Liang had watched Enrico's fight against Franchesco and therefore already knew his opponent's most dangerous ability: the magic that could blind him. Enrico had managed to defeat Franchesco using an intelligent plan, earning six points for the victory, along with the bonus for intelligence.
However, Liang was still in a difficult situation. Although he had managed to secure a victory against Franchesco, his defeat against Lira had hurt his score. It was precisely at that moment that one of Shengtian Academy's teachers approached Jun Wang, the academy's fifth-ranked student, carrying such an intimidating presence that the young man felt a shiver run down his spine.
"Enrico is strong. Furthermore, he possesses something our empress seems to desire, since she has gone so far as to order us to keep an eye on him. But that doesn't matter now. I hope you carry out your mission."
"But, Professor, don't you think this will look suspicious? We're about to poison one of our own participants during the competition."
"Don't worry. This poison gradually weakens the opponent and also nullifies their perception of their own body, causing its effects to go unnoticed by whoever consumes it."
Jun held the vial hesitantly. Even so, he eventually obeyed the teacher's order and released the poison into the air. The substance dispersed into dust-like particles that began floating toward Enrico.
The poison could be controlled remotely through a small amount of magic, allowing Jun to remain far from the target and avoid raising suspicion.
"Now's the time."
"For what?"
Jun's eyes widened when he heard that unexpected voice behind him. He quickly turned around, but had no time to react.
A hand grabbed his head and hurled it violently against the wall, causing the structure to crack from the impact.
The person who had done that was Enrico.
"How interesting. It seems Shengtian Academy is trying to cheat. Tell me, what do you think will happen if I tell everyone what I've just discovered?"
Jun was terrified. His eyes widened as he tried to understand how he had been discovered so quickly.
Enrico gave him no time to react. Using his physical strength, he grabbed him again and slammed his face against the floor, making the young man groan in pain.
Desperate, Jun tried to control the poison still floating in the air, directing the particles toward Enrico's body. However, the young man noticed the attempt and engulfed his own body in flames. The heat consumed the poison before it could reach its target.
"It seems you don't want to talk. In that case, I guess I'll have to force you."
With cold eyes, Enrico lifted Jun off the ground using only one hand and began walking out of the room.
He had already suspected that someone was following him. And although he wanted to believe that the guard who had led him to that place had good intentions, the man didn't seem to be exactly who he claimed to be. Besides taking him to an isolated room with no one else nearby, Enrico had recognized a scar on the man's arm.
He was the third-ranked student from Shengtian Academy, a guy who, in the original story, was known for resorting to dishonest methods.
Enrico took Jun to the cafeteria, where he found Liang Xuanwu. The young man was sitting at a table, watching the competition broadcasts, when he noticed the two arriving. Enrico looked at Jun as the boy explained to him what had happened.
"So your teacher was the one who organized all this."
"That's right, Lord Enrico."
Liang looked at Jun and then at Enrico, taking a few moments to understand the situation. Enrico nodded to Shengtian Academy's second-ranked student and quickly explained what had happened.
"I can't believe he did this! He's trying to stain our academy's honor!"
Liang slapped his hand against the table, unable to hide his indignation. To him, that attempt to cheat was a disgrace, especially because it involved one of Shengtian's own teachers.
Enrico had chosen that place precisely because he knew Liang often watched the broadcasts in the cafeteria. Furthermore, knowing how much respect Jun had for the young man, he believed it would be easier to get him to reveal the truth in front of him.
"I apologize, Lord Xuanwu. I also apologize to Lord Solcren."
Liang looked irritably at his fellow student while crossing his arms.
"A simple apology won't solve this problem, Jun."
Jun trembled and apologized once again. The boy seemed to be sincere.
Enrico had no intention of letting the matter end so easily. The poisoning attempt could have jeopardized his participation in the qualifiers, and if he hadn't noticed the trap, the consequences could have been far worse.
"I can accept your apology, but on one condition."
Liang and Jun looked at Enrico, both surprised.
In the original story, Jun was a relatively kind person, but he could also be easily manipulated when it came to his companions. Enrico realized that the real problem wasn't just him, but the people who influenced his decisions.
If he wanted to prevent this from happening again, he would need to eliminate at least one of those negative influences.
With a slightly amused smile, Enrico pointed toward the place where the judges had gathered.
"I want the third-ranked student from your academy, the one who led me to that room, to be disqualified. Furthermore, your teacher must receive an appropriate punishment for participating in this attempt to cheat."
"That's..."
Jun hesitated, unsure how to respond to the demand.
"I accept the condition. And you need to do this, Jun, for the sake of our academy's honor."
Liang gave him no room to continue hesitating. His expression clearly showed that he wouldn't tolerate Shengtian's reputation being destroyed because of the actions of a few individuals.
Pressured by the two of them, Jun finally agreed.
Liang stood up, ready to accompany him to the judges' room, but stopped for a moment before leaving. He turned toward Enrico and extended his hand, an apologetic expression on his face.
"I apologize for Shengtian's wrongdoing."
Enrico shook Liang's hand without any problem.
"You don't need to apologize. You weren't the one who did this, nor were the other teachers."
"Even so, this was a disgrace for us. I guarantee that your request will be fulfilled."
After saying those words, Liang took Jun with him and immediately headed to the place where the judges had gathered.
Enrico remained in the cafeteria, stretching his arms as he looked at the cloudless sky through the window.
He hadn't acted merely because that attempt to cheat was disgraceful to the competition. In fact, when he realized what was happening, he saw an opportunity to eliminate a problem that could hinder him later on: Shengtian's third-ranked student.
[Do you think that, because of this, he won't be chosen to participate in the inter-academy battle?]
'Yes. All five of Shengtian's representatives were supposed to advance in the original story, but now only four will. And I don't believe the others will choose to take that guy with them.'
The two remaining representatives were capable of analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of each decision. After witnessing a poisoning attempt organized by one of their own academy's members, they would hardly consider it wise to include him on the team.
After all, bringing someone who could resort to such dishonest methods might jeopardize the entire group.
The only alternative left to the third-ranked student would be to defeat the other students who held fifth place at their respective academies, which would be quite difficult. Furthermore, after what had happened, it was entirely possible that he would end up being expelled from Shengtian.
Enrico stood up and left the cafeteria, taking advantage of the rest of the day to return to the dormitory and prepare for the upcoming battles.
Meanwhile, Angela arrived at the place where Enrico had spoken with Liang and Jun. She had heard everything, so her expression was grim.
She placed two fingers on the table and applied slight pressure. The entire piece of furniture cracked, and the fissures spread across the floor directly beneath it, demonstrating the strength she was holding back.
"Miss Virelle won't like this. Young Master, leave this matter to us. We'll administer the necessary punishment to both of them."
It wouldn't be only Virelle who would be furious. The director himself would certainly want to resolve the situation, and Angela was particularly irritated that someone had tried to harm her young master.
'Young Master, you're far too kind for sparing that third-ranked student a worse punishment.'
The following morning, Enrico stepped into the arena with an excited expression, while Liang watched him with a respectful gaze.
The two positioned themselves opposite each other, observing one another attentively. Although this was just another fight for qualifying points, both felt that the confrontation represented something beyond a simple competition.
Liang would finally have the opportunity to discover the true extent of Enrico's abilities.
'Enrico... I'll finally discover what you're capable of. And I'll certainly fulfill the mission our empress entrusted to us.'