Novel Lived
Chapter 67 Luminari Academy Competition (9)
"What is he doing in there?" a spiky, brown-haired young man said, his expression full of curiosity and helplessness.
This was Champs. As for the person he was talking about, it was Draco, of course.
After moving for hours, defeating and killing Volkoid, he now knew that Draco was far stronger than him, especially with his spells. If Draco had used them when they were fighting, he would have been defeated instantly.
One spell, in particular, stood out — the one that summoned a fire dragon. He now realized that he was weaker than Draco. If not for Fist's advice, he might have been eliminated from the competition.
They killed and killed until Draco suddenly stopped, saying he had an inspiration.
Champs looked helplessly at the cave behind him. He had been waiting for the past two hours.
Suddenly, the air turned hot. A familiar sensation struck Champs. "Impossible," he muttered in visible shock, unable to believe what he was seeing.
In the cave
A silver-haired young man meditated silently, sparks of flame flickering around him as he unconsciously muttered some words.
"Fire is mild when unprovoked, yet it rages with unbridled fury when unleashed. Fire burns all things, purifying and transforming them in its crucible. The fire's fury reduces all obstacles to ashes..."
Small flames emerged from Draco's body, but strangely, they didn't burn his clothes. Instead, they exuded warmth into the surroundings.
Draco opened his eyes, gazing at the small flame on his fingertips. He could feel the power raging within it.
Ding!
[You have comprehended The Flame Intent]
---
**STATUS:**
**Host Name:** Draco Xandros
**Race:** Human [25%], Dragon [25%], Phoenix [25%], Demon [25%]
**Level:** 32
**EXP:** 48, 700, 320/ 60,000,000
**Class:** Plunderer, Dragonborn, Demon Lord, Phoenixborn
**Talent:** Plunder, ????? Dragon Power, ????? Phoenix Power
**Skills:** Plunder, Dragon Power, Phoenix Power, Appraisal
**Physique:** None
Explore new worlds at empire
**Affinity (Energy/Element):** Fire, Earth, Water, Wood, Wind, Sword, Archer, Spear, Lightning, Draconic, Demonic, Phoenix, Dark...
**Intent:** Fist Intent (Lvl 1), Flame Intent (Lvl 1)
**HP:** 20,000 / 20,000 ( 10,000/10,000)
**MP:** 20,000 / 20,000 (10,000/10,000)
---
**STATUS:**
**Host Name:** Draco Xandros
**Race:** Human [25%], Dragon [25%], Phoenix [25%], Demon [25%]
**Level:** 32
**EXP:** 48, 700, 320/ 60,000,000
**Class:** Plunderer, Dragonborn, Demon Lord, Phoenixborn
**Talent:** Plunder, ????? Dragon Power, ????? Phoenix Power
**Skills:** Plunder, Dragon Power, Phoenix Power, Appraisal
**Physique:** None
**Affinity (Energy/Element):** Fire, Earth, Water, Wood, Wind, Sword, Archer, Spear, Lightning, Draconic, Demonic, Phoenix, Dark...
**Intent:** Fist Intent (Lvl 1), Flame Intent (Lvl 1)
**HP:** 20,000 / 20,000 ( 10,000/10,000)
**MP:** 20,000 / 20,000 (10,000/10,000)
**STR:** 1,240 (620)
**AGI:** 1,220 (610)
**INT:** 1,180 (590)
**DEX:** 1,200 (600)
**STA:** 1,240 (620)
**DEF:** 1,340 (670)
**Luck:** 25
**Stats Points:** 0
**SP:** 0
**PP:** 24,503,400
**Inventory:** Bronze Sword, Weapon of Plunder, Hand Gear...
---
**Luck:** 25
**Stats Points:** 0
**SP:** 0
**PP:** 24,503,400
**Inventory:** Bronze Sword, Weapon of Plunder, Hand Gear...
---
Draco was surprised by the new feature, "Intent." Also, what does the "Lvl 1" beside it mean? he thought.
"Xylara, come see this," Draco called out.
"What is it again? You still haven't bought me my candy," Xylara pouted.
Draco looked at her in shock. She hadn't forgotten about that. "I'll buy it after we finish the competition," he said helplessly.
"Okay, so what did you call me for?" she asked, not complaining. As a spokeswoman of the system, this was part of her job.
He showed her his status, pointing to the new feature. "What does that level mean? I think I need to know more about it."
"Oh, that. Before I explain, congratulations to Master for taking the first step toward godhood," Xylara said cheekily.
"As for this, don't think your intent is complete," she continued, sitting on his shoulder as Draco listened attentively. "The intent you have now is a common one. You have to polish it to develop your own unique fire intent. Because of this, the mastery of intent is divided into nine levels."
"You're currently at the first level — a beginner. To advance to the second level, you have to start thinking about the path of fire you want to follow. Is it the mild path of fire, the raging path of fire...?"
Xylara's words enlightened Draco, who now understood why the small flame felt incomplete.
"That Fist God Heir you fought has already found his path, even though it isn't fully polished yet," Xylara said, causing Draco to look at Champs in a new light.
At first glance, one might think Champs was a weak person with his ruffian-like face, not realizing the hidden strength within him.
