"A bet on your rating? You... you want an S-rank rating?" Zhang Hongying understood instantly. A cold smile appeared on her lips. "Gao Neng, you’re too naive. Did you really think I would abuse my authority to make a bet over ratings with a student like you?"

"Did I say you should abuse your authority? I just want you to tell me what rank I need to reach to get an S-rank rating. I’m just taking this as a precaution!" Gao Neng retorted with a cold smile of his own.

"A precaution? A precaution for what?"

"Everyone saw it. I offended you today. Who knows if you’ll abuse your authority in the future to deliberately suppress me?" Gao Neng continued.

"Me, Zhang Hongying, deliberately suppress you?" Zhang Hongying’s chest heaved again.

"Who knows? If you’re really so upstanding and impartial, then draw a line in the sand. Tell me what rank I need to get an S-rank rating. Everyone here can be a witness, so you won’t be able to go back on your word later!" Gao Neng tilted his head up. This was precisely why he had provoked Zhang Hongying.

"Yeah, Team Leader Zhang, what rank does Gao Neng have to reach to get an S-rank rating?" Fang Tangtang immediately chimed in upon hearing this.

"I can’t make that kind of decision!" Zhang Hongying wasn’t falling for it.

"So you really are planning to abuse your power and suppress me. I had a feeling just now. I landed six slashes with a single One Slash, and I only ended up at rank 99. Sigh... They say the Dragon List is fair and just, but now I’m starting to wonder if you’ve taken a bribe to save the S-rank ratings for certain people," Gao Neng said with a nonchalant look.

"Gao Neng, you dare slander me?" Zhang Hongying was truly at the end of her rope.

Meanwhile, Gui Zian watched from the side, his heart pounding with anxiety.

Just as he was about to speak up and intervene, a hand landed on his shoulder. He turned to see none other than the principal of the Eastern Capital Military Academy, Song Tianyun.

"Principal." Gui Zian was a little surprised.

"Don’t interfere. Let’s just watch from the side." Song Tianyun shook his head, his meaning clear: let Gao Neng handle his own problems.

"But..."

"He’s fighting for it," Song Tianyun said again.

"’Fighting for it?’" On hearing this, Gui Zian gradually began to understand.

’Gao Neng is fighting for an S-rank evaluation!’

’But is that even possible?’

’It’s common knowledge that there are only 20 S-rank evaluations for the Dragon List, and most of them go to those ranked between tenth and thirtieth.’

’At the moment, the only exception is Shen Ning’Er.’

’But that’s Shen Ning’Er!’

’Gao Neng wants to break into the Dragon List’s top thirty with his Tier Five strength?’

’It’s completely impossible!’

"That little brat is quite the schemer. He knows he can’t get into the top thirty, so he’s fighting for it now," Song Tianyun chuckled softly.

"..." Gui Zian fell silent.

’He really is a schemer.’

’The type to exploit any opening he can find.’

’He’s clearly forcing Zhang Hongying to make him a promise.’

’Most importantly, Gao Neng is only at Tier Five Early Stage right now. In front of so many people, Zhang Hongying absolutely couldn’t demand that he break into the Dragon List’s top thirty.’

’Because if she did, it would confirm that she was deliberately trying to suppress him.’

"Whether it’s slander or not, justice will be the judge. But from the looks of it, Team Leader Zhang is all talk! Since you can’t even make the decision, why did you run over here to confront me? To show off your fancy title as the Team Leader of the Dragon List Special Affairs Team?" Gao Neng, of course, wasn’t going to let it go.

’The ball’s right at the goal. It would be a crime not to tap it in.’ 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"You..." Zhang Hongying was about to explode with anger. She desperately wanted to say, "If you’ve got the guts, then break into the top thirty of the Dragon List!" But the words died on her lips.

Because Gao Neng was only at Tier Five Early Stage.

Demanding someone at Tier Five Early Stage break into the Dragon List’s top thirty was truly an unreasonable challenge. But that was the standard for an S-rank rating.

Even when Shen Ning’Er got her S-rank rating, it was with the public understanding that she would quickly break into the top thirty, and possibly even higher.

