The qualifying round utilizes Saint Laurent Academy's top-tier arena.
Its marble floor is carved with ancient guardian runes, and the seats arranged in tiers can accommodate tens of thousands of spectators.
The arena stretches 500 yards by 800 yards. At its edges, four high-tier contracted creatures jointly maintain an absolute defense barrier, ensuring the energy impacts from the duel inside do not harm those outside.
Though the qualifying round attracts less attention than the Nine-Academy Alliance's main tournament, the venue is still packed to capacity.
The live broadcast viewership across the empire quickly surpassed 100 million views.
Isabella tried her best to calm her turbulent emotions as she slowly stepped into the arena.
Over the past three days, she had spent all her credits to buy high-tier sequence beast meat, finally advancing to the Ascension Realm on the eve of the qualifying round.
She muttered to herself: Just do your best, Isabella.
At the center of the arena hall, a Transcendence Realm referee said in a deep voice, "There are no restrictions on the use of Abyssal Armaments in the qualifying round. Both sides shall stop at the point of contact."
Lysander nodded gently. "Isabella, I hope you give it your all."
Isabella dared not slack off. She nodded in response. "Lysander, please teach me a lesson."
The duel began without delay. Remembering Seraphina's instructions, Isabella first pulled back to gather intelligence before figuring out her opponent's abilities.
Her A-rank talent, Star Gaze, was perfectly suited for this tactic. It allowed her to capture magic trails, emotional fluctuations, and even the energy cores of contracted creatures—things ordinary people could not detect.
As the contract light shone, a creature covered in snow-white downy fur emerged.
With wings spanning about ten yards, it was Sequence No. 176, the Silver-Winged Wind Chaser, a high-tier beast famous for its extreme mobility and impact power.
The tips of its wings glimmered with faint stardust.
"Silver Wing, carry me into the sky!" Isabella leaped lightly onto the beast's back.
The Wind Chaser flapped its wings, stirring up stardust-filled whirlwinds as it quickly climbed to fifty yards above the ground.
Lysander looked up at the figure in the air and raised his left hand slightly.
Isabella immediately activated Star Gaze, and tiny stars flickered in her pupils, then her face turned pale in an instant.
"How could that be..."
She was too late.
Lysander's S-rank talent, Spider Web Prison, had already spread silently.
Countless transparent threads with a cold metallic sheen extended from his fingertips, weaving like a spider web in the air to form an invisible aerial cage.
It blocked all of Isabella's evasion routes, and the edges of the threads even emanated faint cutting magic.
At the same time, his contracted creature appeared in response.
A humanoid crimson figure materialized, with ferocious spiral horns on its head and lava-like patterns flowing beneath its skin. The scorching aura distorted the surrounding air slightly.
Seraphina exclaimed in shock, "It's Sequence No. 41, the Blazing Lava Demon from the Lava Rift! Isabella! Concede immediately!"
Their attribute compatibility was a complete mismatch.
The threads of Spider Web Prison were as sharp as magic crystal blades.
If the Silver-Winged Wind Chaser tried to break free, it would be torn to pieces. And the Blazing Lava Demon's scorching breath spread along the threads, instantly surrounding Isabella.
"Lava Purgatory!"
Boom!
Scarlet-black infernal flames erupted along the thread network in an instant, mixed with small lava shards.
Knowing she was no match, Isabella quickly raised her hand and shouted,
"I con—"
Before she could finish speaking, Lysander shook his finger gently. The threads of Spider Web Prison suddenly contracted, squeezing the flames and lava shards together.
Boom!
"Isabella!" Sensing something was wrong, Seraphina rushed out instantly, her figure breaking through the defense barrier.
The on-site and live broadcast audiences erupted in frenzy.
Ordinary people did not notice the malice and lethality in Lysander's attack. They only cheered for the new generation's genius:
"This is the strength of an S-rank Contractor! The morning duels are nothing compared to this!"
"Ranked third among freshmen in potential—he truly lives up to his reputation!"
"The duel ended before I could even see the trajectory of Spider Web Prison... Is this the terror of an S-rank talent?"
"With Kylen and Lysander, Saint Laurent Academy is sure to make a comeback in this year's Nine-Academy Alliance Tournament!"
"Wait, the female Contractor doesn't look too good?"
"Hmph, weaklings don't deserve to stay in the academy! The empire invests huge sums of money to cultivate battlefield powerhouses, not delicate flowers in a greenhouse!"
...
Seraphina and the referee rushed into the inferno to rescue Isabella.
The Silver-Winged Wind Chaser had tried its best to protect her, but it was never good at defense.
Isabella suffered extensive burns all over her body and spat out a large mouthful of blood.
