C67 Victory!
Zhang Xing had waited for an hour as the competitions for the other grades came to a close. He wasn't concerned with who had claimed first place.
He was aware that Zhan Tian from their academy's high-level class had made it into the top ten, and someone from the intermediate class had also placed, though not in the top five.
Now it was time for the individual challenge, with five million gold coins beckoning him. This was what mattered to him.
With that kind of money, Dragon Island was in for a swift period of construction.
He could potentially hatch a second, third, or even fourth dragon egg in a short amount of time.
Zhang Xing's hands were rubbing together with confidence, his eyes sparkling with the gleam of gold coins.
The challengers were the top ten students from each grade.
Ten from the high-level class, ten from the intermediate, and ten from the primary class—these thirty were the Six Houses' elite. Historically, the victor was always from the high-level class.
The Empire's Kaiser encouraged students from lower grades to challenge those from higher ones, assuring them that even in defeat, there was honor.
"I want to challenge!"
Zhang Xing, who had been eagerly waiting, rose to his feet.
All eyes turned to him, many nodding in respect for his bravery.
The challenge had two rules: select your opponent or draw lots.
Upon his arrival, the President had informed him that students typically opted for the lottery.
Direct challenges were usually between students with personal grudges.
Zhang Xing wasn't concerned with that; he was here to challenge, plain and simple.
He reached into the bamboo tube holding twenty-nine sticks and pulled one out at random.
"Golden Cauldron Devil Martial Academy, Bill from the primary class!"
An Empire official announced the name of the challenged.
Bill stood up immediately to concede defeat as soon as the words were spoken.
After all, who among the primary class students of the Six Houses could stand against Zhang Xing?
"Let's draw again!"
Zhang Xing selected another bamboo stick.
"Dean of the Golden Cauldron Academy's high-level class!" the official proclaimed, lifting the stick for all to see.
"I accept the challenge!"
"Would the two students please take the stage?"
Dean, ranked sixth, had a rugged and untamed appearance. He looked less like a mage and more like a warrior.
They arrived at the center of the dueling ground and exchanged salutations with the customary mage's courtesy.
Dean glanced at Zhang Xing's diminutive figure, a flicker of disdain crossing his eyes. "Junior Zhang Xing, I'll let you strike first. If you can't land a hit on me within ten moves, you might as well concede defeat!"
"Seeing how tiny you are, I'd feel guilty even laying a finger on you!"
"I won't need ten moves to take you down. In fact, one move is already overkill," Zhang Xing sighed, shaking his head.
"One move?" Dean bellowed with laughter.
"Stop laughing, Senior Dean. Make sure you're protected; I'm about to launch my attack!" Zhang Xing offered the warning in good faith.
With his hands casually resting on his knees, Dean chuckled, "Junior Zhang Xing, go ahead."
No sooner had he spoken than everyone witnessed Zhang Xing casting the simplest of magic arrows.
The next moment, Dean was struck solidly by the arrow.
Ten seconds passed, and Dean remained sprawled on the ground.
A Grand Mage from the Empire inspected the scene and promptly declared Zhang Xing the victor.
It was only then that Dean came to, still groggy and clueless about the events that had unfolded, even searching for Zhang Xing.
The other students, witnessing the scene, were visibly astonished.
That an ordinary magic arrow could instantly incapacitate Dean spoke volumes of the formidable magicule force it carried.
They pondered how they might counter such an arrow, questioning whether they could withstand it.
Others, however, were less impressed. They felt Dean's defeat was self-inflicted, a result of underestimating Zhang Xing. After all, they reasoned, a mere magic arrow should be easy to block.
