A Race Against the Deliveryman

A match with such a massive disparity in shock value naturally began to ferment throughout the academy.

Xu Sanshi was, after all, one of the Twin Stars of the Outer Courtyard, so he naturally commanded quite a bit of attention.

"Did you hear? Senior Tang Ya and Senior Xu Sanshi are going to have a duel, and there are even bets involved—it's even escalated to medicinal pills."

"Is that for real? Are you sure it's Tang Ya and not Bei Bei? Their power levels were vastly different before."

"How could I mishear that? The Duel Arena has already put up the signs. Since it's a wager, there's a preparation period, and they're still advertising it now."

Bei Bei, who was passing by, paused his steps as he prepared to leave.

"Ah, excuse me, Junior, is what you said true?"

The person being asked froze for a moment, sighed helplessly, and turned his head to speak, only for his expression to change drastically when he saw it was Bei Bei.

"Of course! I have no reason to lie. Hello, Senior Bei Bei."

"Hehe, no need to be nervous. Continue with what you were saying—what happened to Tang Ya?"

"Well, there's a rumor that Senior Tang Ya went to the Freshman Dormitory to find a junior, and even entered a room. She even took a bath when she came out."

Although he didn't believe Tang Ya was that kind of person, Bei Bei felt something was strange after hearing this, his expression shifting repeatedly.

"Alright, thank you, Junior."

Bei Bei naturally wouldn't vent his anger on others; he waved his hand to let the nervous man leave, ultimately deciding to go see for himself what was going on and why it had escalated to the Duel Arena.

Furthermore, what was that rumor? While it might have been exaggerated, it couldn't have come from nowhere. It was highly likely she had actually been in contact with a male, but Tang Ya had no male friends other than him.

Carrying this doubt, Bei Bei walked in the direction of the Duel Arena.

On the other side.

The girls' dormitory.

"Sister Nannan, Sister Nannan, Sister Tang Ya is going to fight that sycophant Xu Sanshi, and she even wagered something."

Someone ran in, quickly relaying the information she had gathered outside to Jiang Nannan.

"What?"

Hearing that her good friend was being bullied by Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan's expression changed drastically.

"Yes, that's right. The person teaming up with Sister Tang Ya is a newly enrolled junior, not Bei Bei. They were even holding hands; their relationship seems very intimate."

Hearing this, the agitated Jiang Nannan calmed down slightly and asked coolly.

"Did you find out what that person's name is?"

"No."

"Then why are you telling me this? Let's hurry to the Duel Arena! If we're late, Ya Ya is going to be bullied!"

Jiang Nannan rolled her eyes helplessly, jumped off the bed in a flash, and ran out the door.

"Hey, Sister Nannan, wait for me!"

The two in the lounge had no idea what was happening outside.

Chu Mo was massaging Xiao Lv, coaxing the creature; after all, it was easy to get dirty when fighting, so it naturally needed some comfort.

"Keep it up, Xiao Lv. When we go up there, just use a mental attack directly. He only has strong physical defenses; his mental defense is zero."

Tang Ya also leaned in proactively. With Chu Mo's reassurance, she wasn't nervous, just a bit curious.

"Xiao Mo just said that Xiao Lv can perform mental attacks, but how does it attack? It doesn't look like it has any lethality."

Tang Ya raised her small hand, wanting to touch it, but Xiao Lv dodged. Her mouth twitched, feeling a bit awkward.

"Well, Xiao Lv can transform based on the soul beast soul ring it absorbs. It can attack, and it can also provide support. Besides, it doesn't like being touched by others."

Chu Mo withdrew his hand, hugging Xiao Lv as he explained softly to Tang Ya.

"Uh~ alright. What do I need to do when we get on stage?"

Tang Ya raised her hand, but ultimately put it down without touching it. Since Xiao Lv didn't like it, she wouldn't force it, choosing instead to ask what to do next.

"I'll have Xiao Lv do this and that, and then you do that and this..."

Another half hour of rest passed. The bell signaling the start of the match finally rang. The referee in charge of observation also used soul power to project his voice.

"The match begins. Both sides, enter the arena."

Whether it was because of Xu Sanshi, one of the Twin Stars, or because of the gossip, the arena was basically packed with spectators.

"So many people."

Chu Mo exclaimed in surprise.

He caught sight of Wang Dong'er and Huo Yu'er, who were jumping up and down, cheering him on.

"Not used to it?"

Tang Ya saw them too, turned her head, waved casually, and asked with a smile.

"I don't really like crowds."

"You'll get used to it once you're accustomed to it."

Xu Sanshi approached with a look of contempt, speaking to Chu Mo in a casual tone.

"Heh, you didn't run away. I suppose I underestimated you. I'll go easy on you in a moment."

"Boring."

As for pre-match trash talk, there was no way Chu Mo would take it to heart. He rolled his eyes, too lazy to pay the other party any mind.

Both sides stood in the center. The referee in charge also stood to the side.

"Friendship first, competition second. The wager is the wager, but you must not take anyone's life. I will intervene at critical moments, but my intervention means the person being saved has lost."

After stating the rules, the referee leaped backward and jumped off the arena.

"Both sides, prepare. Summon your martial souls and display your spirit rings."

"Ha!"

Xu Sanshi let out a cold snort as spirit rings rose from his body—two yellow and one purple. He summoned his Mystic Tortoise martial soul, and a shield appeared in his hand.

Spirit rings also lit up on Chu Mo and Tang Ya, both sets being two yellow and one purple.

"Begin!"

As the referee's voice fell, Chu Mo's eyes narrowed. The purple spirit ring on Xiao Lv lit up, and its round body slowly grew larger, turning the originally green domain into a shade of purple.

An aura of shadows filled the arena, and the figures of Chu Mo and Tang Ya were obscured by black-purple smoke.

"Shadow Escape? Is this the confidence you have to challenge me?"

Xu Sanshi's expression changed slightly upon seeing this. Two purple spirit rings on his body lit up rapidly as he prepared to defend.

Seeing the opponent just standing in place to defend, Chu Mo instantly lost interest. He had thought the other party would have more combat experience and be able to provide him with some fun.

"Tch, boring. Ya'er, follow the plan. I'll use a mental attack to control him, then you strike!"

"Got it!"

"Mental Attack!"

Xiao Lv's round body slowly transformed into a butterfly. Its wings fluttered slightly, and a white light emerged from the shadow domain, striking the stationary Xu Sanshi directly!

A wave of dizziness flooded Xu Sanshi's brain!

Following the agreed-upon plan, Tang Ya's Blue Silver Grass also moved, emerging from the purple-black domain.

"Bind."

"Parasite."

Swish!

Recalling the other party's mockery, Tang Ya vented all the anger in her heart onto him. While executing her movement technique, golden Dragon Whisker Needles appeared in her hands.

"Eek!"

The pain snapped Xu Sanshi out of his mentally affected state immediately.

His expression twisted into a knot, and he quickly sucked in a cold breath.

"Hiss~"

"Damn, you're really playing with Dragon Whisker Needles, aren't you?"

His purple spirit ring lit up once more, and the muscles on Xu Sanshi's body surged. The Blue Silver Grass wrapped around him began to tighten, showing signs of cracking.

Hiding within the domain, Chu Mo saw the opponent trying to resist and commanded Xiao Lv again.

"Mental Attack."

Buzz, buzz, buzz!!!!

"Damn it, not again!"