LIVE DUNGEON FEEDS
Five dungeon feeds ran simultaneously across the arena screens.
No cheers.
No countdown.
Only quiet attention.
This wasn't a spectacle meant to excite the masses.
This was filtration.
Mid-tier university scouts occupied most of the lower platforms, whispering to assistants.
Local city academies leaned forward, eyes sharp.
Teachers from weaker schools stood stiffly, already knowing where they ranked.
Every movement was logged.
Every mistake remembered.
---
Ironhide Cavern — Team 001
Starfall First Academy
The feed opened inside a narrow cavern reinforced with dark, compressed stone. Old fractures lined the walls — scars from previous exams.
Heavy footsteps echoed.
A massive Ironhide Brute stepped into view, armor plates grinding as it raised both arms.
Team Leader: Lu Shen
Primary Monster Gene: Crimson Horn Minotaur
Elemental Affinity: Fire — High
Lu Shen rolled his shoulders once.
"Same pattern," he said calmly. "Don't overextend."
Heat pulsed outward.
[ Blazing Frame ]
Fire-aspected gene energy wrapped around his body, thickening muscle fibers and reinforcing bone density.
The brute charged.
Its hammer-like arm slammed downward.
Lu Shen met it head-on.
The collision shook the cavern.
Stone cracked. Fire burst outward.
He slid back nearly a meter this time — boots carving lines into the floor — but his stance never collapsed.
"Left joint," he ordered.
A teammate moved instantly.
[ Split-Vein Cut ]
The blade slipped between armor seams behind the knee.
The brute staggered, roaring.
Lu Shen surged forward.
[ Hornbreaker Impact ]
A fire-amplified shoulder charge smashed directly into the creature's chest. Internal plating fractured with a dull, grinding sound.
The brute collapsed.
No cheers from the team. They repositioned immediately.
Two more brutes emerged.
The formation tightened.
Lu Shen anchored the front while the others rotated pressure, striking only when openings were confirmed.
Then—
The Ironhide Lord stepped into the arena.
Its armor was thicker. Its presence heavier.
Each step made the cavern tremble.
One team member mistimed a dodge.
The Lord's backhand sent him crashing into the wall — ribs audibly cracking.
"Fall back!" Lu Shen snapped.
The injured member barely stabilized.
Lu Shen exhaled slowly.
[ Furnace Overdrive ]
Fire surged brighter, crawling along his arms like molten veins.
The Ironhide Lord charged.
Lu Shen intercepted.
The impact blasted debris in every direction.
Cracks spread across his reinforced frame — visible strain this time.
But he didn't retreat.
Slowly. Methodically.
They broke the Lord down piece by piece.
When it finally collapsed, Lu Shen dropped to one knee — breathing heavy.
Silence.
---
[ Dungeon Cleared ]
Ironhide Cavern
Completion Time: 16:27
The arena reacted quietly.
"Textbook," a scout from Stonecrest Battle Institute muttered, jotting notes.
"Good fundamentals. Nothing flashy."
A nearby teacher nodded. "First Academy never overreaches."
No applause.
No celebration.
Just confirmation.
---
Skyclaw Nest — Team 002
Starfall First Academy
The feed shifted violently.
Jagged spires jutted upward. Winds howled constantly, distorting balance and sound.
Team Leader: Han Yue
Primary Monster Gene: Tideveil Manta
Elemental Affinity: Water — Mid-High
Before anyone spoke—
Skyclaw Raptors dove.
"Hold formation!" Han Yue called.
Gene energy rippled outward.
[ Flowbound Step ]
Her movements softened — momentum bending instead of stopping, allowing her to slide through space without losing balance.
She redirected a diving raptor with a sweeping motion.
[ Tidal Redirect ]
Compressed water-aspected energy twisted airflow, slamming the beast into a stone pillar.
"Anchor the left!" she shouted.
A teammate fired tethered bolts, pinning a raptor midair.
Another misjudged wind pressure and nearly lost footing.
"Down!" Han Yue warned.
The Skyclaw Tyrant descended.
Wind pressure slammed into the team, threatening to scatter them.
One member slipped over the edge.
Han Yue reacted instantly.
[ Undertow Pull ]
A reverse flow yanked him back from empty air.
The fight dragged on.
