The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

Chapter 1065 A Challenge Beyond One's Level? A Death Challenge! (Bonus Chapter for 6k words, please vote!)

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　At eight o'clock sharp.

　The audience, both inside and outside the venue, have returned to their seats.

　Tonight, the sky is filled with stars, their light dazzling, and the dueling arena at St. Marian Academy is as bright as day.

　The audience, who had been watching all day, showed no signs of fatigue and were discussing the outcome of the four divisions with great excitement, gradually focusing on the individual players.

　Dark Dimon (second year), Winnie Skadi (fourth year), and Pandora Drowgon (fifth year) – these highly anticipated contestants became the focus of the discussion.

　The audience is eager to know who they will challenge and how many levels above them they will challenge.

　In particular, these three contestants are all dominant figures in their grade. Therefore, their challenge against those of higher grades is even more anticipated.

　Among them, Dark Dimon, a second-year student, has the most potential. He won all three of his duels against his peers within one or two rounds, demonstrating the huge gap between him and his classmates, but also leaving his supporters very unsatisfied.

　But now, the moment has finally come to take on a challenge beyond our current level!

　"Third and fourth graders probably won't be enough."

　Most viewers subconsciously ignored the preliminary points and only focused on the outcome of this duel.

　They calculated the points difference and concluded that Darko Dimon would definitely be challenged by a higher-grade athlete.

　Many viewers have already started debating the power levels of Dark, Winnie, Pandora, and Noah Sharp.

　Amid this unprecedentedly enthusiastic atmosphere, contestants from the four departments took to the stage one after another.

　The stage was moved to one side of the dueling arena, and four rows of seats were set up on it.

　The contestants took their seats according to their respective colleges, and the host, Judy, appeared on stage amidst twinkling starlight.

　"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the St. Marian Duel Arena." Judy had changed into a sparkling black dress and wore a magician's hat, which added to her mystery and elegance.

　Her voice was pleasant, and her few words were captivating.

　The audience paused their debate and turned their attention to the host. Judy, beaming, announced, "Next up is the highly anticipated cross-grade challenge. Each challenge will be initiated by the contestants themselves. The rules remain the same: 10,000 points will be awarded for each grade surpassed. There will be only five minutes between each duel. If no one challenges a higher grader after five minutes, tonight's cross-grade challenge will end."

　Before she finished speaking, she waved her hand, and the microphone in her hand suddenly turned into a colorful scroll tube. A ball of light shot out from the scroll tube and shot straight into the sky, blooming into a dazzling firework.

　As the audience's attention was drawn to the night sky, she waved her hand, and a scoreboard was projected into the air.

　Every change in points will be clearly marked on the panel. Above the points panel, there is a five-minute countdown. "I'm sure you're all as eager as Judy to see the incredibly exciting cross-level challenge, so without further ado, let's get straight to the point. The St. Marian Academy Cup Cross-Level Challenge now begins! Countdown!"

　The five-minute countdown started jumping immediately.

　Almost simultaneously, the various figures of Ji also erupted in a thunderous roar.

　The contestants from the four colleges on the stage reacted in different ways.

　The five contestants from the Noble Academy appeared very composed. Although some viewers thought they were at a disadvantage, they were actually the ones with the advantage.

　The five contestants from the Knights Academy all looked solemn. Risk and reward coexisted, and courage was the sword in their hands.

　The five contestants from the Magic Academy immediately began to plot loudly, while a barrier they created with a wave of their hands blocked out their voices.

　The five contestants from the Fool's House looked at each other, their gazes quickly settling on Klein Moretti, a second-year student.

　Klein Moretti was under the gaze of four upperclassmen, among whom Gina Grant's gaze bothered him the most.

　He was extremely unwilling, but he still stood up with a stiff upper lip. His act of standing up immediately made him the center of attention.

　Host Judy's eyes flashed, and she immediately walked towards Klein Moretti with a beaming smile, announcing loudly, "To our utter surprise, the first to draw their sword is our Fool's House contestant! Fool's House achieved an impressive 70,000 points in the same-year competition during the day, with several contestants delivering outstanding performances. Although Klein Moretti is only a second-year student, he displayed numerous brilliant moves in the duel, making him a duelist not to be underestimated. Tonight, he will be the first to take the stage in the cross-class challenge! Let's give him our encouragement!"

