"An outsider, eh?" Arke smirked. "I've seen you fight, and I must say, you're quite good."
"Thanks," Apollo replied, his voice emotionless as he stared intently at his opponent.
"Haha, don't think that just because I gave you a small compliment, we're on the same level," Arke's smile turned cold. "Your size is the first proof we're not even in the same league! Hahaha!"
This guy loves trash talk, Apollo sighed, choosing not to respond.
"What? Aren't you going to say anything? Come on, say something!" Arke shouted, his eyes turning red with irritation. "Sigh... Anyway, hopefully, you'll give me a decent fight before I claim first place. But here's a bit of advice: don't get too close to me.
That woman I fought in the previous round got careless, and look what happened—she got poisoned. Was it my fault? No, not at all! Poison is my cultivation!"
What Arke didn't mention, and the secret he intended to keep forever, was that the poison he used on Bel was no ordinary toxin. It was known to only a few select individuals, a rare poison called Decaying Blood, which he had assimilated into his body days before the examination. Arke had only heard of it once, but the Mayor, determined to see Bel dead, had tasked Holst with giving it to him.
"You talk too much," Apollo muttered. "Can't you just shut up and wait for me to defeat you? Who knows—accidents happen, and maybe you'll be the careless one this time."
"Wow, big words for a shorty," Arke sneered, unfazed by the small masked man's taunts.
"And you talk sht with a shtty face," Apollo shot back.
A vein popped up on Arke's forehead. "You—!" In that moment, the small masked man's image overlapped with the memory of the kid outside Filly's Restaurant who had humiliated him. The thought made his anger flare.
Arke decided to take out his frustration from that day on the person in front of him. He didn't even consider the possibility that this could be the same person—who would think a beggar could be a 4th-Step Foundation cultivator? Only a wandering cultivator could possibly link the two, but none would bother with an advancement examination meant for 14 to 18-year-olds.
Seeing the mocking look in Can Deez's eyes, Arke gritted his teeth. He had been the one to start the trash talk, but somehow, he was the one getting angry.
"Ahem, you can pick your weapons from the rack now," the Referee said, looking over at Apollo.
Arke didn't bother going to the weapon rack. Instead, he settled into his fighting stance while Apollo reached under his robe and pulled out a tree branch.
Seeing the branch, Arke let out a chuckle, his anger evident. "Really? You're going to use a tree branch to fight me? Are you underestimating me?!"
Oh? He didn't see my fight with Yohan? This is good, Apollo thought, a smile creeping across his face.
"No, I just figured this would be more than enough," Apollo said, raising the tree branch in front of him. He really enjoyed infuriating these brainless types.
"Hey, Ref! Can't you just start the fight already?!" Arke shouted at the referee.
The referee frowned, but seeing that both fighters were ready, he raised his hand and brought it down. "The fight begins!"
On the floating platform, the Headmasters were conversing amongst themselves.
"Who do you think will win?" Elmo asked, a smile forming on his lips. "Care to make a bet?"
"I think Arke will win," Master Popo replied. "Though that guy is certainly a rare talent, having learned True Understanding of the Sword, he's still no match for Arke. Arke's already at the Half-Step Qi Condensation Stage, while Can Deez is at... Wait, what's his cultivation level?"
Hearing this, Elmo realized they had overlooked an important detail. "Now that you mention it, I can't sense his cultivation at all."
"He's at the 4th-Step Foundation Building Stage," Axton said, squinting at the small masked man on the stage.
"As expected of the great Axton. Your senses are truly extraordinary," Elmo laughed. "So, only at the 4th-Step Foundation Building Stage? Arke has the upper hand in cultivation, so he stands a better chance of winning."
"So, what's our bet?" Master Popo asked, rubbing his hands together.
Elmo grinned and looked at the two headmasters. "One inner ticket, and the winner takes it all."
Axton and Master Popo both turned to Elmo with raised eyebrows.
"Are you sure? That's a heavy bet, if I must say," Master Popo said, his expression serious.
"Hell yeah!" Elmo grinned. "Let's bet on how quickly the fight will end."
Master Popo shrugged. "It's just one Inner Ticket. I'll call it—8 minutes, with Arke winning the match."
"What about you, Axton?" Elmo asked, turning to the Headmaster of the Great Serpent School.
"As Popo said, this is a heavy bet. Are you really sure?" Axton asked once more.
"Hahaha, don't worry about it!" Elmo laughed. "So, are you in?"
Axton fell silent, his eyes focused on the participants on the stage while the Host continued to hype up the crowd.
"The fight will end in three minutes," Axton said.
"Oh? So who do you think will win?" Elmo asked, curious to know who Axton was backing, even though the bet was only on the time.
"Can Deez," Axton replied.
"I see," Elmo nodded. "Then I'll call 5 minutes, with Arke winning the fight. The closest to the time wins the bet—sound good?"
"Sure," Master Popo agreed, while Axton nodded.
As the referee raised his hand to start the match, Axton suddenly glanced up at the open ceiling, where the moon was almost directly overhead, its brilliance shining into the arena. After the two football field-sized platforms had landed inside, the night sky was clearly visible.
Axton stared at the moon for a moment before refocusing on the stage.
"Let the fight begin!"
The two participants disappeared from their spots and soon, their blurry figure covered the whole stage while the sound of banging reverberated. At the same time, the barrier covering the stage started vibrating.