The announcement echoed through the arena.
"First match of the Final Thirty-Two."
The central platform brightened, rising slightly above the others.
"Lu Shen — Starfall First Academy."
"Xu Yuan — Starfall Sixth Academy."
Eyes shifted immediately.
---
Student Profile Display
Lu Shen
Academy: Starfall First Academy
Primary Monster Gene: Crimson Horn Minotaur
Elemental Affinity: Fire — High
Rank: three-Star Warrior [ High ]
A familiar profile. Solid. Proven.
Then the second screen changed.
Xu Yuan
Academy: Starfall Sixth Academy
Primary Monster Gene: Ironback War Ox
Elemental Affinity: Earth — Mid
Rank: Three-Star Warrior [ Low ]
A heavy-type gene. Endurance-focused. Slow, but hard to put down.
"War Ox…" someone murmured.
Xu Yuan stepped onto Platform #1 first.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, carrying a thick, rectangular hammer with reinforced edges. The ground creaked faintly under his weight as he rolled his neck once, steadying himself.
Lu Shen followed a moment later, empty-handed at first—then fire gathered along his forearms, shaping into solid gauntlets as he flexed his fingers.
The platform sealed.
The barrier rose.
Xu Yuan looked at him for a long second, then spoke—not loud, but clear enough.
"So this is how it goes," he said. "Top academies getting smooth paths… and we get placed right in front of you."
Lu Shen tilted his head slightly. "I don't arrange brackets."
Xu Yuan let out a short breath. "No. But you are the ones that benefit from them."
Lu Shen's expression didn't change. "I don't care who stands across from me."
He took one step forward. Fire flickered along his shoulders.
" Because, I'm here to win."
Xu Yuan tightened his grip on the hammer. "Then don't hold back."
The signal sounded.
---
Xu Yuan moved first.
The ground beneath him hardened as earth-aspected gene energy surged through his legs.
[ Iron Trample ]
He charged—not fast, but relentless—each step cracking the platform as he swung the hammer in a wide arc meant to force Lu Shen back.
Lu Shen didn't retreat.
He met it head-on.
[ Blazing Frame ]
Fire surged through his body, reinforcing muscle and bone. He raised one arm and caught the hammer mid-swing.
The impact thundered across the arena.
Xu Yuan's eyes widened slightly—but he didn't stop.
He twisted his stance and followed immediately with a knee strike, earth energy flaring to increase mass and force.
Lu Shen slid half a step back this time.
"Good," someone muttered from the stands. "He's not folding instantly."
Xu Yuan pressed the advantage.
[ Bedrock Lock ]
The ground beneath Lu Shen's feet hardened, attempting to anchor him in place.
Xu Yuan brought the hammer down vertically.
Lu Shen exhaled.
Fire pulsed outward—not explosively, but controlled.
The earth grip cracked.
Lu Shen shifted sideways at the last moment, the hammer smashing into the platform and sending stone fragments flying.
Before Xu Yuan could recover—
Lu Shen was already inside his range.
A short, brutal elbow strike slammed into Xu Yuan's chest.
[ Hornbreaker Impact ]
Fire-aspected force detonated on contact.
Xu Yuan was thrown back several meters, boots grinding against the platform as he struggled to keep his balance.
He didn't fall.
He planted the hammer and pushed himself upright, breathing heavier now, earth energy flickering unevenly.
The crowd was quieter.
They could see it.
The difference wasn't just power.
It was control.
Xu Yuan charged again, slower this time, trying to force a trade.
Lu Shen didn't give him one.
He stepped in, twisted, and drove a fire-reinforced shoulder straight into Xu Yuan's core.
The barrier flared.
Xu Yuan hit the ground hard, the hammer slipping from his grasp as the earth energy around him dispersed.
He tried to rise.
His body didn't respond fast enough.
The medic signal lit up.
---
[ Match Ended ]
Winner: Lu Shen — Starfall First Academy
The barrier lowered.
Lu Shen stepped back, fire fading from his arms.
Xu Yuan lay on his back for a moment, staring at the ceiling, chest rising and falling heavily.
Then he laughed softly—breathless, but not bitter.
"So that's the difference between lower and top schools," he muttered.
Lu Shen paused, then nodded once. "You held longer than most."
