Chapter 13: Victory in the First Round and Celebrations with Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao
Xiao Xiao also released her spirit, the Three-Legged Cauldron of Souls, splitting it into three and activating her first spirit skill: Cauldron Shock!
At once, a tremendous spiritual wave burst forth from the cauldrons, significantly slowing the enemy's fiery assault.
The blaze faltered for a brief moment, its power visibly weakened, just as Wang Dong'er's first spirit skill, the Winged Guillotine, cleaved down toward the opponent.
I caught sight of the boy with the folding fan realizing the danger of the situation—but by then, it was already too late for him to release his spirit skills.
At that moment, the girl suddenly hurled her vase upward, shouting:
"First Spirit Skill—Whirling Defense!"
From the vase poured a blazing red liquid, forming a barrier that surrounded the three of us.
Wang Dong'er's Winged Guillotine spirit skill crashed directly into the barrier.
Bang!
The Whirling Defense barely held on before shattering beneath the guillotine's strike.
Fortunately, the flamingo boy had raised his folding fan just in time, giving the girl the chance to retreat and avoid Wang Dong'er's assault.
What overwhelming strength! I thought to myself.
The flamingo boy looked stunned—he hadn't expected the Radiant Butterfly Goddess to wield such terrifying power. Even though his Flamingo Spirit was considered fairly high in rank, it was no match for hers, suppressed brutally and without mercy.
"No, we can't back down!"
He exchanged a look with his teammates, and the three of them quickly settled on a unified plan.
The second spirit ring beneath the flamingo boy lit up as he roared:
"Second Spirit Skill—Blazing Fireball!"
A massive fireball, more than ten meters in diameter, hurtled toward me and my companions.
Unleashing this skill drained him heavily, leaving him exhausted and panting hard.
I knew the blazing fireball was dangerous, but Xiao Xiao had already brought her Three-Legged Cauldron of Souls together, bracing it from above to block the attack.
Bang!
The Three-Legged Cauldron of Souls managed to withstand the blazing fireball, but it trembled violently under the impact. The shock forced Xiao Xiao to stagger slightly.
She let out a pained groan, her beautiful face turning pale. Her spiritual power was still far too weak to fully command the cauldron—otherwise, she wouldn't have struggled so much to resist that strike!
At the same time, the second spirit ring of the vase girl lit up, and liquid spilled from the vase, pouring over the boy with the folding fan.
His body suddenly glowed, as though her second spirit skill had amplified his strength.
Seizing the moment, the folding-fan boy aimed downward and shouted:"Second Spirit Skill—Thrust of Wind and Thunder!"
In an instant, a turquoise-blue light shot forth like an arrow, piercing straight toward my chest.
My opponent believed that with my lack of experience, and only a ten-year-old spirit ring, I would be an easy target.
But they had underestimated the bond between me and Wang Dong'er. After all the time we'd spent together, a single glance was enough for us to read each other's intentions.
Thanks to our shared spiritual link, his attack seemed to slow, and Wang Dong'er intercepted it with ease.
She swiftly appeared at my side, unleashing her second spirit skill—Butterfly Goddess's Radiance.
BOOM!
The tremendous energy generated by the Radiant Butterfly exploded before my eyes like a bomb, sending the folding-fan boy soaring into the air.
As for the flamingo boy, he didn't survive either. I watched him fly backward with great force before crashing into the ground, groaning in pain. His voice was choked, and I could see blood flowing from his mouth and nose—clearly, several of his ribs had been broken.
I shifted my gaze to the vase girl. She trembled as she looked at her two companions lying on the ground. After a brief pause, she took a hesitant step back and then raised her hands in obvious fear.
"I… surrender!"
Her voice echoed across the arena, signaling the end of the first match.
Wang Dong'er and I exchanged a glance, then I looked at Xiao Xiao, barely holding herself upright from exhaustion. In that moment, I realized that this victory was not just an ordinary win—it was proof for all of us that the months of hard work had not been in vain.
And so, my team and I won the first round of the New Student Evaluation Competition.
I shouted excitedly:"Awesome! We won!"
Suddenly, Wang Dong'er hugged me enthusiastically, her joy overflowing, which left Xiao Xiao, standing nearby, utterly shocked.
With a strangely serious tone, Xiao Xiao said:"You two… aren't… having sex, are you?"
I froze for a moment, noticing Wang Dong'er's face turning bright red. She quickly pulled away, as if wishing there were a crack in the ground to hide in forever.
Meanwhile, Wang Dong'er and I were in completely different states.
Xiao Xiao's words were wrong!
Sex only occurs between a man and a woman; as for love, it exists solely between a man and a woman!
Wang Dong'er tried to change the subject quickly, blaming me playfully:"Well, since we won today, shall Ji Lin treat us to some chicken?"
I felt a surge of irritation and thought to myself: Why do I have to be treated nicely only after a victory?
But after a moment of reflection, she was right. I was the only one who owned a chicken restaurant. If I didn't want to, they couldn't have had any!
Then she turned to Xiao Xiao and asked:"Xiao Xiao, haven't you tried Ji's chicken yet?"
Xiao Xiao lifted her chin, resting it on her hand, pretending to look innocent like a child, and said:"Hmm… I've heard there's an excellent Ji Barbecue restaurant near the academy. Could it be yours?"
Wang Dong'er's question had clearly caught Xiao Xiao's attention. It reminded her of Ji Barbecue's recent popularity. Besides, my name already included the word "Ji," so the connection felt completely natural.
I laughed and said to Xiao Xiao, "Xiao Xiao, we've been in the same class for three months, now we're on the same team, and only now do you realize I own Ji's Barbecue? I'm truly amazed!"
I was even more surprised that she had just found out—and only through Wang Dong'er.
Xiao Xiao smiled lightly and said:"Oh, you know I'm completely obsessed with farming, so I never paid much attention to these things. But now that Wang Dong'er revealed it… since you have the skills, what are you waiting for? Let me try your chicken—I'm sure it'll be delicious!"
She laughed, her eyes sparkling as she looked at me.
I grinned and said enthusiastically:"Alright, let's go. I'll treat you tonight!"
Even though I wasn't wealthy, I could definitely afford to feed them chicken.
The three of us walked out of the academy together. Along the way, Wang Dong'er didn't forget to glance at me and say,
"Ji Lin, let's buy some wine later."
I paused in surprise and asked,
"Wine?"
Xiao Xiao's eyes lit up immediately as she jumped into the conversation:"Absolutely! I love wine!"