I Won't Fight Her!

An open-format competition?

A perfect score?

Xu Yuan's expression shifted. He immediately grasped the key point.

He wasn't afraid of any of that.

He just hadn't expected an eight-school joint exam for high school seniors to carry so much weight!

It could even affect the nightmare-level challenge ahead!

But something was strange. The last monthly exam had only involved driving rat demons away from crops.

How could something like that determine whether he lived or died?

Something didn't add up.

Xu Yuan looked up.

The principal was emerging from the administration building with a group of people.

They were admissions officers from various universities.

Perhaps...

This eight-school joint exam would be different?

Seen from that angle...

After all, the universities had all sent people to watch this monthly exam.

If a top university took an interest in him and offered him direct admission—

The "human-trafficking ring" and "assassin organization" awaiting him in two days probably wouldn't appear at all.

Because they couldn't face the wrath of the Nine Luminaries or Luofu!

If anything happened to a prospect chosen by either university—or sect—they would investigate to the bitter end!

So that was the point of getting a perfect score?

To draw attention and become the strongest one there!

Xu Yuan felt as though he had suddenly pieced everything together. His heart grew clear.

There was nothing more to say.

From here on...

He just had to give it everything he had!

At the same time...

Elsewhere...

In a corner of the sports field...

Jiang Xueyao had returned at some point.

"Xueyao, I found Li Tao from Class Three. He's good at artifact refining and arrays."

Song Huaijin stood beside them and made the introduction.

Li Tao greeted Jiang Xueyao nervously.

"Hello, Jiang Xueyao."

Jiang Xueyao asked, "You're the one who found Xu Yuan's love letter?"

"Yes," Li Tao said.

"If Song Huaijin says you're good, then you must be," Jiang Xueyao said with a nod.

Song Huaijin and Li Tao exchanged delighted looks.

Jiang Xueyao was the strongest fighter in the school.

With her on their team, they were sure to score well in the team round.

But then Jiang Xueyao changed tack.

"Let's warm up."

"Take one strike from me so I can see what you're capable of. Don't worry, we're only testing moves. Song Huaijin, help him block my sword."

"All right," Li Tao said.

"Ah, sure," Song Huaijin said too.

The team round was about to begin.

They really did need to warm up.

"Then I'll draw my sword," Jiang Xueyao said.

Seeing how tense they were, she suddenly smiled and said to Song Huaijin,

"No need to be nervous. I'll only make one horizontal slash. Just block it."

"All right," Song Huaijin said, understanding.

"Here I come," Jiang Xueyao said.

"Please," Li Tao said, raising a hand and taking a defensive stance.

To warm up and fight alongside the school beauty Jiang Xueyao—it was like a dream!

Jiang Xueyao's slender fingers settled on the hilt. Then they tightened, and she drew the sword.

Clang!

The sword came out like fire.

Explosive flames clung to its blade, tracing the arc of a falling star through the air.

Boom—

The slash sent both figures flying into a wall over ten meters away.

Killing intent radiated from Jiang Xueyao as she pursued them, sword in hand.

Two figures rushed over and shouted in unison,

"Stop!"

They were two teachers maintaining order.

Only then did Jiang Xueyao halt. She said softly,

"Teachers, we're warming up before the competition. Why are you stopping me?"

The two teachers looked behind her.

Li Tao lay on the ground, charred black and unconscious.

Song Huaijin propped himself up with his sword. Both arms were covered in wounds, and his whole body shook.

You call that a warm-up?

Song Huaijin looked at Jiang Xueyao. Her hand rested on her sword hilt, as if she might strike again at any moment.

"Huaijin, how could you fail to block even one move from me? How could you be my teammate?"

Disappointment was written all over Jiang Xueyao's face.

"I..." Song Huaijin gritted his teeth, unable to speak.

"Oh, right. I fought Xu Yuan. Neither of us could gain the upper hand within thirty moves."

"You're so far beneath him. What gave you the confidence to call him weak?"

Jiang Xueyao asked in an innocent tone.

"That had nothing to do with me. Li Tao said it," Song Huaijin protested.

"You certainly know how to pick friends. Did you choose someone even weaker than you to make yourself look good?" Jiang Xueyao asked coolly.

For a moment, Song Huaijin had no idea what to say.

Jiang Xueyao was clearly angry!

But faced with her overwhelming strength, he couldn't even defend himself.

He hadn't blocked a single strike!

What was there to say?

That her sword was too powerful?

For a cultivator, a powerful sword or Magic Treasure they carried was part of their strength.

Everyone accepted that.

"Were you really warming up just now?" one teacher asked sternly.

Song Huaijin jerked his head up and looked at Jiang Xueyao.

She had already said it was a warm-up.

Now they were asking him.

Depending on how this went, the consequences could be minor or severe. As long as it wasn't deemed deliberate, incidents like this usually passed without trouble.

