Teacher Zhuang said, "Swift as the wind."
Feng Wen muttered, "Swift as the wind, swift as the wind."
Teacher Zhuang then turned to me and said, "Lei Xiang, although you didn't lose today, you fought too hard and didn't fully utilize your inherent advantages."
I said in surprise, "I didn't utilize my advantages?"
Teacher Zhuang nodded and said, "Do you remember your first victory in the initial round of the top seat competition?"
I said, "Was it the match against Huo Xing?"
Teacher Zhuang said, "Yes, that one. Do you remember how you won?"
I nodded and said, "Of course, I remember. I intentionally took a hit from him and then knocked him out of the ring. You mean..."
Teacher Zhuang said, "Yes, although I don't know what kind of combat energy you practice, I've noticed that your physical defense is exceptionally high. Not only is your combat energy defense high, but your physical defense is also quite good. This might be a natural talent of yours. Since you have such a good talent, why not make use of it? I'll teach you three words as well—'steady as a mountain.' Speed is not your advantage; only strength and defense are. Do you understand?"
I nodded happily. Teacher Zhuang's words suddenly made everything clear to me, as if I had grasped some fundamental truth.
Leaving Teacher Zhuang's office, Feng Wen and I were both pondering his words. As soon as we exited the office building, we ran into a group of first-year magic students. Seeing our appearance, they started laughing quietly to themselves.
"Look at those two. Which class are they from? How did they end up like that? Looks like they were either electrocuted by lightning magic or burned by fire magic."
"Probably got punished for something they did wrong."
...
Feng Wen and I lifted our heads. Feng Wen whispered to me, "This is so embarrassing. Let's get back to the dorm quickly." We each let out a strange howl, startling the nearby students, and quickly ran back to the dormitory.
After quickly taking a shower and changing into clean clothes, Feng Wen and I finally felt relieved. Feng Wen said to me, "Old Lei, I'm exhausted. I need to rest now." Old Lei? When did I become Old Lei? Do I look that old?
I nodded and said, "Goodbye, I'm heading back too."
Feng Wen smiled and said, "The big competition starts the day after tomorrow. Give it your all."
I replied, "You too. I hope to face you in the finals."
Walking back to the dormitory, I kept thinking about what Teacher Zhuang had said: steady as a mountain. How could I achieve that? She must mean that I should fully utilize my high physical defense.
"Lei Xiang, you're back."
I looked up to see Zi Xue. I smiled at her and said, "Have you been waiting here for me?"
Zi Xue nodded and said, "Why so late? You usually come back to the dormitory early in the afternoon to practice. I asked Feng Yun, and he said he hadn't seen you."
I answered, "Today our class held a test to select candidates for the end-of-term competition."
Zi Xue hugged my arm and said, "You must have been selected, right?"
I gently tapped her cute little nose and said, "You have so much confidence in me. There are many strong students in the academy."
Zi Xue said, "I just believe in you. You definitely have the strength."
I nodded and asked, "What about you? Are you participating in the competition?"
Zi Xue replied, "My magic skills aren't that high, how could I participate? (Zi Xue is a second-year magic class student, mainly practicing water magic.) But my sister is participating in the third-year competition. Her light magic is quite famous."
I smiled and said, "She is the vice principal's prized student. It's only natural for her to participate in the competition."
Zi Xue wrinkled her nose and said, "My sister isn't participating because of connections. She relies entirely on her own strength. If you win the grade championship, are you really going to challenge Li Wa?"
My expression turned serious, and I said, "Absolutely. If I win the grade championship, I will definitely challenge him. If I can't defeat him, it will greatly affect my future training, especially psychologically."
Zi Xue sighed and said, "Although you're very strong, but..."
I smiled slightly and said, "What, you don't believe in me either?"
Zi Xue hurriedly shook her head and said, "No, it's not that. I absolutely have faith in you. But Li Wa is the top expert in the entire academy; he's not easy to deal with. I'm just afraid you'll get hurt."
I replied, "No need to worry. My skin is thick. It won't be that easy to hurt me. Even if I can't win, I'll be fine."
Zi Xue nodded and said, "That's good. As long as you ensure your safety, I'll be relieved."
After sending Zi Xue off, I returned to my dormitory, continuing to ponder Teacher Zhuang's words...
Two days later, the semester graduation ceremony was held. It was the usual stuff—talks about how everyone had worked hard throughout the semester and encouragement to keep striving for greater progress.
After the graduation ceremony ended, Director Zhang Feng stepped onto the podium and said, "The Tian Du Academy's biannual martial arts competition is about to begin. Contestants from each grade should head to their designated arenas for the competition."
