Sisi defeated Francis, only to be taken down by Kaili and Fire Class 1's last fighter.
The tension in the air was suffocating.
Fire Class 1 had one member left—weaker than Kaili or Francis—but so did the Lightning Class: a mere magic apprentice.
The fate of the team championship now rested on their duel.
Noticing Thunder's distracted state, Sisi whispered, "What's wrong?"
"Huh? Nothing!" Thunder had been feeling a strange pulsing in his dantian. A quick internal scan suggested his mana had just breached a new threshold.
*Had he reached Archmage-level reserves already?*
Two months in this world. Even with the Spirit-Calming Pearl's help, this progress was absurd. Could cultivating mana also lead to *qi deviation*? The thought unnerved him.
What he didn't know: When the pearl crossed dimensions with him, it had absorbed the concentrated spiritual energy of Dragon-Tiger Mountain's hundred-mile radius. Most had reforged Colin's body, but the remainder lay dormant within the pearl.
Two months of nonstop training had transformed Thunder's physique. The pearl's stored energy had seeped into him—hence the explosive breakthrough.
"Your match! Get up there!" Sisi shoved him.
"Oh." Thunder walked onto the stage, still deep in thought.
"Did Thunder not sleep? He looks out of it," Eric muttered.
"Who knows? If he loses, I'm stripping him naked and hanging him at the cafeteria entrance!"
Opponents noticed Thunder's distraction too. Even after the referee cast protective shields, he stood frowning.
"Beast… here I come." The fire mage launched a fireball—
And Thunder *took the hit head-on without moving.*
Silence.
From day one, Thunder's evasion had been legendary. Aside from that *Frost Nova* incident, no one had ever landed a clean hit.
The fire mage gaped, then grinned. *One down, two to go.* Victory was within reach!
"Dude, that's *cheap*," Thunder finally looked up, the impact snapping him from his trance. Something clicked.
"I warned you! You just stood there!" Another fireball flew.
Thunder smirked, weaving through with Celestial Fox Steps until he was *inches* from his foe.
Every mage Thunder closed in on met the same fate: fists shattering their shields. The fire mage backpedaled desperately—
But the steps were unshakable. No matter how he dodged, Thunder stuck to him like a shadow.
"What are you *doing*?!" The mage stopped, preparing another fireball while staring nervously.
Close combat was double-edged: it flustered mages but left attackers vulnerable.
"Hold still." Thunder pressed a palm against the glowing shield, chasing that fleeting epiphany.
The fire mage smirked. Victory was *right there*. His next fireball hit dead-center—Thunder's shield flickered dangerously. One more shot would finish it.
"*Idiot!*" Sisi wanted to scream. Why wasn't he dodging?
*He can't cast spells.* That had been proven a month ago.
Then—
*"Wild thunder spirits of the void, heed my call.*
*Become the fangs in my grasp,*
*And annihilate all before me!"*
At first, no one understood. Then it clicked: *This was the Palm Thunder incantation.*
Why was the "spell-less apprentice" chanting *now*?
Thunder's grin widened. Perfect. The pearl still blocked direct casting, but the *connection* remained.
Crackling electricity visibly gathered between him and his foe. The air reeked of ozone.
Then—
***BOOM.***
A *Palm Thunder*—normally a joke spell, barely strong enough to kill chickens—erupted from Thunder's palm, *engulfing* his opponent.
The shield shattered instantly. Residual arcs sent the fire mage spasming, smoke rising from his hair.
He gasped like a drowning man, knees buckling before he vomited violently.
The arena was dead silent.
Headmaster Laurent's eyes narrowed. That wasn't *Palm Thunder*—it was something *no* advanced lightning mage could replicate.
**What terrifying power has Thunder awakened—and at what cost?**