Suddenly, he remembered the first time he saw her; she dared to fight a Demon Beast even in her free form.
This strength, this courage, must have come from the special and strict training she had undergone since childhood.
Xiao Zhan couldn't help but feel curious about her background.
"Hmph, boasting shamelessly. If it really came down to a fight to the death, it would be you guys dying! You should be thankful Principal Qin is here!" Lin Dong also refused to back down.
Do you even have the strength to talk big?
Ye Youlong and Xiao Zhan were both the type to take action rather than talk, and they walked directly onto the dueling platform in the adjacent area.
The students who were there to watch the excitement didn't even bother with formalities of a Contract anymore; they crowded around.
A battle between S-level geniuses, this was not to be missed.
Even if their opponents were F-level trash!
"Sue Lian, he'll have to kneel down and apologize to you later!" Lin Dong looked at Xiao Zhan with scorn, thinking he was still the invincible genius from before.
"Mm."
Jiang Xian'er nodded noncommittally.
Her pure and flawless face, however, bore a pettiness that didn't match her temperament.
Soon.
Both parties were on the dueling platform.
The dueling platform wasn't large, about the size of two basketball courts.
Falling off the platform means losing, being beaten to the point of not being able to get up means losing, surrendering means losing.
There were no rules.
Winning was the rule.
A teacher was responsible for refereeing, also making sure the fight didn't get too heated and prevent any deadly blows.
Principal Qin and a head teacher stood silently under the platform, observing.
"Principal, who do you think will win?" asked the head teacher.
He had also rushed over as soon as he got the message from the Contract Room, just a bit slower.
Principal Qin fell silent upon hearing the question, "I cannot be certain; I've never encountered such a situation before. An S-level combined with another S-level is certainly powerful. But after all, both sides have just formed a Contract and haven't undergone any tuning."
"At this moment, the Artifact Spirit plays an important role in the battle, and I'm inclined to favor this SSS-level girl."
The head teacher smiled and shook his head, "I have a different opinion from you, Principal. An SSS-level is indeed exceptionally rare, and it surpasses an S-level in all attributes, but combat isn't a solo affair. Xiao Zhan's F-level Artifact Spirit Space simply cannot wield the power of an SSS-level Artifact Spirit, which could instead be suppressed."
"Whereas Lin Dong and Jiang Xian'er, a combined force of strength, can fully unleash the power of the Artifact Spirit. Even without tuning, their combat ability should not be underestimated."
But Principal Qin added, "Don't forget, Xiao Zhan has formed a Life and Death Contract, they've already achieved a preliminary coherence."
"Ha-ha, it seems that we can't persuade each other, but no matter, the result will soon be revealed."
After the head teacher spoke, his gaze returned to the dueling platform.
Principal Qin also fell silent, quietly watching.
On the field.
Both sides of the fight wasted no words.
With a single sweep of his hand, Lin Dong transformed Jiang Xian'er into a pure white Snow Lotus Sword in his grasp.
The Sword Qi of the Snow Lotus Sword was graceful, and the blade itself was elegantly sinuous, emitting a faint and delicate white light, exuding the aura of a well-bred young lady.
But in Lin Dong's hand, it looked as out of place as a burly man wearing blush, appearing extraordinarily awkward.
Xiao Zhan likewise made his move.
Spirit Controlling Power surged as Ye Youlong cooperated fully, transforming into the Death Demon Scythe.
A nearly three-meter-long black scythe, emanating a dense Death Aura, appeared before everyone's eyes.
Xiao Zhan held the scythe with one hand, pointing it at Lin Dong, the pose exuding overwhelming dominance!
Combined with his calm demeanor and stern features, at this moment, he seemed to merge with the Death Demon Scythe as if they were born as one, a perfect match!
As soon as the Death Demon Scythe appeared, it immediately elicited exclamations from the crowd.
"What kind of Artifact Spirit is this? So domineering!"
"Judging by its presence, why does it feel that this Artifact Spirit is even stronger than Jiang Xian'er's Snow Lotus Sword? Is this really F-rank?"
"The aura of this scythe is so eerie; I don't dare look directly at it. It feels like it's pulling at my spiritual power!"
"What's going on? I feel so sleepy, so tired."
Principal Qin's expression slightly changed, deep emotion stirred in his eyes, "This Artifact Spirit's Death Aura is so strong, just standing here gives one the sensation of their Life Force being siphoned away! This indeed has the attribute of an SSS-rank Artifact Spirit! Quickly instruct the students to maintain their distance. Being too close will cause them harm."
"Yes."
"With such talent, but to have signed a Contract with Xiao Zhan, if it were with someone else, even just any S-rank Spirit Master, their eventual achievement would surely be that of a Sovereign!" The director of instruction also followed with a sigh.
Demon Beasts are powerful, and what humanity lacks most are such mighty beings who can stand on their own.
Every student who awakens SSS-rank potential will receive special treatment and care to ensure they can grow smoothly.
But as a result, such a talented student ended up paired with the most rubbish Spirit Master.
What kind of situation is this.
Sigh.
They truly felt more and more that it was a pity for Ye Youlong.
If it weren't for the fact that the two had already bound themselves with a Life and Death Contract, they would have absolutely forced Ye Youlong and Xiao Zhan apart!
Truly, their hearts ached unbearably.
In the field.
Lin Dong, seeing the Artifact Spirit held by Xiao Zhan, was shocked and rattled by its colossal form and its chilling, ominous presence. The previously disdainful and arrogant expression on his face uncontrollably froze.
What... What's going on here?
Wasn't it said that Xiao Zhan contracted with an F-rank rubbish Artifact Spirit?
This mighty presence, this repressive suffocation, these are definitely not qualities of a rubbish Artifact Spirit!
This has to be at least S-rank!
Or even SS-rank!!
No, what the hell is this exactly!
Xiao Zhan is just a piece of trash, why choose him!
He glanced at the Snow Lotus Sword in his hand, then back at Xiao Zhan's ludicrously oversized scythe; he couldn't accept this reality!
At that moment, the Snow Lotus Sword in his hand began to tremble violently, and the Snow Lotus Sword started to flicker between tangible and intangible, not fully ethereal but oscillating between reality and illusion.
This was a sign of instability in the Artifact Spirit Form.
Seeing this, Principal Qin's brow deeply furrowed, "Lin Dong's temperament is too poor. With S-rank talent, he ought to be able to firmly control the Artifact Spirit from the moment of Contracting."
"But now that the Artifact Spirit has turned ethereal, this shows there's a problem with his temperament, and it has already affected the Artifact Spirit! There's a dissonance forming between the Spirit Master and Artifact Spirit—this is a grave taboo!"
With just a single comment, he shrewdly pointed out the issue with Lin Dong at this moment.
The director of instruction shaking his head, "Between a Spirit Master and their Artifact Spirit, sincerity is most crucial. He has just Contracted and already shows such disdainful behavior. I'm afraid it won't be long before Jiang Xian'er will choose to leave him."