Half a month later, at Shrek Academy.
Dai Mubai stepped through the academy gates. He had barely taken his hand off his arm when blood seeped through his sleeve again.
"Don't move." Jiangzhu hurriedly raised her Healing Scepter. Green light fell over the wound, and the tight furrow in his brow finally eased.
Yu Tianheng walked beside them, his right arm still raised. In their final head-on clash in the arena, he had knocked his opponent out, but the impact had left half his arm numb.
They had won this match, at least.
But when the two of them exchanged a glance, neither could smile.
Ever since their crushing defeat on opening day, Shrek Academy had barely had a moment's peace. At first, too many of them were injured to field a team that could fight, and they had lost points for nothing.
Later, as everyone recovered, they had to learn to fight together again. Without Tang San directing them from the center, they now had to use their own bodies to cover the positions his Blue Silver Grass once could.
Only through their strength and the rest of the team's grim determination had Shrek Academy barely kept its hopes of advancing alive.
While they waited for matches, people still joked about their opening-day defeat.
Several times, Ma Hongjun had been so angry he wanted to confront them, but Dai Mubai dragged him back. They could not even be sure they would win their next match. How could they afford to pick fights?
Flender studied the latest copy of the standings twice, turning it over and back. At last, he sighed. "Go back and rest for now. We'll discuss tomorrow's arrangements later."
Dai Mubai did not head for the dormitory. Instead, he looked the other way and saw that Tang