Dragon Transformation meant truly possessing the body of a Beast Martial Soul.
Once they reached Level 70, those with the Thunder Tyrannosaurus Rex Martial Soul could completely transform into dragons.
So although Yu Tianxin was only Level 32, he could very well rank among the top three in Combat Power across the five academies.
With the people from Thunder Academy taking their seats, all five Elemental Academies had gathered.
"I really didn't expect this! Skywater Academy never accepts male students, yet you've made an exception. Those two male students must be very talented." The vice dean leading Divine Wind said.
"Hehe, they really are talented young men. You'll see for yourselves soon," Skywater Dean said with a smile.
At that moment, Blazing Fire Vice Dean chimed in. "Looks like Skywater is finally going to show its strength this year! But Blazing Fire is aiming for first place, and we won't go easy on you just because this year's Exchange Meeting is on your home turf."
"First place? Hehe, Divine Wind has taken first place three years running. Naturally, it'll be ours again this year!"
Though it seemed like nothing more than a competition focused on friendly sparring and exchange, the deans leading each academy and the students had already begun competing under the surface, each refusing to give an inch.
There was clearly a whiff of gunpowder in the air. Everyone seemed to take this Exchange Meeting and its final results very seriously.
Ye Wen finally understood why all five academies cared so much about a competition with prize money of just ten thousand Gold Soul Coins.
It was all about competition, and showing off their superiority.
"It's about time. Shall we begin?"
"Sure, let's get started."
"I hereby declare the Five Element Academy Exchange officially open!" At Skywater Dean's announcement, the atmosphere at the venue was completely ignited.
The flags representing Divine Wind, Blazing Fire, Thunder, Elephant Armor, and Skywater were raised. Beneath each flag was a display screen, each showing a score of 0.
The screens were there to keep track of each academy's points.
"Now, please have the first-year students from all five academies come up and draw lots."
Three first-year students from each academy—Divine Wind, Skywater, Blazing Fire, Thunder, and Elephant Armor—came up to draw lots, making fifteen in all. Their opponents were soon decided.
"First match of the first-year division, Five Element Academy Exchange!"
"Wang Yaoyao of Skywater Academy versus Li Qiang of Blazing Fire Academy!"
In the seats, Wang Yaoyao, a first-year girl from Skywater, stood up nervously. She was only six years old, and of course she was nervous about facing this kind of competition.
She looked toward Ye Wen, who was seated beside her among the second-years, and said timidly, "Senior Ye Ye Wen, c-could you give me some encouragement? You're my idol. If you cheer me on, I'll be much more motivated."
Ye Wen paused. He was very popular at Skywater, and quite a few junior and senior girls did admire him.
Looking at the shy, bashful junior, Ye Wen's expression softened. He reached out and patted her on the head. "Come on, Yaoyao. Don't be nervous. Believe in yourself. You can do it."
"Mm! Thank you, Senior Ye Wen!" Wang Yaoyao clenched her little fists, suddenly filled with strength, and bravely stepped onto the fighting platform.
As soon as the junior girl took the stage, she released her Martial Soul. It was also a type of fish Martial Soul.
The two immediately began fighting. After all, they were both first-years and had only been at school for half a year. Their moves were still clumsy and immature, full of openings, and their fighting abilities were about the same.
Those chosen to compete in the Exchange Meeting were all geniuses in their year. So in Ye Wen's eyes, the first-years' matches came down to who could hold on longer, who worked harder, who wanted to win more, and who was braver.
"Hyah!"
Bang!
"Ah!"
With Ye Wen's encouragement, the junior girl fought with all her might and successfully defeated her opponent, getting Tianshu Academy off to a good start.
"Beautifully done, Junior Yaoyao!"
The senior girls cheered enthusiastically for the junior. Ye Wen smiled faintly at the sight. "Not bad."
Seeing the smiles on the other students' faces after the junior girl's victory, Ye Wen felt, for the first time at Skywater Academy, a sense of belonging—as if he were part of the group.
"Skywater Academy earns one point!"
The score on the screen beneath Skywater's flag changed from 0 to 1.
After a student finished a match, the next one wouldn't begin right away. There would be a break before the second round started, after all the other first-year students had finished competing.
The first round was soon over.
Then came the second round. Wang Yaoyao took the stage again, this time facing a boy from Elephant Armor Academy, and she managed to win again!
In the third round, Wang Yaoyao defeated a boy from Divine Wind Academy.
Three wins in a row!
Everyone was amazed.
"What's gotten into Yaoyao today? She's unstoppable!" Shui Bing'er exclaimed in surprise.
"Looks like an idol's influence is powerful, Junior Ye Wen," a few senior girls teased.
"Hehe." Ye Wen smiled without saying anything more.
Soon, the fourth round of the first-year division began. This time, Junior Yaoyao faced a boy from Thunder Academy.
Thunder Academy represented the Lightning Attribute; Divine Wind represented wind, Blazing Fire represented fire, Elephant Armor represented earth, and Skywater represented water.
Among the attributes of the five Elemental Academies, Thunder's was actually the one that countered Skywater the most.
That was because lightning could travel through water, increasing its power and range.
Skywater had lost to Thunder Academy most of the time. That was why Skywater had only placed third last time, and why it had struggled to take first place at the Exchange Meeting.
Because of the attribute disadvantage, Junior Yaoyao's winning streak finally came to an end, and she lost to Thunder.
Still, she'd done well.
There were thirty matches in each year, worth thirty points in total. Split evenly among five academies, that came to six points each. Junior Yaoyao had earned three points all by herself. That was already quite good.
The first-year competition soon ended.
Skywater: 7 points.
Divine Wind: 7 points.
Thunder: 6 points.
Blazing Fire: 5 points.
Elephant Armor: 5 points.
Skywater and Divine Wind were currently tied for first!
"Now, please have all the second-year students from the five academies come up and draw lots."
"Finally, it's our turn. Come on, Evil Tiger, Xiao Bai. Let's get Skywater a perfect twelve points."
"Sure thing, Boss."
Ye Wen slowly rose from his seat. All three wore looks of absolute confidence. To them, fighting second-year students from the other academies was like an adult bullying a child.
They might not be able to secure the championship for Skywater in the end, but at least in the second-year division, they could dominate completely and help Skywater build a huge lead.
Sure enough, once the competition began,
Xiao Bai and Evil Tiger easily defeated their opponents with overwhelming strength.
Soon, it was Ye Wen's turn to take the stage.
"Next, Ye Wen of Skywater Academy will face Lei Yu of Thunder Academy. Will both students please come to the stage?"
"Junior Ye Wen!"
"Junior Ye Wen!"
"Junior Ye Wen!"
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