The moment the cheers died away.
Zhou Ling's expression changed.
He had committed fully to that step, and his left leg had already blocked off the angle.
He'd expected Xiao Wu to retreat and let him drive her all the way to the edge.
But now, Xiao Wu hadn't retreated. Instead, she slipped past his right side.
Too close.
Too fast.
Zhou Ling could even smell the faint scent of soapwort in her hair.
"Trying to run?"
He barked, twisting his waist and sweeping his right arm across.
The blow came hard.
The air gave a dull thud as his arm cut through it.
Xiao Wu didn't get greedy.
She tapped her toes against the ground and drifted half a foot backward, barely dodging the strike.
Zhou Ling's blow missed. He immediately pressed forward.
His right foot dug into the sand.
His left shoulder drove in.
His rhythm hadn't faltered at all.
The crowd in the stands on Suotuo City's side immediately erupted again.
"Zhou Ling hasn't lost his rhythm!"
"She dodged once, but she won't dodge a second time!"
"The strength difference is way too great. If he touches her, she's done for!"
Xiao Wu didn't even look at them.
Her eyes were fixed on Zhou Ling's shoulder and feet.
Su Chen had told her from below the platform:
Don't watch the fists.
Watch the shoulders.
Once the shoulder line moved, the force that followed couldn't be hidden.
Zhou Ling pressed forward another step.
Xiao Wu suddenly cut diagonally to the right.
Zhou Ling sneered and immediately brought his left leg around to block her.
But just as he shifted to intercept, Xiao Wu twisted her foot again.
Her whole body seemed to fold back against the sand.
A feint.
The second layer.
Zhou Ling's eyes darkened.
This time, he really was thrown off.
Half his weight had already shifted forward, and he couldn't pull it back in time.
Xiao Wu seized that half-beat and cut straight into his inner line.
Zhou Ling's heart tightened.
She was in close.
He hated opponents who were fast at close range and refused to meet him head-on.
"Get away!"
Zhou Ling barked and brought his elbow crashing down.
Xiao Wu didn't block it head-on.
She tucked in her shoulder and slipped beneath his elbow. Her right hand guided Zhou Ling's forearm aside, while her left foot had already stepped between his legs.
Borrowing his force.
Close to his waist.
Twisting her body.
She had practiced this sequence countless times at the Training Ground.
Thud.
Zhou Ling's tall body was pulled off balance.
But he didn't fall.
He was level twenty-eight, after all. His foundation was solid.
He sank his weight and forcibly held against that first throw.
The stands on Suotuo City's side erupted at once.
"I told you she couldn't throw him!"
"The strength difference is way too great!"
"Once Zhou Ling gets his footing, she's done for!"
Below the platform.
Shen Zhi stared at the fight, his breathing visibly tense.
"The first throw didn't work."
"She has to pull back."
Su Chen watched Xiao Wu on the platform and said nothing.
But the fingertips resting on the railing tapped once, lightly.
On the fighting platform.
Xiao Wu seemed to hear that rhythm instinctively.
She didn't press the attack.
The instant the first throw failed, she was already retreating.
A savage glint flashed in Zhou Ling's eyes.
"Now you want to run?"
He finally found his opening. His Second Soul Ring suddenly lit up.
A thick, earthy yellow glow instantly enveloped his right arm and shoulder.
He charged at Xiao Wu like a true Ferocious Beast breaking free.
This wasn't a test.
He meant to crush her in a single attack.
He was faster than before.
And his strength was heavier, too.
The Black Stone at the edge of the fighting platform boomed beneath his steps.
Xiao Wu's breathing hitched.
She could feel it: she couldn't let that attack touch her.
If it did, she'd lose her rhythm.
She shifted her feet and slid sideways.
Zhou Ling stayed on her heels.
Pressing forward again.
Driving her back again.
Step after step.
It was obvious he wanted to pin her at the edge.
The cheers from the stands grew louder and louder.
"That's it! Keep pressing!"
"Don't let her circle around you!"
"Just ram her off!"
Xiao Wu had retreated to within three steps of the platform's edge.
Any farther back, and she'd be out of bounds.
