The electronic screen in the rest area kept updating the elimination match brackets, while faint energy fluctuations and a tense atmosphere lingered in the air.
Lin Xing tapped his fingertips lightly on the armrest of his seat, his gaze falling on Lumiya.
She was hugging her newly bought candied hawthorn, cheeks puffed as she chewed.
Her golden dragon horns swayed slightly with each movement, completely unaffected by the heavy mood around them.
After all, Lin Xing and Lumiya had already won several consecutive matches, each ending in overwhelming victory.
Either Lumiya smashed through the opponent’s defenses head-on with a single punch, or their joint attack technique instantly secured the win, never giving their opponents a moment to catch their breath.
Lin Xing, however, felt a growing anticipation for the next opponent.
After all, now that it was the elimination rounds, whoever remained wouldn’t be mediocre—there should be some real challenge at last.
Before long, the semifinal bracket was set: Lin Xing’s next opponent was a Beastmaster from the South City Branch Academy, whose beast was the water-type Deepsea Giant Ao.
This 0th-tier, 8-star beast was renowned for its tough shell and high-pressure Water Prison.
In the previous match, it had trapped both its opponent and their beast with Water Prison until their energy was exhausted and they could no longer struggle.
On the podium, several Instructors exchanged quiet words, their gazes locked on the entrance to the arena.
“I heard that Deepsea Giant Ao from the South City Branch trapped his opponent and their beast last round until their energy was drained.”
An Instructor with a thick beard rubbed his chin, his tone tinged with anticipation.
“I wonder if Lin Xing’s humanoid beast can break through this time.”
The female Instructor from the South City Branch beside him pushed her glasses and smiled as she added,
“Our little one from the branch—his defense is so strong that even a humanoid beast of the same tier couldn’t possibly break through with brute force alone.”
“A water-type Deepsea Giant Ao?”
Lumiya licked the sugar frost off her candied hawthorn, swishing her tail carelessly.
Lin Xing smiled and flicked her forehead.
“Don’t get careless. Its Water Prison and hard shell aren’t easy to deal with, and besides, we still need to hide a bit to surprise the other SSS-level competitors.”
Lumiya pouted.
The whistle blew, and lights flared simultaneously on both sides of the arena.
The golden dragon wings on Lumiya’s back unfurled in an instant beside Lin Xing,
while on the opposite side, the South City Branch Beastmaster summoned a Deepsea Giant Ao as large as a small truck.
The Ao’s entire body was blue-green, its shell covered in sharp ridges. As soon as it landed, the ground shook slightly, and with a swing of its thick tail, a strong gust swept across the arena.
Its Beastmaster was a burly young man who thrust his hands forward.
“Deepsea Giant Ao, Water Prison Bind!”
The Deepsea Giant Ao raised its head with a low roar, water elements raging around it. In the center of the arena, a massive sphere of water, ten meters in diameter, surged up and instantly trapped Lin Xing and Lumiya inside.
The surface of the water sphere shimmered, its current spinning at high speed visible to the naked eye. The resulting pressure made the very air ripple.
“Hahaha, even a 1st-tier beast couldn’t break this high-pressure Water Prison!”
The young man laughed triumphantly. This move had always worked for him in competitions; though his own attacks were nearly nonexistent, the superior control and defense more than made up for it.
Lumiya lightly breathed fire at the water barrier. The golden-red flame was scattered into tiny sparks by the high-speed rotating water pressure, not leaving a single mark.
She frowned, just about to use more strength when she noticed Lin Xing making funny faces at her beside her,
She understood—he wanted to play some tricks.
On the podium, the bearded Instructor raised his brow.
“This Water Prison is even more compressed than last round. Looks like that kid from South City is giving it his all against a humanoid beast.”
But the female Instructor shook her head.
“Well, of course. After all, that’s still a humanoid beast.”
Lin Xing watched the swirling currents inside the Water Prison, then suddenly gave an order.
“Lumiya, Fire Dragon Tornado! Follow the water’s rotation!”
Although Lumiya was puzzled, she obeyed immediately.
She opened her mouth gently, and the dragonfire she breathed out merged with the flame at Lin Xing’s fingertips, forming a golden-red Fire Dragon Tornado inside the Water Prison.
Strangely, instead of resisting the current, the tornado spun faster in the same direction as the water’s rotation, creating centrifugal force that began to throw the water currents into chaos.
“How can this be!”
