"At the end of last semester, I lost the selection for the training camp, but today..."
The crew-cut boy's gaze was fixed tightly on the person before him.
The boy surnamed Xiang accepted the challenge.
The two called out their respective spirits and made their way to the battle arena.
Su Hao watched.
The battle arena before him was vast, occupying most of the space in the entire battle hall.
The arena floor seemed to be paved with some kind of stone slab, overall gray, giving a sense of heaviness and hardness.
Around the arena stood metal pillars.
Once both were on the field, the instructor activated the arena's protective measures. Instantly, the tips of the metal pillars emitted a glow, forming a curtain of light that enveloped the entire arena like a barrier.
"Both contestants and spirits, please prepare..."
Both.
Each had three spirits.
The crew-cut boy's spirits were a Cerberus, an Elephant General, and a Tremor Wolf.
"Two at elite-level limit, the other slightly less... That Elephant General is probably his ace."
Su Hao then looked at the burly boy's spirits.
A Great Ape, an Armored Dragon Eagle, and a Boxing Kangaroo.
All metal-type spirits.
Among them, the Armored Dragon Eagle was an evolution of the Steel Armor Eagle, its wings and torso seemingly clad in heavy armor. Its wingspan stretched five or six meters as it soared above the arena, looking imposing.
"The Armored Dragon Eagle and Boxing Kangaroo are nothing special, but that Great Ape..."
Before Su Hao could analyze it in detail with his panel, both sides were ready.
The spirit masters stood at the back.
The spirits were in front, arranged in a triangular formation to protect the spirit master at the core.
The moment the instructor shouted "Begin," both individuals and their six spirits moved.
"Tremor!"
The crew-cut boy commanded.
His Elephant General and Tremor Wolf stomped the ground simultaneously.
The earth shook, and invisible shockwaves, controlled by the two spirits, surged forward like giant waves.
Many challengers showed surprise.
Among the juniors and seniors, quite a few recognized the crew-cut boy.
They knew he was one step away from qualifying for the training camp.
But he had lost in the end, defeated by the person before him—Xiang Qi.
After half a year of hard training, he had returned today for revenge!
Would he succeed?!
Everyone watched intently.
The invisible shockwaves rolled forward with a rumbling sound.
But the burly boy's expression remained calm.
"Shatter it!"
The Great Ape at the front slightly bent its legs, swung its thick arms back, and punched forward fiercely.
Cannon Fist!
Boom!!!
The fist struck the air, piercing through it, sending a gray cloud expanding outward. A terrifying fist wind blasted from the Great Ape's fist, howling as it collided with the rolling shockwaves.
Boom!!!
The faintly visible shockwaves were torn apart by the fist wind, forming a hurricane spreading in all directions.
The Great Ape stomped hard on the thick, solid floor, charging forward with booming steps like a tank hitting 120 miles per hour!
Wherever it passed, it stirred up a fierce gale!
The crew-cut boy's eyes narrowed. "Flame Jet!"
The Cerberus opened its three mouths, searing light surging within, then blasted forward.
The three streams merged into a massive pillar of fire, roaring ahead, engulfing everything in its path.
The Electric Bear let out an "ow."
It recalled the Flame Jet it had fully taken a few days ago... If it was as fierce as what it was seeing now, its fur would probably all burn off.
Eeep~~~
Before it could even whimper.
The Great Ape threw another punch.
Cannon Fist!
One-Punch Essence!
Tremor Essence!
Su Hao's eyes widened.
The panel finally displayed detailed data.
"One-Punch Essence lets it unleash 200% of its power, while Tremor Essence allows its attacks to no longer be limited to close range.
"It can condense the fist wind and blast it out like a shockwave!"
At that moment, the Great Ape punched through the Flame Jet, splitting the blazing fire to both sides.
It continued charging forward, appearing before the Cerberus in an instant, its massive fist slamming down.
Boom!!!