Today was the first round of the competition, and it was quite simple. The 12 participants were divided into two groups (other grades with five classes had 10 participants divided into two groups). The top two from each group would advance to the elimination rounds. This meant that if I wanted to become the grade champion, I would need to participate in seven matches.
Windwen and I were placed in separate groups. Looking around, I realized that I didn't recognize my opponents very well (after all, I've been injured and then confined since entering the academy, so I haven't seen many people). Teacher Zhuang called Windwen and me over for some pre-battle advice: "You both need to be careful. Leixiang, if you face someone from the Warrior Class, it might be easier to handle, but be particularly cautious with those two from the Magic Class. The Magic Class often has some strange and peculiar spells. Stay alert. Windwen, you need to fully utilize your speed and not give your opponents any chances. Achieve the greatest results in the shortest time. Although I haven't taught many classes, you two are the most promising first-year students I've ever seen. Don't let me down."
I nodded firmly and turned towards my arena.
Since it was a round-robin tournament, both groups would have three matches today, held simultaneously. My first opponent was from the Warrior Class. He looked very strong, standing about 180 centimeters tall, with muscles full of explosive power.
The referee called us over and said, "Magic Warrior Class' Leixiang versus Warrior Class' Xili. The rules are simple: no hitting vital points, no fatal injuries, no crippling injuries, no use of prohibited weapons (we generally use the academy's weapons), and the match is over if someone is out of the ring or unable to fight. Surrender is also allowed. Understand?"
We both nodded in agreement and prepared for our match.
I quickly nodded, channeling my battle aura throughout my body. Xili, upon seeing me, looked surprised. He must have thought, "How is this guy from the Magic Warrior Class? He looks even bigger than me. He won't be easy to deal with."
Standing proudly in the ring, I said, "Bring it on."
Xili snorted and asked, "You're not using a weapon?"
I raised my fists and waved them, saying, "These are my best weapons. Use whatever you like."
Thinking I was underestimating him, Xili's eyes flared with anger. He said through gritted teeth, "Fine, you asked for it. Don't blame me for not holding back." With that, he grabbed an iron staff from the weapon rack, twirled it into a large flourish, and said, "Here I come!"
Fighting against a pure warrior like this felt more straightforward, at least compared to my last fight against the third-year Magic Warrior Class seniors where I had to watch out for their spells.
Although Xili appeared rough and rugged, he wasn't merely a brute force fighter. His staff shook and transformed into a flurry of staff shadows, coming at me like a storm.
I thought to myself, "Although your moves are impressive, their power is dispersed and won't cause me any harm." I stood my ground, waiting for his staff to strike.
My calm demeanor shocked Xili. He probably expected some counter-move or magic spell from me. Just as the shadows of his staff were about to hit me, he suddenly retracted the staff, consolidating all the shadows into a single thrust, employing a technique from spear fighting.
The staff wasn't sharp, so I inhaled deeply and focused, channeling my battle aura into my chest, and took the hit directly.
The staff bent slightly upon impact, feeling as if it had struck an iron wall, unable to harm me. A cold smile crept onto my lips as I grabbed the staff, releasing my battle aura and turning my hand a pale yellow. With a firm grip, I yanked the staff away from Xili and pressed it onto his shoulder, forcing him downwards. "Do you want to continue?" I asked.
Xili tried to resist, but the staff on his shoulder felt like a thousand-pound weight, rendering him immobile. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Seeing he was still somewhat defiant, I applied more pressure, causing him to kneel on one knee. "Admit defeat if you don't want to make a fool of yourself," I commanded.
Realizing he couldn't match my strength and that he hadn't been able to play to his strengths, Xili felt humiliated but had no choice. "Fine, I concede," he said reluctantly.
I lifted the staff and tossed it back to Xili before turning to leave the platform. Xili shouted, "Next time we meet, I won't let you win so easily."
I glanced back at him with a disdainful smile. "If you can last until our next encounter, I'll be waiting," I replied.
As I walked off the stage, Ms. Zhuang approached me. "You did very well, leaving your opponent with no chance to retaliate," she said.
I smiled and replied, "That's all thanks to your guidance."
Over the next few days, I smoothly won three more rounds, achieving a record of four wins and no losses. Today is the final match of the group stage. Regardless of the outcome, I am guaranteed to advance to the top four. Today's opponent is a student from the magic class, who, according to Ms. Zhuang, also has a perfect record of four wins and no losses. Our match today will determine who advances as the group's top seed.
