Chapter 155: The Final Match!

Hearing Anna’s words, Rod inwardly sighed. As expected, time really had passed quickly—just two days had gone by? It was astonishingly fast. With a faint wry smile, he asked the others, “Are you all here?”
“Yeah, Rod. You really can stay quiet, can’t you? Two days just slipped by like that? How’s it going?” Kiro spoke up first, looking at Rod with anticipation. He was the only one there who knew the whole story. From the first moment he saw Rod, he noticed a change—Rod seemed more energetic, especially his eyes, which were far sharper than before, to the point that it made Kiro feel uneasy even looking at them.
“Hmm, I’m fine. Hehe, what brings you to see me?” Rod replied casually, smiling broadly.
Veski’s gaze made Rod feel even more uncomfortable. It felt as though he were being scrutinized like a criminal, leaving Rod’s heart tingling.
“The final match is tomorrow. You haven’t forgotten, have you? Well, now that you’ve found this guy, I won’t disturb you anymore. I’m leaving. See you at the arena tomorrow! Rod, remember your promise to me—don’t disappoint me!”
Rod’s response reassured Kiro a bit. It seemed those two days hadn’t been wasted after all.
“Don’t worry, I definitely will!” Rod said as he watched Kiro turn and leave. That guy was really persistent. When had he ever made such a promise? But it didn’t matter. He had indeed come to this match with that mindset—success or death!
“Captain!” After Kiro left, the other team members called out to Rod in a low voice.
“I encountered some issues these past two days. Hehe, I’ve wasted everyone’s time. Well, the final match is tomorrow. Everyone, get some good rest today. By the way, Anna, you need to study the opponent’s magician’s strengths and fighting style carefully. Your role will be crucial tomorrow! And Veski, we two need to analyze the abilities of the opponent’s two warriors! Thiel andHill—they’re both very strong. Don’t take them lightly, especially Thiel. As a Golden Warrior, he’s no weaker than you! Watch how they arrange their formation!
No training today. Everyone, go back and study the materials at hand. Get fully prepared!”
With an awkward smile, Rod apologized to everyone before giving instructions to Anna and Veski.

The final is tomorrow, so there’s no point in continuing to train today—training doesn’t make much sense! What needs to be done now is to study the opponent thoroughly so as to have confidence in battle. Confidence is very important.

As for the duel between mages, it’s obvious that Anna will face the opponent’s mage. However, the battle between warriors is uncertain; the formation of the two warriors depends on their own decisions. Since we don’t know how the opponent will arrange themselves, we can’t be sure. The best approach is for the two of us to study together—after all, we don’t even know who we might encounter.

“Okay!” Viski was the first to respond. He gave Rod a deep look, seemingly sensing something amiss, before offering a faint smile.

Hearing Viski’s reply, although the other team members were still a bit puzzled—questioning why the captain said so, why not make use of the last day for training, and what the captain had been doing these past two days—they trusted Rod and Viski, so they didn’t dare say much and left one after another.

After everyone left, Rod returned to the room. Looking at the messy space, he felt a headache coming on. It took quite some time to tidy it up. Once done, seeing it was still early, he ate some dry food casually before leaving the room and heading outside.

Having just reached the rank of Golden Warrior, he wasn’t yet fully aware of his abilities or able to control them well. He needed to hone his skills further, which was why he canceled today’s training.

If he couldn’t master his abilities to the best of his ability, he wouldn’t be able to give his all in tomorrow’s match. He didn’t want to see such a waste. Now, his advancement had given his team more advantages. If he could give his all, there would be no surprises in his duel with Viski tomorrow. Winning both matches would earn them two points, greatly increasing their chances of victory.

He walked through the academy’s paths until he found a secluded spot, where he stopped. Drawing Dark Dragon from behind his back, he gripped it tightly, took a deep breath, and began training.

The sound of the sword cutting through the air filled the forest, leaves rustled in the breeze, and a cool wind blew. In such an environment, Rod spent the entire day there. It wasn’t until his stomach started to protest that he stopped training. Breathing heavily, he packed up everything, gave the place one last look, and then left.