Curiosity got the better of Draco as he pondered many things. "What realm is above the Intent Realm?" he asked.
"Domain Realm — where you transform your intent into a domain. The taller and more expansive your domain, the stronger it is," Xylara explained.
"And what's after that?" Draco asked with flickering eyes.
Xylara squinted at him. "Your strength is too weak to know that. Knowing it now would do you more harm than good."
"Also, don't feel too proud of cultivating the Flame Intent. You have the Phoenix bloodline. Your demonic and draconic bloodlines have a natural affinity with flame due to your innate flame abilities," Xylara said, pouring cold water on Draco's excitement.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Her words struck a chord. He had been planning to show off to Champs and discipline him, especially since their last fight hadn't been settled. But alas...
He sighed and headed out of the cave to meet Champs.
Elsewhere
"Why are you shouting 'Impossible'? This is why I told you to agree with him," Fist snorted.
"But how?" Champs was confused. "I was sure he hadn't learned any intent when I fought him — not until he used my own intent."
"Now he's comprehended another intent," he said, his tone tinged with disbelief.
"Ha! If you knew his identity, you wouldn't be talking like that," Fist scoffed.
"And what is it?" Champs asked curiously. "Which God Heir is he?"
"The Plunderer," Fist said solemnly.
Champs was confused by the answer until something clicked in his mind. "Does this mean he plundered my intent?" he thought, looking at Fist in shock.
"Your thoughts are correct," Fist chuckled, noticing Champs' shocked expression. The realization hit Champs like a storm. Now he understood why Fist had encouraged him to become Draco's partner.
Does this mean he can plunder all intents? Champs' mind was racing. That would make him undefeatable.
He reined in his thoughts. No matter what, he would defeat Draco and prove who was the strongest. Fist's words didn't dampen his battle spirit; instead, they made it burn even brighter.
Fist saw this and nodded in approval. This was the result he had wanted.
The hot sensation in the air subsided, and Draco's figure appeared as he stepped out of the cave, lost in thought.
"Are you done?" Champs asked, snapping Draco out of his thoughts.
Draco glanced at him, his mind still on Xylara's words.
Her statement about his bloodlines being closely linked to the Fire Origin Element lingered in his mind. If I fuse my fire intent with my bloodline flame and my flame-attribute skills, how strong would I be? he wondered.
Shaking off his thoughts, he responded, "Yes, I'm done."
Draco took out his token and saw they had less than ten minutes left until the end of the second selection. "Looks like I'll have to think about that later," he thought.
"Why don't we wait since our ranking is stable?" Draco suggested, and Champs agreed.
Draco was currently ranked first with 12 million points. Second was Champs with 7 million points. Third was Rose with 5 million points. Fourth was Ming with 4.8 million points. Fifth was Blum with 4.7 million points. Sixth was Adrianna with 4.65 million points. Seventh was Slyph with 4.52 million points. Eighth was Sharon with 4.51 million points. Ninth was Daniel with 4.45 million points. Tenth was Vincent with 3.2 million points.
This was the top ten. As for the others, Draco didn't bother checking them. It was meaningless.
Twenty minutes later
"SECOND SELECTION HAS ENDED. THE TOP 100 PARTICIPANTS ARE ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE LAST SELECTION."
A robotic voice echoed throughout the forest.
Some participants jumped for joy. Others shook their heads in dejection, muttering, "We were so close." Some remained neutral, as if they had expected it.
Each participant's token glowed, teleporting them to the Luminari Academy.
Draco noticed that they had returned to the arena, but the number of participants had dwindled significantly. He looked outside the arena, where many participants stood with dejected and helpless expressions.
It seems only 100 of us made it into the arena, he thought.
He used this opportunity to search for Lyraea and spotted her sitting on Alya's lap. He smiled. Lyraea smiled back when she saw him too.
This brief exchange didn't escape the attention of two people. One watched with a smile, while the other, consumed by jealousy, couldn't wait to eliminate Lyraea from existence.
"You 100 participants are eligible to continue in the selection. Welcome to the last stage: 'Show What You Are Made Of (3).'" The blue-haired referee announced.
The participants remained silent. Most had given up on expecting good names from the academy. It seemed they weren't great at naming competitions.
But murmurs spread as participants discussed what the last selection would entail.
"Now that you've entered the final stage, you're qualified to know my name," the referee chuckled.
"My name is Blue, and I'm the referee for this competition," he said, striking a dramatic pose.
The entire first-year student body fell silent, looking at him from head to toe.
"How can someone be named after the color of their hair?" they all thought.
They shook their heads in pity, concluding that his parents must have disliked him a lot.
"The final selection is a battle of the strong," Blue said, pressing a red button.
Two roulette wheels appeared, floating in the air. The 100 participants were confused at first.
"This roulette contains the token numbers of the 100 participants. I will spin it, and the numbers it lands on will face each other in battle," Blue explained.
"You will only battle once. But if you win, you will continue fighting until you enter the top 10 or emerge as the champion."
His explanation made the participants grasp how the competition would unfold. It was simple: win or lose. There would be no second chances.
"THE LAST SELECTION BEGINS NOW!"
The participants' hearts pounded as tension filled the arena. The strong would rise, and the weak would fall.