The burly youth’s face changed dramatically. He shouted in panic,
“Contract!”
The Deepsea Giant Ao’s eyes gleamed, and the Water Prison instantly shrank by two meters in diameter, strengthening its defense even further.
Lin Xing and Lumiya’s figures became blurred, but the Fire Dragon Tornado was spinning ever faster, its heat causing the water inside the prison to evaporate rapidly.
White steam built up within the sphere, making the water wall more and more opaque.
“Going against the flow? Now that’s a clever tactic!”
The bearded Instructor sat up straight, his eyes flashing with admiration.
“Disrupting the water with centrifugal force and using high heat to evaporate it—this kid’s control of the elements is way beyond his peers!”
“Now’s our chance!”
A hint of satisfaction flashed in Lin Xing’s eyes.
“Lumiya!”
Lumiya understood—enough showing off.
She instantly increased her power, condensing the hollow tornado into a spinning core of fire.
“Boom—”
The fiery core struck the chaotic water wall, and the sudden combination of extreme heat and pressure detonated the built-up steam.
A massive energy shockwave shattered the Water Prison in an instant!
Water splashed everywhere like a waterfall, soaking the arena floor, while even the Protective Barrier rippled with energy.
On the podium, the Instructors all stood up at once. The female Instructor’s smile vanished, but she still said calmly,
“Even though it broke, it’s fine. The Ao’s real strength is its defense. Even a humanoid beast couldn’t break through—it might not win, but a draw is the worst it’ll be.”
Before anyone could react, Lumiya swooped down, her small pale fist aglow with dazzling gold light,
and slammed her golden fist onto the Ao’s shell.
“Crack!” A crisp sound rang out.
Cracks like a spider’s web spread across the Deepsea Giant Ao’s shell, and purple blood oozed from the seams.
The giant Ao let out a deafening, agonized roar, its massive body stumbling back like a drum struck by a heavy hammer, its limbs dragging deep grooves across the ground.
The burly youth stood frozen, eyes wide as bells, muttering to himself,
“Impossible… This can’t be…”
He’d studied Lin Xing’s match videos repeatedly before the contest.
Although that little dragon-horned girl’s punch was strong, her best record was only sending an Earth Bear flying.
But his own Deepsea Giant Ao had given up all offense to max out its defense—it was a specialized beast!
Even a 1st-tier beast’s full-force attack couldn’t faze it.
How could its shell shatter from a single punch from a beast of the same tier?
Lumiya didn’t care about her opponent’s shock. Since Lin Xing was done playing around, she wouldn’t hold back.
Her dragon tail whipped at the Ao’s head like a steel whip, golden dragon scales gleaming coldly in the sunlight, the tip whistling through the air.
With a “bang,” the Ao was knocked stumbling in place, its massive body toppling to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
Lin Xing’s fingertip flame condensed into a scorching Fire Blade, which he aimed steadily at the now pale-faced South City boy.
He didn’t actually attack, but the oppressive aura was undeniable.
Lumiya stepped forward atop the Ao’s shell, her pale foot pressing firmly on its struggling head.
The South City female Instructor on the podium froze instantly, her once-calm expression utterly cracking, knuckles turning white as she clutched her notepad.
She had just said “absolutely unbreakable,” and the very next moment she witnessed the shell shatter before her eyes—her cheeks burned hotly.
The cheers in the arena echoed for a long time, many students still talking excitedly about the stunning moment when the Water Prison exploded.
As Lin Xing led Lumiya down from the arena, many fellow contestants watched with respect and complex emotions.
After all, to use such clever tactics to defeat a defense-specialized Deepsea Giant Ao—this kind of strength and strategy was not to be underestimated.
The Instructors on the podium had no interest in laughing at the South City female Instructor.
After all, when they’d discussed it privately, most had also believed the Ao’s shell would at least last for a draw—it’s just that she’d said it aloud in front of everyone.
Now, everyone was busy scribbling notes on their boards, the sound of pens rushing across paper filling the air.
The way they looked at Lin Xing was full of unmistakable respect—the strength this duo had displayed far surpassed the standards for “freshmen.”
In the rest area, Lin Xing took a towel and wiped his hands, his eyes settling on tomorrow’s quarterfinal bracket.
His next opponent was one of the SSS-level competitors mentioned by Deputy Director Li Hu.
An SSS-level thunder-type beast! The Thundercrystal Lion!
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