Ji Xiaorou led them away from the residential district, and the surroundings became noticeably busier once they crossed into the western side of the academy.
Students approached from different roads in groups of two or three, most heading in the same direction.
Some still wore training clothes, while others carried weapons openly and argued about matches or names Xingluo had never heard before.
She glanced toward Xiaorou. "I thought most of the sophomores were away."
"They are." Xiaorou adjusted her glasses without slowing. "Do you think the arena belongs to sophomores?"
She gestured toward several students passing them. "Freshmen, juniors and seniors all use it. Even instructors and academy personnel fight occasionally, though you won’t see them in the ordinary arenas."
Another wave of cheering reached them before Xingluo could respond, alarge circular building soon appeared beyond the surrounding training grounds.
Its exterior was simpler than most of the structures Xingluo had seen since entering Dragon Military Academy, but the streams of students passing through its entrances made its popularity obvious.
Miao Tianhe’s pace had already increased.
Xiaorou noticed and smiled. "See? I knew Senior Tianhe would appreciate my recommendation."
"You haven’t shown us anything yet," Ruan Mei replied.
"That sound isn’t enough?"
They entered through one of the main passages and presented their identification to the academy personnel stationed there.
The corridor beyond curved downward, and the noise grew louder with every step until Xingluo could distinguish individual shouts within the crowd.
She had not even seen the fighting grounds yet, but several hundred people already sounded as though something exciting was happening below.
The passage ended and the entire arena opened beneath them.
Several combat stages occupied the enormous central floor, spaced far enough apart for multiple matches to proceed simultaneously.
Transparent formations enclosed each stage, with rows of seats rising around them from every direction.
Large displays floated above the active arenas.
[Arena Three]
[Chen Yu — 1.72]
[Zhou Ming — 2.34]
[Current Betting Pool: 1,870,000 Credits.]
Another board displayed academy contribution points instead, while smaller numbers changed continuously as more bets entered.
Xingluo watched one betting pool increase by nearly two hundred thousand credits within several seconds.
"People casually bet this much?"
"Of course not." Xiaorou sounded almost offended. "Some people bet much more."
Ruan Mei turned toward her, only to find Xiaorou already heading toward a row of counters beneath the seating area.
She caught the back of the girl’s uniform before Xiaorou could escape. "So this is why you were so eager to bring us here."
Xiaorou stopped. "I have no idea what you’re talking about."
"You checked your communicator, immediately became excited and dragged three people you met today across half the academy."
"That is circumstantial evidence."
"You’re walking toward the betting counter."
"I was going to explain how it works."
Ruan Mei released her and Xiaorou immediately continued toward the counter as though the interrogation had never happened.
Xingluo shook her head and followed, while Tianhe barely seemed to hear them. His attention moved between the different stages, studying each fight for several seconds before shifting toward another.
By the time Xiaorou finished placing whatever she continued refusing to call gambling, Tianhe had stopped beside the railing overlooking Arena Three.
The match below was already underway, one fighter carried a long spear and wore the light armour commonly used by Combat Department students.
His opponent fought barehanded except for the dark metal gauntlets covering both forearms.
The spear user appeared to hold the advantage as three consecutive thrusts forced his opponent backwards, each one changing direction before the gauntlet user could close the distance.
He blocked another strike against his forearm, but this time thin dark lines spread from the gauntlet into his skin.
The next spear thrust stopped against his arm with a heavy metallic sound.
Xingluo narrowed her eyes. "Talent?"
"Bloodhound" Xiaorou answered. "B-rank. His physical defence keeps increasing during battle, but maintaining the transformation consumes a ridiculous amount of mana."
The spear user clearly knew the same weakness and changed his approach. Instead of trying to break through directly, he increased the frequency of his attacks and forced his opponent to keep Steelblood active.
Tianhe watched several more exchanges before speaking. "The spear user is going to lose."
Xiaorou glanced toward him. "Not the gauntlet guy?"
"The spear."
Xingluo looked back toward the stage, the spear user still controlled the distance and had yet to receive a single clean hit.
"He hasn’t even been touched."
"He doesn’t need to be." Tianhe nodded toward the fighter’s hands. "Look at his right hand."
Xingluo focused and noticed his grip had shifted farther down the shaft.
"He wants more reach?"
"No, he’s preparing to finish it."
Mana gathered around the spearhead almost immediately afterward.
The spear user stepped forward and drove the weapon toward his opponent’s chest with considerably more force than his previous attacks. The gauntlet user crossed both arms before himself and took the strike directly.
His feet slid backwards, but the spear failed to penetrate and before his opponent could recover the weapon, one metal-covered hand closed around its shaft.
Tianhe smiled. "Too close."
The gauntlet user pulled hard and dragged his opponent into striking distance. The spear user abandoned his weapon immediately, but the hesitation had already cost him.
A fist struck his stomach and lifted him from the ground, while the second stopped directly before his throat.
The referee stepped between them.
