Roaring Dark Bird

The two of them ignored the arena battle entirely and stood face to face in the corridor.

Ye Qiugao coldly sneered, "Kent, didn't you say you're about to graduate? Ha! A freshman who hasn't even finished his textbooks, and yet you lie about graduating soon. And the passing score for the assessment is 80 points? You must think everyone here is a fool. You probably can't even manage a passing score of 60 points. If you're trying to deceive people and show off, at least come up with a decent excuse."

Ye Qiugao's voice was not only loud, but also sharp, causing a large crowd of students nearby to overhear. The commotion was so big that everyone in the hall turned their attention to the confrontation.

"That's none of your business. Maybe you're just bored, wanting to stick your nose into something that doesn't concern you?"

Kent's face darkened as he spoke, "Whether I graduate or not, or whether I lie about it, what does that have to do with you, Ye Qiugao? You're going way overboard. Your words are overly harsh, and your tone is venomous—you're trying to destroy my reputation."

"So, you admit that you're lying and deceiving everyone?" Ye Qiugao pressed on, feeling more certain that Kent was hiding something. His tone grew more confrontational. "Here at Earthstar University, we place great importance on personal strength, but character is equally important. If students go around deceiving people while wearing the school's name, it tarnishes our reputation, doesn't it?"

Ye Qiugao thought he had caught Kent in a lie and got more excited as he continued speaking. His voice became more impassioned.

"I suggest that someone like Kent, with such terrible character and arrogance, should undergo special education. If he doesn't reform, he should be expelled as a warning."

His words were highly inflammatory. Many students who already disliked or even hated Kent were stirred up by his speech, and they glared at him, some even cursing under their breath.

Kent's face turned completely dark. He had once been confused about what a show-off looked like, but now he had a deep understanding of it, thanks to Ye Qiugao.

"Are you finished?" Kent asked, his voice cold.

"What, can't take it anymore? Weren't you so cocky just now? You're embarrassing yourself," Ye Qiugao mocked him.

Kent couldn't be bothered to explain himself. In this situation, any explanation would only be seen as an attempt to cover up his actions. So, he gave the referee a signal, his mind burning with anger. He needed a target to vent his frustration, and Ye Qiugao, the instigator, was the perfect choice.

The referee, understanding the situation, didn't care about the personal conflict. His only concern was keeping the match on schedule. He blew his whistle loudly and announced, "The two students from the Inspection Academy, please proceed to the arena for your match."

With the referee's prompt, Kent walked up to the arena, his face clouded with anger, while Ye Qiugao strutted onto the platform, acting as though he had already won.

"Kent, I'll give you one last chance. Admit defeat within ten seconds," Ye Qiugao arrogantly said.

Since Kent wouldn't admit to lying, Ye Qiugao now believed that Kent's victory over Huang Jintian had likely been tainted, perhaps even a setup. After all, Kent came from a family worth billions of dollars. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility that Kent had bribed Huang Jintian to ensure his top spot.

"Ha, Kent, aren't you so full of yourself? I'll make sure you end up disgraced," Ye Qiugao thought, a sense of triumph welling up inside him.

Kent directly refused, signaling to the referee to start the match.

The referee glanced at the two, and like everyone else, could tell there was an intense atmosphere between them. However, it had nothing to do with him. Clearing his throat, he loudly announced, "Begin!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Kent exploded into motion, charging toward Ye Qiugao like a wild bull with its tail on fire.

As he sprinted forward, he summoned his beasts—Garfield the Cat King and the Stone Monkey Wukong. Instantly, the bond between them was established, and all three entered a berserk state, their speed soaring like a car going 200 miles per hour.

The reckless, fast-paced charge caught everyone's attention.

"What's he planning to do? Is he going to crush Ye Qiugao in one go?" Many people were baffled.

Ye Qiugao, slightly startled, quickly realized that Kent had fully been provoked. This attack could very well be the result of losing his composure.

But he wasn't worried. All he had to do was dodge Kent's assault and strike back where he was weakest. It seemed winning this match would be easy.

Without hesitation, Ye Qiugao summoned his two beasts: the Golden-grade Mountain Crushing Giant Ape and the Heaven-grade Dark Bird.

As soon as the beasts appeared, the Mountain Crushing Giant Ape positioned itself in front, blocking Kent's path like a massive wall, though it wasn't as powerful as the Immortal Stone Beast, which had a higher tier.

Meanwhile, the Dark Bird, skilled in elemental attacks rather than physical combat, emitted a strange roar. It could unleash four types of sounds, each corresponding to a different elemental power.

As Kent neared within fifty meters, the Dark Bird tilted its thick neck and let out a sharp cry: "Ga ga~!"

Its short neck shuddered, as if it were burping, before it quickly shot out a thick tongue of fire, aiming at Kent.

"Is that all you've got?" Kent sneered. As the fireball rushed toward him, he swiftly slid and rolled, easily dodging the attack.

While elemental attacks were powerful, their accuracy was often low. Even if they were tracking him, Kent could rely on his constantly shifting movements to deplete the attack's energy.

"Ga ga~"

Not giving up, the Dark Bird let out a second cry. Immediately, ten thick ice arrows, each as wide as an arm, appeared, quickly launching toward Kent in a line.

The ice arrows came at high speed, but Kent showed no fear. He pushed off the ground, leaping up to a height of thirty meters.

Normally, he could jump close to two hundred meters, but the hall's ceiling was only thirty-nine meters high, so he had to control his body to avoid hitting it.

The ten ice arrows lost their target, shooting into the empty space instead.

Ye Qiugao, however, sneered, "You're not scared of falling down, but let's see if you can keep flying."

Everyone knew that once someone was airborne, they couldn't borrow strength from the ground. Kent would become an easy target in the air.

"Wah wah~"

The Dark Bird raised its head to the sky, letting out a third, eerie sound. It opened its mouth wide, releasing the third form of elemental power.