Wind shear worsened. Mistakes accumulated.
But no one panicked.
They adjusted.
They endured.
When the Tyrant finally crashed down, Han Yue leaned heavily on her spear — visibly exhausted.
---
[ Dungeon Cleared ]
Skyclaw Nest
Completion Time: 18:02
"Risky terrain," a scout from Azure Wing Academy commented.
"But good crisis handling."
"Second team always has more pressure," another teacher replied.
Still no excitement.
---
Mistshade Forest — Radiant Sky Institute
Fog saturated the feed instantly.
Visibility dropped to almost nothing.
Team Leader: Shen Lian
Primary Monster Gene: Moonveil Stalker
Elemental Affinity: Shadow — Mid
A teammate struck first — and hit nothing.
A false body counterattacked immediately.
"Stop," Shen Lian said sharply.
Shadow energy pulsed outward.
[ Shadow Anchor ]
Team silhouettes stabilized, grounding orientation.
"Don't chase images," he instructed. "Track displacement."
The Mistshade King split into four identical bodies.
Heartbeat sounds overlapped.
Shen Lian closed his eyes.
[ Umbral Trace ]
Shadow energy mapped distortions in movement.
"…Second from the right."
They attacked together.
Two illusions shattered.
The real body screeched.
Even then, it nearly escaped before being pinned.
The team looked drained when it ended.
---
[ Dungeon Cleared ]
Mistshade Forest
Completion Time: 19:11
"High cognitive load," a scout murmured.
"Leader carried perception."
A note was written.
Nothing more.
---
Venomroot Tunnels — Northriver Combat School
Cramped corridors. Poison residue coated every surface.
Team Leader: Qiao Ren
Primary Monster Gene: Blackscale Scorpion
Elemental Affinity: Poison — High
Ambushes were constant.
Claws from blind angles. Venom stacking relentlessly.
[ Toxic Carapace ] coated Qiao Ren's body, keeping him upright as others rotated in and out.
One teammate collapsed briefly.
They stabilized him.
Retreated.
Returned.
This wasn't clean.
It was survival.
---
[ Dungeon Cleared ]
Venomroot Tunnels
Completion Time: 21:40
"Messy," a local academy instructor said quietly.
"But they didn't break."
---
The ranking board updated.
Times locked.
Teachers began comparing openly now.
"Sixteen minutes is still the fastest."
"But no one dominated."
A few mid-tier academy scouts whispered.
A few instructors exchanged looks. Someone snorted quietly. Another jotted something down and shook their head.
Then the Ironhide Cavern exit gate stabilized.
Starfall First Academy's crest dimmed as Team 001 stepped out.
Lu Shen walked at the front, wiping dried blood from his knuckles with a cloth. His teammates followed, clearly worn but composed. He glanced once toward the medical staff, waved them off, and kept moving.
As they crossed the waiting area, Lu Shen's eyes drifted—without intention at first—
And landed on Team 211.
Stonefang Gorge gate.
Still unopened.
Wei Jin stood there, arms relaxed at his sides, listening to something Chen was saying. He wasn't watching the screens. Wasn't watching anyone.
One of Lu Shen's teammates slowed a step.
"That him?" he asked quietly.
Lu Shen didn't answer immediately. He just looked.
Another teammate glanced at the display. "Nine point nine… huh."
They stopped nearby—not blocking the path, not crowding. Just close enough to be noticed.
Lu Shen spoke, voice casual.
"Stonefang Gorge."
Jin turned his head.
Lu Shen's gaze passed over the group. "Fast dungeon. Easy to mess up if your timing's off."
It wasn't hostile. It wasn't friendly either. Just a statement.
One of the First Academy students added, less restrained,
"Hope your team can keep up."
Chen frowned but stayed quiet.
Jin nodded once. "We'll see."
That was it.
No tension spike. No dramatic pause.
Lu Shen studied Jin for another second, then gave a small smile—more curious than mocking.
"Good luck," he said.
His team moved on.
As they passed, one of them muttered, not even trying to hide it,
"Purity's one thing. Real fights are another."
They were already gone by the time Chen exhaled.
"…Did that count as trash talk?" Liang Xu asked.
Sun Wei shrugged. "Kind of?"
Jin didn't respond.