Colin Vether sat in the examiners' stand, his brows furrowed as he turned to Professor Ola with concern.

"Professor, please forgive my boldness, but don't you think this duel is unfair to BaiYun?" he asked.

"BaiYun may have an unprecedented talent rating of Level 5, but his mana reserve is only at 0.2. Furthermore, his enrolment application does not indicate any prior magical training."

"Meanwhile, Hermann Thorisson, though a lesser noble, is still from a lineage of mages and has trained in magic since childhood. His talent rating of 3.5 is nothing to scoff at, and his mana reserve is an impressive 2.8. Given time, he is certain to reach beyond Level 3."

Colin exhaled sharply. "I mean no disrespect, but this fight is a foregone conclusion. BaiYun is going to lose."

Ola nodded gently, placing a reassuring hand on Colin's shoulder. "No offense taken, Colin. You're simply speaking your mind, and I appreciate your honesty."

Colin, known for his honesty and integrity, was momentarily taken aback. Ola continued, "But Colin, as I always tell you, magic is more than just magic itself."

He paused, his gaze shifting toward the duel grounds. "After watching this fight, you might gain a new understanding of that idea."

In the center of the arena, BaiYun and Hermann stood facing each other.

A transparent magical barrier shimmered around the battlefield, glowing blue-white, strong enough to withstand even some higher-tier spells. The ground was covered with a specialized magical formation that rapidly absorbed excess mana, preventing collateral damage from spreading beyond the dueling area.

The audience's anticipation was palpable. A real combat duel was always more exciting than fighting stone golems.

Hermann smirked, his eyes brimming with undisguised disdain. "Ready, 'Bulb Lighter'?"

BaiYun lazily shrugged. "Just bring it on already. I need to wrap this up quick, so I can go celebrate at Dawn Tavern."

In the examiner's stand, Professor Ola clasped his hands before his chin, his expression calm. The three department heads reacted differently—Barrett, head of the warrior division, watched BaiYun with keen interest, clearly intrigued by his unconventional approach. Min Zhao, head of the rogue division, narrowed her eyes slightly, gazing at BaiYun. Colin, head of the mage division, remained impassive, though inwardly, he was deeply intrigued by BaiYun's peculiar reverse casting technique.

As Colin gave the signal, "Begin," Hermann made the first move.

Another Mage Hand stretched forth, reaching toward BaiYun.

BaiYun was momentarily puzzled. The first exchange in a duel was usually a probing attack. But Hermann should know that using this magic hand trick against him was a waste of mana.

At the last moment, BaiYun noticed something within the hand—a subtle streak of electricity, faint but present.

Deciding to conceal his trump card, BaiYun responded only with his known reverse casting technique, one that Hermann had already witnessed, which could only counter Arcane Manifestations. As for the hidden lightning, he chose to endure it.

When the electric current struck, a numbing sensation traveled from BaiYun's fingertips to his elbow before stopping. It wasn’t nearly enough to cause any real harm.

"Seems that Alan Green's body is really sturdy. Just a hand tingle?" BaiYun mused. What he didn’t know was that this body’s special traits extended far beyond simple toughness—something he would soon discover.

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Still, in the spirit of "committing to the act," BaiYun put on a pained expression.

Colin frowned slightly. "Strange. Hermann’s lightning hit, but BaiYun’s reaction seems off…"

Professor Ola nodded. "He’s faking it."

Hermann, meanwhile, was verifying his hypothesis. He had deliberately infused lightning into the hand to confirm whether BaiYun’s strange defence technique previously could counter more than just Arcane Manifestations.

Seeing BaiYun "wincing in pain" and stepping back, Hermann grinned arrogantly. "What’s wrong? Can’t even handle a warm-up?"

BaiYun clutched his chest, feigning agony, but deliberately retorted, "You call that an attack? My grandma hits harder than that."

Hermann scoffed, spreading his hands wide. The air around him crackled as arcs of electricity snapped into existence. He unleashed a barrage of lightning strikes, forcing BaiYun to dodge continuously. But no one could outrun lightning forever. He took several direct hits, his grimaces this time genuine.

From the stands, Min Zhao noted, "His footwork is decent, but evasion alone won’t win him this fight. He needs to attack."

Barrett, however, caught something else in BaiYun’s expression. "No, he’s observing."

"Observing?" Colin was not sure what BaiYun could possibly observe.

"He’s trying to find Hermann’s behavioral patterns," Ola remarked with newfound interest.

Suddenly, BaiYun halted his dodging, flashing a sly grin. "You keep attacking from distance. That means you’re afraid of close quarter combat, aren’t you?"

Hermann sneered, "Afraid?" A taunt was on his lips, but then he saw an opportunity—BaiYun was trying to taunt him into close range. If Hermann could trick BaiYun into stepping into his Stormclad Armor’s radius, then with a Lightning Strike, BaiYun would be finished.

"Afraid of close combat? Ha! Do you think you can even get near me, Bulb Lighter?"

He deliberately left an opening, feigning weakness to lure BaiYun in.

BaiYun smirked in his head. "Gotcha."

Both fighters thought they had outsmarted the other, each feeling a surge of satisfaction.

In the examiner's stand, Colin tensed. "Why is he recklessly closing in? Didn’t he research Hermann’s abilities beforehand?"

Ola merely smiled. "Unfortunately, I don’t know what he’s planning."

Seizing the opportunity, BaiYun dashed forward, stepping into the very edge of Hermann’s electric field.

Hermann’s eyes gleamed with triumph. "Bulb Lighter, you actually fell for it! Do you seriously believe an opponent would tell you their real weakness? You're dueling! Use your tiny brain!"

But BaiYun feigned ignorance, playing along. "Oh, come on, you’re just scared now that I’m up close. Drop the act."

All the while, he had secretly activated his reverse casting on ignition spells, cloaking himself in an invisible magical barrier.

His hypothesis? Within the Stormclad Armor, fire-based ignition effects would be nullified, leaving only wind-based magic. As soon as he entered, sections of the electric field would turn into harmless air currents.

However, upon stepping in, BaiYun discovered a flaw in his plan. Though the lightning was neutralized, the rapid air friction within the storm felt like countless tiny wind blades slicing against his skin. Soon, small cuts formed all over his body. They weren’t serious, but they hurt.

"Yeah great, there’s always something goes wrong, just like my life."

Hermann, seeing BaiYun wince in pain, burst into laughter. "So, how’s the taste of my Stormclad Armor?" He wouldn’t give BaiYun a second chance—he unleashed a full-powered Lightning Strike.

Thunder roared. Blinding arcs of electricity engulfed BaiYun’s figure.

Colin’s expression darkened. Barrett muttered, "He’s not gonna be barbecued, is he?"

Min Zhao, however, remained a calm face and shook her head. "No, he has a plan."

At that very moment, a jar flew out, straight towards Hermann.

Hermann was confused, but his instincts took over—he reflexively struck it with Lightning Strike, shattering it instantly.

"Is this guy an idiot? He tried so hard to get within attack range, just to throw a jar at me?"

But as the ceramic shards scattered, the jar’s contents—a torrent of saltwater—kept moving forward from the momentum.

The moment the conductive liquid splashed onto him, realization struck like a thunderbolt.

"Saltwater? Conductive?!"

"Oh, that’s right."

Lightning surged uncontrollably across his own body, locking his muscles in place.

"The jar... it holds water..."

In that instant, Hermann saw the entire fight in reverse. Every move he thought was a trap for BaiYun had actually been a trap for him.

As the electricity overwhelmed him, he let out one final, furious roar.

"Fucking... JARS CAN FUCKING HOLD WATER!"