Chapter 53: The Competition Begins
Time passed minute by minute, and finally, the competition officially began.
At this moment, the entire venue was exceptionally quiet, with everyone's attention fixed on the arena. Su Ke was no exception; his gaze was sharp as a torch, locked onto every contestant on the stage, afraid of missing even the slightest detail.
He knew that the winners among these people would very likely become his future opponents.
This competition truly broadened Su Ke's horizons. He deeply felt the diversity and wonder of supernatural abilities; the last time he had such an experience was in the underground arena.
Some contestants could breathe fire, some could spray water, others manipulated earth, and some could even summon lightning.
Wang Zhong, meanwhile, showed particular interest in a duel between 2 Power Type awakened ones, staring intently at every move they made.
In comparison, Lin Ning appeared more focused and professional. She did not merely watch the matches; from time to time, she took out a pen to jot down key points, looking every bit the top student.
During this process, Su Ke also noticed the special arrangements the school had made for the Support Class.
When a Healing Type Spirit Energy User stepped onto the stage, the school provided a specially customized shield.
As long as the Spirit Energy User infused the shield with her healing ability, it would automatically and continuously repair itself to withstand the opponent's attacks.
If she could endure for 10 minutes under such conditions, she would be declared the winner.
This thoughtful arrangement clearly reflected the school's emphasis on and careful planning for different types of Supernatural Ability users.
Wang Zhong drew lot number 34, and it was not long before his turn came.
"I'm going!" he said.
His opponent was a Light Attribute Spirit Energy User from the Combat Class.
His talent allowed him to release an intense light to obstruct his opponent's vision, and his skills could emit scorching heat as an area-of-effect attack.
In the future, as his Rank increased, he might even be able to roast a large area of enemies, but for now, he was only at the First-tier Seventh-stage.
The drawing of lots was based on Realm. Contestants were matched with others within the same stage.
For example, Wang Zhong, at the First-tier Tenth-stage, would be matched with someone from the First-tier Seventh-stage or above.
Only in the final rounds would contestants from different stages face one another.
Wang Zhong relied on the gap in their Realms to forcibly withstand the scorching heat and punched his opponent off the stage.
Not long after, it was Lin Ning's turn.
She applied 2 layers of buffs to herself. According to the rules, as long as she remained on the stage for 10 minutes without being defeated, she would win.
However, before the 10 minutes were even up, she used her refined Combat Techniques to forcefully knock her opponent off the stage, drawing a wave of gasps from the audience.
As noon approached, it was finally Su Ke's turn.
The moment he stepped onto the stage and saw his opponent, he was stunned.
Lan Bingxuan!
Deng Yixia, Deng Yixia, what is going on here?
According to the usual novel tropes, shouldn't someone like her be reserved for the final showdown against the protagonist? Where the protagonist, being slightly lower in Realm, falls into a disadvantage before having a dramatic breakthrough and staging a shocking reversal?
Why did he encounter her in the first round?
Oh.
This is reality. Never mind.
After she stepped onto the stage, the 2 stood facing each other.
She wore a blue dress and carried a cold expression.
Su Ke had to admit that she truly deserved her title as the school beauty. She was indeed stunning.
Unfortunately, beauty could not be used as a resource, so he would not show any mercy.
Women will only slow down the speed of my Cultivation.
Lan Bingxuan spoke first. "To be honest, I'm surprised. Originally, I shouldn't have remembered someone like you, but that unprecedented 'No Grade' truly shocked me."
"I thought your path of Cultivation would end there, yet I didn't expect such a reversal."
Su Ke replied calmly, "There are many unexpected reversals in this world."
Lan Bingxuan continued, "Although your Supernatural Ability manifests as a watch, it is actually a Fire Attribute Beast Transformation, correct?"
"Yes," Su Ke admitted.
There was no need to hide it since she had already stated it directly.
Moreover, his parents already knew, and with their personalities, it was inevitable they would mention it to others. Anyone interested could easily find out.
Lan Bingxuan said, "Ice and fire counteract each other. Unfortunately, my Realm is higher than yours."
"Don't worry. I won't be too heavy-handed. After all, you are considered a Genius, so consider this mutual respect between talents."
"I'm sorry," Su Ke said.
Lan Bingxuan was momentarily confused.
She had not expected him to suddenly apologize.
"Why are you apologizing?"
Su Ke scratched his head awkwardly. "Because I've heard that big families like yours can be quite unreasonable."
"With your Realm, first place should have been within reach. But since you met me in the first round, your journey in this grand competition will probably end here."
"So after I win, could you please tell your Family not to retaliate against me? I'm a bit afraid."
This was called eliminating potential trouble in advance.
Lan Bingxuan's cold expression twitched slightly, as if she had been internally provoked, but she quickly regained her composure.
"Don't worry. If I lose to you, it simply means my skills are inferior. No one will retaliate against you."
"Besides, my Family does not lack those few resources."
Her gaze was sincere.
Hearing this, Su Ke finally felt relieved and smiled. "That's good then."
To him, this was merely an ordinary match. If it led to unnecessary trouble, it truly would not be worth it.
At this moment, the amplification device beside the arena broadcast their conversation, causing a stir among the audience.
How should one describe it?
This kid was… quite something.
In the distant VIP section sat various leaders and heads of families.
Among them, Wang Fu turned to Lan Guang beside him and asked with a smile, "Brother Lan, you're not going to retaliate against that kid, are you?"
Lan Guang smiled faintly. "As the head of a major Family, I have no need to lower myself to settle scores with a child."
"Besides, since my daughter has already said so, if I were to act otherwise, wouldn't I become a laughingstock?"
His words displayed tolerance and magnanimity, as well as the bearing of a Family head.
Wang Fu burst into laughter and patted Lan Guang on the shoulder. "Haha, then I'm relieved!"
He knew Lan Guang was a man of his word. Since he had spoken, he would not cause trouble for Su Ke.
After their conversation ended, the match on the stage officially began.
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