26: Chapter 26 I'm so unwilling to accept this~

On the other side, Su Wan also slowly walked onto the arena stage.

She held a slender, cold longsword in her hand. Its blade was clear and bright, reflecting the sunlight, as if covered in a layer of faint frost.

The young girl's temperament was naturally cold and aloof. Now, standing with her sword, she looked even more like a piece of cold jade standing in the snow—quiet, yet dangerous.

The two girls looked at each other across the distance.

It felt as if the air was thick with the scent of gunpowder.

Xia Xi snorted, raised the handle of her hammer, and pointed it at Su Wan from afar.

"I won't hold back."

Su Wan glanced at her, her expression calm, her voice still faint and indifferent.

"Mm."

The referee raised a hand.

"Begin!"

The moment the word fell, Xia Xi moved first.

Shifting her feet, she instantly unleashed her [Flowing Light Steps]. Using the footwork to surge forward, she didn't seem slowed down by the weight of the heavy hammer at all; instead, she was shockingly fast, reaching Su Wan in just a few steps.

The next second, she exerted force through her arms, and the giant hammer swept out horizontally!

Whoosh!!!

The heavy hammer body tore through the air, creating a low, whistling wind.

If this hammer strike landed solidly, let alone a person, even a standard guardrail would likely be bent directly.

A chorus of exclamations erupted from beneath the stage.

"So fierce?!"

"Is she really a girl?!"

Su Wan's eyes narrowed. With a light tap of her foot, she deployed Treading Snow. Her entire body swept towards the rear side as if stepping on invisible snow, her figure so light it seemed devoid of worldly aura.

Boom!

The heavy hammer smashed down, grazing her side, causing the arena stage to emit a muffled thud.

Before the crowd could react, Xia Xi had already used the momentum to turn back, her hammer shadows swirling—Returning Wind Continuous Hammer!

One hammer strike after another, using the spin to build power and the footwork to pursue, the offense was like a gale rolling over waves, continuous and unending!

Horizontal sweep! Upward strike! Heavy smash!

Xia Xi's hammer technique was wide and open, yet the transitions were incredibly fast. Each blow carried an overbearing sense of pressure, forcing Su Wan to dodge repeatedly. The sword blade constantly collided with the hammer body, emitting crisp, jarring sounds of metal clashing.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sparks flew everywhere!

The students watching below were stunned.

No one expected that Xia Xi, who usually looked sweet and bright, would be so fierce once on the arena.

"That's too fierce!"

"If you took one hit from that hammer, wouldn't you be knocked out instantly?"

But just as Xia Xi fought more and more fiercely, Su Wan's breathing remained steady throughout.

The Nine Cold Heavenly Breath Art within her body circulated slowly. As her vital energy flowed through her meridians, it carried traces of a frigid aura, causing her to enter a state of extreme calmness.

Every exertion, every step, and every gap in the transitions of her opponent became clear in her eyes.

Finally.

At the instant Xia Xi's returning heavy hammer smashed down again, Su Wan moved.

She didn't retreat again.

Instead, facing that fierce wind of the hammer, she suddenly stepped forward!

Treading Snow!

Her figure was like a startled swan in the snow, brushing past the hammer's shadow to cut into the inner circle.

This scene made the scalp of everyone watching below tingle.

"Is she crazy? Daring to charge right into the face of that hammer?"

The next instant, the longsword in Su Wan's hand vibrated as if suddenly unsheathed.

Cold air circulated, and the sword blade hummed slightly.

Ice Sword!

Swish!

The first sword strike tapped the side of the hammer handle, with pinpoint precision, directly deflecting the path of Xia Xi's strike.

The second sword strike followed immediately, slashing diagonally at her wrist, forcing Xia Xi to retract the hammer to defend.

The third and fourth strikes were thrust out in succession, the sword path tricky and fierce. It was a C-Rank martial art, but in Su Wan's hands, it carried a frigid, fluid sense of pressure, like cold wind pouring down one's collar, making it impossible to defend against.

Clang, clang, clang!

After a few collisions, Xia Xi felt her arms go numb.

Even more troublesome was that chill.

Every time their weapons made contact, a trace of frigid energy would invade her arm along the hammer handle, as if even the circulation of her vital energy was being slowed down.

