Rong Taotao hastily dodged to the side, but Gao Lingwei kicked off the ground. A sudden explosion echoed across the snow-covered Martial Arts Arena, sending snowflakes flying everywhere!

’Soul Skill: Snow Burst!?’

A self-taught Snow Burst could only be cast by hand. Human Soul Martial Artists’ control of Soul Power in their ankles simply couldn’t match the finesse they had over their wrists.

’Does that mean the Snow Burst that just exploded from her foot was because she has a Soul Pearl embedded in her ankle?’

Rong Taotao’s face filled with alarm. As he dodged repeatedly, the Heaven-piercing Halberd in his hands whistled through the air, deflecting one Snow-made Heaven-piercing Halberd after another!

’This is different from our last spar. Completely different!’

’She’s really serious! She’s not joking!’

Gao Lingwei, who had "stolen" Rong Taotao’s skills, flung her arms left and right. After hurling six Heaven-piercing Halberds, she appeared before Rong Taotao like a phantom.

Rong Taotao, who had been dodging repeatedly with his footwork in disarray, suddenly planted his feet firmly in a lunge and thrust forward. The most powerful skills are always the most fundamental moves!

His countless hours of training in the basic moves had long since solidified into Rong Taotao’s muscle memory.

A true expert sees the underlying technique.

Likewise, as a fellow halberd wielder with a nearly identical style, she could also predict her opponent’s method of attack!

Gao Lingwei wasn’t just reacting to his moves; she had anticipated them.

The very instant Rong Taotao lunged and his thrust took form, Gao Lingwei, who had been charging, swung her halberd horizontally with one hand, batting his Heaven-piercing Halberd aside!

Against her absolute strength, Rong Taotao had no power to resist. His body was once again thrown off balance.

It was all just like their last encounter.

The only difference was that last time, Gao Lingwei had used a Snow Burst to deflect Rong Taotao’s Heaven-piercing Halberd. This time, she used her weapon. Not only that, but her fluid movements were even swifter and more ferocious than during their last spar.

This time, Rong Taotao was sent spinning and couldn’t even draw the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow from his back before Gao Lingwei’s hand was pressed against his kidney.

And it wasn’t just her hand—in her palm was a rapidly spinning Snow Burst Ball!

Gao Lingwei, who had closed the distance in an instant, even had time to lean in close to Rong Taotao’s ear and whisper, "Boom!"

BANG!

A Snow Burst detonated with a thunderous roar!

The recoil-less Snow Burst didn’t move Gao Lingwei an inch, but Rong Taotao was blasted away like a human cannonball...

Layers of wind and snow swirled and rippled outward. The scene was absolutely spectacular!

"Hsss..." Jiao Tengda covered his eyes with one hand and even took a step back. "Whoa, miss, take it easy on him..."

Lu Mang violently yanked Jiao Tengda’s arm down. "Look!"

Jiao Tengda: "Huh?"

In the far distance, he saw Rong Taotao tumbling end over end, his clothes torn at the waist, carving a long trench in the snow. Meanwhile, Gao Lingwei, standing in the center of the Martial Arts Arena, suddenly had a patch of thorns sprout at her feet, binding her left ankle tightly.

Lu Mang clenched his fists. ’That’s what a true Martial Artist should do!’

’So what if Rong Taotao was sent flying? Gao Lingwei shouldn’t just be standing there! She shouldn’t give him a single shred of an opportunity!’

Despite being the clear underdog, Rong Taotao had just taught Lu Mang a powerful lesson: never give up on a single second on the battlefield!

Gao Lingwei frowned and tried to lift her left foot, only to find the thorns were surprisingly resilient. Not only that, but their sharp barbs had torn her pant leg and pricked her skin.

The more she struggled, the deeper the thorns dug in.

"Hm?" Gao Lingwei jerked her head to the side just as a Heaven-piercing Halberd flew past her face.

She raised an eyebrow and saw Rong Taotao sprawled on the ground in the distance. Blood was dripping from his waist, but the intense pain seemed to have only sharpened his mind.

She watched as he pulled one Heaven-piercing Halberd after another from the snow. While struggling to his feet, he continuously hurled them at her.

Wielding her halberd with one hand, Gao Lingwei easily deflected the flying projectiles, but then she saw Rong Taotao’s right hand pause in the snow for over a second.

’Another Frost Cold Thorn?’

Gao Lingwei’s eyes narrowed, and she bent her knees into a slight crouch.

BANG!

Another explosion erupted at her feet, and the Frost Cold Thorn coiled around her leg was instantly shattered by the Snow Burst!

Not only that, but the moment she was free, Gao Lingwei broke into a sprint, closing the distance to Rong Taotao with huge, rapid strides.

’Fast... She’s just too fast...’

Rong Taotao abruptly raised his left hand, a Snow Burst Ball rapidly forming in his palm.

SHINK!!!

"Ah!"

"Don’t—" A series of horrified gasps came from Sun Xingyu and the others.

Jiao Tengda stared blankly at the scene, muttering, "It’s over... there’s no miracle this time..."

