The sports field fell deathly silent.
The students watching stared at the two figures in the center of the field, one kneeling and one standing, not daring to breathe.
Dai Mubai was still maintaining his White Tiger Vajra Transformation, but the golden-white fur had begun to fade. It was a sign that his Soul Power was nearly spent. His knee rested on the shattered flagstones, his tiger claws braced against the ground, and his whole body trembled slightly.
Not from fear. From rage.
He, Dai Mubai, was of the Star Luo Imperial Family, a level 68 Soul Emperor with a White Tiger Martial Soul. He was someone who could throw his weight around anywhere in the entire Spirit Academy.
Today, a girl six levels below him had beaten him so badly he couldn't even touch her with a finger.
With the whole school watching, he'd humiliated himself beyond belief.
"I'll ask you one more time." Zhu Zhuqing's voice carried over. "Do you admit defeat? You have three seconds to think about it."
A low growl rumbled in Dai Mubai's throat, his tiger fangs grinding together.
He wanted to get up and keep fighting.
But reason told him it was useless. The gap in speed was too great. He couldn't hit her. If he continued, he'd only make himself look worse.
Ma Hongjun stood at the edge of the field. He'd been about to shout, "Come on, Mu Bai!" But after looking at the situation, he swallowed his words.
What was the point of cheering? It wouldn't help.
Dai Mubai knelt there with his head bowed, his chest heaving.
The field remained quiet for several seconds. Then the White Tiger Vajra Transformation wore off.
The golden-white fur faded, and his swollen frame returned to normal. Dai Mubai changed from a two-meter tiger-man back into his ordinary human form, standing one meter and eighty-five centimeters tall.
He pushed himself up, then brushed the stone dust off his pants.
His left eye was swollen, a dried streak of blood marked the corner of his mouth, his ribs throbbed faintly, and his right knee bent awkwardly, leaving him with a slight limp.
Dai Mubai raised his head and looked at Zhu Zhuqing with the only eye he could still open.
"I lost."
The three words came through clenched teeth, and the sports field erupted in an instant.
"Holy crap, Dai Mubai admitted defeat?"
"Zhu Zhuqing won! She actually won!"
"Level 62 against level 68—a six-level difference!"
"Her speed was terrifying. I couldn't even see how she moved!"
The chatter rose and fell, buzzing like a swarm of bees whose hive had been kicked open.
Xiao Wu leapt up at the edge of the field, her Scorpion Braid swinging in a wide circle as the heels of her crystal high heels clattered against the stone steps several times.
"She won, she won, she won! Zhuqing, you're amazing!"
Ning Rongrong was clapping too, the hem of her blue skirt swaying gently with each movement.
Bai Chenxiang leaned out from behind Ning Rongrong, her hands clasped together and her lips pursed. She was too embarrassed to laugh out loud, but her eyes shone.
Zhu Zhuqing stood still, watching Dai Mubai admit defeat.
Her heart was actually beating much faster than she let on. From the start of the fight, she'd controlled her breathing and rhythm, careful not to let any trace of nerves show.
She'd won. She'd really won!
Just last night, Dai Mubai had had her under his thumb with one hand, and she'd been forced to swallow her anger and leave. Today, he hadn't even touched the hem of her clothes.
Zhu Zhuqing took a deep breath, suppressing the emotions roiling inside her chest.
"You remember the terms of our bet, don't you?"
Dai Mubai's expression stiffened.
The watching students fell silent at once. Everyone remembered the bet they'd made before the match.
Whoever lost had to call Zhu Zhuqing and her three roommates "Grandma."
Ma Hongjun walked over from the edge of the field, his expression a curious mix: half embarrassment on his friend's behalf, half the effort of holding back laughter until his face had turned red.
"Mu Bai... about the bet... maybe..."
"Shut up." Dai Mubai glared at him.
