Within the Carris Manor, the arena matches were in full swing.
The week-long tournament had already seen many young prodigies emerge.
“Look! Young Master Akmon has already achieved eleven consecutive victories!”
“The Fire Phoenix Family’s inherited bloodline is too terrifying, isn’t it?”
“No incantation, instant-cast exclusive fire magic, its power is at least fourth-rank! Worthy of an A-rank bloodline!”
On the arena, that fiery figure punched out, and a towering pillar of flame instantly engulfed the opponent.
As the fire phoenix circling in the sky dispersed, that young figure dusted off his clothes and calmly left the arena amidst the crowd’s amazement.
And his opponent—under the powerful fire magic assault—had actually been forced to reveal its true form.
It was a three-meter-tall earth-type sub-dragon.
Its scales were scorched red by the flames, and every inch of its skin was emitting wisps of black smoke.
“Young Master Akmon is only seventeen years old! To think he could defeat an earth dragon even while being at a disadvantage?”
“Did anyone see clearly? Did he use his fist, or did he burn it?”
And such scenes were playing out one after another on the three arenas within the Carris Manor…
By the third day of the tournament, this impromptu exhibition match hosted by the Caris Family had already developed into a formal event, with more and more participants signing up and the influence of the contestants growing.
“Did you know? The Avalon National Magic Academy has announced—contestants under twenty who pass the qualifier rounds can enroll without examination, and the top five can be directly knighted in the imperial capital!”
“The imperial family has gotten involved too?”
“I knew it. How could this small place like Kares Territory host such a large event? There’s definitely the imperial family backing it.”
“Exactly, just look at the first prize—2000 gold coins plus the endorsement rights for Giant Strength Potion… How could the Caris Family come up with that?”
“There must be various forces pulling strings behind the scenes!”
Listening to the discussions around her, Cecilia felt a chill run down her spine.
After being rejected by Floxi, Cecilia did not rush back to the Church.
Instead, she observed the competition as a participant.
As the influence of the event expanded, the foresight of the tournament rules gradually revealed itself.
[During the qualifier rounds, anyone can sign up for the arena matches. Winning three matches is enough to advance.]
Even if one arrived too late, they only needed to participate in three matches.
Beyond that, additional participation only improved the qualifier ranking and had no practical meaning.
Thus, this event attracted young prodigies from half the continent to enter one after another.
Even Cecilia herself received a message from the highest sanctuary, instructing her to participate in this grand competition as the prodigy of the Holy Church.
And during the event, the propaganda never stopped.
Major newspapers ran front-page headlines.
The news spread to the heavens and the seas, attracting the Dragon Race and the Sea Race…
Moreover, the reports cleverly emphasized the strategic attribute of Kares Territory as the front line against the Demon Race.
It hinted that this grand competition had the symbolic meaning of an alliance among races to resist the Demon Race.
And all of this—the mastermind behind it was not as complicated as the outside world imagined.
Cecilia knew very well that behind this entire event was only Lu Wei.
‘Lu Kui… Caris… Why have I never heard of this person before?’
Even setting aside Lu Kui’s relationship with that newborn angel, just from the series of organizational and leadership skills she had displayed… she was by no means an ordinary person!
And also, this so-called Giant Strength Potion…
Cecilia took out three orange-yellow potions from her bosom.
These were given to her by the staff when she performed in the arena matches as a contestant.
One bottle could be collected per match, and the contestant could decide when to use it… or even not use it, like she did, saving it for when encountering a strong enemy.
But most contestants would drink the Giant Strength Potion at the very beginning.
The effect of the Giant Strength Potion was simply too overpowered.
As a third-rank elementary potion, its effects perfectly crushed the Berserker Potion, also third-rank, in every dimension!
The duration of the “Giant Strength” effect was as long as half an hour, covering almost the entire match period in the arena.
And after draining the user’s physical potential, the accompanying weakness effect only lasted twelve hours.
As for the most crucial enhancement effect, someone had already tested it—for third-rank warriors, the overall increase was a terrifying 150%.
Even for fifth-rank warriors, the Giant Strength Potion could bring a 20% increase!
For warriors at the fifth-rank level, their combat experience allowed them to use any advantage to win, so not to mention a 20% increase—even a 5% difference was enough to reverse the outcome of an entire battle!
‘Lu Wei… Where did she obtain such a potion recipe?’
The effect of the Giant Strength Potion was once considered comparable to fifth-rank potions, but after appraisal by the Alchemist Association, its mana concentration did indeed fall within the range of third-rank potions.
As for its price—fifty gold coins—it was already so cheap that adventurers went crazy over it!
For comparison, the sixth-rank mid-grade enhancement potion—Autumn Demon Power—was priced as high as 700 gold coins!
In comparison, the price of the Giant Strength Potion was less than one-tenth, yet the enhancement effect was less than half of that.
It was already foreseeable that the entire continent’s potion market would undergo earth-shaking changes due to the arrival of the Giant Strength Potion.
And now… Cecilia could already see the beginnings of this chaos.
“Dear miss, are you willing to sell these Giant Strength Potions?”
“We can give you this number…”
The visitor, wearing a black hood and an expression of mystery, gestured a “three” towards Cecilia.
Cecilia knew what he meant: one bottle of Giant Strength Potion, 300 gold coins.
That’s right, the supply of Giant Strength Potion had become so scarce that people were eyeing the contestants.
Like this, buying at high prices from contestants and then reselling to others.
Even at a price of 300 gold coins, they still made a profit.
By shipping the purchased Giant Strength Potions to distant kingdoms, scalpers could sell them for over a thousand gold coins!
There were too many people curious about this miraculous potion.
“I won’t sell them. Go find someone else.”
Cecilia ignored the scalper and put the Giant Strength Potions away.
She had two reasons for saving the potions.
First, to send them back to the Church for research.
Second…
Cecilia wanted to win the championship of this arena match.
Some of these potions were prepared to deal with possible strong opponents.
Thinking of this, the figure of that angel once again appeared in Cecilia’s mind…
Under her veil, the corners of her mouth unconsciously lifted, and a hint of obsession crept into her eyes.
Cecilia had misjudged Floxi’s identity—she was a high-rank angel of the upper three tiers.
Absolutely, there was no mistake.
When Floxi released her aura, Cecilia had already sensed it.
That supremely sacred aura even showed a faint suppression on herself!
Therefore, Cecilia would never give up…
Her original goal was to become Floxi’s contractor, to establish a connection with Floxi before the Church did.
But now, she no longer dared to hope for that.
As long as she could stay by her side, establish a thread of connection…
Cecilia had already made up her mind.
This arena match was her perfect opportunity!
To shine brilliantly in the arena, win first place, and make Floxi take notice…
She was even willing to use more obsessive methods, even if it left a bad impression in the other’s heart.
Standing on the arena, Cecilia’s attention was completely not on her opponent.
Her gaze fell on the host stand, quietly watching… the two girls leaning against each other.