Charging forward like a phantom, Gao Lingwei’s Heaven-piercing Halberd didn’t just pierce the newly formed Snow Burst Ball in Rong Taotao’s palm, causing it to dissipate into nothing instead of exploding.

The sharp Ironspear Point of her halberd also stabbed straight through Rong Taotao’s palm!

CLANG!

Gao Lingwei abruptly changed her thrust to a downward stab. The Heaven-piercing Halberd, already through his palm, was brutally driven into the snowy ground by its Ironspear Point.

As Soul Power rippled out, blowing the snow away, the Ironspear Point was revealed to have pierced deep into the concrete floor beneath...

This time, Gao Lingwei didn’t stop. Looking down at Rong Taotao, she lifted her leg, a Snow Burst Ball forming under her boot, and brought it stomping down toward his head!

Lying on his back, Rong Taotao’s clothes at his right hip were shredded and bloody. Droplets of blood stained the exceptionally ornate hilt of his Great Xia Dragon Sparrow.

Rong Taotao endured the excruciating pain in his palm, his movements not faltering in the slightest. On the contrary, his mind grew even clearer!

The instant Gao Lingwei’s foot came down toward his head, Rong Taotao pressed the back of his neck into the ground and arched his back slightly, creating just enough space to draw his blade.

That was all he needed.

SHIIING!

The instantly drawn Great Xia Dragon Sparrow let out a sharp ring!

Holding the blade in a reverse grip, Rong Taotao viciously swung it in a horizontal arc, slashing at the sole of Gao Lingwei’s combat boot.

And at that exact moment, Rong Taotao’s eyes flew wide open.

Because for some reason, a single Cyan Lotus Petal was wrapped around the cold steel of the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow’s blade!

’The Nine-Petaled Lotus?! It... what is...?’ 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

WHOOSH~

The Lotus Petal coiled around the cold blade shot out and instantly pierced the Snow Burst Ball beneath Gao Lingwei’s foot!

It happened in the exact same way Gao Lingwei had used her Ironspear Point to pierce the Snow Burst Ball in Rong Taotao’s palm!

The Snow Burst Ball, which should have detonated, simply shattered, releasing none of its explosive power.

Not only that, but the razor-sharp Lotus Petal instantly pierced through Gao Lingwei’s combat boot!

Piercing the boot meant it pierced the top of her foot as well.

And given Gao Lingwei’s posture—leaning forward in a stomping lunge—the Lotus Petal... didn’t just pierce the top of her foot!

The Lotus Petal went on to pierce her calf, her bent thigh, and then her right side. Anything and everything in the petal’s flight path—everything in that straight line—was punched through, leaving a bloody hole!

"Hsss..." Gao Lingwei gasped, her face contorted in agony. Dragging her mangled leg, she staggered back three heavy steps—THUD, THUD, THUD—and the Heaven-piercing Halberd in her hand shattered.

She could endure the bloody hole through her foot. She could even endure the wounds in her calf and thigh. The problem was the Lotus Petal that had passed through her waist—it had pierced her kidney.

The few Little Souls on the Martial Arts Arena, as well as the other student spectators, all had their mouths hanging open in an "O."

"What... What was that?"

"What kind of Soul Skill was that!?"

"Did he just turn the tables and win? Are all the kids from the Junior Class this badass?"

"WHAT THE FUCK!!! Did the night watchman just kill someone!? He killed GAO LINGWEI!?"

Some of the students didn’t know what that petal was. But among the spectators were some who had hidden in the ruins of the Martial Arts Hall during the Soul Beast invasion. Their faces were aghast; they knew exactly how powerful that Lotus, flung from Rong Taotao’s blade, truly was.

After passing through Gao Lingwei’s body, the blood-stained Lotus Petal softened once more, fluttering down like a butterfly as it drifted back toward Rong Taotao...

"Oh my god! Oh my god!" Ignoring the hole in his palm and the bleeding gash on his waist, Rong Taotao scrambled forward, scooped up Gao Lingwei, and turned to run toward the Martial Arts Hall. "Si Huan Nian! Si Huan Nian!!!"

Li Ziyi, Lu Mang, and Jiao Tengda rushed after Rong Taotao’s staggering form. The other girls hurried to follow, everyone realizing the gravity of the situation.

Fan Lihua and Sun Xingyu pumped their short legs, running ahead to the second floor to find Si Huan Nian.

Li Ziyi, Jiao Tengda, Stone Tower, and Shi Lan took Gao Lingwei from him. Two grabbed her arms and two grabbed her legs, and they rushed toward the second floor of the Martial Arts Hall...

Lu Mang supported the stumbling Rong Taotao. As Rong Taotao watched his classmates disappear up the stairs, he felt his heart sink. He wanted to cry.

’What the hell is this damn flower!?’

’Didn’t Si Huan Nian say I couldn’t possibly use it at my current level? Why did it act on its own and just fly out like that?’

’Dammit!’

’Did I... Did I just kill my girlfriend?’

???