Chapter 83

The first battle for the quota ended with Mu Chen's effortless victory over Chen Tong. This confrontation also left many of the onlookers in awe. Although the fight did not last long, those with keen eyes could see just how formidable the young man named Mu Chen was. Despite both being at the initial stage of the Spirit Wheel Realm, the two combatants on the stage displayed vastly different levels of strength.

"Isn't that Mu Chen the son of Mu Feng, the Lord of the Mu Domain? He's quite capable indeed."

"Apparently, he was the only one in the Northern Spirit Region who obtained the qualification for the Spirit Path, but later, for some unknown reason, he was expelled."

"From the looks of it, this young man is quite remarkable. With such abilities, he wouldn't be too bad even in the Spirit Path, right?"

"Who knows? But even if he was expelled, with his skills, getting into one of the Five Great Academies shouldn't be too difficult."

"..."

Outside the Northern Spirit Arena, whispers spread among the crowd. Clearly, the previous battle had drawn many people's attention to the young man who had once caused a stir in the Northern Spirit Region.

Mu Chen paid no heed to the various gazes directed at him and returned to his seat in the Eastern Academy. At the same time, Liu Mubai from the Western Academy stood up with a calm expression and walked into the arena.

Many eyes from the Eastern Academy also turned to Mo Ling, whose face was slightly pale. Mu Chen patted his shoulder, and Mo Ling, gritting his teeth, stepped forward.

Liu Mubai glanced at Mu Chen indifferently, then turned to Mo Ling, who had just stepped onto the stage. He straightened his sleeves and said, "Just admit defeat."

Mo Ling was momentarily stunned by Liu Mubai's imposing presence. He then clenched his teeth and said, "Please teach me."

Liu Mubai's eyes were cold, and he shook his head. "You don't know when to back down."

Faced with Liu Mubai's attitude, Mo Ling's face alternated between red and pale. However, he knew that Liu Mubai was indeed very strong, and he had no other options. This battle was a sure loss for him, and all he could do was try not to lose too disgracefully.

Mo Ling took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and a surge of spiritual energy emerged from his body. Feeling the surging power within him, he gained a bit of confidence. He took a step forward and launched an attack, rushing straight at Liu Mubai.

Mo Ling's strength was actually quite impressive, ranking him among the top in the Northern Spirit Academy's Heaven Rank. However, he was well aware that Liu Mubai had been the strongest student in the Northern Spirit Academy for years, a position no one could challenge.

Faced with such an opponent, if he did not give it his all from the start, he would have no chance of winning.

Liu Mubai watched Mo Ling charge at him with a cold expression. His body leaned forward slightly, and a low explosion seemed to sound from beneath his feet. In an instant, his figure transformed into a red flash, dashing out.

His speed was extremely fast. Mo Ling could only see a red blur before him, and then, to his shock, Liu Mubai appeared in front of him. A slender hand lightly slapped out, not giving Mo Ling any time to defend. It struck his chest directly, and spiritual energy erupted like a volcano.

*Bang!*

A low, heavy sound echoed. Mo Ling, who had been charging forward, was instantly sent flying backward, spitting out a mouthful of blood and leaving a long trail on the ground.

*Whispers.*

This scene immediately caused a stir among the crowd. Mo Ling, who had reached the initial stage of the Spirit Wheel Realm, had not even had a chance to attack Liu Mubai!

"What terrifying strength." Su Ling and the others swallowed hard. The strongest student in the Northern Spirit Academy indeed lived up to his reputation.

Mu Chen also watched the scene intently. When Liu Mubai made his move, his eyes narrowed slightly. That speed was not inferior to his own. Liu Mubai was indeed formidable.

"Ah, they're not even on the same level." Chen Fan and the others sighed. Just like Mu Chen and Chen Tong earlier, Mo Ling and Liu Mubai were not on the same level.

On the stage, Liu Mubai looked at the battered Mo Ling with a cold expression, a hint of disdain on his lips. He was about to turn and leave, as this one-sided battle gave him no satisfaction.

"Wait."

A hoarse voice came from behind. Liu Mubai frowned and turned around to see Mo Ling wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, struggling to stand up. He gritted his teeth and said, "I haven't admitted defeat yet."

Liu Mubai's eyes slowly turned dark.

Under Liu Mubai's dark gaze, Mo Ling once again summoned his spiritual energy and charged at him.

*Pang!*

Another low, heavy sound echoed. Liu Mubai's figure flashed to Mo Ling's right side, and a kick like a sweeping spear struck Mo Ling's waist.

*Pfft.*

Mo Ling was hit again, spitting out blood and looking extremely disheveled.

