Zhu Zhuqing's Fighting Will

After one match, Li Yong didn't just have his clothes scorched; even his body hair had been singed off, and Ma Hongjun deserved most of the credit for the charred state of his dark skin.

On the other side, the battle continued. Although Zhu Zhuqing was on the defensive, her long-cultivated, resilient personality allowed her to remain calm while searching for an opening.

Seeing that Li Yong's three consecutive heavy hammer strikes had ended, it was the perfect moment when his old momentum had faded and his new strength had yet to arise.

Zhu Zhuqing took a swift step and darted toward Li Yong's side.

With less than a meter between them, her first Spirit Ring lit up as she moved—Nether Thrust activated!

In the blink of an eye, Zhu Zhuqing flicked her long legs and closed the distance to Li Yong!

Defense was one of the greatest strengths of a Power Attack Spirit Master. Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's sharp claws swiping toward his throat, Li Yong had no time to dodge and could only quickly retract his hammer to shield his front.

But he was still a fraction too slow, and several bloody gashes were torn into his neck by Zhu Zhuqing.

"Li Yong is too impatient. While launching a preemptive strike is correct, he shouldn't have poured all his power into those first three strikes. Facing an Agility Attack Spirit Master like this is practically digging his own grave, isn't it?"

Ma Hongjun shook his head; Li Yong had improved since last time, but not by much.

"He probably doesn't know about the Nether Civet Family. After all, he's a Spirit Master who came up through the wild."

Oscar shook his head. Although the scales of victory were currently tipping toward Zhu Zhuqing, Spirit Masters who grew up in the wild, relying solely on their own hands to fight for resources and knowledge, were born with a certain ferocity.

When faced with a disadvantage, such Spirit Masters often erupted with unprecedented power.

Just as he was speaking, Li Yong took a desperate gamble, thrusting his neck toward Zhu Zhuqing's claws. He was betting that this strike from Zhu Zhuqing wouldn't be enough to kill him.

In truth, Zhu Zhuqing could have killed him with that strike, but since this wasn't a life-or-death struggle and they had no grievances, she pulled back her cat claws the moment she attacked.

Likewise, she didn't notice that during this momentary stiffness, Li Yong's other fist slammed violently into her lower back.

"Bang!"

A loud thud and the sound of cracking bone occurred simultaneously. Zhu Zhuqing was sent flying several meters, tumbling through the air many times before she could barely control her body to land steadily, though her expression was now one of extreme pain.

She was severely injured!

"This Li Yong, has he no shame? Zhu Zhuqing clearly held back!"

Ma Hongjun's eyes were filled with flames; he wished he could jump into the ring himself and beat Li Yong until he couldn't take care of himself.

"Junior brother, just watch for now. This lesson is a good thing for Zhu Zhuqing. Taking a small loss in the Soul Fighting Arena is better than losing her life later on because of a soft heart."

Oscar's tone was calm. Although he didn't know if Zhu Zhuqing had participated in soul fights before, after their trip to the Star Dou Great Forest, he could feel that Zhu Zhuqing was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, with a deep sense of softness and innocence.

Such a personality was fine for an ordinary girl, but for a member of the Nether Civet Family who wanted to climb to the peak, it was not a good thing.

Therefore, encountering a cunning, unscrupulous, and desperate Spirit Master like Li Yong was a huge gain for Zhu Zhuqing.

It's just... Zhu Zhuqing, can you still defeat an opponent like this now?

He watched Zhu Zhuqing on the stage expectantly. Her face was pale, but she bit her lip, showing no intention of conceding.

"Zhu Zhuqing, I apologize for what happened earlier, and I will find a way to compensate you, but I must win this match. Please concede."

But Zhu Zhuqing only shook her head; this battle was still ongoing!

Li Yong felt Zhu Zhuqing's mercy, and while he felt extreme shame, he was also shocked by the girl's resilient character.

But this was the Soul Fighting Arena; he couldn't give up the victory within his grasp for that reason. He had to earn the points to advance; only then would he have a broader future.

Winning streaks were too difficult to come by. He didn't want to accept his fate. He would rather face the retaliation of those two brothers, rather risk his life—he had to win!

After her ribs were fractured, Zhu Zhuqing's speed was much slower than before, but it was still not something Li Yong could catch easily.

For a time, a strange situation of one chasing and one fleeing formed on the stage. Li Yong could feel his spirit power draining rapidly, but he couldn't stop chasing. If he stopped, Zhu Zhuqing might close the distance again.

Having experienced it once, he was certain that next time, Zhu Zhuqing would show no mercy.

He could only take advantage of his lead to chase Zhu Zhuqing, force her injuries to worsen, and end the match as quickly as possible!

Zhu Zhuqing was the same; winning a single match wasn't important to her, but she would not allow herself to give up!

Finally, nearly half an hour into the match, Zhu Zhuqing caught the opportunity when Li Yong's pace faltered as he tried to recover his stamina, and she barely managed to close in.

Her second Spirit Ring lit up instantly!

Nether Hundred Claws activated!

At this moment, Zhu Zhuqing's five fingers transformed into sharp blades, slashing toward Li Yong's throat.

She did not hold back on this strike! If she succeeded in her preemptive strike, after such a prolonged engagement, the opponent would surely perish!

Although Li Yong wanted to grab Zhu Zhuqing, the distance was too close, and she was far too agile!

His spirit skills were all focused on strengthening his hammer; in this situation, he was at a massive disadvantage!

But thinking of his impending fourth consecutive win, Li Yong gritted his teeth and fought on.

Unfortunately, having been caught in such a massive opening by Zhu Zhuqing, she would not let it go easily. Blow after blow, while not individually heavy, caused continuous damage as they danced across Li Yong's upper body.

Before long, Li Yong was covered in blood, and the large hammer in his hands swung wildly.

In this battle, both sides had pushed their abilities to the absolute limit!

And Li Yong was like a giant rat being toyed with by a cat, with no chance to turn the tables.

He only felt his body growing increasingly weak, until finally, he collapsed to the ground.

The moment he collapsed, the entire area surrounding the 14th Sub-Arena 1v1 Soul Fighting Platform fell into a deathly silence, even though they had long since guessed the outcome of this battle.

Yet, no one had expected this fight to have so many twists and turns, and at the same time, they were shocked by the tenacity of this eleven or twelve-year-old girl!

Zhu Zhuqing could no longer withstand her injuries at this moment; her body swayed as she was about to fall to the ground, but a figure swiftly darted over and swept her into his arms.

BOOM—The cheers finally erupted then; a beautiful little girl possessing such fighting spirit had already earned the respect of everyone, and for a time, applause thundered.

The host also snapped back to reality, hurried onto the competition stage, and loudly announced:

"Battle Spirit Master Zhu Zhuqing is the winner, record: one win, zero losses!"

Following the conclusion of the host's announcement, Oscar's match was also approaching; he carried Zhu Zhuqing back to the spectator stand below, placed her on a chair, and ignoring her look of refusal, he directly summoned the Grace Hymn Emerald Sausage and shoved it into her mouth.

"Rest well, I'm heading up to the stage."