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The figure glowed like blazing fire in the bright morning light. She remained standing there indifferently, unintentionally emitting brilliance that could blind anyone who laid their eyes on her.

Although Cornelia no longer sensed any danger, she continued curling up under the blanket and peeked through a small gap, at the scary woman who called Cornelia her granddaughter.

Ugh… I won’t be able to beat her… I definitely won’t be able to beat her… But I must protect Mommy!

Despite her determination, it took only a glance from the Dragon Queen to get Cornelia shaking with fear. If it was not for the fact that her most beloved Mommy was behind her, she would have fled while crying by now.

The Dragon Queen’s gaze swept past Cornelia and fell on somewhere else instead.

With a wave of her hand, a black card appeared in the Dragon Queen’s hand. After examining it carefully, she lifted an eyebrow. The expression on her face became serious.

A helpless sigh escaped her lips. She casually returned the black card to its original position, then gazed at Lilith’s lovely doll-like face. With pity in her voice, she said, “It looks like I can’t spend some quality time with my lovely daughter yet. Those annoying pests have snuck in again.”

The Dragon Queen lifted her head and gazed into the sky.

“Pests are not allowed to exist in this carefully curated paradise. Why can’t you guys understand that? My patience is running thin from having to exterminate them again and again.”

Sunlight shone through the curtains and it went right through the Dragon Queen’s body.

Upon closer look, the Dragon Queen’s figure was starting to fade in the air, like a drop of ink dissolving in water.

“Protect Lilith well, Little One.”

……

Cornelia was taken aback for a moment before she realized that the terrifying queen was talking to her.

She bared her teeth at the Dragon Queen while waving her little fist around.

You don’t have to tell Cornelia that! Cornelia will protect Mommy!

The Dragon Queen pursed her lips and turned to Cornelia. For the very first time, her smile reached her eyes.

“Is that so? I will be looking forward to your performance.”

With that, her figure vanished without a trace. It was as if she had never appeared in this room.

……

With the Golden Demon incident coming to an end, peace gradually returned to St. Caroline Academy. The students, who were given unplanned vacation, all returned to the academy before the notified date. Once again, life returned to the academy.

On the other hand, returning to the academy was like returning to hell for the older students.

Due to the Golden Demon incident, their bi-annual exam had to be put on hold. However, this was not enough of a reason for the academy to cancel it. Reality had proven once again that no academy would cancel exams, they would only postpone it or change them to surprise exams.

The regular exam was to be held shortly after the older students had returned to the academy. Perhaps it was due to the recent incident, the academy decided to show some mercy to the students. Instead of sending them on a trip to the ice fields in nothing but a pair of shorts, they made a relatively more humane decision to hold an arena tournament.

“It’s been decided. The regular exam for students from second to seventh-year has been changed to an arena tournament, scheduled to happen in three days from now.”
“So…”

Lilith gave the white-bearded old man, who sat in front of her and started explaining, a strange look and asked, “What does this have to do with a first-year student like me?”

The vice dean said with a smile, “It was supposed to have nothing to do with you, but… I want you to have something to do with this tournament.”

A shiver traveled down Lilith’s back. The man, whom she had just conned of a hundred million, was looking at her like she was his granddaughter right now. It almost creeped her out.

“So, this is the reason why our vice dean went out of his way to catch me while I’m having my lunch here?” Lilith said in an unkind tone.

As a former saintess, Thea was unfazed by the presence of a mere vice dean. Sitting beside Lilith, she continued partaking the food on her plate gracefully. On the other hand, the timid Brea who was from a normal background, was already shaking so badly from nervousness that she failed to even hold her cutlery.

For some reason, Cornelia had been hiding under the blanket since Lilith woke up this morning and refused to get out of it. It was like she was sulking after being spanked by someone.

The vice dean threw a glance at Thea and smiled. “Is this old man not allowed to have his lunch yet?”

“The usual, make it bland.”

The old man was obviously a regular here. He only had to wave at the waiter, and the latter immediately understood and left to prepare the meal he ordered.

The meal ordered by the vice dean was quickly served. Lilith only took a glance and her hair immediately stood up on its end. Disgust immediately welled up in her.

It was a vegetarian meal, prepared without even a drop of oil. To put it simply, it was a salad made of vegetables and fruits.

This might be normal for most people but to an absolute carnivore like Lilith, that was a plate of cold weeds that reeked.

Lilith shrank and tried her best to keep a distance from that pile of stuff that would definitely give her diarrhea if she ate it.

“What do you mean by wanting me to have something to do with this tournament?”
“It is as simple as what I said.”

The vice dean started eating slowly. The way his beard moved every time he chewed reminded Lilith of a goat munching on grass.

“I want you to participate in it, Lilith,” said the vice dean.
“You mean the tournament?”

Lilith froze for a moment before a puzzled look appeared on her face. “I thought you just said that this tournament is specifically held for the students from second to seventh-year? So how does this so-called regular exam have anything to do with a freshman like me who has just enrolled here for less than a month?”

“It wasn’t supposed to, but the tournament this time is a little different.”

The vice dean took out an extremely suspicious looking black invitation card, placed it in front of Lilith and continued saying, “This tournament is actually for screening purposes, rather than assessing.”

“Screening…?”

Lilith’s eyes turned to the invitation card. Apart from a bunch of strange black and gold lines, a few large words stood out.

“Great Celestial Rite?”

“Yes, the Great Celestial Rite.” The vice dean swallowed the food in his mouth, then wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin before he continued explaining slowly, “This is a major event that happens once every decade in the Holy Dragon Empire. It is an important ceremony held to commemorate the great merits of the legendary founding emperor of the Holy Dragon Empire. Since the first emperor founded the empire with martial arts, the most important event that takes place during the Great Celestial Rite is naturally… the Martial God Tournament! The purpose of this tournament is to identify the most promising young talent in the empire!”

“Vice Dean, you mean to say…”
“That’s right, what I mean is…”

The Vice Dean looked at Lilith straight in her eyes and said firmly, “I want you to participate in the Martial God Tournament as the representative of St. Caroline Academy!”

“Why me?” Lilith asked curiously. “I’m only a first-year student. Aren’t you worried that having a first-year student to represent the academy would end up screwing things up and embarrassing the academy?”

“I was thinking the same not long ago, but I believe Lilith must be a remarkable individual since the former student representative thinks so highly of you. That child never lies.” The vice dean stroked his beard and laughed.

“No matter. As long as Lilith emerges as the champion in this tournament, all gossip will naturally be dispelled.”