Once both sides were ready, the referee stepped onto the platform. After signaling for them to prepare for battle, he waved his hand and announced the start of the match.
After using Martial Soul Possession, Qi Dongsheng folded his arms across his chest. Rather than taking the initiative, he waited confidently for Xiao Wu to attack.
In his eyes, Xiao Wu was just a girl. How powerful could her attacks be? Even defending and counterattacking would be enough for him to defeat her.
Unfortunately, his judgment was completely wrong. That single careless moment at the start had already spelled the end of the match.
With a leap, Xiao Wu shot into the air, right into Qi Dongsheng's blind spot.
Before he could locate her, Xiao Wu swooped down from above, clamped her legs around his head, then flipped him headfirst, driving the top of his head into the platform's floor.
The sequence flowed like drifting clouds and running water, utterly seamless! Hand-to-hand combat was precisely where Xiao Wu excelled most.
The entire battle, from the referee announcing its start to Qi Dongsheng losing consciousness, took less than three seconds! Many people had merely turned their heads, only to find the match already over when they looked back.
That included the referee, who was utterly dumbfounded. He had only just announced the start and picked up a cup of water without taking a single sip, yet it was already over?
"Th-the match is over! Contestant Xiao Wu wins!" However shocked he was, the referee still announced Xiao Wu's victory, making her jump for joy.
"Yay! Great, I won!" The delighted Xiao Wu sprang straight off the platform and into Qi Ling's arms. "Brother Qi, remember, you have to treat me to something tasty!"
"All right, all right. When have I ever gone back on a promise to you?" Qi Ling said helplessly as he put Xiao Wu down.
Just then, the Great Soul Arena's announcement system suddenly broadcast news of the next match. "The next match will be Bronze Soul Fighter Qi Ling versus Silver Soul Fighter Zhang Lei! Both contestants, please prepare!"
Qi Ling was not at all surprised by this matchup. After all, his level-thirty Soul Power already placed him at the pinnacle of Soul Grandmasters, so naturally he would be assigned a stronger opponent.
Coupled with what Flender had said earlier, Qi Ling had reason to believe this was his doing. Taking advantage of the Four-Eyed Cat Owl was no easy feat.
"Huh? Isn't this Zhang Lei the one Zhu Zhuqing fought yesterday?" Oscar said, and everyone looked at Zhu Zhuqing.
Zhu Zhuqing showed little reaction. Instead, she looked at Qi Ling, conveying something through her eyes that only the two of them understood.
"All right, all right, I get it!" Qi Ling said as he headed toward the preparation area. "Don't worry, there won't be any injuries!"
Everyone thought Qi Ling meant that he would not get hurt, but only Zhu Zhuqing knew he meant he would not let Zhang Lei get hurt.
How exactly would Qi Ling defeat his opponent without hurting him? Zhu Zhuqing could not help growing curious.
Just as Qi Ling headed to the waiting room to prepare, Oscar suddenly cried out, "Ah! Right! There's still some time before Boss Qi goes on. Everyone, should we take this chance to make some money?"
"Make some money? You mean..." Tang San said.
"Exactly! That's it! We can bet on Qi Ling winning. Isn't that guaranteed money?" Oscar said excitedly.
Before a match began, bets could be placed on its outcome. Although Qi Ling was strong, this was his first appearance, after all, and no one thought he would win.
Precisely because of this, most people had bet on Zhang Lei. Very few chose Qi Ling, so his odds were frighteningly high.
Of course, it was not as though no one had chosen him. Everyone from Shrek Academy took out everything they had and bet on Qi Ling winning.
"Hahaha! We're going to make a huge windfall this time! We'll have to thank Boss Qi properly!" As soon as Oscar placed his bet, he began imagining what things would be like after he won the money.
Seeing that they were all children, the staff member handling the bets could not bear it and said, "Hey, you lot. This Qi Ling's odds really are high, but this is his first appearance! Are you sure he can win?"
"Of course!" Tang San said with a smile. "I can't even imagine what my big brother losing would look like."
The others all agreed. Even Zhao Wuji had suffered at Qi Ling's hands. Could any Soul Grandmaster possibly get the better of him?
"Hmm? What are you lot doing here?" Just then, Flender suddenly appeared behind them.
"Ah, Dean! Boss Qi's about to fight, so we're placing bets!" Oscar said. "Headmaster, want to place a few too? Guaranteed profit, no losses!"
Hearing this, Flender immediately said angrily, "Hmph! So young, yet instead of striving to improve, you're resorting to these opportunistic tricks... Well, um, miss, place a few bets for me too!"
Flender had previously forbidden them from gambling because nine gambles out of ten ended in losses. Without a guaranteed winning bet, no one could claim they would win for certain.
But now that heaven had placed a guaranteed win before him, failing to treasure it would be squandering heaven's gifts.
At that moment, Qi Ling had no idea he had already become a shortcut to riches. Had he known, he might have regretted not placing a few bets himself.
After a brief wait in the waiting room, Qi Ling headed toward the platform, where Zhang Lei was already waiting for him.
Watching Qi Ling slowly step onto the platform, Zhang Lei could not help laughing. "Hmph! I never thought my opponent today would actually be you! This couldn't be better. I'll show you that my Blood Handprint isn't so easy to deal with!"
Qi Ling smiled nonchalantly. "Sure. I happened to want to play with you a little too."
Seeing that both contestants had arrived, the referee immediately began introducing them.
When he introduced Zhang Lei, the previously subdued stands suddenly erupted into enthusiastic cheers, as though welcoming a celebrity.
This was because Zhang Lei had accumulated considerable popularity through his winning streak over the past few days! These people had made plenty of money betting on his victories, so naturally they would cheer him on.
Amid the deafening cheers, Zhang Lei smugly told Qi Ling, "See that? That's the difference between you and me! Once I finish you off, the cheers for me will be even louder!"
"I'll show you right away that even though we're both level thirty, you can't lump everyone's physiques together!" Zhang Lei said as he loosened up his body.
"Once, in a state of extreme rage, I dodged every attack from a Soul Elder and made him surrender with a single palm strike! You're nothing to me!"
"Ah, really? Then you're pretty impressive," Qi Ling said helplessly. "Want to throw in a sliding tackle too?"
"What?"
"Nothing. Wrong channel," Qi Ling said. "All right, let's hurry up and start the match."