The platform shifted again, expanding to full size as the next match was announced.
"Match Two."
"Shen Lian — Radiant Sky Institute."
"Tang Wei — Starfall Fourth Academy."
The reaction was immediate.
Radiant Sky's section leaned forward, confident.
Starfall Fourth's side was louder—this was their strongest student, the one who had carried them through Phase Two.
Tang Wei stepped onto the platform first.
Wind gathered around him almost unconsciously, lifting the edges of his coat, feathers of pale blue light forming and dissolving along his arms. The Stormfeather Kite gene suited him well—fast reactions, sharp movement, and constant pressure. He rolled his neck once and looked across the platform, eyes steady.
Shen Lian arrived without any visible rush.
At first glance, nothing about him stood out. No aggressive aura. No obvious elemental surge. But as he took his position, the light around him dimmed just slightly, as if the platform itself had lost depth.
Someone in the crowd frowned.
"Did it just get darker?"
The barrier sealed.
The signal sounded.
Tang Wei moved instantly.
He didn't charge straight in. Instead, he circled, wind snapping beneath his feet as he accelerated.
[ Gale Skimmer ]
His figure blurred, splitting into overlapping afterimages as slicing wind arcs tested Shen Lian's position from multiple angles.
Shen Lian didn't retreat.
He lifted one hand.
The shadows beneath Tang Wei's feet stretched.
[ Featherless Shade ]
The wind blades passed through empty space. Shen Lian had shifted—not sideways, but backward into the shadow itself, reappearing just behind Tang Wei's last position.
Tang Wei twisted mid-air, barely avoiding a strike that never fully came. He landed hard, boots scraping, heart pounding now.
"So you fight like this," he muttered.
He changed tactics.
[ Stormcoil Ring ]
Wind surged outward in a rotating field, tightening space, cutting off angles, forcing Shen Lian into visibility. The platform hummed as pressure built, air screaming as it compressed.
Shen Lian finally moved forward.
His shadow detached.
[ Raven's Veil ]
Dark feathers—half-real, half-illusory—spread across the field, swallowing light and sound. Tang Wei felt his senses slip, depth warping, distance lying to him.
He reacted on instinct.
[ Skybreaker Cut ]
A crescent of compressed wind tore through the darkness, dispersing shadows violently. The backlash rattled the barrier, forcing Shen Lian to reappear several steps away.
Both stood still for a moment.
Breathing heavy.
Energy rolling off them in visible waves now.
"This is the end, then," Tang Wei said quietly.
Shen Lian didn't answer.
The shadows beneath him deepened.
Tang Wei gathered everything he had left.
[ Stormfeather Descent ]
Wind exploded beneath his feet, launching him high before he came down like a spear, layers of rotating airflow forming a drilling strike meant to crush through defense and body alike.
The crowd held its breath.
Shen Lian stepped forward instead of back.
The raven shadow rose behind him, wings spreading wide.
[ Voidplume Eclipse ]
The shadow collapsed inward, compressing into a single point that swallowed Tang Wei's descending strike whole. Wind howled, twisted—and vanished.
The impact was silent.
Then Tang Wei was thrown sideways, skidding across the platform, rolling twice before stopping at the edge.
He tried to push himself up.
His body didn't respond.
The medic signal flared.
[ Match Ended ]
Winner: Shen Lian — Radiant Sky Institute
The barrier lowered slowly.
Shen Lian stood where he was, shadows receding back into place as if nothing had happened. He glanced once toward Tang Wei—just once—then turned and walked off the platform.
For a moment, even Starfall Fourth's section was quiet.
Then applause rose.
Not wild.
But respectful.
"He pushed Shen Lian that far."
"That last exchange… neither held back."
Tang Wei sat up with help from the medics, eyes following Shen Lian's retreating figure. He laughed weakly.
"So that's Radiant Sky," he said.
From the Fourth Academy stands, cheers finally broke out—proud, loud, unashamed.
They hadn't lost cheaply.
They'd been beaten at full strength.
And in this arena, that mattered.
---
The platform rotated once more and locked into place at the center of the arena.
