The last five opponents were all beginner-level mages, unable to even get close to Song Jie.
In less than ten seconds, all five were swept out of the arena by Xiaolu's vines—completely eliminated.
Song Jie sighed and shook his head.
"It's barely enough to last thirty seconds. So weak."
The surrounding students were so furious that their back teeth nearly cracked.
Arrogant!
Far too arrogant!
Every student here was once the top of their previous school before entering Mingzhu Academy.
But in front of Song Jie, none of them had any way out.
Four rounds—twenty people in total—were defeated one after another.
Among them was even a mid-level mage, yet he too fell easily.
Still, they couldn't help but recognize Song Jie's extraordinary summoned beast.
Its plant-type attacks were incredibly fast—so fast they couldn't even react before being thrown out of the arena.
There was simply no chance to fight back.
The Teachers' Stand
In the faculty section, several professors and directors had watched everything unfold.
The professors from the dean's office sat in stunned silence.
None of them had expected Song Jie to train his summoned beast to such a powerful level in such a short time.
"Director Jiang, has Song Jie's summoned beast already reached the advanced stage?" one teacher asked.
Everyone turned to look at Jiang Yunming, who now wore a proud smile.
"Yes," Jiang Yunming replied. "Xiaolu completed its advancement just a few days ago."
As he spoke, he glanced over toward Professor Deng. Though he couldn't see Deng's expression clearly, he knew the old man must be panicking.
Another professor muttered, "Old Deng, with Song Jie's current strength, he might actually be able to take on a hundred opponents at once."
Old Deng snorted, trying to keep his composure.
"What's there to fear? There are many mid-level mages among the new students. You think they'll just sit and watch him take all the glory?"
His tone was confident, but his eyes betrayed uncertainty.
He had seen firsthand how Song Jie wasn't just strong—he was cunning. The mid-level mage had lost purely because he fell into Song Jie's trap.
No one else spoke, but the unspoken agreement hung heavy in the air:
They couldn't take back what had already been said.
The Students' Desperation
Having defeated another five opponents, Song Jie's total count reached twenty.
The queue of students glared at him, furious after hearing his mocking words.
Song Jie smiled faintly. He was doing it on purpose—provoking them to act recklessly.
Among so many students, only a few were calm and strategic.
If he could push most of them into acting on impulse, his plan would already be half complete.
"You four—yes, you look dissatisfied," Song Jie said, pointing at four students near the front of the line. "Come on up!"
The four stepped forward hesitantly—but two more followed behind them.
"Hey, hey, I said four. Not six," Song Jie scolded.
One of them protested, "Didn't you say six people could come?"
"That was before," Song Jie replied flatly. "Now, only four."
"This is too much!"
"I can't stand it anymore!"
"This is straight-up bullying!"
Soon the entire audience was in an uproar. Even those not in line could barely contain their anger.
Song Jie, however, looked quite satisfied with the chaos he'd stirred up.
"With so many of us, we'll drain him dry!"
"Yeah! He can't have endless magic power!"
"Let's see how long he lasts!"
They were ready to drag things out.
After all, every mage's magic energy eventually ran dry—and a summoned beast consumed energy too.
They just had to exhaust him. He couldn't last forever.
The Endless Challenge
The four beginner mages entered the field—only to be defeated within ten seconds.
"It's so useless. Teacher, send four more," Song Jie said with a faint smile.
The students in line cursed silently.
Before, six people might've stood a chance.
Now, sending four was like sending lambs to the slaughter.
But the teacher made the call, and they had no choice but to obey.
After several more minutes, the students watching from the stands grew numb.
Song Jie's summoned beast was simply too powerful. They couldn't resist it at all.
Observers' Commentary
Mu Lei watched another four get eliminated and said, "That makes forty people, right?"
"Exactly forty," Mu Nujiao confirmed, having kept count. "He's already defeated forty students."
Mu Lei laughed. "This guy's amazing. But if he keeps this up, every department will hate him. Life at school's gonna get tough."
Mu Nujiao frowned slightly, her worry clear.
She didn't believe Song Jie was acting out of arrogance.
He must have a reason—a plan behind all this.
"Look! His summoned beast looks worn out!" someone shouted suddenly.
Everyone's eyes turned to Xiaolu.
The little green creature was panting heavily, clearly exhausted.
"What a good chance! A few more rounds and his beast won't hold up!"
"Exactly! Once that thing collapses, he'll only have his Light Element left. Then he'll have to cower!"
Laughter and excited chatter spread like wildfire.
For the first time, the freshmen saw hope—they could finally beat Song Jie!
Mu Nujiao frowned deeper, tension knotting in her chest.
Even the students at the gate noticed Xiaolu's exhaustion and couldn't hide their excitement.
"Hey, brother, mind if I cut the line?" one asked.
"Get lost!" another snapped. "You just want to take the final blow!"
Now that Song Jie's summoned beast was weakening, everyone wanted to be the one to defeat him—it would make them famous across campus.
The Tide Turning?
"Teacher, send four more," Song Jie urged impatiently.
Hearing this, the students smiled knowingly.
He was forcing himself to act calm—Xiaolu was clearly reaching its limit.
Their chance had come.
Four more students stepped forward toward the arena.
"Hurry up, will you!" Song Jie said through clenched teeth.
The students burst into laughter. His impatience only confirmed their suspicions.
The match began.
This time, Xiaolu took twenty full seconds to defeat the four—twice as long as before.
Everyone grew excited. The momentum had shifted!
"Brother, let me cut in line and I'll introduce you to my sister!"
"Hey, bro, I heard you're into that. I'm into that too. Cut in line—tonight in the woods, you…"
The students joked and bantered, their morale restored.
...
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