A Graceful Finish, Heading to Spirit City

Shui Bing'er lay in Huo Lei's arms without resisting. She no longer had the strength to resist. Their eyes met, and though her gaze was full of disappointment, she still forced out a faint smile. "Thank you for cooperating. I still couldn't defeat you. I keep my word. Skywater Academy concedes."

Huo Lei looked at Shui Bing'er in his arms, his emotions a tangled mess. He comforted her, "You lost the match, but not in spirit, so this battle counts as a draw. You're very weak right now, so don't speak."

Huo Lei raised his head and looked at the referee beside him, lying, "Referee, this round should count as a draw, right? We've both used up all our Soul Power."

The referee knew Huo Lei still had the ability to fight, but he did not expose him. Since the competitors themselves had made such a request, there was no need to be overly particular about it.

"Please wait a moment. Based on your condition and performance, I need to submit a request to the judging panel." The referee spoke politely, then quickly headed toward Xue Ye.

"Could Shui Bing'er have discussed this with her academy beforehand? Anyone with eyes could see that her Soul Power was exhausted, yet she didn't take the initiative to concede. She kept quiet the whole time, and none of her teammates came near the arena. How strange. Could they be doing this on purpose? Forget it, it doesn't matter. I'm not losing out anyway." Huo Lei felt a trace of doubt over Skywater Academy's unusual behavior, but soon let it go.

The referee quickly returned to the arena and announced loudly, "At the competitors' request and with the judging panel's approval, the match between Blazing Fire Academy and Skywater Academy has ended in a