　There was thunderous applause.

　Despite Klein Moretti's record of zero wins in three matches against his peers during the day, those who watched the duel knew he possessed genuine skill.

　Now that he's the first to step forward and challenge the upperclassmen, we should naturally support him.

　But Klein Moretti himself blushed with embarrassment amidst the shouts.

　Amidst the cheers, he even heard things like "breakthrough from zero" and "we must win a game"... those words truly touched his heart.

　But encouraged by the contestants of the Fool's House... well, under the coercive orders of Professor Holdel Bode, the current head of the Fool's House, he was still forced to become the one to stick his neck out.

　He has to get a point!

　Sean Craigie, a third-year student at the Magic Academy, was his last chance.

　"Klein Moretti, please state the name of the opponent you wish to challenge."

　Judy handed the microphone to Klein Moretti and said, "Well... how about Sean Craigie?" Klein Moretti replied in a somewhat hesitant tone, "It'll be... senior Sean Craigie."

　Judy immediately announced loudly, "The first duel tonight will be between Klein Moretti, a second-year student at the Fool's House, and Sean Craigie, a third-year student at the Magic Academy!"

　The entire venue erupted in cheers.

　Sean Craigie, a third-year student at the Magic Academy, has unknowingly become a highly sought-after prize.

　But having lost all three matches, he had no right to comment. Though his face was flushed, he gritted his teeth and stood up: "If I can't beat a third-grader, I can't beat a second-grader like you."

　But when he stepped out of the line, the Knights Academy contestants' expressions changed slightly.

　Witt God couldn't help but look at the senior students of the Knights Academy.

　It’s a mess, a mess.

　The plan is ruined!

　The easiest target, the softest persimmon, was snatched away right before my eyes!

　Witt Gold couldn't help but regret why he had overthought things and missed a golden opportunity.

　However, during their discussion, the Knights of the House subconsciously overlooked the Fools' House, which was destined to be eliminated.

　Unexpectedly, the Fools' House intervened!

　"What do we do now?" Witt Gold couldn't help but ask.

　“Don’t rush.” Noah Sharp, sitting in the middle, crossed his arms and said calmly, “There’s more than one Sean in the third year. You can make your move last. Depending on the situation, you can even challenge the fourth year.”

　Four grades

　Witt Gold is under even more pressure.

　Klein Moretti and Shawn Craigie took to the podium amidst great anticipation.

　Klein Moretti is a starter and is positioned on the red corner. Shawn Craigie is positioned on the blue corner.

　Although they were in their second and third years, they were both players with a record of three losses in three matches.

　Although Sean Craigie was furious at being treated like an easy target, this was also a chance for him to "break through" his initial barrier.

　After all, compared to the other three second-year students, Klein Moretti is the weakest!

　But he didn't realize that if he were defeated by Klein Moretti, he would immediately become the weakest of the twenty duelists in the entire tournament!

　"Wow—"

　"Prepare for a duel!"

　The referee blows the whistle, and the commentators take their positions.

　Sean Craig said coldly, "This head is mine!" The duel began immediately!

　Although Shawn Craigie was at the bottom of the third-year contestants, that was because the other three were all exceptionally good.

　He genuinely didn't believe he could possibly lose to Klein Moretti. And coincidentally, Klein Moretti also didn't believe he could win; he was simply forced into the role.

　But in order to avoid being crushed by Professor Hoddle Bode's "endless mountain of homework," he had no choice but to grit his teeth and give it his all.

　The duel between the two was unexpectedly exciting. Dark sat in the contestant's seat, watching intently.

　Klein Moretti was indeed outstanding, managing to hold his own against third-year student Sean Craigie.

　Once the two players are evenly matched, the intensity of the duel will suddenly increase.

　Although some people belittle it as "chicken fight," the excitement is not diminished in the slightest.

　This duel served as more than enough of a warm-up for the evening's event. As for the final result...

　In the end, Sean Craigie, a year ahead of him, had the last laugh! Sean Craigie, a third-year student at the Magic Academy, achieved a breakthrough with one win in four matches!

　This exciting moment will forever be etched in Sean Craigie's heart.