"Match Three."
"Han Yue — Starfall First Academy."
"Qiao Ren — Northriver Combat School."
The screens above the platform lit up.
---
Student Profile Display
Han Yue
Academy: Starfall First Academy
Primary Monster Gene: Tideveil Manta
Elemental Affinity: Water — Mid-High
Rank: Three-Star Warrior [High]
—
Qiao Ren
Academy: Northriver Combat School
Primary Monster Gene: Ironback River Bear
Elemental Affinity: Earth — High
Rank: Three-Star Warrior [High]
---
A low murmur spread through the arena.
"That's not a bad matchup."
"Pure power versus control."
Qiao Ren stepped onto the platform first. He was broad-shouldered and solid, every movement heavy and grounded. The Ironback River Bear gene showed clearly in his stance alone—stable, stubborn, hard to move. Earth-aspected energy settled around him, faint cracks spreading beneath his boots.
Han Yue followed.
No weapon.
No rush.
A thin layer of water gathered around her feet, calm and restrained. Her expression was neutral, eyes steady.
Qiao Ren looked at her for a moment, then nodded once. "I won't go easy."
Han Yue didn't answer.
The barrier sealed.
The signal sounded.
Qiao Ren charged immediately.
[ Earthbound Rush ]
The platform trembled as he closed the distance, a heavy fist swinging straight toward Han Yue's center. There was no testing strike—just power.
Han Yue stepped aside at the last instant.
[ Flowbound Step ]
The punch slammed into the platform, stone cracking outward. Han Yue was already moving, her palm striking Qiao Ren's side as water surged with the motion.
He slid back half a step.
Only half.
Qiao Ren turned sharply and swung again, faster this time, his arm hardening with earth energy.
Han Yue redirected instead of blocking, water wrapping around the strike and guiding it past her shoulder. She followed with another palm, then an elbow, each hit landing where his balance shifted.
Qiao Ren grunted and pushed through.
[ Ironhide Brace ]
Earth surged over his back and arms. He absorbed the next strike and countered, slamming his elbow into Han Yue's shoulder. The impact sent her sliding back several steps.
The crowd stirred.
"He hit her clean."
"She didn't block that one."
Qiao Ren pressed forward, sensing momentum.
[ River Bear Overrun ]
He advanced in a straight line, arms swinging in heavy arcs, each blow meant to finish the fight.
Han Yue's movements changed.
The water around her feet spread wider.
[ Undertow Field ]
The ground beneath Qiao Ren turned slick and heavy. His step landed wrong—just slightly—but it broke his rhythm.
Han Yue moved in.
Her strikes came faster now, precise and relentless. She didn't aim for damage—she aimed for control. Each hit chipped at his stance, dragged at his center, slowed him down.
Qiao Ren growled and grabbed her wrist.
[ Craglock Grip ]
Earth locked around his arm, strength surging as he tried to pin her in place.
For the first time, the Northriver section roared.
Han Yue looked down at his hand.
The water thickened.
[ Tidal Veil Compression ]
Pressure closed in around Qiao Ren's arm, not exploding outward but crushing inward. His grip loosened despite himself.
Han Yue stepped closer and drove her knee into his abdomen.
Once.
Twice.
The third strike sent him staggering back, breath forced from his lungs.
Qiao Ren slammed both fists into the ground in desperation.
[ Bedrock Upheaval ]
Stone pillars erupted upward, forcing Han Yue to retreat as the platform shattered.
She landed lightly.
The water around her condensed again, humming faintly.
Qiao Ren forced himself upright, Ironhide cracked, breathing heavy. He raised his arms anyway.
Han Yue didn't wait.
[ Tidal Sever ]
A compressed wave cut forward, striking his chest and legs at the same time. Qiao Ren was slammed flat onto his back, the impact rattling the barrier.
He tried to rise.
His body didn't respond.
The medic signal flared.
---
[ Match Ended ]
Winner: Han Yue — Starfall First Academy
---
Qiao Ren had fought with everything he had.
And Han Yue had answered it cleanly.