Selection Battle

Zixue looked at me with deep affection and said, "Of course I am willing, but my father only has my sister and me as daughters. Unless it is absolutely necessary, let's not take that step, okay? Just bear with him a little more for my sake."

I sighed helplessly and said, "Improving my strength is inevitable for me, but becoming an official is not something I want. I have many difficulties."

Zixue said gently, "Do what you want to do. I won't force you. Didn't you say that if it doesn't work out, we can still..."

I held Zixue's small hand and said, "Thank you, Zixue. With your words, I am relieved." It is impossible for me to become an official in the Dragon God Empire, especially given that I have beastman blood. Moreover, I am still a spy.

In the following month, to prepare for my match against Liwa, I reduced my time with Zixue and focused entirely on my training. Zixue understood this very well. In today's society, no woman does not want her lover to be the strongest.

Finally, on the eve of the competition, I successfully broke through to the second layer of the Mad God Technique and also mastered the second move of the Mad God Fist—Mad Battle Across the World. The advancement of the Sky Demon Technique was incredibly rapid. I was close to completing the third layer, but at this point, I encountered a barrier. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't break through. The difficulty was even greater than when I first practiced the Mad God Technique. This should be a bottleneck. Time no longer allowed me to break through. The competition was imminent.

Teacher Zhuang stood on the podium and addressed the whole class, "The academy's martial arts competition will begin the day after tomorrow. Now, I need to determine the participants for this event. Those who wish to participate, please raise your hands."

Probably because everyone was well aware of their own abilities, only five people raised their hands: myself, Feng Wen, Feng Juan, Huo Xing, and Luo Lei. What surprised me the most was Huo Xing. With his strength, he couldn't surpass Feng Wen and Feng Juan unless he teamed up with his brother. Yet, he hoped to participate. Luo Lei hadn't been idle this semester. After losing the contest for the top spot to me, I heard from Feng Wen and others that he had been practicing like crazy, and his strength had increased rapidly.

Teacher Zhuang smiled slightly and said, "Since five students are willing to participate in this competition, let's have an internal contest first. The judges will be everyone here."

Feng Juan stood up and said, "Teacher, I'm the top student in our class, so I don't need to participate, right? Anyway, I'm the best in the class. Let the other four compete, and the winner can join me in the competition." Seriously? Isn't she being a bit too arrogant?

Teacher Zhuang said, "That won't do. After a semester of hard work, everyone has improved to varying degrees. I hope you five will compete fairly."

Feng Juan said sulkily, "So, how do you suggest we compete?"

Teacher Zhuang said, "I've decided on the events for the competition: strength, speed, and endurance. Your classmates will score you, with each event having a maximum score of 100 points. The first place will receive 100 points, and the others will be scored based on their gap with the first place. The top two in total scores will represent our class in the competition. Does anyone have any objections?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Juan immediately smiled and repeatedly expressed her agreement. She was confident in her strength and speed. Despite her plump figure, we had all witnessed her terrifying speed. Naturally, the rest of us had no objections either.

Teacher Zhuang said, "Since everyone agrees, let's gather at Training Ground No. 4 this afternoon for the competition."

Training Ground No. 4, the place that first sent me to the infirmary.

Shortly after lunch break, all the students from our Magic Warrior Class 4 were present. Teacher Zhuang announced, "The competition is about to start. Contestants, please step forward. The first event is the strength contest."

Feng Juan, full of confidence, stood in front, evidently determined to win this event. She turned to Teacher Zhuang and said, "Teacher, please tell us how we will compete."

Teacher Zhuang said, "I've already prepared. God of Space, I request you to transport the items of the array." She drew a golden six-pointed star in the air with her hands. The star floated to the ground following her gesture, and with a flash of light, five large iron balls, each with a diameter of over 2 meters, appeared in the field.

