A Bug In Fate

Back on the battlefield, the atmosphere was tense as the Star Ball cast by Marcus charged toward Alden at an impressive speed, leaving a blazing trail of fire wherever it went.

For the lower-ranked cultivators, they could only see the fiery trail as the spell moved too quickly for their perception to follow. But the same couldn’t be said for those in the Metamorphosis Realm and above, as they could clearly track the spell with their naked eyes.

As they watched Alden simply standing there instead of reacting or putting up some kind of defensive spell, a thought couldn’t help but form in their minds.

Is he unable to react to the spell’s speed?

It made sense.

After all, he was two sub-ranks below Marcus, so obviously Marcus had the advantage in terms of realm, right?

But their speculation was shattered in the very next moment.

Alden’s lips moved slightly as he whispered,

"Glacier Series: Absolute Zero."

The cultivators watching with keen attention suddenly stood up from their seats.

Because the moment Alden’s voice fell, something impossible happened.

The Star Ball, which had been charging toward him at an incredible speed, suddenly stopped.

Just like that.

The enormous sphere of fire remained suspended in the air, completely motionless.

Then, before everyone’s eyes, the flames began turning white.

Ice rapidly spread across its surface, covering the blazing sphere in an instant.

Within seconds, the terrifying Star Ball had been completely frozen.

"What?"

"What the hell?"

The crowd erupted as countless people widened their eyes, their mouths hanging open in shock as they stared at the frozen spell.

Even those who couldn’t properly follow the spell’s movement could now see it clearly.

The enormous fireball had been transformed into a giant sphere of ice.

Then—

Crack...

A small crack appeared across its surface.

Crack... crack...

More cracks spread across the frozen sphere.

And just like that, the entire Star Ball shattered.

Countless ice crystals flew through the air, sparkling under the arena’s lights as the remains of Marcus’s strongest attack scattered across the battlefield.

For a moment, the entire arena fell completely silent.

The entire arena seemed to hold its breath, as no one could believe what had just happened before their eyes.

Well... not everyone.

Some of the higher-ranked cultivators weren’t shocked at all. Instead, their eyes narrowed, and a few of them even frowned as they stared at the blue-haired young man.

Unlike the others, they weren’t clueless about what they had just witnessed.

"Damn..."

A single voice shattered the silence that had settled over the arena.

It was Alice.

She was staring at Alden as if she had just seen a ghost in broad daylight.

*He’s an Irregular...*

Her gaze narrowed.

Irregular.

That was the term used for people who, despite not coming from powerful noble families, ancient clans, or hidden families, still managed to reach a level of talent and growth comparable to them.

They weren’t born with the advantages of those powerful backgrounds.

They didn’t have access to the same resources, techniques, or inheritances.

Yet somehow, they still managed to rise above ordinary cultivators.

In other words, they were commoners who possessed extraordinary talent and growth.

And such people were called Irregulars.

Alice’s eyes remained fixed on Alden.

*..It seems the Academy is soon going to be full of monsters.*

Meanwhile, inside the VIP room, the rulers of the five cities were also discussing among themselves.

All five of them were in the Sovereign Realm, a realm above the Ascendent Realm, so they had witnessed everything clearly.

It wasn’t because time had slowed down for them.

Their perception had simply reached a level where movements that appeared almost instantaneous to lower-ranked cultivators could be followed with ease.

"Interesting..." Elara’s mother spoke as her gaze lingered on Alden, a faint smile forming on her lips.

"He has an Ice affinity... and it seems his ability is related to it," the ruler of Grayhaven City said calmly.

"First Mist Breath, and now Absolute Zero," the ruler of Redmont City added. "They both share the same name—Glacier Series."

"Maybe those techniques are part of a system," the head of the Blackthorn family said, voicing what the ruler of Redmont City had been hinting at.

The others narrowed their eyes.

"It changes nothing," the head of the Ashcroft family said with a smile. "He is from my city, and that’s all that matters."

His words were calm, but the meaning behind them was obvious.

*..Mind your own business.*

Meanwhile, back in the arena, the most shocked person was none other than Marcus, who stood there with a speechless expression, his eyes wide with horror as he replayed the scene of his spell being frozen before shattering.

Keep in mind, he had used almost all of his mana reserves, and even then, his attack couldn’t even reach its target.

It was humiliating.

But there was nothing he could do about it now.

If even his strongest attack had been rendered useless, then what could his basic spells possibly do?

The other remaining participants were shocked as well, staring at Alden with troubled expressions.

"Hey... at this point, what can we even do? He’s going to win the tournament for sure," Ryan said, one of the twins.

The others nodded at his words, as they were all thinking the same thing.

If they were in Marcus’s position, would things have been any different?

They already knew the answer.

They simply weren’t willing to admit it out loud.

Back to the fight, Alden stood there with the same smile on his lips as he looked at Marcus before briefly glancing toward the crowd. He had given the man before him an opportunity to show his strength, and now it was his turn.

"Well... I guess that’s it," he said simply.

Marcus’s eyes narrowed.

He could feel that something was coming, and whatever it was, it wasn’t going to be good for him.

With the little mana he had left, Marcus tried his best to cast another spell, but this time, it was a defensive one.

"Fire Wall."

A wall of fire suddenly appeared in front of him, its surface covered in raging flames that constantly flickered and twisted.

It was similar to the Water Wall Nyx had used earlier, with the only difference being the affinity behind it.

Alden shook his head before muttering something under his breath.

His voice was low, yet in the silence of the arena, everyone heard it.

The crowd waited in anticipation, while Marcus remained behind his defensive wall, wondering what Alden was about to do next.

"White Room."

An invisible chill spread throughout the arena within a four-hundred-meter radius.

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