Only Human Here 10

When participating in the written test, Wei Huan had actually deliberately underperformed, but he didn't expect to still rank first in the written test.

"Really? None of the students in this year's cohort seem to have any skills…" Wei Huan muttered quietly, sensing that more and more examinees were looking at him with increasingly hostile glances.

It seemed that what had initially started as prejudice due to his human identity had now made him a target for everyone.

He flashed a big smile, showing his white teeth, and stepped back repeatedly. "Thank you all, congratulations to everyone! I wish you all the best, may all your dreams come true, may wealth flow abundantly, and I'm afraid there are too many blessings at midnight, so let me wish you all a Happy New Year in advance…"

After saying this, Wei Huan dragged Jing Yun and made a swift exit.

In the entrance exam for Shanhai University, the written test and practical test were equally weighted. Even though he had become everyone's target now, ranking first in the written test gave him a significant advantage in the overall score. Even if he had lost the ability of the Nine Phoenix, at least his foundation in close combat could defeat some weaker demons in the first half of the practical test.

This way, he still had a chance to enter Shanhai.

Jing Yun's ranking in the written test was also good, but the practical test was a bit worrying. Wei Huan had always found it strange. In theory, the Chongming family was considered a major clan, but because it was too far from the North Pole Heavenly Cupboard, they weren't very familiar with the Nine Phoenix family. However, Jing Yun didn't seem like a child from a major clan; he was always so cautious.

Could he be a scriptwriter for a young master who was cast aside?

Wei Huan tapped his forehead and put an end to the melodramatic family drama in his mind. The initial rounds of the practical competition were held in parallel, in many different venues, so he had to separate from Jing Yun. Jing Yun seemed quite concerned about him. "If you can't handle it, raise your hand and tell the referee in time. I'm afraid…"

"It's okay, they won't dare to go all out. That's a foul play, and there are referees watching in each round. Anyone who goes overboard will be stopped," Wei Huan lightly bumped his fist against Jing Yun's slender shoulder. "Come on, maybe the two of us will have another match."

For the entire school of demon students, a human entering the practical competition in Shanhai was an unprecedented joke. Years of continuous warfare between humans and demons had long established demons at the top of the food chain without question. If it weren't for some relatives and neutral parties among the demon race, humans would have long been treated as livestock by demons.

Now that Wei Huan had become the first human examinee to enter Shanhai, this alone was enough to cause a sensation. However, even so, not a single demon doubted the outcome; they simply wanted to see demons easily crush this human in the arena, just like stepping on an ant.

But what they never expected was that this seemingly slender human youth could actually fight much better than they had imagined.

In the first round, Wei Huan encountered a Wood-attribute Vine Demon. The rules of the match were not much different from the Freshmen Competition he participated in ten years ago. The first half of the match was a restriction phase, where neither side could use their demon powers. If one side left the arena or couldn't stand up during this phase, the other side would be declared the winner.

These rules were inherently unfair to humans since Wei Huan had no demon powers to use in the second round. Regardless of his opponent's abilities, he had to rely on physical combat.

No one would change the rules because of his uniqueness; the real world was that cruel. If you were a weakling, your choices were limited.

Wei Huan understood better than anyone that he wouldn't make it to the second half. Otherwise, he would undoubtedly be entangled by the opponent's vines, thrown out of the arena, with no chance of winning. So he left no room for his opponent in the first half. Vine Demons like this one, who hadn't undergone professional training, were no match for the former top close combatant of Shanhai when their abilities were restricted.

Only half of the hourglass suspended above the arena had passed when Wei Huan had already defeated his opponent and sent them out of the arena.

For a moment, the audience surrounding the arena fell silent. No one had expected this outcome; it was beyond their expectations.

A demon had been defeated by a human, and some attributed it to mere coincidence.

"Yeah, it must be because this little demon is so weak, it's obvious they have no training in close combat. That's why they were eliminated so quickly," most of the spectators thought this way when the first round ended.

But the same thing happened in the second, third, and fourth rounds. Not only the slender Vine Demon but even the tall and fierce Wolf Demon became the underlings of this small human.

