The silver rockfish swam high into the sky, laboriously ascending, and then, as it became a black dot in the sky, rapidly plunged down, accelerating continuously with the energy of the dive.
The silver tail of the fish constantly swished, adjusting its direction, forming a large silver arc as it swept through the sky, and finally crashing into the emerald-tailed gecko that lay on the ground.
The ground was plowed into shallow furrows, and amidst a thunderous noise, the silver rockfish and the emerald-tailed gecko collided, flying through the air and tumbling several times on the ground before finally stopping.
Both transcendent creatures now lay on the ground, incapacitated. The silver rockfish seemed to have run out of strength, while the emerald-tailed lizard was knocked unconscious.
"How should the victory be determined?" The students discussed among themselves before a countdown from the judge echoed from the stage.
"Ten... nine... eight... seven... four... three..." Finally, at the count of three, the emerald-tailed gecko slowly raised its head and crawled up, displaying the robust body and resilience characteristic of the Dragon Sequence.
"Student Orcas wins!"
Seeing this result, the girl shook her head slightly. There was no sign of disappointment on her face. Reaching the semifinals was already more than she had expected, and it was even beyond her expectations since she had not initially thought the silver rockfish was a strong fighter. After all, its progression had not specifically strengthened that aspect, and its methods were quite limited, relying solely on ramming.
She lifted the exhausted silver rockfish with effort and placed it back into the adjacent pool to heal it. Within a short while, it was lively once more.
Returning to the spectator seats, Hexia and her classmates continued to watch the remaining matches. As the dark horse of this competition, Rin, a student previously unheard of, had defeated 'Golden' Pawula and now contested the championship with Orcas.
"Owl's Claw!" The cool and detached girl on the stage commanded sharply, and then two special grey-blue owls with their wings fluttering charged at Orcas's emerald-tailed gecko.
Withering Sequence 3·Frost Claw Owl, a variant of the Dark Claw Owl, renowned for its expertise in using Ice Claw to tear apart its prey, showing even greater Cold Resistance.
Emerald flames sprayed in the air, while the two Frost Claw Owls pierced through the flames, pouncing on the gecko. Their sharp ice claws embedded into the scales and flesh, tearing them open and causing severe pain and roars from the gecko.
Unlike the previously gentle matches, this ultimate final finally showed a degree of cruelty and bloodshed, making many students who grew up in the city uncomfortable.
"Roll Over." Orcas remained unexpressive, as if he had never shown signs of panic or unease.
The emerald-tailed gecko rolled over on the ground, enlarging its wounds but forcing the two Frost Claw Owls to detach from its body.
"Flame Wrap." Orcas commanded again, and the emerald-tailed gecko bathed itself in flames, stopping the bleeding as the fire condensed around the previously torn wounds.
"Dark Dive!" Rin, watching the emerald-tailed gecko, commanded sternly.
The two Frost Claw Owls didn't ascend for long and then tucked in their bodies before plummeting rapidly, a faint white light emerging on their bodies. Their claws glinted with an increasingly radiant ice blue, covered in a layer of sharp frost, while their beaks also solidified into hard spikes.
The two Frost Claw Owls dived one after the other, their sharp talons flaying large areas of scales and flesh from the gecko's back. Then one clutched the gecko's forelimb, lifting it several meters into the air before dropping it.
"Sharp Claw." Orcas shook his head slightly, directing the gecko to counterattack with its claws.
"Compared to other reptiles, the bite force of the gecko is not strong; it's the claws that have some merit."
The sharp claws grasped the Frost Claw Owl, and as the emerald-tailed gecko spat flames with abandon, the opponent fell charred, losing its fighting capacity. Then, the wounded gecko lay back on the ground, keeping watch of the Frost Claw Owl circling above.
Neither side had much leeway left, so both became cautious.
Eventually, the Frost Claw Owl in flight grew tired and started to dive, while the gecko also tensed, waiting until the opponent drew close before suddenly turning as if to flee.
As the Frost Claw Owl plummeted at high speed, it couldn't give up the chase and so accelerated even more, striking forward.
Meanwhile, the gecko raised its tail to block the Frost Claw Owl's path, forcing it to grab hold. Taking advantage of this moment, the emerald-tailed gecko coiled up, biting the owl's wing and emitting flames.
After a chaotic struggle, the last Frost Claw Owl also fell, devoid of strength. The gecko, though its tail was torn, still stood proudly, stepping on the body of the Frost Claw Owl.
"Orcas, with the emerald-tailed gecko as champion!"
Cheers erupted in the arena, and thus, among the discussions and celebrations of many students, Yuanting Academy's first term slowly drew to a close.
Without too much fanfare or showiness, everything progressed in an orderly fashion. The students gradually adapted to Yuanting's style, finding their own interests and directions, accumulating experience and abilities for the future.
After the competition ended, Hexia also said farewell to her companions and once again headed towards the lake in the back mountains. Her training as a Songstress was about to enter the next stage.