　But when the host, Judy, appeared on his contestant's stage and excitedly announced his breakthrough, he suddenly felt an extremely strong sense of shame erupt from within him. All he wanted to do was end this hard-won winner's interview as soon as possible and bury himself in the ground.

　Meanwhile, on the other side of the stage, Klein Moretti was enduring the same ordeal.

　"Four losses in four games! If I had to give myself a positive review, I'd say it's only for my courage."

　Klein Moretti walked off the platform dejectedly, not daring to look at the ring track at all.

　He could already feel Professor Hoddle Bode's sharp, razor-sharp gaze.

　But following procedure, he returned to his seat on the stage.

　The contestants from the Fool's House didn't say much; in fact, apart from Gina Grant, no one cared about him.

　after awhile

　After Sean Craigie finally made it through the "winner's interview" and Joe William finished his "post-match analysis," the countdown on the host's desk started ticking again.

　Klein Moretti's intrusion disrupted the Knights' Academy's plans. However, bypassing Vittor Gold and using third-year student Ada Sawyer to block the fourth-year students was also part of their plan.

　This time, the Knights Council decisively executed the plan, sending Ada Sawyer to make the first move.

　Third-year student Ada Sawyer achieved a record of two wins and one loss in the same-year competition, only losing to Elsie Kevin from the House of Nobles.

　In his final duel against the House of Fools, he even overpowered Benjamin Leopold, which gave him immense confidence.

　Although the senior students didn't have high expectations for him in this duel, he was determined to win.

　And the challenger he chose was not Polly Bruno, whom he had initially selected, but Snake Harriman, a fourth-year student from the Noble Academy!

　This was a choice he made himself.

　He believed he had the upper hand in a duel with Snake Harriman.

　Shrek Holmes and Noah Sharp both wanted him to challenge Polly Bruno—they were treating him like expendable material. He certainly wasn't going to comply with that arrangement.

　Snake Harriman, a fourth-year student from the Noble Academy, is widely considered the weakest among his seniors and was originally intended as a backup plan for Witt Gold. But since he's universally acknowledged as the weakest, wouldn't Sara from the Magic Academy try to take him?

　Don't forget, the Magic Academy is also a direct competitor of the Knights Academy! Therefore, Ada Sawyer ultimately followed her own judgment. Snake Harriman, on the other hand, showed little surprise when his name was called.

　He was well aware of his poor performance and that it was normal for him to be taken advantage of.

　But the one who challenged him was none other than Ada Sawyer, a third-year student from the Knights Academy.

　How ridiculous! How utterly ridiculous!

　If the old snake doesn't show its power, people will really think it's an earthworm!

　Snake Harriman sensed a "breakthrough" power!

　The last match was Sean Craigie's first win in a series, and this time it's finally Snake Harriman's turn!

　Harriman was inwardly laughing hysterically, but on the surface he quickly put on a cold and ruthless demeanor.

　“Let’s go together.”

　The contestants from the Noble Academy all turned to look at him, except for Edwin Clarissa, who gave him a word of advice.

　Snake Harriman raised his hand to indicate that everything was fine, and then walked towards the front of the stage. Although one was a third-year student and the other a fourth-year student, and they were from different houses, they were actually quite familiar with each other because of the "Hidden Serpent."

　But as for whether I'm familiar with it or not, I'd say I'm not that familiar with it.

　This duel marked their first official encounter. While Snake Harriman was inwardly laughing wildly, he remained cautious, as was his nature.

　The two contestants then took to the contestant platform, exchanged a few words, and began their duel.

　The gap between the top third-year students and the top fourth-year students is thus cruelly laid bare.

　Everyone's talent is top-notch, their effort is also considerable, and they all possess the infinite treasure trove of the dungeon. Not to mention the quantity of resources, even in terms of quality alone, the things outside are far inferior to the precious materials in the dungeon that gather all the magic power of the monsters.

　Under the same conditions, an extra year of study, research, and accumulation is enough to widen the gap to an unimaginable degree.

　Moreover, this gap will only widen with age. Those who can still overcome challenges at higher levels under such circumstances are truly exceptional individuals comparable to the "Golden Generation."

　Ada Sawyer was among the top students in her third year. But let alone multiple grades, the difference of just one grade was enough to crush him!

　During the day, the competition is mostly between students of the same grade, so the difference in skill level isn't immediately apparent.