The next round of the tournament was finally happening, checking the order of the fights Daemon saw he would be fighting late in the day. But Kiara and Lukas both were fighting early. Heading into the stands Daemon watched both fights as they destroyed their opponents seemingly effortlessly.

As Daemon watched the fights, he couldn't help but be amazed by the sheer display of power and skill from his friends. Kiara's opponent was a young man with long black hair and piercing red eyes, who seemed to move with lightning-fast speed. But Kiara was no slouch either, dodging and weaving around his attacks before unleashing a devastating series of ice attacks that left him frozen in place.

As Kiara's opponent lay frozen on the ground, a sudden burst of water erupted from beneath the ice, shattering it into a million pieces. The young man emerged, his eyes blazing with fury as he began to summon powerful water attacks. Kiara quickly summoned a wall of ice to protect herself, but the water attacks kept coming, smashing into the wall with incredible force.

Daemon could sense the intense concentration required for Kiara to maintain her ice wall against the onslaught of water attacks. He watched as Kiara quickly formulated a plan, using her mastery of ice to create a series of spikes that jutted out from the ground, impaling the young man and ending the fight.

Lukas' fight, on the other hand, was a fierce battle of fire and lightning. His opponent was a muscular woman with short-cropped hair and a fierce determination in her eyes. The two fighters exchanged blows, each one trying to gain an advantage over the other.

Lukas summoned a bolt of lightning, which his opponent quickly countered with a burst of flame. The two attacks collided in mid-air, creating an explosion that sent both fighters flying backwards. Undeterred, Lukas quickly regained his footing and unleashed a powerful burst of electricity, which his opponent barely managed to dodge.

The woman responded with a wave of intense heat, creating a wall of flames that threatened to consume Lukas. But Lukas remained focused, channeling his qi into a powerful electric attack that neutralized the flames and sent his opponent flying backwards.

The crowd erupted into cheers as both Kiara and Lukas emerged victorious from their battles. Daemon couldn't help but feel a sense of pride as he watched his friends, knowing that they were not just fighting for themselves, but for the honor of Celestial Academy.

After congratulating his teammates, Daemon began to prepare for his own fight. As he stepped onto the arena, he could feel the eyes of the audience on him. His opponent was a tall and muscular man with a serious expression. Daemon remained calm and collected, feeling the confidence that came with his earlier victory.

The fight began with the man charging towards Daemon, his fists raised in a fighting stance. But Daemon was prepared, easily dodging the first punch before delivering a swift counterattack. He could feel his qi flowing through him, giving him incredible speed and strength. With each move, he felt more and more invincible.

The man continued to attack, but Daemon effortlessly dodged each one. He was almost bored with how easy the fight was. As the man threw a punch, Daemon summoned a wall of water to block it before unleashing a powerful wave that knocked the man off his feet.

The man growled in frustration as Daemon continued to evade his attacks with ease. Sweat dripped down his face as he tried to keep up with Daemon's movements. Daemon, on the other hand, was calm and collected, his movements fluid and graceful. He felt the energy flow through his body as he summoned a wall of water to block the man's next attack. The water swirled and surged, forming a barrier between them. The man's fist connected with the wall, but it was like hitting a solid rock.

Daemon seized the opportunity and unleashed a powerful wave of water towards his opponent. The man was caught off guard and knocked off his feet, crashing into the ground with a loud thud. He struggled to get up, but his movements were slow and sluggish.

Daemon watched as the man slowly got up, impressed by his tenacity. He decided to end the fight quickly, summoning a surge of water that engulfed the man in a powerful whirlpool. The man thrashed and struggled, but he was no match for Daemon's power. With a final burst of energy, the whirlpool dissipated, leaving the man lying on the ground, defeated.

The crowd erupted into cheers as Daemon emerged victorious, feeling a rush of pride and satisfaction. He bowed respectfully to his opponent before turning and walking off the stage, his confidence continuing to soar.

After Daemon's win, the trio met up and started walking around the arena, studying their competition and engaging in friendly conversations with other contestants. As they were admiring the skill of some of the fighters, a group of people caught their attention. The group was headed by a contestant, who had a smug expression on his face as he approached the trio. His followers were walking behind him, their gazes fixated on Daemon, Kiara, and Lukas.

The man stopped in front of Daemon and sneered, "So, you're the one they're all talking about. The one who won his fight by luck."

Daemon raised an eyebrow at the man's boldness. "Luck? I don't think so. I won that fight with skill and technique."

The man laughed, and his followers joined in, creating a cacophony of sound. "Skill? You? Don't make me laugh. You got lucky, and you know it."

Kiara stepped forward, her hands on her hips. "Why are you being so rude? We're all here to compete and test our skills. There's no need to belittle someone else's achievements."