In the other group, Feng Wen, with his ghostly agility, also stood out as the top performer. Their group's matches have all concluded, and Feng Wen advanced as the top seed, with a warrior taking second place.
I stepped onto the platform, facing an opponent who was the epitome of a mage. It was only right before the match that I found out my opponent today was a woman (with no intention of being discriminatory towards female competitors).
My opponent was completely wrapped in a thick red mage robe, with the hood pulled low over her head, making it impossible for me to see her full face. The only thing exposed was her crystal-clear right hand, holding a long magic staff. Coiled around the staff was a large snake carved from an unknown material, with a snake head at the top, containing a huge magic crystal in its mouth. It was obviously a top-quality magic staff. According to Ms. Zhuang, this girl's strength was extremely formidable, and none of the opponents I faced before could match her immensely powerful magic.
Considering she was a woman, I nodded slightly towards her. The female mage raised her staff, and as soon as the referee announced the start, a long string of fireballs shot out from her staff towards me at incredible speed. I hastily released several ice spikes to counter some of her attacks. As the remaining fireballs approached, I dealt with them one by one with my fists.
While I was busy defending against the fireballs, she gently swayed her magic staff, continuously chanting low incantations. It was evident that she intended to use magic consecutively, not giving me a chance to get close.
I didn't rush to attack either, waiting to see what she could unleash. These past few days, I hadn't encountered a true opponent, which made me feel frustrated. Easy victories didn't satisfy me; I needed continuous challenges to truly improve myself.
At this moment, her magic was already complete. The magic staff in her hand drew a beautiful red magic hexagram in the air. Based on my experience with magic books in the academy library, I knew that this was at least a level 5 magic, definitely not something to be taken lightly.
Sure enough, I heard her crisp voice chanting, "Awaken, slumbering god of fire, unleash your power, rise, guardian of the gods, fire dragon descend." No, this wasn't a level 5 magic; it was a level 6 magic.
I was instantly shocked. Although my defense was incredibly strong, I couldn't contend with this powerful magic. Within the red magic hexagram, a resounding dragon roar echoed, and a moderately sized fire dragon emerged from the magic formation, hovering between me and the female mage, its teeth and claws bared.
I circulated the Furious God's Decision throughout my body, the demonic essence within me, and calmly observed the fire dragon. From the slight tremble of her staff, it was apparent that sustaining this magic wasn't easy for the female mage. She waved her staff, urging the summoned fire dragon to attack me.
As soon as the fire dragon moved, I felt a wave of intense heat rush towards me. Such strong flames, indeed worthy of being the highest level intermediate magic. I immediately released my combat aura and threw a punch at the fire dragon. The pale yellow combat aura generated by the Furious God's Decision accurately hit the head of the fire dragon, causing it to shrink slightly, but it still came rushing towards me unchanged.
I was not surprised but rather pleased to find out that combat aura could counteract the intensity of magic. It was a new discovery, not bad. Later, I learned that this was a well-known secret, known to everyone except me, someone who hadn't attended classes for a few days.
I continued to release several bursts of combat aura, slowing down the fire dragon's speed considerably. The female mage kept casting fire magic to bolster the flames around the fire dragon.
This couldn't go on like this. I could already smell something burning, and while I could probably endure the hit with my body, my clothes and hair were likely to disappear. Even if I didn't get hurt, I couldn't afford to lose face in front of this person. Dealing with mages was indeed troublesome.
I discreetly wrapped the Demonic Decision within the Furious God's Decision aura, releasing a burst of combat aura with the power of 10 from the Furious God's Decision enveloping the Demonic Decision's power of three. Because the dark elements were completely surrounded by my Furious God's Decision aura, there was no outward sign of anything unusual.
With all my might, I unleashed the attack, causing my clothes to bulge as a pure yellow beam of light shot straight towards the fire dragon. The fire dragon spewed flames from its mouth in an attempt to counter my attack. At this moment, the dark elements played a crucial role. Encased within them, the power of the Furious God's Decision aura increased dramatically, rendering the flames ineffective against it and striking the fire dragon directly.
The fire dragon was dispersed by the violent combat aura and dark elements, disappearing into thin air. The female mage, caught off guard by the sudden change, trembled all over.
This person was too powerful. I couldn't allow her to continue using magic against me. I shouted loudly, "Furious Storm." With a punch, I struck the ground. Since I had used this move before, the female mage clearly knew its power and immediately cast a thick defensive shield around herself, swiftly moving to the right.
My strike hit the center of the arena, sending shockwaves and debris covering half of the platform. Although she moved relatively quickly, she wouldn't dare to come close to me, a magic warrior.
