Chapter 56: The Three Strongest
Hearing Lin Beiya's rebuttal, the expressions of the teachers grew even more troubled.
Although they understood the reasoning behind Lin Beiya's words, mishandling this matter could easily spark outrage among the students.
Sure enough, when the teachers glanced back, they saw the students' faces brimming with dissatisfaction.
Of course, Lin Beiya had anticipated this and had no intention of trying to convince everyone that Shi Nuo hadn't cheated with just a few words.
"Since everyone thinks it's unfair, then I'll be the one to wear the Gold Cloth in the competition. It's my own Martial Soul, so wearing it isn't considered cheating, right?"
"Uh..."
The moment Lin Beiya announced he would participate, the students' resistance instantly vanished. Their earlier resentment disappeared without a trace.
"Junior Beiya, you don't have to say that! The fact that Shi Nuo can wear the Gold Cloth is proof of his ability. Of course, it's not cheating!"
"Exactly! Anyone who dares to accuse Shi Nuo of cheating, I'll take them on myself!"
"What cheating? If you've got the guts, why don't you ask Junior Beiya to lend you the Gold Cloth? Stop wasting your time gossiping!"
"..."
Compared to Lin Beiya, they could accept Shi Nuo competing while wearing the Gold Cloth. One by one, they retracted their previous statements and firmly defended Shi Nuo's interests, making the teachers suppress their smiles.
"Alright, since there are no objections, I hereby announce the start of this year's Academy Grand Competition."
When it came to a competition organized for the entire academy, only upper-class students confident in their strength actually dared to participate.
So, although the arena was lively, the number of participants was relatively small. After all, no one wanted to make a fool of themselves in front of all the teachers and students.
Apart from Shi Nuo, a fourth-year student, and a fifth-year female Soul Master, the rest were all sixth-year seniors.
Seventeen participants were to be matched one-on-one by lottery, with one lucky student receiving a bye.
Yu Quan, from the same class—he was the grandson of the Soul Douluo leader who had taken him hunting for a soul ring for the first time—kept explaining potential threats to Shi Nuo.
"Based on cultivation and Martial Soul strength, only two people could pose a real threat to Shi Nuo."
"One is the sixth-year top student, Lu Xian. His Martial Soul, the Silver Pangolin, is extremely powerful in single-target attack ability. He's a real test for defensive Soul Masters. His soul power reaches rank 28, making him one of the academy's rare top-tier students."
"The other is fifth-year senior Si Min. Her Night Crow Martial Soul is terrifyingly fast. Though her soul power is only rank 23, her speed gives her air control in a fight against Shi Nuo."
Lin Beiya nodded, approving Yu Quan's analysis.
Yu Lin's Martial Soul excelled in speed—the Storm Hunting Falcon. Even he admitted that Si Min's speed was formidable, a clear indication of her strength.
However, Lin Beiya didn't overly worry about the opponents' abilities. If Shi Nuo couldn't defeat them, it only meant he wasn't fully trained yet. More effort would resolve that later.
"We must trust Shi Nuo."
"Exactly. No one in the Elite Class works harder than him."
There was no shady business in the draw. Unsurprisingly, Shi Nuo's first opponent was selected without any luck of a bye. Those hoping for victory wouldn't pin their hopes on mere chance anyway.
Shi Nuo's first opponent's name was unknown to Lin Beiya and had to be explained by Yu Quan, but he didn't feel it was necessary.
The opponent wielded an Elephant Martial Soul and specialized in frontal confrontations. Shi Nuo, wearing the Taurus Gold Cloth, feared no one in this type of fight.
The result of the battle didn't surprise him. When the "Great Horn" technique was unleashed, the opponent, who hadn't even had a chance to attack, was struck by the roaring golden bull phantom and knocked out of the arena.
After the easy victory, Shi Nuo showed little excitement in his eyes. Returning to Lin Beiya's side, he appeared unusually solemn.
Lin Beiya didn't care much about winning or losing—but Shi Nuo thought differently. Donning the Taurus Gold Cloth, he wouldn't allow himself to lose to any peer except Lin Beiya.
Lin Beiya watched silently, saying nothing. He wanted to see if Shi Nuo could awaken his "cosmo" under the immense pressure.
Relying on the combined power of the "Great Horn" offensive technique and the "Iaido Barrier" defensive technique, Shi Nuo defeated three opponents in succession without even moving his feet, successfully advancing to the final three.
The other two were, of course, Lu Xian and Si Min—the very students Yu Quan had introduced.
Both of them had received a bye once, so their luck had been slightly better than Shi Nuo's.
Next, in the final three, the rule was simple: the first to achieve two victories would be crowned the champion.
This made Lin Beiya roll his eyes from below the arena. What if the three ended up perfectly countering each other, each winning one and losing one? Would it loop infinitely? Well… that could be one way to settle it.
As the teacher announced the start of the finals, Lu Xian and Si Min began their battle. Lu Xian, with higher soul power, was naturally favored by most teachers and students.
But the fight quickly unfolded unexpectedly.
It wasn't that Si Min was overwhelmingly strong—she simply knew how to exploit her advantages. From the very start, she swiftly ascended into the air, closely tracking Lu Xian's movements.
Although Lu Xian attacked fiercely, attempting to strike Si Min midair with bouncing assaults, she continuously evaded, using the slight distance between air and ground as a buffer.
She then circled behind him to launch attacks. Within minutes, Lu Xian's back had accumulated several wounds.
The teachers watching from the sidelines were shocked. If Lu Xian lost, it would be the first time in the Academy Grand Competition's history that the champion was not a graduating senior.
Because the remaining competitors, Shi Nuo and Si Min, were not sixth-year students.
Lu Xian clearly understood the stakes—he bore the pride of all the upper-class students on his shoulders.
"Second Soul Skill: Silver Gleam Drill!"
The second soul ring on the Silver Pangolin Martial Soul ignited. Lu Xian's body spun rapidly clockwise, forming a silver cone of light on his head, which charged fiercely toward the airborne Si Min.
Seeing the drill hurtling toward her at extreme speed, Si Min's expression darkened. She knew the outcome of this battle depended entirely on whether she could evade this lethal strike.
"First Soul Skill: Ink Shadow!"
A black light flashed across Si Min's body. Her already incredible speed surged to a new level, leaving afterimages visible even beyond her wings.
The drill skimmed past her feathers at a terrifying speed but ultimately failed to hit its target, continuing higher into the sky.
Si Min, having narrowly avoided disaster, wasted no time letting Lu Xian recover. She swiftly pivoted, crashing toward the increasingly sluggish Lu Xian.
"Bang!"
With a dull impact, Lu Xian changed his trajectory midair, following a parabolic arc and falling outside the arena.
This signaled that the championship could very well fall into the hands of a lower-year student.
Lu Xian wasn't seriously injured, but he wore a bitter smile. Looking at the disappointed sixth-year seniors, his face flushed bright red.
"Si Min wins. Rest for ten minutes. Next, sixth-year Lu Xian will face fourth-year Shi Nuo."
"Ah…"
Sighing, Lu Xian had no choice but to let go of his distractions and focus on meditation and recovery. Whether he could face Si Min again would depend entirely on his ability to overcome the evidently stronger Shi Nuo—and, of course, on the outcome between Shi Nuo and Si Min.
—
End of Chapter