Teacher Zhuang continued, "The strength competition will primarily test the amount of energy you can burst out in an instant. The task is to damage your iron ball as much as possible with just one hit. The iron balls are reinforced with magical barriers. Note that if the iron ball is driven into the ground, it won't count; you must damage the ball itself. I will calculate the damage rate for you, and the one who damages their ball the most wins this round. Understood?"

The five of us answered in unison, "Understood."

Feng Juan said, "Teacher, let me go first."

Teacher Zhuang smiled and nodded, "Alright, you can start."

Feng Juan tightened her grip on her massive iron hammer and walked up to the iron ball. After stretching her muscles, she gripped her hammer with both hands and began to swing it. The large hammer seemed weightless in her hands. Within moments, Feng Juan reached her maximum speed, and her figure began to blur. The spinning hammer suddenly lifted off the ground as Feng Juan shouted, "Giant Hammer Whirlwind Strike." The spinning silhouette shot toward the iron ball like lightning.

With a loud "boom," the deafening sound temporarily rendered everyone momentarily deaf. Although the protective barrier wasn't broken, the once massive iron ball was now a hemisphere. Remarkably, despite such force, the iron ball hadn't been driven into the ground—a testament to Feng Juan's skill.

Only I noticed that during her upward ascent, Feng Juan had released a burst of battle energy beneath the iron ball, effectively lifting it. This technique prevented the ball from being driven into the ground, resulting in the impressive outcome. However, the dispersion of force meant that she couldn't further damage the ball.

Teacher Zhuang, astonished, said, "Damage rate 50%. Feng Juan, you've done very well."

With sweat slightly visible on her temples, it was clear that the previous move had drained quite a bit of her energy. Hearing Teacher Zhuang's praise, Feng Juan proudly replied, "Of course, Teacher. I earned my top spot through sheer strength." She really knew how to boast.

Teacher Zhuang asked, "Who's next?"

Mars spoke up, "Teacher, I'll go next." With that, he drew his long sword and walked forward.

I turned to Mars's brother, Fire, and asked, "What's gotten into your brother? Doesn't he know his own strength?"

Huo Xing watched his brother walk up and replied, "My brother has endured a lot recently and has mastered a new technique. Though he might not win, he's definitely going to surprise you. Just wait and see."

Huo Xing's usual complex demeanor was replaced by a serious and focused expression as he approached another iron ball. He squinted his eyes, holding his sword with both hands, and began chanting, "Great Fire God, please ignite the fire elements around me. Let the endless flames become my ultimate armor." As he chanted, red flames began to swirl around him, growing increasingly intense. Standing in the center, Huo Xing looked like a god of fire, quietly poised.

Suddenly, Huo Xing shouted, "Break free, Light Flame." The red flames gradually turned white, radiating intense brightness, resembling a light-based magic.

Huo Xing's eyes snapped open, glinting with a fierce light. Slowly, he raised the sword tip from the ground upward, as if lifting an immensely heavy burden, even though the sword itself was light. I could see his sweat turning into wisps of steam in the white flames.

I muttered in confusion, "Given Huo Xing's strength, he shouldn't be able to control such powerful flames."

Huo Xing leaned over and whispered in my ear, "My brother has our family's heirloom, a protective charm called the Fire Ward Talisman. It allows him to protect himself and disregard the backlash from the flames. This way, he can use higher-level magic, though it's still quite taxing. You need to keep this secret."

I replied, "Why are you telling me this? I'm Huo Xing's competitor right now."

Huo Xing smiled slightly and said, "We're all brothers here. No need to keep secrets. My brother is just here to make an appearance. After using this move, he won't have the strength to compete in the other events. He just wants to prove himself; he's very competitive."

At this moment, Huo Xing in the arena finally raised his sword above his head, then leaped into the air with a shout, "Light Flame Slash." A white beam of light shot out from his sword, slicing the iron ball in front of him cleanly in half.