"Isabella, hurry! Find a healing-type Contractor immediately!" Seraphina suppressed her anger, unable to lash out in front of hundreds of millions of viewers.
When Isabella was carried off the arena, Kylen and his team gathered around her at once.
"Isabella, how are you?" Elara's eyes were filled with worry.
"Damn it, why did he have to resort to such ruthless tactics!" Victor clenched his fists.
Kylen stepped forward. "Mentor, let me handle this. Avelia."
Avelia nodded gently.
Scarlet light spots emanated from her body, and the power of Eternal Symbiosis surged quietly. Isabella's burns faded at a visible rate, and her damaged skin healed rapidly.
Seraphina's pupils contracted sharply.
She suddenly remembered the principal's warning during their meeting the other day. Avelia's abilities were far more than meets the eye.
Merely temporarily endowing the wounds with the trait of Eternal Symbiosis was enough to heal such severe burns.
Meanwhile, Lysander walked off the stage amid the audience's applause. His gaze swept over Kylen's group, carrying a hint of contempt.
Elara flew into a rage and questioned him, "Lysander! She already conceded Why did you still attack so ruthlessly?"
A half-smile curved on Lysander's lips, his tone condescending. "I didn't hear it. Besides, I already held back.
I never thought the Otherworldly Creatures Department's students were so fragile, unable to withstand even one of my moves.
On the contrary, you should thank me. If I had used a little more force, her contracted creature would have been reduced to ashes long ago."
Elara's chest heaved with anger, her body trembling. "You...!"
Lysander pushed her aside. "Get out of the way. This is Saint Laurent Academy; we don't welcome weaklings. Are all members of the Otherworldly Creatures Department just childish talkers? If you have the guts, settle it in the arena."
Elara gritted her teeth, nearly attacking on the spot, but Kylen reached out to stop her.
The moment their eyes met, the danger alarm in Lysander's mind blared instantly. He felt as if he was being targeted by a top predator, his mind shaking violently, truly a dangerous man.
Among the Otherworldly Creatures Department, only Kylen was worth fearing. Even Elara was no match for him. Kylen was an anomaly among anomalies.
But Lysander was no ordinary person either.
"What? Is the Otherworldly Creatures Department going to gang up on me?"
Kylen glanced down at Isabella, who had woken up with a pale face. This girl had always been enthusiastic.
She often helped gather various academy intelligence, and her coordination during the team training over the past few days had been invaluable. Someone from his team had been injured, and as the captain, he would naturally seek justice.
Kylen fell silent for a moment, his voice as cold as frost. "Tomorrow, I will personally shatter your kneecaps."
Contractors from the Practical Combat Department rushed over quickly. The two teams stood apart, the atmosphere tense and confrontational.
Lysander sneered. "Big words. You should first worry about getting past Thorne."
Thorne patted Lysander's shoulder, his gaze provoking Kylen. "Well done, Lysander. Heh, so this is the legendary Kylen? I thought he was something special. Kid, our duel is next. Do you dare to step onto the arena right now?"
The arena hall's referee announced loudly, "First duel, Practical Combat Department's Lysander wins!
Next up will be the only peak duel between S-rank Contractors in this year's qualifying round, Thorne from the Practical Combat Department versus Kylen from the Otherworldly Creatures Department!"
As the words fell, the spectators stood and erupted in thunderous cheers.
Kylen's performance in the entrance test had been too shocking. Audiences across the empire were eagerly awaiting his return. The live broadcast's comments almost overflowed the screen.
Kylen raised his eyes and glanced at Thorne, his voice low but clear. "Then prepare to regret being my opponent from your hospital bed, scum."
Thorne, who was nearly two meters tall, instantly had veins bulging on his forehead, his eyes wide with anger. "Heh, just as arrogant as the rumors say."
Lysander whispered a reminder. "Thorne, remember the mentor's instructions."
Thorne nodded, a confident light flashing in his eyes. "Don't worry, I will win. No one can keep up with my thunder and lightning. My attribute compatibility makes me the perfect counter to you."
The two stepped onto the center of the arena. The referee sighed softly and reminded them again, "You may use Abyssal Armaments, but remember to stop at the point of contact."
However, the fighting spirit and determination in Kylen and Thorne's eyes clearly showed they paid no heed to the words stop at the point of contact.
This was Saint Laurent Academy, a cradle that only nurtures the strong. The academy's senior management would rather have students injured in duels than see them helpless on the future abyssal battlefield.
Thorne spoke first, his tone filled with absolute confidence. "Do you think I'm like those losers in the entrance test? Unfortunately, drawing me is your misfortune. Kylen, today, you are just a challenger. I am the winner."