"Eh? What's going on over there? Why are so many people gathering?"
"Hiss… wait, isn't that Cao Hu? Don't tell me someone's taking the Third-Tier Ability User Assessment today?"
"Looks like it!"
"Oh, I'm not missing this for anything!"
"A Third-Tier assessment—two elites facing off! Hahaha, this trip to the guild just became worth it!"
Before long, the thirteenth arena was packed—
shoulder-to-shoulder, wall-to-wall,
surrounded by an ocean of spectators.
Every other dueling platform in the guild suddenly emptied out.
And that was to be expected.
In a world where the strong ruled supreme,
who wouldn't want to witness a battle between high-ranking ability users?
The crowd surged forward, eager and restless, faces brimming with anticipation.
But when they finally reached Arena 13…
They froze.
Yes, it was a Third-Tier Ability User exam.
But the one standing on the stage—
—was an eighteen-year-old high school senior.
For a few seconds, silence reigned.
Then the arena erupted in laughter and disbelief.
"What the hell!?"
"It's just a kid—a high school brat taking the Third-Tier exam!?"
"Man, these youngsters today really don't fear tigers, huh?"
"Boring, boring—thought we'd see real power, not a student's suicide attempt."
"Wait, hold on! Did you say his name's Zhao Xuan?"
"Yeah! Sounds familiar, doesn't it?"
"Wait—isn't he that kid who got 37 points in the mental strength test a while back?"
"Oh, crap, you're right! That is him!"
"Ahh, well then it makes sense. If he's that guy, maybe he's a Logia-type Devil Fruit user. Those guys can be pretty cocky. He's bound to reach Third-Tier eventually—maybe he just wants to test his limits."
"No, no, no! You've got it wrong!" someone cut in loudly.
"The Zhao Xuan from Tongcheng No.1 High didn't choose a Logia fruit—he chose a Zoan-type!"
"WHAT!?"
The crowd went wild again.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"Who the hell doesn't pick a Logia when they have the chance?"
"Is he an idiot?"
"Yep, that's him! The kid on stage is definitely Zhao Xuan from Tongcheng No.1!"
"I'll bet my lunch money he won't last ten minutes against Cao Hu!"
"Ten? You're being generous! Five minutes, tops. He's just another cocky student who doesn't know how high the sky really is."
The crowd buzzed with laughter and mockery,
but Zhao Xuan remained calm as he and Cao Hu leapt onto the stage.
"BZZZT!!!"
The referee's whistle blared sharply.
The Third-Tier Ability User Assessment had begun.
The instant the whistle blew—
Zhao Xuan moved.
In the blink of an eye, the Fish-Fish Fruit: Mythical Beast Model – Azure Dragon erupted to life within him.
His pupils turned a brilliant emerald green,
and an ancient, oppressive dragon aura burst out from his body,
ripping through the air like a storm.
His entire physique surged—
every attribute multiplying fivefold.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
The floor cracked under his feet as he launched forward with explosive power.
In a blur of motion, Zhao Xuan vanished—
leaving behind nothing but an afterimage.
The next moment—
He reappeared right in front of Cao Hu.
His right leg gleamed darkly as Armament Haki flooded through it.
"HRAAAH!"
A terrifying sound of air splitting echoed through the arena—
the unmistakable mark of the Six Powers Technique: Tempest Kick (Rankyaku).
The leg swept out like a blade of wind—
aimed straight at Cao Hu's chest.
Too fast.
Zhao Xuan's speed was simply inhuman.
And worse—Cao Hu hadn't taken him seriously.
He was completely unguarded.
By the time he realized what was happening,
Zhao Xuan's kick had already struck him square in the chest.
"Urgh!"
The impact sent a shudder through the air.
Cao Hu's body lifted off the ground,
spinning helplessly as he was launched backward—
his flight tracing a clean arc through the air before crashing down hard near the arena's edge.
Before he could even register what had happened,
before he could get back up—
Tap! Tap!
The floor thundered again.
Zhao Xuan was already there.
Another Tempest Kick struck.
"Gahhh!"
Cao Hu grunted as the second blow sent him flying off the platform entirely—
slamming into the stone floor several meters away.
CRACK!!!
The ground beneath him split apart.
The specially reinforced blue bricks—
each capable of withstanding 500 Dao Power—
shattered into pieces under the force of impact.
Silence.
Absolute, suffocating silence.
It was so still that Zhao Xuan almost believed
he could hear a pin drop on the stone floor.
Every single person present—
the examiners, the staff, the spectators—
All stood frozen.
Their minds blank.
They had just watched an eighteen-year-old—
a supposed "high school brat"—
knock a Third-Tier examiner clean off the arena in less than ten seconds.
No one spoke.
No one breathed.
They were all thinking the same thing—
"What… just happened?"
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