At last, Zhou Ling's lips curled into a smile.
"It's over."
He lowered his right shoulder and drove forward with all his strength.
At that very instant.
Xiao Wu's eyes suddenly changed.
She stopped retreating.
Instead, she stepped halfway forward, straight into Zhou Ling's advance.
The stands fell silent in astonishment.
Zhou Ling himself froze for a moment.
He hadn't expected Xiao Wu to charge in from this position.
It was far too dangerous.
And far too strange.
But that very strangeness threw off the line of his shoulders first.
That was exactly what Xiao Wu had been waiting for.
She lowered her body, and, like a soft whip pulled taut to its limit, she wrapped herself around the side of Zhou Ling's waist, following the path of his charge.
Her left leg hooked behind his knee.
Her right shoulder drove against his hip.
Her hands pulled and twisted.
"Down you go!"
Her voice wasn't loud.
Her movements were fierce.
Zhou Ling's charge was already powerful, and she borrowed every bit of it.
Thud!
His entire body was lifted half an inch off the ground.
The next second, Zhou Ling's tall body slammed sideways across the platform.
Sand and gravel burst into the air.
So did the crowd's voices.
Zhou Ling rolled twice, then slid all the way to the edge of the platform. He braced himself with his right hand and nearly managed to steady himself.
But Xiao Wu gave him no chance.
She was already after him.
Fast.
Far too fast.
Her Scorpion Braid swung behind her in a clean arc.
Zhou Ling had just lifted his head when Xiao Wu tapped his bracing wrist with her foot.
His hand went numb.
His stance immediately crumbled.
Xiao Wu used that brief point of support to flip into the air, then wrapped both legs around his shoulders and neck.
Soft Technique: Lock.
Zhou Ling's expression finally changed.
"Get off!"
He snarled and reached to tear Xiao Wu's legs away.
But Xiao Wu gave him no opening to exert his strength. She bent at the waist, then drove her legs forward. Her whole body became a lock twisted tight.
Twist.
Pull.
Throw!
Boom!
Xiao Wu dragged Zhou Ling bodily off the edge of the platform.
The entire arena fell silent as his body crashed to the ground below.
One breath.
Two breaths.
The Chief Instructor snapped back to his senses. He hurried to the edge of the platform, glanced at where Zhou Ling had landed, then looked at Xiao Wu, still standing steadily on the platform.
"Zhou Ling is out of bounds!"
"Winner of the first match: Xiao Wu!"
As soon as the words fell.
The entire Soul Fighting Training Ground seemed to have been pierced by something.
The people on Suotuo City's side fell into dead silence.
Right after that, the Nuoding Academy students who had come along shouted themselves hoarse.
"She won!"
"Sister Xiao Wu won!"
"He's been thrown out! She really threw him out!"
At the back of the crowd, Wang Sheng's face flushed with excitement as he clapped furiously.
"I told you Sister Xiao Wu could do it!"
Shen Zhi stood rooted to the spot, staring at Xiao Wu on the platform. For a long while, he said nothing.
She'd won too cleanly.
It wasn't luck.
It wasn't a mistake.
She had dismantled Zhou Ling's best rhythm head-on, then thrown him out of the ring in front of everyone.
On the platform,
Xiao Wu was breathing hard.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
Damp wisps of hair clung to her cheeks, and beads of sweat slid down her jaw.
But her eyes shone brilliantly.
She glanced at the Chief Instructor first, making sure she'd really won, then whipped around to look down at the crowd.
Her eyes found Su Chen immediately.
He stood right at the front.
He didn't clap.
He didn't shout.
He just looked at her and lifted his chin.
It was a small gesture.
But Xiao Wu lit up as if he'd struck a spark.
She couldn't hold back the smile tugging at her lips.
She'd won.
She'd really won.
And in front of all these people, she'd thoroughly thrashed that foul-mouthed Zhou Ling.
Zhou Ling had climbed back up from the ground by then.
His hair was a mess, the corner of his mouth was scraped, and his face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.
He glared at Xiao Wu on the platform.
"I haven't lost."
The Chief Instructor frowned.
"You've already gone out of bounds."
