"Wood Element: Heavy Rain of Pear Blossoms!"
Wei Lin acted without hesitation. His arm transformed into a branch, launching dense wooden thorns like steel needles, shooting straight toward Cai Kun.
Who said the wood element couldn't attack?
Still stuck in the traditional belief that wood-related abilities were only for support, Cai Kun was completely caught off guard by the sheer aggressiveness of Wei Lin's technique.
Thankfully, Cai Kun's beast-like reflexes kicked in. His mutated body gave him superior reaction speed compared to normal people.
With a mighty stomp, he propelled himself upward in a blur. His legs exploded with strength, launching him into the air and narrowly avoiding the deadly rain of wooden thorns.
But just as his feet touched the ground again, several thick vines erupted from the earth, growing at an alarming speed. They twisted together like massive hands, grabbing his ankles tightly.
Wood Element: Entanglement!
The vines yanked Cai Kun downward and smashed him against the ground with force, making his vision spin.
"If the tiger doesn't bare its fangs, do you really think I'm just a chicken?" Cai Kun growled furiously.
Initially, he had underestimated Wei Lin simply because he wielded the wood element. That mistake cost him. But now, he was ready to retaliate with full strength.
"Roar!"
With a beastly roar, Cai Kun's muscles began to swell rapidly. His eyes turned savage and animalistic.
Mutation Type: Cheetah!
He dropped onto all fours, his limbs bulging with strength, and glared at Wei Lin like a predator eying its prey. In the blink of an eye, he dashed forward—his speed was astonishing.
"So fast…!" Wei Lin's heart skipped a beat.
Speed was his greatest weakness.
Cai Kun was like a black flash. Wei Lin barely managed to dodge, but not fast enough—Cai Kun's claws slashed across his shoulder, leaving several bloody gashes.
Grimacing from the pain, Wei Lin didn't hesitate to retaliate. He slammed both hands onto the ground.
Wood Element: Four-Sided Cage!
Boom!
Giant wooden pillars shot out from the ground surrounding Cai Kun, rising quickly and connecting at the top. In mere seconds, they formed a solid wooden cage, trapping Cai Kun inside.
"You think you can trap me with some rotten tree trunks?" Cai Kun sneered.
With sharp claws, he slashed violently at the wooden walls, tearing chunks off effortlessly.
"I won't let you break free!" Wei Lin shouted, gritting his teeth as he poured more spiritual energy into the ground.
The wooden stakes around the cage glowed faintly and began regenerating and compressing. The space within the cage tightened, thick vines coiling around Cai Kun's limbs, chest, and neck, restricting every movement.
Cai Kun's initial smugness turned into panic. He twisted, thrashed, and growled like a wild animal—but it was no use.
The cage kept getting smaller.
The pressure increased by the second.
"Stop, stop—! I give up! I surrender!" Cai Kun shouted in fear.
He felt like he was going to be crushed alive.
"Stop!" the referee called out loudly and rushed forward to end the match.
Wei Lin released his spiritual energy, and the wooden cage began to unravel. The vines loosened and withdrew into the earth.
As light returned to his vision, Cai Kun collapsed to his knees, gasping for air, cold sweat pouring down his face.
That darkness, that pressure—he never wanted to experience it again.
"I didn't expect... the wood element to be this terrifying..." someone murmured from the audience.
Wei Lin gave a modest smile. "Thank you."
"In the first round, Huaihai College wins!" the referee announced.
A round of warm applause erupted from the stands.
The match hadn't been particularly flashy, but it left a strong impression. The wood element, once regarded as weak and supportive, had proven itself capable of both offense and control.
Back at the rest area, Wei Lin returned triumphantly, grinning.
"How was that? Not bad for our opening act, right? Didn't let the school down!" he said proudly.
"Nicely done!" Smith gave him a thumbs up with a grin.
Wei Lin had stayed calm under pressure and completely overturned expectations.
What followed were more one-on-one matches between Huaihai and Kamikaze Colleges.
