He truly felt unwilling. If only Heaven could give him one more chance!If he could use his battle armor and truly fight Gu You head-on—then even if he lost, it would simply mean he was inferior in skill. That would have been far better than losing that way.
But in this world, there was no such thing as time reversal. What was past could never return.
After several days of pain and discouragement, he finally pulled himself together. After all, to become a one-word battle armor master at his age was an achievement few across the entire continent could match. His mental resilience was far stronger than that of his peers.
Stand tall, don't collapse! he told himself firmly. He wanted to see just how far that guy who defeated him could go in this tournament. Surely not every powerful opponent would look down on him.
Assault-type, pure strength.Terrifying attack power, defense, and reaction speed.That was Ling Wuxie's assessment of Gu You.
The second round of the one-on-one tournament was officially beginning today. Compared to the first round, the number of participants had been cut in half, so things would progress much faster. It was estimated that within two days, all results for this round would be decided.
Early in the morning, Ling Wuxie arrived outside Star Luo Grand Stadium. Hanging outside were sixteen massive screens, continuously displaying the list of competitors and the results of the randomized draws.
The earlier elimination matches had all been drawn by the soul tool system—a method that was both fair and unpredictable.
Where is he? Gu You… That should be his name.
Ling Wuxie stared intently at the screens, searching for Gu You's name. With his teacher's connections, it wasn't difficult for him to obtain several tickets.
But the number of competitors was immense. He spent quite a while searching, yet Gu You's name still hadn't appeared.
Just then, the crowd outside the stadium suddenly grew restless.
In Ling Wuxie's eyes, a few golden letters appeared.
The scrolling list on the giant screens had been simple—blue text on a white background, very easy to read. But now, some names had acquired golden marks beside them.
The mark was small and round, resembling a vicious, wide-mouthed creature.
Seeing that insignia, Ling Wuxie's heart skipped a beat.Monster Academy.That golden emblem represented Monster Academy! Only their participants were granted that honor.
He couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy—but also a sense of expectation.If someone from Monster Academy faced the guy who defeated him, they would surely crush him with ease, right?
The golden insignia shone clearly, and the murmuring crowd turned into a wave of excited cheers.
For the citizens of the Star Luo Empire, Monster Academy was a sacred name. It always had been.
In the individual tournament's first round, Monster Academy's students were given a bye, a long-standing privilege earned through their consistent excellence in every past championship.
As Ling Wuxie was lost in thought, he suddenly spotted the name he had been looking for all along.
Match 163: Su Mu vs. Gu You.
Both names had numbers next to them, but the most striking thing was the golden Monster Academy emblem beside Su Mu's name—the one that drew everyone's attention.
This…
Looks like we're in for a good show.
Ling Wuxie gave a fair evaluation. He didn't know the full extent of Gu You's strength, nor could he predict how well Gu You would fare against a Monster Academy student.
At that moment, Gu You was still fast asleep. His match, number 167, was far off—probably around noon.
The second round of the individual competition had begun. Compared to the first round, the crowd's enthusiasm was even higher. Though there were fewer participants now, everyone knew that those who made it to Round Two were far stronger on average than the first-round contestants.
Naturally, ticket prices were higher, and the audience more excited.
In this round, Monster Academy's students would take the stage. Official betting pools had already opened, offering a variety of wagers:
Some bet on Monster Academy sweeping the top ranks.Others bet on who besides Monster Academy could possibly reach the top three.
Without question, Monster Academy's participants were treated as an entirely different species—the elite of the elite. Their prestige across the Star Luo Continent was unmatched.
"Think Monster Academy will take the top few spots? You placed your bet yet?""Of course! I bet on them filling the top eight. Who could possibly beat them?""Haha, you might be wrong there. That Shrek guy—Gu You—he's said to be strong enough to match Long Yue in raw strength. You should've just bet on him for a top finish.""You dare insult Monster Academy!""...Fine, I didn't say anything."
The opinions surrounding this year's individual tournament were as divided as ever—everyone had their own take.
"Look! It's the Mad Dragon! He's appearing again! Last time was in the previous tournament—he was only seventeen then and still took the championship, winning a soul bone as the prize!"
Yes—Long Yue had arrived.
His bald head was striking as ever, and his match had been arranged at the very center of the stadium's multiple arenas.
Today, "Mad Dragon" was dressed once again in his red school uniform, his entire presence like a blazing flame as he stepped onto the stage.
His opponent was a young girl in a blue gown. Looking at Long Yue, her bright eyes shone with curiosity.
"Brother Long Yue, hello."The girl bowed respectfully.
Long Yue chuckled. "Hello."
"Brother Long Yue, can you let me use all my soul skills first? Please?"The girl looked at him with pleading eyes.
"Alright," Long Yue replied with a calm smile.
Even the referee looked a little speechless—but said nothing. This was Long Yue, after all—the pride of Monster Academy.
"Match start!"
At the referee's command, the Mad Dragon's first match of the tournament officially began.
True to his word, Long Yue did not make a move right away. He simply stood there smiling as he watched the girl prepare.
With a clear cry, four soul rings rose around the girl, and a wave of ice mist spread outward.
Her attribute—Ice Element!
She looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, and a four-ring Soul Sect at that—quite impressive for her age.
As she released her martial soul, four pieces of icy-blue battle armor quickly flew out from her bracelet, attaching themselves to her right arm, right shoulder, helmet, and left arm. Four pieces in total—
(End of Chapter)