[Winner: Zhou Ming.]
The surrounding audience erupted, but Xiaorou barely looked at the stage. "You knew he was going to use that attack?"
"No." Tianhe straightened from the railing. "He needed to end the fight before the other guy became too difficult to penetrate."
" Once his grip changed, it was obvious he was preparing to commit to something stronger."
Xiaorou pushed her glasses higher. "You noticed that from his grip?"
Tianhe shrugged. "It wasn’t difficult."
She stared at him for another second before turning toward Xingluo with obvious questions.
Xingluo raised both hands. "Don’t ask me."
A deep bell suddenly rang throughout the arena before Xiaorou could continue.
The displays above several smaller stages changed, and academy workers began clearing the largest platform at the centre.
Students throughout the surrounding seats reacted immediately, with conversations shifting toward the central arena.
Xiaorou’s communicator vibrated.
She checked the message and immediately brightened. "There!"
Ruan Mei sighed. "Another bet?"
"No, this is what I actually wanted to show you."
That finally pulled Tianhe’s attention away from the smaller arenas.
Several workers entered the central stage and activated additional formations around its boundary.
A second barrier formed over the first, followed by a third that enclosed the entire platform beneath another transparent layer.
Xingluo noticed the difference. "Three barriers?"
"The next opponent isn’t a student."
Part of the arena floor opened, and a wide platform slowly rose from below. A reinforced black cage stood at its centre, covered by formations that moved continuously across the bars.
Something struck the inside hard enough to shake the cage.
The surrounding audience answered with another wave of shouting as a tall figure stepped from the darkness.
At first glance, Xingluo almost mistook it for a human.
Grey skin covered a body slightly taller than two metres, with dark markings spreading from its neck across its chest and arms.
Two short horns curved backwards through black hair, while narrow eyes moved carefully across the surrounding crowd.
One hand closed around the bars; the creature had almost a human physique.
The creature pulled once and the metal groaned before the formations brightened, forcing its hand away.
Xingluo leaned forward. "What is that?"
"A Veyran," Xiaorou answered, her earlier playfulness fading. "One of the intelligent races found across the dimensional battlefields."
Xingluo had read about them before, but Beichen City was far from any major dimensional front.
Everything she knew about intelligent foreign races had come from books and scattered reports.
Seeing one alive was different, the Veyran was not mindlessly attacking its restraints.
Its eyes moved between the formations, exits and academy workers surrounding the stage, taking in each part of the arena before returning to the crowd.
Wuxia floated closer to the railing.
Interesting.
Xingluo glanced toward him without turning her head.
What?
His eyes darkened as Death Perception settled over the creature.
Its soul was complete and stable, much closer to a human soul than those of the monsters he had harvested before.
However, several unfamiliar structures surrounded its core, carrying an energy he could not immediately identify.
Its soul is different.
It’s another intelligent race. Isn’t that expected?
Not this part.
Wuxia focused upon the strange structures for another moment.
There’s something else mixed into it.
Before Xingluo could ask further, the lights surrounding the central arena dimmed and a voice spread across the stands.
"Today’s special combat assessment will now begin."
The displays changed.
[Special Combat Assessment]
[Opponent: Veyran Warrior]
[Level: 209 — Third Transition]
The audience grew louder as the entrance opposite the cage opened.
Xiaorou stopped playing with her communicator and straightened in her seat, her attention settling completely upon the gate.
Xingluo noticed the change. "You know who’s fighting?"
"Everyone here knows her."
Another name appeared across the display.
[Challenger: Jiang Yue]
[Freshman Combat Ranking: 1]
[Level: 176]
Xingluo looked between the two sides of the arena. "A freshman is fighting a third-transition Veyran?"
"Don’t underestimate her because she’s a freshman." Xiaorou kept her eyes on the entrance."
"Jiang Yue has been here less than a year and already defeated several sophomores in ranked matches."
The gate opened fully and a girl entered carrying a black spear across one shoulder.
Her long dark hair was tied behind her, and light combat armour covered her torso and arms without restricting her movement.
She ignored the shouting from the surrounding seats and kept her attention entirely upon the cage.
Tianhe’s eyes sharpened almost immediately. "She is strong."
Xiaorou nodded. "Very."
The formations surrounding the cage began disappearing one after another, and Jiang Yue lowered the spear from her shoulder as she waited.
The Veyran suddenly looked away from her and it’s gaze moved across the surrounding audience before stopping upon Xingluo’s section.
Wuxia’s expression changed.
Xingluo initially thought the creature was staring at her, but Wuxia moved several steps sideways and its eyes followed him without hesitation.
He stopped and the Veyran’s gaze stopped with him.
Xingluo tightened her fingers around the railing.
Wuxia...
He moved again and its eyes followed him a second time.
Wuxia stared back as Death Perception gathered around his eyes, his earlier curiosity replaced by caution.
It can see me.
The Veyran looked directly at him for another moment before its mouth curved into a slow smile.
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