After the first match ended, the next few matches proceeded smoothly, though unfortunately the process wasn't as exciting, often being one-sided victories.

When Sylutia was preparing to go on stage to draw lots, Yero waved to her and then walked over.

"Tia, you don't need to go on stage, the teacher specifically told me." He was acting as the errand boy for Scholar Hyde and Viscount Xuefeng today, liaising with the students in the venue.

"This..." Sylutia looked toward the VIP seats in the distance, then stopped walking.

"I understand, but did the teacher mention the reason? Won't not participating in the matches result in point deductions?"

"The teacher said he'll convert your progress in the Dew Prayer Method into match results." Yero explained to the girl, then comforted this quiet girl.

"It's fine, everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Learning gardening techniques takes considerable time and effort, which is similar to combat."

"Mm, I understand, thank you Senior Yero." After expressing her gratitude, she returned to the rest area.

This process was noticed by many students, who were now whispering and discussing.

"Look, Yero stopped her, so she doesn't need to after all. I'd be afraid of hurting her if she went up."

"Although she's physically weak, Tia's grades in Secret History have always been at the top, probably comparable to Miss Iona."

"She might take the scholar path in the future, combat really isn't necessary for her."

"Teacher Hyde really likes her, probably giving her special consideration this time."

"Haha, if you got full marks in Secret History every time, the teacher would definitely take care of you too."

While everyone was chatting and laughing, another match ended, and a new duel was about to begin.

"Match 7, Solyn versus Karen."

"Ah, actually encountering that guy Solyn." Komea stayed in the rest area complaining quietly, feeling Karen's draw was unfair.

"It's fine, I would have encountered strong classmates sooner or later anyway." Karen didn't seem to mind much, adjusted her training leather armor, draped it over herself, then walked toward the high platform.

"Good luck!" Komea waved from behind.

Sylutia, who had just returned, also met Karen and cheered her on.

"Thank you, Tia." Then Karen picked up her spear and walked onto the platform.

The match quickly began. During the fight, Karen continuously used her spear's length advantage to maintain distance, doing her best to suppress Solyn's attacks. Unfortunately, the gap in strength between the two sides couldn't be bridged by such techniques alone.

'Power Burst!'

The Bloodline Aspect power on Solyn's body instantly boiled, suddenly enhancing his physique. The shrieking blade directly split the shaft of Karen's spear, then he rushed forward fiercely, kicking Karen flying through the air for several meters before she landed off the platform.

In fact, this was the result of him trying his best to hold back. If he had used his sword instead of his foot, Karen would likely have been cut in two right then.

"Still needs work controlling his strength..." In the VIP viewing room, Scholar Hyde shook his head.

"Haha, he's young, no need to be so strict. He hasn't entered 'first tier' yet, right? Being able to learn the 'Power Burst' ability is already quite impressive." Viscount Xuefeng summoned an attendant.

"Bring a healing potion from the storeroom for that girl who just fought, then have the doctor check on her."

"Yes, my lord."

After this battle ended, the subsequent fights became dull again, until Iona took the stage and easily defeated her opponent with splendid sword techniques, which finally drew applause and cheers from many.

In the rest area below, Sylutia and Komea stayed with Karen, asking about her condition.

"Still feeling uncomfortable, probably can't participate in the next few matches." Karen shook her head with a pale expression.

"It's all Solyn's fault, being so heavy-handed!" Komea said angrily.

However, before she could continue complaining, the referee's voice came from the training field.

"Next match, Komea versus Solyn."

"Eh, calling me? Is it calling me? I'm definitely going to teach that guy a lesson." Komea immediately became excited.

Karen shook her head and grabbed Komea's hand, telling her not to go.

"You'll just get hurt if you go."

"Is Komea really going to take the stage?" Sylutia also asked with concern. She roughly knew about Komea's hidden methods, but still thought the risk was high.

