Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 314: The Tri-Academy Exchange Arc (Part-6)

The fiery-red whip was the very one Reesa had admired at Sapphire’s Exchange but hesitated to buy. Seeing how much she liked it, Zora had purchased it for her, and now Reesa wielded it in battle.

Drusilla gripped her sword tightly and counterattacked without hesitation. Yet Reesa flicked her wrist, and the whip instantly coiled around Drusilla’s blade, binding it in place.

Drusilla remained calm. With a surge of mana, she poured energy into her sword, forcing it to vibrate violently and break free from the whip’s restraint.

The two exchanged blows back and forth, neither gaining a clear advantage.

While Zora watched the clash intently, Alaric Von Seraph and Raphael had already concluded their matches. They walked over and stopped beside her.

"Zora, you ended your fight incredibly fast," Raphael said with a sigh of amazement. He had noticed long ago that her match had concluded almost the moment it began.

Zora smiled faintly. Before she could speak, Sebastian’s hearty laughter rang out across the arena. "Zora defeated Ophelia in a single move and gave our academy a brilliant start."

At this moment, both Sebastian and Miel were in excellent spirits. Zora, Alaric Von Seraph, and Raphael had already secured victories. Such results alone were enough to lift everyone’s morale.

Reesa and Drusilla’s match was still undecided. If Reesa could win as well, then the academy would have four people advancing from the first round. Compared to the previous two academy exchange competitions, this outcome was already far more promising.

Tiffany, Baldwin, and Marcus wore expressions filled with frustration. All three had been eliminated in the first round.

"Teacher, we’re sorry," the trio said in low voices, their moods clearly downcast. They had all harbored hopes of shining in the academy exchange, yet they were stopped at the very first hurdle. The disappointment was unavoidable.

Sebastian and Miel exchanged a glance, their eyes softening with understanding. They reached out and patted the shoulders of the three students. "Victory and defeat are part of competition. Don’t burden yourselves with it," Sebastian said gently.

The strength of Thunderclap Academy and Lunar Academy was undeniably formidable. Tiffany and the others had not failed because they were weak, but because their opponents were exceptionally strong.

Tiffany had sustained injuries. Miel immediately took out a prepared healing potion and handed it to her. After ensuring she was stable, everyone’s attention returned to the final ongoing battle between Reesa and Drusilla.

Not only the academy’s group, but also many Spirit Warriors from Lunar Academy were watching closely. At this point, both academies had three people who had already advanced. The outcome of Reesa versus Drusilla would determine which side gained the upper hand in this first round.

"Drusilla seems stronger than when we fought her in Ironspire City," Alaric Von Seraph observed quietly after studying the exchange for a while.

Back then, Drusilla had clearly been at a disadvantage against Reesa. Yet now the two were evenly matched, locked in a fierce struggle. It seemed Drusilla might have been hiding part of her strength all along.

"I really hope Reesa can win," Tiffany said softly, her eyes fixed on the stage. Having already been eliminated herself, she pinned her hopes on Reesa.

If Reesa succeeded, the academy would claim four advancement slots in this round, firmly gaining the advantage over Lunar Academy.

On the stage, Drusilla sneered, her tone dripping with mockery. "Reesa, you’re always so arrogant. Now let’s see just how strong you really are!"

Reesa shot her a cold glance and laughed sharply. "Drusilla, petty tricks like this won’t work on me. If you were truly capable, why haven’t you ever beaten me?"

Having her intentions exposed so directly made Drusilla’s expression darken. She had wanted to take this opportunity to suppress Reesa completely, yet she hadn’t expected Reesa’s strength to rival her own so closely.

More than half of her internal energy was already depleted. Dragging the fight on like this was clearly unfavorable.

Just as Drusilla hesitated, Reesa’s voice rang out again, calm yet decisive. "Enough playing around. Let’s end this battle now."

H

earing Reesa’s words, Drusilla froze for a brief moment. Then a cold, mocking smile crept up the corner of her lips.

"Reesa, who do you think you are?" she sneered. "You want to end this battle just like that? Don’t be ridiculous."

In Drusilla’s eyes, Reesa’s declaration was nothing but empty bravado. The two of them had been locked in a stalemate for so long without a clear victor. To her, Reesa was simply forcing herself, perhaps already exhausted both in strength and in mind.

But the next instant, Drusilla’s expression changed.

A violent surge of energy erupted from Reesa’s body, her aura climbing sharply. A fierce light flashed through her eyes, sharp and resolute.

"Fire Dance Whip!"

As her voice rang out, gasps rippled through the crowd. The crimson whip in Reesa’s hand suddenly ignited, real flames coiling along its length like a living fire serpent. The whip danced through the air, flexible yet ferocious, as it lashed straight toward Drusilla.

This was no illusion of flames.

Everyone present could clearly feel it. The temperature around the arena spiked abruptly, heat waves rolling outward in visible ripples.

Standing opposite her, Drusilla felt it most keenly. Beads of sweat seeped from her forehead almost instantly. Her pupils contracted, and an unmistakable trace of panic flickered across her face.

She had never imagined that Reesa still had such a move in reserve.

This martial art had clearly surpassed the level of Yellow-grade techniques. At the very least, it belonged to the Mystic-grade realm. As for whether it was low, middle, or high Mystic-grade, Drusilla could not tell.

What she knew, however, was far more terrifying: which is that she didn’t have anything comparable.

When two opponents were evenly matched in cultivation, the quality of martial techniques became decisive. Without a technique of equal grade to counter it, defeat was inevitable.

Around the arena, the expressions of Thunderclap Academy’s students shifted dramatically. Just moments ago, many of them had been ridiculing the academy’s Spirit Warriors as weak and unworthy. Now, those same faces were filled with shock.

"This is at least a mid-tier Mystic-grade martial art!" someone exclaimed. "Reesa is only at the Heaven realm, yet she’s already mastered something like this. Drusilla is in serious trouble."

"Exactly. Who said the Imperial academy’s students were weak?" another voice echoed. "From what I see, they might even be stronger than Lunar Academy this time!"

There were plenty of sharp-eyed spectators present.

The poor results of the previous two exchanges had colored everyone’s judgment, but the reality unfolding before them was impossible to ignore. This year’s academy team was nothing like before.

On Lunar Academy’s side, faces darkened one after another. Their original plan had been simple: suppress the academy completely and eliminate them in the first round. Instead, the situation had flipped so thoroughly that it left them reeling.

Lunar Academy tutors, Wystan and Jorvan, exchanged grim looks. Neither of them had expected the academy to hide such depth. Compared to the previous exchanges, these students were clearly on a different level.

On the high platform, Gerrad’s lips curved into a faint, satisfied smile. The performance of Zora and the others had exceeded even his expectations.

"Interesting," Cindral said with a genial smile, though his eyes flickered thoughtfully. "I didn’t expect the academy to have so many hidden talents. These are fine seedlings, yet there was not a single whisper about them before."

Gerrad chuckled softly. "To be honest, even I was surprised by how well these youngsters have performed."

Cindral glanced at him, catching the quiet confidence beneath Gerrad’s calm demeanor.