Huo Wu had indeed grown stronger.
Though only a month had passed, the pressure she radiated now was far greater than before—her explosive power especially astonishing. Clearly, she had trained fiercely during that month of absence.
The Fabia Academy Team, one of the weakest among the fifteen qualified teams, was utterly crushed by Blazing Academy.
With only two fighters—Huo Wushuang and Huo Wu—they secured a sweeping victory, immediately drawing the attention of all present.
The second match featured two duchies facing each other.
Li Chang'an merely glanced over; his keen eye quickly discerned their levels.
From the first two matches alone, he could already tell—the academies from the kingdoms and duchies were, overall, a step below the likes of the Five Element Academies and Shrek Academy.
Among all teams that had appeared so far, few had more than one Spirit Master above rank forty.
Most were in the mid-thirties—roughly the same as Meng Yiran, who herself was now around rank thirty-seven.
Judging from this, Li Chang'an concluded that the final competition for top ranks would still come down to the six teams from Heaven Dou City's division.
---
Finally, it was Crimson Rose Academy's turn to enter the field.
"Let's go," Li Chang'an said calmly, stretching out his right hand.
The girls followed in unison—Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, Meng Yiran, Hu Liena, and the rest—placing their hands atop his.
Together, their voices rang out with spirit:
"Let's win!"
Amid their confident cheers, Xiao Wu stepped gracefully into the arena.
Their first opponent in this advancement round was Balak Academy, the royal academy of the Balak Kingdom—its status to that kingdom much like Heaven Dou Royal Academy's within the empire.
The first to represent Balak was a tall, broad-shouldered young man, appearing to be in his early twenties.
He wore a black uniform trimmed with gold, and when his eyes fell on Xiao Wu, he froze for a brief moment.
The reason was simple—Xiao Wu was stunning.
"Little sister," he said with mock concern, "how old are you? Don't tell me your academy ran out of fighters and sent you just to fill the spot? My hands are a bit heavy—if I hurt you, that wouldn't be good. Why don't you step down and send someone stronger? This isn't a place for girls like you."
His voice was loud enough for nearly everyone around the field to hear.
Xiao Wu's delicate face twitched slightly, while the rest of Crimson Rose Academy collectively covered their faces.
This guy just signed his own death warrant.
As a moment of silent mourning passed through the crowd, the referee's voice rang out:
"Match—begin!"
---
Xiao Wu didn't move right away.
She simply tilted her head, blinking her long lashes playfully at her opponent.
"Big brother," she said sweetly, "you're right. This really isn't a place I should be."
But as she spoke, her aura shifted.
Her Martial Soul awakened quietly, and four soul rings—two yellow, two purple—rose around her in perfect harmony.
The tall youth should have been alarmed the moment he saw those rings.
But he hadn't taken her seriously from the start.
He was too confident—he was, after all, the captain and strongest member of his academy, with soul power above rank forty.
Unfortunately for him, his opponent was Xiao Wu.
The instant her Martial Soul released, her second ability—Charm—activated.
A soft, pink light flashed in her eyes.
The young man froze mid-step, his mind suddenly blank and his movements sluggish.
Xiao Wu seized the opening.
From their starting distance of twenty meters, her powerful legs propelled her forward—closing the gap to ten meters in a heartbeat.
The Balak youth's strength was indeed higher, and his mind cleared quickly.
Sensing danger, he awakened his Martial Soul in panic, slapping his cheeks to regain focus just as Xiao Wu reached within striking range.
But it was already too late.
He raised his hands instinctively to unleash his first spirit ability—
and then froze in confusion.
Xiao Wu had vanished.
---
She reappeared behind him, back turned.
Her long scorpion braid flicked out like a whip, looping around his neck before he could even turn.
She planted one foot against the ground and lifted the other sharply, pressing it against his lower back.
First ability—Waist Bow, activate!
Her braid tightened, pulling backward, while her leg thrust forward in perfect counterforce.
The immense torque ripped the air with a crack. The young man's body went rigid—then lifted clean off the ground.
From start to finish, it had all happened in seconds:
the charm, the rush, the teleportation, the lock, the throw.
Each motion flowed seamlessly into the next—
leaving not a single instant for resistance.
His body soared upward.
Xiao Wu's braid released just as she leapt after him, her movements as graceful as they were merciless.
At that point, the outcome was already decided.
Spirit techniques required focus—balance—and he had none left.
Under Xiao Wu's perfect control, there was no chance to recover, no time to act.
---
"Goodbye," she whispered.
Her hand caught the back of his collar midair, her left knee surging upward with a burst of spirit power.
Her knee struck his waist like an iron hammer.
Then, twisting at the waist, she used Waist Bow once more—
and slammed him headfirst into the arena floor.
Boom!
The impact thundered across the field.
Many spectators winced and turned away.
Xiao Wu landed lightly, both feet pressing firmly on his chest.
The man spasmed under the blow, his body curling from the crushing pressure.
A strangled scream tore from his throat.
With a flick of her foot, Xiao Wu's toe tapped his jaw, flipping him upward.
She turned gracefully, pivoting on one heel, and delivered a light kick to his temple—
a motion so smooth it was almost beautiful.
The young man collapsed in silence.
Unconscious.
Four rings versus four rings—instant victory.
---
For a moment, the arena fell completely silent.
Then, a wave of gasps and cheers erupted, sweeping through the field like wildfire.
Even those who had fought Crimson Rose before—like the students from the Four Element Academies—were stunned speechless.
The match had lasted barely half a minute.
Xiao Wu had given her opponent no chance to fight back.
A Spirit Ancestor over rank forty had been defeated with a single exchange—without even completing his first skill.
From start to finish, Xiao Wu controlled every moment.
On the ground, her opponent's body still twitched faintly.
Blood and saliva spilled from his mouth as his chest heaved.
While not fatally wounded, he would be lucky to recover in time for tomorrow's match.
---
Xiao Wu smiled sweetly—her expression gentle, almost innocent.
Her gaze swept across the Balak Academy team as she said softly,
"Next."
Three simple words—
yet they detonated like sparks in dry grass.
The remaining members of Balak Academy surged to their feet, fury burning in their eyes.
Seven or eight of them charged toward Xiao Wu together.
The referee moved to intervene, shouting for order—
but his voice was lost amid the commotion.
"You want a brawl?"
Li Chang'an's voice cut through the chaos like a blade.
In the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of Xiao Wu, blocking her with his body.
His expression was calm—but his eyes were icy cold.
Xiao Wu said nothing.
She hadn't intended to go that far; her attack had simply been too forceful.
Once she'd realized her opponent's level exceeded rank forty, she'd had no choice but to go all out.
And with her Waist Bow, controlling her full strength precisely was nearly impossible.
To ensure he couldn't counterattack, she'd held nothing back.
After all, she was a close-combat Spirit Master—not some distant spellcaster.
But Li Chang'an didn't care who was right or wrong.
These men had dared to threaten his woman
and that alone was enought.
Without a word, he raised his hand.
The Taibai Sword appeared in his grip, its edge gleaming with restrained power.
He slashed once—
not at them, but at the ground.
Crack—!
A deep fissure split the earth between the teams, the crack racing outward like a serpent until it reached the feet of the advancing Balak students.
The message was clear.
One more step, his gaze said, and I won't stop with the ground.