The remaining students who were yet to fight looked at Faye, then turheir attention back to Ace, their gazes burning with envy and desire, yet epped forward. It was obvious that they were all waiting for the others to make the move. After all, the ter you challehe better your ces were.

  However, Ace was pletely unfazed as he fidently sed each of them from the top of the stage, his eyes eventually stopping on Julius – the highest-ranked batant of all of them.

  "Don't look at me," The ht boy said as he raised his arms as though he were surrendering. "I don't like fighting; I just like cooking aing."

  His words left Ace speechless, but when Ace saw Lauriel's frustrated expression, he uood, shog as it may be, it was the truth.

  , Ace turned his attention to Osiris – the indifferent dark-haired boy he passed on the climb up.

  "Not ied?" Osiris stated directly.

  "What? Why not?" Ace asked back. "Don't tell me you're a food-loving pacifist as well."

  red at Ace as if he'd taken his words as an insult before sn coldly. "I'm an archer."

  Though his words were few, Astantly uood what he was trying to say. Not only could Aot see a bow or arrow on him, even if he did have them stored in the ring on his left middle finger, but a ring like this was also the worst arena possible for an archer, especially when going up against someone like Ace who could use a movement teique.

  Before Ace could respond, the indifferent immature voice of one of the other students sounded. "Yuna, you go."

  "Yes, young master," Yuna responded before elegantly jumping on stage.

  Ace calmly g the boy who gave the order to fight him. He was a tall, blonde-haired boy with electric blue eyes named Joel Dawson. Acc to Aiden, he was a nine-year-old te-rank two warrior and early-rank two lightning mage with a spiritual essence 49x higher than average.

  Not only was he one of the oldest among the group, but he was also the highest in terms of realm when taking both his warrior and mage cultivation into at, minus Julius, the ht pacifist.

  Turning his attention back to Yuna, he saw the brown-haired girl standing there, her crystal blue eyes looking at him with clear disdain.

  It wasn't hard to uand her pt. Judging by her vish attire, she obviously came from a powerful force, but she also had impressive talent being a ten-year-old te rank two warrior and peak rank one mage with a spiritual essence 22x above average.

  "Everyone here is among the most talented children of this geion. Ead every one of us stands a good ce of being a saint iure – and then there's you." Yuna vehemently mocked. "Holy, I don't know what the instructors were thinking making an exception for you when you have no elemental affinity."

  Her words were harsh, but in Ace's mind, they were ravings of a little girl. Instead of replying, he simply strolled towards her.

  "What? Nothing to say?" Yuna said as she flipped her hand, summoning an azure whip made of what looked like barbed wire. "Fihen take this!"

  The whip whistled through the air at a speed that most present couldn't follow with their eyes, but Ace, who had immediately begun using his pressed [Observation] as soon she had summoned her whip, calmly evaded the strike with little effort, tinuing his leisurely stroll towards her.

  Even when he heard her begin ting, he didn't speed up his approach.

  "…[Water Bullet]!" Yuna roared.

  A fist-sized tore through the air like a bullet aiming straight for his face, but Ace merely leant his head to the side, easily evading the ball of water.

  Ace had to admit, she was defihe stro of the oppos he'd faced so far today, but it didn't matter. With his [Observation], he could easily follow each attack as if they were moving in slow motion, preventing them from even ing close to toug him.

  The closer he got, the more frantia's attacks became. She kept on edging away, but it didn't seem to help. At some point, without her realising, her disdain had turned into fear.

  The way he walked towards her whilst casually dodgitacks, Yu like she was fag a monster.

  She went to take aep back when her foot touched nothing but air. She took a quice baly to realise that she was right at the edge of the arena.

  By the time she had turned back to face her oppo, Ace was right in front of her.

  "Do…

  Don't hurt me…" Yuna cried as Ace gave her a geap making her fall on her rear just outside of the ring.

  "Hahaha, well pushed!" Faye roared with ughter.

  Yuna gred at the club-wielding girl only to be met with a lh. Then, sing the rest of the audience, she noticed that her fellow students were either indifferent to hold back their ughter, and the instructors…

  Fet taking her as a disciple; they didn't so much as look her way.

  When she looked back towards the stage, she saw Ace calmly walking back to the tre of the stage, not paying her even the slightest bit of attention.

  Never in her life had she felt so embarrassed. She desperately wahe ground to open and swallow her whole, unfortunately, she was destio be disappointed.