The man turned to Kiara, and his expression turned from smug to angry. "Who asked you, girl? Mind your own business."

Lukas stepped in, his imposing figure towering over the man. "We don't have to take this. Let's go, guys."

As they turned to leave, the man grabbed Daemon's arm. "You're not going anywhere. I challenge you to a duel. Right here, right now."

Daemon raised an eyebrow, looking at the man's hand on his arm before he slowly pulled away. "I don't have time for your childish games," he said, his voice laced with annoyance. "We have a tournament to win."

The man sneered at him. "Afraid you'll lose?" he taunted. "Or maybe you're just a coward."

Daemon's eyes narrowed, and for a moment, he considered accepting the challenge. But then he reminded himself that his priority was the tournament, not some meaningless squabble with a hot-headed contestant.

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He took a step back, allowing his aura to flourish into existence. "I don't have to prove anything to you," he said firmly. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have better things to do."

As he turned to leave, the man lunged forward, his fist aimed at Daemon's face. Turning around lighting fast, Daemon knocked the fist aside before stepping forward with a palm strike infused with his qi.

As his hand made contact with the man’s chest, Daemon felt his qi enter the mans meridians, quickly destroying his nodal pathways and charring his body from the inside.

Watching coldly as the man simultaneously turned to ash and slumped to the ground, Daemon took a single step back.

“ If any of the rest of you wish to die, please be my guest”. Daemon uttered in a low and dangerous tone.

Just as Daemon finished his threat, a loud voice pervaded throughout the arena.

“ All contestants who are still in the tournament head over to the central stage.”

The voice repeated the message twice more as the trio began to head back to the arena.

When they arrived they saw a lone cultivator up on the stage waiting for everyone to gather around. When he saw no more new additions to the group, he began to speak.

“ The next round will determine the contestants who will make it into the finals, after this next round every battle will be held one at a time until we make it to the final 4. We will meet back up again once reach that point.”

The cultivator finished his speech with a little bit more information before dismissing the crowd for the start of the next rounds. Checking the fighting schedule, Daemon saw that Kiara and Lukas would be fighting first.

Daemon took a deep breath and looked over at his teammates, Kiara and Lukas. He could see the nerves etched across their faces. "You guys got this," he said, giving them a reassuring smile.

Kiara and Lukas nodded, steeling themselves for their upcoming fights. They made their way to the stage, and Daemon watched from the stands, cheering them on.

Lukas was up first, and he faced off against a tall, lanky man with a shaved head. The man was quick, but Lukas was even quicker, dodging each attack and landing precise blows. The fight was over quickly, with Lukas emerging as the victor.

Daemon cheered as Lukas walked off the stage, a huge grin on his face. "Great job, man," he said, giving him a pat on the back.

Kiara was up next, facing off against a woman with short, spiky hair and a fierce expression. The woman wasted no time in attacking, unleashing a barrage of fireballs towards Kiara.

Kiara managed to dodge most of them, but one caught her off guard, singeing her shoulder. Despite the pain, Kiara continued to fight back, summoning walls of ice and hurling them towards her opponent.

The fight was intense, and Daemon could see the strain on Kiara's face. But she fought on, refusing to give up. In the end, however, her opponent was able to land a devastating blow, knocking Kiara to the ground.

Daemon's heart sank as he watched Kiara struggle to get back up. But even in defeat, Kiara held her head high, her determination shining through. Daemon made his way down to the stage to congratulate her on a hard-fought battle.

"Nice try, Kiara," he said, giving her a smile. "You'll get 'em next time."

Kiara nodded, a determined glint in her eyes. "Thanks, Daemon. I won't let this defeat hold me back."

Daemon knew that Kiara was a fierce fighter, and he had no doubt that she would come back even stronger. For now, though, he just wanted to be there for her and help her recover from her loss.

After consoling Kiara and congratulating Lukas, Daemon headed onto the stage for his battle.

Daemon's opponent was a young man with spiky black hair and an arrogant smirk on his face. The man took a few steps forward and summoned a blast of fire, aiming it straight at Daemon. But Daemon didn't even flinch. He simply stood there, his eyes closed, and lifted his hand. As the fire approached him, it suddenly changed direction, swirling around Daemon before dissipating into nothingness.

The man looked shocked, but before he could react, Daemon had already made his move. He darted forward and delivered a swift punch to the man's gut, causing him to double over in pain. Daemon then grabbed the man's arm and twisted it behind his back, immobilizing him.

Daemon's opponent let out a groan of pain as he struggled to break free from Daemon's grip, but it was no use. Daemon had him firmly in his grasp. The crowd roared with excitement as they watched the swift and efficient takedown.

For a moment, there was silence as the defeated contestant lay on the ground, defeated and humiliated. But then the crowd erupted into cheers and applause, impressed by Daemon's display of skill and power.