The violent airflow and debris shattered the hastily deployed defensive barrier, and her cloak was blown off by the gust.
My eyes lit up at the sight of her. What a beauty. I hadn't expected this female mage to be so stunning, not inferior to Zixue at all. Her eyebrows were raised, her phoenix-like eyes exuding a sense of authority, clearly angered by my actions.
Although she was a woman, she was still my opponent. I had no intention of showing mercy. Seizing the opportunity while she was in disarray, I swiftly moved towards her and launched a punch.
But my target vanished right before my eyes. This was bad; it was the Shadow Mirror technique. This girl's magic skills were quite profound. Even in such a situation, she managed to evade my perception.
A clear voice came from behind, "You lack manners, don't you know I'm a girl?"
I turned around, she was right behind me. I replied coldly, "I'm a warrior, not a gentleman. Manners mean nothing to me."
My opponent snorted, and her body began to move rapidly, using speed and the Shadow Mirror technique. I couldn't distinguish which one was the real her.
I stood still in the arena. Suddenly, my back stung as a fireball hit me, leaving a charred mark on my clothes. I was furious; I hated it when people ruined my clothes. I roared angrily and unleashed a barrage of punches, enveloping the entire arena in a storm of combat aura. I didn't spare even myself; the arena was filled with smoke, debris, and combat aura.
I exuded a strong killing intent, attacking mercilessly in all directions from my center. Although the female mage's magic was powerful, there was still a gap in absolute strength compared to my combat aura. Under my ferocious onslaught, she began to struggle to withstand it. Every blow I delivered was heavy and relentless.
It was my first time using combat aura like this, and I was surprised that the aura from the Furious God's Decision was continuously replenishing. I had initially thought it wouldn't last long, but now I could punch continuously without interruption, feeling exhilarated.
"Lei Xiang, please stop. If you continue to damage the arena, you will be responsible for all costs."
Upon hearing this, I paused. The female mage curled up in a corner, and the arena around us was in ruins. The spectators who had been watching had retreated tens of meters away, some of them looking disheveled.
After I stopped, I became the target of everyone's criticism. Almost everyone believed that I shouldn't have treated a girl like that, calling it a disgrace to manhood. What did they know? For me, victory was the most important thing.
I walked over to the female mage and asked, "Are you okay?"
She slowly moved away the magic robe she used as a shield and retracted her defensive barrier, looking at me with lingering fear. She said, "You're too terrifying. I can't believe you attacked like that. Ah, my clothes." A slight tear had appeared on her magical robe, revealing a glimpse of her delicate figure. My face flushed, and I quickly turned away.
The female mage's sobbing came from behind me. Girls were indeed more fragile.
I calmly asked, "Do you still want to continue?"
The female mage shook her head desperately and said tearfully, "Who would compete with someone like you who doesn't know how to treat others with respect?" After saying this, she adjusted her clothes and, with a flip, left the arena.
The female mage thought to herself, "It's fortunate that only my clothes were damaged. If that brute had ruined my appearance, it would have been a real loss."
And so, I dramatically secured first place in the group and smoothly advanced to the top four.
However, instead of receiving praise from Teacher Zhuang for my final victory, I was scolded severely. Even Zixue was on her side.
Teacher Zhuang said, "Lei Xiang, you have no manners at all. Although it's a competition, you can't treat others like that. What if you seriously hurt her? Besides, destroying a girl's clothes is very disrespectful behavior."
I was stunned and said, "But you wanted me to win the championship. I could only get a favorable position by defeating her. As for damaging her clothes, I didn't intend to."
Teacher Zhuang replied, "Even if you want to win the championship, you can't just recklessly attack like that. Now, many teachers are coming to me, complaining that I've taught a crazy student."
Originally cheering for me, Zixue also approached and said, "Lei Xiang, you were in the wrong today. How could you be so harsh on Bingbing? You made her embarrassed in public, and she's my good friend."
I was speechless. Me, harsh? If I hadn't been tough on her, I might have been roasted. She clearly used fire magic, yet she insisted on being called "Ice." It's disgusting, even though she looks good. But she's not attractive to me at all.
From that day on, I had my first nickname – "Beauty Killer," meaning that in competitions, I wouldn't go easy even if my opponent was a beauty. There's also the implication that I had won Zixue's heart.
In the semifinals, my opponent was the warrior from the same group as Wind. I had initially planned to go easy on him, but as soon as he stepped onto the platform, he ignored me completely. When the referee announced the start of the match, he struck a pose as if he was invincible, saying something about being the embodiment of justice and representing the academy's beauties to defeat me. What's worse, there were many girls under the platform screaming in response to him. It made me so angry that I almost spat blood. After a few hard clashes, I blasted him off the platform.