"Of course, if I swallow this, I won't be able to sleep for a month." Komea pulled her hand back from Karen and jogged toward the high platform.

"Watch my skills, Karen." As she walked, she took a small bottle of potion from her bosom, poured it into her mouth, and stepped onto the high platform.

Name: Komea Polk

Race: Human (Mortal Body)

Status: Healthy (Phantom Eye - Potion Active)

Talents:

Sweet Dreams [Exceptional Grade]: You easily enter pleasant dreams, giving you significant advantages in mental and meditation training.

Fate Card: [Daydreaming Girl] (Tier: None)

'Your mind is always filled with various fantasies, with active thinking'

Ability Cards:

[Meditation Method Lv.2] (Mist Shadow): In hazy dreams, your thoughts swirl and transform, tempering your spirit.

[Phantom Eye Lv.1] (Mist Shadow): Your pupils change like smoke, causing mental interference and influence on those who meet your gaze. (What you can currently do is still quite limited)

[Empty Slot]

Skills: [Secret History Knowledge Lv.2]

On the high platform, Solyn and Komea faced each other from a distance. At this moment, Solyn was considering how much strength to use and what method to employ to make her leave the stage without injuring her.

Having just injured Karen, Komea must hate me to death, Solyn was quite aware of this internally.

"Solyn."

Komea suddenly called his name, making him involuntarily look at her.

This one look made Solyn freeze on the spot. What kind of eyes were these? The originally normal brown-black pupils now seemed filled with white mist, swirling and flowing.

This bizarre scene brought invisible fear to Solyn, making him dare not act rashly.

Under the blazing sun, bean-sized sweat drops continuously dripped from Solyn's forehead and back. He felt his hands and feet turn cold, as if facing some evil alien entity hidden within a mortal body. This extremely unknown existence made his heartstrings tighten, and invisible terror began spreading through his body.

His body trembled, the ground seemed to shake, the fierce sunlight overhead seemed to darken, every second felt so long and unbearable.

Finally, Solyn couldn't hold on any longer, collapsing to the ground, unconscious.

"Huu..."

Seeing Solyn fall, Komea also slowly knelt and sat on the ground, clutching her nearly exploding head.

Although her mental strength surpassed Solyn's, she still hadn't reached 'first tier - Mist Shadow,' and the Phantom Eye wasn't particularly strong in fear induction and suppression. If she hadn't taken the potion for enhancement earlier, she probably couldn't have made Solyn lose consciousness at all.

"Komea wins!"

Although this match was particularly strange, the referee seemed accustomed to such things, understanding certain methods that exceeded common sense.

"Komea couldn't resist using her trump card. She probably won't have the ability to continue in the next few matches." Scholar Hyde commented.

"Did you know early on that Komea had Mist Shadow Aspect abilities, Teacher?" Yero asked curiously.

"Yes, her meditation method was actually taught by me." Hyde recalled events from two years ago.

"Her parents brought her over back then, saying this child always dreamed at night, talked in her sleep, and was restless during the day too."

"I discovered her spirit was exceptionally active, guessed she probably had some kind of talent, so I tried teaching her the meditation method, which she learned quite quickly."

"Unfortunately, she leans toward the Mist Shadow Aspect. Going to the forest to study with those witches would be the best choice for her, otherwise I would have directly taken her as my student."

"Those witches excel in the three moon-related Aspect powers. Even the Candlefort School doesn't dare look down on them lightly."

"If you go to the Hidden Grove, you can also encounter members of their school there."

"I can't go, Teacher." Yero knew his limitations quite well.

"So, you have other plans then?" Scholar Hyde turned his head to look at the student beside him.

"Yes, I've decided to continue my traveling studies until I enter 'second tier - Secret Word' Aspect, then go to Candlefort to apply for qualification to step through the gate."

"That's a very difficult path." Scholar Hyde slowly assessed.

"I hope you can truly walk it." His voice carried emotion, as if recalling certain past events.