The fifth-year student looked at Xingluo for another moment before closing the challenge details.
"Give me a little time, a match with this kind of level difference needs additional approval, and the arena will want enough time to open the betting pool."
Xingluo nodded and stepped away from the counter and Xiaorou immediately followed her.
"Senior Xingluo, you still have time to reconsider."
"I already accepted."
"That was before your brain had enough time to understand what your mouth said."
Ruan Mei gave Xingluo a worried look from the other side even Tianhe remained unusually quiet, although his expression held more interest than concern.
Xingluo ignored Xiaorou and glanced toward Wuxia, he appeared completely unconcerned and that was enough for her.
Behind them, the fifth-year student entered several commands into the arena registry before pressing the final confirmation.
A notification immediately appeared across every public display inside the arena.
[Special Challenge accepted.]
[Challenger: Luo Xingluo.]
[Level: 99.]
[Opponent Level: 299.]
[Match preparation in progress.]
The conversations around the nearby stages began changing almost immediately.
Students looked toward the announcement, checked the displayed levels again and started sending messages through their communicators.
Within several minutes, the news had already left the arena, a Level 99 sophomore had accepted a challenge against a Level 299 beast.
Students inside training halls paused their sessions after receiving the message, while others left the library and nearby departments once the ridiculous level difference appeared across the academy network.
The empty seats around the larger arena began filling rapidly.
Inside the Vice Dean’s residence, Mu Yaochen was still sitting opposite Professor Liang and Ming Hao when his communicator vibrated.
He glanced at the message and then laughed.
Professor Liang looked toward him. "What happened?"
Mu Yaochen turned the screen around and professor Liang read the challenge information and remained silent for several seconds.
"Level 299?"
"Your little student has been inside the academy for less than a day."
Mu Yaochen leaned back with obvious amusement.
"And she is already causing trouble."
Professor Liang rubbed his forehead. "I specifically brought them here so they could settle down peacefully."
Ming Hao looked at him strangely.
"You believed that?"
Professor Liang glanced toward him and Mu Yaochen laughed even harder.
"Come, I was wondering what that little girl was hiding anyway."
Back inside the arena, the crowd continued growing.
The central combat stage had been cleared completely, while several additional barriers formed around its edges.
Most of the smaller matches continued, but barely anyone nearby was paying attention to them anymore.
The betting pool opened shortly afterward.
Numbers immediately began climbing.
[Luo Xingluo — 19.6]
[Opponent — 1.08]
[Current Betting Pool: 8,720,000 Credits.]
Xiaorou stared at the odds and then she slowly turned toward Xingluo.
"Nineteen point six."
Xingluo looked at the display. "Is that good?"
"For making money? Very."
Xiaorou pushed her glasses higher.
"For your chances of surviving according to everyone here? Absolutely terrible."
The number continued changing as more students placed their bets, almost everything went toward the beast.
Some students did not even believe Xingluo intended to win. They had come because watching someone two hundred levels below her opponent enter the arena was interesting enough on its own.
The fifth-year student behind the counter was having considerably more fun. He watched the betting pool cross hundred million before leaning back and laughing.
"I haven’t seen odds like this in months."
Xiaorou turned toward him. "You’re enjoying this far too much."
"You were the one who asked for terrible odds."
"I didn’t expect Senior Xingluo to actually accept your insanity."
Ruan Mei looked toward Xingluo again.
"You’re sure?"
Xingluo nodded.
Xiaorou joined immediately. "There is no shame in cancelling before entering, you’ll lose some contribution points as a penalty, but that is considerably better than being flattened."
The fifth-year student glanced toward the registration.
"Too late now."
Xiaorou looked at him sharply.
"The match has already been formally registered and announced. She can still surrender after entering, but the challenge itself is locked."
Ruan Mei’s expression darkened slightly, but Xingluo remained calm.
She turned her head just enough to meet Wuxia’s eyes.
You know what to do.
A faint smile appeared on Wuxia’s face.
Several minutes later, the entrance beneath the spectator stands opened and Xingluo stepped through and the noise inside the arena struck her immediately.
Thousands of students filled the surrounding seats now, and the moment she appeared, voices rose from every side.
