"Huh? The Dean isn't personally participating? Is that really okay?" Petra widened her eyes in surprise. She had never heard of a teacher's challenge where someone else could stand in.

"Well, if even the attendants can't defeat her, then there's no point in me fighting, right?" The princess had a smug look on her face, as if she were an unparalleled expert.

"But... Feilin is also very strong. Are you sure about this, Mr. Aya?"

(Aya: Wait, what did you call me? Wait! Say it again! I'm so touched, wah wah wah 〒▽〒)

...

"Hey, did you make a wrong turn? White-haired young man?"

In the spacious arena below, a girl dressed in a customized Milt student battle outfit looked left and right, finally noticing that besides herself, the only person in the entire arena was a white-haired young man standing in front of her with crossed arms and a miserable expression.

"No, I didn't make a wrong turn. I'll be the one accepting your challenge," Aya's eye twitched slightly, and deep down in his heart, he raised his middle finger to Tiran. He should have known earlier that that guy would always send him to deal with any troublesome matters.

By the way, why didn't you send Xiaofeizi? Oh, right, she went on a day trip to the Academy City with the money she got earlier...

The girl didn't think as much as Aya did. She just tilted her head and said, "I remember you were the assistant to the previous Dean, right? Can you handle fighting me?"

"That's what that guy meant. At least defeat me first if you want to deal with her," Well, that's how it was before, right, now... today's weather, hahaha.

Aya had originally been worried that the girl might have some objections, but it seemed that his worries were unnecessary. The girl simply nodded, looking eager to give it a try. "So, can we start, young man?"

"Of course, Aya, the secretary and assistant to that guy, temporarily," Aya nodded and reported his name, then muttered quietly, "although I don't think you stand a chance..."

"Felin, Class One, Serial Number Zero. Nice to meet you!" The girl closed her eyes lightly, took a deep breath, and when she opened her eyes again, her pupils had turned blue and red, with a blazing flame covering her body like a feathered robe. She hoisted a giant sickle that emitted a bright glow like molten lava onto her shoulder, and with a wave of her hand, a ball of crimson flames surged, pouncing towards Aya like a fierce tiger descending a mountain.

Damn.

At this moment, only these two words remained in Aya's mind, along with the fear of being ruled by the maid chief all those years.

...

"Huh? That child is a Flame Demon?" Tiran in the stands was also stunned. "By the way, isn't this already beyond the level of a Holy Knight? And she's just a Class One? Is Milt really that amazing?"

Unlike ordinary academies, Milt Academy did not limit the years of study. Instead, it defined three tiers based on different assessment levels. Only by passing the promotion assessment could one advance to the next tier. This resulted in a rather annoying situation, with some geniuses making it to the third tier in less than half a year, while others remained stuck for thousands of years...

This promotion system ultimately created a pyramid-shaped distribution of people. And as for Class One, it naturally had the largest number and the weakest overall strength.

But that girl down there... I doubt there are many people in the third tier who can defeat her, right?

Tiran mentally simulated his tactics against her and found that even in his prime state, it would still require some effort without using Holy Rank rules, considering how the Flame Demon's flames countered her Ice attribute.

"Well... you may not be aware of it just after assuming the role of the Dean, but little Feilin is quite famous at our school, to some extent."

Previously, we discussed the topic of the challenge system in the academy. Because once failed, one would face a drastic deduction of credits, most students would choose to accumulate enough credits to avoid being dropped back to the previous level, even if their purpose was to test their limits.

However, as a top-tier academy, credits are not easily obtained, so it is rare for students to challenge the teachers under normal circumstances.

...Except for a peculiar student who enrolled three years ago.

This genius girl named Feilin carried a giant scythe made of magma, and as soon as she started at the academy, she went around picking fights. In just one week, she defeated the top ten of the previous level, and then within a month, she advanced to the top ten of the next level. Before the end of the semester, she officially became the youngest student in the third level.

"So fierce?" Tiran raised his eyebrows. He didn't expect to encounter someone who seemed to be cheating besides himself. This seemed like the protagonist route of Dragon Aotian.

"Well, it's a bit embarrassing, but if Feilin were to challenge me seriously, I might not be her match either." Petra touched the strand of hair hanging down on her face and said apologetically.

Among the three levels in the academy, the top ten of each level are considered future or current talents. The top ten of the third level are even called the "Ten Knights" of the academy, all possessing the potential to reach the Holy Rank.

"As for Feilin, she is usually referred to as the 'Eleventh Knight'."

After advancing to the third level in just three months, Feilin didn't continue challenging the Ten Knights, but instead focused her attention on the teachers.

To be honest, with Feilin's skills, some of the slightly weaker teachers might not be her match.

"I think I can guess the outcome..." Tiran slapped his forehead and said regretfully.

"Originally, she seemed to intend to challenge Dean Xiela, but Dean Xiela never paid any attention to her, so Feilin went to find Mentor Luscious instead."