Daemon released his opponent and stepped back, allowing him to stand up and regain his composure. The man looked at Daemon with a mixture of awe and fear, realizing just how outmatched he had been in the fight.

With a nod of his head, Daemon turned and made his way off the stage, feeling the eyes of the other contestants on him as he walked. He knew that his easy victories would only make him a bigger target in the next rounds, but he was ready for whatever challenges lay ahead.

Checking back in at the fighting schedule, he saw he had one more fight until he made it into the final four, and it was now. Heading back to the stage he saw his opponent waiting for him. His opponent was slim and short, yet he emanated an aura fiercer than all of his previous opponents.

As Daemon stepped onto the stage, he felt a sense of bloodlust wash over him. He had underestimated his previous opponents, but this one was different. The man's eyes glinted with a fierce determination, and he seemed to radiate an intense energy that Daemon couldn't quite place. As they took their positions, the man suddenly charged forward, his fists flying in a flurry of punches.

Daemon quickly dodged the attacks, his movements fluid and graceful. But the man was relentless, and soon Daemon found himself on the defensive. He summoned a wall of water to block a particularly vicious punch, but the man shattered it with a powerful kick. The two fighters exchanged blows back and forth, neither gaining an advantage.

Daemon realized that he needed to use his qi to turn the tide of the battle. He channeled his energy into his fists and launched a flurry of punches at his opponent, who countered with a blast of fire that singed Daemon's arm. The pain fueled his determination, and he summoned a wave of water to douse the flames.

Deciding to stop playing around Daemon allowed a little bit more of his true power to leak through into the rest of his body. Relishing in the feeling of his newfound strength he dashed forward, with techniques and strikes incomparable to his recent showing.

With his newfound speed his opponent was caught off guard and was instantly on the backfoot. Daemon pressed his advantage landing kicks and punches, as well as blasting his opponent with spheres of fire and strikes of lightning.

Finally as it seemed his opponent was about to lose, his aura skyrocketed and he blasted Daemon back. As Daemon flew back he grinned, before using his qi forcefully to stop himself in midair.

Just as he came to a stop, his opponent launched himself towards Daemon, his fist glowing with an ethereal light as he punched at him.

Throwing out palm to counterattack, when their strikes collided the entire arena shook, launching the spectators back and forth.

Using his qi to launch himself back towards his opponent they met in midair and exchanged an innumerable amount of strikes. Elbows, palms, fists, and kicks were thrown quickly and blocked just as fast.

After a rather large shockwave Daemon’s opponent was slammed into the ground. Deciding to end the battle, Daemon summoned all of his qi and created a qi bolt writhing with lightning, fire, and chunks of jagged rock, before commanding it to slam into his downed opponent.

Caught in midair his opponent was unable to dodge and attempted to block the barrage but was unable to withstand the onslaught.

Breathing somewhat heavily Daemon allowed himself to gently lower to the ground. With a triumphant smirk, Daemon surveyed the crowd, noticing they were awed into silence at the astonishing display of power.

Silently walking off the stage, Daemon headed towards where Kiara, Lukas and their instructors were waiting to congratulate him.

Daemon walked off the stage with a sense of relief, glad that the battle was finally over. He made his way towards where Kiara, Lukas, and their instructors were waiting for him.

"Congratulations, Daemon!" exclaimed Lyra, the trio's instructor. "You fought exceptionally well. Your qi control was impressive."

"Thanks, Lyra," Daemon replied, grinning from ear to ear. "I couldn't have done it without your guidance."

"I knew you had it in you," Kiara added with a smile.

Lukas just nodded, a look of pride on his face. "You did us all proud, man."

The group continued walking, talking and laughing, as they made their way towards the exit of the arena. The energy in the air was palpable, and Daemon couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. He had made it into the final four of the tournament, and he couldn't wait to see what the next battle had in store for him.

As they left the arena, they were approached by a group of people who seemed to recognize them. "Hey, aren't you the ones who fought in the tournament today?" one of them asked.

"Yes, that's us," Kiara replied.

"I must say, you guys are pretty impressive," another person said, eyeing them up and down. "We were wondering if you'd like to join our group for a little post-tournament celebration. We've got a few drinks and some food lined up."

Daemon and his friends looked at each other, nodding in agreement. "Sure, why not?" Lukas said, grinning.

The group of strangers led them to a nearby tavern where they sat down to celebrate their victories. They talked about their fights, their training, and shared stories of their adventures. The food was delicious, and the drinks flowed freely.

As the night wore on, Daemon couldn't help but feel grateful for the experience. He had made new friends, and he had grown stronger through his battles. He was excited to see what the final rounds of the tournament had in store for him and his friends.