The name of the examinee Wei Heng appeared repeatedly on the screen suspended above the sports hall – as the winner. Although Shanhai was vast, news spread quickly.

"Hey, did you go watch this year's practical competition?"

"No, I just finished class. Are there any examinees with a strong demon lineage this year?"

"No! Can you believe it's a human? And this human examinee actually won five rounds in close combat!"

"What?! I need to go watch this too!"

With only half of the practical competition gone, more and more onlookers rushed to the sports arena.

After winning the fifth round, Wei Huan entered the break room, leaving the arena. The potion Jing Yun gave him was indeed potent. After entering the match, Wei Huan felt like his body had become lighter. When dodging attacks from others, he could almost flip and jump in mid-air.

Furthermore, his strength had increased. While he couldn't compare to the physical prowess of major demons, for ordinary demons whose abilities were restricted to the first half of the match, Wei Huan had a significant advantage.

After several rounds, Wei Huan had sustained some injuries. He obtained some medicinal ointments and bandages from the school's medical service desk and sat in the rest area. He began wrapping the wounds on his finger joints and arms. These wounds might have looked intimidating to others, but for Wei Huan, who had grown accustomed to the chaos of battlefields in his previous life, they were relatively minor. After bandaging himself up, he left the rest area and followed the virtual electronic screen suspended in the air to find Jing Yun's match. He was still somewhat worried.

As soon as he squeezed into the audience seats, he saw the slender Jing Yun pinned to the ground and being beaten, blood flowing from his mouth.

"Jing Yun!" Wei Huan couldn't help but cry out in panic. The hourglass reversed and stopped, signifying the end of the upper half of the match. Jing Yun lay on the ground, unable to get up, his chest rising and falling like a fragile little fish. He turned his head slightly upon hearing Wei Huan's voice and grinned.

"Are you okay?" Wei Huan wanted to climb down, but he was quickly surrounded by a dozen small bee demons, brandishing sharp stingers at his face. "Warning! Warning! Warning…"

Wei Huan raised his hands. "Okay, okay, I won't go down."

He anxiously looked at Jing Yun, but Jing Yun shook his head. He reached up and took off his glasses, standing unsteadily when the rest countdown ended. He put the old glasses into his pocket.

Wei Huan could clearly see that Jing Yun's eyes, which he usually kept hidden, were now emitting a strange light.

As the opponent, the crocodile demon swayed his tough-scaled tail dismissively. "Surrender early, and I'll make your defeat painless."

"No." Jing Yun wiped the corner of his mouth and, in an instant, his eyes displayed a pair of partially overlapping heterochromia. His red wings suddenly appeared behind him. "I won't surrender."

"I am Chongming, and I can't allow myself to be looked down upon."

The opponent lunged at him, but Jing Yun gracefully dodged. This was the first time Wei Huan had seen him use his demon powers.

Multiple times, the crocodile demon tried to grab him, but he missed. Filled with rage, the crocodile demon's body expanded several times, becoming enormous. He finally caught Jing Yun, who was suspended in the air. "Watch me throw you out directly."

While Wei Huan worried for him, he also pondered: What were the abilities of the Chongming clan?

Jing Yun, with his throat squeezed by the crocodile demon, gripped the demon's thick wrist with all his might, his eyes turning red.

"Fine… fine…"

Of course! It was strength!

In the moment when Wei Huan had his sudden realization, the diminutive Jing Yun, who was only one-tenth the size of the crocodile demon, unexpectedly reversed the situation. He lifted the massive demon over his head and, while floating in mid-air, clung to the task with all his might. His face turned bright red, and a dazzling light erupted from the yellow family mark on his wrist, running along his arm straight to his neck. Amid his desperate roars, the gigantic crocodile demon was thrown out of the arena!

The whistle sounded—

Jing Yun, drained of energy, felt weak all over, and his wings fluttered weakly in the air. Wei Huan was excited. "Jing Yun, you're amazing!"

Jing Yun looked up and smiled at him. Wei Huan waved to him and was about to say something when his communication bracelet emitted a notification sound.

