The First Trial

With a few agile leaps and wall climbs, Lan Ruobing arrived at the academic building behind the main stage, the very spot where Xi Xue had stood moments before.

She exhaled softly, steadying herself, then turned her gaze to the competition grounds.

The first round of the Ability College Entrance Exam was being held across the entire martial arts arena, with no raised platforms or rings.

The rules stipulated that victory was achieved when an opponent was rendered incapable of resistance.

Contestants were permitted to use hidden weapons or weak poisons according to their specialties, but anything posing a severe threat to an opponent was strictly forbidden.

All items brought into the competition were subject to inspection by staff. Anyone caught bringing in unauthorized items or causing severe physical or mental harm to an opponent during a match would face severe penalties.

Referees were stationed throughout the arena, and medical personnel waited on standby at the rear of the field.

Now in the preparation phase, Xi Xue had emerged from the large crater, standing opposite her opponent, Lin Qiuyu, on either side of the central pit.

The referee stood between them, reminding both to prepare, while representatives from various universities and the chief examiner in the grandstand began to focus intently on the examination area.

The host continued with brief introductions for both contestants, revealing their public information.

Xi Xue’s public profile stated she was a Tier 5 Awakener, with an unknown ability, and was a mutated human.

Lin Qiuyu’s public information indicated she was a Tier 4 Awakener, with a wind ability, and was a normal human.

A large screen on the side of the main stage displayed a countdown.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4…

3!

2!

1!

The match began!

As the referee’s whistle pierced the air, the entire venue fell silent. The host, now fully focused, began to explain potentially confusing moments in the match, strategically posing questions to guide the audience’s mood.

Lan Ruobing walked to the edge of the academic building’s roof, watching with intense concentration.

According to the rules of the elimination tournament, Xi Xue was guaranteed to win this match. Eventually, it would be her turn to face Xi Xue.

She needed to analyze Xi Xue’s attack patterns to formulate a strategy. Even if she ultimately lost, she could at least score more points.

Indeed, judges awarded points based on performance during combat, a key aspect of the elimination round’s scoring. All scores would eventually be tallied to determine the final rankings.

Lan Ruobing clenched her fist. She resolved to unleash her full strength against Xi Xue, ensuring Xi Xue wouldn’t hold back or go easy on her due to their relationship. Such leniency would reveal their connection.

As the match commenced, both Xi Xue and Lin Qiuyu crouched low, and Lan Ruobing watched with unwavering attention.

Lin Qiuyu spread her hands, conjuring two swirling vortexes of fierce wind in her palms.

As she continued to channel her power, the vortexes grew progressively larger.

She glanced up at Xi Xue, noticing that her opponent had merely adopted a defensive stance, showing no immediate intention to attack.

Lin Qiuyu found herself in a dilemma.

Xi Xue’s strength undoubtedly surpassed her own. If possible, Lin Qiuyu preferred to react rather than initiate, fearing a swift counter by Xi Xue.

However, waiting might mean losing any chance to act. Perhaps an initial probe was the better option.

Ultimately, it depended on her on-the-spot reactions. She needed to seize an opportunity, at least to secure a spot in the top three.

As she looked at the stunning beauty before her, who had seized her title as campus belle just a month after arriving, a pang of jealousy stirred within Lin Qiuyu.

Yet, she had to admit, Xi Xue was exceptionally beautiful and had an excellent reputation. Lin Qiuyu hadn’t interacted with her much, only hearing that she was gentle and, at times, incredibly cool.

But many people presented one face in public and another in private. Xi Xue’s true nature remained to be seen.

Regardless, it had nothing to do with her. What mattered now was to witness if this campus belle’s Tier 5 strength was truly formidable!

Her power accumulation was complete!

With a surge of energy, Lin Qiuyu unleashed the two wind vortexes, which instantly transformed into raging hurricanes, drawing all surrounding dust and sand into their tumultuous centers.

It appeared as though she clutched two black holes of sandstorms in her hands, with dust and wind from all directions swirling into them.

Just then, Xi Xue moved.

The asphalt beneath her feet shattered with a sudden impact, and Xi Xue shot forth like an arrow loosed from a bow, incredibly fast, like a flash of lightning.

Leaving deep craters with each step, she charged towards Lin Qiuyu.

“What the f—!” Lin Qiuyu’s pupils contracted, and an expletive, barely audible, escaped her lips.

The sound was faint, but her inner turmoil was profound.

Without a second thought, she hastily flung the wind vortex from her right hand, then raised her arm to summon several wind blades, throwing them out as a preemptive strike.

The wind vortex and blades were controllable. One moment they were dozens of meters ahead of Xi Xue, the next they were within two or three meters of her.

