Chapter 1

"Two days apart and we meet again on the arena, everyone. It's still me, Mai Da, hosting this competition for you all. The judges on the field are no strangers, so let's continue with the competition."

The competition arena had been completely destroyed that day, but it was unexpectedly restored to perfection.

"Just to clarify, the Nanz School violated the rules by using forbidden items. After discussions among the judges, it has been decided to disqualify them, leaving us with the remaining four teams."

It seems that Nanz will face punishment for using The Divine Realm cursed dagger. However, this punishment isn't as entertaining as I had hoped.

Actually, it should be said that this host and his team have already suffered the wrath of the heavens.

I didn't participate in the morning competition, so I didn't need to be present on the arena. It would be quieter to stay in the hotel and watch the livestream.

Only those who can enter here are talented individuals nurtured by the empire. It's not unreasonable to receive some preferential treatment.

The exquisite restaurant, with only a few people present, is spacious and quiet. It gives off a sense of emptiness reminiscent of a long-gone palace. The host on the large screen, named Mai Da, is still talking incessantly. Does he naturally love to talk, or is it a professional necessity?

But now I know that tranquility can often be disrupted by people without taste.

"Wow! Qin Yang, you're still not dead."

"To curse someone the moment you open your mouth, your greetings are quite amusing."

Qin Tayuan sits boldly across from me, without even considering whether I want him to play a part.

"You think this is a greeting? Regardless, if you managed to survive under the Duke's command, it's truly a miracle. Your luck really surpasses that of a cockroach."

"If you knew the truth behind the miracles, you would go insane."

As soon as we sat down, Qin Tayuan and I started exchanging jabs. He is quite straightforward and impulsive, not a difficult person to figure out. It was clearly a mistake for someone like him to infiltrate our academy to gather information. He appeared before me without reason, and even got beaten downstairs by Nofice. He completely exposed himself. If not for my curiosity about the "Sealing Demon Formation," I might not have known he had infiltrated at all.

"Oh? How insane? I'd love to hear the details."

"You'll know about those things soon enough. What's the hurry? But speaking of which, could that detecting rod from Nad Academy be used to swipe ours?"

Qin Tayuan's expression grows heavy. "Our qualifications were earned through the strength of our academy. We don't resort to such foolish measures as waiting for an opportunity. On the other hand, you were clearly robbed, yet you still have the qualification to compete."

"It's also because of the excellence of our abilities. We already had two detecting rods on hand." I smiled and gestured two fingers at him.

"Impressive! Are you capable of removing Tong Fei's heart without causing any damage to the body?"

At first, I wondered if I had actually done it. But then I thought about it and realized that Yu Zhe's magic can repair even a corpse, as long as there are fragments. However, the heart is already gone, so it can't be repaired at all.

I feel quite helpless about this matter.

"Is there no evidence suggesting that I killed Tong Fei?"

Qin Tayuan remains silent at this point, pretending to be mysterious, but in reality, he's just guessing.

"There's one more thing I want to tell you. If you harm Qin Yin, I will never let you go, regardless of whether you're a candidate or not."

"You've already said this before the first round of the competition. But I will still do it. The Duke's position must be mine." Qin Tayuan stood up from his chair, completely unconcerned, and adjusted his collar and sleeves, feigning elegance.

"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. I heard that the Duke's son has returned."

"So what? Even if he returned, he still has to compete for the right to inherit through the candidates' duel."

"What if he's not interested in the inheritance?"

"Then why did he come back to fight for the inheritance? If he's not interested, it's better to avoid another death."

"I'm afraid it will be you who dies at that time."

"Do you doubt my abilities?"

At this moment, Nofice walks to my side with a tray. "Master, here's your milkshake. Oh, the brother who fell down the stairs!"

The brother who fell down the stairs? What kind of title is that from another planet?

"You called me?" Qin Tayuan looks at Nofice with wide eyes, clearly reacting to her words."Yes, last time you fell from our balcony!" Qin Tayuan widened his eyes, recognizing the innocent girl in front of him. Despite her maid attire and friendly smile, it was clear to him that she was his familiar.

"Nofice, how many times have I told you not to suddenly appear in weird outfits? Where did you get this dress from?"

"Is it strange? It was given to me by the master's mother."

"What? Having a loli mother is really troublesome. Young mothers enjoy playing with their sons."

"Hey, what's with that title? Qin Yang, haven't you educated your familiar?" Qin Tayuan seemed to savor the name he had just been called.

"Because the first time we met, you fell from upstairs!"

"Hey, there's no need to say it twice. I just made a mistake. Qin Yang, manage your familiar properly."

I put on an indifferent expression. Nofice, originally a cold and silent black and white winged Angel, had turned into her current form because of the familiar contract. No matter how much you tried to discipline them, the personalities of humanoid familiars depended on their master's heart.

"Alright, Nofice, keep playing until you drive him crazy."

"Oh!" Nofice sat on a chair, playing with a teaspoon and the drink in her cup.

"Hmph!" Qin Tayuan flicked his sleeve and left, while I silently prayed for his future, hoping he wouldn't prematurely end his life.

At that moment, Elena walked towards us, giving a passing glance to Qin Tayuan before elegantly sitting down by my side.

"Is it okay for the president to not show up on-site?"

I looked at the screen, focused on Tesha and Lilith. The first match was a doubles match, randomly paired. But I hadn't expected Tesha to be paired with Lilith, and I hadn't paid much attention to Tesha's attacking power.

"Give your teammates freedom, it's a form of trust. Do you want to ask about Tesha?"

Elena seemed to understand me completely, and broke through my mind with her words. I nodded, continuing to watch the screen.

"Tell me, what is Tesha's weapon?"

"A pen! A delicate brush, her cherished brush!"

"The brush she had in her hand the other day?" I vaguely remembered Tesha using a brush to write recently.

Elena shook her head. "No, that pen was given to her by her grandfather. She rarely takes it out, and it's a divine pen. Tesha lived with her grandfather in the mountains until she was fifteen, and calligraphy was her only pleasure. When she first came to the academy, she didn't even know how to use a regular pen. In order to not be isolated, she had to quickly catch up with a year of writing with a hard brush. You probably didn't notice that her handwriting wasn't worse than others, it's even better!"

Indeed, I hadn't noticed. Tesha's grip on the pen was more precise and powerful than those who had been using a hard brush for more than ten years. Only children who grew up in the mountains possessed such strong determination.

Today, we were competing against the St. Joia Women's Academy, a school consisting solely of female students. In this era, such an extremely traditional academy was truly an antique. A school with a singular gender was rare.

However, our opponents were all muscular women; the school seemed to focus on fitness when they had nothing else to do. Truly a pitiful academy.