The dormitory fell into a hush. Every pair of eyes shifted to the slim girl now standing calmly in the center of the room, Xiran's expression remained tranquil, her delicate hands clasped lightly behind her back, yet the air around her seemed to ripple faintly, as though the silence itself bowed in deference.
Xiao Wu tilted her head, her smile playful but tinged with a spark of irritation at the other girl's serenity.
"Don't regret this later," she said sweetly, taking a slow step forward. "I'll go easy on you."
Xiran did not respond. She merely unhooked her hands and raised them slightly, her stance graceful, almost casual. But those who watched closely felt something, an invisible edge hidden within that elegance.
The moment Wang Sheng signaled the start, Xiao Wu moved like a streak of pink lightning. Her slender legs cut through the air with a sharp whistle as she lashed out in a sweeping kick, aiming to force Xiran into a defensive stumble.
Bang!
To everyone's shock, Xiran didn't even flinch. Her foot slid half an inch across the wooden floor as she intercepted the strike with a precise twist of her wrist, redirecting Xiao Wu's momentum harmlessly past her.
"What-?!" Xiao Wu's eyes widened, but before she could regain balance, Xiran's hand flicked outward like a whisper of wind, tapping Xiao Wu's forearm and sending her spinning backward two steps.
The dorm erupted in murmurs.
"She… blocked Big Sister Wu's kick?"
"Not just blocked… she barely moved!"
Xiao Wu's pride flared, her smile sharpening into something almost feral. Without hesitation, she lunged again, her body twisting in midair, legs coiling like springs before snapping out with bone-cracking force.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A flurry of kicks rained down, swift, vicious, carrying a rhythm that had floored Wang Sheng moments ago. Yet, Xiran… danced.
There was no other word for it. Her feet glided across the floor with liquid grace, her movements so refined they seemed choreographed by nature itself. Each kick that should have shattered her defenses met with the barest shift of her shoulder or the faint sweep of her hand. She deflected every strike with minimal motion, her composure unbroken, her breathing as calm as still water.
Sweat began to bead on Xiao Wu's forehead. How… how is she so fast?
"Enough!" Xiao Wu snarled softly, her eyes flashing with determination. She leaped high, twisting in midair with the agility of a coiled serpent. Her long legs snapped together like a hunting whip as she unleashed her ultimate technique, the Waist Bow Soft Kick. The same move that had defeated Wang Sheng in a single blow now came screaming down toward Xiran's shoulder.
Gasps tore through the crowd. Even Tang San, watching silently from the back, tensed.
But Xiran… smiled.
At the last possible heartbeat, her body bent like a reed swaying in the breeze. Xiao Wu's kick cut through empty air, and in that fraction of a second, Xiran moved.
Her hand darted forward like a striking viper, two fingers hooking Xiao Wu's ankle mid-swing. A twist, a shift of weight, and the momentum Xiao Wu relied upon betrayed her.
Bang!
Xiao Wu crashed onto the floor, her pink braid splaying across the wooden planks as the breath fled her lungs in a sharp gasp. Before she could rise, a cool shadow loomed over her, Xiran, standing poised, one foot lightly pressing against Xiao Wu's wrist.
"Is this… the rule?" Xiran's voice was soft, almost musical, yet it dripped with quiet dominance. "The strongest becomes the boss?"
The dormitory exploded in uproar.
No one had expected this gentle-looking girl to dismantle Xiao Wu's offense so effortlessly, her every move honed with precision and calm lethality. Even Xiao Wu, chest heaving, stared up at Xiran in shock, humiliation burning in her eyes like a brand.
At the back, Eren chuckled faintly, his voice low and amused.
"Interesting… You really hate losing, don't you?"
But the gleam in his eye
s wasn't directed at Xiao Wu.
It was for Xiran.