"She cheated—"
"You'd better think carefully before you say that."
Su Chen finally spoke.
Standing below the platform, he didn't raise his voice, yet cut Zhou Ling off cold.
Zhou Ling whipped around to look at him.
Su Chen's expression was calm.
"You made the ring rules yourself."
"You agreed yourself that going out of bounds meant a loss."
"Now that you've lost, you want to weasel out of it?"
Quite a few Suotuo City students in the stands looked uncomfortable.
They'd watched the whole match.
They'd seen exactly how Xiao Wu went in, feinted, used his force, and led Zhou Ling out of the ring.
There'd been nothing underhanded about it.
And nothing questionable.
Zhou Ling's chest heaved even harder.
It wasn't that he couldn't accept losing.
He'd simply never imagined he'd lose to a Work-Study Student from Nuoding City.
And in front of all these people, no less—thrown out of the ring in the most humiliating way possible.
Xiao Wu stood on the platform, looking down at him.
"Back in the waiting area, weren't you so good at running your mouth?"
"Why'd you go quiet now?"
The muscles in Zhou Ling's face tightened.
Xiao Wu wiped the sweat from her brow, then added, "Oh, right. What was it you said earlier?"
"You'd make sure I had a dignified exit?"
She gave a soft snort.
"Doesn't look like you've got much dignity left for yourself."
At that, the Nuoding Academy crowd burst into laughter.
The Suotuo City crowd looked even darker.
Zhou Ling clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He clearly wanted to charge back in.
But the Chief Instructor had already raised a hand to stop him.
"Get down."
"You've already lost."
Zhou Ling glared at Xiao Wu on the platform. Only after a long moment did he force himself to swallow his anger.
He turned and walked away.
But after just two steps, he stopped.
"Xiao Wu."
He didn't turn around, and his voice was low.
"You may have won this match, but it's not over."
Xiao Wu shot back at once.
"If you can't accept it, go back and practice running your mouth."
"Or practice not getting thrown out of the ring."
Zhou Ling's shoulders stiffened, but in the end, he strode away.
Watching him leave the ring, Xiao Wu finally felt the knot of anger inside her loosen.
Only then did she hop down from the platform.
Her legs felt a little weak when she landed.
The high-intensity changes of direction and two bursts of Soft Technique had taken more out of her than she'd expected.
She staggered.
Su Chen was already reaching out to steady her.
He didn't catch her in his arms.
He simply held her elbow, firm and sure, and helped her regain her balance.
"Not bad, Sister Xiao Wu."
Su Chen looked at her.
"You really won."
Xiao Wu was still panting, but at his words, her eyes immediately curved into a smile.
"Of course."
"I said I'd beat him myself."
As soon as she finished speaking, she seemed to remember something and quickly looked up.
"You won't go back on what you promised me earlier, will you?"
Su Chen looked at the sweat-dampened hair across her forehead.
"I won't."
"Have you decided what you want?"
Xiao Wu opened her mouth.
She'd had a whole list of things to say, but when the words reached her lips, she suddenly got stuck.
She really had thought of several things.
Like making Su Chen bring her delicious food every day from now on.
Like having him keep training her one-on-one.
And maybe...
The tips of her ears slowly warmed.
In the end, all she managed was, "I still need to think about it."
Su Chen smiled.
"Sure."
"We'll put it on your tab for now."
Xiao Wu snorted, though the corners of her mouth rose even higher.
Shen Zhi walked over just then.
He looked at Xiao Wu, then turned to Su Chen.
"Suotuo City can't dispute this match."
"But precisely because you won so decisively, the next one won't be easy."
Su Chen looked up.
"What do you mean?"
Before Shen Zhi could answer,
a louder commotion suddenly rose from the other side of the stands.
The crowd parted of its own accord, opening a path.
A tall young woman in a black outfit stepped out from the end of the passage.
Her hair was tied high, and she carried a long, slender iron spear. She walked unhurriedly, the spear tip dragging across the ground with a harsh scraping sound.
She didn't look at anyone else.
She looked only at Su Chen.
"Zhou Ling's useless."
"I'll take the next match."
Before you continue