In He Shenghuang's eyes, Lin Guang merely lowered his head to look at his spirit beast. The lenses of his glasses seemed to flash faintly, yet he made no move to summon anything. Instead, he turned to the silver-haired girl and said something to her.
To He Shenghuang, that was nothing short of provocation.
He said coldly, "Still not calling it out? Don't tell me I'm scared and don't dare come out of space?"
W narrowed her eyes slightly. Even without translation, she could sense the hostility in his expression.
"Can I take him down?"
[Species]: Thunder Calf (Lightning-type)
[Origin]: Thunder Continent
[Status]: Left knee injured from overtraining (Negative)
[Level]: 9
[Skills]:
White: Roar (Beginner), Tail Wag (Beginner)
Green: Lightning Charge (Mastery), Horn Strike (Beginner)
[Trait]: First Surge — The first skill used in battle gains a slight power boost (resets after returning to the spirit space)
"…"
Lin Guang narrowed his eyes slightly, shutting off his All-Seeing Eye as the faint glow in them faded. He shook his head. "No. I already told you the rules—school battles don't allow direct attacks on Spirit Tamers, and you're not allowed to kill the opponent's spirit beast."
"Tch. I really want to cut him down."
"And remember what I said earlier. Wait for my signal."
"You explained it clearly enough. Don't underestimate me—I've fought way more battles than these greenhouse flowers."
W spat lightly in annoyance as she stepped into the battlefield, casually flipping He Shenghuang an internationally recognized "friendly gesture."
For a moment, He Shenghuang's brain froze.
The surrounding spectators erupted into an uproar.
Her?
That person… is a spirit beast?!
That's not cosplay?
What grade is her potential?
Most students were simply shocked and confused. Some, after the shock, revealed looks of envy and jealousy. But the teachers all showed grave expressions. A few who knew Lin Guang's situation even turned to look at Ouyang Wei, who had appeared among the spectators at some point.
Ouyang Wei's expression was already gloomy—now it looked even worse. Yet there was no anger in his eyes, only silent focus on the battlefield.
Shenghuang quickly regained his composure.
In this world, nothing was truly impossible.
The referee hadn't stopped the match—that meant it continued.
Right now, there was only one thing that mattered.
Defeat her.
"Battle—start!"
At the referee's command, the Thunder Calf's affectionate demeanor vanished. It stepped into the field, locking its gaze onto W. Lightning seemed to flicker in its large eyes as it snorted, stamping its hoof and kicking up dust—fully primed for battle.
Shenghuang chose to strike first. With a wave of his right hand, a faint earthy glow lit his eyes—his green-grade talent Bull Strength, which enhanced the power of close-combat skills for bovine spirit beasts.
Through their contract, their focus aligned. He commanded coldly:
"Lightning Charge!"
In the next instant, the Thunder Calf slammed its hoof into the ground, shattering dirt and stone as it launched forward with explosive speed.
Crackling blue lightning wrapped around its sharp horns—clear proof that Lightning Charge had reached mastery. Even without talent enhancement, it could easily pierce through a two-centimeter-thick steel plate.
Against an opponent of equal level, even defensive-type spirit beasts would struggle to withstand a direct hit—some might even be taken out in a single blow.
Young spirit beasts were usually kept from overusing skills to avoid depleting their aether and harming their growth—unless one could afford expensive supplements to brute-force skill training.
Clearly, He Shenghuang could.
The students grew excited, though some looked at W with concern—she didn't look particularly combat-capable.
Yet Lin Guang made no move at all.
He stood there silently, eyes half-lidded behind his glasses, as if lost in thought—completely indifferent to the battle.
Spacing out during a fight?
Seeing that unfocused gaze, a surge of anger rose in He Shenghuang—quickly turning into anticipation. If he could defeat Lin Guang's spirit beast in a single move, not only would he shed the label of "eternal second place," but Lin Guang would become the laughingstock of the entire school.
But in the next moment, his expression changed.
The Thunder Calf's charge was like lightning itself. Just as its horns were about to strike W—and the student referee was ready to call the match—its body suddenly faltered for a split second, its speed dropping ever so slightly.
In that instant, W spun lightly, like a dancer stepping through a graceful routine. Her long black-red tail swayed with her movement as she narrowly dodged the horns—then raised her middle finger toward He Shenghuang again with a smug expression.
"Fast reflexes," He Shenghuang remarked, unfazed by the provocation, though clearly surprised. His eyes gleamed with excitement.
If Lin Guang were defeated too easily, it would've been disappointing.
"But how many times can you dodge?"
At his command, the Thunder Calf didn't stop. It adjusted its direction mid-charge and lunged again without losing speed.
—it had clearly undergone moving-target training while improving its skill proficiency!
The rushing wind tousled W's silver-gray hair, but she showed no panic. As the calf slowed for that same mysterious instant, she sidestepped again, narrowly evading the second charge.
In the audience, a short-haired girl suddenly realized something and exclaimed, "You were right, Miu Miu. This… spirit beast is impressive. Those brief pauses were caused by [Fear Face]—her skill activation speed is really fast."
A faint blue glow shimmered in her eyes as she continued, "An incoming charge is faster over long distances, and Lin Guang's spirit beast is lower level. But no matter what, long-distance charging can't match short-distance maneuvering. Add the slowing effect from [Fear Face], and it's manageable."
"As long as positioning and timing are precise, even a slower opponent can dodge this kind of charge."
"I'm guessing she's conserving energy—waiting for the opponent to exhaust a large amount of aether before making her move."