Ryo sat in silence, running battle simulations in his mind—thinking through different opponents, scenarios, ways to win. But he knew: all of it was theory. Anything could happen in real combat.
And he wasn't ready for everything.
"Next match is… Ryo Tanaka vs Liang Ye!"
His breath hitched.
Ryo turned slightly, eyes locking onto the boy standing beside him.
'The bodyguard of an heir? Whether I win or lose, this is still a loss.'
His eyes drifted toward Instructor Jiang Lu. The bastard was smirking.
Ryo's eyelid twitched.
"Well, talk about an easy win… haha," Liang Ye laughed, tapping Ryo's forehead condescendingly before strolling toward the center of the arena.
He wiggled his eyebrows, waiting.
Ryo didn't move at first, annoyance bubbling beneath his calm. He felt a shove from behind.
Instead of turning, he walked forward—silent, steady—forcing calm into his steps.
Mocking eyes watched him from the student circle. He could feel them.
He remembered the last time—the laughter when he was forced to yield.
"START!"
Liang Ye didn't wait.
He lunged, fist swinging toward Ryo's head.
Ryo ducked low, spun behind him, and waved his hand—blasting a wind gale into Liang Ye's back, sending him rolling across the ground.
But Ryo didn't follow up.
Liang Ye stood, brushing himself off with a smile.
"You're still at Initial Qi Gatherer. Don't get cocky from a lucky shot."
He charged again.
Ryo fired another gale, but this time, Liang Ye was cautious. He rolled to the side.
"Beast Arts: Dual Claw!"
Beast Arts?!
Ryo's expression tightened. He compressed wind at his chest and blasted it outward to soften the blow—
—but it still landed.
Three shallow claw marks ripped through his chest and torso, blood dripping from the wounds.
Beast Arts—dangerous and subtle. You often couldn't see them coming until it was too late.
Ryo's defensive blast had stopped it from going deeper. Barely.
"What! You done now?"
Liang Ye's foot whipped toward Ryo's face, too fast to react.
Ryo wrapped wind around his feet and back, blasting himself sideways.
He landed behind Liang Ye and fired compressed wind at his back.
"Beast Boar: Defense!"
Liang Ye's skin thickened, resembling a Rank 1 beast's hide.
The gale hit him clean—but this time it didn't knock him back. It sliced.
Both his arms, slashed halfway through, hung limp at his sides.
Liang Ye stared at his mangled limbs in horror.
"You…!"
Ryo stood firm, hand over his bleeding chest. His breathing was heavy but calm.
"Compressed wind can be as sharp as a sword… if focused enough."
He raised both hands, sent more wind gales—forcing Liang Ye back.
Gasps filled the crowd.
Peng Fu chuckled.
"Seems the peasant has grown feathers. I wonder how long they'll last."
From the side, Lutiana Rafkat—the heir Liang Ye served—smirked.
"He's good at theory, sure… but he should remember: wings can be plucked."
Liang Ye roared and lunged again. He front-kicked—
Ryo let it land.
The blow knocked the air from his lungs, blood spilling from his mouth. His vision blurred.
He grabbed Liang Ye's foot.
Then, with both hands, he gathered compressed wind, forming twin blades that sliced through the air—clean through both sides of Liang Ye's neck.
Blood sprayed.
Liang Ye stumbled, trying to hold his neck—forgetting his arms were useless.
The healer flashed beside him, stopping the bleeding with glowing green light.
His eyes flicked to Ryo before he turned to the crowd.
"Winner of this duel is… Ryo Tanaka!"
Silence.
Then murmurs.
Liang Ye had been given a Beast Art from the Rafkat Patriarch—and yet…
'It wasn't supposed to go this way.'
Ryo dropped to his knees.
The healer picked him up, brought him to a corner, and began treatment.
Green light pulsed from his hand. But when he pulled away, Ryo was still wounded.
Ryo coughed a laugh.
"You should heal me fully, right?"
The healer froze. Smiled.
"What do you mean, boy? You are fully healed."
Ryo gave a tired smirk.
"There are two nobles in the audience. Who knows? They might care. Probably won't.
Heal me properly… and just tell Jiang Lu you already did. He won't check."
The healer hesitated, glanced toward the audience.
An old man sat high above, calmly smiling.
The healer gritted his teeth and finished the job. Then he returned to Jiang Lu's side.
Ryo rose and walked back to the student circle, torn silk robes clinging to his still-scarred body.
'Mom's going to kill me… she worked hard on this robe.'
He could feel eyes again—watching him.
But this time, the gaze had changed.
This time, he was no longer the joke.
He was a problem.
Ryo didn't feel proud.
Not really.
But he did feel one thing:
Relief.
The weight of mockery had lifted—if only slightly.