It seemed like Wind was either trying to impress the girls or his skills were lacking, as he lost to the female mage. As a result, I found myself facing the female mage once again.
Standing on the final stage, I had intended to go easy on her, but she didn't give me a chance at all. Without making a move, she conceded defeat and stepped down. Her actions caused quite a stir. Beauties have a lot of power, and I had become the enemy of almost all the boys.
Under the platform, almost all the students were shouting things like, "Shameless, give the championship back to her." But for the sake of challenging Riva, I couldn't afford to lose this title. I could only return to the dormitory in silence. Fortunately, due to the dominant strength I displayed, none of my first-year classmates dared to come and challenge me in physical combat.
Riva, I will reclaim the humiliation I received from you. My heart was filled with anger.
When I returned to the dormitory, Wind casually said to me, "Zixue came looking for you." From his attitude, it was clear that he was blaming me too. The power of beauties is indeed great. What did I do wrong? I just used some intense moves to win, didn't I? Aren't women opponents too? If they don't want to talk to me, I'm happy to be left alone.
I quickly walked out of the dormitory building, and Zixue was standing at the door looking inside. When she saw me coming out, she greeted me.
I said, "What's up? You came to find me."
Zixue anxiously said, "You've angered everyone. Ice Ice is beautiful and knows how to manipulate situations. Now the entire first year is against you, and it seems to be spreading to other grades. Be careful when you go out."
A hint of murderous intent flashed in my eyes. I was never one to have a good temper, and their provocation had pushed me to my limit. I said coldly, "Anyone who dares to cause trouble for me will regret it."
Zixue grabbed my hand and said, "What are you doing? You're scaring people. Please don't be like this."
I scoffed, "I don't start trouble, but I won't back down from it either. If they want to mess with me, they'll have to pay the price."
Zixue let go of my hand, her eyes red. She said, "Why are you like this? I was trying to advise you to admit your mistake to Ice Ice and then help you smooth things over. But you've only made things worse."
My anger surged up instantly. I said coldly, "You really don't understand me. Am I the kind of person who would grovel? Hmph."
With that, I turned and went back to the dormitory. That Ice Ice had not only caused everyone to turn against me but also caused a rift between me and Zixue. If I had the chance, I would make her see how formidable I could be.
Back in the dormitory, as I lay on my bed, thoughts of Zixue's tender demeanor softened my heart. I couldn't help but think I should go see her tomorrow. If I took the initiative, we could surely reconcile. But no, that would be too humiliating. I couldn't bring myself to do it. These conflicting thoughts kept swirling in my mind. In the end, I decided not to go see Zixue for now. I would challenge Riva first, and then see.
The next morning, bright and early, I went to the academy's office to register for the challenge against Riva. Director Zhang didn't say much when he saw me. After all, he was a teacher. He just remarked curiously, "Why are there two challengers for the fifth-grade chief this year? You should know Riva's strength is extraordinary." His implication was clear: I was overestimating myself.
Surprised, I asked, "Who else is challenging him?"
Director Zhang replied, "Another challenger is the third-grade champion, Ziyuan."
I was instantly shocked. Ziyuan? How could it be her? Hastily, I inquired, "How will our two challenges proceed?"
Director Zhang explained, "You and Ziyuan will each have your own separate matches against Riva. The winner of each match will face off in the final."
Zhang Feng thought for a moment and said, "According to the academy's previous regulations, if several junior champions want to challenge the same senior champion, they must first determine the winner among themselves before challenging upwards. In other words, you and Ziyuan must have a preliminary match."
Exiting the office of the academy, my heart surged with emotion. Why did Ziyuan want to challenge Riva? Wasn't Riva always pursuing her? What outcome could there be if they competed? Could Riva harm Ziyuan? Definitely not. Could it be that Zixue had persuaded her sister to do this to prevent the match between Riva and me? Yes, it must be so.
Since it was the end of term, all students had a holiday today. Most people were packing up in the dormitory, getting ready to go home for the break. Zixue should be at home today.
I left the academy and headed straight for the Duke's Mansion. I wanted to find Zixue and get some clarity. I had made so much effort just to have a showdown with Riva, and I didn't want anything to hinder me.
Arriving at the Duke's Mansion, I asked the servants to inform her of my visit. After a while, Zixue came out. Her face was a little pale, which pained me to see.
Zixue said lightly, "Why did you come?"
I sighed and said, "Won't you let me in to talk?"
She gave me a deep look and said, "Follow me." I followed her into the Duke's Mansion.