The adjudicator stood above the stage, addressing those who had passed the first round. "Congratulations on making it this far! Now, the real battle begins. Do you see that raffle over there? It contains the names of all the remaining contestants. We will draw two names at a time, and those selected will fight on this stage. After these matches, the winners will advance to the next battle. In this battle we have the Preliminary Round, Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Finals.

"Now let the battles commence!" the adjudicator said aloud, as he looked at the teacher on the side, drawing the raffle.

He took his hand to the list of names, took two papers, and held the microphone.

"Alex Anzon and Leywin Johnson, please come up to the stage," the teacher with glasses bellowed into the microphone.

The two then walked to the stage, as they looked at each other. The adjudicator, seeing their serious faces, couldn't help but purse his lips.

"The rules of this battle is that whoever admits surrender loses, and whoever falls in this arena will lose. You can also use weapons and we have their for you to use it, but if you already have a weapon with you, then you can use it," the adjudicator bellowed in the center of the arena.

"Now, fight!" As he stepped just a little bit, he arrived below the stage with fast speed.

Kairos looked at this instructor, and an idea emerged in his mind, "The Adjudicator must be around the Spirit Convergence Stage, since a vast amount of Aether surrounds him," he thought inwardly.

[Just a brief idea the first level is the Martial Warrior Stage and the second level is the Spirit Convergence Stage]

Back on the stage, the two were looking at each other. One had short black hair, while the other had spiky red hair as he looked at his opponent.

As the two students pressed the red buttons on their Compact Capsules, they transformed into weapons. The black-haired guy's capsule morphed into a sleek spear, which he spun expertly while circling his opponent. T

he red-haired student smiled at this, and his Compact Capsule turned into a formidable black mace, with a pointy knife-like tip shaped like a ball, glinting menacingly.

In the advancement of technology, humanity right now uses a remarkable device known as the Compact Capsule.

These small, portable capsules store full-sized weapons in a minimized, cubic form. When the button is pressed, the capsule instantly reveals the weapon in its original, full form, ready for immediate use.

This innovation allows cultivators to carry a diverse arsenal conveniently and deploy it at a moment’s notice.

The black-haired student eyes turned serious as he closed the distance between them, his spear gleaming under the arena lights.

With ease, he spun the spear in a mesmerizing arc, with the blade whistling through the air. The red-haired student, gripping his black mace, stepped forward confidently, but there was a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

As the black-haired student lunged forward, his spear struck with lightning speed. The red-haired student barely managed to block the initial thrust, but the force pushed him back, staggering. They were both in the 7th stage of Body Refinement, but he was still pushed back.

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Seizing the moment, the black-haired student delivered a swift series of strikes, each one more precise and powerful than the last. The red-haired student tried to counter, swinging his mace with all his might, but he couldn't break through the relentless assault.

With a final decisive strike, the black-haired student's spear disarmed his opponent, sending the mace clattering to the ground. The match was now over. The red-haired student, panting and defeated conceded, leaving the black-haired student victorious.

As he sat on the concrete floor, the black-haired guy walked in front of him, extending his hand.

"Good game," he said with a smile.

The red-haired guy nodded and took his hand, allowing him to help him up.

"Good indeed," he replied with a smile adorned on his face.

"The match is over. Alex Anzon is the winner of this match," the adjudicator said aloud on the mic.

Then rounds of applause rung on the stadium, as the students clapped on a good match.

Then the match continued some students won while some loss and finally Kairos female classmate name was called.

"Ishnehaya Salic vs John Doe, please come up to the stage." Hearing this, the spectators and the rest were waiting for their battle and were very excited to see this.

John Doe, seeing his opponent was the prodigy Ishnehaya, who was at the last stage of Body Refinement, sighed at his bad luck. He was at the 8th stage, and the gap between one level was still big.

As they arrived on stage, John Doe decided to give it his all. The battle commenced as he took out his weapon from his Compact Capsule - a big, heavy metallic sword. His eyes focused on Ishnehaya, who stood with her eyes closed.

Ishnehaya then extended her hand, clicking the red button on her Compact Capsule. A samurai sword emerged, featuring a light blue blade and handle, wrapped in a crisscross pattern.

The guard was silver, adorned with intricate designs, and just below it, a butterfly section added a touch of elegance. The scabbard, also light blue with a floral pattern, was completed with a decorative bow tied around it.

The stage grew colder as she opened her eyes, revealing a spark of icy aura. The two did not break their gaze. Finally, the battle began.

John Doe decided to charge forward, swinging his heavy sword with all his might. Ishnehaya remained calm, her movements was fluid and precise. She sidestepped his initial attack effortlessly, her samurai sword slicing through the air with a graceful arc.

John Doe barely managed to block her strike, totally felt the force behind it.

Ishnehaya then executed a technique called 'Frostbite Slash,' her blade emitting a chilling aura. As she swung, a wave of icy energy surged towards John Doe, freezing the ground beneath him. He struggled to maintain his footing, and his movements was slowed by the cold.

The crowd in the seated area seeing this was surprised and shocked. 'Frostbite Slash' is a Silver Grade technique known for its cold power. At Advanced Proficiency, the user can release an icy slash that slows enemies.

When perfected, the icy energy becomes so cold that it causes frostbite on impact, eventually freezing the hit area solid.

But being slowed during battle is really bad, and when John Doe got hit, they already knew who had won. Kairos was also surprised by his classmate's talent. Reaching this proficiency in Martial Technique is a major achievement, since it's a silver-grade technique.

For proficiency in technique, we have: Basic Understanding, Intermediate Mastery, Advanced Proficiency, and lastly, Perfection.

Desperate after getting hit, John Doe unleashed his own technique, 'Iron Tempest,' a flurry of powerful strikes aimed at Ishnehaya. But she countered each blow with ease, her swordsmanship was really impeccable.

With a swift motion, she disarmed his weapon even though its heavy, sent his sword flying out of his grasp.

Ishnehaya then performed her finishing move. Her blade glowed with an intense blue light as she struck John Doe's chest, the impact sending him crashing to the ground. The cold energy seeped into his body, immobilizing him.

John Doe could only look at his opponent as he passed out from the coldness in his injured chest.

"Winner, Ishnehaya Salic," the adjudicator bellowed, as he instructed the medic to take the injured John Doe to the infirmary.

The students clapped, seeing an amazing battle. For the rest of the participants they were very afraid, they really didn't want to encounter her during battle, if they did then it only means their luck runs out.

But for the rest, they had anticipation, Kairos was not an exception for this since he really wanted to fight and know his current strength.