The stadium was silent at first, but in the next second, it erupted in excitement.
"Surprised?" Apollo asked, his body glowing with a subtle light, having taken little damage from the explosion. "Hehe, you think you're so smart, eh?"
"That's…" The Fire Shrine student squinted his eyes. He could see that his opponent was covered in a faint glow, his muscles gleaming with a rough, metal-like texture. He recognized this technique—True Hardening—from the Shield and Sword Martial School.
Many of its students had learned it, and because he had fought some of them and seen it with his own eyes, he identified the technique after a few seconds. "True Hardening?!"
"Oh? You know this one?" Apollo asked, a smile playing on his lips. He swung his arm, noticing that his body felt heavier than before. His speed had decreased by almost half, though he was still faster than normal people.
"Who are you?!" The Fire Shrine Student shouted, even the referee staring at the masked man in surprise.
"Me?" Apollo smirked as he deactivated the True Hardening Technique. "My name is known far and wide, but I'm mostly known as Can Deez."
"Can Deez?" The student muttered, a confused expression crossing his face. The name sounded strange, leading him to suspect that the masked person wasn't from around here.
Apollo smiled and then shook his head. "I think it's time to end this."
Hearing this, the student frowned, feeling underestimated. Their fight was louder than the others, drawing almost all eyes to them. He couldn't allow himself to be humiliated .
He activated his technique once more, letting out a fiery aura as his hair danced in the wind. He thought, He must have drained a lot of his mental fortitude—there's no way he can keep using those techniques! With this in mind, the Fire Shrine Student shouted and dashed toward the masked person!
Apollo smirked, but this time, he didn't raise his hand to use the Fire Blast. Instead, he made a gesture with his hands, stretching both his forefinger and middle finger while keeping the rest closed. He placed his right hand horizontally in front of his vertically positioned left hand, maintaining the finger position.
"I'm going to let you taste my Kagebeggar No Jutsu!" Apollo said, and a burst of mist erupted around him, turning into ten clones!
The Fire Shrine Student didn't stop and continued to charge forward. Apollo sent his clones to fight against his opponent. Watching the man struggle, he couldn't help but smile. Yup, this is what you get for being so arrogant.
As he watched the Fire Shrine Student battle his clones with great relish, he noticed that the referee was looking at him.
'You should stop playing and really end it now,' the referee's voice echoed in Apollo's mind, surprising him.
Seems like I was found out, Apollo thought with a bitter smile. Although he was curious how the referee did it, he nodded. Their fight was taking longer than the others. With this in mind, Apollo used his Simple Movement Technique, instantly appearing in front of the struggling Fire Shrine Student, who stared at him with wide eyes.
But before the guy could take another step, Apollo punched him in the face, sending him flying out of the stage.
The sudden ending left those watching this particular stage in disbelief. If you could end it this easily, why drag out the fight? But it was a feast for the eyes, so they shouted in great excitement.
"Winner!" The referee raised his hand toward the masked person.
"That was easy," Apollo muttered, dusting his hands with a clap.
On the joint floating platform, Axton, Elmo, and Master Popo exchanged glances.
"Did he really learn three Techniques in just a few days?" Master Popo asked, his expression incredulous.
"Who knows," Elmo shrugged. "But his True Hardening is well on its way to the Intermediate stage."
"He could be a disciple of a great master, and maybe he learned these Techniques beforehand," Master Popo speculated. "There's even a possibility that he already knew the Hydra Mirage before the exam."
"I highly doubt it," Axton, the Headmaster of the Great Serpent School, shook his head. "When he first used the Hydra Mirage, his control of Qi was all over the place, and he compensated by pulling in as much as he could. But it seems like his control has improved in just a short time."
"So you're saying a monster has emerged?" Elmo asked, his eyes filled with curiosity as he stared at the half-masked man who was already walking back.
"Possibly," Axton nodded.
"Monster or not, with his progress with the Fire Blast, it would be better if he joined my school," Master Popo said.
"Ha, you think he would join you?" Elmo scoffed. "He clearly wants my Sword and Shield School, otherwise why would he learn True Hardening?"
"Then why would he learn Hydra Mirage?" Master Axton interjected.
"It's because your Technique is easy!" Elmo retorted, and Master Popo nodded in agreement.
"Easy?" Axton shook his head but didn't argue further.
At that moment, someone approached them. "So, you guys are already eyeing someone?"
Without turning, they already knew who it was.
"Mayor Klown, are you interested in him as well?" Axton asked, a small smile on his lips.
"Well, hearing what you all are discussing, should I be?" Klown asked, his belly wobbling slightly as he turned to face the three Headmasters.
"Hahaha, it's not even the finals yet. Isn't that why you insisted on changing the prize to your own choosing? To draw some of them to your side," Axton said with a chuckle.
"I appreciate that you accepted this selfish request of mine, but would you believe me if I said I genuinely want to spread the City's own cultivation technique to more people?" Klown asked, his calm expression unchanged.
"That depends," Axton said.
"Depends on what?" Klown asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Depends on us," Axton replied, turning to the mayor along with the other two.