79: A difficult choice: victory or partnership?

Jin Teng's words could be described as reaching the peak of shamelessness.

Instantly, many short-tempered students in the audience began cursing loudly.

"Bullshit! You old bastard are the one who ordered it!"

"Without your command, who would dare poison people during the match?!"

"Stop the match immediately! That poison is lethal!"

The curses entered Jin Teng's ears, causing his expression to immediately darken to the extreme.

Jiang Cen, standing nearby, frowned slightly, looked at Jin Teng with displeasure, and then observed the situation in the Magic Mirror.

At this moment, those from Shuoshu Academy had already poured the vial into the water.

As soon as the blood-colored liquid touched the lake water, just as Zuo Dao had said, it immediately turned into an invisible, colorless liquid and began to spread.

Judging by this, it seemed what those people had drunk earlier was the antidote!

Seeing that the poison had already dissolved into the water, the people from Shuoshu Academy felt like they had nothing to lose and began to shout aggressively.

"Why stop the match? Are you guys sore losers?!"

"Don't think you can bully people just because this is your home turf! I'm telling you, fight us if you dare!"

"Exactly! Do you really think there's no one left in Shuoshu Awakening Academy?!"

Although the act of poisoning was despicable to many, there was some twisted logic to Jin Teng's 'sophistry.'

Moreover, stopping the match now could potentially lead to many complicated subsequent issues.

After weighing the options, Jiang Cen finally shook his Staff, and massive magical power spread out in waves, instantly suppressing the noise of the entire venue.

"The match continues... Believe in them!"

Jiang Cen made the decision as the Dean. Due to his prestige, even though the students were dissatisfied, they could only restrain themselves and turn their gaze back towards the Magic Mirror.

At this point, the red toxins had completely dissolved into the water and were rapidly spreading throughout the entire lake.

Meanwhile, the team from Longjun Awakening Academy.

Jiang Zheng, who was holding the Magic Stone and swimming quickly toward the surface, suddenly paused, and his movements gradually slowed down.

Within just a few minutes, the movements of several people in the team showed obvious signs of sluggishness.

But what was even more dangerous was that the Demonic Beasts hidden in the lake also started becoming increasingly restless!

Some aquatic Demonic Beasts tracked the scent and quickly launched attacks against the group.

Under these circumstances, they couldn't continue ascending towards the surface, so they chose to draw their weapons to fight back.

However, likely due to the effects of the poison, the students observing realized that everyone's combat power had dropped significantly!

When it rains, it pours. Just as Zhu Ming and his teammates were falling into a bitter battle, the four people from Shuoshu Awakening Academy appeared on the other side!

They had taken the antidote beforehand, were completely unaffected by the toxins, and the frenzied Demonic Beasts did not attack them either.

Jiang Zheng and Zhu Ming's group were attacked from both sides, and within just a few minutes, they fell into a disadvantageous position.

At this moment, Jiang Zheng and the others moved their lips a few times, seemingly speaking.

However, the students outside the arena could only see the situation in the match through the Magic Mirror, but couldn't hear their conversation.

Therefore, everyone grew increasingly silent with tension, watching their movements without blinking.

At this moment, the four people from Shuoshu Academy teamed up and continuously attacked Jiang Zheng, who was holding the Magic Stone.

Zhu Ming and the two other senior students were struggling to cope, simultaneously protecting Jiang Zheng and dealing with the surrounding Demonic Beasts.

Meanwhile, the toxins in the water were continuously eroding their bodies.

Under these circumstances, there were only two choices before them.

Either Jiang Zheng abandons everyone and leaves alone with the Magic Stone.

But once he leaves, even if the people from Shuoshu Academy stop attacking the other three.

Before he swims to the surface, the aquatic Demonic Beasts could inflict serious harm on the three poisoned teammates left behind!

Or, they abandon the Magic Stone, use their abilities to heal their teammates, and deal with the Demonic Beasts.

But doing so would be equivalent to handing victory directly over to the opponents, and this concerned their honor, the honor of the Academy!

Last year, they had already lost to Shuoshu Academy once.

Should they let them gloat again this year?

The Consultant noticed that Jiang Zheng's expression was filled with tension, and he seemed to be hesitating.

But as the faces of the other three grew paler and their movements became slower, his expression suddenly hardened.

The next moment, he decisively threw the Magic Stone far away.

When the people from Shuoshu Academy saw the Magic Stone, they immediately rushed toward it like wild dogs spotting a bone.

Jiang Zheng seized the opportunity to quickly draw his Staff and use his abilities to heal his teammates.

Just as they struggled to escape the attacks of the aquatic Demonic Beasts, the four people from Shuoshu Academy nearby had already grabbed the Magic Stone and were rapidly swimming toward the surface.

Watching this situation, the Consultant remained silent and expressionless, but his heart was filled with fury!

His fists were tightly clenched, and his eyes were icy cold.

The Consultant never considered himself a gentleman, but this was merely a competition between two academies.

Shuoshu Academy not only leaked the challenge beforehand but also allowed their students to recklessly use poison, completely disregarding the lives of the Dragon County students.

Such despicable behavior... Li Yi, who was standing beside the Consultant, also looked terrible.

He frowned slightly, took off his glasses, and gently rubbed his temples, not wanting to look at the scene again.

A few minutes later, the four people from Shuoshu Academy burst out of the lake surface without any hindrance.

At the same time, a trace of a smile appeared on Jin Teng's face, and he quickly announced:

"Shuoshu Academy has completed the task first and won this match!"

Jiang Cen ignored Jin Teng's announcement. The instant the match ended, he shook his Staff.

The Magic Mirror immediately rippled and then transformed into a mass of flowing water.

Whoosh!

Following the sound of the flowing water, the four people from Shuoshu Academy quickly appeared there.

Jiang Zheng and Zhu Ming's group were also teleported to the center of the square at the same time.

They were now covered in wounds and their faces were pale blue.

It wasn't just injuries and exhaustion; it was the poison eroding their bodies!

The three, including Zhu Ming, had no strength left to speak, but Jiang Zheng still gritted his teeth, stood up, and looked at Jiang Cen with an expression of apology.

"I'm sorry, Dean Jiang, we..."

Before Jiang Zheng could finish his sentence, his expression suddenly changed, and he spat out a large mouthful of blood.