No! I don't want to be a Super Necromancer!

The sparring grounds were lit with a soft amber glow as the sun began to dip over the Pearl Institute campus. The crowd of students—those still conscious and able to walk—gathered around the edges of the training field. Sweat, whispers, and tension filled the air. These weren't ordinary matches. These were elite duels between the strongest first-years and the best second-years.

"Next up. Ji Chen versus Mu Qingxue!" Professor Kong Hu hollered.

Mu Qingxue stepped onto the field like lightning bottled in human form. Her silver hair shimmered under the sun, a faint trace of crackling electricity dancing around her body.

She was the fastest of the Mu triplets, and she knew it. Speed was her weapon. Precision was her shield.

Across from her, Ji Chen's expression remained unreadable.

He said nothing. Wind pulsed quietly beneath his feet.

The signal flared.

She struck first without any hesitation. Her movement was a blur of lightning arcs, her spear extended into a flashing streak of silver light.

Ji Chen met her with silence.

His body flickered.

A soft whoosh, and he disappeared.

Mu Qingxue's eyes widened.

He was behind her.

She twisted, lashing out with a burst of lightning, but he redirected it with a subtle gust of wind that spiraled her attack away from his body. Then he flicked his wrist—and the wind condensed like a blade.

The clash was brief.

A sudden gale pushed Mu Qingxue back, sliding her across the field.

She landed on her feet, breath short, eyes filled with something between shock and admiration.

Ji Chen gave a polite bow, not a word spoken.

She bowed back.

On the sideline, Mu Qingyu tsked.

"Little sis always charges first," she muttered. "I told her to bait his movement."

Lin Xiu cracked his knuckles. "Then let me show you how it's done."

The next match began: Lin Xiu vs. the mysterious girl in the blue dress.

No one even knew her name.

But when she walked onto the field, everything shifted. It was subtle, as though the breeze had paused to watch.

Lin Xiu stood tall, smirking. His form was perfect. Earth energy imbued fists clenched at his sides. Confidence rolled off him in waves.

"I won't go easy on you," he said. "Pretty faces won't save you here."

The girl didn't reply.

The whistle blew.

She was already gone.

Not teleported. Just fast.

Too fast.

Her form flickered and twisted like reality bent around her steps. Lin Xiu reacted too late. His fire fist met empty air.

A sharp impact slammed into his side. Then another at his neck. Then a final one, swift and elegant, at the back of his knee.

Lin Xiu dropped, unable to catch himself.

The girl stepped back into the light, completely calm. Not a single drop of sweat on her brow.

"Who the hell is she?" someone whispered.

She bowed to the instructors and walked off the field.

Jennifer Aquafrost stepped forward for the next match, cloak billowing behind her like frost whipped by wind.

Her opponent: Lin Bao.

A brutal brawler with mana-enhanced strikes. Lightning elemental. He grinned at her confidently.

"Let's see how well your elegance holds up," he said with a smirk.

Jennifer Aquafrost said nothing. But the air around her plummeted. Frost formed in a circle around her feet. Her eyes never left his.

He moved first, charging with all the weight of his mana-enhanced bulk.

She side-stepped.

A flash of ice spread from her palm, locking his legs to the ground.

Then she struck.

A sharp palm to the chest.

His breath caught.

Then she twisted and swept his legs out, sending him crashing onto his back.

It was clean. Efficient.

The Aquafrost way.

Professor Bai Lian smiled faintly.

Lin Bao groaned. "I got beaten by a glacier…"

"Speak again and I'll make your injuries permanent," Jennifer Aquafrost replied coldly.

On the opposite side of the field, the next pair had already stepped forward.

Lin Fei vs. Mu Qingyu.

The elegant boy brushed a speck of dust from his sleeve.

"Don't hold back," he said politely.

Mu Qingyu's grin was fierce. "Wouldn't dream of it."

The clash was fast, furious. Fire vs. lightning. Heavy strikes met sharp arcs. Each time Lin Fei moved, his twin brother flinched as though mirroring the motions. The triplets fought like extensions of one another's will, and it showed.

But so did the Mu sisters.

Lightning danced between Mu Qingyu's fingertips, and after several sharp exchanges, her bolt slipped past Lin Fei's block.

A faint zap—and he froze, stunned.

She tapped his forehead. "Tag."

He stepped back with a scowl, but he bowed all the same.

That left only one.

Mu Qingling.

"Mu Qingling versus… Damien Bloodbane." Professor Kong Hu finally said.

The other instructors and students immediately leaned forward, eyes sharpening with interest.

Unexpectedly, they had all been drawn in by the enigma of Damien Bloodbane's strength.

The E Rank that was stronger than a B Rank!

Mu Qingling walked to the center of the arena, her face calm, her posture composed. She was the oldest of the triplets. A specialist in close-quarters lightning bursts. Her reputation was a quiet one—she didn't flaunt her skill. She let it speak for itself.

Damien Bloodbane followed.

The murmurs from the non elite spectators began.

"E Rank again?"

"Why are they even letting him fight?"

Zhao Rui snorted. "This will be over in one strike."

But Jennifer Aquafrost watched silently, eyes narrowed.

The mysterious girl crossed her arms, observing.

Ji Chen tilted his head, quiet.

The signal rang.

Mu Qingling didn't waste time.

She moved like a lightning serpent, her feet sliding over the ground without effort. Her mana flared as arcs of electricity sparked from her forearms, enhancing her limbs for close-range combat.

Damien Bloodbane moved too.

But there was no mana.

No surge. No glow.

Damien Bloodbane was just a blur of physical strength.

He ducked beneath her first strike, twisting his torso like a ribbon in wind. Her second palm flew toward his side and he deflected it with a subtle elbow.

Bzzz!

To Mung Qingling's surprise, Damien Bloodbane's skin resisted her lightning energy as though it was nothing. And even at her close proximity, she couldn't detect him using any energy at all.

"Is he truly an E Rank? But his lightning resistance is off the charts! This is something only doable using an energy shield!"

Mu Qingling unleashed a sweeping leg attack, but he leapt above it.

To Mu Qingling's credit, she didn't falter.

She adapted quickly. Shifted her rhythm. Shot out bursts of energy to corner him.

But Damien Bloodbane dodged all of them smoothly.

One, two, three moves.

A fourth. A fifth. A sixth. By the seventh—

He slipped behind her and delivered a gentle tap to the back of her neck.

The entire arena froze.

Mu Qingling turned slowly, stunned. Her breath came faster, lightning still crackling faintly from her fingertips.

Damien Bloodbane smiled and gave her a respectful bow.

She stared at him for a moment longer, then finally let out a breath and nodded.

Zhao Rui's fists clenched. The Lin Triplets looked like they'd eaten sour plums.

Ji Chen gave Damien the faintest of nods.

The mysterious girl tilted her head slightly… and for the first time, smiled.

And in the distance, hidden from sight, Principal Tian Long lowered his binoculars and cracked a rare grin.

The first years were not bad.

Not bad at all.