The five fireballs struck Zhou Xin arms one after another, but they were like a mere tickle, failing to breach his defense and leaving only a few black marks.
In the blink of an eye, Zhou Xin closed the distance to Lu Guang.
Superpower: Flame Burst Ring
In a panic, Lu Guang poured all his remaining star power into activating his superpower.
In such a tense situation, using a star skill might fail due to nerves, but an superpower wouldn't have that issue.
Unlike star skills, which require a degree of control, superpower are innate to star warriors, etched into their bodies. They can be activated with star power alone, even without precise control.
Unless star power is insufficient or disrupted by external forces, the chance of failing to activate an superpower is so low it's negligible.
A crimson ring of flames exploded outward from Lu Guang body. The air shimmered with heat, warping like a desert mirage.
It was his final trump card.
Yet Zhou Xin didn't even flinch.
He charged straight into the flames.
No hesitation
No fear
The next moment, a powerful ring of crimson flames erupted from Lu Guang body, distorting the air in its wake.
The fire clung to his body, burning against his scaled arms and torso—but his face remained calm, expressionless, like walking through a summer breeze.
Lu Guang eyes widened in disbelief.
He's just…walking through it?!
Then came the hand
A massive palm reached straight for Lu Guang head
Just as it was about to land—a ripple of water formed between them, halting Zhou Xin strike.
"Match over. Winner: Zhou Xin"
Xie Yanwen voice rang out crisply.
The outcome had been clear for a while.
Lu Guang couldn't even dent Zhou Xin defense, and his star power had run dry. One more blow and it would've been over.
Zhou Xin released his transformation and calmly left the stage.
Lu Guang, still dazed, took a moment to recover before stepping down as well. He didn't complain—this was a pure gap in strength. He accepted his loss with no regrets.
Down below, the watching students buzzed with conversation.
"Too strong! He just tanked the flame explosion head-on!"
"There's no way anyone else is winning this tournament. Zhou Xin got first place in the bag."
"If I get matched with him, I'm surrendering right away. Please, fate, be kind…"
"Kinda disappointing though—we only saw his transformation. Didn't even get to see his star skills or superpower…"
"Don't worry. There'll be more matches. We'll see everything soon enough."
"Yeah, true…"
Gu Zhen, listening quietly, analyzed the fight in his own mind.
It was a total stomp
But the others were wrong if they thought Zhou Xin didn't use any star skill.
When Zhou Xin took the fireballs head-on, Gu Zhen had clearly noticed the scales on his arms deepen in color.
That wasn't just transformation—it had to be some kind of defensive enhancement.
Same with the flame ring. Zhou Xin didn't even try to dodge. Gu Zhen was sure he'd activated some hidden trait to resist the heat—maybe something hidden under his sleeveless vest.
Most likely, it was a defensive-type ability. Powerful, but probably expensive in star power.
He wasn't sure if it was a star skills Zhou Xin trained, or an innate part of his superpower.
But one thing was clear—Transformation-type superpowers weren't overhyped. They were the strongest in overall combat strength.
Not only did they blend traits from Physical-Type and Elemental-Type systems, but they often came with built-in superpower after transforming.
Take Zhou Xin for example.
His innate superpower was [Earth Dragon Lizard], a D-rank transformation superpower.
That alone likely gave him both Earth-Type traits and Physical-Type traits.
Gu Zhen guessed the Earth traits might be something like Heavy Body or Stone Skin. The Physical traits could be Endurance or Raw Strength.
And beyond that, Zhou Xin had at least one innate characteristics or traits that triggered during transformation—maybe more.
The number of traits and powers depended on the rank of the transformation-type superpower.
The highest recorded transformation superpower in all Twelve states came with four innate traits—a monstrous number.
Gu Zhen figured Zhou Xin probably had just one. At most, two.
Still—he was jealous.
Zhou Xin had multiple traits, transformation effects, and a D-rank superpower—right at the threshold where it could still be upgraded through cultivation.
Meanwhile, his two superpower were both F-rank. Practically useless at his current level.
He had no special traits.
He had to manually study and refine Physical-based star skills just to survive.
No shortcuts
No natural boosts
It was the classic nightmare start.
Still, envy was one thing—he wasn't going to back down from a fight.
But against someone like Zhou Xin, he wasn't confident his self-created Iron Fist would break through that defense.
Even though it didn't drain much star power—and he could use it several times—his hands couldn't handle the strain.
At most, he could use it twice.
The explosive energy behind the skill damaged his muscles and bones every time. Using it too often would disable his hands entirely.
And that was assuming he didn't need to use it early against another tough opponent.
"Kind of a pain…" he muttered internally.
Still, he kept analyzing, searching for a way to break through Zhou Xin defence.
Suddenly—the screen lit up.
Arena 1: Gu Yi vs. Li Meng
Gu Zhen froze for a beat, then frowned.
Li Meng…
He immediately recalled the name.
E-rank superpower. And not just any type—
A [Spirit]-Type Elemental Superpower
Spirit-type was one of the rarest type, even rarer than transformation.
Their attacks were formless and intangible—nearly impossible to block.
And she was considered the only person in class who had a real chance of defeating Zhou Xin.
What luck—he couldn't catch a break.
Would've been better if I got matched with Zhou Xin right away. At least I know what I'm up against.
As he stepped onto Arena 1, the crowd stirred.
Across from him stood a girl with flowing black hair and delicate features.
The moment Gu Zhen laid eyes on her, his first thought was—
Beautiful.
Then he snapped out of it instantly.
[Charm Eye]
One of her passive skills. If he made direct eye contact and couldn't resist the effect in time, she could seize control of his mental state.
As the match drew closer, students down below started whispering.
"I'm betting on Li Meng. That spirit-type superpower is scary. No defense against it."
"Not so fast. If Gu Yi uses Instant Step and closes the gap fast enough, she might not have time to react. He could win in close combat."
"Don't count on it—I heard her family gave her tons of star skills stones. She even has some physical-type skill. In melee, she is no pushover.
"Damn, a rich girl!"
…...
On the arena platform, Gu ZHen kept his head down. Every few seconds, he peeked up at Li Meng, then looked away again.
Li Meng tilted her head slightly.
"Is he…...shy?"
Watching him glance up, then flinch away, she couldn't help but find it cute—until she narrowed her eyes.
'His [Resistance] superpower—he's using me to boost his mental resistance.'
Gu Zhen met her gaze briefly and caught the suspicion in her eyes.
Doesn't matter. I already raised it to the limit anyway.
Xie Yanwen looked at both of them and asked if they were ready.
When they nodded, her voice echoed once more—
Begin!