As Zhang Yu and Lian Tianji stepped onto the arena, on the other side, Bai Zhenzhen sat cross-legged, waiting for her opponent.
Her opponent was Xiong Wenwu from Red Tower High School, a demon-descendant student standing over 2.7 meters tall and weighing nearly a ton.
Like Song Hailong and Zhang Yu, Xiong Wenwu had also scored 300 points in the evaluation.
At this moment, Xiong Wenwu was in the rest area of Red Tower High School, glaring at Hu Yuntao.
"Lost? How could you lose? And to someone from Songyang High?" Xiong Wenwu slapped Hu Yuntao's head repeatedly.
Hu Yuntao, who had been fierce on the arena, now crouched like a kitten, obediently taking the scolding.
However, the constant flicking of his tail betrayed his impatience.
Xiong Wenwu scolded, "If you don't even make it past the group stage, you won't have any ranking. Your resume will lack a good result. Do you know that missing just one good result could cost you your university interview? If you don't get into a good university, Father will disown you and send you to work in the factory!"
Disowned! Factory work!
Hu Yuntao, who had been obediently listening, stiffened at these words.
Many demons from the reserve areas didn't have fathers because those who couldn't study and could only work were disowned by their fathers.
"Do you know what working in a factory means?" Xiong Wenwu continued, "It's hard for demons to find jobs. You'll end up working in Father's factory, undergoing modifications, and being planted on the assembly line. You'll live and die there, like those ox demons, horse demons, and monkey demons, repaying your breeding loans for the rest of your life."
Hu Yuntao clenched his fists, recalling the factory he had once visited.
On the assembly lines made of demon flesh, countless workers were fused with the machinery, working day and night.
The thought of those demons who had only reached the elementary, middle, or high school level filled him with fear.
"After over a decade of hard study, you finally got into high school. Is this how you end up? In a factory?" Xiong Wenwu continued to berate, "If you reach the peak of university, with a prestigious diploma, who could disown you or send you to the factory?"
Hu Yuntao, full of shame, said, "Big brother, I know I was wrong. In the next competition, I will give it my all and not slack off."
Xiong Wenwu sighed, "I just don't want to see all your years of hard work go to waste, ending up on an assembly line after high school. Father would lose a good son, and I would lose a brother. Your future depends on your performance. Today, I'll avenge you."
With that, he turned and strode towards the arena.
Hu Yuntao called out from behind, "Big brother, that girl has a stealth spirit root. She can lower her opponent's perception. Be careful..."
Xiong Wenwu waved his hand dismissively, then charged forward and leaped into the air.
His nearly one-ton body landed like a small mountain, causing the entire arena to shake violently.
"Woman, I never hold back in real combat. If you feel like you're about to die, surrender quickly," Xiong Wenwu said, pulling out three syringes and injecting them into his neck.
The liquid was pushed into his veins, causing his fur to stand on end and his muscles to bulge.
Just by looking at his height and weight, Bai Zhenzhen could sense the immense power within him.
According to Lei Jun's earlier assessment, Xiong Wenwu's physical strength was likely the highest among the freshmen present.
"Probably around 2.5 to 2.6," Bai Zhenzhen thought, taking a deep breath and feeling the release of her spirit root.
At this moment, she felt as if her brain had been freed from some restraint.
Countless martial arts techniques she had learned and seen surged in her mind, coming to life.
Since entering high school and starting martial arts training, Bai Zhenzhen, who had only used her spirit root for stealth, began to gain deeper insights into martial arts.
Not only did she learn techniques faster, but she also started to see the flaws in various moves after real combat.
3, 2, 1, fight!
With the referee's whistle, Xiong Wenwu leaped forward like a cannonball.
Unable to block, Bai Zhenzhen retreated quickly, her fingertips glowing with spiritual energy as a sharp sword aura shot out.
Expert-level technique—Body-Piercing Sword Aura, level 3.
A foot-long sword aura extended from Bai Zhenzhen's fingertips, aiming at Xiong Wenwu as he landed.
However, as fur and skin were sliced open, the aura struggled to penetrate deeper into the muscles.
"Protective techniques? Combat spirit root effects? And such strong physical strength..."
Bai Zhenzhen frowned, her figure disappearing from Xiong Wenwu's sight.
But Xiong Wenwu was prepared.
Without hesitation, he attacked like a wild beast, his claws leaving trails of cold light as they rained down on Bai Zhenzhen's last known position.
At the same time, he sniffed the air, trying to locate her by scent.
Bai Zhenzhen watched his movements closely.
