Grim woke up early in the morning and went for the breakfast.

He went to the usual location and called the waiter.

"Waiter, I would like to order."

The waiter arrived at his table, took his order, and left. His food was delivered after 15 minutes.

He ate the food and called the waiter for the bill. But, to his surprise, the waiter refused to accept the payment-the reason being the decree from the sect leader to provide food free of cost for the remaining 20 disciples.

"Well, that's fine by me. I like the taste of privilege."

Grim muttered and made his way to the arena.

***

In the arena.

He was earlier than usual. So, he had to wait an hour at the arena for all the participants to arrive.

"The match will commence now."

"Meng Zhou and Li Bo, step up on the stage."

Both disciples went up on the stage.

"Please go easy on me, young master."

Li Bo couldn't help but comment.

Gong!

'Umbra Barrier'

The shadows emerged from Meng Zhou and covered the entire stage. The spectators could only view a dome made of darkness. They had no idea what was happening inside.

Inside the dome.

Li Bo was bewildered. A moment ago he was below a clear blue sky, and now it was pitch black everywhere.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Suddenly, he heard footsteps from all directions.

"Where is it?"

He was agitated.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

He heard the footsteps right behind him so he unsheathed the sword and swung behind. But, the sword hit nothing.

Schwing!

Suddenly, he heard the sword being unsheathed abruptly. Before he could even react, the sword was placed on his neck.

"Do you surrender?" He heard Meng Zhou's voice.

He raised his hand in response. "I surrender."

'Release'

Meng Zhou released his kill.

As the dome vanished, spectators noticed Meng Zhou's sword on Li Bo's neck while he was raising his hands.

People started gossiping. 'What's going on?', 'Is it over already?', 'What happened inside the dome?'

"Meng Zhou has won the first match."

Woah!

Soon, the confusion turned into cheers.

'Young master, 'Young master, 'Young master.

Back in the seat.

"Shadow element!"

Grim and Yuan Chang had the same thought.

***

Shao Cai and Wu Huang went up on the stage next.

Shao Cai was from the Cai family-one of the four families of the spring sect, and the Cai family excelled in the 'lightning' element.

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His opponent was from the Huang family, and they excelled in the 'life' elements.

Gong!

'Lightning Rupture'

Shao Cai launched a massive lightning bolt from his left hand. The lightning bolt started splitting further it went.

Wu Huang saw the lightning bolts shaped like a serpent advancing toward him.

'Earth Wall'

He raised a wall to defend himself.

The skill worked at first as it was able to direct the lightning to the stage. However, the bolts started circumventing the wall. So, he had to switch places.

But, it gave Shao Cui an opportunity instead.

'Lightning Rupture'

He launched the attack again.

Snap!

The attack landed on Wu Huang and he was left paralyzed for a few seconds. A few seconds may not sound much, but it was enough to decide the victor.

And the matchup was not fair for Wu Huang since he excelled in the 'life' element which was a support type.

"Shao Cai has won the second match."

***

Tang Ling and Jin Fang went on the stage.

Spectators started whispering.

"Battle between two major families. This will be an interesting match."

Tang was from the Ling family, and they excelled in the 'ice' element. While Jing was from the Fang family that excelled in the 'life' element.

Gong!

'Frost Wave'

Tang Ling froze the entire stage after the bell rang.

But, Jin Fang was well-versed with her skills.

'Earth Tower' He made a tower utilizing earth elements.

Afterward, he spammed 'flame rain' - but the ability was useless due to the ice wall that was protecting Tang Ling from all the incoming attacks. The scene was a textbook example of any tower defense game.

"Let's get you down here."

She used 'Frost Wave' to freeze the tower and launched a barrage of icicles. The exterior of the tower was frozen and icicles chipped the frozen parts destabilizing the tower in the process.

"Oh, No!"

Soon, the tower began crumbling. So, Jin Fang jumped and released 'Earth Tower' while in mid-air.

Tang Ling noticed what he was trying to do. So, she froze the tower at mid-point and it caused Jin Fang to fall flat on the stubby frozen tower.

It was enough time for Tang Ling to achieve victory.

"Tang Ling has won the third round."

