The atmosphere in Haizhou Academy's gym today was noticeably different.
Normally a place of sweat and repetitive drills, today it buzzed with anticipation. Students from the sports department, whether practicing jump shots or stretching on the sidelines, had all paused to watch the 14-meter-long fencing strip.
That sense of curiosity was even stronger among the members of the fencing team.
A new female student had joined—and she'd publicly challenged the team captain to a duel.
Though the captain wasn't exactly a prodigy, he still represented the highest level of fencing at the school. He trained hard, took the sport seriously, and most importantly...
He was a guy.
The significant gap in physical strength between men and women meant that most athletic events were split by gender.
So what was this new girl thinking, challenging the male captain?
Wasn't that just plain arrogant?
...
Right now, Lu Chen was finishing the final prep before the match, completely unfazed by the stares coming from all directions.
"Three rounds total, each three minutes long..."
As he spoke, he adjusted Raiden Ei's fencing gear.
"You score by hitting the torso—each clean hit is one point. First to fifteen wins..."
If time ran out after nine minutes without a player reaching fifteen, the higher score wins.
Of course, none of that really mattered to Raiden Ei. Lu Chen was sure she'd wrap things up long before then.
After tidying up her fencing jacket, he handed her a slender foil. "You're only allowed to thrust and slash. Whatever you do, don't go pulling any weird moves..."
"Hey! Enough!"
The fencing coach couldn't take it anymore.
A well-built middle-aged man, he barked in frustration, "You're learning the rules right before the match? Are you kidding me? Think this is some kind of joke?!"
He was currently helping the school team captain—Raiden Ei's opponent—gear up.
The captain didn't look any more amused.
"No, no," Lu Chen said with a grin. "I just tend to ramble. How could a fencer not know the rules..."
Truth was, they'd both pulled an all-nighter just to figure them out.
They spent the whole night watching match footage. Ei had been baffled by the seemingly soft and dull blades poking at each other with such limited techniques...
In her words—it didn't look like either side was fighting with any real conviction.
Only after Lu Chen explained that fencing was a sport focused on safety and technical exchange did she start to understand.
She tested the weight of the sword in her hand. It was her first time handling such a strange weapon, so she casually tried a few motions. The blade wobbled awkwardly.
Her unrefined movements only made the coach and captain more irate.
To them, Lu Chen and Ei were just rich kids here to mock the sport.
A school board member had personally called this a "trial session." But in their eyes, it was just a spoiled rich girl getting a turn on the stage.
Lu Chen had no idea Ei was already being labeled as "connected" and a "pampered heiress." He was busy adjusting her mask.
"Don't go overboard. Let them save a little face."
"Mm."
He couldn't see her face under the mask, but he figured she looked serious.
To Raiden Ei, the identity of her opponent didn't matter. She always gave it her all. That was the code she lived by as a warrior.
"Alright, go."
"Mm."
Lu Chen watched with satisfaction as she stepped onto the strip. In a white, form-fitting fencing suit, her graceful curves were outlined perfectly. The high collar concealed her pale neck and gave her a sharp, dignified air.
Even with her face hidden, she was breathtaking.
She really was his Ei.
On the 14-meter-long fencing strip, the two opponents took their positions. Lu Chen saw Raiden Ei assume her stance.
One-handed grip, blade angled downward, eyes forward, back straight.
She looked like a lone samurai facing a thousand troops under a burning sunset.
It was a feeling Lu Chen knew well—he'd seen this exact aura from her many times before.
The coach beside him scoffed, "That stance is all wrong. This is a joke."
Opposite her, the school captain's form was textbook. One-handed grip, knees bent, body leaning forward into a probing stance.
It was the standard opening in fencing.
His blade almost touched her chest—at its closest, no more than ten centimeters away.
Zhang Zikai, watching from the sidelines, broke into a nervous sweat. He glanced at his father, who wore a perfectly unreadable expression as he watched the match.
Please win... I talked you up so much... don't let me down now...
Suddenly, a wave of exclamations swept through the gym.
