Two SSR-Rank Cards? Is the Winner About to Be Decided?

"The match begins!"

At the host's command.

The entire audience held its breath.

On the arena, Lin Xia and Qin Tianyu leaped toward each other without hesitation.

The chance to legally beat up someone they hated—they had both been waiting for this moment for a long time!

"Bang!"

Their fists collided, and the impact sent out a shockwave with a dull thud.

"Ooh! What a perfectly matched punch!"

Shan Ming began his commentary. "As Awakeners who both specialize in fighting, they've chosen to test each other out with hand-to-hand combat first!

It seems Lin Xia and Qin Tianyu are both very cautious. They're not nearly as aggressive as I expected!"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!"

The next second, Lin Xia and Qin Tianyu launched into a fist-and-foot brawl.

They moved so fast that, to ordinary people, the whole fight was just a blur. It was impossible to make out their movements.

This was when the host's role became clear.

"A hit! Lin Xia's left fist has struck Qin Tianyu in the face!

Was Qin Tianyu careless?

Or could it be—"

Shan Ming suddenly paused, then excitedly changed course. "Qin Tianyu has counterattacked! He kicked Lin Xia in the stomach!"

"Ugh—!"

The audience let out a series of gasps.

Meanwhile, Lin Xia and Qin Tianyu's brawl continued.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!!"

The two of them managed to block almost all of each other's attacks.

Only on rare occasions did either one get hit.

But whether Lin Xia was struck in the stomach and cried out in pain, or Qin Tianyu got punched in the face hard enough to spray saliva, neither of them let it keep them from quickly returning to the fight.

"What is Qin Tianyu doing?" Principal Tao furrowed his brows. "Is he even taking this seriously? How could he be locked in such a stalemate with Lin Xia?!"

"Haha, it seems Principal Tao is getting a little anxious."

Principal Yan, seated in the private room across from him, saw Principal Tao's expression and raised the corners of his mouth. "We've barely started, and you're already losing your composure?"

"Looks like this is his first taste of Lin Xia's 'surprises.'"

Teacher Xiao Ya smiled playfully, her eyes full of affection for Lin Xia. "Unlike us, who've been so shocked by Lin Xia for so long that we're practically numb to it!"

"Whoosh—!"

Lin Xia and Qin Tianyu reached an unspoken agreement. They both withdrew their attacks and jumped back, putting more than ten meters between them.

"Damn... I really underestimated you!"

Qin Tianyu panted heavily. Beads of sweat rolled down his slightly flustered face.

"Whew..."

Lin Xia wiped off his sweat and regulated his breathing. "You're not bad."

"Hand-to-hand combat takes a tremendous amount of stamina. When the fighters are evenly matched, their endurance drops even faster!"

Shan Ming watched the two of them panting heavily, their faces exhausted, then adjusted his sunglasses. "After they've rested, will they keep fighting hand to hand, or switch to another style of combat?"

"Now this is what I call a real match."

General Liu Jie beamed and excitedly patted his adjutant on the shoulder. "What kind of nonsense were the previous two Challenge Tournaments? The Imperial University contestants were completely helpless against Qin Tianyu. How could you call that a match?

Anyone who didn't know better would think they were playing house!"

"Yes, yes, the general is right."

The adjutant nodded, though he felt a little unaccustomed to this.

He had been with General Liu Jie for so long, and this was the first time he had seen him so excited.

Usually, General Liu Jie wore a stern expression around the clock, making people afraid to approach him.

Still, setting aside the general's unusual enthusiasm, the adjutant also thought this match was truly exciting. It was in a completely different league from the previous two years.

By now, Lin Xia had caught his breath.

He rolled his shoulders, pinched his fingers, and summoned a golden Card.

Across from him, Qin Tianyu had already taken out his Cards.

But he had taken out two Gold Cards at once.

"Whoa!" Shan Ming's voice rose with excitement. "It looks like these two also think hand-to-hand combat isn't much to watch. They're bringing out their trump cards!

As expected of the top students at their respective schools. They pull out SSR-rank Gold Cards as casually as anything. You'd think Cards of this quality were easy to come by!

According to statistics, only about three percent of people across the entire Great Xia Empire own SSR Cards!

But Qin Tianyu clearly has the advantage. After all, he's pulled out two SSR-rank Cards at once!

Once he summons his companions, Lin Xia will be at a numerical disadvantage!

Does that mean the scales of the match are about to tip?"

Hearing the host's words imply that Lin Xia was weaker than Qin Tianyu, Principal Tao grinned from ear to ear.

"Good! Don't give Lin Xia a chance. Crush him outright!"

"That doesn't seem fair. Qin Tianyu awakened two years earlier than Lin Xia, so he has more Cards... The Challenge Tournament should impose restrictions to make things fair, shouldn't it?"

"That's not right at all. Aren't you two years older than Lin Xia too? No, wait—you're three years older, aren't you?

So how many SSR-rank Cards do you have?

None, right?

Then Qin Tianyu has more Cards because he has the strength to earn them!"

The crowd erupted in heated discussion.

Some thought the match was unfair, while others felt Qin Tianyu hadn't broken any rules.

"Oh no, that shameless Qin Tianyu is picking on my brother Xia just because he's a freshman!"

Xu Jian repeatedly rubbed his face, looking worried.

"He really has no honor. He knows his opponent only has one SSR Card, and he still brings out two..." Liu Yucheng said contemptuously. "Even if he wins, it won't be anything to brag about!"

"Ahem..."

Wu Ziyang coughed, recalling the SSR-rank Vegeta he had seen in the Otherworld. "I think the match is fair."

"How is that fair?!"

Zhu Tingyu glared fiercely at Wu Ziyang. "Are you hoping Lin Xia loses?!"

At that, Wu Ziyang shrugged and said nothing. Instead, he wore an expression that said, You'll see in a moment.

At the same time, the smiles on the faces of Imperial University's school leaders in the private room froze.

They knew just how powerful characters summoned from SSR-rank Cards were.

So when they saw Qin Tianyu's two Cards, all their earlier excitement vanished at once.

"When did that kid get a second SSR-rank Card?!"

Director Xie Feng was the first to ask the question on everyone's mind.

As far as they knew, Qin Tianyu had only had one SSR Card. His other Cards had been A-rank at best.

No one answered Director Xie Feng.

The private room fell silent.

A sense of defeat weighed on everyone's hearts.

Was Imperial University really about to lose its place at the top?

Was the same script about Imperial University's students being crushed at the Challenge Tournament about to play out again?

"Is it over just like that?"

General Liu Jie's smile froze.

SSR-rank summons were nothing like SR- or S-rank ones. There were several tiers between them.

The moment Qin Tianyu pulled out two SSR Cards, Lin Xia's defeat was all but certain!

And that instantly extinguished General Liu Jie's excitement, just when he'd been getting absorbed in the match.