"You've lost."
Chen Junting's blue sword pressed against the girl's neck, the blade cold and steady. She couldn't fight back. She barely had the strength to stand, let alone resist his killing intent.
Her teammates were already down, knocked clean out of the arena.
The match had barely lasted a minute.
Even with three Great Soul Masters, they hadn't stood a chance.
"Victory goes to Freshman Class Nine!"
The referee's voice rang out.
Chen Junting and his team turned to leave, planning to catch Ning Tian's match. But before they could step out of the ring—
"Please wait!"
Chen Junting paused, turning to see the three remaining students from Class One. He didn't recognize them, and his tone was flat, a hint of curiosity behind it.
"What is it?"
"Brother, you're from the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, right?"
The girl's voice trembled. Her hand instinctively rose to her neck, still feeling the ghost of his blade. But she forced herself to continue.
"Can you help us... help Xiao Xiao?"
Chen Junting's eyes narrowed. He'd guessed their intent immediately.
"You're not looking to join the sect?"
She shook her head quickly. "No, we have our own family ties."
Then they told him everything — how Zhou Yi, furious after Xiao Xiao's team fell short of the top 64, was threatening expulsion. And not just idle words — the threat seemed real.
Class One, though bitter, hadn't dared oppose Zhou Yi. No one wanted to risk their place at Shrek after surviving the assessment. But Xiao Xiao had led them selflessly for months. They couldn't watch her be abandoned.
Their only hope: someone powerful enough to intervene.
Chen Junting listened without interrupting. When they finished, he asked a few sharp questions — where Xiao Xiao usually went, what she cared about most — then dismissed them.
The girls didn't linger. Nervous, as if afraid Zhou Yi herself would appear, they hurried away.
"This feels like gossip," Qin Lan said quietly, frowning beneath his mask. "What teacher in their right mind would expel a top-64 student with twin martial spirits? Even Shrek wouldn't allow it."
Chen Junting's gaze drifted to the viewing platform.
"The truth is murkier than that," he said, eyes sharpening. "Zhou Yi isn't someone who follows the rules."
He turned, decisive. "Let's find Ning Tian."
—
They caught up with Ning Tian outside her match venue. She had just finished, flanked by Wu Feng and Nanmen Yuner.
When Chen Junting explained, Ning Tian barely blinked.
"You think they only came to us?" she said coolly.
She twirled a gemstone between her fingers, thoughtful. Then she pointed off into the distance.
"I saw Class One's students head over there earlier. If I'm right, that's where Dai Huabin is."
"The Duke of White Tiger's heir."
Chen Junting's voice stayed calm. He tapped his arm lightly.
"They won't help."
"I know."
Ning Tian's eyes gleamed with quiet cunning.
"But that's fine. If the rumors are true, this works in our favor."
As heir to the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, she thought first of the sect's interests. And Xiao Xiao, a twin martial spirit genius, was too valuable to let slip away.
"If Shrek leaves the door open," she added softly, "we'll be the ones waiting."
"You want to seize the opportunity," Chen Junting noted.
"I prefer to say we're helping Xiao Xiao in her time of need," Ning Tian replied smoothly, her tone light but sharp.
Chen Junting wasn't convinced.
"There are safer ways," he said. "Don't rush. What we heard might not be exaggerated. But Zhou Yi doesn't play by normal rules."
Ning Tian's smile thinned.
"You really think Zhou Yi would go that far?"
Chen Junting's gaze hardened.
"Class One is more desperate than they let on."
Ning Tian's eyes narrowed. "Has Zhou Yi lost her mind?"
Even if it wasn't outright expulsion, suppressing a twin-spirit genius at Shrek? Unthinkable.
But then she remembered: this wasn't the first time Shrek's internal politics had made a mess of things. Teachers had expelled students before, only for the administration to quietly fix it later.
"This Zhou Yi... she's a dangerous one," Ning Tian muttered.
Then she sighed, half-joking, half serious. "I wonder what sins Teacher Fan Yu committed in his past life to end up with her."
Chen Junting gave her a look. "So. What's the plan?"
"First, we find Xiao Xiao."
Ning Tian let go of his arm and turned to Wu Feng.
"Pass a message to Teacher Mu Jin. Quietly. Tell her what we learned, but don't exaggerate. Don't mention Class One by name, either. Let the academy handle it."
Wu Feng nodded and left.
As for Chen Junting and Ning Tian—
"Brother Junting," Ning Tian asked, "any idea where she might be?"
Chen Junting thought for a moment.
"Try Sea God Lake."
—
Sea God Lake lay still and clear, a mirror reflecting the sky and drifting clouds. The breeze stirred gentle ripples, carrying the soft hum of nature's melody.
But today, the peaceful music was broken by sobs.
"Woo... woo..."
Xiao Xiao sat at the water's edge, tears falling into the lake, spreading quiet ripples across the surface. Her shoulders trembled, her breath caught in her chest.
The wind played with her hair, but it couldn't lift the weight in her heart.
What did I do wrong?
—
(End of Chapter)
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