The Academy's central arena was alive with noise.
The crowd's chatter danced along the stone stands like birdsong—teachers watching with narrowed eyes, students whispering predictions, and even a few outsiders leaning forward in anticipation.
It was the penultimate Class Promotion match.
Class 5 vs Class 2.
And something was wrong.
There was only one student in the ring.
Qiang Ming stood alone.
His posture relaxed, his hammer nowhere to be seen yet—but his presence was enough to command silence. His purple-gold eyes scanned the stands once, briefly, before returning forward.
"Where are the others?" a Class 2 instructor barked from the opposite side.
Even Wu Zhangkong's brow furrowed slightly. He hadn't been told of a change in lineup.
But Qiang Ming finally spoke, voice cutting the tension like steel through silk.
"They're not coming."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"I told them not to," Qiang Ming continued. "They had more important matters to attend to."
The Class 2 instructor bristled. "So you plan to lose alone?"
Qiang Ming finally smiled.
"No. I plan to win alone."
Even Wu Zhangkong raised an eyebrow at that.
"Send your three. Or five. Doesn't matter."
He rolled his shoulders, stretching lightly.
"Actually, make it five. I'd hate for this to end too quickly."
The Second Class Fighters
After hurried whispers, five students stepped forward, each brimming with spirit power just below Rank 20.
They looked impressive—more than enough to intimidate a full squad, let alone one boy.
Lin Yao – A tall spear user with a Lightning Falcon Martial Soul, fast and aggressive.
Zhen Huo – A fire-type spirit master with a Blazing Palm, capable of medium-range bombardment.
Fei Mian – A short, chubby boy who wielded a Metal Ball Spirit, able to morph into projectiles.
Bao Jin – A tall, heavily armored boy, his Stone Wall Spirit gave him unmatched defense and mass.
Ru Yin – A girl who stood behind Bao Jin, her Blessing Candle Spirit a rare buff-type Martial Soul used to enhance allies' speed and stamina.
The crowd looked down with murmurs of approval.
"This kid's done for."
"They have a support and a wall. No way he gets through that."
"Where are his teammates?"
Wu Zhangkong said nothing.
But his arms folded behind his back.
And his eyes didn't blink once.
The Battle Begins
"Begin!"
The referee's voice rang out.
Qiang Ming didn't move.
For the first few seconds, he just stood there.
The five advanced.
Lin Yao surged forward, spear crackling with lightning. Flanking him came Zhen Huo, launching streaks of fire from his hands like explosive arrows.
Fei Mian rolled into a metal sphere and launched forward, bouncing erratically.
Bao Jin and Ru Yin stayed in the back—the former forming his stone armor in thick, plate-like segments, while the latter's candle flickered gently, light extending in rings to the others.
Well-trained. Well-balanced.
Qiang Ming vanished.
Or so it seemed.
He accelerated—low, fast, and brutal—right into Lin Yao's spear path, but his hammer materialized mid-stride and caught the attack at the shaft.
The hammer glowed violet.
Soul power rippled.
BOOM!
Lin Yao was launched backward, flipping three times before slamming into the ground. Sparks flew off his armor.
A heartbeat later, Zhen Huo's fire burst reached him—but Qiang Ming twisted, ducked, and smashed his hammer into the ground, sending up a pillar of stone that deflected the flame.
The next burst of fire curved—he was predicting Qiang Ming's path.
Smart.
Qiang Ming rushed forward anyway—through the flame—shouldering through it with smoke rising off his robes.
Zhen Huo widened his eyes—
CRACK.
The hammer's edge struck his gut, and he flew like a kicked doll, colliding with the arena wall.
Two down.
Fei Mian came next.
The bouncing ball turned red-hot and slammed toward Qiang Ming's head.
He parried.
But the ball rebounded mid-air like a yo-yo and struck again.
Then again.
And again.
Interesting control.
But repetitive.
Qiang Ming's second ring flickered for an instant—but he held it back.
Instead, he faked a low block.
Fei Mian dove—
Qiang Ming sidestepped and caught him out of the air, grabbed the ball form mid-bounce, spun, and hurled him into the ground with full force.
Fei Mian bounced once.
Then stopped.
Only two remained.
Bao Jin, fully armored, blocking the center of the field like a living wall.
And Ru Yin, standing safely behind him, glowing with enhancements. The Stone Wall user was practically steaming from the buffs.
They're stalling. Trying to tire me out.
Qiang Ming approached slowly now.
Bao Jin stepped forward, fists raised, ready to brawl.
Ru Yin's candlelight pulsed behind him.
Bao Jin charged.
Qiang Ming met him in the center with a roar of metal and flesh.
Each strike was deflected or absorbed, the hammer cracking into rock plate after rock plate—but not breaking through.
Qiang Ming circled. Changed angles. Pressured the footwork.
Nothing.
Every time he struck, Ru Yin's buffs would refresh Bao Jin's recovery rate.
Then I break both at once.
He stepped back.
His first soul ring ignited.
SoulQuake Blow.
The hammer grew heavy with raw energy, mist curling thick around it.
He launched toward Bao Jin—but halfway there, the second ring flared to life.
Piercing Abyss.
A thin gleam of dark-violet power ran down the hammer's shaft to its tip.
This wasn't just force.
It was focused destruction.
Bao Jin raised both arms to block.
He never stood a chance.
The hammer swung upward—a rising, spiraling arc powered by both soul skills.
The blow shattered Bao Jin's arms on contact, the defenses splintering in an instant.
Ru Yin gasped—
The energy did not stop.
The hammer's mist pierced through Bao Jin's defense and continued forward, hitting Ru Yin's barrier charm, breaking it like glass, and slamming into her chest with a concussive thud.
Both flew back.
And neither got up.
Silence.
The arena was dead quiet.
Even the instructors were speechless.
Wu Zhangkong blinked once.
Then slowly, very faintly…
He smiled.
Qiang Ming lowered his hammer, mist swirling at his feet.
"I said five."
He turned to the crowd.
"Maybe next time—six."
A pin drop could be heard as Qiang Ming slowly made his way towards his teacher, and then both of them left the arena, just as they left the building, they heard a cacophony of sound coming from inside it, neither of the two stopped walking.