After a day of practice, he was finally able to barely master the skills. The number of clones of the Shadowless Sword increased to sixteen during this process, bringing him one step closer to the peak of thirty-two. This was certainly a significant breakthrough compared to the twelve clones he had before. Another key technique, the Autumn Wind Sword, also lived up to expectations as he was able to use it skillfully.

With these breakthroughs in his two core techniques, along with improvements in his movement skills, Rod now had the confidence to fight against Viski. Thinking about tomorrow’s battle, a confident smile appeared on his lips as he felt even more eager.

……

The No. 1 training ground was packed with people, filled with cheers. Although the competition wasn’t due for a while, it was already surrounded by students from the academy. As time passed, more and more people gathered—almost all the students from the academy, along with those brought by other students and many notable figures from the continent. Even high-ranking officials from several major empires and kingdoms would be present, along with numerous powerful warriors from across the continent. After all, today was the final round of the biennial continental martial arts competition.

The students came not only to watch the matches but also hoping to catch the eye of these powerful warriors. If they were lucky enough to be taken as apprentices by one of them, it would be a great honor and fortune—such things had indeed happened before. The presence of these high-ranking officials and powerful warriors had become a regular part of each competition. The officials gathered to watch the matches, prepare awards afterward, and attend the high-level meeting the next day. As for the powerful warriors, their main goal was to assess the skills and potential of the competitors!

Today’s competition brought together some of the best young people from the entire continent. Many of them would become the pillars of the continent and the hope for the future. In fact, many of these powerful warriors also started from this level.

They came to watch the matches, observe the contestants, and assess their potential and skills. Of course, some were also looking to find apprentices. Finding a suitable apprentice wasn’t easy, especially a genius one! And such occasions were full of geniuses, which was why they were so eager to attend.

By the time the representative teams from various academies entered the training ground, it was already so crowded that moving forward became difficult.

After much effort to enter the training ground, a great deal of time and energy were spent, with the deafening noise making one unable to help but frown.
Besides the final match today, there was another attraction: the third-place competition. Representatives from all levels would compete for third place, with the intermediate-level team from Holy Light Academy, led by Kiro, aiming to secure that spot.
Before long, the match began. Watching Kiro and his team get ready, Rod stepped up to them and said, “Go for it! If you lose this time, don’t come back!”
It was just a joke, meant to ease the tension slightly. Their opponents were the team from Light Academy, and with Kiro at the helm, it shouldn’t be a problem.
As the barrier was set up, the match started in full swing. At the first level, most of the members of Holy Light Academy focused their attention on the intermediate-level competition.
Facing Light Academy, Kiro didn’t disappoint anyone. Leading his team with fierce determination, they advanced through successive battles. After winning the toughest single-match fight, they secured three straight victories, eliminating their opponents and earning Holy Light Academy a valuable third place.
This round of matches didn’t take long and ended quickly. In the end, Clear Stream Academy came in third at the junior level, while at the senior level, Wind God Academy effortlessly won all three matches, defeating their opponents outright. There were no thrilling or dramatic scenes as expected.
After these three matches, there was a brief rest before the next rounds began. The atmosphere reached its peak, with cheers soaring high, and the excitement at its utmost.
Especially the rivalry between Holy Light Academy and Wind God Academy—undoubtedly, the championship would go to one of these two schools. As the host, Holy Light Academy surprised everyone this time, shaking off their weaknesses from previous competitions and rising strongly, adding even more excitement to the event.
“It’s your turn. Go for it! Remember your promise!” As Rod and his team prepared to go, Kiro stepped up to him and whispered.
“Don’t worry!” He smiled bitterly inwardly—seemed like that promise would indeed cause trouble!
“You guys too—count on you!” Then Kiro turned to Etouo. Undoubtedly, Etouo and his team faced even greater pressure.

After nodding emphatically, Eto’o and Rod exchanged a glance, then led their respective teams toward the ring, ready to begin their match. The arrival of the fighters and the cheers of the audience heightened the atmosphere in the arena to its peak, as this extraordinary match held everyone in suspense.