The noise inside the arena kept growing little by little after the announcement of the third round, until it felt as though the entire audience had transformed into a sea of overlapping voices.
Some disciples were still talking about Faiser's final strike, while others had already begun raising their voices excitedly after hearing Daren and Lin's names together in the same round.
Meanwhile, the elders above—
Their gazes were completely different from the disciples'.
Because what was happening inside this tournament… had started to surpass the level of a mere competition between disciples.
"Daren versus Lin…"
One disciple muttered while swallowing nervously.
"Damn… why do I feel like the next round will be worse than the previous one?"
Another quickly replied:
"Worse?! Did you already forget what that purple-haired guy did earlier?!"
"Don't compare this to that, Daren and Lin are first-generation disciples to begin with!"
"That's exactly why this is terrifying!"
Elsewhere in the arena—
Some disciples were shouting with overwhelming excitement.
"Finally, a real fight!"
"Lin will crush him!"
"No, Daren is physically stronger!"
"You idiot, Lin is way faster!"
Up above—
The Third Elder had finally returned to the elders' platform after going to check on Mira, and his footsteps were unusually calm while a faint smile rested on his face as he sat down.
"Hah…"
He sighed in relief.
"That girl is even more stubborn than I expected."
The Fourth Elder glanced toward him lightly.
"Did she wake up?"
The Third Elder answered with a small laugh:
"Wake up? The first thing she did after opening her eyes was scream that she would've won if the fight had lasted longer."
Even the Fourth Elder smiled this time.
"That really does sound like something she would say."
The Third Elder laughed again as he relaxed in his seat.
"But honestly…"
He cast a glance toward the arena.
"…this tournament is becoming strangely entertaining."
But what quickly caught his attention—
Was the strange atmosphere among the elders, especially the clearly tense look on the Sixth Elder's face.
He raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Hmm?"
Then he looked between them.
"Wait… did something happen while I was gone?"
A brief silence followed.
Meanwhile, the Sixth Elder—
Released a cold breath while crossing his arms.
"Nothing more than an annoying little performance."
The Third Elder narrowed his eyes slightly.
"A performance?"
At that moment, the Fourth Elder calmly intervened:
"The previous round ended not long ago."
"It was between Shall… and that new boy called Faiser."
The Third Elder thought for a moment.
"Faiser…?"
Then he frowned.
"That third-generation disciple I heard about a few hours ago!?"
The Fourth Elder nodded calmly.
"Yes."
But before he could continue—
The Sixth Elder spoke with obvious mockery:
"And the funny part is that some disciples have already started acting as if that brat is some monster straight out of legends."
The Third Elder raised his eyebrow further.
"Hmm?"
He looked toward the Fourth Elder.
"What exactly did he do?"
The Fourth Elder answered calmly:
"He defeated Shall."
A brief silence followed before the Third Elder burst into light laughter.
"Haha, well that's certainly interesting."
But the Fourth Elder immediately continued:
"With a single strike."
The Third Elder's laughter gradually stopped.
"…What?"
Meanwhile, the Sixth Elder—
Pressed the armrest of his chair irritably.
"Don't exaggerate the matter."
Then he said with clear disdain:
"Shall simply acted recklessly, while that boy took advantage of the opportunity and put on a flashy show."
The Fourth Elder looked at him calmly.
"A flashy show?"
The Sixth Elder answered immediately:
"Of course it was a flashy show."
Then he waved his hand dismissively.
"Black auras, chi pressure, a giant strike splitting the ground… those tricks always fool disciples."
He added mockingly:
"An entire generation of idiots getting impressed by anything that makes a loud noise."
The Third Elder continued staring between them in obvious confusion.
"Wait… split the ground?"
Then he turned toward the Fourth Elder.
"What exactly happened while I was gone?"
This time, the Fourth Elder sighed lightly.
"Faiser first stopped Shall's direct attack with his bare hand."
The Third Elder's eyes widened slightly.
"…With his hand?"
"Then he ended the battle immediately afterward."
Meanwhile, the Sixth Elder—
Interrupted sharply:
"Haaaah, and now everyone's going to turn it into some miracle."
Then he laughed coldly in mockery.
"Hahahaha, I know this type very well… a little talent mixed with some strange tricks, and suddenly the disciples start screaming as if he's the ruler of the world. Wow, how amazing. Ridiculous."
The Fourth Elder replied calmly without even looking at him:
"You're getting far too angry over a mere third-generation disciple."
A short silence followed before the Sixth Elder answered coldly:
"Because I hate meaningless commotion."
He added while looking toward Faiser from afar:
"That boy hasn't done anything worthy of all this."
"All he did was face a reckless opponent and win in a flashy way."
