"Teacher," Song Jie called out toward the passage, his tone light and teasing, "they're too weak. You should send in two more, or people will say I'm bullying them."
As soon as those words left his mouth, the students waiting in line erupted in anger.
Was he seriously looking down on them?!
Granted, two groups had already gone in, and not one of them lasted more than ten seconds against his summoned beast — but still, this was too humiliating!
A student shouted, "Teacher, he asked for it! Let's send two more!"
The previous groups had all been beginner-level mages, so this next batch figured that six people together might at least last longer than the others.
The teacher hesitated — he was only supposed to send in four challengers at a time — but a voice crackled through his earpiece.
"It's fine. Let all six go."
"Alright," the teacher announced. "All six of you, get ready!"
The six students exchanged confident grins. Six against one — how could they possibly lose?
Across the arena, Song Jie watched them approach without a trace of concern.
One of them sneered, "Song Jie, you brought this on yourself!"
They spread out strategically, forming a loose ring around him.
"Oh?" Song Jie said with a faint smile. "You've actually gotten smarter."
"Let's see how you deal with us when we split up!" one of them mocked. "You can't possibly hit all of us at once."
Their plan was simple: four of them would distract his summoned beast, while the other two rushed Song Jie directly.
Song Jie tilted his head. "So, you're pretending I don't exist?"
Before they could respond, a flash of brilliant golden light flared from his palm — so dazzling that several of them instinctively shielded their eyes.
"Crap! That's Glorious Light – Blindness!"
But by the time the boy shouted, it was already too late.
A blinding radiance engulfed the entire stage.
When it faded a moment later, only Song Jie and Xiaolu stood there unharmed.
The six challengers lay scattered across the arena floor — one of them slumped against the wall, eyes wide in disbelief.
The audience gasped.
"No way! He took down six people just like that?!"
They'd expected a fierce battle — six opponents should have forced Song Jie to show some effort.
But once again, he finished the fight in under ten seconds.
By now, Song Jie had defeated fourteen students in less than half a minute.
"Wait… he just used both Summoning and Light magic. Does that mean he's a mid-level mage?"
"His Light Element must've reached the intermediate level!"
"So what? Light's mostly defense and support. What can one mid-level mage do against hundreds?"
Murmurs filled the hall, though no one dared underestimate him anymore.
"Teacher," Song Jie called again, smirking, "send six more. These ones were useless."
That line was enough to set off the crowd completely.
"A warrior can be killed but not humiliated!" someone shouted from the queue.
"Even if it drains us dry, we're taking him down!"
"Yeah! Let's crush him!"
Just then, a calm voice broke through the noise.
"Everyone, hold up," said a boy with black glasses, stepping forward confidently.
"I'm a mid-level mage. The five of you, follow my lead."
A murmur ran through the line.
A mid-level mage already?
Among the freshmen, that was no small feat — a true prodigy.
"Boss, we'll follow your orders!" one of them said eagerly.
"With you leading, this guy's doomed!" another added.
The six of them formed up with newfound confidence, their faces set in determination.
Even the students behind them looked on with envy.
"Just stick to my plan, and we'll win easily," the boy with glasses said, pushing up his frames with a smirk.
Song Jie, watching from across the field, narrowed his eyes.
Finally, someone with a bit of confidence. Let's see how long it lasts.
The six challengers stopped just outside the arena, exchanging quick glances before stepping in all at once.
They immediately began tracing their Star Tracks, forming rings of light beneath their feet as they prepared to cast.
But before they could unleash their spells—
Song Jie had already moved far across the stage, well outside their casting range.
"...Seriously?" one of them muttered, his spell faltering.
"Are you kidding me?!" another shouted. "He's hiding already?!"
The boy with glasses frowned deeply.
He hadn't expected Song Jie to be cautious. His entire plan — a coordinated strike — fell apart before it began.
"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath. "You think you can just run?!"
Song Jie smiled faintly. "You can't hit me... but I can hit you."
With a wave of his hand, Xiaolu's vines erupted from the ground, twisting and surging toward the six challengers like green serpents.
"Hold them off! I'll deal with him myself!" the boy with glasses barked, dashing to the side to flank Song Jie.
But Song Jie's eyes gleamed. "Xiaolu."
The vines immediately shifted direction, converging on the boy with glasses instead.
His face paled. "He tricked us!"
"Ice Lock! Ice Chains!"
Frosty blue chains burst forth, clashing with the vines midair — but Xiaolu's power was overwhelming.
Before he could form another spell, vines erupted from behind, wrapping tightly around him.
"Water Barrier, Guard!"
He tried to shield himself, but the vines tore through, cocooning him completely before hurling him out of the ring like a bundled sack.
It was over in less than four seconds.
The audience was stunned silent.
Even with a mid-level mage on their side, the six challengers had fallen faster than anyone before them.
Song Jie turned to the remaining five, smiling faintly.
"Your turn."
The students watching felt their scalps go numb.
Even the mid-level mage didn't last five seconds!
Was this guy even human?
...
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