Xiao Wu walked over from the edge of the field, her Scorpion Braid swaying behind her. With both hands on her hips, she tapped her crystal high heels against the flagstones, their sharp clicks ringing out.
"Dai Mubai, a bet's a bet. All these people are watching. You're not going to welch, are you?"
Dai Mubai's right eye fixed on Xiao Wu, and the veins at his temple twitched twice.
Of course he wanted to welch.
But more than a hundred students had gathered around the sports field. They were all witnesses.
Dai Mubai had a name and reputation at the academy, at least. He couldn't bring himself to welch in front of everyone. If word got around, it'd be even more humiliating than calling them Grandma.
"Go on, say it. We're waiting," Xiao Wu urged.
Ning Rongrong came over too and stood beside Xiao Wu, the hem of her blue skirt lifted slightly by the breeze.
Her legs, clad in white stockings, stood close together. She still held her notebook, her expression gentle and composed, but she couldn't quite suppress the curve at the corner of her mouth.
Bai Chenxiang stood the farthest away, hiding behind Ning Rongrong with only half her face showing. Her two low ponytails fell over her chest, and she looked terribly nervous.
The four of them lined up side by side.
Zhu Zhuqing stood on the far left, her tall figure wrapped in a black leather outfit, arms crossed and face impassive. Xiao Wu stood just left of center in a pink gauzy dress and rabbit-ear hair accessories, grinning to show her little canines. Ning Rongrong stood just right of center, quiet in her blue dress, white socks, and short boots. Bai Chenxiang stood on the far right, half-hidden behind Ning Rongrong's shoulder.
Four girls of different heights and styles stood in a row on the sports field.
Looking at the four of them, Dai Mubai felt his blood pressure had reached its limit.
"Hurry up! We're waiting!" Xiao Wu urged him again.
The students around them began to join in.
"Say it!"
"A bet's a bet!"
"Louder, Young Master Dai!"
Dai Mubai took a deep breath, then another, then a third.
Then he closed his only open eye.
"...Grandma."
His voice was as quiet as a mosquito's buzz.
Xiao Wu immediately shook her head. "I can't hear you! Louder!"
The vein at Dai Mubai's temple throbbed even harder. "Grandma!"
This time, his voice was loud enough for everyone on the sports field to hear clearly.
The entire field went quiet for a second, then burst into laughter.
The laughter flooded the sports field. Some people laughed so hard they crouched on the ground; others laughed until tears streamed down their faces.
Dai Mubai, of the Star Luo Imperial Family and one of the Spirit Academy's F4, had called four girls Grandma in front of the entire student body.
If word got out, the academy would be laughing about it for a whole year.
Ma Hongjun stood nearby, biting his lip as hard as he could, but his shoulders still shook. He didn't dare laugh out loud, afraid Dai Mubai would turn around and beat him up.
Dai Mubai turned and left.
His steps were quick and heavy, his gait lopsided. With his left eye swollen and his body covered in injuries, there was nothing dashing about the way he walked.
Ma Hongjun hurried after him. "Mu Bai, wait for me!"
The two of them disappeared through the exit from the sports field.
Xiao Wu watched them go, then slapped Zhu Zhuqing on the shoulder.
"That felt great!"
At last, the corner of Zhu Zhuqing's mouth lifted.
It was a small smile, but a real one.
Ning Rongrong came up behind her and gently patted her back.
"He won't dare do it again."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded without a word, and the fist she'd been clenching slowly relaxed.
Bai Chenxiang ran over too, her two ponytails bouncing as she said softly, "Sister Zhuqing, you were amazing."
The four of them walked side by side out of the sports field. The students around them automatically parted to let them through, looking at them completely differently than before.
Some gazed at them with respect, others with envy. A few girls wore an unmistakable look of longing.
Xiao Wu walked at the front, taking long strides, her Scorpion Braid swinging from side to side as she hummed an unfamiliar tune.
They left the sports field, turned onto the path back to the dormitory, and kept walking.