"The arena has been repaired. Contestants for the fifth match, please take your positions."
The referee announced loudly.
Su Zhan stepped onto the arena platform, his twin blades sheathed at his waist.
"Next match: Vermilion Bird Academy's Su Zhan versus Starlight Academy's Lin Xing!"
"Lin Xing, SS-grade Life Soul, Gravity, Dew Realm second stage."
Su Zhan's eyebrows raised slightly as his gaze fell upon the slender young man across from him.
His opponent appeared calm, with spiritual energy faintly circulating around him—clearly a troublesome adversary.
"SS-grade Life Soul? Interesting."
Su Zhan chuckled lightly, his tone casual: "But... you didn't pass Vermilion Bird Academy's entrance exam?"
Not even making it past Vermilion Bird Academy's threshold meant his strength couldn't be that impressive.
Hearing this, Lin Xing showed no anger, simply stating calmly: "I didn't go."
"Oh? Preferring to be a big fish in a small pond rather than a small fish in a big ocean."
Su Zhan's smile deepened: "What a pity. Lacking even the courage to challenge the strong, only daring to act like a king among the weak."
He shook his head, feigning regret: "No ambition, cowardly."
The spectator stands immediately erupted in noise.
"Holy shit, that's savage!"
"Can Lin Xing take this? Shouldn't he just attack directly?"
"Go to hell! 'Weak's territory'? Does your Vermilion Bird Academy think you're superior?"
Lin Xing remained composed: "Trying to provoke me? Then you've failed."
"Not provoking you, just stating facts."
Su Zhan narrowed his eyes: "True strong warriors aren't satisfied with staying in their comfort zones, while you're exactly the opposite. How can you call yourself strong?"
Lin Xing's eyes turned cold: "Finished talking?"
Su Zhan shrugged: "What, hit a nerve?"
He genuinely wanted to anger his opponent.
This was experience he'd gained from Liu Ziming.
A zero-cost offensive.
Even if it didn't work, it didn't matter.
"No, I just think you talk too much."
Lin Xing shook his head, slowly raising his hand: "True strong warriors speak with strength, not words."
Before his voice faded.
His five fingers clenched.
"Boom—!"
The arena floor instantly collapsed.
Countless debris were pulled by invisible gravitational force, hovering mid-air!
Combat was imminent!
"Match begin!"
The referee announced.
Su Zhan's figure flashed, twin blades slashing out straight for Lin Xing's throat.
Yet before the blade edge could reach.
Lin Xing merely raised his hand slightly.
"Hum!"
An invisible heavy pressure suddenly descended.
Su Zhan's blade momentum abruptly stalled, his movements visibly slowing down.
Gravity, quite interesting.
Su Zhan's pupils contracted as he immediately activated his Life Soul.
Eyes of Temporal Abyss!
The pocket watch manifested over his chest, its hands reversing.
Lin Xing's movements instantly slowed by thirty percent.
"Swish!"
Seizing the opportunity, Su Zhan crossed his twin blades in a slicing attack.
Lin Xing snorted coldly, his five fingers pressing down violently.
"Boom—!"
The arena floor collapsed violently as a terrifying gravity field erupted centered around him.
Su Zhan's blade edges were forcefully pressed off trajectory, cutting through empty air.
Damn!
Troublesome!
Su Zhan leveraged the slowing effect of Eyes of Temporal Abyss on his opponent.
Forcing himself to accelerate despite the gravity suppression.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Blade light poured down like torrential rain.
The gravity around Lin Xing was unimaginably intense.
Gravity deflected most attacks, but several blades still sliced through his clothing, drawing faint blood trails.
"So fast with the blades!"
Exclamations rose from the spectator stands.
Lin Xing's eyes turned cold as he finally stopped holding back, clasping his hands together violently.
"Gravity—Release!"
"Rumble—!!!"
The entire arena shook violently.
Caught off guard, Su Zhan was brutally pressed to his knees.
Twin blades stabbed into the ground, sparks flying everywhere.
"Cough!"
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as his internal organs ached faintly under the terrifying pressure.
Vermilion Bird Academy preparation area.
"Holy shit! What kind of gravity field is this? Su Zhan, can you handle this or not!"
Liu Ziming slammed the railing, shouting at the top of his lungs: "I say just forfeit! How can you fight this?"
Xie Xi squeezed words through gritted teeth: "Shut up! You think he's as spineless as you?"
"Gravity."
Wang Mingyuan adjusted his glasses: "Su Zhan can only rely on himself now, but you don't need to worry too much. Don't forget, Su Zhan still hasn't used everything he has."
On the arena.
"Still not conceding?"
Lin Xing raised his hand indifferently.
Now the hovering debris finally served their purpose, violently descending under gravity's influence.
Debris whistled downward.
"Click."
A clear pocket watch sound echoed across the arena.
Su Zhan, covered in blood, slowly straightened up.
Mobilizing all spiritual energy throughout his body.
Slow!
Lin Xing's spellcasting movements instantly slowed down as the originally terrifying gravity field abruptly weakened.
Those whistling descending debris visibly slowed down.
Simultaneously.
Su Zhan's figure suddenly blurred.
His legs exerted explosive force as he charged straight at Lin Xing through the falling debris.
Not like when he first obtained this ability and kept falling all over the place.
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
Extreme speed.
The power of Eyes of Temporal Abyss not only affected himself but continuously slowed the falling debris beside him.
"What?!"
Lin Xing's pupils contracted sharply as he tried to activate gravity again, only to find his movements terrifyingly slow.
"You've lost."
A cold voice sounded by his ear.
Su Zhan appeared before Lin Xing, twin blades crossed, cold light flashing.
"Spare him!"
The Starlight Academy referee shouted.
"Slice."
The blade edge stopped steadily at Lin Xing's neck, leaving only a shallow blood mark.
Su Zhan breathed slightly heavily, clasping his fists: "I concede the victory."
Complete silence filled the venue.
"Su Zhan!!!"
Liu Ziming's roar echoed throughout the stadium.
He directly vaulted over the guardrail charging toward the arena.
Wildly waving his fists: "See that! This is our Vermilion Bird's real strength!"
Xu Hao and others reacted similarly.
Even Feng Jue wore a slight smile.
Truly a rare sight.
On the other side, Starlight Academy's preparation area was deathly silent.
Their ace Lin Xing stood in place.
The blood mark on his neck was particularly glaring under the spotlight.
The entire team stood frozen in place, faces ashen.
On Starlight Academy's spectator stands.
The atmosphere wasn't much better there either.
That should have been their moment of glory.
Medical teams quickly surrounded them.
The lead physician quickly examined him and sighed in relief: "Physical strength nearly exhausted but not overdrawn. Much better than that previous swordsman."
Everyone's gaze immediately turned toward Feng Jue upon hearing this.
Feng Jue's expression remained impassive as he coldly glanced at the physician.
The latter immediately coughed dryly and lowered his head to continue treating Su Zhan's injuries.
Su Zhan thought to himself.
Just as he'd anticipated.
Exactly enough to win without overdrafting spiritual energy.
"Hahaha!"
Liu Ziming threw an arm around Su Zhan's shoulder: "I told you that gravity control whatever was garbage! Nothing before our Brother Su!"
He proudly raised his thumb: "But seriously, that move was absolutely badass! Of course, if it were me, I probably would've won faster."