However, just as the crowd sighed in pity, they were surprised to see Mo Ling, gritting his teeth, struggle to stand up once more.

"Haha, good, you have some backbone."

Liu Mubai, seeing Mo Ling stubbornly clinging to him, laughed in anger. This time, he did not give Mo Ling a chance to attack. He stomped his foot, and his figure dashed out.

*Bang!*

Mo Ling was directly sent flying by Liu Mubai's palm.

*Bang!*

Before Mo Ling could stand up, Liu Mubai's figure was already dashing out again. With a cold look, he kicked Mo Ling in the waist, sending him flying dozens of meters like a piece of trash.

Many people watched as Mo Ling, battered and bruised under Liu Mubai's attacks, still gritted his teeth and refused to admit defeat. Despite his pale face, he was determined not to give in.

"Such a stubborn kid."

Some people sighed inwardly. Although Mo Ling's strength was far inferior to Liu Mubai's, his courage to fight despite the obvious disparity was indeed admirable.

On the Eastern Academy side, all the students watched in silence as Mo Ling, who was being kicked around in the arena, refused to admit defeat. Some students turned away, unable to bear the sight.

It was too pitiful.

"Damn it!" Chen Fan gritted his teeth. It would have been better if Liu Mubai had knocked Mo Ling unconscious and thrown him out, but this kind of humiliation was too much.

Tang Qian'er also clenched her teeth, turning her gaze away from the stage and saying softly, "Why don't you just let him admit defeat?"

"If he admits defeat, Mo Ling will have no chance at all." Mu Chen said quietly, his eyes scanning the main stage. Mr. Hao, who was there, also frowned, and his expression was unreadable.

"But—" Tang Qian'er wanted to say more.

"This is his choice. Even if his strength is not as great as Liu Mubai's, his courage can earn him respect. There's something called bloodline. Without it, a man, no matter how strong his spiritual energy, is just a weakling, and people will look down on him." Mu Chen said calmly.

Tang Qian'er had no response. Although she didn't quite understand why men sometimes had to be so stubborn, such men did indeed attract the attention of girls.

The one-sided battle continued for nearly ten minutes. Mo Ling was covered in blood, and his consciousness was fading, but he held on with sheer willpower.

Liu Mubai's face was dark like a storm cloud. This kind of battle was of no benefit to him, as evidenced by the occasional boos from the crowd.

Liu Mubai stared at Mo Ling, a glint of killing intent in his eyes. Since you won't back down, I'll cripple you!

However, just as Liu Mubai was about to make his move, Mr. Hao on the main stage waved his hand, and Dean Xiao immediately announced, "The match is over. Liu Mubai wins."

Hearing this, Liu Mubai glared at the nearly unconscious Mo Ling and angrily swept his sleeve, leaving the stage. He also gave Mu Chen a cold look, clearly believing that Mu Chen had orchestrated this to embarrass him.

Seeing the match end, several students from the Eastern Academy quickly carried the unconscious Mo Ling off the stage.

"It's my turn now."

Chen Fan gritted his teeth and stepped onto the stage, his opponent being a well-known student from the Western Academy, also at the initial stage of the Spirit Wheel Realm. However, compared to Chen Fan, who had participated in an adventure team, this student lacked practical combat experience. At the beginning, this was not obvious, but as the battle intensified, his shortcomings were revealed, and Chen Fan seized the opportunity to defeat him with one move.

Following Chen Fan, it was Huo Yun's turn, and he also won as expected. The last match was Tang Qian'er's, and her opponent was Hong Ling from the Western Academy. This match drew a lot of attention because the two were the most beautiful students in the Northern Spirit Academy, and their confrontation was particularly eye-catching.

The battle between the two beautiful girls was less brutal but equally captivating. Their soft movements, like butterflies, added a graceful touch to their attacks, which were otherwise deadly.

Tang Qian'er and Hong Ling were almost evenly matched. Despite their different techniques, they could not decisively win. In the end, Mr. Hao declared a draw, leaving the crowd somewhat surprised. With limited quotas, how would a draw be handled? However, since Mr. Hao had spoken, they could only keep their doubts to themselves.

With the end of this match, the atmosphere in the Northern Spirit Arena quietly intensified. Even some powerful figures watched with interest.

Because the next match would be for the so-called seed quota.

From the previous matches, it was clear that only two students had the qualifications to compete for the seed quota: Mu Chen and Liu Mubai.

Coincidentally, one was the young master of the Mu Domain, and the other was the young master of the Liu Domain. The relationship between these two domains was very poor, and this seed quota match would be another form of competition between them.

But who would ultimately come out on top?

(To be continued)