But if it was ruled intentional injury—

There would be severe penalties, and some students might even be expelled.

Expulsion meant his character had been judged utterly unfit.

No university would accept him.

He wouldn't even have a chance to repeat the year.

He would spend the rest of his life as an ordinary civilian.

Song Huaijin said solemnly, "Xueyao, go bring Yang Xiaobing back. Then we'll need another student of comparable strength."

The two teachers had seen plenty of situations like this. They stood aside and waited for the outcome.

Generally speaking...

After an incident, one side would state their conditions.

Song Huaijin, for example, had directly demanded that she "bring Yang Xiaobing back and find another strong student for the team."

If she agreed, he would declare it "an accident during the warm-up."

Then the matter would be settled.

The teachers didn't want it to escalate either.

With so many university representatives on campus today, any trouble would make the school look bad.

"Go on. I'll make sure Li Tao sees reason when he wakes up. Leave this side to me,"

Song Huaijin said.

At last, Jiang Xueyao nodded.

"That's more like it," Song Huaijin said with a smile.

"You've misunderstood," Jiang Xueyao said. "I was just glad that what happened with Yang Xiaobing and Xu Yuan let me see your true colors sooner."

"Don't come looking for me again."

"Otherwise, I'll cripple you. You'll spend your whole life as an ordinary person, never able to reach Path Entry, Song Huaijin."

With that, Jiang Xueyao turned and left without giving him another glance.

She walked toward the other side of the sports field.

That was where the students without teams stood.

They were waiting to be assigned groups at random.

Watching her retreating figure and remembering the sensational fight in the teaching building, Song Huaijin suddenly realized something.

Was it that love letter?

So she really found out?

But I did it to make the team stronger!

"Teachers, Jiang Xueyao may be an outstanding cultivator, but she attacked us deliberately," Song Huaijin promptly told them.

One teacher said gently, "Song Huaijin, today's monthly exam is especially important, so a Surveillance Array has been set up on the sports field. Are you sure Jiang Xueyao didn't mention 'warming up' before she attacked you and Li Tao?"

Before he could finish...

Several students standing nearby jumped forward.

"Teacher, we saw it! They really were warming up!"

"I even recorded it!"

One of them held up his phone and played the video of Jiang Xueyao inviting the two of them to warm up.

Both teachers breathed a sigh of relief.

"So it was a warm-up after all."

"That's good."

"Stretcher. Take them to the infirmary."

"Make a note: two students are unable to participate in this monthly exam due to injury."

The teachers spoke among themselves as they wrote in a notebook.

Li Tao was promptly lifted onto a stretcher and carried away.

Song Huaijin stared wide-eyed at the two teachers. His mouth opened, but no words came out.

It was over.

This monthly exam was critically important, and he had ruined his chance!

And that wasn't all.

His relationship with Jiang Xueyao was over too.

He was helped onto a stretcher and quickly carried off the sports field.

Meanwhile...

Near the middle of the sports field...

Yang Xiaobing, Xu Yuan, and Zhao Afei had formed a team and were discussing who else to recruit.

Then the crackle of erupting flames came from the edge of the field.

With one sword strike, Jiang Xueyao had knocked Song Huaijin and Li Tao out of the exam.

"That's her business. Nothing to see."

Yang Xiaobing knew what had happened and deliberately covered for Jiang Xueyao.

—She was also worried that Xu Yuan would do something rash if he learned the truth.

Senior year was a crucial time. He couldn't afford a single misstep.

The matter of the love letter was already behind them.

"She's got quite a temper."

Xu Yuan muttered under his breath.

"She does not. She thought Song Huaijin was her friend, but he lied to her about something and nearly caused serious consequences. Of course she was angry," Yang Xiaobing said, standing up for her best friend.

"All right. Put that way, I'm surprised she went so easy on him," Xu Yuan said.

Zhao Afei stood to one side, eyes round as saucers, his mouth clamped shut. He didn't say a word.

I don't know what happened, but this is obviously gossip about Jiang Xueyao!

A moving tale of deceit and betrayal!

I have to listen carefully!

I can't miss a single word.

"We still need to find one more classmate," Xu Yuan said.

"Right. Do you have anyone in mind?" Yang Xiaobing asked.

"I think Jiang Xueyao would work," Xu Yuan said.

The top-ranked girl in their year.

If they could persuade her to join their team battle, so much the better.

This exam is important to me!

Yang Xiaobing froze for a moment, then clapped her hands.

"That's right! She doesn't have a team now. I'll go ask her!"

She ran over at once.

Before long, she ran back, biting her lip. "She won't join our team. She says their last fight didn't satisfy her, and she wants to fight you again during the exam."

"Tell her that if she doesn't join my team, I'll never fight her again. Every time I see her, I'll run."

Xu Yuan spoke with firm resolve.