Grade Tournament

It was a bright, sunny day.

After lunch, the four brothers of Dormitory 1987 all donned their sky-blue robes, the standard uniform issued by the academy. Because of his long-term physical training, the slender Lin Feng looked particularly charming in the sky-blue robe.

At this moment, the four brothers were walking along, chatting about everything under the sun.

"By the way, Lin Feng, I heard you've been getting quite close to a young girl from the Wind department lately!" George looked at Lin Feng and said with a chuckle.

Hearing this, Lin Feng didn't shy away; there was no need to hide anything from his brothers.

"Second Brother, her name is Dilia, and she's in my class."

"Tsk, 'classmate,' my foot. I think she's practically our sister-in-law already, isn't she? Haha, Third Brother, you've gotten ahead of us brothers." Yale, walking beside them, also began to tease Lin Feng.

"No wonder. Third Brother is a super-grade talent in both Earth and Wind, and even his Fire affinity is mid-grade, yet I've never seen him attend a single Earth or Fire class. Instead, he doesn't miss a single Wind class." Hearing his two older brothers teasing Lin Feng, Reynolds, the youngest of the four, didn't want to be outdone and chimed in to mock him. Under Yale's influence, this innocent youth had already "gone astray."

Since it had been brought out into the open, Lin Feng stopped covering it up and admitted directly, "So what if I am? Look at us—we're all brothers, but I've already got a girlfriend while you guys don't. You've already been outdone by me; you'd better hurry up and find someone."

Stung by Lin Feng's counterattack, George and the others felt a bit sheepish, especially Yale. He had been the loudest, declaring on the first day of school that he would find a girlfriend at Ernst Institute, but now that over half a year had passed, he hadn't made a single move.

Another month passed.

In the first-year Wind department classroom.

"Lin Feng, you're here." As soon as Lin Feng sat down, a very cute young girl sat down beside him.

Lin Feng glanced at the girl and said with a smile, "Dilia, you're here quite early. There's still quite a while before class starts."

After more than half a year of spending time together, Dilia was no longer as shy as she had been when they first met.

"I knew you'd come early." Dilia's eyes crinkled into crescents as she smiled.

Time flew by as the two chatted, and before they even realized it, the class had already begun.

"Alright, today's lesson ends here. However, before we dismiss, I have something to tell everyone," Teacher Trey said with a smile.

The students below immediately began to whisper among themselves.

"The older students should already know that we at Ernst Institute have a rule: in the last month or two of every year, we hold a 'Grade Tournament.' The annual 'Grade Tournament' is the liveliest time for our entire academy, and achieving victory in it makes it easier to be rated as an outstanding student upon graduation. By the time you graduate, I expect the four great empires will be eagerly inviting you," Teacher Trey said with a laugh.

The students below immediately became excited.

Ernst Institute was a gathering place for geniuses. And geniuses all had one bad habit: they were hard to convince!

Therefore, the annual Grade Tournament became an opportunity for these geniuses to make a name for themselves. Almost ninety percent of the students would pay attention to the tournament, and anyone with a bit of strength would participate.

"Naturally, our Wind department must also compete. Those willing to sign up, come and tell me," Teacher Trey said with a smile, though his gaze drifted toward Lin Feng.

"Teacher, I'm willing!" Many students below immediately began to sign up excitedly.

"Good." Trey immediately took out paper and a quill to start recording, but after recording a dozen students, he noticed that Lin Feng and Dilia were still chatting away, showing no intention of coming up to sign up.

Trey walked down.

Lin Feng looked up and immediately called out respectfully, "Teacher Trey." Dilia, beside him, also bowed respectfully.

Teacher Trey nodded with a smile and said, "Lin Feng, this Grade Tournament is a great opportunity for training. I believe almost all the elites of the first year will participate. Why aren't you signing up? Such an opportunity is rare."

"I'm not interested," Lin Feng said directly.

Teacher Trey couldn't help but be stunned.

"Lin Feng, you don't know this, but if you win this Grade Tournament, there are some rewards," Teacher Trey tempted him again.

Lin Feng curled his lip upon hearing this. He naturally knew there were rewards for winning, but those rewards weren't the gold coins he desperately needed; they were better living conditions, which was why he had no interest in the tournament. With his current strength as a level-six mage, even sixth-year students would find it hard to defeat him, let alone these first-year students. He had no interest in a "grown-up" like him fighting a bunch of little kids.

"I'm not participating," Lin Feng insisted.

Teacher Trey grew a bit anxious. In reality, Trey was also a sixth-year student, and if he could get his own student into the top three, not only would he receive rewards, but it would also be a matter of great pride. Young people were all concerned with face.

But since Lin Feng himself didn't want to participate, there was nothing Trey could do. He couldn't exactly force Lin Feng to compete, could he?

Dilia, sitting next to Lin Feng, was also confused by his decision. She didn't understand why Lin Feng would give up such an opportunity to gain both fame and fortune.

The academy was bustling with the Grade Tournament, but Lin Feng's routine remained unbroken; he continued to cultivate diligently.

The Grade Tournament arena.

The students of Ernst Institute were all heaven-sent prodigies!

Each match in the arena was spectacular. The first-year matches were a back-and-forth of fireballs, lightning, and Wind Blades. The third and fourth-year matches were even more exciting, featuring various support spells and area-of-effect attacks, such as Crushing Stone, where dozens or even hundreds of large rocks would smash down from above, and lightning would strike continuously.

As for the fifth and sixth-year matches, they were even more astonishing.

All sorts of dazzling magic appeared one after another, with terrifying explosions and thunderous booms echoing incessantly. The cheers of the students watching from below rose and fell, and the atmosphere reached its peak. The vast majority of the academy had gathered here.

The Grade Tournament lasted for nearly a month, and this month was the liveliest and craziest time for the entire Ernst Institute. During these bustling days, Lin Feng only occasionally watched the fifth and sixth-year matches; for the rest of the time, he spent it quietly cultivating alone.

"This competition even has rules against intentionally killing someone. Can a competition with so many restrictions even be called a competition?"

Under the influence of Doehring Cowart, Lin Feng was quite disdainful of this kind of showy competition.

"Lin Feng, your current task is to cultivate well and accumulate strength. As for combat experience, once you pass this year's academy test, I will take you into the Magical Beast Mountain Range. You can accumulate it through real life-and-death trials on the edge of the Magical Beast Mountain Range," Doehring Cowart advised Lin Feng.