"This cabinet is filled with knowledge books from various disciplines," said Mr. Yusuf, showing the neatly arranged bookshelves.
Lein observed closely, impressed by the resources the academy provided to support the students' learning.
They then headed to the training building, a place entirely dedicated to training the students' physical and skill abilities. "Here, we have training room arrays that can be customized to create various training scenarios," Mr. Yusuf explained.
"With this room, students can train without the fear of severe injury because everything happens in a safe simulation."
Lein also saw various sports equipment, racks full of weapons, and other tools designed to train the students' strength, speed, and accuracy.
Their final stop was the main hall, where the atmosphere was already bustling. Hundreds of students surrounded a large platform that served as a battle arena.
"We have planned this main event for you, Mr. Lein," Mr. Yusuf said with a smile.
"Here, you will see the best quality of our students."
Lein observed the platform where 10 students with impressive appearances were already present. They seemed to be the top students of Sacred Star Academy.
Soon, Mr. Yusuf, Lein, and the others walked to a shaded area where several seats were prepared for the judges.
Not long after, Lein and the other teachers took their respective seats. Initially, Mr. Yusuf wanted Lein to sit in the central seat, but Lein declined and sat directly on the right seat.
After all the teachers were seated, the moderator in the center of the battle platform shouted loudly.
"Everyone, let's give a greeting to the island's owner."
All the students stood up and bowed towards Lein.
"Alright, on this very short notice, the duel of the top 10 students will be moved up to today," the moderator announced loudly, scanning all the students.
The moderator grew more enthusiastic, receiving such a lively response from the audience. The duel between the top 10 students was originally scheduled to be held two weeks later, but due to Lein's visit, the teachers and academy leaders had decided to move the date up.
"All students, please take a ball from this box. One per person."
After saying that, the moderator brought out a black box containing several balls with numbers written on them. The black box floated according to the moderator's thoughts, seemingly using telekinesis or some kind of remote control skill.
The black box floated toward the 10 best students, who were currently sitting in chairs not far from the battle platform.
A young man with deep black eyes looked at the black box in front of him with a relaxed expression. He reached his hand into the box and pulled out a white ball with a number written on it—number 1.
"Wow... Joy got number 1. I wonder who the unlucky one is who'll have to face Joy," a student in the audience commented.
"Yeah, Joy is really strong. His vampire abilities make it easy for him to recover," another student nearby responded.
The black box continued to float from one student to the next until it finally reached a female student with fair skin and blonde hair.
The blonde-haired girl extended her hand into the box, and without twisting her hand, she calmly took out the last ball from the black box.
She looked at the number on the ball and smiled softly—she had indeed drawn number 1, the last ball.
"Wowww... Grace will face Joy. Quickly, record this, it's going to be exciting."
"Will Grace use her strongest lightning power this time?"
"I'm curious just how strong Grace's black lightning is. Last time, she almost destroyed the training simulation array."
The discussion in the audience grew more heated when they realized Grace and Joy would be dueling. Although not officially declared, they were both recognized by the public—and even by the teachers—as the two strongest students.
In the row where the teachers were seated, Mr. Yusuf seemed to be deep in thought.
"Mr. Yusuf, should we redo the drawing?" From behind, Mr. Chai Lu whispered quietly in Mr. Yusuf's ear.
Mr. Yusuf heard him, and after thinking for a moment, he waved his hand as if to let it continue.
Back on the central battle platform, the moderator once again shouted loudly, taking charge of the event.
"Everyone has received numbers 1 through 5. Whoever has the same number will be matched as duel partners," the moderator announced.
The moderator then opened a small piece of paper in his hand and shouted again, "As decided earlier, the first duel will start with the students who received number 1."
"Great... the first match!"
"Hooray... Go, Grace!"
"Grace, show us your power!"
Many students in the audience openly cheered for Grace. As a foreign student, Grace had many fans, both male and female.
Given Grace's stunning appearance, with her fair skin and immense strength, she had become an idol among the students.
Grace soon stood up from her seat and walked toward the central platform. Joy, too, did not remain idle. He casually walked slowly toward the battle platform.
In the right corner, Grace stood upright, ready for battle. "Come on... I can't wait to show this kid my strength," Grace thought to herself, staring at Joy with a serious gaze.
On the other side, Joy also stood tall and had already taken his fighting stance. His right hand was clenched and pointed forward. Both his hands were enveloped in a terrifying black aura.
"Grace, are you ready?"
"Joy, are you ready?"
The moderator shouted to make sure both students were ready and in position.
The moderator then stepped out of the battle area. At the edge of the platform was a device with a blue screen. The moderator adjusted some settings and pressed "activate array."
Immediately, a transparent shield in the shape of a cube enveloped the battle area where Grace and Joy stood.
"Start!" the moderator shouted at length.