I, the heir of the great Eastern nation

Daniel, who vomited blood and fell unconscious, was quickly carried away.

However, the discussion among the audience grew increasingly heated.

However, the atmosphere at the highest-ranking seats was completely different from before.

Daniel's defeat in one move not only stunned Lady Helena, who had been smug just a moment ago, but also made the laughing blond Arthur exclaim in surprise, and even made Princess Veronica, who had been frowning, burst into laughter on the spot.

"Hey, what happened?"

The already beautiful princess was now beaming from ear to ear.

"Isn't that Daniel, the most outstanding magical genius of our Riley family this generation? Why did he suddenly lie down and not move in the blink of an eye? Is he sleepy and wants to go to sleep?"

Princess Veronica covered her mouth and chuckled, while casting a 'concerned' glance at Mrs. Helena beside her.

"Mrs. Helena, I think you'd better go and check on him. After all, the Riley family is known for its magical skills, which may mean they don't get enough exercise. The ground is so cold; what if your son catches a cold sleeping on it?"

Hearing the princess's sarcastic words, Lady Helena's face instantly turned extremely ugly. She turned her head and gritted her teeth as she glanced at the smiling Princess Veronica. Her chest heaved, but in the end, she said nothing, snorted coldly, and left the scene with the blond Arthur.

Seeing this, Princess Veronica felt refreshed and invigorated. She also felt more favor and curiosity towards Liu Zhao, who had defeated Daniel on the field and indirectly helped her vent her anger.

"Teacher Cecilia, this student named Liu Zhao was able to defeat Daniel in one move. His strength must be your doing, right? Tsk tsk tsk~ Your Storm Church really knows how to invest in talent."

Veronica instinctively felt that Cecilia's church was behind Liu Zhao's amazing strength.

However, Cecilia shook her head upon hearing this.

"No, you misunderstand. Liu Zhao's performance has absolutely nothing to do with the church."

Princess Veronica paused for a moment.

"How is that possible? The powerful runes he just summoned, judging from their appearance, don't belong to the style of any royal family or noble family at all. That sharp and aggressive quality, if it wasn't bestowed upon you by the Storm Church, where else could it have come from?"

Cecilia and Princess Veronica both looked at Vice Principal Hills beside them.

The white-bearded old man smiled and waved his hand.

"This has nothing to do with me, old man. Although our Mage Association has collected a lot of ancient runes related to ancient species, most of them require a specific bloodline to use. I can confirm that this student Liu Zhao does not meet any of the bloodline requirements at all."

Seeing that it wasn't an old man, the three of them instinctively looked at Lady Elira at the very end.

Princess Veronica smiled slightly.

"Could this be the work of the Lance family? Mrs. Elira, I've recently heard that your family's Leilo Trading Company has been having very close dealings with this Prince Liu Zhao."

To this, Mrs. Elira shook her head and chuckled.

"Your Highness really thinks too highly of our Lance family. We have indeed had some business dealings with this Prince Liu Zhao recently, but that's all. To say that we would provide him with three top-tier runes that are not restricted by bloodline would be giving our Lance family too much credit."

After all, if we could just casually produce something of this caliber, we wouldn't be laughed at by the major families as a nouveau riche family with no magical foundation.

Upon seeing Lady Elira's denial, Princess Veronica blinked, her face filled with intense curiosity.

"It's nobody. Could it be that the runes summoned by this Prince Liu Zhao from a distant foreign land are a resonance of his own family's inherited bloodline?"

Upon hearing this, Prince Ian, who had been sitting silently behind Princess Veronica, slowly spoke up.

"He's just a prince from a remote little country whose name I've never even heard of, yet he can summon powerful runes that surpass those of Daniel, who was born into a great magical family. This Prince Liu Zhao's background is truly mysterious."

Veronica nodded as well.

"Hehe, unlike the arrogant old fogies of the Riley family who don't know how to cherish their reputation, we can't let such an outstanding talent like him go easily. After the competition, no matter what ranking he gets, you should remember to get to know this foreign prince as much as possible."

"Yes, Mother."

The conversation between the mother and son was also witnessed by others nearby.

For a moment, the expressions on their faces varied.

Lady Elira, who had learned about Liu Zhao through Love's letters long ago, was particularly intrigued, her gaze shifting as she became even more interested.

Offstage, Liu Zhao's explosive performance at the start of the match made him the absolute focus of this chief competition.

After that, his performance in subsequent matches continued to improve. As he became more and more proficient in using Chinese characters in actual combat, even when he only used the three runes "大" (big), "人" (man), and "刀" (knife), almost none of his opponents were a match for him.

On the main arena, where there were only about forty participants, Liu Zhao achieved a strong winning streak and quickly stood on the final stage.

Her opponent, Christine, had fought her way through the competition with great difficulty.

"Liu Zhao! As promised, I've finally stood on the stage to face you!"

Christine, who watched Liu Zhao's entire match, was now under immense pressure.

"Phew~ Next, I will keep my promise and personally defeat you in the finals to reclaim the top spot that rightfully belongs to me!"

"Give it your all, Liu Zhao!"

Christine gritted her teeth and shouted out her declaration of war.

Liu Zhao nodded.

"Don't worry, I definitely will."

Liu Zhao made his move.

Five seconds later, Christine was knocked out of the ring.

Defeat!

"The champion of this year's chief arena competition is Liu Zhao!"

As the final winner was decided, Hills, the white-bearded old man who served as the vice principal, personally went down to present the award to Liu Zhao.

A magnificent red wooden wand, a golden badge symbolizing the chief's status, and an invitation to a royal banquet.

After giving out the official rewards, Hills patted Liu Zhao on the shoulder with a smile as they stepped off the stage together.

"Liu Zhao, you did an excellent job today. Ms. Cecilia even told me about your previous hard work. Hehe, what I admire most is a student like you who is both talented and hardworking."

"So, here's an extra special reward for you: you can make a request of me, feel free to make one, as long as it's within my capabilities, I can fulfill it."

Being in a good position, Hills, as the vice principal of the magic academy, was the first to extend an olive branch to Liu Zhao.

Upon hearing his overtures, Liu Zhao pondered for a moment and then chose to ask a question first.

"Principal, if I may ask, are you very wealthy?"

Hills raised an eyebrow and smiled confidently.

"What? Worried that you're asking for too much and I can't afford it? Don't worry at all, make any request you want. As long as it's not wishful thinking about becoming a king or a duke, even if you just want to touch the legendary dragon scales and horns, I can grant your wish!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhao thought for a moment and then made a request that Hills never expected.

"Hey~ could you give me a piece of land?"