I said to Huo Xing, "That move is impressive, with a lot of power. But it takes too long to gather the energy. If I were fighting him, I wouldn't give him the chance to use it."

Huo Xing used his sword to support himself, panting, and asked the teacher, "Teacher, how much damage does this count as?"

Teacher Zhuang, astonished, couldn't close her mouth. She said, "Huo Xing, I didn't realize you could use such a powerful magic skill. You've broken the barrier and split the iron ball in half. That counts as one hundred percent."

Upon hearing Teacher Zhuang's words, Huo Xing's face showed a look of pride before he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Huo Xing quickly ran over to support him.

Feng Juan pouted and said, "Overestimating himself, he doesn't know how to conserve his strength. If I had used all my power earlier, hmph, I could have also achieved one hundred percent."

Feng Wen was the third to take the stage. He kept it simple, using the same spiral sword technique he had used against me before. He managed to pierce the iron ball's defensive barrier, but his remaining force was insufficient to damage the iron ball itself. However, since the barrier was broken, Teacher Zhuang awarded him a score of eighty percent.

Luo Lei was the fourth to take the stage. He had found a new spear, which seemed to be of better quality than his previous one. Luo Lei used the same piercing method as Feng Wen, but his skill was not as refined. His lightning-based magic did not show much power in this test (considering his current level). Ultimately, he didn't break the barrier and only left a small hole in the iron ball. Teacher Zhuang determined his damage to be thirty percent.

Finally, it was my turn. I calmly walked towards the last iron ball, standing before it as I summoned the power of my already mastered second level of the Mad God Battle Qi. I gently leapt into the air, positioning myself directly above the iron ball, and with a seemingly light touch, I placed my palm on it (a move I learned from my future father-in-law. Although I used to cause a huge commotion in battles, which felt thrilling, it never had the grace of my future father-in-law's techniques. So today, I decided to change my approach). The iron ball appeared to be effortlessly pressed into the ground by my light palm.

Feng Juan laughed loudly at the sight, shouting, "Handsome, brute force won't work, you know. That won't do anything; you probably scored less than one percent."

Her voice irritated me, and I glared at her, coldly saying, "Shut your filthy mouth and watch."

Feng Juan was about to retort when she was suddenly stunned by what happened next. The iron ball, which I had seemingly pressed into the ground, exploded instantly. With a loud boom, it left a large crater in the training ground, the iron ball gone, leaving only scattered fragments on the ground. I had used the "Stormy Winds and Rain" technique, focusing my Battle Qi into a single point. It erupted from where I struck, causing the iron ball to explode under the pressure of my Battle Qi from both inside and outside. It would be strange if it hadn't turned into fragments.

I glared at Feng Juan and harshly said, "Which is harder, you lump of meat, or the iron ball?"

Feng Juan, terrified by my display of power, stammered repeatedly, "The iron ball, the iron ball."

I gave a satisfied snort and returned to the team.

While looking at me as if I were a monster, Professor Zhuang announced, "Lei Xiang, 100% destruction."

As Fire walked over to take care of his fainted brother, he said to me, "Lei, you're really impressive, your strength has grown so much."

I replied indifferently, "Strength itself is my strong suit, what's the big deal?"

Professor Zhuang continued, "The first round of testing is over. Fire and Lei Xiang are tied for first place with 100% destruction. Wind is third with 80% destruction, Phoenix is fourth with 50% destruction, and Thunder is fifth with 30% destruction. If there are no objections, the scores for the first round will be calculated based on the percentage of destruction."

Phoenix didn't score high in her strong area, feeling quite dissatisfied, but with me standing there, she dared not say anything. She knew I would definitely advance, so she could only vie for another spot. Although Fire also got a perfect score in the first round, his body couldn't support the rest of the competition, so his score could be temporarily ignored. Wind scored 80% in the first round, 30% higher than her, leaving Phoenix with no choice but to catch up. She held back a surge of determination.

