"Without Abyssal Armaments to resist mental interference, facing Kylen is truly futile!"
"Look, the people from Icefield Contract Academy celebrated too early. Did they really think this Frostwind Path is their home turf?"
Discussions among the audience at the Stellar Plaza continued to surge.
The giant floating scoreboard in the sky refreshed the rankings in real time:
1st Place: Kylen, 60 Points (Eliminated 5 contestants + Slain 1 Spirit Beast)
2nd Place: Sylvia, 20 Points
3rd Place: Brandt, 20 Points...
The trial had just begun, yet many contestants had already been eliminated.
The gap between ordinary geniuses and top-tier geniuses was like an insurmountable chasm.
The severe cold and magic scarcity of the Frostwind Path could stop mediocrities, but not true powerhouses.
Kylen sat on the shoulder of the Frost Giant, with Avelia leaning lazily on his lap.
The two had just slain a simulated Spirit Tribe creature, earning 10 points, but they did not obtain the legendary "Spirit Core" that could enhance mental power. After all, these were only creations generated by the simulation domain.
"What are you doing?" Avelia looked curiously as Kylen bit his fingertip and dropped a few drops of blood on the ice crystals along the way.
"The top of the mountain will most likely be a melee. I'm making some preparations first," Kylen explained.
Avelia stared reluctantly at the blood, regretting that her rations were going to lure the beasts in the mountains.
But she also understood this was to deal with the legendary Spirit Demon Queen Sylvia.
"Let's go to the top."
"Hmm."
The 3,000-meter-high ice crystal mountain range was nothing more than a casual walk for Contractors who had reached the Ascension Realm.
About an hour and a half later, Kylen and Avelia successfully reached the summit.
On the other side of the summit, several familiar figures were already waiting—Brandt and Nia from Riverside Beast Contract Academy, as well as Fritz, who ranked among the top 30 on the potential list.
Brandt was a little surprised to see Kylen, and then a hint of vigilance flashed in his eyes.
The scoreboard in the sky announced again:
"Kylen from Saint Laurent Academy successfully reaches the summit. Points +100! Current total points: 160!"
"Brandt from Riverside Beast Contract Academy successfully reaches the summit. Points +100! Current total points: 120!"
Kylen did not rush to act. He whispered to Avelia: "Can you sense her?"
Avelia nodded gently: "Yes, she's nearby, but she hasn't shown herself." The special connection between Origin Sequences would not be wrong.
Even if they couldn't lock onto the exact location, they could confirm that Sylvia was not far away.
"Wait," Kylen said in a deep voice.
On the other side, Nia leaned close to Brandt and whispered a proposal: "Brandt, he's alone. Let's make a move. If we can eliminate him here, Riverside Beast Contract Academy can at least secure second place this year!"
Brandt shook his head. "No, our companions are still behind. Besides, look over there..." Nia followed his gaze and saw irregular magic fluctuations faintly in the wind and snow, clearly some kind of disguise technique.
She immediately understood and called out loudly: "Genius from Imperial Contract Academy, why hide in the shadows?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the wind and snow suddenly dissipated. Sylvia walked out of the ice crystal mist, her silver-white long hair fluttering in the wind.
She floated in mid-air, surrounded by faint spatial fluctuations. Her appearance was as exquisite as an elf carved from ice and snow.
Even with light makeup, she was enough to make any male Contractor's heart flutter.
"I thought you would make the first move," Sylvia's voice was soft. "If you're willing to wait for the trial to end, I don't mind being a spectator." Her gaze lingered on Kylen for a moment, and a hint of thought flashed in her eyes.
In fact, Kylen and Brandt already had enough points to advance to the elimination round, but no one was willing to stop here.
Eliminating competitors one step earlier could clear obstacles for the subsequent decisive battle.
They bore the hopes of their respective academies and war zones, and there was no reason to retreat.
Confrontation quietly spread, and the howling wind and snow seemed to freeze at this moment. At the Stellar Plaza, the originally noisy audience lowered their voices one after another, whispering:
"I didn't expect the three championship favorites to meet after reaching the summit!"
"From the looks of it, they're going to settle the score before the promotion round!"
"Most contestants are still trapped halfway up the mountain, and these three are already going to fight a decisive battle!"
"The first battle is the decisive battle. This is wonderful!"
"There's still an hour and a half left. They're definitely going to fight!"
"Who will win?"
"It's hard to say. The three seem evenly matched in strength!"
In the commentary booth, Quentin, a Star-Ranked Mentor from Zephyr Contract Academy, sighed. "I really didn't expect the three seeded contestants to meet here in advance! Your Excellency Urien, who do you think has a better chance of winning?"
Urien responded cautiously. "In terms of pure strength, the three may be inseparable. Originally, I thought Sylvia and Brandt had a slight advantage, but Kylen's true combat power shown just now exceeded expectations.
It's really hard to predict now. However, Sylvia's chances of winning are still not low.
Her personal combat power is comparable to that of a high-tier contracted creature.
Coupled with Sequence No.26 Snowblossom Spirit, her combat power is comprehensive."
The confrontation did not last long.
Kylen could faintly sense that the beasts stained with his blood were rapidly approaching the summit.
He was not sure what tricks Brandt and Sylvia had up their sleeves, but he must firmly seize his own opportunity.
Fritz leaned close to Brandt and whispered a few words. Brandt nodded slowly, then suddenly snapped off an ice crystal branch beside him.
His S-rank Talent Piercing Impulse was activated instantly.
The ordinary branch was endowed with terrifying penetration power, turning into a stream of light that broke through the wind and snow, attacking both Kylen and Sylvia at the same time!
The battle was imminent!
Avelia instantly condensed three layers of crimson goo shields in front of Kylen.
The ice crystal branch penetrated two layers of shields before being completely dissolved by the goo.
In front of Sylvia, violent spatial fluctuations erupted. The distorted magic field directly tore the surprise attack branch to shreds.
In the same instant, the three rushed toward the center of the summit at the same time, and the three-way melee officially began!
Beneath Sylvia's feet, Sequence No.26 Snowblossom Spirit bloomed wildly.
Ice and snow roses bloomed on the ice crystal ground, and vines with tough thorns spread like living creatures, trying to bind everyone.
Behind Avelia, dozens of crimson goo prismatic cores quickly connected, forming an assimilation network covering the entire field.
The mental fluctuations of Primordial Assimilation spread.
She did not activate the eternal trait immediately, knowing that Sylvia's S-rank talent was related to mental power, and ordinary mental interference would have a limited effect.
This move was only to force the opponent to distract themselves.
Brandt had already summoned his contracted creature, Sequence No.14 Celestial Tortoise.
This abyssal creature, famous for its defense, unfolded a pale golden spiritual shield that could block most attacks and even weaken mental intrusion, perfectly making up for the defensive shortcomings of his offensive talent.
The erosion of crimson goo, the binding of ice and snow roses, the penetrating surprise attacks, the indestructible shield… In the wind and snow at the top of the ice crystal mountain, the collision of the three sides' combat power erupted into dazzling light.
A peak duel that would determine the promotion situation was unfolding fiercely under the gaze of tens of thousands of people!