The platform lights dimmed slightly as the barrier rose.
"Next match."
"Han Yue — Starfall First Academy." "Song Rui — Starfall Second Academy."
The Starfall Second section went quiet.
Not because they lacked confidence in Song Rui—but because they knew who he was facing.
The display shifted.
Han Yue
Academy: Starfall First Academy
Primary Monster Gene: Tideveil Manta
Elemental Affinity: Water — Mid-High
Rank: Three-Star Warrior [High]
Then—
Song Rui
Academy: Starfall Second Academy
Primary Monster Gene: Mistwhisper Fox
Elemental Affinity: Wind/Water — Mid
Rank: Three-Star Warrior [High]
A few people leaned forward when they saw it.
"Mist-type gene." "He doesn't fight head-on."
Song Rui stepped onto the platform first, light on his feet, expression relaxed but eyes alert. Thin streams of vapor curled faintly around his boots as he moved, never settling in one place for long.
Han Yue entered next.
As always, no weapon. No change in expression.
She stopped at her mark and waited.
The barrier sealed.
The signal sounded.
Mist spread instantly.
Not thick—at first.
Just enough to blur the edges of the platform, soften distance, hide movement. Song Rui didn't rush. He circled, steps silent, presence fading in and out as the vapor thickened.
From somewhere in the fog, his voice drifted lightly.
"…You really just stand there, huh."
Han Yue didn't react.
The first strike came without warning.
A blade flashed from the mist, aimed low. Han Yue shifted half a step, the attack sliding past her calf by inches. Before the attacker could follow through, she turned—
—and hit nothing.
Song Rui was already gone.
Another strike came from behind. Then another from the side. Short, shallow attacks. Testing. Probing. Never committing.
Han Yue moved steadily, each step deliberate, never chasing, never rushing. The mist brushed against her clothes, water particles clinging unnaturally close to her body instead of drifting freely.
Song Rui noticed.
His attacks slowed.
"…So you're doing that," he muttered, more to himself than her.
The mist thickened again, rolling low across the platform.
Han Yue stopped walking.
She closed her eyes.
The surrounding water shifted.
Not outward.
Inward.
[ Flowbound Sense ]
The mist around her trembled faintly, patterns forming where something disturbed it.
Song Rui lunged again—this time fully committed.
Han Yue moved.
She turned and stepped directly into his path, her palm striking his chest before his blade could finish its arc.
[ Undertow Mark ]
Song Rui staggered, breath hitching as the invisible pressure latched onto him, dragging at his balance, slowing his movements like deep water pulling at his limbs.
He tried to retreat.
The mist didn't respond the same way anymore.
"What—" He forced himself sideways, barely avoiding her follow-up strike. "You locked onto me?"
Han Yue didn't answer.
She advanced.
Song Rui gritted his teeth and dispersed the mist violently, vapor exploding outward as he leapt back.
[ Shatterfog Step ]
For a moment, the platform cleared.
Han Yue was already there.
Her knee drove into his ribs.
The sound was dull and heavy.
Song Rui gasped, rolling away, barely managing to stay upright. He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, breathing harder now.
"…Tch. Thought I could wear you down."
Han Yue tilted her head slightly.
She raised her hand.
Water condensed fast—too fast.
Song Rui's eyes widened as he realized what she was doing. He tried to move, tried to break free from the pressure still clinging to him—
—but his legs didn't respond in time.
[ Tidal Bind ]
The force slammed him into the platform, pinning him down.
The medic signal flared instantly.
The match ended before the final strike could land.
---
[ Match Ended ]
Winner: Han Yue — Starfall First Academy
The barrier dropped.
Han Yue lowered her hand and stepped back.
Han Yue lowered her hand and released Song Rui, who slumped forward as medics rushed in. She didn't look back. Didn't acknowledge the crowd.
She simply turned and walked off the platform, footsteps steady, unhurried.
The arena stayed quiet for a moment longer than usual.
"That… wasn't brute force," someone said slowly. "She figured him out completely."
In the Starfall Second section, no one spoke.
They had seen it clearly.
Song Rui hadn't been weak.
He just hadn't been allowed to keep hiding.
And among the lower academies, a familiar feeling settled in again—not fear, not anger.
Acceptance.
The platform lights shifted again, casting a heavier glow across the arena.
"Next match."
"Qiao Ren — Northriver Combat School." "He Yun — Starfall First Academy."
"That's rough," someone whispered. "Either way, someone strong is going out."