Xu Yuan closed his eyes as the medics reached him.
From the stands, reactions were mixed.
Lower-academy sections were silent.
They weren't surprised.
And as Lu Shen stepped off the platform, the screen began to update for the next match—
the bracket continuing exactly as planned.
"Next match."
"Han Yue — Starfall First Academy." "Mu Qing — Starfall Seventh Academy."
The atmosphere changed the instant Han Yue's name appeared.
The screen refreshed.
Student Profile Display
Han Yue
Academy: Starfall First Academy
Primary Monster Gene: Tideveil Manta
Elemental Affinity: Water — Mid-High
Rank: Three-Star Warrior [High]
Then—
Mu Qing
Academy: Starfall Seventh Academy
Primary Monster Gene: Ironjaw River Croc
Elemental Affinity: Water — Mid
Rank: Three-Star Warrior [Low]
A few quiet comments rippled through the stands.
"Both water-type."
"At least he won't be completely suppressed."
Mu Qing stepped onto the platform first, twin hooked blades resting loosely in his hands. His posture stayed low and guarded, weight centered, eyes fixed on the opposite side without wavering.
Han Yue arrived moments later.
She carried no weapon. Her expression didn't change. She simply stood there, arms relaxed at her sides, long hair unmoving despite the artificial wind circulating across the platform.
Mu Qing swallowed.
"So… First Academy again," he said, breaking the silence.
Han Yue didn't answer. She didn't even look at him.
The barrier sealed shut.
The signal sounded.
Mu Qing moved immediately.
Water condensed along his blades as he lunged forward, slashing in crossing arcs meant to restrict movement and force a close exchange.
[ Current Fang ]
Han Yue stepped sideways—not hurried, not sharp. The blades passed through where she had been a heartbeat earlier, water slicing only empty air.
Mu Qing didn't stop. He twisted low, spinning as he sent a sweeping wave skimming across the platform.
[ Low Tide Cleave ]
This time, Han Yue moved forward.
She stepped directly into the wave.
The water parted around her body unnaturally, flowing aside instead of colliding, as if refusing to touch her.
[ Flowbound Step ]
Her movement didn't look fast.
It looked inevitable.
Mu Qing's eyes widened.
She was suddenly in front of him.
Her palm struck his shoulder. There was no glow, no violent surge of energy—just pressure.
[ Undertow Mark ]
Mu Qing felt it instantly. Something heavy locked onto his body, dragging at his balance, weighing down his breathing. He stumbled back, teeth grinding as his stance collapsed.
"What—"
Han Yue didn't wait.
She followed with another palm strike, then a knee, then a short elbow driven into his ribs. Each blow landed precisely where his footing failed, where his muscles couldn't compensate in time.
Mu Qing tried to disengage, forcing water outward in a defensive burst.
[ Surging Veil ]
Han Yue walked through it.
Her eyes were empty. Focused. Cold.
She caught his wrist mid-swing and twisted.
There was a sharp crack.
Mu Qing screamed.
Han Yue released him—not out of mercy, but because she was already moving.
[ Tidal Sever ]
Compressed water flashed past his legs.
Mu Qing collapsed instantly, his body slamming into the platform hard enough to rattle the barrier. He tried to push himself up, arm trembling.
Han Yue stepped on his blade, pinning it to the floor.
She raised her hand.
The water around her condensed again, denser this time, humming faintly as pressure gathered.
The medic signal flared before she could bring it down.
The match was stopped forcibly.
---
[ Match Ended ]
Winner: Han Yue — Starfall First Academy
The barrier dropped.
Han Yue lowered her hand slowly. She didn't look at Mu Qing as the medics rushed in, and she didn't acknowledge the audience.
She simply turned and walked off the platform.
The arena was quiet.Uneasy.
"That wasn't necessary," someone muttered.
"She could've ended it earlier."
A student from Starfall Seventh clenched his fists. "She didn't even hesitate…"
In the Starfall First section, no one cheered. They only nodded.
This was how Han Yue fought.
Efficient.Silent.
And absolutely unwilling to leave room for recovery.
As the screens shifted again, more than a few lower-academy students looked away—not because of fear, but because they understood something now.
Some opponents weren't just stronger.
They were merciless.