Zhang Zikai snapped his head toward the strip. The scoreboard had flipped to 1:0.
Huh? What did I miss?! How did that happen?!
He looked at his father again—his face had shifted from blank to stunned.
"So fast!"
"So fast!"
That was what everyone was thinking.
Right after the captain's second feint, Raiden Ei sidestepped and countered. Most people didn't even catch the move. The scoreboard just... beeped.
The captain froze.
Under his mask was a look of total disbelief.
That single point shattered any thoughts of underestimating her. He instinctively began shifting his weight back and forth.
His footwork grew lighter and faster—while Raiden Ei remained rooted like a mountain.
He was searching for an opening.
If she were a normal opponent, she'd be full of them.
Time flew by. The captain decided to turn his next probe into a real attack.
He drove off his back foot, lunging forward with speed and precision, his sword thrusting straight toward her.
Perfect form—clean movement. The coach was nodding with approval.
But in the very next moment, his expression soured.
It happened again—an identical counter. Fast, clean, unreadable. The scoreboard lit up.
2:0.
"Nice! That was awesome, Ei!"
Zhang Zikai shouted from the stands.
Lu Chen turned and glanced at him. The guy was cheering his heart out.
Weird... did he get Stockholm syndrome?
Or was he secretly into pain?
Lu Chen turned his eyes back to the match.
In what felt like no time at all, the score was 4:0.
The captain couldn't do a thing against Raiden Ei. Every time he launched an attack, she countered. Her style was completely built on precision defense.
And her strikes? Fast. Dead accurate. Always landing right on the chest.
If this were real combat, that guy would've died a dozen times by now.
Lu Chen couldn't take his eyes off her. Having her choose fencing had clearly been the right call.
This sport—elegant, fast, beautiful.
It fit Ei perfectly.
At 5:0, the captain finally stopped trying to attack.
That girl in front of him... might be the most terrifying opponent he'd ever faced.
She hadn't even gone on the offensive yet. Everything so far had been pure defense.
It was humiliating.
For the sake of his pride—and to avoid a total wipeout—he started dragging out the clock.
No more probing.
Those three minutes felt like hours.
The first round ended: 5:0.
He thought his plan had worked. He'd stalled one round. Maybe in the next, he'd find an opening...
At least he wouldn't go down in flames.
Reality proved otherwise.
Raiden Ei saw Lu Chen's focused gaze. In his eyes, she read: "Finish it."
Lu Chen figured he'd already spared the fencing team's dignity—he'd let it go into a second round.
Now, it was time to end it.
The second round began, and Raiden Ei moved first.
The foil in her hand traced a perfect silver arc.
First strike—between the eyebrows.
Second strike—between the eyebrows.
Third strike—same.
Fourth...
...
By the time everyone in the gym blinked, the scoreboard had frozen at 15:0.
Silence.
The captain collapsed to the floor, completely defeated.
The coach's clenched fists trembled slightly. In his entire career, he'd never seen a match like this. He was shaken to the core.
Zhang Zikai, glowing with excitement, came running over with his equally thrilled father. Director Zhang looked like he'd just discovered a priceless treasure—his eyes were shining, his face beaming.
"Ei, that was incredible! Way cooler than anything in the movies!"
Zhang Zikai shouted with glee, having clearly forgotten his earlier vow to get revenge on Lu Chen and Ei.
Director Zhang was all smiles.
"Brilliant—absolutely brilliant! This trip was worth every second. The future of Haizhou's fencing team is in your hands!"
"Thanks, Director."
Lu Chen responded politely, then turned to look at Raiden Ei.
She pulled off her mask. Her long, silky hair spilled down her back, swaying gently.
"Well?"
She gathered her slightly messy purple hair, raised a fair wrist, and tied it into a ponytail with the hair tie Lu Chen had given her.
Standing there, Raiden Ei looked radiant—strong, confident, mesmerizing.
"You were amazing. Just as expected of you!" Lu Chen winked and gave her a thumbs-up.