At this moment, Wang Dong was bound in mid-air in a "turtle shell bind," his face flushed with a mixture of shame and fury. His delicate features were crimson, and his eyes burned with indignation.
Nearby, Mu En watched the scene unfold and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. "Young people these days really know how to play..."
"You... you... let me down!!!" Wang Dong's face was beet red as he glared at Bai Zhou.
"Admit defeat first," Bai Zhou said, casually flicking his Blue Silver Grass, which cracked against Wang Dong's rear with a sharp "crack."
"Aaaah! I'm going to kill you!!!" Wang Dong's face turned crimson all the way to his ears, his eyes blazing with fury. He wanted nothing more than to tear Bai Zhou limb from limb.
The battle between the two had drawn a crowd of onlookers, who were buzzing with gossip. Wang Dong felt like he was about to die of embarrassment... He wanted to drop out of school... He couldn't bear to stay any longer...
Bai Zhou naturally wanted to end the fight now, but Wang Dong's stubborn refusal to admit defeat made him hesitate. He knew the hotheaded youth would likely renege on the agreement later.
"Stop!!!"
Just then, an angry voice cut through the crowd.
Immediately after, a slender boy in a school uniform with black hair and black eyes charged forward. His ordinary face was filled with righteous indignation as he pointed at Bai Zhou and shouted, "You've gone too far! What kind of skill is it to bully a classmate? If you're so capable, go kill enemies on the battlefield!"
The boy was none other than Huo Yuhao, who had just finished his meal.
Huo Yuhao had been bullied like this since childhood, and he hated those who took advantage of the weak. So when he saw Bai Zhou bullying Wang Dong, he immediately stepped in to stop it.
As Huo Yuhao spoke, he drew his dagger and slashed fiercely at the Blue Silver Emperor vine suspending Wang Dong.
Clang!
The dagger struck the thick Blue Silver Emperor vine, as if hitting an incredibly tough tendon. It bounced back instantly.
"Damn it, how can it be so tough?!"
Huo Yuhao's expression changed drastically. He immediately released his Martial Soul and Soul Ring to enhance himself.
A solitary white Soul Ring appeared beneath Huo Yuhao's feet, leaving everyone stunned...
But Huo Yuhao ignored the gazes of the onlookers. He persisted, slashing at the Blue Silver Emperor vine again and again, but to no avail...
"What are you doing?!"
"Get out of here!"
"This young master doesn't need your help! Get lost!"
"You useless trash! Get out of here!!!"
Instead of gratitude, Wang Dong erupted in curses as he watched Huo Yuhao's actions.
He was already humiliated enough. Huo Yuhao's interference only shattered his pride further.
Losing to Bai Zhou was one thing—after all, Bai Zhou was far stronger, and Wang Dong was merely unconvinced.
But now, this pathetic waste with a white Soul Ring dared to come to his rescue? How utterly contemptuous!
He, the young master of the Clear Sky Sect, born with full Soul Power and dual top-tier Martial Souls, reduced to needing rescue from such a worthless trash? If word of this got out, how could Wang Dong ever show his face again?
"You... you're cursing at me?"
Huo Yuhao was completely stunned. He had risked his life to save Wang Dong, yet this was how he was repaid? How could such a person exist?
"You... sniff... sniff..." Wang Dong tried to curse again, but Bai Zhou's Blue Silver Emperor blocked his mouth.
Bai Zhou strolled forward, his expression arrogant as he looked down at Huo Yuhao. He chuckled softly. "So you want to play the hero, do you? I'll give you a chance. The reason I challenged him was because I wanted his dorm. If you lose, you hand it over to me. If you win, I'll kneel and apologize to both of you."
Bai Zhou couldn't help but feel a twinge of emotion. Truly worthy of being a Child of Destiny, triggering the damsel-in-distress mission with a 100% success rate. Too bad this protagonist was so weak in the early stages...
"Bring it on! Who's afraid of who?!"
Seeing Bai Zhou's arrogant expression, Huo Yuhao's unpleasant memories resurfaced instantly. His eyes turned icy cold.
