Stopped at the Semifinals

In the semi-finals, Lin Qin faced off against Linley. This duel between fellow townsmen from Wushan Town drew the eyes of the entire academy.

On the arena stage, the two stood facing each other. Linley's gaze was earnest; he knew how solid and troublesome Lin Qin was. Lin Qin's expression was calm, regarding Linley as an opponent against whom he had to give his all.

The referee announced the start.

Linley struck first, instantly casting countless wind blades that swept forward, covering most of the arena. Lin Qin swung his broadsword, his battle qi forming a barrier that blocked all the wind blades as he pressed forward with steady footsteps.

Linley tapped his staff against the ground, triggering the earth-elemental magic Earthquake Technique, causing the arena to shake. Battle qi erupted beneath Lin Qin's feet, keeping him as steady as a rock, while his left hand swept out, causing several Earth Spike Spears to erupt from the ground around Linley, restricting his movement.

Linley's figure was agile, like willow catkins in the wind, easily dodging the Earth Spike Spears while his chanting never ceased. A powerful Earth Prison Technique formed instantly, attempting to trap Lin Qin.

Lin Qin slashed his broadsword fiercely, his level-six battle qi erupting, and combined with a sliver of understanding regarding the structure of earth elements, he forcibly cleaved the earth prison open. But in that brief moment of delay, Linley's next round of attacks had already arrived.

"Swish, swish, swish—"

Wind Arrow spells, containing immense piercing power, shot over like a torrential storm, their speed far exceeding his previous magic. Lin Qin's pupils constricted as he instantly cast an earth wall to defend.

"Puff, puff, puff..." Under the dense barrage, the earth wall was quickly covered in cracks.

Lin Qin knew he could not remain on the defensive, so he lunged forward, attempting to close the distance. Linley had already anticipated this; with a light tap of his feet and the aid of Wind Walk Technique, his speed increased, allowing him to maintain distance from Lin Qin while simultaneously casting Gravity Technique down upon him.

Lin Qin's body sank, his speed dropping sharply. He let out a low growl, pushing his battle qi to its limit to resist the gravity, but his movements were still affected.

Seizing the opportunity, Linley stopped using low-level magic to harass him and began chanting for higher-level spells. The wind and earth elements in the air fluctuated violently.

Lin Qin felt a strong sense of threat and knew he had to interrupt Linley. He abandoned his straight-line pursuit, changing his footwork to advance in a zigzag pattern while continuously casting Earth Spike Spears to interfere.

However, Linley's control over magic was far beyond his peers, and he was always able to dodge the interference with minimal movement, his chanting never stopping.

Finally, the magic was complete!

Countless massive stones appeared out of thin air, crashing down toward Lin Qin like meteors and sealing off all room for evasion—the level-five earth-elemental magic Meteor Fall! At the same time, streaks of sharp, enormous wind blades were hidden within the stone rain, arriving silently.

Lin Qin faced a desperate situation. He took a deep breath, plunged his broadsword into the ground before him, and pressed both hands to the earth, his internal battle qi and mental energy erupting with unprecedented intensity!

"Boom!"

An incredibly thick, wide, and massive stone wall with dragon-scale-like ripples on its surface rose from the ground, firmly shielding him behind it. This was the current limit of his defense.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

The meteors slammed into the stone wall one after another, emitting deafening roars; the wall shook violently, and debris flew everywhere. The wind blades hidden within the stone rain were even more insidious, constantly slicing at the wall.

Lin Qin exerted all his strength to maintain the stone wall, his battle qi and mental energy depleting rapidly.

However, Linley's attacks did not stop. Under the cover of Meteor Fall, he completed his second level-five spell—Destruction Storm! The violent wind elements formed a massive tornado that tore through the air, sweeping toward Lin Qin from the side!

Most of Lin Qin's attention was drawn by the meteors in front; by the time he noticed the terrifying storm from the side, it was too late to mount an effective defense.

"Boom!!"

Destruction Storm slammed fiercely into the side of the stone wall! The wall, already bearing immense pressure from the front, finally reached its limit and shattered with a roar!

The powerful impact sent Lin Qin flying, landing heavily at the edge of the arena, his broadsword slipping from his grasp. A sweetness rose in his throat, and a mouthful of blood surged up, only for him to forcibly swallow it back down. His internal battle qi was in chaos, and his mental energy was completely exhausted.

He struggled to stand, only to see Linley's staff already pointed at him, with the light of a new spell gathering.

The referee immediately appeared between the two and announced loudly, "Linley, winner!"

Thunderous cheers and discussions erupted from the crowd. Linley's strength had left a deep impression on everyone.

Lin Qin stood up slowly and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He walked to the center of the arena, picked up his broadsword, and nodded to Linley. "Congratulations."

Linley also put away his staff and said earnestly, "You are strong, Lin Qin. My victory was hard-won."

Lin Qin said nothing more and turned to walk off the arena. Aileen immediately came forward to support him, her eyes filled with heartache.

"I'm fine." Lin Qin shook his head. He looked at Linley, who was accepting cheers on the arena, his expression calm.

The elite tournament, for Lin Qin, had come to an end.