Professor Zhuang said, "Alright, let's begin the second round, the contest of speed. From here to the college gate is a distance of less than 1000 meters. Whoever can complete three zigzags at the fastest speed will be the first. Who among you is willing to supervise at the college gate?"

Thunder suddenly spoke up, saying, "Teacher, I give up this competition. I'll be the one to supervise at the gate." Seeing my overwhelming strength just now, Thunder's heart sank completely. He no longer had any intention of competing against me for victory. He ranked last in the strength competition, and his hopes of advancing were already very slim. It was better to be generous and withdraw himself.

Professor Zhuang responded, "Since you're willing to withdraw from the competition, then go to the college gate for supervision."

The three of us remaining stood at the starting line. With Professor Zhuang's command, we shot out like arrows.

Wind led the way, followed closely by Phoenix. I lagged behind. I activated my Flying Technique, trying to lighten my body's weight as much as possible. However, I still couldn't match Wind, who had been practicing wind magic since childhood. As for Phoenix, she was a strange one. Despite being shorter than me and heavier, she moved exceptionally swiftly, like a bouncing ball of flesh.

The three rounds ended quickly. Wind effortlessly secured 100 points, Phoenix got 80 points, while I, unfortunately, only managed to get 50 points.

After two rounds, Wind led with 180 points, followed by me with 150 points, and Phoenix with 130 points.

The third and final event was about endurance. Professor Zhuang said, "For the last test, to ensure fairness, I've specially invited members from the third-year Magic Warrior class to test you." With that, she gestured in the air, drawing a small hexagram, seemingly using simple spatial magic for close-range communication.

Third-years? How are they going to test us?

Soon, nine individuals entered from outside. They all looked quite capable. Professor Zhuang continued, "These are your senior classmates from the third year. They will assess you in the final test. They will attack each of you in groups of three. These nine students were carefully selected by me and the teachers of the third-year Magic Warrior class. Their abilities are evenly matched, ensuring absolute fairness."

Wind couldn't help but ask, "Teacher, how will these senior classmates test us?"

Professor Zhuang smiled faintly and said, "It's quite simple. Each of you will withstand the attacks of three senior classmates. The longer you endure, the closer you are to victory."

Wow, it's three against one, and they're all seniors! Quite a challenge indeed, and it's impressive how Teacher Zhuang came up with this.

Teacher Zhuang said, "Alright, let's begin. To ensure fairness, all three groups will start simultaneously."

Fengjuan, wielding a large iron hammer, shouted loudly and charged ahead. Her fearless momentum even startled the three senior students who were to face her.

Meanwhile, Fengwen was more polite, saying, "Please guide me, senior brothers," before swiftly moving into position.

As for me, I advanced steadily, emanating a powerful aura. Facing me were three senior students: two were magic swordsmen, while the other wielded a strange weapon—a pair of large claw-like objects attached to his hands. Upon seeing me approach, the senior with the steel claws initiated the attack, letting out a long roar as he soared into the sky, arms outstretched like a soaring divine eagle. The other two seniors each brandished their own magic swords and charged towards me.

Truly worthy of being senior students, their skills were indeed much stronger than those in our class. While I might have had the upper hand in a one-on-one scenario, facing three opponents simultaneously was a different story. I waved my hand, sending several ice spikes towards the senior above me, then swiftly stepped forward, delivering a powerful punch.

The senior with the steel claws suddenly emitted two lightning bolts from his claws, shattering all the ice spikes I had sent towards him. Unchanged, they continued their trajectory towards me. However, as I had stepped forward, he ended up attacking my back.

Surprised by his unrelenting speed, I found myself in a precarious situation. Although my punch forced the senior on the left, wielding a fire magic sword, to retreat, I was now caught in a pincer attack. Gritting my teeth, I shouted, "Furious Storm!"

