Finn was the first to attack, his blade whistling through the air as it aimed straight for Reed's face.

  "Decent power, but... too slow," Reed silently assessed, yet his body had already reacted.

  "Swift Wind Step!" he whispered in his mind, and a surge of gray holy light instantly enveloped his body.

  In the next second, his figure vanished from its original spot like a ghost.

  Finn's sword sliced through empty air, hitting nothing.

  Startled, before he could even react, Reed had already appeared at his side.

  "Damn, he's fast!" Finn muttered under his breath, quickly swinging his sword to block.

  "Clang!" The sound of metal clashing rang out.

  Finn felt a tremendous force transmitted through the blade, numbing his arm and nearly causing him to drop his sword.

  "How is this possible?!" Finn's expression changed. He realized that Reed's strength and speed had improved significantly.

  Reed, having landed a successful strike, didn't press the attack but instead stepped back, watching Finn calmly.

  "So, how does it feel?" he asked nonchalantly.

  Finn clenched his teeth, his anger simmering.

  He had thought that he had finally broken through to squire level 3, and even if he couldn't win, he could at least hold his own and tire Reed out.

  But now, it seemed he had overestimated himself.

  This wasn't a spar—it was a one-sided beating!

  "Again!" Finn, unwilling to give up, charged forward once more, his sword now glowing with white holy light, clearly using a skill.

  However, in the face of Reed, who had mastered the Swift Wind Step, Finn's attacks appeared clumsy and slow.

  Reed's movements were erratic, like a willow leaf in the wind, effortlessly dodging all of Finn's skill-based attacks. Occasionally, he would counter, each strike landing on Finn's blade, sending vibrations that numbed Finn's hands.

  After a few rounds, Finn was already panting heavily, drenched in sweat, his sword hand trembling slightly.

  In contrast, Reed remained calm and composed, his breathing steady, as if he was merely warming up.

  "I can't do this. I can't fight him; we're not on the same level," Finn began to waver.

  If this continued, he might end up injured.

  Was it worth it for Aaron? Probably not.

  Besides, he had achieved his goal today—he had successfully challenged Reed and, in a way, "tired him out" for Aaron, even though it wasn't much.

  Now, it was Aaron's turn to shine.

  With that thought, Finn made up his mind.

  He feigned an attack, forcing Reed back, then suddenly retreated a few steps, shouting, "I surrender! Reed, you're truly amazing. I admit defeat!"

  After saying this, he even bowed exaggeratedly, pretending to be completely convinced.

  The surrounding students were stunned.

  They had just been watching an intense fight, but now Finn had suddenly surrendered?

  And he gave up so quickly? Only a few rounds had passed!

  "Surrendering already?" Reed raised an eyebrow.

  "Quitting so soon? I thought we were going to battle it out for a hundred more rounds."

  His tone carried a touch of mockery.

  Finn's face turned red, but he still managed to say, "No, no, you're on a whole other level. I admit I'm no match for you. Continuing would only humiliate me further, so I might as well concede early to save face."

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  His words sounded sincere, but anyone paying attention could tell he was just making excuses.

  "Alright, if you admit defeat, that's that," Reed shrugged, sheathing his Starfall Sword.

  He knew Finn's intentions weren't pure, but he didn't care.

  Whatever came his way, he would deal with it. He wanted to see what tricks Aaron and Finn were up to.

  Seeing that Reed didn't press further, Finn secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

  He quickly stepped off the arena, squeezing into the crowd as if afraid Reed might change his mind.

  Reed stood in the arena, his eyes sweeping across the surroundings, taking in the expressions of the students around him.

  Some looked surprised, some admiring, some envious, and some dismissive.

  Various gazes converged on him.

  Reed's eyes finally landed on Aaron in the crowd.

  Aaron's face was pale with anger.

  He hadn't expected Finn to lose so quickly, and so thoroughly—it was downright humiliating!

  "Useless!" he cursed Finn bitterly in his heart.

  But what made him even more uneasy was Reed's strength—how had it reached such a level?

  How was this possible? It had only been a few days!

  Reed looked at Aaron, the corner of his mouth curling into a provocative smile.

  "Aaron," he suddenly spoke up, "Finn has already conceded. I wonder if you have the courage to come up here and spar with me?"

  "What? Reed is challenging Aaron?"

  "Oh man, this is going to be good! Finn was just the appetizer; Aaron is the main course!"

  "Will Aaron even accept? He got beaten pretty badly by Reed last time."

  "Hard to say. I heard Aaron has improved a lot recently."

  "But will that be enough to beat Reed? Did you see how Reed just performed? He’s practically inhuman!"

  The surrounding students erupted into chatter once again, their excitement palpable as they stared at Aaron, waiting for his response.

