"Who was that?" Raziel Phoenix asked as he walked over. The moment he saw the blonde girl earlier, his breath had nearly caught.

Ray shrugged. "No idea. I was just talking with Jacob about food."

At that moment, a booming announcement echoed throughout the stadium.

"Today marks the official start of the Skysea Alliance Tournament! To commemorate this event, we have specially invited a team from Central Academy to exchange pointers with last year's champions. Considering the gap in strength, this exhibition match will be held across age divisions. The contenders are the previous youth division champions of the seven-man team competition and Central Academy's junior division seven-man team. Both sides, please take the stage!"

Youth division… against junior division?

Ray's gaze flicked toward Violetta. Just as she predicted. The Alliance's higher-ups had clearly thought this through.

But if the youth division lost to the junior division…

His thoughts were cut short by what he saw next.

The Skysea Alliance representatives stepped onto the platform. As last year's champions, all of them were over twenty years old and would now be considered part of the adult division. Five men and two women stood proudly in silver uniforms, their movements synchronized and their eyes brimming with confidence.

Then Central Academy's team appeared.

The first five were unfamiliar faces, all around fourteen or fifteen years old, dressed in green sportswear. But behind them walked two figures Ray recognized instantly.

Jacob.

And that girl… Scarlet.

"They're on the stage?" Raziel Phoenix exclaimed. "What are they doing up there?"

Violetta stared blankly. "We're the same age… yet the difference is this big?"

They were all ten years old, yet those two were already fighting in an exhibition match. And not just any match, but one representing Central Academy.

Even Ray felt a surge of admiration and envy. No wonder Scarlet carried herself with such pride. She had the strength to back it up.

How strong are they really?

At ten years old… could they already have three soul rings?

The two teams exchanged brief greetings. The Skysea Alliance team towered over the Central Academy students, the age gap obvious.

After all, more than five years separated them.

A fifteen-year-old boy stood at the head of Central Academy's team. His looks were ordinary, but his presence was not. Calm, steady, and composed, he drew the attention of the entire stadium with just a few steps forward.

Ray leaned forward, eyes blazing with anticipation.

Seven versus seven. The most classic team formation. Over ten thousand years of history had proven this setup to be optimal.

Both teams were elites of their generation, but the youngsters from Central Academy were wrapped in mystery. Almost unconsciously, Ray began comparing himself to them. For those with ambition, a high target was necessary.

The teams gave brief self-introductions, revealing the blonde girl's name.

Scarlet.

An old man stepped forward as the referee. His aura was deep and unfathomable, his strength obvious at a glance.

"Begin!"

The instant the match started, Central Academy moved.

To everyone's surprise, Jacob was the first to act.

With a wave of his hand, two yellow soul rings rose beneath his feet. As his first ring lit up, strange objects flew from his hands. From afar, Ray couldn't see them clearly, but for some reason, they looked suspiciously like steamed buns.

Each of Jacob's six teammates caught one and ate it without hesitation.

The girl standing beside Scarlet let out a shout as three soul rings appeared beneath her feet, two yellow and one purple. Light gathered in her right hand, forming a seven-tiered pagoda. As the first three levels glowed brightly, the light washed over the stoic youth leading the team.

He roared.

His body swelled, muscles bulging, arms thickening. Four soul rings surged up beneath him.

Two yellow.

One purple.

One black.

A ten-thousand-year soul ring.

Ray's blood boiled. An indescribable feeling surged through him as thunder rolled across the arena.

Most spectators couldn't see the process clearly. What they did see was a burst of cyan light, followed by a storm of lightning and thunder crashing down upon the stage.

Ray reflexively activated the Purple Demon Eyes, but even so, his vision couldn't pierce through the forest of cyan light and crackling violet lightning engulfing the stage. Instead of clarity, the enhanced sight only magnified the chaos, every lightning bolt splitting and colliding in violent detail.

Through the gaps, he barely caught sight of the Skysea Alliance team. Three of them possessed four soul rings, while the remaining four wielded three. The three strongest had identical configurations: two yellow and two purple. As for their martial souls… he couldn't make them out at all.

The storm swallowed everything.

I…

I can't see anything in this match.

The thunder didn't weaken. It intensified. Within the sea of lightning, Ray glimpsed the outline of a lightning dragon tearing through the arena, its roar shaking the air itself.

He saw the dragon.

And then… nothing.

Barely a minute later, the match was over.

Seven bodies lay sprawled across the stage, the Skysea Alliance representatives collapsed and unmoving. In stark contrast, the seven from Central Academy still stood in their original formation. Jacob and Scarlet remained at the back. The girl hadn't made a single move throughout the fight, while the little fatty calmly munched on dried fish, the very same snack Ray had given him earlier.

The stadium fell into a dead silence.

Eighty thousand people, not a sound.

The Central Academy team leader bowed politely, then turned and led his teammates off the stage.

A battle between generations, finished in less than a minute.

It wasn't a match. It was a massacre.

The Skysea Alliance champions hadn't even been given the chance to fully display their strength. The Central team had struck like a descending eagle, swift and merciless, as though a sleeping dragon had awakened and swallowed its prey in a single breath.

Ray heard a sharp gulp beside him.

He turned to see Raziel Phoenix frozen in place, eyes wide, mouth hanging open. "Th-this… this is Central Academy? Are they even human?"

Ray exhaled softly. "They look human. Our difference in soul rings isn't that huge, but their coordination and explosive power are terrifying. Now I understand why Teacher Alfred always emphasizes teamwork. These people… are simply too strong."

Violetta nodded grimly. "Their teamwork doesn't look flashy, but their abilities multiply when combined. Otherwise, even with that much strength, their leader couldn't have crushed a seven-man team alone. They must have secrets. Not just spirit souls, but pure soul rings too. They probably hunted real soul beasts… maybe they even have soul bones."

"That's all they are."

Lily's indifferent voice cut through the discussion like ice.

Ray turned toward her, startled by the arrogance burning in her eyes.

"That's all?" Raziel Phoenix echoed weakly.

"We'll surpass them by the time we reach their age," Lily said calmly, as if stating an obvious fact.

Before anyone could respond, an icy presence washed over them.

"Surpassing them doesn't amount to much."

Alfred had appeared beside them without a sound.

"They were only Central Academy's outer court students," he continued coldly.

Outer court?

Everyone knew Central Academy was divided into outer and inner courts. Only the inner court cultivated true monsters.

Even Lily's expression shifted.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.