Hu Liena was full of confidence, ready to claim the fruits of this victory.
Just then, a sudden change occurred!
Zhao Shi, who had been closing his eyes as if defenseless in the mist, suddenly opened his eyes.
His calm, unruffled gaze startled Hu Liena.
"You weren't lost in my first spirit ability!"
Zhao Shi's response was an icy sneer.
His fist shot out like lightning, swift as a gale.
As Hu Liena's attack speed slowed due to panic, Zhao Shi's fist, launched later, struck first with full force, hitting her squarely in the abdomen without any reservation.
With a pained cry, Hu Liena was sent flying backward.
The deep mist on the stage dissipated, and Hu Liena's slender body rolled several times on the stage before slowly coming to a halt.
The intense pain made her curl up on the stage, clutching her abdomen, her delicate face turning ashen.
"Nana!"
"Nana!"
"Nana!"
Below the stage, Wang Zhong, Xie Yue, and Yan simultaneously cried out in alarm. kuAiδugg
Due to the presence of the pink mist earlier, they hadn't been able to see clearly what was happening on stage. By the time the mist cleared, Hu Liena was already lying on the ground, clutching her abdomen.
"What happened?"
"How did Hu Liena from class A end up on the ground, while Zhao Shi is standing there perfectly fine! This isn't what I expected!"
"Did Zhao Shi use some dirty trick?"
"Exactly. With his garbage spirit, how could he possibly be Hu Liena's match?"
"Zhao Shi definitely cheated. Hu Liena, a top-tier beast spirit possessor, couldn't possibly lose so quickly."
Unaware of the clamor surrounding them, Wang Zhong and the other two were entirely focused on Hu Liena on the stage, their faces etched with worry.
"Surrender, Hu Liena, you've lost," Zhao Shi said, walking in front of Hu Liena and looking down at her pale face with a serious expression.
"Lost? I haven't lost yet!" Hu Liena gritted her teeth, struggling to stand up, replying stubbornly.
Zhao Shi's eyes narrowed as he watched Hu Liena's movements, a flicker of panic crossing his face.
"She can still stand after a punch like that! Is her demon fox spirit that powerful!"
"No, I absolutely cannot let her stand. If she manages to counterattack again, I can't guarantee I'll be able to land a second punch."
He swung his leg in a whip kick, knocking Hu Liena down again as she struggled to regain her footing.
"Given this condition, what hope do you have of winning?"
"Don't hold onto such unrealistic hopes, you've already lost."
Zhao Shi roared, his voice betraying his inner fear.
"Cough, cough."
With two light coughs, a trace of blood appeared at the corner of Hu Liena's lips. She forced herself to stay upright and stubbornly declared, "I don't know why my first spirit ability didn't work on you, but I will never surrender to someone like you!"
"Someone like me! What's wrong with someone like me!"
"Am I inferior to you all? I also have level seven innate spirit power, so why are you in class A, and I'm in a trash class like C!"
"In six months, I've also obtained my first spirit ring. My talent is no worse than anyone in your class A."
"Moreover, my spirit is naturally immune to all mental spirit ability attacks. With such a powerful spirit, why am I classified as a waste spirit!"
"You're the ones who don't understand, it's you who can't recognize my genius, it's you who have buried me, this genius!"
Zhao Shi gritted his teeth and roared, resentful of his low ranking.
"Cough, cough. Wang Zhong once called you an idiot, and now it seems he was right!"
"You're so blind to your own obvious flaws, yet you dare to say others have buried you? It's truly laughable!"
Hu Liena slowly pushed herself up from the ground, sneering at Zhao Shi's foolishness.
"How dare you, a defeated opponent who can't even stand, speak to me like that."
Zhao Shi let out an angry roar, lunging at Hu Liena and stomping his foot down fiercely.
*Puff.*
A mouthful of blood gushed from Hu Liena's mouth, staining the stage red.
Her body trembled uncontrollably, her consciousness began to blur, and finally, she heard Wang Zhong's enraged roar.
"Zhao Shi, you're asking for death!"
Wang Zhong suddenly vanished from below the stage, his expression drastically changing as he held back Xie Yue and Yan.
"Wang Zhong, don't do anything foolish!"
The fierce fist wind stirred up dust, clothes fluttering, hair flying backward. A fist filled with rage stopped an inch from Zhao Shi's forehead. Facing Wang Zhong's furious gaze, Zhao Shi trembled inwardly, swallowed involuntarily, and retreated several steps.
His clenched fist trembled with extreme anger. He glared fiercely at Zhao Shi before quickly rushing to embrace the unconscious Hu Liena on the ground, calling out to her anxiously.
"Nana, Nana."
"Sixth Spirit Ability, Heal."
"Sixth Spirit Support, Revival."
At the edge of the stage, two elders, a man and a woman, raised their staffs high. Two beams of light, one green and one white, shot out from their staffs and gently landed on Hu Liena.
Within two breaths, the unconscious Hu Liena's long eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was Wang Zhong's anxious expression and worried gaze.
A faint smile appeared on her slightly pale face, and Hu Liena whispered, "Zhong, I'm fine, just a little weak."
"I'll be fine after a rest."
"That's good, that's good," Wang Zhong murmured, holding Hu Liena tightly in his embrace.
"Fifth Spirit Ability, Re..."
"Ouch, it hurts, hiss. What are you doing!"
At the edge of the stage, the male elder who was using the Revival spirit ability on Hu Liena cried out in pain, clutching his abdomen and looking at the female elder with confusion.
"Why are you interfering now? Can't you see those two little lovebirds are getting cozy? Mind your own business!"
Facing the female elder's reprimand, the male elder gave a sheepish smile.
As support-type spirit masters, and a married couple at that, there were few such pairs in the entire spirit master world, and these two were among them.
Under Hu Liena's astonished gaze, Wang Zhong swept her up into his arms. Facing the eyes of countless onlookers, a blush crept onto Hu Liena's face.
She buried her head in Wang Zhong's embrace and whispered, "Zhong, what are you doing? Put me down quickly!"
"You're injured, I'll carry you down."
"I, I can walk myself."
"Alright, stop moving. When we went out to play before, if you got tired, didn't I carry you back?"
"This is different, there are so many people here now..."
Hu Liena's face grew redder and redder. Feeling the curious and fervent gazes from the crowd, her voice became softer and softer, until it was barely a whisper.
Wang Zhong handed Hu Liena over to Xie Yue, who also looked worried, and then turned to walk back onto the stage.
"Wang Zhong, don't go too far, or even I can't protect you before the Pope!"
Ying Yanyang watched Wang Zhong's actions and earnestly warned him.
Spirit abilities were blind, and injuries or vomiting blood during challenges were unavoidable. However, there was one rule strictly forbidden in the academy.
Intentionally injuring or killing a fellow student would result in a demotion at best, and at worst, their spirit power would be crippled, and they would be expelled.
If this had happened during a regular class, even if Wang Zhong had killed Zhao Shi, Ying Yanyang would have protected him. But now, with the Pope present, many things were beyond what he, as the class teacher, could do.
Wang Zhong nodded, his steps onto the stage unwavering.