The fight wasn't over yet. The knife landed on the ground with a crisp sound. However, as Meng Huai's hand stopped, her legs didn't stay idle. She directly lunged her knee towards the person's abdomen, followed by another kick.
With just a few simple moves, Meng Huai made them look aesthetically pleasing. While the movements were not lacking in power, their speed was astonishingly fast.
The postures and the force applied were flawless, earning continuous praise from the teachers watching the spectacle from the sidelines.
All martial arts are variations of the same principles, essentially built upon basic movements. But how many people can perfect these fundamental actions?
Soon, the challenging student was defeated, and clad in their mecha, they lay on the ground, unable to get up for a long time. It was utterly humiliating. Teacher Xin watched his student in the center of the arena, covering his face.
The female student behind Teacher Xin stepped forward and nudged the mecha, saying, "Get up, stop playing dead."
There was no trace of camaraderie. The challenged boy retracted his mecha and stood up, his previous spirited demeanor completely gone. He lowered his head and stood behind Teacher Xin.
Teacher Xin didn't blame the student; he could clearly see the vast difference in skill. Teacher Xin glanced at the girl still standing on the field. She had also disengaged her mecha, her expression as calm as ever.
Teacher Xin sighed, patted the student's shoulder, and said, "It's alright, you still have a chance."
He still had two years. Not participating this time didn't mean he could never participate. Effort and improvement in his own strength were all that mattered.
The student felt the heavy pat of Teacher Xin's hand on his shoulder and nodded firmly, "Yes, I will work hard."
Seeing that his once dejected student was now filled with renewed fighting spirit, Teacher Xin felt relieved. He then turned to look at his other student, no longer holding any hope for the outcome.
The stark difference in strength was evident from the previous match. Regardless, neither of his two students had much hope. However, Teacher Xin felt that letting these two experience some setbacks was not a bad thing.
This day was certainly not a wasted trip.
Seeing her classmate return to the teacher's side, the female student didn't leave the arena. Instead, she said to Meng Huai, "How about I go next?"
"Alright."
For Meng Huai, it didn't matter who stepped up.
"Then let's fight directly," she proposed.
Although Meng Huai hadn't made many moves earlier, it was still apparent that her mecha was crafted no less exquisitely than the works of today's top mecha designers. Furthermore, it was evident that she had a very high level of connection with her mecha.
Considering all this, the female student wanted to see if she could gain an advantage in a one-on-one fight.
"Don't aim for the face. You're both pretty girls. I have no other instructions, so just fight," said Teacher Wang, standing between the two students who were preparing to compete, as they both looked at him.
As soon as he finished speaking, some people chuckled. Naturally, it was Hui Xingxiu and others. The rest were extremely nervous and certainly not in the mood to find a remark amusing.
The female student was of the same skill level as her classmate. Her aggressive attacks looked soft in Meng Huai's eyes. After a few exchanges, Meng Huai trapped her arm with just one hand, rendering her unable to move.
The girl was still struggling, exerting effort with both her left and right hands, trying desperately to break free from Meng Huai's hold, but to no avail.
Seeing the situation, Teacher Wang directly declared, "That's enough. Meng Huai wins. Who's next?"
All the second-year students had already competed. The remaining participants were all third or fourth-year students, who were not as impulsive as these two. Teacher Wang asked who would be next, but no one stepped forward for a long time.
Teacher Wang was not a teacher who would easily spare his students' feelings. He directly taunted, "What? Are you afraid to compete with the junior sister from the first year, yet you dream of representing the academy? Look at your junior brothers and sisters from the second year; they have much more courage than you."
Some students below thought: What's the use of just having courage! Aren't you still unable to turn the tables after being beaten by this junior sister? If it's going to be this embarrassing, shouldn't you think of a solution instead of rushing in directly?
After a while, a student stepped forward and said, "I'll do it, I'll compete with junior sister."
Teacher Wang recognized the person and motioned for him to come forward, while Teacher Wang himself stepped off the arena.
Seeing this person enter the arena, Hui Xingxiu's expression changed. Zheng Yiran also looked at Hui Xingxiu and patted him, "Hey, what are you spacing out for!"
"Nothing," Hui Xingxiu recovered from his dazed look, returning to his usual flippant demeanor.
Meng Huai, of course, did not notice Hui Xingxiu's change in expression. Instead, she asked, "Senior brother, how do you want to compete?"
This person was named He Jun, a classmate of Hui Xingxiu. Initially, they had a good relationship, but after losing to Hui Xiu during the selection process and failing to secure a spot, they had a falling out.
He Jun was clearly different from the previous two second-year students. He yielded the initiative to Meng Huai, saying, "Junior sister, you decide. I'm fine with anything."
Meng Huai did not hesitate and said directly, "Then let's just fight."
Using mechas would waste energy, and saving energy was saving money! Her miserly attribute kicking in, Meng Huai chose to fight directly.
He Jun nodded and said, "Alright."
He Jun could be considered quite skilled, and he fought Meng Huai for several rounds but ultimately lost. Seeing He Jun lose, Hui Xingxiu's body tensed up as he stared intently at him, fearing that his emotions would erupt in rage again like that year after a defeat.
But evidently, it didn't happen. He Jun clasped his hands in greeting towards Meng Huai and said, "I'm thoroughly convinced. Junior sister, you are indeed impressive. I wish you all the best in achieving good results!"
As he said this, though he was looking at Meng Huai, his eyes kept glancing towards Hui Xingxiu.
"Thank you."
After He Jun left the arena, Meng Huai looked at Hui Xingxiu strangely, asking with her expression, "What's going on?"
Hui Xingxiu shrugged at Meng Huai, as if to say: I don't know.
However, Hui Xingxiu understood that He Jun had come to terms with it. He would no longer take out his anger on others after losing this competition. This allowed Hui Xingxiu to breathe a sigh of relief.
It was clear that no one in the room was a match for Meng Huai. Whether they fought directly or used mechas, there was not the slightest chance of winning.
The teachers were also thoroughly convinced. As for the students, although they didn't admit it out loud, they knew in their hearts that this person was not on the same level as them; this person was far too outstanding and formidable.
Thus, Meng Huai, deservedly, became the one to represent the academy in the competition.
Although not many people witnessed this competition, someone somehow leaked the day's events, and the forum became abuzz with a commotion caused by Meng Huai.