Su Yuehe's Competition

Chen Guan watched the swaying figure in the arena. He could tell that Qin Wu’s injuries were severe, yet his aura, though disordered, had not dissipated.

It was like a towering mountain whose interior had been hollowed out—its outer shell still stood firm.

“It’s not over yet.”

Qin Wu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and slowly raised his head. “Bai Huanran, you were right. Your methods truly exceeded my expectations.”

He straightened his back, which had been hunched by the pain. The alloy floor beneath his feet began cracking inch by inch, while thick, ocher-colored force surged from within him once more.

“But you forgot one thing.”

“Even when shattered, bedrock is still stone.”

Bai Huanran’s pupils contracted to pinpoints. He watched as the force around Qin Wu’s body transformed into spiraling currents, forcibly pushing the water needles wreaking havoc inside him outward, one by one.

“Trying to force them out? Dream on!”

Bai Huanran completely lost control. He could not afford to lose—especially not now.

He raised one hand toward the sky.

“Burial Sea!”

Boom!

The clouds turned an ominous crimson. All the moisture in the air was compressed to its limit before finally transforming into a blood-red wave more than ten meters high. Carrying the force to destroy heaven and earth, it came crashing down toward Qin Wu.

Wherever the enormous wave passed, the air shrieked sharply. Even the protective barrier around the arena rippled violently.

Facing the blood tide, which was powerful enough to corrode steel, Qin Wu poured every last trace of his remaining force into both arms without reservation. The ocher glow around them grew so dense that they looked like two genuine mountain ranges.

He intended to withstand this all-or-nothing attack with his own flesh and blood.

“Senior!”

Shan Heng’s cry was completely drowned out by the roar of the crashing wave.

Boom!

The blood-red tide slammed into the figure standing firm as bedrock.

He did not collapse instantly.

The moment Qin Wu’s arms came into contact with the blood tide, the skin and flesh began to sizzle and corrode. Yet he continued to hold his ground.

The floor beneath his feet shattered completely. The tremendous impact drove his legs deep into the ground and pushed him backward, carving two bottomless trenches across the arena.

The screech of friction rang throughout the venue.

Everyone held their breath, staring at the figure struggling to withstand the blood-red tide.

He was like the last stubborn reef along a coastline. No matter how many times the furious waves washed over it, he refused to fall.

Bai Huanran’s face was as pale as paper. He stared fixedly at Qin Wu, his eyes webbed with blood vessels.

Fall!

Why won’t you fall?!

At last, Qin Wu was pushed to the edge of the arena. One more step and he would be out of bounds.

The bones in both his arms creaked under the unbearable strain, while the ocher force protecting his body flickered like a candle in the wind.

Just as everyone thought he was about to be swallowed by the tide, the unstoppable blood-red wave suddenly slowed.

It was Bai Huanran.

He had reached his limit.

Qin Wu seized the fleeting opportunity. Summoning the last shred of his strength, he suddenly thrust his crossed arms forward.

Boom!

The remaining blood tide was detonated by that force, exploding into a rain of blood.

Qin Wu’s body was also sent flying by the blast and crashed heavily outside the arena.

Leaving the arena meant defeat.

He had lost.

The entire venue fell deathly silent.

Several seconds later, the Beishi Academy rest area erupted in thunderous cheers.

“We won! We won!”

Bai Huanran stood in the center of the arena, breathing heavily. He watched Qin Wu struggle to rise outside the arena, only to collapse from exhaustion. At last, a grim smile appeared on his face.

He had won. He had preserved the last shred of dignity for Beishi Academy.

However, before the smile could settle, an irresistible weakness surged through every limb and bone in his body.

His vision went black, and sweetness rose in his throat.

The cheers throughout the venue abruptly fell silent.

Everyone—including the students of Beishi Academy—stared in horror as their victorious captain, Bai Huanran, who had seemed invincible only moments earlier, suddenly buckled at the knees and pitched forward, collapsing unconscious.

“Quick! Medical team!”

The referee’s roar mingled with the chaotic footsteps of the medical personnel rushing into the arena.

No one in Huaqing Academy’s rest area spoke.

An Changqing and Su Yuehe hurried outside and helped up Qin Wu, who was covered in blood yet still kept his eyes open.

“I… lost.”

There was not the slightest trace of disappointment on Qin Wu’s face. Instead, he wore a calm expression, as though a heavy burden had finally been lifted.

Chen Guan looked at Bai Huanran, who was being rushed onto a stretcher and had fallen into a deep coma. Then he looked at Qin Wu, who had lost the match but whose eyes were clearer than ever.

In truth, neither of them had lost.

The hurried footsteps of the medical personnel rang out in a chaotic rush. The two teams charged toward the arena and its outer edge, carrying the unconscious Bai Huanran and the blood-soaked Qin Wu away on stretchers.

The cheers from Beishi Academy’s rest area died like ducks strangled mid-quack. Everyone stared blankly as their captain was covered with an emergency life-support shroud, looking utterly battered.

On Huaqing Academy’s side, An Changqing watched Qin Wu being wheeled away and was just about to speak when Su Yuehe stopped him first.

“What he needs now is peace and quiet. We haven’t lost yet, have we?”

An Changqing was stunned. When he looked at Su Yuehe again, he saw in those clear eyes a composure and insight far beyond her years.

That was right. The match was still ongoing. If he left as well, who would guard their side?

At that moment, the enormous holographic screen in the center of the arena forcibly drew everyone’s attention back to the match.

“Next match: Huaqing Academy’s Su Yuehe versus Zero Academy’s Kyle.”

As soon as the names appeared, whispers once again spread throughout the venue.

“Su Yuehe—the Wordspell sorcerer!”

“Her opponent is Kyle, the Magebane! His sonic vibrations can forcibly interrupt any incantation. Su Yuehe is completely countered!”

In Zero Academy’s rest area, a blond young man rose to his feet and flashed his teammates a relaxed gesture, a confident smile curling across his lips.

“My luck is pretty good. I drew the easiest opponent.”

He was Kyle, a man who took pleasure in hunting down mage-type opponents.

Su Yuehe ignored the surrounding discussion and quietly walked toward the arena.

Chen Guan watched her slender yet upright figure. His mind flashed back to the sight of her in the illusion, standing with the power to make reality obey her words.

Countered?

That depended on who was doing the countering.

Even if one ability countered another, an overwhelming difference in strength could render that advantage meaningless.

Chen Guan did not believe Su Yuehe would lose. Just the move she had used during the team match was enough to secure her victory.

The move was indeed powerful, but without a follow-up judgment, it relied heavily on her teammates. Fortunately, her opponent was from Zero Academy, allowing her to take advantage of the information gap.

The two stood facing each other in the arena.

Kyle looked over the quiet, refined Su Yuehe, and his smile grew wider.

“Beautiful, I advise you to surrender now. I don’t know the meaning of mercy when it comes to women.”

Su Yuehe simply watched him in silence.

Kyle had been eliminated far too early in the previous round. Otherwise, he probably would not have dared to make such a boast.

Still, for Su Yuehe, that was a good thing.

Just as Chen Guan had said, it gave her the chance to exploit the information gap.