The Wheel Battle

Alan howled in pain, begging for mercy. Ryan, seeing that it was almost over, delivered a powerful whip kick that sent Alan flying off the arena. Alan spewed mouthfuls of blood as he crashed to the ground.

If it weren't for Ryan's motivation to collect the gold, Alan would already be dead. Ryan no longer saw Alan as a worthy opponent, and any lingering desire for revenge had faded.

That's how people are—when your enemy no longer measures up to your strength, the hatred from the past fades as well.

Even so, the crowd gasped in shock. They still felt that the scruffy boy had been too harsh in his attack.

Ryan ignored the whispers from below, glancing at the two fallen figures before sneering at Annis. "I told you he was no match for me. I win this round. I'll take the fat guy's bet, as for that one—consider it a gift."

Ryan's mocking laugh and the word "gift" made Annis twitch at the corner of her mouth. While she hadn't expected much from Alan, she was shocked by how quickly both of them had lost, especially since the opponent hadn't even used any real techniques. "They're really useless. As expected, the second-generation heir of the spoiled class is nothing to count on."

Annis waved her hand, instructing someone to remove Alan and his companion. "A loss is a loss, but you were a bit too harsh, don't you think?"

Ryan smiled faintly. "At least they're still alive. If you don't want something like this happening again, I'd suggest you send someone useful next time. Don't waste your time testing me with such trash."

Annis turned away, no longer engaging in verbal sparring with Ryan. She called for Gent to discuss the next steps, while Ryan stood to the side, indifferent and observing coldly.

Moments later, a young girl in a brown robe slowly walked up to the arena. She seemed about the same age as Ryan, with flowing golden hair that fluttered in the air, giving her an ethereal appearance. Her stature was a bit smaller, not as stunning as Leah, but her bright eyes held an unusual sharpness.

Ryan scrutinized the girl carefully, just as he was about to speak.

The girl gave a slight bow and spoke first. "Hello, my name is Disqi, a mid-level student from Norton Academy. Please, teach me."

This girl, named Disqi, was one of the top performers in this round of the exhibition battles, mainly because Leah and the others didn't participate. She was essentially the strongest fighter Norton Academy had deployed, aside from Leah and her group. As Ryan had suspected, Norton Academy couldn't let someone like Leah take the stage right away, and Gent had strongly recommended Disqi for the fight.

What Ryan didn't know was that Leah and the others had already graduated, and while the academy could have sent them, there were concerns. They weren't part of this particular competition's roster, and sending them would surely attract unwanted attention and mockery.

Disqi introduced herself, and Ryan realized that she was his next opponent. Her polite demeanor made a positive impression on him, and he returned the greeting with a respectful nod.

Just as Ryan was about to get up, he felt a sudden shift in the elemental energies around him. Frowning, he thought to himself, Not good. Before he could look back at Disqi, he swiftly moved out of the way.

At that moment, a loud "bang" sounded as a stone, more than half his size, smashed into the spot where Ryan had been standing just a moment ago. This sudden attack left Ryan startled.

Had it not been for his sharp sensitivity to elemental fluctuations, he might have been caught off guard. The girl's decisive strike made him catch his breath, silently warning himself, Don't be fooled by appearances. She really is a quiet one who bites when you least expect it.

Meanwhile, Disqi was equally perplexed by Ryan's quick reaction and speed. She couldn't fathom how this disheveled boy had evaded her carefully prepared attack.

She had intended to use her initial polite approach as bait to confuse Ryan, but the plan had backfired. It was clear that this girl had deep layers of strategy.

Having narrowly avoided disaster, Ryan steadied himself and exhaled softly, "Nice move."

Disqi remained silent, her body surrounded by swirling earth-yellow energy. With a soft command, "Endless sand and flying stones," the entire arena was soon engulfed by a storm of yellow sand and flying rocks, all heading toward Ryan.

Seeing this, Ryan didn't dare relax. His vision was blocked by the raging sandstorm, forcing him to close his eyes. He relied on his heightened sensitivity to the elemental shifts, dodging the stones while simultaneously moving toward the source of the attack—Disqi.

Though his eyes were closed, his extraordinary ability to perceive elemental fluctuations allowed him to track her precise location without issue.

As the sand continued to blanket the arena, the audience below started to lose sight of the two competitors. With such a ferocious assault, no one believed the scruffy boy could survive. Just then, a scream broke through the silence, waking everyone from their thoughts.

A figure flew out of the arena and crashed to the ground. When the crowd saw that it was Disqi who had fallen, they couldn't help but gasp. Had the disheveled boy won again?

As the sand gradually dissipated, Ryan stood in the center of the arena with his eyes still closed. Yes, he had won again.

Ryan slowly opened his eyes and saw Disqi glaring at him from the ground. The two locked eyes for a moment before she puffed her cheeks and, with a huff, turned and walked away, her eyes slightly reddened.

At this moment, the girl's deep-seated frustration became apparent. Losing was one thing—she could accept that, as it was just a matter of skill. However, she never imagined she would lose because her opponent had simply seized her and tossed her off the stage. The thought of it was utterly humiliating.

