This scene left everyone present dumbfounded; even the experienced referee teacher was momentarily paralyzed, unsure whether he should intervene.
One member of Dai Huabin's team had already been eliminated, and the remaining two were still struggling tenaciously against Feng Piaoling's team. Even though they were being beaten so badly their own mothers would hardly recognize them, they gritted their teeth and refused to concede.
Under the rules, as long as the competitors' lives were not in immediate danger and neither side surrendered, he was not supposed to stop the match. However, this was simply too brutal; the fighting was far too tragic.
Finally, Qian Duoduo could no longer bear to watch. "Enough, everyone stop. There is no longer any need for this match to continue."
Only upon hearing these words did Feng Piaoling's trio stay their hands. On the other side, Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin had been beaten to the point of being on the verge of death.
Yan Shaozhe was delighted by this outcome. He turned to look at Qian Duoduo, only to find the man's expression was exceedingly, utterly grim.
"Hahaha, Old Qian, thank you for those hundred high-explosive shells. And as for picking students for your department, forget about it. These people all belong to my Martial Soul Department, haha..." Yan Shaozhe was so happy he was practically floating.
Qian Duoduo replied with a dark face, "We shall see..."
Initially, seeing Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin form a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, he thought victory was assured. Who could have imagined that the boy named Feng Piaoling would be able to employ such a tactic? By continuously detonating fireballs transformed from his first soul skill at specific points, he had forcibly drained their soul power, instantly turning Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin into lambs for the slaughter.
With that, Qian Duoduo swept away in a huff, not even calling for Fan Yu.
Equally joyful was Mu Jin. Her beautiful face wore an unmasked expression of triumph and mockery. "So sorry, Zhou Yi, you lost again. Moreover, you lost a ten-thousand-year soul bone to me. This time, I'm afraid you're not just going bankrupt—Fan Yu will probably have to help you pay off your debts."
Ever since Fan Yu was snatched away by that old woman, Mu Jin hadn't been happy for a long time. These last two bets had not only made the old woman lose face but had also cost her two soul bones. Mu Jin couldn't be more thrilled.
"You..." Zhou Yi was nearly exploding with rage. In her state of extreme agitation, she lost her mind and began shouting at the referee like a common shrew. "Referee, I want to file a complaint! I want to complain! Class Nine wasn't competing; they were trying to kill! Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin had clearly lost their ability to resist, yet they continued to strike with heavy hands. This is wanton retaliation!"
Killing? Hearing this, the referee frowned and looked toward Feng Piaoling's trio.
As Feng Piaoling watched this scene, he found it strangely familiar. A thought occurred to him, and the corners of his mouth curled up. Completely ignoring Zhou Yi—the old woman barking in her incompetence—he looked at the referee and asked:
"Honorable referee, I have only one question: What are the rules of the competition?"
Boom— The spectator stands instantly erupted in massive discussion. Many students from the Inner Court began pointing fingers at Zhou Yi. Having gone through the freshman assessment themselves, they knew the rules of competition well and believed Zhou Yi was simply a sore loser trying to cheat.
Even Wang Dong'er, a student of Class One, looked at her with a speechless expression. "This Granny Zhou is truly senile, to actually say something like that."
The referee froze for a moment, remembering that there was no requirement to hold back during a match. As the referee, his role was to intervene only when someone's life was in danger.
He stepped forward and announced solemnly, "The complaint is invalid. Class Nine did not violate competition regulations. Now, I declare the final champions of the freshman assessment are..."
At this point, he used his soul power to amplify his voice and shouted, "The team of Feng Piaoling, Nanmen Yun'er, and Zhu Lu!"
"That's wonderful, Class Monitor! We won!" Nanmen Yun'er stepped forward and threw her arms around Feng Piaoling's neck. She knew that she and Zhu Lu could never have won this championship on their own, not even if they had teamed up with a Support-system Soul Elder like Ning Tian.
Zhu Lu also looked at Feng Piaoling with excitement. Deep in her eyes, there was gratitude and a hint of hidden adoration. Before today, she never could have imagined that she would one day be able to defeat Dai Huabin, the number one genius of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. And all of this was given to her by Feng Piaoling.
Feng Piaoling looked at the girl in his arms and then at Zhu Lu, who was gazing at him with deep affection. When their eyes met, the latter immediately looked away in shyness.
Feng Piaoling smiled slightly, gently unwound Nanmen Yun'er's arms from his neck, and nodded. "Yes, we won."
And it's almost time for me to leave, Feng Piaoling added silently in his heart. He was starting to understand the internal conflict of the undercover agents he had read about in novels in his past life. Although the upper echelons of Shrek were filthy and corrupt, these two girls he had teamed up with were genuine and had not yet been tainted by Shrek's poison.
Unfortunately, a lie was a lie. When the time came, it would be up to them to make their own choices.
The three of them appeared very happy, at least on the surface. Only the huddled, dying duo of Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin wore expressions of utter dejection.
Zhou Yi looked at the two students she had pinned her hopes on, then at Feng Piaoling. She clenched her fists, jumped down from the stands, and roughly grabbed the injured Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin, one in each hand. She gave Feng Piaoling a cold stare before turning to leave.
As she turned, she thought to herself: Feng Piaoling, don't think it ends like this. We shall see.
Watching Zhou Yi leave in humiliation, Mu Jin followed closely behind, feeling as if she had suddenly aged ten years younger. She didn't forget to add a final barb: "Don't forget the ten-thousand-year soul bone you owe me."
This way, she would have two soul bones.
Hearing this, Zhou Yi snorted coldly and quickened her pace. Her reaction made Mu Jin even happier, but that joy soon faded. Before Zhou Yi had gone far, Fan Yu chased after her. Zhou Yi angrily tossed the beaten, dog-like Dai Huabin and Huo Yuhao to Fan Yu, but Fan Yu caught them and continued to follow her persistently.
Seeing this scene, Mu Jin stamped her foot in anger then turned back to Feng Piaoling and the others. She regained her previous smile and looked at the trio with satisfaction, praising them:
"You all did very well this time, especially Feng Piaoling. You led our Class Nine to the championship of this entrance assessment. With your talent, I believe a soul bone will definitely be among the rewards the Academy provides."
"However, as your teacher, I must still reward you with something. Tell me, is there anything you want?"
This time, Feng Piaoling had won her another soul bone, and a ten-thousand-year one at that. If she didn't provide some reward, people would eventually start gossiping.
"Then I'll trouble Teacher Mu Jin to get me some Whale Glue. Additionally, when the time comes, help me exchange the soul bone reward from the Academy for an equivalent value of Mystic Water Pills and Spirit Ascension Pill. Also, I intend to choose the Soul Tool Department as my elective in the future, so I'd like to find an opportunity to visit it first," Feng Piaoling said.
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