As soon as those words fell, a wave of gasps rippled through the stands—W had just dodged the charge for the third time.
"I told you already, Lin Guang isn't going to lose."
Beside her, the girl nicknamed MiuMiu let out a soft laugh, her voice like tinkling bells. The golden birch leaf hairpin in her bangs and the little ahoge on her head swayed gently.
"The match isn't over yet," the short-haired girl shook her head. "Since he can afford drugs to boost skill proficiency, he's definitely hired battle coaches too. There's no way he can't see what's happening. And Lin Guang is being too overconfident—just because his spirit beast has intelligence, he's not giving any commands. That could backfire."
Just as she said, by the second time the Thunder Calf was slowed, He Shenghuang had already realized the issue.
But he didn't change his strategy.
Not because his spirit beast had a clear level advantage.
Not because the talent First Surge would keep stacking as long as the skill wasn't interrupted.
Not even because bovine-type spirit beasts had excellent stamina and could afford a battle of attrition.
His true trump card was something else entirely—
While most students hadn't even started learning spirit inscriptions, he had already used family resources to engrave his first spirit inscription technique into his mental sea.
He had no intention of dragging this out any longer.
Because he had already seen his victory.
In the next instant, after W dodged the charge for the sixth time, He Shenghuang's eyes widened. His spiritual power surged as he raised a hand toward his beast and uttered a single archaic syllable:
"Accelerate (Ancient Great Xia Language)!"
The inscription skill activated. The Thunder Calf's turning speed and charge velocity surged dramatically. Before W could fully react, it lunged again.
And at that exact moment—
Lin Guang, who had seemed half-asleep the entire time, finally opened his eyes.
He slightly lifted his head. Beneath the lenses, his pupils burned with a dim golden glow as he said calmly:
"Now."
The seemingly caught-off-guard W suddenly revealed a feral grin.
To everyone's shock, her speed spiked as well, matching the rhythm of the incoming charge.
But this time, instead of a graceful pivot, she slid wildly sideways—her feet carving deep grooves into the ground.
In the instant the Thunder Calf brushed past her—
She planted both hands on the ground and swung her right leg with brutal force, striking the back of its right knee from the side!
Crack!
In a split second, the calf's knee bent at an unnatural angle.
"Moo—!!"
A cry of pain rang out.
Its balance shattered mid-charge. The calf toppled sideways, momentum carrying it into a rolling tumble toward He Shenghuang.
Right in front of its master, it struggled to stand—
But I couldn't.
Its front legs were fine, but one hind leg was broken. It could no longer charge.
Its stamina wasn't depleted.
Its aether wasn't exhausted.
Its will to fight still burned.
But it had lost.
Because against an opponent capable of shattering its leg with a single kick, such an injury meant total loss of combat ability.
[Your partner W has defeated a Level 9 Green-grade opponent. Stardust progress has increased.]
[Stardust Progress: 200%. Obtained 2 Stardust.]
The referee, visibly surprised, glanced at Lin Guang and W before waving the flag:
"The match is decided!"
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Wang Dawei suddenly shot to his feet, clapping and shouting:
"Awesome! AWESOME!!"
A heartbeat later, the entire arena erupted.
"What?!"
"No way! What just happened?!"
"What kind of skill was that?! She broke her leg in one kick?!"
"Is that a martial-type spirit beast?!"
The younger students were in an uproar.
The teachers, though quieter, showed clear astonishment. Their expressions relaxed somewhat—Ouyang Wei included—though a trace of concern still lingered in his eyes.
Shenghuang stood frozen like a wooden statue for several seconds before finally snapping back to reality.
He saw the silver-haired girl grinning wickedly, flipping him an unmistakable rude gesture again. Beside her, Lin Guang's gaze behind his glasses remained indifferent—as if the match hadn't interested him in the slightest.
In silence, He Shenghuang lowered his head slightly, looking at the Thunder Calf still trying to rise. A flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes. His knee bent slightly—
But then his body stiffened.
As if recalling something, he straightened again.
"Get up," he said in a low voice. "Thunder… your limits shouldn't end here."
A spark reignited in the calf's eyes. It struggled with all its strength—
And managed to stand!
But only for a second.
The broken leg gave out again. It collapsed, letting out a low moo tinged with pain… and apology, drowned by the crowd's cheers.
"That's enough. You've done well."
Barely above a whisper, as if he didn't want it to be heard, He Shenghuang recalled it into his spirit mark.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath.
When he opened them again, his expression was composed—no trace of turmoil visible.
He walked up to Lin Guang, pulled out a black wallet, and from it retrieved a golden card. His hand paused briefly midair—
But he still extended it forward.
"A splendid match. I lost."
His tone sounded calm—at least on the surface.
Lin Guang accepted the card. It was a voucher from the Municipal Spirit Beast Mall, worth 2,500 credits—equivalent to 250,000 Great Xia currency.
Even a rare spatial artifact could be bought with that amount.
"My father is very interested in rare spirit beasts not listed in the Great Xia official registry. He's also someone who enjoys investing," He Shenghuang said, forcing a smile. "If you have time this weekend, perhaps you could visit my home?"
Lin Guang had seen his earlier hesitation. Considering his father's position as the director of the city's stock exchange, he could roughly guess the kind of person he was.
So he shook his head.
"No."
"You should know—I practice the Equal Contract Method. There's nothing for me to discuss with your father."
With that, Lin Guang turned and left with W, leaving He Shenghuang standing alone, his face flushed.
On the spectator stands—
"That's it? He won just like that?!"
The short-haired girl's blue-glowing eyes faded as she exclaimed in shock. "What was that kick? I didn't sense any aether fluctuation—it didn't seem like a skill. Could it be a mastery-level technique?"
Suddenly, a cool, familiar voice came from behind her:
"Wrong answer."