14: The Arena Erupts! First Place in Rankings!

Ruins Observation Zone

The crowd stared at the holographic screen showing a frozen image of the circular hole in the ground. The observation area had fallen deathly silent, a stark contrast to its earlier heated discussions. After a long pause, Education Bureau Director Liu Fang finally snapped back to reality, clutching Lin Ye's newly delivered profile:

Name: Lin Ye

Age: 18

School: Class 7, Senior Year, Third High School of Qingyang City

Classification: Awakened

Special Ability: E-grade (Static Control)

"What? He's only E-grade?" Liu Fang stared at Xu Feifei beside him. "Could there be errors in the records?"

"Impossible, Director." Xu Feifei shook her head firmly. "His awakening evaluation confirmed E-grade ability."

The live-stream chat exploded:

Where's the Shadowblade Leopard? That terrifying Tier-2 beast just vanished?!

What caused that massive crater?!

Five cents says he's topping the leaderboard!

Core Ruins Zone - Shadowrend Chasm

Lin Ye crouched on the collapsed overpass pillar, his tactical visor scanning the beasts below. Three Steelback Crocoturtles were tearing at carcasses, their shell-mounted energy crystals emitting ominous violet light.

The young man licked chapped lips as the Nine Heavens Thunder Prison thrummed hungrily in his meridians. "Perfect test subjects for my new technique." He leaped down into the chasm. The lightning patterns previously dancing across his skin suddenly plunged inward through conscious manipulation.

Hmm——

His body convulsed as if injected with potent stimulants.

Electric purple light flooded his formerly clear eyes as primordial power erupted from every fiber of his being.

Special Abilities were innate human forces as natural to wield as one's own limbs. Beyond refined applications like Combat Skills, crude manipulation methods also existed.

Lin Ye's current state represented a fundamental lightning-type ability application. By channeling lightning into his body to stimulate every cell, his physicality surged exponentially!

He'd previously attempted similar enhancement with his E-grade Static Control, only achieving numb limbs. But with the S-grade Nine Heavens Thunder Prison coursing through him, the effect proved monstrously different.

The thunderous energy roared through his meridians like raging rivers, elevating his physique to absurd levels. This wasn't true Combat Skills - maintaining such violent internal lightning circulation risked meridian damage, forcing strict time limitations.

BOOM!

Lin Ye blurred behind a Steelback Crocoturtle, fist crashing into its energy crystals. Violet light flashed as the supposedly impregnable shell shattered. The Tier-2 beast collapsed lifeless.

Twin beams of lethal purple energy erupted from the remaining crocoturtles' shells. Even Lin Ye's enhanced body would vaporize upon contact.

"Impressive firepower, but useless if you can't land a hit." His thunder-boosted speed left afterimages dancing across the chasm. Frustrated beasts tracked phantom movements, beams trailing uselessly.

When Lin Ye's movements suddenly slowed, the crocoturtles seized their chance. Twin beams lanced out - only to find their wielder vanished. The intercepted energies collided precisely where the beasts stood.

BOOM-BOOM!

The detonation erased both Steelback Crocoturtles from existence.

Tier-2 Steelback Crocoturtles x3 eliminated. Points +1500. Special Ability Points +900

Core Ruins Zone - Emerald Canopy

Twin Bloodeye Arachnids descended from pulsating flesh conduits, their shared consciousness synchronizing sixteen compound eyes on the intruder. The moment Lin Ye entered, viscous neurotoxic webs sealed all exits.

He dodged the acidic venom spray but missed the trap descending from treetops. The neurotoxic mesh ensnared him completely.

Unlike ordinary arachnid beasts, Bloodeye variants relied on neural toxins permeating through victims' nervous systems to paralyze brains.

"Mental assault? Clever." Lin Ye's trapped form glowed violet. "Good thing I allocated all Special Ability Points to Physique and Energy earlier."

Post-Steelback Crocoturtles victory, his stats now read:

『Physique: 368 Qi Blood』

『Energy: 336 Hertz』

He let the toxins crawl through his nerves. At the critical moment before brain infiltration, the Nine Heavens Thunder Prison reversed flow—devouring the poison. The web detonated into retaliatory lightning.

ZZZT!

Arcs of electricity ravaged the arachnids' shared neural link. The conjoined twins convulsed, mandibles tearing into each other until both collapsed.

Tier-2 Bloodeye Arachnids x2 eliminated. Points +1000. Special Ability Points +600

Ruins Observation Zone

"Look at the rankings!" The holographic leaderboard erupted in golden radiance:

1st: Lin Ye (Third High) 6345 Points

2nd: Lu Tianyu (First High) 4940 Points

3rd: Wang Shuo (First High) 4226 Points

Third High Principal Zhang Tianming wept openly. "After decades... our school finally claims Qingyang City's top rank!" He turned to Teacher Xu Haiping. "Your student brings us glory!"

Xu flushed, scratching his neck. "I... barely taught him anything. Who knew the kid had this hidden fury?"

Core Ruins Zone - Crimson Foundry

Lu Tianyu's squad battled through steelworks against Three-winged Echo Bats. Charred debris and frostbitten machinery testified to their grueling combat.

Wang Shuo's Flame Dragon Bullet ignited fuel lines, roasting one bat. Xu Mingfei's Cryo-rounds froze another's wings, letting Yang Zhijie bisect it with Voidslash. Lu Tianyu finally speared the last bat through its echolocation organ with his Combat Blade.

"Damn Tier-2s!" Wang panted. "Takes four of us to kill three. No way Lin Ye's soloing these!"

Yang suddenly shrieked, pointing at the updated leaderboard. Lu Tianyu's alloy blade quivered in the floor, his knuckles whitening.

"He... He's outpacing our entire team. Am I... inferior to him?"