With a heavy punch to the ground, my target was the senior in front. As my Kung Shen Dueling Qi was about to burst forth from beneath him, he seemed to sense the energy fluctuations and quickly leaped to evade my attack. Although he dodged the direct assault, he couldn't withstand the aftermath. The ground erupted with a deafening roar as the violent force, mixed with debris, surged forward, engulfing both the senior I had initially forced back and the one leaping into the air. Both desperately wielded their magic swords to fend off the onslaught of energy and debris.

While my Furious Storm had achieved a decent effect, I was also struck by the senior behind me. In that moment of his steel claws striking me, my body swayed abruptly, dissipating most of the force. Simultaneously, Heavenly Thunder Armor dissipated as my Kung Shen Dueling Qi surged outward.

The sharp force pierced my back, followed by a numbing sensation. Ah, his attack carried the attribute of lightning. I grunted and swiftly turned, reaching for his steel claws. The senior was incredibly agile; although surprised by my defensive strength, his reaction was lightning-fast. In one fluid motion, he leaped into the air, narrowly evading my counterattack.

With an angry snarl, I cast Flight on myself, making my body much more agile. With a swift push off the ground, I charged towards the two seniors who had been thrown into disarray by my Furious Storm. Although both seniors wielding magic swords were formidable, they couldn't withstand my full assault, and both sustained minor injuries.

My greatest advantage lay in my formidable Qi. I needed to defeat these two before they could regroup for a concerted attack. But my plans were disrupted when the senior soaring in the sky conjured a bolt of lightning that struck me directly. By the time I realized, it was too late. The lightning hit me with pinpoint accuracy, sending a strong paralyzing sensation through my body, momentarily incapacitating me.

However, the demonic energy within me surged, rapidly spreading a cold sensation throughout my body, quickly restoring my consciousness. Now, I was in a sorry state. My clothes were torn by the senior's steel claws and charred in places by the lightning. My hair stood on end.

The two seniors wielding magic swords took a few steps forward, with one of them saying, "Junior, give up. Although you're strong, you stand no chance against us when we team up."

I stole a glance at Wind Question and Phoenix, who were still engaged. Wind Question was too cunning, exploiting his advantage in wind magic to avoid direct confrontation, relying solely on his agility and playing a game of cat and mouse with his opponent. Phoenix, on the other hand, was more terrifying. Like a wild tiger, she swung her giant hammer to create a powerful whirlwind. The several seniors on her side were momentarily unable to deal with her. If I surrendered now, I might be at risk of elimination. No, I still had to challenge Rivar. How could I give up so easily?

I snorted coldly and said, "Come on, I won't give up. Furious Storm!" Once again, I struck the ground heavily with my fist. The two seniors in front were startled and quickly flew backward, trying to evade my relentless assault. But they were mistaken; I wasn't aiming for them this time, but for the Thunder Hawk (the nickname I gave him) behind them.

The senior behind me had just shocked me, expecting me to surrender, but he hadn't anticipated my stubbornness. Just as he was about to continue attacking the ground in front of him, it cracked open, and a powerful aura rushed towards him. My body swiftly turned, following the aura as it charged towards him. At this critical moment, the Thunder Hawk senior demonstrated his exceptional strength. While stepping back, he chanted, "Summon the divine thunder of the nine heavens, command the urgency of the earth, come forth, Azure Thunder Barrier." Before him, a shimmering wall of lightning condensed rapidly, not only neutralizing my aura but also preventing any debris from crossing the thunderous barrier.

While he was blocking the Furious Storm, I arrived, delivering a heavy punch. Due to the Furious Storm aura enveloping my fist and the weakening of his Azure Thunder Barrier from earlier, it was easily pierced. The senior crossed his claws in front of his chest, attempting to block my punch. With a cold snort, I unleashed my aura in an instant. The senior let out a piercing scream as I sent him flying. He probably wouldn't be able to use his hands for several days. I showed him mercy; otherwise, even if he survived, his hands would have been crippled. Letting him use lightning against me was just retribution. All of this happened in the blink of an eye. When the two seniors wielding magic swords finally reacted, the Thunder Hawk senior had already crashed heavily into the training ground's barrier.