The moment she was thrown off the stage, she cursed the "rough, country bumpkin" in her mind, over and over again.

Ryan knew that his actions might have been a bit too harsh, but there was little he could do. Unlike Alan, this girl hadn't wronged him in any way, and he wasn't one to treat a girl too roughly. He could only shake his head helplessly and glance at Annis, saying indifferently, "Prepare the next one."

While the girl was seething with anger, Annis was filled with disbelief. Throughout the entire fight, she had sensed no elemental fluctuations from Ryan.

Normally, if someone were using elemental power, even the faintest trace of elemental energy would be detectable.

If such a master did exist, it would certainly not be someone like this boy. Annis couldn't fathom that Ryan could have refined his elemental abilities to such a level. The only explanation she could think of was that, as Ryan had claimed, perhaps he had never actually trained in elemental magic and had won purely through his exceptional physical skills.

Annis found it hard to imagine what kind of teacher could have trained this boy. For some reason, she felt a slight unease around him. It wasn't the boy she feared, but the person behind him.

As she pondered how to resolve the situation, a voice rang out from afar, shouting angrily, "Kid, I don't care who you are, but for hurting my brother, you're going to pay the price!"

The voice belonged to Alan's older brother, Yarr. Though Ryan hadn't met him before, it didn't take much to guess his identity.

This duel had nothing to do with Yarr initially, and Ryan had no interest in this commotion. But when Yarr saw his brother in that condition, he stormed over from home, furious and ready to confront Ryan.

Ryan narrowed his eyes as Yarr approached. He spoke coolly, "Alright, if you want me to pay the price, let's see if you have the skill to make me."

After greeting Annis and the others, Yarr confidently walked to the stage and addressed Ryan. "Let's fight."

Ryan sneered and turned to Annis, asking, "May I ask, Director, is he also one of your academy's fighters? I already said I don't like wasting effort unnecessarily."

Annis was at a loss for words. She didn't want the duel to continue. She had been looking for an excuse to end the contest, but now Yarr had shown up, complicating things for her.

At the same time, Leah, who had been watching from the sidelines, felt a surge of anxiety. Though she had her doubts about the messy, disheveled boy on stage, she couldn't help but worry. If the boy wasn't Ryan, all her questions about Ryan's whereabouts would lead back to him. She couldn't afford for anything to go wrong.

She knew that Yarr was powerful. Even without using her weapon, Snow Condenses, Leah didn't think she could defeat him.

Wanting to stop the duel, she called out from the crowd, her voice low but clear, "This isn't fair. Yarr wasn't part of this competition. Considering his age and strength, this is a case of the strong bullying the weak. Is this how Norton Academy treats people?"

Leah's words had a noticeable effect. The crowd immediately erupted in discussion. Some were eager for the spectacle, while others sympathized with the disheveled boy, as in any contest with a large gap between strength, most people would side with the underdog. In this case, Ryan was clearly the weaker one.

Yarr noticed Annis's hesitation but said nothing more. He turned to Ryan and said, "First, although I didn't participate in this competition, it doesn't change the fact that I'm a student of Norton Academy. Second, I'm determined to fight you. Third, if you win, I'll give you the gold as promised. Do you dare to accept my challenge?"

Ryan sneered and looked at Yarr with disdain. "There's no need for any provocations. I never said I wouldn't fight. I just wanted to be clear. I remember someone else said they would pay the gold. Are all of you academy students all talk and no action?"

Yarr smiled faintly, without wasting time on words. He instructed his subordinates to bring two bags of gold to the corner of the stage. "Here are two thousand gold coins—one thousand for me and the other thousand for that student you mentioned. If you can win, take it all. The rest depends on your skill."

"Alright, I accept your challenge," Ryan said calmly.

When Leah heard Ryan's acceptance, she was nearly driven mad. But as angry as she was, she had no way to intervene. She could only silently move closer to the stage, prepared to step in if something went wrong.

Ryan, however, didn't think about the consequences too much. He accepted the challenge not just for the gold but because Yarr had once hurt his sister, Leah.

If he couldn't even stand up to Yarr, how could he promise to protect her in the future?

Taking a deep breath, Ryan said, "Come at me."

Without hesitation, Ryan moved, knowing that Yarr wasn't like the others he had fought before. He closed the distance quickly and prepared to engage Yarr in hand-to-hand combat.

At this point, his only reliance was his physical skills and speed. If Yarr unleashed his full elemental power, Ryan would be at a disadvantage.

Yarr saw Ryan's aggressive approach and shouted, "Good! Let's see what you've got!" He too prepared for battle.

The two of them clashed head-on, their fists colliding with a force that sent them both staggering backward.

After the exchange, both were secretly shocked, realizing the strength of their opponent.

Yarr thought to himself, Alan didn't lose unjustly. This boy's speed and strength are on par with mine.

Meanwhile, Ryan glanced at Silver Moon, seeking some indication of how much chance he had of winning. Silver Moon merely shot him a sidelong glance and transmitted a message, "Why are you looking at me? Fight."

Ryan couldn't help but smile wryly. As expected, Silver Moon is as unreliable as always. I can't count on him for anything.