Clearly, Lin Qiuyu had unleashed another burst of power mid-flight.

Colliding with them at Xi Xue’s speed would undoubtedly be damaging, yet Xi Xue’s pace remained undiminished as she hurtled towards the wind vortex.

Just as the vortex was about to strike her, she executed a high jump, evading its attack. Simultaneously, she leveraged the gust of wind generated by its impact on the ground, soaring high into the air as she hurtled towards Lin Qiuyu.

Several hurricane blades slashed towards her. She spun her body to dodge a few, then, stepping on one of them, performed an aerial flip, descending with a powerful kick.

Her long leg, imbued with a fierce current of air, swept directly towards Lin Qiuyu.

Lin Qiuyu gasped in alarm. She controlled her last wind vortex with both hands, lowering her body and pushing it with all her might, palms open, towards the edge of Xi Xue’s descending boot.

This move served both as an attack and a defense.

Releasing the airflow and vortex would surely damage her hands, but she had no time to conjure protective gauntlets.

Xi Xue’s speed was too great; she had repeatedly dodged Lin Qiuyu’s high-frequency attacks and was now closing in. Lin Qiuyu couldn’t even create distance for a kiting strategy.

She could only use the wind vortex, controlling its angle, and the impact force from Xi Xue’s kick-induced air currents to complete a backflip, further increasing the distance between them.

Unfortunately, just as she prepared to use the explosive air currents from the air vortex to perform a backflip and create space, she was astonished to discover that Xi Xue, despite her high momentum in mid-air, was capable of performing a side roll!

As she observed, Xi Xue, sensing Lin Qiuyu’s intention, changed her downward kick into a side roll.

She reined in her power, dodged Lin Qiuyu’s vortex, and upon landing, immediately spun into a roundhouse kick.

In her opponent’s terrified gaze, she aimed for Lin Qiuyu’s abdomen.

The long leg, imbued with a powerful airflow, abruptly halted about a centimeter from Lin Qiuyu’s abdomen. The highly compressed air directly blasted her backward.

Lin Qiuyu felt her internal organs churn violently, an overwhelming discomfort seizing her entire body.

Xi Xue was even stronger than she had imagined; merely the air current from her braking and kicking could send her flying. It was hard to imagine what her fate would have been if Xi Xue had delivered the full kinetic energy of that high-speed kick.

And that kick to the abdomen hadn’t even fully connected…

In the fleeting moment she was sent flying, her thoughts raced to this conclusion. When she regained her senses, she realized she was about to collide with the high wall of the spectator stands.

This was bad!

She channeled her magic, exerting all her strength to form a thick whirlwind shield on her back.

With a thunderous crash, the high wall of the spectator stands exploded, sending debris flying and dust billowing everywhere.

Lin Qiuyu, protected by her whirlwind shield, bounced off the wall. The moment her feet touched the ground, she felt completely drained, nearly collapsing to her knees.

However, her long-honed combat instincts immediately put her on alert. She instinctively looked up, searching for Xi Xue’s presence.

Yet, before she could fully raise her head, Xi Xue’s voice whispered in her ear: “You’ve lost.”

Her pupils contracted in alarm. Realizing her predicament, she immediately swung her palm towards the direction of the voice, only for a cold hand to firmly grasp her wrist.

She struggled for a moment, feeling the unyielding strength of her opponent. Lin Qiuyu glanced at the time displayed on the large screen, a wave of profound weakness washing over her, causing her to sink to her knees.

She hadn’t expected to be defeated in less than ten seconds, excluding the power-up time.

Xi Xue’s strength commanded awe.

Those ten seconds felt like centuries; her mental and physical energy were almost entirely depleted.

Such a high-tension combat state was something she truly never wanted to experience again.

She was too exhausted, her entire body feeling limp!

She gasped for air, greedily trying to recover her stamina. If she could, she truly didn’t want to get up.

But Xi Xue helped her to her feet.

“Let me help you to rest,” Xi Xue said with a smile. Without waiting for a reply, she gently guided Lin Qiuyu towards the medical area.

Lin Qiuyu looked at her. The wind softly ruffled Xi Xue’s beautiful hair, and sunlight dappled her form. Xi Xue’s gentle smile and dark, beautiful eyes appeared so warm and approachable that Lin Qiuyu was momentarily lost in thought.

“Th-thank you,” Lin Qiuyu stammered, a blush rising to her cheeks.

‘Wow, she’s really so gentle, and so cool… How can there be such a beautiful girl in the world?’

A sudden warmth filled her heart. That ‘thank you’ was for Xi Xue’s restraint throughout the match and her current willingness to help.

In her heart, Campus Belle Xi Xue was truly worthy of her title.