That look. The look he hated most. Ever since childhood, he had been bullied at the White Tiger Duke's Manor, and those people had always looked at him with that same contempt.
Especially the sneer playing at the corner of Bai Zhou's mouth—it completely ignited Huo Yuhao's fury!
Huo Yuhao clenched his fists tightly. Even though he knew he might not be a match for his opponent, he would never let himself be bullied! No matter what, he would make Bai Zhou pay!
"You're too weak. I won't even use my Soul Power or Martial Soul. I'd hate for anyone to say I'm bullying you." Bai Zhou deliberately feigned a flaw, wearing an arrogant expression.
"You'll pay for your arrogance!" Huo Yuhao's hatred for Bai Zhou reached its peak.
But despite his rage, he remained composed, waiting for Bai Zhou to make the first move.
"Let's begin."
Bai Zhou charged toward Huo Yuhao with lightning speed. For the sake of his future, he was determined to play the role of the "great villain" today.
Bai Zhou moved with incredible speed, appearing before Huo Yuhao in the blink of an eye. He threw a simple, seemingly careless punch, leaving countless openings.
"A chance!"
Huo Yuhao thought Bai Zhou had made a mistake. He ducked low to avoid the punch, then clenched his fist and aimed a fierce blow at the most vulnerable spot under Bai Zhou's arm.
Bai Zhou, his momentum undiminished, used his own body as a weapon, lightly colliding with Huo Yuhao's slender frame.
Bang!
Huo Yuhao's fist landed squarely under Bai Zhou's arm. Before he could even savor his victory, he felt as if he'd been struck by an iron mountain.
Bang!
A dull thud echoed through the air. Like Wang Dong before him, Huo Yuhao was sent flying backward. But his injuries were far more severe. After just one exchange, the excruciating pain left him unable to rise.
"Pathetic," Bai Zhou said, shaking his head. He walked over to Huo Yuhao, looking down at him as if he were an ant.
But Huo Yuhao was the protagonist. And one of the defining traits of a protagonist is—never surrender, no matter what.
"I... haven't lost yet!!!"
Huo Yuhao roared, his eyes instantly blazing with blinding golden light. He shot forward like a bolt of lightning, aiming straight for Bai Zhou.
"Heh, a mental attack? If Tianmeng Ice Silkworm were the one using it, I might have been wary. But alas..."
Bai Zhou shook his head. The crystal pendant around his neck flashed faintly, instantly dissolving the mental shockwave.
Although Bai Zhou hadn't yet drawn a method to cultivate mental power, he had drawn a soul tool that defended against mental attacks...
After all, Bai Zhou knew Huo Yuhao's trump card and had prepared accordingly, completely countering it.
"A chance!"
Seeing Bai Zhou momentarily stunned, Huo Yuhao mistakenly believed his mental attack had worked. Overjoyed, he gripped the dagger in his hand and plunged it with all his might toward Bai Zhou's abdomen.
Clap!
Bai Zhou's palm shot out like lightning, instantly knocking the dagger aside. He then stomped his foot onto Huo Yuhao's neck, pinning him firmly to the ground.
"Impossible... How could you recover so quickly?!" Huo Yuhao's eyes bulged, his face contorted in disbelief. Despair instantly enveloped him.
"Admit defeat. It's over," Bai Zhou said calmly, his expression unreadable.
"No! I haven't lost! I'll never bow to someone like you! If you have the guts, kill me!" Huo Yuhao, already prone to anger, saw Bai Zhou's indifferent gaze and felt his fury ignited once more. He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails nearly pierced his flesh, drawing blood. Yet Huo Yuhao remained oblivious, his adrenaline surging wildly, temporarily numbing all pain and leaving only a raging inferno of rage.
The protagonist's signature skill—the "Iron-Head" trait—activated once more, refusing to surrender no matter what.
Unfortunately, the weight pressing down on Huo Yuhao felt like a mountain range. No matter how he pumped himself up, no matter how furiously his anger burned, it was all in vain.
(End of Chapter)