"Damn it..."

Xia Xi gritted her teeth, forcibly retreated a step, and once again activated Flowing Light Steps to create distance. Then, with a sudden twist of her waist, she exerted force. The hammer shadows spun like a wheel, directly unleashing an even more ferocious series of continuous attacks!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Hammer shadows whistled, and sword light darted through.

The two fought extremely fiercely on the arena stage.

Even the referee on the stage couldn't help but become more alert, fearing that one side might not be able to hold back their strength.

Finally.

After more than a dozen moves of trading blows, Xia Xi's breathing became ragged.

The giant hammer was ultimately too stamina-consuming, and Returning Wind Continuous Hammer was a martial art that relied heavily on bursts of power. While fierce in the short term, if she couldn't end the fight quickly, the exhaustion would rapidly manifest.

Conversely, Su Wan still had long, steady breaths, her eyes cold and indifferent, without the slightest ripple.

Xia Xi's heart sank.

She knew she couldn't drag this out any longer.

So, the next second, she gave a low shout, gripped the hammer with both hands, exploded with all her vital energy, and surged forward!

The final hammer strike!

The hammer shadow, wrapped in a strong wind, smashed down towards her head!

This was almost the strongest strike she could unleash at this moment!

But Su Wan only lifted her eyes to look.

Then, her Treading Snow footwork suddenly shifted.

Her figure dodged to the side.

She struck with her sword!

This strike was as fast as a line of ice.

Swish!

The sword blade tapped with pinpoint precision into the gap where Xia Xi's old force was spent and new force had yet to arise, directly deflecting the hammer's momentum. Immediately after, she turned the spine of the sword and struck heavily on Xia Xi's shoulder.

Bang!

Xia Xi's body swayed, and before she could steady herself, Su Wan had already closed the distance.

Shoulder, wrist, flank!

Three strikes landed in succession!

Each strike was terrifyingly precise. Xia Xi felt her vital energy stall, and her movements slowed by half a beat.

The next instant, Su Wan withdrew her sword, spun, and swept out with a kick!

Crack!

Xia Xi could no longer hold on; she lost her balance and fell onto the arena stage, hammer and all.

The hammer hit the ground with a "clatter," making everyone's heart jump.

The entire venue went quiet.

The referee immediately stepped forward, and after confirming that Xia Xi was unable to fight further, announced loudly:

"This match, Su Wan wins!"

After a brief silence, the sidelines exploded.

"She won! She actually won!"

"Su Wan is just too strong!"

"Is this the value of an S-Rank Talent holder?"

"Xia Xi was already very fierce too!"

Xia Xi, lying on the ground, panted heavily, her chest heaving, and the hair on her forehead was soaked with sweat.

She stared at that cold, aloof figure standing on the arena with a sword. Her heart was full of unwillingness, but she had to admit it.

She was truly out of moves.

At least in this kind of direct arena battle, her current talent couldn't truly be unleashed yet.

And Su Wan... was really too strong, worthy of being the future Ice Empress.

But it's so frustrating... The Ice Empress is just a student right now, and I actually couldn't even beat her...

However... even if I lost, in the competition for Lu Cheng, I definitely won't lose!

This kind of thing has nothing to do with strength!

Xia Xi looked at Su Wan's chest, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly...

Hehe... I win.

I'm definitely taking Lu Cheng's first time in this life!

Su Wan watched Xia Xi's smile... Although she won this match, why did she always feel so uncomfortable...

She took a bottle of pills out of her pocket, swallowed them, and her injuries quickly recovered. Then, she searched for Lu Cheng and ran over quickly.

Before Lu Cheng could react (the feeling given by his talent was "Great Fortune"), she hugged him.

"Ahhh! Lu Cheng, I lost, I need comfort!!"

A wave of milky fragrance wafted over. Lu Cheng didn't know where to put himself. In the end, it was Xia Mo who dragged Xia Xi away.

"No~ I want Lu Cheng~~~"

Scary, a love-struck girl is so scary... Although she really smells good, I absolutely cannot get into trouble with this person!

"Next match!"

"Grade 12 Class 1, Zhou Lize, versus Grade 12 Class 3, Chen Wu!"

As soon as these names were called out, the surroundings suddenly became much quieter!