Chapter 107: Victory Is the Only Answer
The grand formation activated, and the Torch Dragons at the four corners opened their eyes once more.
"The match begins!"
He Xing rapidly transformed his body into peachwood and cautiously observed Yu Xian, who was sitting inside his bubble. Then he took a throwing knife from his waist pouch and tossed it at the bubble as a test.
Yu Xian showed no intention of dodging at all. He was thinking about how he could score even higher. From the match between Nora and Zhou Qingmei, he had ascertained that relying purely on equipment would earn around sixty-something points at most, even in victory. The evaluation would definitely not be too high.
If he simply used overwhelming strength to bully a weaker opponent, his score would probably only be around seventy to eighty points. To score ninety or even full marks, he would likely have to suppress his strength to the same rank as his opponent and win through pure skill and strategy.
Clang!
The throwing knife struck the spatial bubble and fell to the ground, its tip deformed. He Xing's heart sank. This defense!
He Xing didn't know that Yu Xian hadn't even deployed his Dragon Shield, keeping it tucked away inside his bubble. Had the throwing knife actually struck those dragon scales, it would have been like tofu hitting an iron plate, instantly reduced to a lump of scrap metal.
Yu Xian slowly straightened up and stepped out of his bubble. His feet landed on the formation arena, and the bubble wrapped around him rapidly shrank until it covered only his head.
He looked at He Xing. "Sorry. I got distracted just now. The match starts now!"
He bent down and picked up the throwing knife from the ground. Seeing that its blade was coated with a layer of silver, his brow arched slightly. Clearly, He Xing knew his opponent was a vampire.
"You're strong, but you underestimated me." He Xing took advantage of the moment Yu Xian bent down and charged forward to launch a kick at Yu Xian's cheek.
He Xing was extremely fast. His kick even produced a sonic boom. But to Yu Xian, it was still too slow. Yu Xian just leaned back and lightly tossed the throwing knife in his hand forward.
He Xing's attack missed, while the throwing knife pierced through his lower leg. Crying out in pain, he immediately performed several backflips in succession and widened the distance between them. Then he transformed his right hand into an azure snake and rapidly extended it. The snake bared its fangs and bit toward Yu Xian's arm.
His azure snake had consumed dozens of poisons and synthesized two kinds of venom. As long as the green snake injected its venom inside Yu Xian, the outcome would be decided.
But he was still too slow. Yu Xian stood where he was without moving and flicked the incoming azure snake under the jaw with his right index finger. Visible rings of sound-wave ripples instantly spread from the azure snake's jaw.
Its eyes rolled back as the tremendous force sent it flying. At the same time, the residual force surged like a wave along the snake's body, racing toward He Xing. He was forced to spin around to bleed off the impact, while his right hand swiftly retracted, morphing into a bundle of peach wood stakes.
A strength of twenty-six tons was truly terrifying. Due to the high-speed spinning, He Xing's legs gave rise to smoke. Only after expending great effort did he exhaust the residual force.
Wasting no time, He Xing muttered, "Great Peach Grove, Wild Thorn Peach Spears!"
He transformed himself into a tree. Branches wildly grew across his body before turning into countless wooden spikes that stabbed toward Yu Xian. However, Yu Xian immediately raised his hands and struck the incoming branches at lightning speed. The branches, harder than metal, bent and warped beneath his fists. The spikes that should have pierced through him were all forced aside, curving into an "archway" around him.
He Xing grimaced in pain and quickly retracted all the branches. So fast! So strong!
He changed back into his human form and stared at Yu Xian while gasping for breath. His arms and legs were trembling uncontrollably.
Although his strength did not place him in the top ten at the Supernatural Academy, he was still ranked among the top twenty. He was confident that even if he fought the top-ranked student, Yu Meiren, he could at least injure her. But against Yu Xian, all he felt was helplessness.
He Xing swallowed, a thin layer of sweat forming on his forehead. After catching his breath for a moment, he lowered his head and glanced at his calf. Then he bent down and pulled out the throwing knife embedded there. His left hand transformed into a yellow snake and bit into his calf. In no time, the wound on his leg healed completely.
Yu Xian silently judged his actions. "A waste of energy."
He Xing had a peachwood body. The wound from the throwing knife would not affect his movements at all, so there was no need to waste his energy healing it. Besides, Yu Xian was far stronger than He Xing. Yu Xian was at Serpent rank, while He Xing was only at Bee rank. The gap between them was simply too great. Even without using any abilities, Yu Xian could crush him with raw physical strength alone.
However, that was exactly what troubled him. He needed to find a way to demonstrate his battle sense and tactical wit. I can end the fight with one brainless punch. Do I really have to put on a show?
At that moment, Wang Xingnuo spoke. "All right, the match is over!"
He Xing was still thinking about his next move. When he heard Wang Xingnuo's words, he froze for a moment. "Instructor, I haven't lost yet!"
Wang Xingnuo helplessly looked at him and spoke with utter bluntness. "The moment you said that, you already lost."
He Xing went completely rigid, his face turning deathly pale. He realized that deep down, he had already accepted his defeat.
Wang Xingnuo turned to Yu Xian. "Yu Xian, may I ask what your rank is?"
Yu Xian once again wrapped himself in a bubble and sat inside it. "I am at lower Serpent rank. I really am much higher-ranked than He Xing."
He Xing looked at Yu Xian in disbelief and could not help murmuring, "Lower Serpent rank..."
Instead of feeling down, he felt relieved. He had just gone up against an opponent two ranks above him, after all. Losing was only natural.
Still looking at Yu Xian, Wang Xingnuo asked, "Would you be willing to have me as your next opponent?"
Yu Xian nodded. "That would be ideal. After all, if my opponent is too weak, it won't be easy for me to get a high score."
Wang Xingnuo stepped into the arena with a serious expression. "Yu Xian, you may have misunderstood. In the end, individual combat is still a contest of strength. What you need to do is display your power. Strength is the only correct answer."
Yu Xian asked, "So I don't need to hold back?"
Wang Xingnuo replied, "Of course not. If you can instantly kill an enemy, why bother going in circles?"
Before Yu Xian could answer, she continued, "Why does the winner of an individual combat match always receive an extra twenty points? It's because there is only one truth: victory. If it's not for the sake of victory, everything is meaningless. Strength is justice, no matter what methods you use. Nora's score wasn't low because she used equipment. It was low because the way she used that equipment was too simple and brute-force based."
Yu Xian's eyes lit up. "I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Instructor!"
Wang Xingnuo smiled. "Good. In that case, give me a proper fight!"
The Torch Dragons in the four corners opened their eyes once again.
"The match begins!"
A terrifying surge of qi instantly erupted from Wang Xingnuo. With a powerful push against the arena platform, she charged straight toward Yu Xian. In the blink of an eye, countless fist shadows enveloped Yu Xian, resembling countless meteors falling from the sky.
By this time, many students had gathered below the arena. When Wang Xingnuo's fierce assault ended, she retreated swiftly like a white crane. The students immediately erupted into an uproar.
The spatial bubble was completely unharmed. Inside, Yu Xian seemed to be savoring Wang Xingnuo's attack. He had not suffered the slightest injury.
He Xing could not help but suck in a cold breath. "That defense..."
Even when Yu Xian took the initiative to come out of the bubble, I was still unable to defeat him. If he had stayed inside the bubble the entire time...