The arena buzzed with excitent after Su Qinghan’s swift victory.
Students throughout the stands were still discussing what they had just witnessed. So were impressed by her clean technique, while others were quietly relieved they didn’t have to face her in the first round.
Three seconds.
That was all it took.
Even the instructors seed satisfied with the demonstration of control and precision.
Lin Yi sat calmly in his seat while the next few matches proceeded.
Below them, the arena floor saw several short battles.
A warrior defeated a mage with brute force.
An archer narrowly won against a dagger assassin.
So fights lasted several minutes.
Others ended in monts.
The tournant was progressing quickly.
Beside Lin Yi, Wang Hao leaned forward nervously, staring at the giant display screen hanging above the arena.
His eyes scanned the scrolling nas again and again.
"Brother Lin..."
Lin Yi didn’t look away from the arena.
"Yes?"
Wang Hao swallowed.
"My na hasn’t appeared yet."
Lin Yi nodded.
"That ans it will."
Wang Hao rubbed his hands together.
"...I know."
Then he suddenly spoke in a low voice.
"But what if my opponent is soone terrifying?"
Lin Yi thought for a mont.
"That would be unfortunate."
Wang Hao looked at him.
"Your words bring no comfort."
At that mont—
The display screen flickered again.
New nas appeared.
Match 7
Wang Hao
vs
Guo Liang
Wang Hao froze.
Then he slowly turned toward Lin Yi.
"...Brother Lin."
Lin Yi nodded.
"That’s you."
Wang Hao inhaled deeply, the breath of a man accepting his fate.
"...It’s happening."
Lin Yi stood up. "Go."
Wang Hao stared at him for a mont, sothing almost pleading in his expression. "You’re not going to say sothing encouraging?"
Lin Yi thought about it genuinely, for several seconds.
"Try not to get beaten too badly."
Wang Hao stared at him in silence for a long mont.
"...I regret our friendship."
Despite the dramatic complaint, he still stood up and walked toward the arena entrance.
The crowd murmured as his na appeared.
So students recognized him.
"Isn’t that the guy who confessed to Tang Yue earlier?"
"Yeah..."
"He got rejected pretty badly."
"Poor guy."
Wang Hao pretended not to hear them.
Inside his mind, however, he was screaming.
Why does my life always turn into a public performance?
He stepped through the arena gate and onto the combat platform.
The sunlight reflected off the polished stone floor beneath his boots.
Across the arena, another student entered from the opposite gate.
A thin young man with short black hair and a confident smirk.
The screen displayed his information.
Guo Liang
Class: D-Rank Blade Fighter
Guo Liang rested a short curved blade on his shoulder as he looked at Wang Hao.
"A Scout?"
His tone sounded mildly surprised.
Then he laughed.
"Looks like I got lucky."
Wang Hao’s eyebrow twitched.
From the stands, Lin Yi watched quietly.
The referee instructor stepped between the two students.
"Participants."
"Prepare."
Guo Liang spun his blade casually.
Wang Hao adjusted the straps on his light armor.
Unlike heavy warriors, Scout-type classes relied on speed, perception, and battlefield awareness.
Their strength ca from agility and positioning.
But they weren’t usually considered front-line fighters.
The referee raised his hand.
"Begin!"
The mont the signal was given—
Guo Liang moved first.
His body lunged forward with surprising speed, blade flashing toward Wang Hao’s shoulder.
"Too slow!"
Wang Hao barely dodged sideways, the blade cutting through the air where he had been standing a mont before. The crowd reacted with a low murmur.
"Good reflexes."
"But Scouts aren’t strong in direct combat."
Guo Liang attacked again, his blade sweeping horizontally toward Wang Hao’s ribs. Wang Hao stepped back quickly and the strike narrowly missed. Guo Liang grinned.
"You can dodge well. But can you attack?"
Wang Hao frowned. That was exactly the problem. Scouts specialized in reconnaissance and battlefield awareness, not direct combat power. But Wang Hao had trained for this tournant. He took a slow breath, then suddenly rushed forward.
Guo Liang looked surprised. "Oh?"
Wang Hao feinted left. Guo Liang reacted imdiately, swinging toward the expected direction. But Wang Hao twisted mid-step, slipping right instead. Scout movent techniques were built for unpredictable footwork. Before Guo Liang could adjust, Wang Hao’s fist slamd into his shoulder.
THUD!
Guo Liang staggered. The crowd gasped. Wang Hao’s eyes went slightly wide.
It worked?!
Guo Liang recovered quickly and ca back faster and more aggressive, his blade whistling through the air in rapid succession. Wang Hao was pushed into retreat, the strikes growing sharper with each exchange. One cut grazed his sleeve. Another nearly reached his chest. In the stands, Wang Hao’s heartbeat grew loud in his own ears.
I’m going to lose...
Guo Liang laughed. "You’re fast, but that’s all!" He raised his blade for a heavy downward strike.
Then Wang Hao noticed sothing. Guo Liang’s stance. His balance. His center of gravity shifted too far forward on powerful attacks. A small weakness, but a real one. Scout instincts locked onto it imdiately.
When the blade ca down, Wang Hao didn’t retreat. He stepped forward and Guo Liang’s eyes widened.
"Idiot!"
But Wang Hao’s body twisted sideways and the blade missed entirely. At the sa mont, his leg swept low across the ground.
THUMP!
Guo Liang lost his footing and hit the arena floor hard. Before he could recover, Wang Hao was on top of him, fist hovering above his face. Both fighters went still.
The referee stepped forward. "Stop!"
Silence fell across the arena. The referee raised his hand.
"Winner. Wang Hao."
Wang Hao didn’t move for a mont. Then realization landed.
"...I won?"
The crowd broke into laughter and applause, several students looking genuinely caught off guard.
"Did the Scout just win?"
"Not bad."
"He actually fought pretty well."
Wang Hao climbed slowly to his feet, his legs trembling slightly beneath him, his face splitting into a wide grin. From the stands, Lin Yi clapped at a asured, deliberate pace. Wang Hao found him imdiately and held his gaze with an expression that needed no words.
Did you see that?!
The display screen above the arena flickered and updated. The whispers spread before most people had finished reading it.
"Tang Yue!"
"The Radiant Archer!"
"Her match is next!"
Lin Yi looked up calmly at the screen.
Match 8 — Tang Yue vs Liu Cheng
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