Then the corner of his mouth rose slightly in mockery.
"If he were placed against a true first-generation disciple… all this noise would disappear within minutes."
This time, the Fourth Elder did not answer immediately. He only smiled faintly.
Meanwhile, the Third Elder—
Was still staring at the arena in visible confusion.
"Hmm…"
Then he stroked his chin.
"Now I really feel like I missed something interesting."
Down below—
Faiser sat calmly in the stands while the noise around him still raged from every direction.
Meanwhile, the Book—
Suddenly sighed inside his mind in a strange tone this time.
"By the way…"
Faiser slightly raised his eyes.
"What?"
The Book replied:
"Don't you feel like the annoyance is increasing more and more? I really don't like this!!"
"You're annoying to begin with."
"That's not what I mean, you idiot!"
Then it quickly continued:
"I mean the arena."
"Ever since the battle ended…"
The Book lowered its voice slightly.
"…I feel like the number of eyes watching you has multiplied."
Faiser answered without concern:
"Hah, that's normal. I just won."
The Book immediately shouted:
"Just?!"
"You nearly sliced that boy apart and almost made half the disciples piss themselves from shock!"
Faiser sighed.
"You're still exaggerating."
The Book laughed softly.
"No, you're the one who doesn't understand how you look from the outside."
Then it added mischievously:
"Especially with that cold expression of yours, walking around like you killed someone and forgot about it. Seriously, your personality is unbelievably irritating."
Faiser immediately replied while smiling:
"My personality is irritating, huh? And besides… like I said, I really did forget about it."
Silence filled his mind for a second before the Book exploded into laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"I swear you're a real problem!"
Meanwhile, Faiser—
Calmly lifted his gaze toward the arena.
"The next fight will be troublesome."
The Book replied quickly:
"Lin and Daren?"
"Yes."
Then he calmly added:
"Neither of them likes losing."
The Book laughed softly.
"And who does?"
But Faiser continued:
"No… I mean both of them are the type that become worse the longer the battle drags on."
"That's something I noticed in their personalities when I spoke with them before."
A brief silence followed before the Book suddenly asked:
"Hmmm… who do you think will win?"
Faiser answered immediately:
"I don't know."
"Hah?"
The Book raised its voice in surprise.
"Finally, something you don't know?!"
Faiser calmly replied:
"The result depends on who makes the first mistake."
Then he narrowed his eyes slightly.
"And unfortunately…"
"…both of them are idiots in one way or another."
At that moment—
Daren had already reached the edge of the arena from the western side, while Lin stood on the opposite side stretching his neck slowly as if his body was instinctively preparing itself for battle.
A gradual silence spread throughout the arena.
Even the disciples who had been shouting moments ago…
Their voices slowly began fading away.
Because the pressure radiating from the two of them…
Was enough to make the very atmosphere feel heavier.
Meanwhile, the Fifth Elder—
Stood in the middle of the arena, his eyes calmly moving between Daren and Lin.
Then he sighed inwardly.
"Hah…"
"What terrible timing."
He first looked toward Lin.
"Fast… aggressive… and as irritating as ever."
Then his gaze shifted toward Daren.
"And that other one isn't any better."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"If this battle continues in the wrong direction…"
"…then maybe half the arena will be destroyed again. Haaah…"
On the opposite side—
Lin smiled mockingly while looking at Daren.
"You still have that boring face."
Meanwhile, Daren—
Smiled and muttered inwardly:
Here we go again, hahaha...
Then he continued:
"And you still talk too much, Lin."
Several disciples laughed nervously, but Lin did not stop.
"Tell me…"
Then he slowly pulled his hands out of his pockets.
"…are you truly confident you can defeat me today? Or even stand against me?"
Daren replied without changing his expression at all:
"I'm already doing that. Hahahaha."
"Tsk…"
Lin's smile widened further.
"You're still annoying as always."
Meanwhile, Daren—
Raised his gaze directly toward him.
"Hmmm… and you still think talking makes you stronger."
At that moment—
A faint aura rose from Lin's body.
Then—
Daren's aura began appearing as well, heavier and slower.
Booooom…
The air above the arena trembled lightly, and several disciples in the front rows unconsciously stepped backward.
Meanwhile, the Fifth Elder—
Finally raised his hand.
"Prepare yourselves."
Complete silence filled the arena.
Even the wind itself seemed to stop for a moment.
Lin looked toward Daren with a cold smile while holding his spear before him…
Meanwhile, Daren—
Firmly planted his feet on the stone floor without blinking, his massive hammer resting on his shoulder while his left hand remained extended before him as if ready for battle at any moment…
Then—
The Fifth Elder finally lowered his hand.
"Begin."
At that exact moment—
Lin vanished from his place.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!