CHAPTER 58: HENRY VS DEREK

"Why do I want to avoid drawing too much attention?" Derek repeated the question calmly. "Nothing serious. I just want to focus on training and improving myself. But attracting too much attention will only create obstacles in my path. Many people will start challenging me just to satisfy their egos, and not all of them will be as reasonable as you," Derek explained to Henry. "Besides, I’m just a cultivator. Except for a few, most people here aren’t exactly thrilled about my presence."

"That’s true," Henry admitted with a nod. "But don’t you know? Everything has two sides — good and bad. Sure, you’ll face challenges and maybe even threats, but at the same time, some people will be impressed by your performance. They’ll want to invest in you, help you grow even stronger. After all, not everyone is blinded by their superiority."

"Now that you put it that way, it really makes sense," Derek said with a faint smile. ’After all, if I had held back or avoided the training room today, I wouldn’t have broken those three records... and I definitely wouldn’t have gotten the chance to train in the instructors’ chamber. If the worst comes to happen, I’ll just leave this place. And for the moment, I’ll just stop wielding the sword — just as the House Master advised,’ he thought.

"Alright then," Derek said aloud. "Let’s go wherever you want to have the duel."

In his previous life, Derek never had to think this much. Since he hadn’t studied in any academy and hadn’t been extraordinarily strong in his early stages, such thoughts never crossed his mind. But now, he was forced to consider both the pros and cons. Sometimes, it was really difficult to decide just how much one should let loose to advance smoothly.

"Great. Follow me," Henry said with a grin before turning around and leading the way. Derek and Art followed close behind him.

Henry guided them out of the Raging Bulls building and headed toward the main academy structure. Once inside, after passing through a long corridor, they stopped before a massive door. Henry pushed it open and stepped inside, with Derek following right behind him.

Once inside, Derek’s eyes widened slightly. Below them stretched a vast fighting arena, and they stood on a balcony that encircled the entire space — clearly designed so that the audience could watch every moment of the battles taking place below.

The balcony itself was arranged neatly with rows of seats, and many students were already there, clearly waiting for their arrival.

’Feels like Henry dragged the entire batch of students here,’ Derek thought.

Derek found hundreds of students waiting on the balcony.

He turned to Henry with a raised brow. "You did some sort of advertising or what? How come so many students are here?"

Henry couldn’t help but chuckle. "I didn’t. I just told a few friends, and they told a few more. That’s all. Even I didn’t expect it to attract this much attention. But considering your performance during the test and me being from one of the legacy families, it’s not all that surprising." He then pointed in one direction. "And look."

Derek followed his gaze.

"Cecilia’s here, just as I expected. Let’s get this over with already, shall we?"

"Alright," Derek replied with a sigh. ’I’m not agreeing to any more duels after this. I swear.’

Henry started down the stairs toward the arena floor, and Derek followed.

Cheers erupted from the balcony above.

"Huh, so it’s really true. He’s actually going to fight Henry," Selina said. She and her brother were also present.

"Who do you think will win?" her brother asked.

"Is there even a doubt, Skylar? Of course, it’s Henry. He’s by far the strongest among all the first-year students. Even none of his peers from the legacy families can defeat him — except Cecilia, of course," Selina said.

"Yeah. Even though they’ve never dueled, everyone already considers them rivals. That cultivator brat might’ve barely held his ground against Cecilia, but I doubt the same will happen with Henry. He’s already reached F-Class level and is an accomplished mage for his age," Skylar said.

Selina didn’t respond. Her eyes stayed fixed on the arena below.

Derek and Henry had already reached the center. They stood facing each other, about fifteen meters apart.

Henry looked eager and excited, cracking his knuckles in anticipation of what was about to come.

Derek stood tall and composed, though a hint of exhaustion still lingered on his face.

"I’m ready whenever you are," Henry said.

"Why don’t you go ahead and attack first? I’m not familiar with either your affinity or your fighting style," Derek said calmly.

"I wanted to give you an advantage," Henry replied with a faint grin. "But if that’s what you want, then sure."

With that, Henry raised his right hand. In an instant, several fiery arrows materialized in the air before him. The flames danced fiercely, making the air itself seem to shimmer from the heat.

Then, with a flick of his wrist, Henry sent them flying.

Flashes of fire streaked across the arena as the arrows shot toward Derek at blinding speed.

Derek lightly kicked off the ground, flipping through the air as the arrows zipped past him. His landing was smooth and controlled, and the moment his feet touched the ground, he lunged forward toward Henry.

Henry didn’t stay still. As a mage and a long-range attacker, he needed distance to fight effectively, so he leaped backward again and again, launching more fiery arrows in quick succession.

His attacks were powerful and precise — if Derek hadn’t been fast enough, he would’ve been hit multiple times already.

But Derek fought against the odds. He weaved between the incoming fire, each movement sharp and deliberate, gradually closing the distance between them. While Henry focused on maintaining space to cast his long-range spells, Derek pressed forward relentlessly — his strength lay in close combat, and he intended to use that advantage fully.

The intense exchange lit up the arena. Each time Henry’s arrows struck the stone floor, sparks exploded in all directions. Every shot looked like it would hit Derek, yet he dodged them all — some effortlessly, others by a hair’s breadth.