When both teams stepped onto the arena, the pink-haired Jing Jing unexpectedly took the floor. Addressing TuTu at the tip of our team's attack, she declared:
"You won't scare us! We know that even though you've broken through to High-tier, you haven't submitted the stars yet—otherwise, you wouldn't have fought a horde of Cursed Beasts using only Mid-tier magic! Don't even hope for an easy win; we'll show you what Imperial University is really worth!" The girl... let's call her not the sharpest tool in the shed, puffed up proudly.
So that's the motivational BS they fed them. Did they even try to deceive them? TuTu really hadn't shown High-tier magic publicly yet, but only because there was no need. Silver Grass hit areas perfectly, spending mere scraps of magic energy—what was plenty for weak monsters like Shadow and Cursed Beasts are to my girl. Strong spells would've drained her without much gain in efficiency.
And don't forget the enhanced body. I haven't raised the girls' bodies to Commander level yet, but they've mastered their Pack Leader parameters perfectly. And TuTu showed off her body strength beautifully in that battle.
Apparently, I wasn't the only one a bit surprised by the unofficial leader of the opposing team's statement. TuTu immediately made a confused face, and when she realized they were seriously underrating her, she got a little... angry.
"Hey, Mr. Judge." My girl called out to the judge with a twitching eyebrow. When he turned to her, she continued:
"How strong is your defensive magic?" A Flame Thread flower bloomed in TuTu's palm.
Combined with her pressing her cultivation on everyone around, even the judge broke a sweat—he was only at the first step of High-tier in light element, without even the weakest Soul Seed, while TuTu, also first step High-tier, had her top plants boosting her power massively. Plus, Dongfang Min's talent let her attack one step above her current level. The judge had zero chance of stopping her full-serious attack.
Man, apparently Director Sun He didn't even try to find a stronger judge for their team's fights with us, knowing they had no shot. All he could do was hype his students for a worthy fight so they wouldn't lose without showing what they're worth.
Feeling TuTu's cultivation, her opponents paled instantly. Hearing someone's their age broke to High-tier is one thing; feeling its power on your own skin is another.
Jing Jing paled the most, being a plant mage herself. She didn't recognize the flower but felt its power perfectly. One hit from that thing on their team, and there might not even be a wet spot left! The pink-haired girl frantically tried to figure out how to handle it, but nothing worked. The power gap was too huge; no tactics could bridge it, and with every second, the student despaired more.
"Ahem, I must ask you to refrain from excessively strong magic in this match. With your abilities, you can win without resorting to extremes." Covered in sweat, the judge tried to cool TuTu's fire, but judging by his emotional state, it was mostly for show.
Likely, this uncle had been warned long ago about such a possibility and asked to play the emotional card of the guy unable to handle a strong attack. Would a Mingzhu student, hailed as Shanghai's hero for her selfless aid to fellow pupils, use an attack that might send students from another university to their ancestors with high probability?
Smart move by Director Sun He. Charge your students with motivation for a worthy fight, then put a weak judge so our team's best couldn't go all out, crushing their Four in seconds.
If the plan worked, Imperial's students could indeed flail a bit longer and show their strength... in Director Sun He's opinion. But he miscalculated slightly—TuTu isn't one to hold back against people she dislikes.
And she knows full well that if needed, I can back her up; we've already discussed my ice's new durability with the girls. With TuTu's power, she couldn't pierce it even if she tried, so it'd be enough to protect the about-to-die students.
Heh, hoped to boost your pupils' rep by restraining my girl? Fat chance! We came here to have fun and relax, not dance to some old dotard's clan politics plans who needs to report to his sponsors that even though their students lost, they held off the famed High-tier mage long enough. Find other brain-dead "heroes" for that.
Giving the judge a disdainful look, TuTu didn't reply to his baseless request and just hurried him:
"Can you start the match already? My guy's waiting by the stands." From such blatant contempt, veins throbbed on the foreheads not just of Imperial fans and the judge, but the fighters themselves. They'd been hyped for an epic brawl, only to find the opponent valued them at zero.
"Teacher Sun, please start the fight! We'll show this upstart that teamwork beats individual power!" Jing Jing burst out in righteous indignation.
Hm, the judge's surname matches Director Sun He's... did he drag his grandson or some other relative into this scam? Logical, really: their well-being depends on that family pillar, and Teacher Sun couldn't disobey Director even if he wanted. Otherwise, the whole clan would smack him down after.
Looking off into the distance, the judge sighed heavily and waved his hand, finally announcing the start of the long-awaited match. Following Teacher Sun's gaze, I spotted one gray-haired figure with long mustaches who looked way older than Director Xiao, though they're actually near contemporaries. Hello, Imperial Director—looks like not everything's going as you planned.
As soon as the judge signaled, TuTu waved at the opponents, sending a Silver Grass ocean flooding the entire arena. Eh, she did spare them and didn't use Flame Thread after all. Oh well, then I won't need to intervene to save her opponents from death. They might've disqualified us for that. Who knows these old dotards and their illogical rules?
Imperial's team honestly tried resisting the oncoming Silver Grass wave, but it was futile. Their Mid-tier magic casting speed couldn't keep up with TuTu, who was at High-tier and could thus complete one level below hers almost instantly.
And Jing Jing's Beginner plant, Xu Da Lun's earth, Liao Min Xuan's wind, and Zhao Min Yue's fire did zilch against one of the best—if not the best—Mid-tier plants. The Silver Grass ocean inevitably swallowed them, popping the noble youths' protective artifacts like soap bubbles.
But credit to my girl: not even the tiniest scratches on them. TuTu controlled that plant perfectly. She's handled it for a long time now. With the new Flame Thread, she might misjudge the power, but here it went off without a hitch.
Eh, for a second I felt sorry for those four... nah. Just imagined it. I got hungry. Need to hit a restaurant with the girls after the comps. I saw a decent one on the way back from the tour.