Grim spectated the match attentively. But, he was disappointed by the result.

***

Liu Fang and Lin Xun stepped into the stage for the fourth match.

Lin was from the Xun family, and they excelled in the 'lightning' element.

So, the match went as anybody could have expected.

Lin Xun was announced as the victor.

Peng Xun and Qia Ling stepped into the stage for the fifth match.

Both disciples excelled in battle skills. So, the match was intense. But, Qia Ling achieved victory by limiting Peng Xun's movement.

The sixth match was between Don Tai and Chang Long.

Chang Long was able to win the match thanks to his affinity with the 'ice' element.

Finally, it was the turn of Grim.

***

Grim and Teng Xun went to the stage.

Gong!

'Lightning bird'

Teng Xun released lightning bolts. The bolts turned into small birds and advanced toward Grim.

"You aren't the only one with lightning."

'Storm'

Lightning bolts surged ahead.

Soon, the two attacks collided. The attacks started merging and released massive bolts everywhere. Both faced the brunt of the attack as they were the closest. The attack didn't cause any harm but they were pushed back.

Now, Teng Xun was left only with basic elements since 'lightning' had little effect on Grim. So, he started spamming 'fire, water, and air' based attacks. But, Grim used similar abilities with the same elements, and the situation turned awkward.

"I'll end your misery."

'Vigor'

Grim strengthened his body to 50x.

'Dash'

Then, he instantly appeared in front of him and kicked Teng Xun.

Boom!

The kick landed on his stomach before he could react. He was sent flying out off the stage and was lodged at the arena walls.

Blurghhh!

He felt immense pain in the stomach and threw up a bit.

Grim was taken aback by his reaction.

"But, I only strengthened up to 50x. Wasn't he at the peak-evolution realm?"

Soon, Grim was announced the winner, and the seventh round came to an end.

***

Chen Shi and Yuan Chang stepped on the stage for the eighth round.

Cheng Shi was from a minor family in the sect that specialized in a dual element. They could fuse 'fire' and 'air' elements.

Gong!

'Fire Blaze'

Soon, a fiery typhoon started forming in front of Chen Shi. Once completed, it started advancing toward Yuan Chang. The wind speed increased with every passing second, and it was starting to attract Yuan Chang.

"I've seen enough."

Yuan Chang unsheathed the sword.

'Solar Flash'

It released the tremendous gleam again. But, the spectators were one step ahead and closed their eyes. Unlike last time, he slashed vertically releasing a massive tower of light.

In a split second, it tore the fiery typhoon into two, halting the momentum and canceling the skill. Then, it marched forward.

Chen Shi was able to cast 'Earth Mountain' right before the 'solar flash' approached.

Creeeek!

The attack effectively shaved the sides of the mountain clean, leaving only the middle.

Chen Shi saw the mountain had turned red-hot due to the impact. Then he turned back only to be frightened.

The attack had obliterated both sides leaving him safe in the middle. If the stage was a whole pizza, then he was a slice. The attack had left a perfect triangle around him.

"I surrender."

His knees gave up.

'Yuan Chang' x10

Everyone cheered for him.

The eighth match also came to an end.

The ninth match was between Zhang Qing and Wang Cai.

Both excelled in 'lightning'. But, Zhang Qing won the match thanks to his physically strong body.

The final match was between Zhen Fang and Zhong Fang.

Their battle lasted for an entire hour because both excelled in 'life' and were weak in combat. But, Zhong Fang won the match by a small lead.

It was already evening. So, the final battle would resume the following day.

The battle roster was also announced.

Meng Zhou vs Yuan Chang

Shao Cai vs Qia Ling

Tang Ling Vs Grim

Lin Xun vs Zhang Qing

Chang Long vs Zhong Fang.

Everyone returned with anticipation for the final day.

***

In the forest near the 'Frost' sect.

The beast horde had reached its destination.

The griffin was feeding on one of the beasts. One of the henchmen approached it anxiously.

"Is everyone ready for the battle?"

The beast nodded vigorously in response.

"Very Good. Let's attack at once."

It soared and made its way toward the 'Forest' sect.

[Evo points left: 164,750]