Both sides had ten participants. As the matches progressed, it became clear that Huaihai had the upper hand. In the first eight matches, Huaihai won six and lost two.
The ninth match: Xi Congqing.
Her opponent was only a second-level wind-type mutant. Against the third-level Xi Congqing, he didn't stand a chance.
It was over in a flash.
The tenth and final match: Smith.
His opponent was also a second-level high-rank fighter.
"Last match of the day. No pressure. Just go have fun," Xi Congqing teased as she adjusted his uniform.
"Tsk, with this kind of opponent? Just sit back and enjoy the show," Smith said confidently, cracking his knuckles.
He walked onto the field with relaxed ease.
Across from him stood a short man, around 1.6 meters tall, clad in a long combat windbreaker. The wide cloak made his movements hard to read and his silhouette mysterious.
"Kamikaze College, Liu Qiang," the short man introduced himself.
"Huaihai College, Smith."
Above their heads, their elemental abilities appeared.
Liu Qiang – Object Manipulation
Smith – Wood Type, Spirit Eye Type
In truth, Smith had five other elemental powers. But those had come from absorbing demon core stones, and regular tests couldn't detect them.
Seeing "Wood Type" again, no one laughed anymore.
Thanks to Wei Lin's earlier performance, the audience now viewed the wood element with new respect.
Especially since both Smith and Wei Lin came from Huaihai College, people assumed that Smith's wood abilities were equally impressive.
As for the Spirit Eye System—no one really understood what that meant. There was no widespread knowledge of it, so the crowd focused instead on Smith's wood affinity.
"No matter how special your wood powers are, I'm going to win this match for Kamikaze College!" Liu Qiang shouted.
Smith smiled calmly. "Glad to hear that. I was hoping you'd put up a fight."
"Begin!" the referee declared.
Liu Qiang acted immediately. With a dramatic swing of his cloak, three flying knives shot out with frightening speed, aimed directly at Smith.
Smith's eyes narrowed. In that moment, his Sharingan activated, glowing red.
The world slowed around him. The spinning tomoe in his eyes easily tracked the trajectory of the knives.
With graceful footwork, he sidestepped each one effortlessly.
"It's not over yet!" Liu Qiang yelled, controlling the three knives to circle back and stab at Smith's back.
But with Sharingan, there were no blind spots.
Smith moved as if he could see everything—because he could. With elegant ease, he dodged again without breaking a sweat.
He didn't even draw his weapon.
Frustrated, Liu Qiang bit his lip and flung his cloak once more. This time, over a dozen flying knives shot toward Smith like a storm.
Now things got serious.
With so many blades coming from all directions, even Smith's reaction speed was challenged.
Clang!
He pulled out a dagger just in time to deflect one aimed directly at his chest. The impact vibrated through his arm.
Liu Qiang wasn't just flinging metal—he was enhancing them with spiritual energy, increasing their speed and power.
That explained the force behind the hit.
"Guess I'll stop holding back," Smith muttered.
He sprinted forward, closing the gap between them rapidly.
"Don't even think about getting close!" Liu Qiang roared.
With a thought, the dozen flying knives turned midair and all flew toward Smith's chest at once.
But Smith's Sharingan spun faster.
He danced through the rain of blades, each movement precise, smooth, and intentional.
He deflected three knives with his dagger, dodged the rest, and appeared right in front of Liu Qiang in the blink of an eye.
Liu Qiang panicked and tried to draw his own blade.
But what he saw next stopped him cold—Smith's glowing red eyes.
"Illusion: Sharingan!"
Liu Qiang's movements froze as he fell into a powerful genjutsu. The world around him twisted into shadows. He was lost in a realm of hallucinations.
To everyone else, it looked like Liu Qiang had simply stopped moving, staring blankly at Smith.
The referee stepped in, recognizing the technique..
"Winner—Huaihai College, Smith!"
Øóffer going on for diamond tier
pàtreøn (Gk31)