The boy who humiliated you was called Guan Ao, huh?
Long Fei paused, then said meaningfully,
Song Dongyuan lowered his voice and replied with some regret,
"Alas, if only we'd known he would become the Emperor's son-in-law. Then even the Jiang family would have to give him a little respect."
"I've looked into Jiang Mian's growth trajectory and deduced his strength. At most, he's only just entered the third tier of the Grand Mage realm."
"And Guan Ao is even more incredible. He's a legendary prodigy with a talent for the Great Mage realm! His magical power is already at the peak of the first tier!"
"He also has a special soul-bound artifact on him, and our academy gave him another soul-bound artifact."
Hearing this, Long Fei glanced at the somewhat frail-looking young man beside him.
"Really? Aren't soul-bound artifacts usually used by high-tier mages? A mage at the first tier shouldn't be able to control one, right?"
Long Fei's junior, Jiang Ming, asked curiously.
Song Dongyuan gave a knowing smile.
"The Starfall Realm gave him one too."
At the mention of the Starfall Realm, even Long Fei narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Looks like you're certain Jiang Mian will win. You're even willing to bring out something from the Starfall Realm?"
Long Fei looked toward Jiang Mian. His gaze was probing, but his tone was light.
"Hard to say. We won't know until we fight."
Song Dongyuan shook his head slightly. He didn't entirely agree with Long Fei's assessment.
"Jiang Mian's already been confirmed as a loss."
In the center of the arena,
the young man in ornate clothes stood there, looking just as arrogant as ever.
He glanced at the stands and asked in a rather disdainful tone,
"Guan Ao's only twenty, right? Jiang Mian just turned nineteen, and he's already spent more than a year at the peak of the first tier of the Great Mage realm."
"Besides, look at that radiance around Guan Ao. How many magical artifacts do you think he has?"
Long Fei rubbed his hands together.
"Artifacts are part of one's strength. Having a good background and a powerful family's magical inheritance means you're destined to go further."
"Have you forgotten who the first son-in-law of the Emperor's household was?"
Song Dongyuan frowned, but then let it go.
He could only sigh...
By then, the comparison between them was already too clear. Guan Ao had taken the stage.
He looked toward Jiang Mian, who was sitting alongside Kong Yufei. He couldn't help feeling jealous.
"Hey, why are you still sitting there? Hurry up and get down here!"
"If you don't dare come up, you can at least admit defeat."
Guan Ao raised his chin and said proudly.
He glanced at those legs of Jiang Mian's.
They were famous, and he knew that Jiang Mian's weakness was right there.
Perfect. He'd make him the laughingstock of the academy world!
From the capital to England...
He knew that even if he wasn't especially famous, some people were.
For example, England. There was that one little rascal there, and Guan Ao reckoned he'd shoved all the credit onto Jiang Mian...
Jiang Mian looked at him coldly from below.
He stood up and gathered his magical power.
Kong Yufei broke the silence, speaking with a worried look.
"Be careful. He won't be easy to deal with."
Jiang Mian didn't answer Kong Yufei. Instead, he gave her a smile that held a deeper meaning.
The two of them stood about a hundred meters apart.
At that moment, it was like dusk. The sunlight over half the arena had been blocked, turning it dark.
Guan Ao basked in the warm sunlight, his demeanor especially arrogant.
"See that? Even the heavens are saying you're going to lose."
After he finished speaking, Jiang Mian, standing in the darkness, ignored him completely.
The look in his eyes made him seem like a clown dancing around in front of him.
Guan Ao was very annoyed.
But he forced himself to calm down. This fight was more important than anything else.
"Are you ready?"
The chief judge looked at Jiang Mian and Guan Ao and asked.
Both men nodded, indicating that they were ready.
There wasn't a sound to be heard. Everyone watched the scene in tense silence.
Because the competition had been set up as a best-of-three match, this fight would determine the winner between the academy and the Emperor's household!
The result of this best-of-three match was extremely important!
"Clang—"
Accompanied by the sound of a bell, the chief judge began the match.
Guan Ao was the first to move. He raised his right hand, and a dark purple phantom emerged from his palm.
As his magical power surged, a long, half-meter-long scorpion tail, as thick as his forearm, appeared. It was an artifact with a soul bound to it!
The scorpion tail's sharp, purple tip scattered a chilling aura that made everyone's hearts tremble!
"That's a soul-bound artifact?!"
Someone in the stands cried out in disbelief.
"What's a soul-bound artifact?" Mo Fan asked curiously.
A few people nearby shared his confusion.
"The magical artifacts I use are mostly ordinary ones. Soul-bound artifacts, on the other hand, are usually only possessed by beings at the Great Mage level or higher!"
"Moreover, soul-bound artifacts are difficult to control. Most first-tier mages can't use them freely."
The aura around Guan Ao kept rising.
His narrow eyes remained fixed on Jiang Mian.
"Give up! That's something your muddy legs will never be able to deal with!"
"What, you still won't take those extras off?"
"If you don't surrender, you might not get another chance."
He warned Jiang Mian.
According to the capital's calculations,
Jiang Mian had deep magical reserves, powerful magic, and a high casting speed. He also possessed a rare spatial-type magical talent.
He also had a simple fighting style: strike fast and fight fast.
Guan Ao had no doubt that he was the superior opponent. His attacks relied on magical artifacts; as long as he dodged Jiang Mian's first few attacks, he could wear him down.
And his special magical artifact, the Starfall Realm, could briefly enhance its user's spiritual world and increase their spellcasting speed.
So...
"Instant Flash!"
Guan Ao chanted the spell. The stars fell into formation, and a starry formation suddenly took shape in the sky.
"Instant Flash!"
Someone in the stands cried out. It was an ability that was almost unheard of among first-tier mages!
Guan Ao's body turned into a streak of gray light and hurtled toward Jiang Mian, who was standing far away.
Jiang Mian's eyes narrowed.
"So that's what you were planning."
He'd just been in the spiritual world, sensing the stars and their patterns.
"Flames of Heaven!"
An immeasurable blaze erupted fifty meters around him. Flames surged into the sky and spread across the ground.
"Blazing Break!"
As his spell landed, the star formation emerged. Forty-nine scarlet stars scattered across the area like a shower of shooting stars.
Guan Ao wasn't impressed.
He had noticed Jiang Mian gathering power early on.
But casting first-tier magic would only make Guan Ao's own casting faster.
Because all he had to do was dodge once, and then, with his shadow magic, he could unleash that fire spell.
And once he did, Jiang Mian would be finished.
Jiang Mian, Jiang Mian... Just look at you, being so careless.
Guan Ao was already congratulating himself on his victory...
But fate had other plans!
Jiang Mian lowered his head and spoke slowly.
"Flame Dragon!!!"
It wasn't a fireball, nor an earthquake, nor a storm. It was a flame dragon!
A crimson dragon, its entire body wreathed in flames, rose from the burning inferno. It looked as though it were made of purple-gold, gleaming scales.
The terrifying flame dragon was as big as a small house!
In the ruined arena, just looking at it made one feel as if one's heart were being seized.
His adrenaline surged! But no matter how hard he tried, his body wouldn't move!
That was the instinctive reaction to a terrifying presence—not the result of an imposed compulsion!
Before you continue