  All eyes were on Aaron, like a spotlight, leaving him no room to escape.

  Aaron’s face darkened further. He hadn’t expected Reed to directly challenge him, and in front of so many people no less.

  This was like being thrown into the fire!

  If he refused, wouldn’t that mean he was scared of Reed? How could he continue to stand tall in the academy after that?

  But if he accepted the challenge… he wasn’t confident.

  He had seen clearly how much Finn had struggled against Reed. Reed’s strength was truly beyond his expectations.

  Even after consuming the green python meat, which had boosted him to squire level 4, could he really defeat Reed?

  He wasn’t sure.

  "Aaron, what’s the matter? Chicken?" Reed, seeing Aaron’s prolonged silence, spoke again. "Or do you only dare to scheme behind people’s backs, too scared to face me head-on?"

  He deliberately used a taunt to provoke Aaron.

  "Who’s chicken?!" Aaron, angered by Reed’s words, shot to his feet and roared, "Reed, don’t look down on me! I, Aaron, will face you properly today!"

  He knew he couldn’t back down, or he’d truly lose face.

  Even if he couldn’t win, he had to grit his teeth and go for it!

  For pride, for dignity, for… defeating Reed!

  Aaron took a deep breath and strode toward the arena.

  ...

  "Gale Slash!" Aaron leaped onto the arena, and almost as soon as his feet touched the ground, his sword was already in motion.

  Whoa, is he that eager?

  Or is he afraid I’ll have time to react?

  Reed muttered to himself, not daring to relax.

  Finn had conceded quickly, but Aaron was coming at him with everything he had.

  A sharp sword aura, accompanied by a howling wind, shot straight toward Reed’s face. The speed was indeed impressive, far surpassing Finn’s flashy moves.

  Reed’s lips curled slightly as he calmly raised his starfall sword.

  The blade was held horizontally in front of him, precisely blocking the path of the "Gale Slash."

  "Clang!" A crisp metallic clash echoed across the arena.

  Sparks flew as Aaron’s skill was firmly blocked by the starfall sword.

  The surrounding students collectively held their breaths.

  Finn’s fight with Reed had been intense, but it had felt like something was missing. Now, with Aaron unleashing a major skill right off the bat, this was truly exciting!

  "He blocked it!" someone exclaimed in a low voice.

  "Reed’s sword doesn’t seem ordinary either," another chimed in, their eyes glued to the arena.

  Unfazed by the failed attack, Aaron wasn’t too surprised.

  After all, he knew that with Reed’s current strength, it wouldn’t be that easy to land a hit.

  "Thunder Roar!" Reed had no intention of giving Aaron a moment to catch his breath.

  The moment he blocked the "Gale Slash," the counterattack was already on its way.

  The starfall sword erupted with a dazzling lightning aura, crackling as if countless tiny lightning snakes were dancing along its length.

  The sword, charged with immense lightning power, sliced through the air, aiming straight for Aaron.

  This skill… its power seems even stronger than before?

  Aaron’s expression shifted slightly. Back at the academy’s training ground, Reed’s "Thunder Roar" had been formidable, but it hadn’t reached this level.

  How had his skill improved so much in just a few days?

  Before he could think further, the lightning-infused sword light was already upon him. Aaron hastily swung his sword to block, trying to fend off the ferocious strike.

  "Boom!" Another loud explosion.

  A powerful shockwave burst forth, spreading in all directions. Aaron felt a tremendous force transmitted through his sword, numbing his hands and making his arms ache.

  "Tsk—" Aaron sucked in a sharp breath, inwardly groaning.

  This power is insane!

  He was a squire level 4, yet it felt like he was completely overpowered by Reed in terms of strength.

  Before he could recover, Reed’s figure suddenly blurred, disappearing from view.

  "Where is he?" Aaron panicked, quickly glancing around.

  "Behind you," a voice, ghost-like, whispered in Aaron’s ear.

  Aaron spun around just in time to see Reed, who had somehow appeared at his side in the blink of an eye.

  The starfall sword swung down once more, accompanied by a howling wind, aiming straight for his back.

  "Swift Wind Step?!" Aaron’s pupils contracted as he recognized the skill. It was Morris’s!

  How could Reed use Morris’s skill? Could it be…

  A terrifying thought flashed through Aaron’s mind, but he had no time to dwell on it.

  Reed’s sword was already upon him, the sharp sword aura making the hairs on his back stand on end.

  In a desperate move, Aaron could only twist his body, trying to avoid a fatal blow.

  But Reed was too fast—far too fast for Aaron to completely evade.

  "Thud!" The sound of a blade cutting through flesh echoed clearly in the ears of everyone present.

  ...