In the stands, the cheers had been replaced by a chorus of sharp gasps.
Every eye was drawn as if by a magnet, fixed intently on the figure wielding the pink staff.
"Instant cast... Her heals and shields are definitely all instant cast!" a Priest's voice trembled, as if witnessing a miracle.
"Her composure is what's truly terrifying! She took a Berserker's strike without even blinking, then immediately healed herself back to full health!"
A little girl tugged excitedly at her mother's hand, her eyes sparkling with adoration. "Mommy, that big sister with the pink staff is so amazing! I want to be a Priest like her when I grow up!"
Her mother chuckled wryly, stroking her daughter's head. "Sweetheart," she whispered, "that sister's fighting style... I'm afraid it's not something normal people can learn."
By the side of the arena, the bookmaker was already sweating profusely as he set up new betting pools.
"I bet she'll tank the next hit and heal herself back up again!"
"How shallow! I bet she'll pretend to chant Holy Light, then seize the opportunity to whack Wang Meng on the back of the head with her staff!"
The disdain in Wang Meng's eyes had long vanished, replaced by sheer shock and disbelief. His attacks involuntarily slowed.
This rogue tactic of "I'll stand here and let you hit me, but you can't deal damage faster than I can heal" was systematically shattering every belief he had held about the Priest class for over a decade.
He was roaring in his mind.
What the hell is this monster?
This defies all logic!
And why does a seemingly flimsy pink staff send a numbing jolt through his wrist with every block?!
Meanwhile, Lin Qingyue was completely immersed in this unique combat rhythm.
She had become like an unshakeable piece of sticky candy, constantly harassing him with her speed and skill. The moment she took damage, she would immediately retreat and heal back to full health.
Her health bar remained perpetually full.
The battle had devolved into a bizarre war of attrition.
Wang Meng's attacks were ferocious, but they drained his stamina and mental energy at an alarming rate.
In contrast, Lin Qingyue, though seemingly on the defensive, maintained her peak condition throughout.
Unable to break through after so long, Wang Meng knew he couldn't drag this out any longer.
A look of grim determination flashed in his eyes. He deliberately slowed a horizontal sweep, and at the exact moment the move lost its momentum, exposing his right shoulder, he revealed a fatal opening.
It was a trap.
As expected, Lin Qingyue seized this "opportunity." Her staff shot forward like a dragon emerging from its lair, striking precisely at the opening!
Just as the staff's tip was about to touch Wang Meng's armor, his entire body erupted with blood-red energy!
Berserker Burst Skill—[Recklessness]!
Completely ignoring the staff aimed at his shoulder, he lunged forward violently. His battle axe abandoned all defense, swinging horizontally at Lin Qingyue's waist in a suicidal, all-or-nothing strike
Trading injury for injury!
The distance was too close! The tactic too desperate!
It was already impossible for Lin Qingyue to dodge completely!
In that life-or-death instant, she pushed the speed of Anemo Archon's Blessing to its absolute limit. Her feet blurred as she rapidly stepped back, her body retreating diagonally backward by a hair's breadth!
At the same time, she unhesitatingly raised her defense again.
[Power Word: Shield]!
A platinum-gold light shield hastily materialized.
Screech—!
The heavy battle axe was ultimately faster. The razor-sharp edge of the axe slammed viciously into the light shield before it could fully stabilize!
Crack!
The shield shattered into a shower of light fragments.
It had absorbed most of the strike's force, but the violent aftershock still slammed solidly into Lin Qingyue's side.
She felt as if she'd been rammed by a rampaging rhinoceros.
A coppery taste surged up her throat as the immense force sent her stumbling backward through the air.
A wave of suppressed gasps rippled through the audience below.
Agony swept through her body, but in that moment, Lin Qingyue's combat instincts flared to their peak!
She saw it!
Because he had used [Recklessness], Wang Meng was now locked in a full second of massive stiffness!
An opening!
A fierce glint flashed in her eyes. She forcibly swallowed the blood rising in her throat, ignoring the searing pain in her side. Using the momentum of being knocked back, she violently twisted her waist and spun around
Just as her body was about to collapse, she stomped her right foot hard against the ground!
Rebound!
The pink staff in her hand carved a vicious, peerless arc. At the very moment Wang Meng's momentum was spent and he couldn't change his attack, the staff swept horizontally, striking his supporting ankle with brutal precision!
Thud!
A sickening, muffled impact echoed.
Tearing pain shot through Wang Meng's ankle. His massive body instantly lost its balance, and he stumbled forward awkwardly.
Lin Qingyue gave him no chance to recover.
