He reappeared behind the staff user, leg sweeping out in a fast kick.

But the staff youth reacted quickly. His serpent spirit hardened around his arm, turning it into a shield. The kick hit stone-like scales and bounced back.

The unarmed youth slid a step, not losing balance.

"Hard," he muttered.

The staff user grinned. "Try breaking it."

He swung his staff in a long, heavy arc. Each swing created a gust of wind, the serpent spirit reinforcing the strikes.

The unarmed youth didn't block.

He slipped past every hit—bending, ducking, twisting like smoke. His panther spirit sharpened his movements, making him almost impossible to catch.

The staff youth grew annoyed.

"Stand still!"

He slammed the end of his staff into the ground. Stone energy rippled outward, disrupting the floor tiles.

The unarmed youth jumped, avoiding the shockwave.

But the staff youth was ready—sending the serpent spirit forward like a whip.

It snapped toward him.

Fast.

The unarmed youth crossed his arms, taking the blow. He was thrown back a few meters, but landed on his feet, skidding to a stop.

Some disciples murmured:

"He's tough."

"He took that head-on?"

Up on the platform, Tian Lei smirked.

"His body training isn't bad."

The fight resumed.

The staff youth pressed forward, using range and power.

The unarmed youth used speed and precision.

The ring echoed with sharp cracks and heavy impacts.

A staff strike crushed the ground.

A punch landed on the staff user's ribs.

Another staff sweep sent dust into the air.

Another kick hit the serpent's scales.

Both were panting now.

The staff youth narrowed his eyes.

Enough.

He raised his staff high, stone energy gathering around it. The serpent spirit coiled tightly, ready to strike like a hammer.

The unarmed youth lowered his stance.

His panther spirit crouched behind him—muscles tensed.

Both moved at the same time.

The staff crashed downward.

The unarmed youth dashed forward, slipping under the falling strike by an inch.

He appeared at the staff user's side.

Three clean hits—

a punch to the ribs,

an elbow to the stomach,

a chop to the neck.

The staff youth froze.

Then dropped.

Silence.

The unarmed youth exhaled once, shaking out his hand.

Tian Lei raised his hand.

"Winner: Shadow Panther kid."

The crowd cheered again, the atmosphere getting louder with every match.

Four winners now.

Only one more would make the final five.

Tian Lei pointed lazily.

"Last match of the round. Get up here."

Two disciples stepped forward for the final match of the round.

One carried a long curved blade—almost a saber, almost a cleaver. His beast spirit appeared behind him: a Bronze Boar, thick-skinned and explosive in strength.

The other disciple wore light armor and carried no weapon. His beast spirit took shape as a Frost Heron—thin, elegant, its feathers shimmering with cold.

The contrast between them was immediate.

One was brute force.

The other was precision and cold control.

Tian Lei lifted his hand.

"Begin."

The boar youth charged right away, exactly as everyone expected.

He didn't bother with careful steps. He simply ran straight at his opponent like a charging bull, blade raised.

The Frost Heron youth inhaled slowly and raised one hand.

A thin mist began to form around his fingers.

Right as the boar youth swung down—

He stepped aside.

Clean. Simple.

The blade cracked the tiles where he had been standing.

The boar youth growled, lifting the weapon again, but his arm stiffened slightly. A thin layer of frost had formed around his wrist.

"What the—"

The Heron youth flicked his hand.

A small burst of cold air shot forward—not an attack, more like a warning.

The boar youth snorted.

"So you're tricky."

He stomped the ground once.

And dashed again.

This time, he swung faster—horizontal, then vertical, then diagonal. His attacks were wild but powerful, each one forcing the Heron youth to move constantly.

But the Heron youth never panicked.

A small step here.

A tilt of the head there.

A slide to the side.

The blade never touched him.

Thin frost appeared wherever his fingers traced the air—forming faint white marks on the ring.

Tian Lei watched calmly.

"Good. He's laying traps as he moves."

Su Mingyue nodded. "And the boar kid isn't noticing."

Back in the ring, the boar youth attacked harder, his boar spirit roaring behind him. His skin thickened, his muscles grew, and his speed increased in short bursts.

He finally clipped the Heron youth's shoulder—

A shallow cut.

The crowd gasped.

The Heron youth didn't react.

But the boar youth felt his arm suddenly go numb.

"What…?"

Frost had spread along the boar youth's blade—then into his hand.

He tried to shake it off, but it clung to him.

The Heron youth spoke for the first time, voice calm:

"You're too straightforward."

The boar youth bared his teeth.

"Yeah? Then try stopping this!"

He channelled all his aura into his legs and charged with his full weight. Tiles cracked under his steps. His blade swung low, then upward in a brutal rising slash meant to finish things.

The Heron youth raised his palm.

A thin, cold ripple spread out.

The boar youth's foot hit the ground—

—and slid.

"What?!"

He slipped on a layer of invisible frost spread across half the ring. His balance broke for the first time.

In that instant, the Heron youth stepped in.

A palm strike to the chest.

A cold burst to the face.

A sweep of the leg.

The boar youth fell backward hard, air knocked out of him.

He tried to get up—

But his hands froze to the ground.

The frost spread from his palms to the tiles, pinning him in place.

Silence fell.

The Frost Heron youth stood over him, breathing steadily.

"It's over," he said softly.

The boar youth grimaced, struggling—but he couldn't move.

Tian Lei raised his hand.

"Winner: Frost Heron kid."

Cheers exploded around the arena. The final spot in the top five was decided.

Five winners stood ready:

Masked girl.

Lightning youth.

Twin-sword girl.

Shadow Panther kid.

Frost Heron kid.

Tian Lei yawned lightly and stood.

"Alright. Final round begins soon. Rest for a bit—then fight for your seniority."

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