With him out of the way, things became much easier. Just as I was about to continue battling the other two seniors, the voice of Professor Zhuang rang out, "Lei Xiang, stop now, you've already won." Surprised, I turned to look, and I saw that Feng Wen's great hammer had been knocked away, and she was sitting on the ground, catching her breath. Feng Wen wasn't much better off than her; his clothes were as charred as mine, and he had lost a lot of hair, but he wasn't shocked, he was burned. It turned out that while dodging earlier, Feng Wen had been thinking that he was sure to be first since no one could hit him. All he had to do was hold out until Lei Xiang and Feng Juan were defeated, and he would succeed. But his evasive tactics had infuriated his opponents, who had left two people to engage him while another senior, skilled in fire magic, used his magic staff to enhance a powerful, all-encompassing fire magic attack, instantly overwhelming Feng Wen. And when he was overwhelmed, it happened to be the moment when Thunder Hawk senior was sent flying by me. Seeing that I had already won, Professor Zhuang was afraid I would get hurt, so she immediately stopped the test.

The most severely injured was the unlucky Thunder Hawk. After announcing that Feng Wen and I would participate in the grade-level competition, Professor Zhuang immediately used water magic to treat him. The two seniors who had fought me came up to me, and the senior with the fire magic sword said, "Junior, you're really good. Even the three of us together couldn't defeat you. It looks like you're the undisputed champion of our grade." The strong strength of the seniors also earned my respect. I politely replied, "It's all thanks to you seniors. As for the Thunder Hawk senior, I'll need your help explaining later. I really couldn't hold back."

The two seniors exchanged a smile and said, "Thunder Hawk, this nickname suits him well. He's named Pu Rui and is the strongest among us, but we two are weaker, so we're grouped together. We're also representing our class in the grade-level competition. You'll still have a chance to face him in the future. Don't worry, he won't blame you. He loves making friends with strong people."

I expressed my concern, "But will his injuries affect his participation in the competition?"

One of the seniors replied, "It won't. This kid's got tough bones. Besides, with Professor Zhuang treating him, he'll be fine."

Except for Feng Juan who walked away with a huff, all the other classmates came to congratulate me and Feng Wen. Even Fallen Thunder came over and said to me, "Lei Xiang, I admit I'm not yet your match. However, you should be careful. I'll continue to work hard. One day, I'll defeat you."

I smiled faintly and replied, "I'll be waiting. Actually, Thunder Hawk's skills are worth learning from. If it weren't for luck, I might not have been able to beat him." Fallen Thunder's eyes lit up upon hearing my words, and he walked away.

Professor Zhuang asked everyone to disperse and called me and Feng Wen to her office separately.

Professor Zhuang smiled and said, "How about that? Your teacher's eyes are sharp, aren't they? I knew you two would surpass the others."

Feng Wen smiled wryly and said, "Teacher, it wasn't easy for us to make it through. Look at me and Lei Xiang, we look like two black guys." Lei Xiang and I exchanged glances, seeing each other's disheveled appearance, and couldn't help bursting into laughter together.

Professor Zhuang said, "Alright, stop laughing. I called you here mainly to give you some pointers on your fighting skills."

So, it was about teaching us martial arts. Lei Xiang and I became serious immediately. Professor Zhuang continued, "Feng Wen, do you know where you ultimately lost today?"

Feng Wen replied puzzledly, "The opponent's magic was too strong, and it was all-encompassing. I couldn't dodge it."

Professor Zhuang shook her head gently and said, "No, that's not it. The reason you lost is because you weren't fast enough. Today, I'll teach you three words. If you can fully comprehend them, you'll be unbeatable."

Feng Wen asked eagerly, "What are the three words?"