  "Yuna, e back," Joel called as he began walking towards the ring. "I'll take it from here."

  "Yes, young master," Yuna replied dejectedly. "I uand."

  "Let me guess. You're here to avenge yirlfriend's loss?" Ace asked zily as he watched Joel step on stage.

  "I don't actually have anything against you. In fact, even though it's impossible for you to bee a saint iure, I admire your ability. As far as warrio, you are among the most talented I've seen." The young master of the Dawson family said as he calmly uhed the sabre by his side. "Still, as my personal guard, Yuna is a refle of me. By embarrassing her, you've embarrassed me.

  I advise you to step down now because I won't be holdi-"

  "Stop with the pointless chitchat. Either jump off ht!" Aterrupted his oppo, too zy to listen to his arrogant rambling.

  After being interrupted, Joel's eyes frosted over, but ultimately, he didn't say anything further. Instead, he darted towards his oppo.

  Ace may have seemed leisurely from his attention, but as they could still sense his [Observation], they knew he wasn't uimating his oppo. Still, as their o, Ace was the one on the losing side for the first time today.

  "It looks like he might struggle with this one," Lazerim said as he tio watch the two boys csh.

  Though he knew Wukong's bar in terms of talent was extremely high, and he would never make a cim like the one he made about Ace for no reason, they also khat Joel Dawson wasn't your average talent.

  The Dawson glomerate was one of the, if not the biggest and most powerful trading panies in the Yun Pne. Although they weren't a family who were particurly well known for their abilities with regards to the mage or warrior paths, their nigh-infinite wealth eheir young never cked for anything.

  So when a talent like Joel is born into a family like that, one could imagihe training he would've received from early. In fact, it was evident from his skill with the sabre. Each strike was fast, powerful, deadly, and accurate.

  Still, Wukong's expression hadn't faltered in the slightest as he watched Ace seemingly get dominated.

  "This Ace, he's incredible!" Kimika said, her eyes glowing as she stared at the fight, refusing to even blink. "It may look like Joel is in trol, but the truth is, Ace is the one trolling the flow of the battle."

  "Huh, what are you…" Lazerim said, stopping mid-sentence as he began to pay closer attention.

  He may be a better mage than warrior, but he was still a very talented warrior. As he focused more, he noticed that although Ace was the one dodging, blog, and parrying most, it was Joel who was using the most energy.

  It was as though Ace could see each strike ing from a mile away, giving him enough time to use the least amount of energy to deal with Joel's attacks. Not only that, but as time went on, Ace was finding it easier and easier.

  "Is he using his oppo as a whetstoo refine his givesmanship?" Lazerim asked in shock, to which all he got was a telling smirk from his junior brother.

  By now, Joel had just started to realise something was off. Whilst his breathing was getting heavier, Ace seemed just as calm as ever.

  He inally wao win the fight without using magic to prove himself superior in every way, but unfortunately, that didn't seem possible anymore.

  As his bde cshed against the shaft of Ace's give, Joel pointed his left index fiowards Ace's shoulder. "[Pierg Bolt]!"

  As soon as the words came out of his mouth, a bolt of lightning shot out of his finger. But Ace already had his [Observation] spread.

  It was impressive that Joel could insta-cast a rank one spell with the power of a rank two spell, but Ace could literally see the mageforce building around his finger. By the time he had fired it, Ace had already used [Soru] to dodge.

  "I have to admit, as far as warrio, you really are the most talented I've ever seen," Joel said as electricity gathered around the palm of his hand. "To show my respects, I'll stop holding back."

  As his voice wahe lightning travelled across his sabre, creating a bde of flickeriricity.

  He didn't know how Joel was able to do it, but just looking at the lightning-coated sabre, Aew that his give wouldn't be able to go against it.

  Turning over his shoulder, he looked helplessly towards Wukong.

  Uanding the meaning behind Ace's expression Wukong replied, "You don't o hide your abilities here; this is your home."

  Hearing that left Joel and most of the other students fused, but as they turned back towards Ace, they shogly saw the bde of his give tur bck.

  "What is that? Some sort of battle-qi?" Kimika asked in shock, having never seen or heard of anything like it in the past.

  "That?" Wukong asked with a smirk. "That's his bloodline ability!"

  P.S. Support me oreon listed below to read ahead - Release rate is at least 2x as many chapters every week! XD

  P.atreon./ACoilingDragon: Book 3 - Chapter 14