So she came to me now to make up for the regret of not fighting a Holy Rank opponent?

Ah, Luscious, the dual-talented level nine in magic and martial arts. Besides the Holy Rank, he's probably the strongest existence. Well, ordinary teachers can be excluded, but this... even Aya might not be able to win.

"And as you can see," Petra sighed, "Feilin only took three months to reach the third level, then fought Mentor Luscious for eight consecutive matches, and dropped back to the first level. Since then, she challenges once every time she accumulates enough credits... If it weren't for her skills being recognized by the mentors, she would have been expelled long ago..."

"Oh, by the way, her record of eight consecutive battles with Mentor Luscious remains unbeaten to this day, and it has become a unique record of challenge. Because it was an epic bloodbath, it is called the 'Eight Extreme Annihilation'..."

Princess: (。_。) (。_。) (。_。) What... What did you say? Say it again? Eight what annihilation? What extreme annihilation?

...

While the spectators chatted happily in the stands, Aya was having a tough time on the battlefield.

As soon as the match started, she was momentarily stunned by the demon flame and immediately fell prey to a swift preemptive attack. The blazing tiger came at her fiercely, the heatwaves distorted the air even before its physical form arrived, and the burning sensation penetrated through Aya's defensive scales, making her realize that the fight wouldn't be easy as she had thought.

The demon flame not only had an extremely high temperature, but it also had a strange stickiness. Even just a spark of it would be quite troublesome. Aya had experienced this before when she was beaten up by Mimi.

Luckily, it was only the manifestation of fire, and its speed was not too fast. A quick leap to the left easily evaded it. But at that moment, a figure had already flashed out from behind the flaming tiger, and a brilliant giant scythe made of molten lava descended.

Compared to the sluggish explosion in Aya, the petite Feilin carried the lava giant sickle at a speed that was alarmingly fast. The terrifyingly hot blade brushed against her collar, leaving a spark that singed her clothes, although her dragon scales protected her from any actual harm.

Squashing the smoldering fabric, a bead of cold sweat trickled down Aya's forehead. This is not good. She's quite strong, isn't she? Tiran, you tricked me again!

Before she could complain, Feilin had already halted the momentum of her giant sickle and twisted her waist to strike back. Aya couldn't fathom where the slender girl found such strength to wield the sickle with such mastery.

Tsk, this speed... I won't have time to use Acceleration Magic. If I don't release my dragon scales, I won't be able to dodge.

But if I do release my dragon scales, the high temperature of the sickle during the recovery time will be a big problem, won't it?

This is troublesome. Well, I'll just take this head-on.

Facing the imminent heavy blow, Aya took a step back, lowered her body, and compressed her Golden Chi and dragon scales to their maximum on her right fist. The highly condensed spiral airflow coiled around her wrist, vibrating the air with a restless hum. At the same time as the sickle reached over her head, she shouted and clashed head-on with full force.

"Inch Force · Heaven's Barrier!!!"

In the instant that the earth-shattering punch was thrown, the students watching from the surrounding stands seemed to see a golden dragon shadow tearing through the air. Its mouth directly devoured the descending sickle, instantly shredding the previously burning giant sickle to pieces.

However, this punch didn't directly hit Feilin. Fortunately, because of the length of the lava giant sickle, Feilin had time to dodge when Aya unleashed her deadly punch. Even so, she was still affected by the residual shockwaves of the punch. She continuously retreated about ten meters before finally neutralizing the force.

"Phew... Impressive, is this the ancient martial arts of the Eastern Continent? You're not any worse than that guy, Luscus."

Feilin slightly lowered her head and glanced at her hands. The lava giant sickle had been completely dispersed, leaving only a lingering flicker of fire.

...

"Dean! So Mr. Aya is this powerful?"

Petra's small mouth hung open, her expression slightly dazed. Although she had already expected that the strength of someone serving as a Silver War Maiden's attendant wouldn't be weak, this level of power was still too exaggerated.

Tiran didn't fare any better, especially when he heard the words "Inch Force · Heaven's Barrier." The expression on his face was as spectacular as a fireworks display on New Year's Eve. He almost vomited blood and quickly established a contract with Aya, his emerald eyes fixed on her while his lips twitched.

"I say, Aya the Immortal, are you actually an Eastern Continent god?"

"Meow meow meow?"

"What the hell, you're so cute! You never told me before that you knew martial arts!"

"Huh? Are you talking about just now?" Aya maintained her cool posture, his fist still curled, and tilted her head as if she suddenly realized, "Oh, I was just messing around."

"...Then why did you shout like that?"

"Don't you think it's cool to shout so loudly?"

"Why don't you ascend to the heavens and soar directly up to ninety thousand li?"

"Oh? You know Eastern Continent language too?" Aya was stunned. "What does that mean?"

"Why didn't you become a celestial being? If you have the ability, transform into a Shadow Knight for me."