After Lin Ran had cut down more than a dozen summoned beasts like mowing down grass, Jiang Siqi could no longer hold back.
Summoning wasn't without its costs and losses for her!
Lin Ran appeared to exert no effort at all, instead growing more vigorous with each fight, which was truly outrageous.
The tactic of throwing more resources at the problem was utterly meaningless to Lin Ran.
Thus, after summoning two more summoned beasts, Jiang Siqi executed a backflip and retreated from the center of the battle.
To be safe, she even left behind the Thorn Maiden at her original spot to buy herself time.
Leaping back, Jiang Siqi slammed her hands onto the ground and began to chant loudly in a language that no one present could understand.
However, Lin Ran had some familiarity with her peculiar language.
Dragon language magic?
Possessing the Golden Dragon Martial Soul, Lin Ran had a natural, almost intuitive understanding of the draconic tongue.
He understood what she was about to do from the very first syllable she uttered.
She was truly going to summon a dragon...
Lin Ran almost burst out laughing.
It seemed she had been thoroughly misled by that Wang Yuanqing, and truly believed that the Golden Dragon was merely a lesser dragon species.
If that was the case, then today, he would uphold the honor of the Golden Dragon bloodline!
Lin Ran swung his Dragon Spear, swiftly sweeping aside the three summoned creatures before Jiang Siqi.
Including the Thorn Maiden, they all dissolved into specks of stardust.
Jiang Siqi's face contorted in shock.
She had never imagined Lin Ran could be so swift.
Those three summoned beasts had been instantly obliterated by a single spear thrust before they could even make a move.
It was truly strange; the Dragon Spear seemed to possess an exceptionally potent effect against summoned creatures, causing most of them to shatter upon contact.
Her own summoning ritual was only halfway complete, and Lin Ran had already arrived?
How was she supposed to fight this?
The arena match format was proving quite disadvantageous for her...
Jiang Siqi's face turned ashen.
In arena matches, neither contestant was allowed to perform any actions involving energy circulation before the formal bout began.
This was a significant disadvantage for Jiang Siqi, who was accustomed to summoning her beasts beforehand.
As a result, many of Jiang Siqi's fights were incredibly arduous.
The summoned beasts she could conjure instantly were of questionable quality, while those with greater power required extensive preparation.
This meant that when facing awakened individuals with a rapid offensive rhythm, Jiang Siqi found herself in a difficult position.
Fortunately, her Fate Summoning talent was exceptionally strong, even ranking among the most formidable SSS-tier abilities.
Given a brief moment of respite, she could turn the tide of battle.
But against Lin Ran, it seemed that wouldn't be possible...
Seeing Lin Ran standing before her, his Golden Dragon Spear mere inches away, Jiang Siqi resigned herself to her fate.
Hmm? Why wasn't he attacking yet? He had even retracted his spear.
As Jiang Siqi looked up in surprise, she saw Lin Ran's face, adorned with a half-smile.
Judging by his expression, he seemed to be urging her to hurry with her summoning...
"My heavens! After finally catching up to the summoner herself, Lin Ran has put down his Golden Spear!?"
"What does this mean? Teacher Wang, can you analyze this?"
Ni Ya exclaimed, unable to believe her eyes.
Wang Yuanqing, finding himself addressed by Ni Ya, could only awkwardly respond:
"Well... could it be that Lin Ran believes he has already won and wishes to witness Jiang Siqi's ultimate move?"
"Alas, this is poor sportsmanship. He clearly had the ability to end the match long ago, yet he chooses to toy with his opponent. I do not approve of this competitive spirit!"
Wang Yuanqing, unaware of Lin Ran's true intentions, could only force himself to continue.
Realizing that Lin Ran was unlikely to lose, his expression turned grim, and he desperately sought other avenues to criticize Lin Ran.
The audience below also began to murmur, bewildered by Lin Ran's actions.
Only Lin Ran himself understood the situation.
He had thoroughly studied the energy flow and demonic power circulation of Jiang Siqi's Fate Summoning, and was merely a step away from a breakthrough.
The feasibility of using his Ope Ope no Mi ability to plunder hearts and then manipulate them to achieve corpse control was very high.
Therefore, he naturally wanted Jiang Siqi to unleash her ultimate summoning technique for him to observe clearly.
Moreover, the creature Jiang Siqi was summoning this time was a dragon. For someone possessing the Golden Dragon Martial Soul, it posed absolutely no threat, making it unnecessary for him to intervene.
Everyone watched in stunned silence for about ten more seconds until Jiang Siqi's chant finally reached its conclusion.
"Roar!"
Following this, the scene Sun Yuntian witnessed unfolded...
A thunderous dragon's roar echoed, and a massive magic circle materialized in the sky.
As the silver light gradually faded, a pure-blooded Flame Dragon emerged from within the magic circle!
"Holy cow! Jiang Siqi can actually summon a dragon!?"
Countless spectators gasped, their gazes complex as they observed the unfolding events, especially Lin Ran in the arena.
Lin Ran could have easily defeated her with a single spear thrust before Jiang Siqi's summoning chant was complete, thus securing victory.
Unfortunately, he hadn't done so.
Although it was understandable for him to play around when holding such an advantage, it seemed he had now courted disaster!
Under the dragon's imposing aura, Lin Ran estimated it would be incredibly difficult even to stand, let alone continue fighting.
Could it be that the biggest favorite to win the championship was about to fall because of this...?
Meanwhile, in the sky, Wang Yuanqing was both shocked and delighted, exclaiming loudly:
"An astonishing reversal! An astonishing reversal! It's a Flame Dragon!"
"Jiang Siqi's Fate Summoning has actually summoned a living, breathing dragon!"
"Lin Ran, who could have easily won, is now in grave danger, overwhelmed by the dragon!"
"Is this the price of overconfidence?"
"As the saying goes, Heaven always favors those who never give up, and punishes those who are arrogant..."
"Jiang Siqi's efforts have been rewarded, while Lin Ran will pay the price for his hubris!"
"Why would such a powerful Lin Ran lose his chance to advance due to a character flaw?"
"When a powerful contestant lacks the mindset of a champion..."
"This makes me even question if the educational system of Qingjing Yan Yun University has issues, producing students like this!"