Chapter 143: Yixin vs. the Divine Dragon Warrior

"He is more than a match for two members of the Dragon race, but if he were to face either you or me in a one-on-one, he would barely hold his own."

"Pfft, he was just putting on a show; he almost revealed his true colors!" Ling Xiao Lei remarked.

Yi Xin continued:

"Every contestant here is an elite from their respective academy. Even though he has reached the peak realm, he only just broke through recently. Trying to fight three opponents at once is still an exhausting task for him.

"However, their strategy of one-against-three does have one advantage: the true strength of their other teammates remains completely hidden, making it difficult for us to formulate a targeted strategy."

"That is true." Everyone nodded in agreement, lost in thought.

Hei Yu, being quite poor at these strategic matters, had long since mentally checked out.

"But fortunately, they have no apothecary. He depleted too much mana today; by the team match in the third round tomorrow morning, he will likely only be at fifty percent, and for the finals in the fourth round tomorrow afternoon, he’ll only be at seventy or eighty percent. We have one less threat to worry about."

As Bai Sheng Ye spoke, he handed out mana-boosting potions to everyone present. Their turn to take the stage would be soon.

"Hurry, give us more potions! We need to make sure our mana exceeds his!" Ling Xiao Lei urged impatiently.

Whenever this happened, everyone was reminded of the benefits of having an apothecary in the team. An apothecary like Bai Sheng Ye, who could provide support while possessing extraordinary combat prowess, was a rare talent encountered only once in a century.

Bai Sheng Ye unbuckled his medical kit. The compartments inside were divided into two sections: one for the enhancement potions he handed out for everyone to drink, and the other for the antidotes he had prepared the previous day. He placed the latter into the large backpack he always carried and slung it over his shoulders.

Seeing him make these preparations made everyone’s hearts grow heavy.

After the Royal Magic Academy exited, the six of them gathered their gear and walked to the entrance beneath the arena.

The team approaching from the opposite side was just as expected: a red-haired Dragon warrior, a brown-haired wood-element mage, and behind them, a tall, purple-haired boy carrying a large insect chrysalis on his back, wearing a black mask—he looked like a poison witch doctor.

Another member was short in stature, with short, dark green hair and a long black coat with a high collar that obscured his face. Once they stopped, the others gathered around this small figure; he was clearly the captain, and the group gestured as they discussed their tactics.

This was Wu Zhen of the Wu clan. Because the Wu clan practiced poison arts from a young age, many of them retained the physique and appearance of children even into adulthood. However, as the tournament rules imposed age restrictions, he was certainly around fifteen years old.

During their discussion, he glanced at Yi Xin and raised a hand to stop the wood-element mage from entering, deciding to send the Dragon warrior instead.

Yi Xin stepped onto the arena. The Dragon warrior also drew his swords and took the stage. He was a burly boy with a fierce expression and a long scar across his forehead. In his hands were two long swords without sheaths; the blades were covered in jagged, fang-like serrations, and the surfaces were pitted and scarred, looking as though they had been tempered by countless battles and bloodshed.

Because of the weight of the blades, he dragged them on the ground behind him as he approached, carving two straight, parallel lines into the arena floor. Once he came to a halt, he stared at Yi Xin with a predatory gaze, much like a hunter closing in on his prey.

"The match begins!"

As soon as the host spoke, the Dragon warrior let out a roar, broke into a sprint, and charged at Yi Xin with his swords raised.

"Blazing Prairie Fire!"

Yi Xin raised his staff, channeling power into it with his other hand. An arc of flames swept toward the direction of the Dragon warrior’s charge, leaving behind scorching ashes and scattering sparks wherever it passed.

The Dragon warrior sidestepped, emerging from the flames. Despite the weight of his swords, he moved with agility, suddenly appearing at Yi Xin’s flank. The sudden closing of the distance caught Yi Xin off guard.

Once he had locked onto his "prey," the Dragon warrior lunged like a tiger. He swung his heavy swords in continuous, overlapping, and unorthodox patterns, moving with a speed that defied their weight and striking from unexpected angles.

The jagged edges of the blades brushed past Yi Xin several times. "To be able to wield two heavy swords like that—a truly impressive skill," Yi Xin remarked.

"Right back at you."

Suddenly, the two swords crossed like shears above Yi Xin’s head, executing a terrifying, crushing strike.

Fortunately, Yi Xin ducked in time and followed up with a punch to his opponent’s midsection. The warrior instinctively recoiled but did not stop his assault. However, he had not anticipated that Yi Xin would then condense flames onto his knuckles, transforming the strike into "Scarlet Flame Fist"—an explosive, concussive burst of fire.

The Dragon warrior hurriedly dodged in a panic, but he quickly regained his composure, joining his two swords together like a broad, rectangular shield. The raging flames flowed harmlessly around the sides of the shield. Yi Xin’s fist struck the solid surface of the blades, but with his current strength, he could not shake the warrior’s stance, and the distance between them remained unchanged.

"What a troublesome opponent," Yi Xin thought, quickly leaping backward.

For a mage, close-quarters combat was clearly disadvantageous. In just a few exchanges, Yi Xin had already broken into a cold sweat.

*This Dragon warrior,* he confirmed inwardly, *while not of pure royal blood, possesses combat prowess and practical experience far exceeding those of the Dragon contestants who faced Renault earlier.*

Regaining his distance, Yi Xin decided to end the fight quickly.

Against an opponent like this, the longer the fight dragged on, the worse it would be for him. It would be too easy to reveal a flaw and be severely injured in close combat. Furthermore, there were still two troublesome poison-element mages left; he had to hold out until the poison-user entered the fray to create an opening for Bai Sheng Ye to craft an antidote.

By now, the enhancement potion he had consumed before the match was at its peak. Yi Xin’s rage burned, and roaring flames spread from beneath his feet to his entire body. As the Dragon warrior charged again, he unleashed his most powerful, overwhelming killing move.

"Inferno Scorch!"

The exploding flames instantly blanketed the entire arena. It was no longer a question of dodging; there was nowhere left to run.

The spectators were stunned. Compared to the wide-range attack Renault had used earlier, Yi Xin’s "Inferno Scorch" was undoubtedly superior. Both the instantaneous explosive power and the range of the attack were breathtaking.

"It’s here! The Scarlet Flame family’s strongest killing move—Inferno Scorch!" the host shouted, his voice trembling.

Amidst the towering flames, the opponent’s charge suddenly stalled. He immediately merged his dual swords into a shield for defense, while dark red dragon blood erupted from his body, forming a hardened outer shell to resist the fire.

"Dragon Blood Burst!"