"Is Team Leader Zhang angry? Hmm, good. Getting angry is good. I was pretty angry about being ranked 99th by you, too. But I won’t hold it against you. You can go now!" Gao Neng waved his hand dismissively, signaling that Zhang Hongying could leave.

"You won’t hold it against me?" Zhang Hongying’s face was flushed crimson. Her fists clenched, and she was on the verge of snapping. However, she knew she absolutely couldn’t attack Gao Neng right now.

Just as Zhang Hongying was caught in a dilemma, the phone at her waist rang again.

RING RING RING!

"Who is it?!" Zhang Hongying was furious and was about to hang up immediately. But after seeing the name on the screen, she gritted her teeth and pressed the answer button.

"Director!"

"..."

"I don’t agree! What is this supposed to be? What will the other people on the Dragon List think?"

"..."

"Top fifty, at least!"

"..."

"Fine, I understand!" Zhang Hongying hung up the phone. Her gaze turned exceptionally sharp. "Gao Neng, we’ll do as you said. A bet on your rating. Top 60. If you can break into the top 60 of the Dragon List, we will give you an S-rank rating. But if you fail, your rating will drop back to a B. Do you dare?"

"..."

The surroundings fell silent.

Then, an uproar erupted.

Not the top fifty, but the top 60 of the Dragon List!

But that was still a terrifying prospect.

Because it meant that Gao Neng, at Tier Five Early Stage, would have to defeat a genius powerhouse at Tier Six Late Stage. That was simply an impossible feat.

In the top 100 of the Dragon List, the higher you went, the stronger they got.

Keep in mind, even Shen Ning’Er was currently ranked only 53rd.

"How is this not suppressing him? Everyone in the top 60 of the Dragon List is a genius capable of fighting above their tier! Gao Neng is only Tier Five. At most, he could probably make it into the top 90!" Fang Tangtang immediately protested.

"Yeah!"

"That’s right!"

"If Gao Neng can get into the top 90, he should get an S-rank rating!"

The students of the Eastern Capital Military Academy immediately began to clamor.

Gui Zian, however, just shook his head slightly. Although Gao Neng had cleverly pressured Zhang Hongying and even alerted the Director of the Dragon List Special Affairs Team...

...it was obvious he had also thoroughly offended her.

’If I heard correctly just now on the phone, the rank the Director of the Dragon List Special Affairs Team gave probably wasn’t 60.’

’But you couldn’t blame Zhang Hongying.’

’After all, he’d poked her where it hurt and used this method to force a promise out of her. Naturally, the rank she set had to be one that would leave everyone speechless.’

’A Tier Five breaking into the Dragon List’s top 60.’

’And getting an S-rank rating for it.’

’Who in the entire Alliance would dare say a word against it?’

"Well? Gao Neng, have you lost your nerve? Are you afraid of losing your A-rank rating?" Seeing Gao Neng remain silent for a long moment, a proud, victorious smile finally appeared on Zhang Hongying’s lips.

"Hold on, let me just clarify what Team Leader Zhang said to make sure I’ve got it right." Gao Neng pondered for a moment before finally speaking.

"Go ahead!"

"Just now, Team Leader Zhang said that as long as I break into the top 60 of the Dragon List, I’ll be given an S-rank rating, correct?" Gao Neng said unhurriedly.

"That’s right. And if you don’t make it, you’ll only get a B-rank!" Zhang Hongying nodded and added.

"Why would Team Leader Zhang make such an agreement with me?" Gao Neng immediately asked in return.

"What do you mean, ’why’?" Zhang Hongying frowned slightly, not understanding what Gao Neng was getting at. ’Besides, weren’t you the one who forced me to make this agreement?’

"Well, what I mean is, if I can break into the Dragon List’s top 60 with my Tier Five strength, it proves I’m a genius worthy of the Alliance’s special cultivation. And since I’m only 18, a genius like that is incredibly rare, so an S-rank rating isn’t excessive. Is that right?" Gao Neng explained.

"Roughly... that’s the gist of it." For a moment, Zhang Hongying was actually at a loss for words.

She had never seen someone praise themselves so openly. Still, the point Gao Neng was making wasn’t wrong.

"In other words, anyone at Tier Five or below who breaks into the Dragon List’s top 60 would be considered a peerless genius and could be rated S-rank, right?" Gao Neng continued to ask.