Chapter 018: Slaying Enemies One by One

Du Fan finally reached the crowd. Glancing back at the stands, his gaze met Elvis’s in the air, almost sparking sparks between them.
Although he didn’t understand why this stranger he didn’t know harbored such intense hatred toward him, Du Fan smiled and showed him the middle finger. Naturally, the people in this world didn’t understand the meaning of that gesture.
But the provocative look in Du Fan’s eyes nearly made Elvis explode with anger. Yet what he saw next left him without the strength to even rage. Du Fan simply smiled slightly, then lifted his hand and gently pulled back the hood of his robe, revealing his handsome face.
The mercenaries standing beside him stared at him in shock, seemingly unable to believe it. In less than a moment, the once noisy crowd fell completely silent. Everyone looked in Du Fan’s direction, their expressions a mix of excitement and surprise.
Du Fan merely smiled faintly. He made a praying gesture and whispered, “May the God of Light bless us… May the God of Light grant his grace upon all present…”
The crowd bowed their heads together, clasped their hands over their chests, and began praying in unison. Such a scene was rarely seen even when the God of Light revealed his miracles. After all, for the people of the capital, though the lofty God of Light was revered, Du Fan, as a believer in him, was even more respected. Who among them hadn’t received his kindness?
Du Fan sighed in relief. Clearly, despite the recent incidents, his popularity among the people only grew. His best safeguard throughout his life had never been lost.
Anthony, sitting in the stands, took a deep breath. Staring at Du Fan, he murmured, “That guy… that guy…” His gaze shifted between Du Fan and Bruce before he finally closed his eyes slightly. After a long while, he said, “Joshua, if… if Du Fan is killed on the battlefield by Bruce’s men, this crowd might riot… Go arrange something… You must protect Du Fan at all costs… That kid… If I had known he had such popular support, how could I have let Bruce insult him…”
At these words, Archbishop Anthony’s already aged face seemed to grow even older.

Joshua responded with a nod, his figure flashing before disappearing into thin air. It was clear that this top-tier Grand Knight at level nine had also reached the threshold of the Sacred rank.
…
At that moment, Du Fan’s smile was so holy that it seemed unfathomable to defile it. He made a gesture, signaling everyone present to stand up, before slowly saying, “Everyone, it’s been a few months since we last met. I never expected to see each other in such a setting—perhaps it’s fate. But maybe we should discuss matters later? I also need to register for the Combat Qi Academy’s exam this time. Everyone here is here for the same reason, right? In that case, please go ahead as you please; don’t worry about me.”
With that, Du Fan stepped back a few steps.
Yet those who had been arguing over who would register first now became extremely obedient. They lined up quietly, and then a few well-known individuals stepped forward, “requesting” Du Fan to register first.
But how could Du Fan accept such a thing? He firmly refused several times. Finally, after the crowd insisted that if he didn’t register first, they would all give up on the exam, he reluctantly registered first. At his signal, the crowd, who had previously been fighting over who would register first, all registered in order. Unexpectedly, the registration process went much faster under these circumstances.
…
The enrollment exam for the Combat Qi Academy officially began. Surrounded by a group of mercenaries, Du Fan arrived at Arena No. 8, where he was assigned based on the registration order.
The mercenaries around him volunteered to protect him. In their words, they wanted to ensure that no one would interfere while Du Fan competed. He even saw a few notorious hooligans from the capital whispering among themselves.
However, Du Fan knew clearly that these people would never do anything harmful to him, so he paid them no further attention and listened carefully to the examiner’s instructions on the arena.

