Chapter 29: A Violent Sacrifice, Astonishing the Entire Audience!-Mass Job Change: My Skills Are All Forbidden Spells with a Ten Thousand Times Boost(By the banks of the Ruoshui River, the wine cups drift along the gentle current.)

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd grew excited. The freedom to choose one’s opponent gave an overwhelming advantage to main combat professions. After all, by simply selecting a support class, or even a life-skills profession, one could almost guarantee advancement to the next round. Yet, if a non-combatant managed to give an impressive performance in the arena, they too could earn admission.

However, when faced with support professions, these novices found it nearly disastrous—a challenge insurmountable. This rule had persisted for over a hundred years, an unchangeable tradition. Against these elite academies, the applicants held little sway.

“Everyone, the matches are about to begin. You have three minutes to consider your choice.”

As soon as the words fell, Gao Chong stood up without hesitation. “Respected teachers, my name is Gao Chong, profession: Shadow Rogue. I challenge Lin Han!”

The entire hall fell silent—not because of Gao Chong, but because Lin Han’s reputation was devilish; principals from various schools regarded him as the most terrifying genius in recent years. Though his current profession was not impressive, he still drew countless curious eyes.

The judge said calmly, “Lin Han and Gao Chong, please enter the arena. We will now begin today’s first match.”

Upon hearing this, Gao Chong shot Lin Han a contemptuous grin, then strode confidently into the arena. Lin Han, knowing this was inevitable, rose slowly to his feet.

Wang Qiang whispered from the side, “Be careful. Gao Chong has already completed his second advancement; he’s not to be underestimated.”

“Don’t worry,” Lin Han replied simply, then walked onto the dueling stage.

Seeing both competitors in place, the judge announced, “I have already explained the rules. If you violate them, your admission qualification will be permanently revoked, and you will be barred from all entrance exams for ten years. No academy will accept you. Lethal force is forbidden; harboring murderous intent is strictly prohibited.”

Both nodded in agreement.

“In that case, let the match begin.”

...

Gao Chong sneered, “Lin Han, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that one day I’d face you, the prodigy, on the dueling stage. If you kneel and beg for mercy now, perhaps I’ll go easy on you. Otherwise, if word gets out that I bullied a support class, I might look bad.”

“Gao Chong, you’re as noisy as ever. Who knows, it might be you lying on the ground before long.” Lin Han replied coolly. “If people hear that a rogue couldn’t defeat a priest, you’ll be a laughingstock for life.”

“If I were you, I’d have crawled home by now rather than embarrass myself here.”

Gao Chong’s anger reached its peak. This was supposed to be his advantage, yet Lin Han spoke as if victory was already his. What right did a priest have to address a rogue this way? Where did his confidence come from? Even at death’s door, he dared mock him—was Lin Han truly unafraid?

Everyone knew priests stood no chance against rogues, yet Lin Han showed no sign of fear. That unsettled Gao Chong—the script was all wrong. Lin Han should be begging for mercy by now.

“Lin Han, you have no way out. Keep up your bravado, but once my dagger finds you, you’ll see the gap between us. Don’t worry, I won’t kill you—it’s against the rules. But I have ten thousand ways to make you wish you were dead!”

With those words, Gao Chong’s figure vanished from the arena.

A hush fell across the crowd. Except for the old families who had seen such duels before, for most, this was their first time witnessing a clash between two professionals.

“Well, I didn’t expect the first match to feature a second-advancement rogue. Looks like we have some promising talent here,” remarked a female examiner.

A younger examiner scoffed, “He’s strong enough to fight his way through, yet he picks a priest as his opponent. Isn’t that just bullying? Even if he wins the championship, our academy would never accept someone like him.”

The elderly man beside him said, “Don’t be so absolute. Challenging the weak can also be the best way to showcase one’s strength, so it’s nothing unusual.”

“That’s right, I agree with Elder Long,” the white-haired elder concurred. “If both sides were equal in strength, the match would become much more complicated.”

“These kids have only run a few dungeons; their combat experience is sorely lacking. If both sides were evenly matched, I can’t imagine what their fight would look like.”

“It’d probably come down to whose fists are harder,” someone else chimed in.

The group nodded in agreement. For seasoned warriors, the outcome of a duel often hinged on experience. Mastery of technique and timing were crucial. For these newcomers, the hardest fist prevailed. That’s why, when a warrior appeared, they almost always claimed the championship.

“Lin Han, can’t find me now, can you?” Gao Chong’s voice echoed as he concealed himself within the arena. As a rogue, masking his presence was his greatest skill.

In everyone’s eyes—except for the old ex-heroes sitting among the examiners—Gao Chong’s presence had completely vanished. As a second-advancement Shadow Rogue, he was one of the more outstanding students here.

But to Lin Han, Gao Chong was tiptoeing right in front of him, occasionally making silly faces. With Lin Han’s bizarrely high attributes, seeing through Gao Chong’s movements was no challenge at all. What’s more, when it came to concealment techniques, Lin Han possessed a forbidden-level spell. Of course, casting such a spell in this arena would be overkill—he couldn’t just blow the whole place up, after all.