After speaking, the teacher told him to swipe his card. Guo Jiahao complied and swiped it. The system then prompted that his information had been entered into the ranking system and asked him to choose an opponent.
Currently, he has no ranking. There are tens of thousands of people in the ranking system, most of whom are Third Order, with only a few being Second Order. Guo Jiahao hesitated for a moment and found an opponent who was also Second Order Early Stage.
He clicked to challenge, and the information was sent. Before long, a man carrying a battle saber walked over.
As he walked, he frowned and complained, “I’m ranked over seven thousand, and someone actually challenged me? Are you serious?!”
While he was complaining, he saw the teacher standing nearby and was slightly stunned. “Teacher, why are you here?”
The teacher ignored him and asked Guo Jiahao, “Is he the person you chose to challenge?”
“Mm.” Guo Jiahao nodded slightly, his gaze serious and prepared, without even a hint of determination to win.
The teacher had initially thought Little Fatty wanted to pick an easy target, but seeing his current appearance, it seemed that wasn't the case.
After a moment of thought, years of teaching experience led him to a guess, so he tentatively asked, “Have you never fought anyone before?”
“I’ve fought, but I’ve never won.” When this question was brought up, Guo Jiahao’s already meager confidence plummeted even further.
“Ah?” The teacher was a bit dumbfounded. “Is your talent one that has no offensive power? Or are you challenging Third Order individuals?”
“It has offensive power, and I’m challenging friends who also advanced to Second Order with me, but… I just can’t win.” Guo Jiahao’s mouth showed a hint of bitterness. He didn’t mention that this was even with them holding back, nor did he bring up that there was a five-year-old kid he might not even be able to beat.
Hearing his words, the teacher opened his mouth, not knowing what to say. Finally, he patted his shoulder and looked at the challenger who had arrived. “Peng Li, you give it your all later, understand? If you lose, you’ll do extra training for me!”
Upon hearing this, Peng Li pouted, “Teacher, you might as well have ignored me.”
Looking at the teacher’s sharp gaze, Peng Li finally said, “Teacher, don’t worry, I’ll definitely give it my all!”
“Mm, go.” The teacher patted both of their shoulders, sending them to the arena.
Guo Jiahao scanned the area, realizing that no one from the guild had actually come. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, and for a moment, a sense of desolation appeared in his heart.
“Little Fatty, still looking around? Hurry up and get ready, our match is about to begin!” Peng Li urged.
“Huh? How do I get ready?” Guo Jiahao was a bit confused, subconsciously looking at the teacher below. The teacher patted his forehead and reminded him, “There’s a button behind you, just step on it.”
“Oh, oh!” Guo Jiahao suddenly understood, saw the red button behind him, and stepped on it.
Immediately, a countdown sounded in mid-air: “Three, two, one, start!”
When Peng Li saw Guo Jiahao pull out a staff from his embrace, his eyes suddenly lit up. His blood surged, his fighting spirit was awe-inspiring, and he charged towards Guo Jiahao with a bloody red saber light trailing behind him, a smile spreading across his lips. This was his most good at move, Wolf Charge!
He could charge forward at an extremely fast speed and unleash a swift and fierce saber strike. If the opponent were a warrior, this move might not have a great effect, but the opponent was actually a mage. Wasn’t this just playing into his hands?
However, when Guo Jiahao saw Peng Li's move, he suddenly froze. Perhaps because he had fought Guan Yang so much, he inexplicably felt that this guy's charge speed was so slow, as if... he could just attack directly.
He had originally planned to use Spatial Shift to avoid it but immediately switched his spell. “Flashbang, Magic Missile Volley.”
Six golden-red orbs radiating scorching heat immediately appeared and blasted towards the charging Peng Li!
Sensing the scorching energy fluctuations from the Flashbang, Peng Li’s face suddenly changed. He wanted to change his charging direction, but it was too late. The six Flashbangs had already sealed off all his attack and retreat routes, leaving him with nowhere to hide!
“Boom—!”
A scorching light erupted, engulfing Peng Li. When he reappeared, a protective shield had already enveloped him, indicating that he couldn't block that last move and had already lost.
At this moment, Peng Li had extensive burns, char marks, and blisters all over his body, but he didn't care. He just stood up with a wry smile, giving Guo Jiahao a thumbs-up. “Impressive. Looks like I really do need extra training.”
As he stood up, a green light shone within the protective shield, and a moment later, all his injuries were healed.
Watching this scene, Guo Jiahao looked at the magic staff in his hand, then at Peng Li, and said with some disbelief, “I won?”
“What else?” The teacher, who had witnessed the entire process, was a bit speechless. So, this Little Fatty’s talent was so good! He instantly defeated Peng Li with one move. One had to know that although Peng Li wasn’t a top student in his class, he was still in the upper-middle tier. Now, to be instantly defeated by one move made him feel a bit embarrassed.
“Peng Li! Get down now and go do extra training for me!”
After Peng Li got off the stage, the teacher immediately dragged him away. “You brat, you lost in one move to me, that’s too damn embarrassing! Today, you’re doing five times the amount! And your practical combat, it’s a pile of crap, go practice more!”
“Teacher, didn’t you say my practical combat was good the other day…?”
“You dare talk back! Do you want me to beat you?!”
As for the person Guo Jiahao mentioned who was Second Order Early Stage and could beat him, the teacher just took it as a joke and didn't even ask.
Guo Jiahao stood stunned on the arena for a while, watching the two figures walk away, seemingly understanding something.
Immediately after, he continued to challenge opponents.
Facing a higher-ranked Second Order Early Stage opponent, he won in one move.
Facing a higher-ranked Second Order Mid Stage opponent, he won in two moves.
Facing a higher-ranked Second Order Late Stage opponent, he won in five moves.
It wasn’t until he faced a Third Order Early Stage opponent that they exchanged about a dozen moves, and Guo Jiahao still won.
When he reached Third Order Mid Stage opponents, Guo Jiahao began to have wins and losses, losing against those with slightly better talent and winning against those with slightly worse talent.
As the sun gradually set, the arena slowly darkened, but Guo Jiahao still stood on the stage. Although his face was pale and his magic power was once again drained, he was full of excitement!
Unbeknownst to him, countless people had gathered around, all watching Guo Jiahao on the stage, their hearts filled with shock!
In one day, he had already climbed to around the two hundredth position. To challenge, he hadn’t even eaten lunch. By now, he had continuously challenged over fifty opponents, and his increasingly skilled combat techniques left the people below in awe!
And as Guo Jiahao fought more and more opponents, he also understood why Lu Chenxing wanted him to come to the arena. He wasn’t weak; his so-called weakness was only in comparison to Guan Yang and the others.
He could even defeat Third Order Mid Stage opponents across ranks! This was something he had never thought of before!
If Lu Chenxing and Guan Yang were to say things like “Actually, you’re very strong,” he would never listen, only taking it as comfort and ultimately falling into the trap of self-doubt.
Therefore, he had to figure out his own strength through a large number of battles. Now, he had fought through every stage from Second Order Early Stage to Third Order Mid Stage, and gradually, his confidence returned!
The moment he regained his confidence, his mental power suddenly surged, breaking through directly to Second Order Mid Stage!