After everyone entered the Colosseum, the gates closed, sealing the arena for the day. The apprentices, all scattered around the arena, formed groups or stood alone, each buzzing with anticipation. Aiden, Chloe, and Loyd stood together, their eyes scanning the vast space.

    Suddenly, a young man appeared, hovering mid-air. His sudden presence caused a wave of murmurs to ripple through the crowd.

    "He is flying!" one of the apprentices exclaimed in awe.

    "So young, yet already a Spirit Lord!" another remarked, sparking a commotion among the gathered youths. The young man released a bit of his pressure, silencing the arena instantly.

    "I will now announce the rules of this test," the young man began, his gaze sweeping over the assembly.

    "First, the test will be conducted for seven days.

    "Second, each day there will be only ten final selections.

    "Third, previous day defeated participants can participate in the next day''s selection. Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire

    "And lastly, it''s simple: one-on-one matches. No Spirit grade appraisal, no Talent checking, only your current progress will be considered for the first six days. On the seventh day, we will choose the most talented ones."

    The apprentices listened intently, understanding the gravity of the challenge ahead. The young man''s words emphasized that this was not just a test of innate talent but also of current strength and combat prowess.

    As the young man finished speaking, the tension in the arena grew palpable. Each apprentice knew that they would have to prove themselves through sheer effort and skill, no matter their background or spirit grade.

    Aiden and Chloe nodded calmly. Being part of the Royal family, they had been taught numerous skills beyond their Spirit abilities. They knew they just had to beat their way through the competition to secure their spots in the Five Kingdoms Academy.@@@@

    Suddenly, a voice interrupted the silence. "This is wrong!" someone shouted. All eyes turned to the source of the outburst, a wealthy-looking youth dressed in extravagant clothes, standing with a haughty expression and arms crossed, mocking the examiner.

    The crowd began to murmur among themselves.

    "That''s the fourth prince of Korav Kingdom," someone whispered.

    "Yes, he''s known to have awakened a Grade 9 spirit," another added.

    "Not only that, his family''s spirit lineage is from the Lion family. It''s said he has a lion-type spirit," a third person noted, earning nods of agreement from those around.

    "Korav Kingdom seems to be in the lead this time," someone concluded.

    " he is even more pitiful.than, Ramis, atleast he had a chance to get himself out of the contract, no matter how hopeless was that " Myne shook her head and said.

    '' Ramis was a good guy, or good protagonist, unlike him whose head is filled with girls and who only thought with his lower head'' Aiden replied and then waited for the contract to finish binding them.

    Soon, Aiden and Loyd felt the contract binding them. The magical chain symbolized their agreement, a pact that would be enforced by the very laws of their world. The crowd around them, unaware of the bet''s specifics, continued to watch the unfolding events with a mixture of curiosity and anticipation.

    ****

    After some time, the tournament began with each participant receiving a badge with a number, and they were matched with the next number bearer.

    Once the matching was completed, the Examiner waved his hand, and behind him, a spirit materialized. It was an armored knight with a big black greatsword in his hand. His spirit looked like an ancient king clad in armor, ready to slay his enemies. As he appeared, a wave of pressure assaulted everyone, forcing most of the participants to kneel.

    The Examiner waved his hand again, and over 80% of the kneeling participants were teleported out of the arena. He then looked at the remaining participants and said, "Today, only this group will fight."

    His cold voice sent chills down the spines of those teleported outside, while the standing participants gazed at the eliminated ones with mockery and contempt.

    Durren smirked, seeing that he was still standing without breaking a sweat. He looked around and found most participants sweating as they stood firm. His gaze then fell on Chloe, who stood proudly with her arms crossed. He raised his brows slightly and thought, "Good, you are worthy to be my wife."

    But then his smile froze, and an unknown anger erupted within him as he saw another boy putting his hands around her. Not only that, the boy even turned to look at him with contempt.

    "Pitiful bastard, just pray you don''t face me," Durren mouthed silently to Aiden.

    Aiden, reading his lips, replied, "Why? Are you that afraid to get beaten by me?"

    Durren''s mind froze as he recalled the information given to him by his family elders. "If I remember correctly, he is Aiden, the guy they found in the jungle who awakened a sword-type Grade 8 spirit."

    "He is just a holder of a Grade 8 spirit, yet he acts so high and mighty. I will surely kill him in the arena later. After all, there is no rule against killing your opponent," Durren thought, moving his gaze away from them.

    Including Aiden, Loyd, Chloe, and Durren, there were 38 more participants who remained standing. Some were panting heavily, while others seemed barely affected. A few were on their last legs, but the fact remained that the competition had been drastically reduced to a mere 42 people. Earlier, there had been more than 200, but now it was only 42.

    The matches began promptly. Aiden easily won his match against a fully battered opponent. Chloe knocked her opponent out with a swift and decisive blow. Loyd, on the other hand, nearly killed his opponent, if not for the referee''s timely interference. Durren showed no such restraint, killing his opponent in a single, brutal strike before the referee could step in to save him.

    The Examiner watched all of this with a keen eye, noting the different styles and approaches of each participant. Aiden''s efficiency, Chloe''s precision, Loyd''s brutality, and Durren''s ruthlessness all painted a vivid picture of their capabilities.

    As the matches continued, the arena echoed with the sounds of clashing spirits and the cries of defeated participants. Each battle whittled down the numbers further, increasing the tension and the stakes.