Chapter 141: The Second Round of the Competition

"None of us present possesses any resistance to toxins," Yixin continued. "Lingmeng's healing spells can alleviate minor poisoning, but they aren't a truly effective solution. If this were a duel between two people, we could consider having Lingmeng provide support..."

"But this is a one-on-one battle; we cannot put Lingmeng at risk," Heiyu said.

"That is exactly what I was thinking," Yixin replied.

Yunlan frowned slightly, her fingertips tapping against her brow. "Sigh, it's difficult, truly difficult..."

At that moment, only Bai Shengye stood alone, leaning against the pitch-black floor-to-ceiling window, lost in a daze. Ever since dinner, he had been standing there blankly, gazing at the empty arena outside, regretfully replaying the scenes from today's matches. Qianxue's figure had been so close, yet they were as distant as strangers.

As his thoughts drifted, he faintly heard Yixin mention the word "detoxification," and Bai Shengye snapped out of his trance. Suddenly, he spoke up:

"Hey, hey, hey! Have you all forgotten someone?"

All eyes turned toward Bai Shengye in unison. Ling Xiaolei slapped her thigh, suddenly realizing the truth.

"That's right! I was so focused on how impressive your ice-attribute magic is that I completely forgot you're an apothecary! Can you neutralize toxins?"

Bai Shengye raised an eyebrow in disdain, wearing an expression of annoyance as he reverted to his usual cynical tone.

"What do you mean 'can I'? There isn't a poison in this world that I, your master, cannot cure!"

Upon hearing this, the group was overjoyed, and the cloud of gloom hanging over them dissipated.

"Our team is invincible!" Shen Zaiguo declared.

Yunlan knew full well that Bai Shengye came from a prestigious family of apothecary sages, but she was still reluctant to let him take risks. She hesitated and said, "The strategy is tentatively set: Bai Shengye will be responsible for overcoming the opponent's Wushi poison masters. However, the situation on the field changes in an instant; if there is any danger, we will reconsider..."

Yixin immediately began to reassess the order of the lineup, the expression on his face still grim.

"I don't know who they will send for their first match tomorrow... If they send a wood-attribute mage, I can counter them perfectly. My only fear is that they won't risk sending a wood-attribute mage, which would leave us facing one Dragon-kin and two poison-attribute users."

"I am not leading the charge against the poison types," Bai Shengye said.

"Why?" Ling Xiaolei asked immediately.

"Because," Bai Shengye said, spreading his hands, "preparing antidotes takes time. You guys go out first and figure out the style of those two poison-attribute mages so I can prepare the right antidotes in advance."

"Huh? You're going to fight and prepare antidotes at the same time? You carry all your materials with you? How much stuff do you carry? How could you possibly manage..." Ling Xiaolei suddenly felt uneasy, muttering with a pout, "It just feels... unreliable."

A murderous glint flashed in Bai Shengye’s eyes as he narrowed them. "Underestimating an apothecary is a quick way to die."

Ling Xiaolei immediately covered her mouth, daring not to say another word.

"It's settled then. I'll lead the charge tomorrow to scout out their capabilities," Yixin said.

Yunlan sighed inwardly: "It seems Bai Shengye is the only one who can stand against Wu Zhen..."

The next morning, there were two matches: the Royal Magic Academy versus the Shenwu Magic Academy, and their own team, the Holy City Magic Academy, against the Senluo Magic Academy. The two afternoon matches featured Light Elf mages against the Snow Giant tribe, and mages from other academies of the Central Continent against ice-attribute mages.

Early in the morning, the six of them arrived at the arena to take their seats, taking the opportunity to watch Reina and Reno, who were competing first, to see how they would perform. Everyone felt they would encounter this team in the finals, so they watched with great focus.

With the Royal Magic Academy competing, the audience's enthusiasm was sky-high. Reina and Reno appeared exceptionally heroic as they walked at the front of their team, entering the arena to the sound of deafening cheers from the stands.

"Pay close attention to their match today; they might be our opponents in the finals," Yixin reminded the group.

Everyone nodded.

The six members sent by the Shenwu Magic Academy were all red-haired Dragon-kin warriors. They huddled together to deliberate before deciding who would go first. A red-haired youth carrying a massive sword was the first to step onto the arena floor. Cheers erupted once more.

The host's familiar voice echoed from above:

"The Shenwu Magic Academy has sent their contestant! Who will the Royal Magic Academy send? —"

The members of the Royal Magic Academy did not linger after entering; the others walked directly to the spectator seats. Only Reno, with his pale yellow short hair, walked onto the arena with a smug expression.

As soon as he stood firm on the stage, he arrogantly lifted his chin, pointed at the warriors across from him, and issued a cruel challenge:

"If we swap out players within three matches, consider it our loss!"

A wave of astonishment rippled through the audience, followed by another explosion of enthusiastic shouts.

"What? He’s going to take on all three of them alone?"

The host announced loudly: "The Royal Magic Academy has sent—Reno, at the peak level of a mage!"

"He's also at the peak level? Plus Reina—there are two peak-level mages on their team?" Ling Xiaolei’s eyes widened. She remembered Reina mentioning she was at the peak level when filling out her registration card.

"I really don't know how the prominent families of the Divine Realm cultivate talent; their progression is truly fast..." Shen Zaiguo whispered.

"Nobles just have more cultivation resources than we do; there's nothing to be envious of. When it comes to a real fight, it's not certain who will win," Yixin noted.

The shouting and cheering from the stands made Reno’s expression even more arrogant.

Someone in the crowd shouted: "The Royal Magic Academy is so cocky! Such big talk!"

The six members of the Dragon-kin were insulted, their faces turning grim, and the red-haired youth on the stage holding the sword flashed with fury.

Meanwhile, Reina, sitting in the contestant waiting area, offered only a disdainful smile at the crowd's intense reaction.

Heiyu thought to herself: "He must have some skill to make such a bold claim. Besides, the aura radiating from both of these siblings has grown significantly since we first met. Let's watch his match patiently."

Lingmeng’s attention was on those in the waiting area who hadn't taken the stage yet. Two Light Elves, a man and a woman, sat there leisurely. Their magic staves were exquisite, inlaid with numerous gleaming jewels and enchanted at a high level—they were likely no simple opponents.

"Look at the weapons of those two Light Elves. One specializes in attack, the other in support," she said.

"It's only the second round; they wouldn't reveal their trump cards yet," Yixin analyzed. "To conserve energy, the ones with true strength might still be sitting on the sidelines."

"The older sister of the twins looks like the most formidable one!" Ling Xiaolei said.

Yixin nodded.

"This Reno they sent should have above-average strength. The Royal Magic Academy is the team most likely to win the championship besides the Holy City; it's understandable they’d talk such a big game."