Some shouted encouragement, others called her insane, while several students were still arguing over the betting odds displayed above them.
Xingluo ignored them and walked toward the centre of the stage.
Her information appeared above the arena.
[Luo Xingluo.]
[Level: 99.]
[Second-Year Transfer Student.]
That final line created another wave of discussion as nobody recognized her.
A transfer student who had arrived midway through the second year had somehow received permission to challenge a peak Third Transition beast on her first day.
Xingluo stopped near the centre of the arena, across from her, the reinforced underground gate remained closed.
The announcer’s voice spread through the arena.
"Both sides have been registered, the challenger may surrender at any point before becoming incapable of doing so."
Xingluo barely listened, she was looking toward the gate. A heavy mechanical sound came from beneath the arena as the restraints began opening.
The crowd gradually quietened as the gate rose a deep growl rolled through the opening.
Several students noticed it almost immediately. "Wait."
Someone near the front leaned over the railing. "Wasn’t the opponent supposed to be a Nether Wolf?"
Another growl came from below and this one carried enough pressure to make several students instinctively pull backwards from the barrier.
"What the hell is that?"
A massive paw stepped through the gate. Black-red fur covered the limb, while dark flames moved between its claws without touching the ground.
The second paw followed, then the beast lowered its head and emerged completely.
Three metres of black muscle and burning fur entered the arena. Two curved horns grew behind its ears, while crimson flames escaped between rows of massive teeth whenever it breathed.
The arena became silent.
The display above the arena flickered.
[Opponent information updated.]
[Hell Hound.]
[Level: 299.]
[Bloodline: King.]
[Peak Third Transition.]
Xiaorou stood from her seat. "That wasn’t the registered beast."
Ruan Mei had already moved closer to the railing. "Can they stop the match?"
The fifth-year student was checking the arena registry with a serious expression.
"I don’t know why it was changed."
Around them, the silence finally broke.
"A King-bloodline Hell Hound?"
"She’s Level 99!"
"Who changed the opponent?"
"Is she actually going to fight that?"
Several students shouted toward the officials to stop the match, while others stared at Xingluo and waited for her to surrender before the barriers fully locked.
Inside the arena, Xingluo looked up at the Hell Hound.
The creature was considerably larger than she had expected, and the pressure spreading from its body was nothing like the monsters she had fought before reaching Golden Dragon City.
"Damn."
She looked toward Wuxia. "That thing is really supposed to be the same level as the original opponent?"
Wuxia examined the beast through Death Perception. "Level is correct."
His expression became more serious as his perception passed across the bloodline gathered inside its body.
"The rest is considerably worse."
The Hell Hound lowered its head and stared directly toward Xingluo.
Wuxia raised one hand. "This will be troublesome."
Varkhiel stepped forward in his black armour, the massive greatsword settling against one shoulder as red light appeared beneath his helmet.
Several more shadows formed beside him, three Third Transition Soul Soldiers emerged one after another.
Then space twisted and Yue Qianyin appeared among them with her wand resting loosely in one hand, her crescent-shaped earring moving slightly as she looked toward the Hell Hound.
The arena went quiet again. "Necromancer?"
Someone finally spoke and more voices followed almost immediately.
"She’s a summoner?"
"Those are undead?"
"No wonder she accepted."
Xingluo ignored the discussion as silver-gold Star Energy spread across her body.
Her armour appeared piece by piece, covering her torso and limbs before sealing completely around her.
The Star of Ruin responded inside her as another stream of light gathered within her right hand and the dark longsword settled in her hand.
The students who had just decided she was a Necromancer became confused again. "A Necromancer wearing close-combat armour?"
"Why does she have a sword?"
"What class is she?"
Xiaorou stared down at the stage, only several minutes earlier she had thought the most unusual thing about Xingluo was her level.
Now she was no longer certain what she was looking at.
Inside the arena, Xingluo adjusted her grip upon Heavenfall. Varkhiel stood slightly ahead of her, while Yue and the other Soul Soldiers spread across the surrounding space without needing an order spoken aloud.
The Hell Hound watched them assemble as dark flames began spreading from its mouth.
The final barrier closed over the arena.
[Special Challenge commencing.]
The Hell Hound lowered its body.
Then the match began.
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