“…Sixth, each contestant must participate in ten battles. As long as they win half of them, they pass the exam. But if they lose more than half, they are disqualified on the spot. Seventh, personal weapons are not allowed during the battles; only the weapons provided at the arena can be used… Twentieth, except for when a contestant admits defeat or was unconscious or dead from the start, no other situation counts as defeat. I hope all contestants give it their all without holding back…”
“Finally, those taking the exam at the Battle Qi Academy face life or death. If anyone is afraid, they may choose to withdraw. Well then… the battles begin now! Next, Contestant One and Contestant Two, please come up!”
At the examiner’s announcement, a tall and muscular mercenary and a plain-looking young man stepped onto the fighting platform. After each chose a weapon they preferred, they started fighting loudly. Perhaps because Du Fan was present, neither used any deadly moves. After assessing each other’s strength, the weaker one surrendered voluntarily.
This situation occurred in all eighteen arenas, proving Du Fan’s immense influence.
Finally, after a long time, it was Du Fan’s turn.
As Du Fan lightly jumped onto the platform and removed his robe to reveal his knight’s armor, the crowd erupted in girls’ screams.
Du Fan waved casually at them, then picked up a knight’s sword from the weapon rack on the platform. He stared at the burly man across from him and said seriously, “I remember your name is John, right?”
“Yes,” nodded the burly man named John.
Du Fan nodded and said, “John, please remember—this is an exam. No matter what I’ve done for you before, please fight me seriously, okay?”
John nodded vigorously and raised his massive axe across his chest.
When the examiner signaled them to start, John charged at Du Fan, his axe glowing with battle qi. Du Fan could even hear the crowd holding their breath.
Seeing this unstoppable attack, Du Fan’s fighting spirit surged. He raised his knight’s sword and thrust it forward, aiming to strike the axe.

But just then, John suddenly let out a loud scream of “Ah—!” His massive body trembled violently, and he tumbled backward. Even more strikingly, blood sprayed from his mouth. In an instant, John’s huge body crashed to the ground below the fighting platform. He then struggled to get up, bowed to Du Fan, and said, “Sir Du Fan, your skills are so formidable. I… I’m no match for you… I surrender…” Du Fan was at a loss for words. Good heavens, his sword strike hadn’t even touched her axe, yet she had been flung away—what was the difference between this and cheating? Fortunately, John was thorough enough not to overdo it; otherwise, Du Fan really wouldn’t have known how to explain it. Next came the second match. This time, Du Fan’s opponent was a extremely curvy girl. Not only did she have a great figure, but it was obvious she was also skilled, using twin knives. Once the match began, she didn’t resort to the same tactics as John earlier. However, whenever their blades clashed, Du Fan felt frustrated—her attacks, which seemed fierce, actually lacked any real force. As a result, Du Fan didn’t dare use any combat energy, nor could he exert much strength, fearing he might accidentally hurt this delicate girl. The two fought on the platform for half an hour, appearing intensely fierce, but Du Fan was so frustrated he felt like vomiting blood. The girl kept waving her knives lightly while sending kisses with her eyes, almost as if she wanted to confess her feelings on the spot. Finally, after a long time, it seemed she wanted to end this sensual torment. She rushed toward Du Fan, then turned around—fainted!!! Du Fan was once again at a loss for words. He picked her up and carried her off the platform. As soon as he stepped back onto it, he heard the girl laugh sweetly and say, “Great! I’ve finally gotten held by Sir Du Fan once.” Du Fan’s knees weakened, and he almost fell off the platform. As for the result of the match, it was undoubtedly Du Fan’s victory. Then came the third match.

By this point, Du Fan had become somewhat numb. He knew well that these simple people would never lay a hand on him, and he also understood that any attempts to dissuade them would be futile, so he said nothing more. At the same time, he felt a hint of pride—didn’t the students of Roland Academy not want me to pass the recruitment exam? Now that I’ve overcome all obstacles, aren’t you all furious?
For this match, Du Fan’s opponent changed again.
This man had only one eye, his body was covered in scars, and his face exuded a murderous aura. No matter how you looked at him, he seemed like someone who had crawled out of a pile of dead bodies. Moreover, a faint red combat energy emanated from the long sword in his hand—clearly, this man was determined to fight seriously.