Her body flowed with the momentum of her spin into a swift side kick, her toe striking his kidney with pinpoint accuracy!
"Urgh!"
Wang Meng let out a pained grunt. His body completely lost control, and like a collapsing iron tower, he crashed toward the edge of the arena.
Boom!
A heavy thud announced the end of the battle.
Only then did Lin Qingyue finally falter. She dropped to one knee, using her staff to prop up her trembling body as she gasped for breath.
Her bangs, soaked with cold sweat, clung to her pale cheeks.
Forcing down the pain, she raised a hand and cast a spell on herself.
[Flash Heal]!
A gentle white light enveloped her. The searing pain in her side quickly subsided, and the churning blood in her veins slowly calmed.
The entire arena fell silent.
Three seconds later, a deafening roar erupted, like a mountain collapsing into a tsunami!
"She won! She won again!"
"My god! A Level 22 Berserker! Worn down and defeated by a Priest!"
"That final counter-kill! What kind of monstrous combat awareness is that?! How could she counterattack with those injuries?!"
"This Priest... she's a demon, isn't she?!"
"The most ridiculous part is that staff! Look, even after the fight, it's still perfectly pink and pristine, not a speck of dust on it!"
The referee took a deep breath, snapping out of his shock, and announced in a loud voice:
"The winner: Lin Qingyue!"
Wang Meng staggered to his feet below the stage, dusting himself off. He stared at the figure kneeling on the platform, healing herself, his face alternating between pale and livid.
He refused to accept it.
But even stronger than his defiance was the dazed confusion of having his worldview shattered.
He opened his mouth, seemingly about to spew some harsh words to salvage his pride.
Just then, Lin Qingyue slowly straightened up and looked at him calmly.
Her voice was light, yet it carried an undeniable weight.
"That was a match. During the pre-fight trash talk, I didn't hold what you said against you."
"Now the match is over."
"What are you supposed to call me?"
A single sentence lodged all of Wang Meng's prepared retorts in his throat.
His expression froze instantly, as if an invisible hand were choking him.
Under the astonished gazes of thousands in the arena, the two-meter-tall giant's arrogant swagger vanished in an instant, deflating completely like a balloon pricked by a needle.
He awkwardly scratched the back of his head, his voice barely audible, like the buzz of a mosquito.
"First... First Cousin."
BOOM—!
The entire arena erupted once more!
Immediately, a tidal wave of discussion, ten times more intense than before, swept through the crowd!
"So that's it! No wonder he was so restrained with his trash talk today!"
"I knew it! Since when was Wang Meng ever so polite?!"
"What a plot twist! One moment they're fighting to the death, the next it's a family drama!"
Before the words could even fade, a figure leaped onto the stage like a pantheress.
Lin Xiyue first anxiously checked Lin Qingyue's injuries from head to toe. After confirming they weren't serious, she immediately spun around, her icy gaze locking onto Wang Meng below the stage.
"Well, well, Wang Meng! You've gotten bold, haven't you? Daring to poach from your First Cousin me?!"
Facing Lin Xiyue, Wang Meng's bravado instantly deflated by half, but he still tried to argue stubbornly, "S-Second Cousin, my team just needs a healer..."
"Still talking back?" Lin Xiyue narrowed her eyes, her hand already resting on her shield.
The gesture made Wang Meng subconsciously take half a step back. Clearly, his childhood trauma was extensive.
He immediately surrendered, muttering, "Fine, fine, I was wrong! Can't I just admit I was wrong...? You two sisters together are invincible. I can't afford to provoke you, so I'll just stay out of your way..."
[Ding! You have defeated a superior opponent, shattered class perceptions with a unique strategy, and generated immense contrast and heated discussion, earning a large amount of Elation Value! Elation Value +400!]
The Elation Value surged again!
Lin Qingyue felt a flicker of joy. This kind of "fun," earned fair and square through her own strength, seemed particularly valuable.
As she stepped down from the stage, Lin Xiyue proudly linked arms with her, like a peacock declaring victory.
"Sis, let's go! Let that arrogant cousin-nephew of ours reflect on his own foolishness!"
Looking at her sister's excited face and feeling the countless gazes around her—a mixture of shock, curiosity, and awe—Lin Qingyue gently clenched her fist.
Her path as a Battle Sister was becoming increasingly solid.
Now, she had to decide how to spend her nearly 800 Elation Value.
Should she gamble on a single pull from the Permanent Pool, or continue to hold back and save up for a ten-pull from the Newbie Pool?
She gazed at the bright sky outside the Arena, a slight smile playing on her lips.
The choice itself was part of the fun, wasn't it?