The screen changed.
Qiao Ren
Academy: Northriver Combat School
Primary Monster Gene: Ironback River Bear
Elemental Affinity: Earth — High
Rank: Three-Star Warrior [High]
A low ripple moved through the crowd. Qiao Ren was known for one thing—endurance that bordered on absurd.
Then the second profile appeared.
He Yun
Academy: Starfall First Academy
Primary Monster Gene: Stonefist Mountain Gorilla
Elemental Affinity: Earth — Mid-High
Rank: Three-Star Warrior [High]
"Oh… so it's that kind of fight." "No tricks. Just bodies."
Qiao Ren stepped onto the platform first, broad shoulders rolling as he cracked his neck. His frame was thick, grounded, feet sinking slightly into the reinforced floor as earth energy settled around him.
He Yun followed, taller and leaner, muscles tightly packed rather than bulky. His knuckles were already wrapped in stone-like energy, veins standing out along his forearms as he flexed his fingers once.
They looked at each other.
No smiles.
No words.
The barrier sealed.
The signal sounded.
They moved at the same time.
The first collision echoed like a hammer strike.
Qiao Ren drove forward, shoulder lowered, earth surging beneath his feet as he tried to overwhelm immediately.
[ Ironback Charge ]
He Yun met it head-on.
He planted his foot and swung—not wildly, but straight and heavy.
[ Stonefist Breaker ]
Fist met shoulder.
The shockwave rippled outward, rattling the barrier. Both men slid back half a step, boots grinding against the platform.
The crowd exhaled.
"Neither budged."
Qiao Ren laughed under his breath and rolled his shoulders again. "Good."
He slammed his foot down.
[ Bedrock Anchor ]
The platform beneath him darkened as his stance locked in place. He surged forward again, this time throwing a short, crushing punch aimed at the ribs.
He Yun blocked with his forearm.
The impact cracked the stone coating around his arm—but his counter came instantly. An elbow to the jaw, followed by a downward hammerfist that forced Qiao Ren to one knee.
Qiao Ren grunted, then grabbed He Yun's wrist mid-swing.
[ Bearclamp Grip ]
Earth energy surged up his arm as he yanked hard, dragging He Yun off balance and slamming his head-first toward the platform.
He Yun twisted at the last moment, shoulder taking the impact instead. He rolled, came up low, and drove a punch into Qiao Ren's abdomen.
The sound was solid. Heavy.
Qiao Ren staggered back two steps, breath knocked loose.
For the first time, his expression sharpened.
"He Yun's hitting through the guard." "That gorilla gene—he's compressing power, not spreading it."
Qiao Ren inhaled deeply and exhaled through clenched teeth.
[ Earthskin Reinforcement ]
His muscles thickened visibly as a dense layer of earth energy wrapped around his torso. He advanced again, slower now, but unstoppable.
The exchange turned brutal.
No flashy techniques.
Just strikes.
Fists. Elbows. Knees.
Each blow landed with bone-shaking force. He Yun's attacks were precise, targeting joints and breathing points. Qiao Ren absorbed them, countering with crushing body blows meant to wear his opponent down through sheer mass.
He Yun leapt back, chest heaving slightly.
Qiao Ren didn't chase.
He stomped forward once.
[ Quake Press ]
The ground jolted upward beneath He Yun's feet. His balance broke for a fraction of a second.
That was enough.
Qiao Ren was already there.
He wrapped both arms around He Yun's waist and lifted.
[ River Bear Slam ]
He drove He Yun into the platform with full force.
The barrier flared violently as the impact sent cracks spidering across the reinforced floor.
He Yun coughed, blood spraying lightly as the air left his lungs.
He tried to rise.
Qiao Ren stepped back, raised his fist, and brought it down.
The medic signal flared before it could land.
---
[ Match Ended ]
Winner: Qiao Ren — Northriver Combat School
The barrier dropped.
Qiao Ren straightened slowly, breathing hard, chest rising and falling as the earth energy around him faded. He looked down once at He Yun, then nodded—not in triumph, but acknowledgment.
Medics rushed in.
The arena buzzed again.
"That was pure combat." "No tricks. No mercy."
In the Starfall First section, faces were tight.
He Yun hadn't been weak.
He'd just run into someone who refused to fall.
And as Qiao Ren walked off the platform, cracking his neck again, one thing was clear to everyone watching—
This tournament wasn't just filtering the weak anymore.
It was grinding down the strong.