"Examinee Wei Heng, please proceed to Arena 132 within ten minutes; your match is about to begin."

It was his turn. Wei Huan pointed to his wrist for Jing Yun, then left this arena to make his way to the designated arena.

Based on the rules of the advancement rounds and the number of examinees who had passed the Shanhai written exam, he had already won five consecutive rounds. He should be in the middle tier now, and his opponents would only get stronger. If he wanted to stay at Shanhai, he absolutely couldn't afford to lose this round.

Wei Huan entered the sports arena through the entrance. Arena 132 was different from the previous ones. It was a circular platform suspended entirely in mid-air. The platform had a Tai Chi pattern that divided it into black and white areas.

Somehow, the audience erupted into thunderous cheers from the stands. Wei Huan wondered if it was because he had performed exceptionally well in the previous rounds and had gained fans.

As he was preparing to acknowledge his "fans" and wave his hand with a composed expression, Wei Huan suddenly noticed a petite figure flying to the other side of the arena. It was only at this moment that he realized that the cheers from the audience were not for him.

He awkwardly lowered his half-raised hand. He looked up at the towering arena.

The platform was so high, and it was unfriendly to his current human body that couldn't fly.

Suddenly, a voice from the sound system announced, "Referee, please take your position!" A rhombus-shaped floating platform appeared at the edge of the circular arena. A tall figure dressed in a white military uniform appeared, landing on the platform. The white wings on their back folded neatly. Every movement they made didn't seem demonic; it was more like the graceful bearing of a high-ranking angel.

"What the… Yun Yongzhu is the referee?"

Wei Huan didn't even realize it himself, but despite the distance, he instantly recognized the person in the referee seat. At the same moment, the aloof pupils of Yun Yongzhu, who was seated high above, suddenly lowered, meeting his gaze.

Wei Huan, who had caught Yun Yongzhu's attention, took the opportunity to wave frantically, bouncing up and down like a little grasshopper. "Referee! Look at me! Referee, big brother! I can't get up there; can you help me!"

Yun Yongzhou's eyebrows furrowed slightly, but he remained unmoved, showing no intention of helping him. Wei Huan was worried about how to persuade this stubborn guy. Unexpectedly, a gust of wind suddenly swept by his side. Wei Huan turned to look in the direction of the wind and saw a handsome young man smiling at him. Behind him were a pair of deep blue wings, and he was dressed in the uniform of the Fu Yao Academy instructor.

Wei Huan was stunned, as if he had traveled through time.

"Yang…"

He immediately reacted, almost blurting out the other person's name.

However, Yang sheng, who was some distance away, didn't hear the subconscious words of the human youth. He smiled brightly, "Do you need my help?"

Although death had made him immune to the gap of seven years, Wei Huan still felt a mix of emotions when he saw his old friend, who had grown up with him, once again.

Indeed, Yang sheng was worthy of his reputation. Faced with an intruder in the Shanhai, he didn't seem to be repelled at all and was even willing to lend a hand.

Wei Huan looked up, pretending not to recognize him, and smiled at him, "Sure." Seeing Yang sheng in a regular instructor's uniform, he probably came here to do maintenance work for this competition or to watch it. It should be quite busy for him as an instructor, so why would he come here?

"You're such a nice young man," Wei Huan took a step towards Yang sheng, but a light blade suddenly shot towards him, piercing the ground just a few centimeters from his toes.

Wei Huan was startled and quickly pulled his foot back, turning to look at the attacker.

Yun Yongzhou's chin was slightly raised, and his expression seemed to have more than just the previous coldness, but Wei Huan couldn't decipher it.

What puzzled him even more was that in the next moment, a one-level light-made staircase appeared out of thin air at the edge of the chessboard, layer by layer, descending until the last step connected to the ground.

This dazzling golden light ladder triggered cheers from the entire audience. Who would have thought that such a small qualifying match could still witness the Golden Crow's ultimate technique?

Wei Huan stared blankly at the blinding light steps, utterly baffled.

In a moment, Yun Yongzhou's cold voice cut through the noisy cheers and reached Wei Huan's ears, like the light steps themselves.

"Come up on your own."