With her spirit root's enhancement, she could clearly see the changes in spiritual energy caused by each of his moves.
She could even predict his next attacks based on the flow of spiritual energy in the air.
But even with her stealth ability, Bai Zhenzhen's arms, thighs, and waist began to show wounds after repeated close calls.
His claws sliced through her skin and muscles like hot knives through butter, leaving deep, bloody gashes.
In contrast, her sword aura only managed to cut his fur, leaving minor scratches.
"The difference in strength and speed is too great. I'll lose in four or five seconds at most," Bai Zhenzhen thought, yet she felt an unusual calmness.
As Xiong Wenwu attacked more, the surrounding spiritual energy grew denser, and she could see his moves and body more clearly.
In her eyes, Xiong Wenwu was like a massive furnace, his body burning with spiritual energy and mana, driving his powerful physique.
She also noticed that his skin was covered in spiritual energy, acting like armor.
"No flaws... no, there are flaws," Bai Zhenzhen thought, as another deep gash appeared on her calf.
Gradually, she began to see his weaknesses—flaws in his techniques and body.
Finally, she stepped forward, like a butterfly dancing in a storm.
She moved through the cold, sharp attacks, dodging the deadly strikes.
"I won't spend my life working in a factory. I will get into the top ten universities! I will go further on the path of immortality!" Bai Zhenzhen's sword aura roared as she struck at the flaw she had seen.
...
In the audience, Qian Shen and his two companions watched the battle between Xiong Wenwu and Bai Zhenzhen with wide eyes.
Xiong Wenwu's attacks were too fierce, too fast, like lightning striking Bai Zhenzhen.
The three of them couldn't even speak, feeling the oppressive aura even from a distance.
Bai Zhenzhen looked so small and fragile compared to Xiong Wenwu.
"She's going to lose..."
Qian Shen thought, seeing the blood gushing from Bai Zhenzhen's calf.
But in the next moment, they were shocked to see Bai Zhenzhen dodge through Xiong Wenwu's claw attacks and strike back with a sword aura.
Xiong Wenwu seemed to pause for a moment, then a fountain of blood erupted from his back.
"Did she break through his defense?" Zhao Tianxing exclaimed.
"How? She couldn't even cut his muscles earlier," He Dayou wondered.
Qian Shen frowned, deep in thought.
"Did she hit a flaw in his technique?" Seeing the blood gushing like a fountain, he gasped, "Did she hit an artery? That's a lot of blood!"
On the other side of the arena, Lei Jun watched as blood sprayed from Xiong Wenwu's back.
His eyes lit up.
"Hemorrhoids! External hemorrhoids! Demons, who originally walked on all fours, now sit for long hours after gaining human form. Hemorrhoids must be worse for them, especially external ones that aren't protected by body-refining techniques. Plus, Xiong Wenwu just took a lot of stimulants, causing his body to swell with blood. This massive bleeding makes sense."
Lei Jun was excited.
"She found such a flaw? All those tutoring sessions weren't wasted..."
But then, Xiong Wenwu roared like a dying beast, spinning wildly, blood and claw attacks flying in all directions.
"Not good!" Lei Jun's expression tightened.
"The demon's gone berserk! He's attacking randomly..."
Seeing Bai Zhenzhen, injured and caught in Xiong Wenwu's chaotic attacks, he knew she would struggle to dodge with her leg wound.
By the time Lei Jun reached the arena, Xiong Wenwu was lying in a pool of blood.
Bai Zhenzhen stood nearby, breathing heavily, her right arm missing, torn off by the berserk Xiong Wenwu.
Bai Zhenzhen had won.
Lei Jun quickly picked up her severed arm and carried her to the medical area.
The doctor glanced at her and couldn't help but chuckle.
But when he saw his colleague treating Xiong Wenwu, he felt a pang of envy.
"Massive bleeding, overexertion, organ failure, and a hemorrhoid surgery, with such high physical strength... That bear demon will cost at least a few hundred thousand," the doctor sighed, turning his attention back to Bai Zhenzhen.
But before he could act, Bai Zhenzhen struggled to speak, "How much? Can insurance cover it?"
The doctor said indifferently, "Examination, basic treatment, and reattaching your arm will cost 88,000. The remaining 30,000 isn't covered by insurance. You'll have to pay that yourself."
"Pay myself?" Bai Zhenzhen snapped, "I have insurance, and you're making me pay 30,000?"
The doctor ignored her, urging, "If you want treatment, hurry up. If the arm necrotizes, I won't be able to fix it. You'll have to go to the hospital, and that could cost over 300,000."
(End of Chapter)