The air exploded again into a gray cloud, the Cerberus's body deformed, its middle head seemingly driven into its torso, flying off like a cannonball.
It crashed into the transparent barrier at the arena's edge.
Slowly sliding down.
Its other two heads lifted, struggled for a moment, then fell heavily.
Completely losing combat capability.
"Impossible!"
The crew-cut boy's eyes widened as he watched the Great Ape knock down the Elephant General with two punches and then the Tremor Wolf with one.
Finally, it stopped before him, casting a shadow.
His legs trembled.
"You lost."
The burly boy said.
The crew-cut boy still couldn't believe what he had seen. "Why?! At the end of last semester, your Great Ape was about the same as my Elephant General, both at elite-level limit, so why..."
Why had he never stopped training, yet still fallen behind?!
The burly boy shook his head slightly.
"From the moment I entered the training camp, it was decided.
"Over half a year, I used every precious opportunity on the Great Ape.
"Maybe once, we were evenly matched, but now..."
The crew-cut boy went from hysterical to dejected in an instant.
He left the arena.
Though he still had two more chances to challenge.
Though the battle hall had advanced healing pods that could restore his spirits in a short time.
He still left.
He had lost his fighting spirit.
After the battle.
The three-to-four-meter-tall Great Ape walked to the massive healing pod at one side of the battle hall.
It lay down, and the hatch closed.
From entry to exit, it took only a minute.
Its consumed spiritual energy and stamina were fully restored.
"Next, who wants to challenge?" the instructor asked.
No one answered.
Su Hao didn't speak either.
He wasn't confident.
"One-Punch Essence isn't some super essence; Li Songting knows it, but..."
Su Hao sensed the difference.
Other spirits' One-Punch Essence was at LV1 or LV2, but that Great Ape's essence was at LV5.
It didn't master many techniques, and its combat style was extremely simple.
But if you couldn't block it, you lost.
"What do you think?"
Su Hao asked.
But he didn't expect much from the other spirits, focusing on the Dream Butterfly.
Die Xiaodie thought.
It could fly.
But that big guy's Cannon Fist was literally firing a cannon; Die Xiaodie felt its psychic shield couldn't hold.
In a direct clash, the Dull Crow would get flattened.
The Big Dumb Bear, skip...
"Guno guno~" it said.
Su Hao nodded slightly.
He looked at the senior students, his expression grave.
"Too strong!
"As expected of a training camp powerhouse!
"Even if I see through their trump cards and use tactics, I only have a sixty to seventy percent chance!"
He was too weak!
To be cautious, he decided to wait a bit longer.
At that moment, after three to five minutes of silence in the battle hall, another person stepped forward.
"I know you've all grown stronger in the training camp, but I'm a senior this year, this is my last chance, I have to fight for it."
He challenged one of the ten, a girl.
She looked gentle and frail.
Her spirits seemed weak too.
A Fairy Conch, a Rose Dancer, and a Golden-Winged Silkworm.
"I challenge you."
...
A minute later.
A hurricane swept through the arena, with leaves flying like blades within it.
The senior boy's four spirits were covered in wounds.
Two lay on the ground.
Two stood before him, barely holding on.
Amid the wind and flying leaves, the Rose Dancer walked gracefully forward.
The Golden-Winged Silkworm flickered in the wind.
The senior boy lost.
Not as thoroughly as the crew-cut boy, but the gap was still clear.
The challengers, who had even a sliver of confidence, were now completely daunted.
Some sophomores and juniors simply let go and challenged directly.
Losing was fine.
They treated it as gaining combat experience.
By next semester, when the seniors graduated, they had a good chance of entering the training camp.
Only the seniors left in dejection.
Su Hao watched for over an hour, observing more than a dozen battles.
He gained an understanding of most spirits present.
"Enough. Continuing to observe won't increase my chances by even half a point."
Su Hao stepped forward, looking at one of the ten.
"I'll go."