On this side, Wu Feng was being violently pummeled by three giant cauldrons surrounding her, leaving her barely able to defend herself. In fact, Xiao Xiao didn't need to go through all this trouble to deal with Wu Feng, but she just couldn't stand Wu Feng's arrogant demeanor. That's why she deliberately toyed with her. As for Dong Xinyi, even if she was outmatched, wasn't Huo Yuhao there to stabilize the situation? What trouble could she stir up?
"Your performance is over. Step down." With a single move, Nanmen Yun'er shattered the lightning attack with her Jade Slash, and immediately rushed toward Dong Xinyi, intending to eliminate her first.
Dong Xinyi kept using her soul skills. Seeing Nanmen Yun'er charging over, Huo Yuhao suddenly appeared in front of her like he had teleported, directly facing the incoming attack.
"Ah!" A miserable scream echoed as Nanmen Yun'er was knocked to the ground. The force of the charge caused her to roll several meters before stopping. About ten seconds later, she opened her eyes, her head still throbbing painfully.
"You lost."
Nanmen Yun'er turned toward the voice and saw Huo Yuhao standing calmly in front of her. She said nothing, only nodded numbly. She understood that during the time she was on the ground, she had been completely vulnerable, and yet Huo Yuhao hadn't taken advantage to finish her off. Only now did she truly understand the pressure that her captain Ning Tian had faced earlier.
Dong Xinyi remained silent. She realized she had underestimated Huo Yuhao. The methods he had used today had not been shown at all during their last sparring session. The boy before her now seemed full of mystery. Thinking back, the opponent who had pushed her into such a sorry state was so easily defeated by Huo Yuhao—the contrast made her feel deeply disheartened. The gap between people really could be that wide.
"You should step down too." Seeing that Huo Yuhao had taken care of Nanmen Yun'er, Xiao Xiao figured she had had enough fun. She pushed her hands forward, and the three cauldrons simultaneously charged toward Wu Feng. Previously, she had only trapped her, attacking one cauldron at a time, which already left Wu Feng barely able to cope. Now, with all-out attacks from all three, how could Wu Feng possibly withstand it?
Sure enough, in the next moment, she was sent flying backward, vomiting blood while still in the air. When she landed, she immediately lost consciousness.
"Feng'er!"Ning Tian cried out and rushed over to check Wu Feng's condition. She had initially thought it wasn't too serious, but was shocked upon inspection—Wu Feng was covered in injuries, and multiple bones were fractured.
Ning Tian looked up at Xiao Xiao, "It's just a match—was that really necessary? Do you think bullying others makes you great?"
Her eyes were red with anger, voice trembling with clenched teeth. She truly felt the helplessness of a support-type soul master. All she had managed to do during the battle was cast two amplification skills—nothing more. She had become like a decorative vase, forced to watch as her teammates were beaten down, unable to do anything.
Being scolded like that, Xiao Xiao didn't know what to say. She hadn't thought that far during the match—she just wanted to vent. Now, even she felt she had gone too far. She lowered her head, avoiding Ning Tian's gaze. She was only one year younger than Ning Tian, and Ning Tian's cultivation was way above her own. She didn't really have any grounds to act arrogant in front of her.
Zhou Yi walked up to Xiao Xiao, her face frosty, eyes cold and piercing. "I made it very clear before the match—no crippling injuries. Did my words go in one ear and out the other?"
Knowing she was in the wrong, Xiao Xiao didn't dare talk back. She kept her head down, silent, with an expression that said "do as you wish."
Huo Yuhao stepped forward to stand beside Xiao Xiao, with Dong Xinyi quickly following.
"Teacher Zhou, I won't make any excuses. But we're a team. We're willing to accept punishment together with Xiao Xiao." As he spoke, he genuinely didn't know how to defend the situation.
"Hmph. You think I need your noble loyalty? You think you can run from this?"Zhou Yi snorted. "The assessment comes first, so we won't pursue this too much for now. After it's over, we'll deal with it. This match is ruled a draw. Huo Yuhao, Dong Xinyi—one warning each. Xiao Xiao—intentional harm to a teammate, one major demerit. One more offense and you're expelled."
After a pause, she asked, "Do you all accept this?"
Huo Yuhao and Dong Xinyi both nodded, accepting the punishment. Xiao Xiao said, "Teacher Zhou, I know I was wrong. It won't happen again." She kept her head lowered as she spoke.
Zhou Yi nodded, her expression softening slightly. Their attitude of admitting fault left her somewhat satisfied. In truth, she had only wanted to scare Xiao Xiao a little. How could she really bring herself to expel such an outstanding student? Still, Xiao Xiao's actions had indeed gone too far. For someone so young to be that violent—that was unacceptable. The atmosphere had to be corrected early.
Seeing that Xiao Xiao had sincerely admitted her mistake, Zhou Yi felt somewhat reassured. Then she turned to Ning Tian and the others. "And you? Any objections?"
Ning Tian shook her head. "Teacher Zhou is fair in her judgment. We have no objections." She said it out loud and truly believed it, even feeling that Zhou Yi had been a little too harsh on Huo Yuhao's group. Zhou Yi had always been known for fiercely protecting her students, but now she saw that Zhou Yi was also incredibly strict with her own class.
The group stepped off the field, leaving it for the next set of competitors.
"Captain, Xinyi… I'm sorry. I dragged you into this."Xiao Xiao apologized with her head down.
Huo Yuhao shook his head indifferently. "It's fine. Just be careful in the future. Otherwise, not even Teacher Zhou can cover for us."Dong Xinyi also gave a small shake of her head, indicating she didn't blame Xiao Xiao.
This was just a minor episode. Losing one round wouldn't change much. The three of them had full confidence they'd make up the lost points in the upcoming matches.
And indeed, the matches continued. In the afternoon, Huo Yuhao's team went on again. Their opponents posed no real challenge. Huo Yuhao didn't even need to take action—Xiao Xiao and Dong Xinyi finished it with ease.
By evening, after dinner, Huo Yuhao returned to the academy. From a distance, he saw a slightly thin, ponytailed girl standing quietly in front of the dormitory building, seemingly waiting for someone. He paused slightly—this scene felt oddly familiar.
The girl was none other than Dong Xinyi.
"What are you doing here? Waiting for me? Don't tell me you were dazzled by your big bro's heroic display today and want to spend a romantic evening moon-gazing with me?" As he walked up, Huo Yuhao teased. He figured she had come looking for him—Dong Xinyi, like himself, wasn't very sociable in class and rarely interacted with others. As for her reason, he really couldn't guess.
Dong Xinyi looked at Huo Yuhao, stunned for a moment, then rolled her eyes hard. Of course she knew he was just messing with her.
As night slowly fell, the chirping of unknown insects came from the academy's greenery. Shrek's inner courtyard was situated on a small island in the middle of a lake. The island was called Sea God's Island, and the lake—Sea God's Lake.
At this moment, along the lake's shore, a boy and a girl in white school uniforms strolled slowly. The girl, though plain-looking and modestly dressed, had a serene, graceful aura. The boy, on the other hand, had strikingly handsome features—especially his bright, spirited eyes.
They had walked from the dorm to Sea God's Lake for over ten minutes. The scene reminded Huo Yuhao of his encounter with Ning Ruo Xue. But unlike last time, he didn't feel impatient. For this desk mate with a similar personality, he was willing to show a little more patience.
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(End of Chapter)