C18 Potential

Pei Dong was utterly shocked, yet he managed to keep his astonishment hidden. He resolved to thoroughly investigate the student's background once the event concluded. The fact that the student was acquainted with the vice commander of Krukshire's elite squad was no small matter.

As Pei Dong's thoughts raced, he proceeded with the announcements. "For the second match, we'll have one-on-one battles. The remaining thirty contestants will be split into fifteen pairs. I will now announce the matchups."

The entire school buzzed with excitement, anticipating that this round would be decisive.

To Jiao Yuanju's surprise, his next opponent was Lei Sheng, the very same he had battled the night before.

Lei Sheng's mood was sour, his face dark with discontent. The news of their underhanded skirmish had spread like wildfire. He couldn't fathom how he, with his formidable combat prowess, had been so easily bested by Jiao Yuanju. And now, he was faced with a rematch.

Observing Jiao Yuanju's confident smile, Lei Sheng sensed a new level of composure and edge about him. Jiao Yuanju had seemed like a dull, unsharpened blade before. Now, Lei Sheng realized, that blade had honed its edge.

"Do you want to compete against me?" Jiao Yuanju asked, his smile tinged with mockery.

Lei Sheng's irritation flared, and he declared, "No, I concede!"

The crowd was taken aback by Lei Sheng's swift surrender. They gasped in disbelief, never expecting the typically dominant Lei Sheng to yield so readily to the Snake King.

The energy in the arena surged to new heights.

"Jiao Yuanju, unbeatable!"

"Captain, give it your all!"

These cheers catapulted Jiao Yuanju to the spotlight, victorious even without a fight.

The other matches garnered attention as well. Jing Dehai continued his dominant streak, with his flame tiger swiftly overpowering the competition.

Hong Yangqiu shone in his own right. The reticent youth demonstrated his peculiar skills with finesse.

His Combat Pet, a black hawk perched on his shoulder, became the center of attention as the fight commenced. At Hong Yangqiu's whistle, the black hawk unleashed seven Wind Blades, cutting off every avenue of escape for the adversary's Combat Pet, which bled profusely from the relentless assault.

"This match is a total snooze-fest!" Hong Yangqiu whispered to himself, audible only to his own ears. Contrary to what anyone would expect, he seemed utterly indifferent when left to his own devices.

His gaze shifted to another battlefield, and his expression turned to one of utter shock. It was Xie Ziyu's arena.

He wasn't the only one captivated; the entire crowd's attention was fixed on that battlefield.

A large dark purple spider dominated the scene.

Xie Ziyu's adversary had a flying bird as their Combat Pet. It soared, circling overhead, relentlessly unleashing Wind Blades. Yet, the spider's agility defied everyone's expectations. It dodged with such speed that the Wind Blades couldn't touch it.

Jiao Yuanju caught a glimpse of the battlefield and was astounded. Both the bird and the massive spider were valuable and rare Combat Pets. But Xie Ziyu's victory came far too swiftly.

With a mere wave of her hand, the spider ejected an enormous web, ensnaring the large bird in an instant. Victory was hers.

Xie Ziyu was strikingly beautiful, her icy expression unchanging as she serenely exited the stage. At sixteen or seventeen, her stature was tall and commanding.

Applause thundered throughout the venue!

Beside Pei Xiaobo, the officer looked at the young girl with amazement. Turning to Pei Dong, he remarked with a smile, "I had no idea your school harbored such a prodigy. To be an elite at such a tender age is impressive, but the decisiveness of these young talents is even more commendable!"

Pei Dong beamed with joy. Officer Ding's praise all but guaranteed Azure Academy would receive military accolades this time around.

Jiao Yuanju's attention returned to the battlefield where Jing Haokuo was drenched in sweat, directing his Earth Boar.

The Earth Boar's Groundbreak skill had taken over half the arena, with terrifying spikes of earth erupting everywhere. The bird above refused to descend, no matter the provocation.

"Fatty, you think you can take me on?"

The so-called fatty paid no mind to his taunting rival. He simply sat down and, to everyone's astonishment, fell asleep!

"What are you trying to pull?" his opponent demanded, frowning.

The fatty offered no reply, but his snores grew louder and louder.

Pei Dong's face flushed with embarrassment, yet there was no rule against sleeping in the competition!

The flight time for flying-type Mutant Beasts was finite, and they too could become exhausted. As one handler carefully allowed their Combat Pet to touch down, the Earth Boar and its hefty companion leapt into action. The sight of their two plump forms springing up left the crowd in awe.

Then, the arena was suddenly filled with spikes, skewering the bird and leaving it a bloody mess.

"Boss, I won!" Jing Haokuo's eyes sparkled with excitement. Bathed in the applause from below, he felt, for the first time, that he was far from worthless.

Jiao Yuanju simply smiled, watching Zhen Heyi and Jing Haokuo return in triumph.

Now, only fifteen competitors remained.

After a brief exchange with Pei Dong, Principal Pei Xiaobo announced with a grin, "The final match will be a free-for-all to test the students' overall skills. Rankings will be determined by the order of elimination!"

The fifteen contestants ascended to the stage in succession.

"Every member from Snake King's Class Seven is still in the game!"

"And there's Jing Dehai's Class One. The other one looks to be Class Three, led by the class president, Xie Ziyu—she's a goddess!"

"Don't forget Hong Yangqiu's Class Sixteen. Out of these four, who's the strongest?"

Jiao Yuanju stood poised in the arena, flanked by Jing Haokuo and Zhen Heyi, their faces a picture of serenity.

Across from them were Jing Dehai's team, and next to them, Xie Ziyu stood aloof in her black attire.

Catching sight of the opposing duo, Jing Haokuo remarked, "Boss, looks like we're encircled!"