The third round of the individual tournament—26 advancing to 13.
After two rounds of eliminations, the remaining competitors were essentially the elite of Faeil Magic and Martial Academy. Thunder, however, remained the exception.
Thanks to yesterday's love letter incident in the cafeteria, Thunder was now infamous across the academy. Everyone had gathered to watch his match, eager to see how this good-for-nothing magic apprentice—who had miraculously survived the previous rounds—would face his next opponent.
Before the match even began, a crowd had formed around Thunder.
"Brother Meng, crush the third round! We're all rooting for you!" Most of the cheers came from eliminated students. After all, if everyone embarrassed themselves, it was better than being the only one. If this "Brother Meng," who couldn't cast a single spell, actually pulled off another miracle and won the third round, the so-called elite top 26 wouldn't feel so great about themselves.
Compared to the previous days, the competition had reached a whole new level in terms of attention and skill.
Thunder stepped onto the stage under the gaze of countless spectators.
The magic department's audience surged toward the arena like madmen, all eager to see how this spell-less "Brother Meng" would handle his opponent's attacks.
Bicui and Erik had initially worried they'd miss Thunder's inevitable defeat due to overlapping matches. But by the time the siblings finished their own matches, it was finally Thunder's turn.
Bicui and Erik, of course, easily advanced to the fourth round. Their moods were soaring—especially Bicui's. She *wished* Thunder's opponent was her.
If it were, she'd have beaten him to a pulp!
Just imagining Thunder begging for mercy and losing their bet made her giddy with excitement.
**Match: No. 48 vs. No. 100**
Thunder's opponent was an ice-element primary mage. Like fire and thunder magic, ice magic was known for its offensive power, with the added ability to slow enemies upon hit. In terms of raw attack strength, ice, thunder, and fire were roughly equal, each with its own advantages. The only reason ice mages hadn't been dragged into the long-standing rivalry between thunder and fire was because they'd been too busy watching from the sidelines.
When Thunder stepped onto the stage, his ice-mage opponent was grinning ear to ear. *What luck!* His opponent was *him*—Brother Meng!
Everyone knew who he was. And everyone also knew that this guy, who had supposedly won over the magic department's top beauty, couldn't cast a single spell.
"Brother Meng, how's it going?" the ice mage greeted first.
"Not bad," Thunder replied with a chuckle, letting the referee reinforce his magic shield. He added, "Hey, go easy on me, alright? With so many people watching, if I lose too badly, I'll lose face."
"Got it! I'll be gentle," the ice mage agreed readily.
Bicui and Erik cringed. Who the hell *says* that before a match?
"Any questions? If not, the match begins now!" the referee asked after reinforcing both shields equally.
The ice mage shook his head, signaling he was ready. Thunder, however, raised his hand.
"Ref, I've got a question!"
"Speak."
"All I have to do is break my opponent's magic shield to win, right?"
"Correct. But tournament rules state you must rely solely on your own power to shatter the opponent's shield for victory. Any other questions?"
"Nope." Thunder shook his head.
"Begin!" The referee shouted, darting to the side.
"Brother Meng, why don't we just skip the fight?" the ice mage suggested, not even bothering to attack. "Come over here, let me break your shield, and we'll call it a day. You can't cast spells anyway."
"No way!" Thunder shook his head vigorously. "That'd be way too embarrassing."
"Then don't blame me." The ice mage smirked, raising his hand and firing an **Ice Arrow**.
The shimmering, blue-tinged projectile brought a chill to the arena—but ignited the crowd's excitement.
"Brother Meng, dodge! Ice Arrow incoming!" some jerk shouted from below.
The arena wasn't spacious—just a 20-meter square. To maximize his magic's power, the ice mage stood dead center, leaving Thunder less than 10 meters to maneuver.
An Ice Arrow was fast, nearly reaching Thunder the moment it was fired. No one expected him to dodge. Bicui even clenched her fists in anticipation.
But to everyone's disbelief, Thunder twisted his body like a dancer, and the Ice Arrow grazed the edge of his shield before flying past.
*He* ***missed***?
The crowd fell silent for a split second before erupting into cheers. Even Thunder's opponent blinked in shock.
"Nice reflexes, Brother Meng!" The ice mage kept smiling, firing another Ice Arrow mid-sentence while shamelessly closing the distance.
"That's *so* cheap!" Even Bicui couldn't help but protest. This ice mage was blatantly exploiting Thunder's inability to cast spells. Against a real opponent, he'd never dare get this close.
*Another miss!*
This so-called "magic apprentice" had dodged *two* point-blank attacks!
*This is* ***bullshit***! The ice mage was baffled. Even *he* couldn't have dodged those shots. Normally, he'd have to worry about counterattacks, but against Thunder, he could focus entirely on offense—maximizing his casting speed and accuracy.
"Brother Meng is *unstoppable*!" The crowd was going wild. No one had ever seen such precise, almost *flirtatious* footwork to evade spells. Two Ice Arrows had grazed Thunder's shield—close enough to feel the chill, yet never quite hitting.
To Thunder, a mere primary ice mage was no threat. He had scrolls up his sleeves, literally. But since his opponent was kind enough to serve as a training dummy, Thunder saw no harm in practicing his **Celestial Fox Steps**. After all, this was as close to real combat as he'd get.