Chapter Forty: The Competition Begins.

"Enter."
A flash of light, and I appeared on an open ground, somewhat resembling an ancient Chinese arena. Standing opposite me was a level 28 warrior named Turkey.

Immediately, the system prompted again: "The match will begin in 60 seconds. Please prepare... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, start."

I barely caught a flicker of movement before my opponent launched himself at me with a charge. A flurry of attacks exploded across my body—minus 56, minus 87, minus 64, minus 110. This fellow hammered away at me, taking off more than 300 of my health, all the while looking at me with disbelief.

What a joke. With over 400 defense, breaking through my armor wouldn’t be easy. As soon as he finished his assault, I swung the Ruyi Staff, unleashing a Crushing Blow. Instantly, a damage number of minus 1021 appeared above his head. One more regular strike, and he dissolved into white light, his face frozen in astonishment. The system promptly announced my victory. I hadn’t even needed to summon my beast—an effortless win.

When I exited the arena, everyone was already waiting outside. Long Xin asked, "Brother, how did it go? Don’t tell me you lost your very first match?"

"You underestimate me. It was a breeze against that rookie," I replied proudly.

I asked, "Did you win too?"

"Yes, a level 27 mage, finished off with a single fireball," Long Xin said with satisfaction.

"By the way, which class did you choose for your advancement?" I asked curiously.

"Of course, the Elementalist—the class with the strongest magic attack. Was there ever any doubt?" Long Xin answered.

"What about the others? How did your matches go?" I continued.

Feng Xiaoyue spoke up, "With the Flame Sun you gave me, who could be my match? Yezi handled her opponent with ease. Little Ai’s angelic summon speaks for itself. Xiao Xi passed too—he happened to face a mage who didn’t even have a shield up. Talk about luck."

Xiao Xi grinned, "All thanks to courage, haha."

"It seems everyone had it easy," I remarked.

"Don’t get ahead of yourself, brother. These are just the preliminary rounds, filled with rookies. The real challenge comes when we face the experts," Long Xin cautioned.

"True," Ye Shuang chimed in cheerfully. "Our goal is to claim the top three spots and sweep all the best gear into our pockets."

Everyone agreed in unison.

Soon, the second round began. This time, my opponent was a level 26 warrior—clearly, the competition was getting weaker. Not wanting to waste time, I took him down with an over-the-shoulder throw followed by a Crushing Blow. Done.

Everyone emerged from their matches beaming with excitement. After a short rest, the third round commenced. I was the first to appear on the arena, soon followed by my opponent—a level 29 summoner named Purple Moon.

In the next moment, she emerged—a girl clad in deep red armor that accentuated her youthful curves, stirring untold fantasies. Her face was exquisite beyond words, skin as smooth as jade, a delicate nose, rosy lips, an elegant neck, flowing hair, and clear, intelligent eyes that seemed to see through everything. Facing such an opponent, I felt no pity, but I still hesitated for an instant before slapping my cheeks and gripping the Ruyi Staff, ready for battle.

She was just one step away from her class advancement to High Summoner. As for her gear, I couldn’t say, but in all of Dragon City, those who could outclass me in equipment attributes were few and far between—after all, who else wore three green items and had spent so much effort refining this overpowered skill to such effect?

This match brought a pressure unlike any I had felt before. We were both summoners, yet I sensed that her presence overshadowed mine. Was it just my imagination? Perhaps, but perhaps not.

We stood in silence on the arena, eyes locked, waiting for the system’s countdown to finish and the battle to begin in earnest.

This time, my instincts told me to hold nothing back. I would use every ounce of my strength to defeat her.

As the countdown ended, she parted her cherry lips and spoke softly, "Battle start!" With her words, she donned a deep purple-black helmet, hiding her true face. In her slender hand appeared a flaming whip, silent and blazing.

She cracked it against the ground—a fissure split the arena, the earth trembling as it widened. Suddenly, the ground burst open with a deafening roar, and magma gushed forth. A black claw reached out, followed by a shadowy figure climbing from the molten lava—two meters tall, clad from head to toe in black armor, its face a mass of flames, fire flickering at its joints. This creature was pure fire incarnate—a fire demon lord whose roar thundered like the heavens, scorching the earth with every step.

This creature must be a demon-summoned beast—my first time encountering one. Clearly, this would not be an easy victory.

I quickly summoned my Giant-Horned Lizard, Mud Python, and Gale Wolf King. With a crisp command, Purple Moon retreated two steps, swinging her whip and shouting, "Flame Lord, attack!" Her demon roared and charged.

I led my three summons in a fan formation, closing in. This time, I would take the Flame Lord head-on myself, while my beasts circled to attack her directly.

With a howl, I leapt into the air, gripping my Ruyi Staff, and unleashed Cloud Assault, driving the staff towards the Flame Lord’s blazing face.

As it struck, I raised the staff for a Crushing Blow, smashing down on its head. The damage—minus 124—barely scratched the Flame Lord, but I had more tricks up my sleeve.

I judged that her strength lay ninety percent in this Flame Lord; if I could take it down, victory would be mine. When facing summoners with powerful beasts, the best strategy was to eliminate the summon itself. No matter how high her defense, it couldn’t rival mine. With over 400 defense, I was unmatched among summoners.

The Gale Wolf King suddenly opened its bloody maw, howling as it spat a spiral gale toward Purple Moon. The Mud Python hurled mud clods like lightning. They might not deal much damage, but they could certainly disrupt her focus.

The Giant-Horned Lizard charged, but the Flame Lord brought its arms together, then spread them wide, releasing a massive ring of fire that radiated outward in all directions—a full-area, indiscriminate attack. Everyone caught in the blast was thrown back, each taking exactly 500 points of damage. Clearly, this was a fixed-damage skill. For the Mud Python, with only 200 health, it was fatal—a wail, then it vanished in a burst of flame.

And this was only the beginning. I’d already lost a summon; my mid-tier, low-health Mud Python was no match for a god-tier Flame Lord.

The Gale Wolf King and Giant-Horned Lizard were knocked down, but they survived thanks to their higher health. Purple Moon, despite being the Flame Lord’s master, also lost 500 health to the indiscriminate attack. She survived, indicating a high health pool, but now had to keep chugging potions to recover.

The Flame Lord began casting again, erupting in flames that engulfed the entire arena. Fire surged everywhere, turning the ground into a sea of flames. Centered on the Flame Lord, the inferno spread outward, scorching everything in its path—a truly terrifying scene.

Purple Moon kept her distance. Surrounded by roaring flames and suffocating heat, I felt my health decreasing at a rate of one point every three seconds. The fire encircled us, forming a blazing domain.

It was clear: unless I defeated the Flame Lord, I couldn’t even touch her, let alone win. For the first time, I found myself truly cornered.