Chapter 6

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Chapter 6: The Promise

With a loud “bang,” dirt and debris flew up in front of Mu Xiaofeng as he shattered the earth wall completely.

Although the sword didn’t directly injure the Earth Element Scholar, the energy shockwave it unleashed, followed by Qin Baoyi’s fireball, inflicted severe damage. The Earth Element Scholar was gravely wounded, unconscious, and unable to continue fighting. The tournament staff quickly appeared from the surroundings and carried him away.

Seeing her teammate defeated, the girl’s armor of rock disappeared, leaving her both anxious and angry. Realizing she had no chance of winning, she made a gesture, and she and the Shadow Archer fled.

Mu Xiaofeng, seeing his opponents flee, turned to Zhang Wenyu and Qin Baoyi and said, “We’ve already defeated one of them. Even if they try to stall, we should win this match.”

Both Qin Baoyi and Zhang Wenyu agreed, but it was clear that waiting like this would be boring, especially with three more bowls of water’s time remaining. Mu Xiaofeng decided to take the initiative and search for the enemies.

The three of them slowly explored the area. Because of Qin Baoyi, who was a Scholar, they moved at a slower pace.

Suddenly, Zhang Wenyu keenly noticed a figure holding a shield behind a tree in the distance ahead—clearly the girl, hiding and ready to ambush.

Zhang Wenyu pretended to approach the tree casually, then suddenly accelerated and charged straight toward it. Seeing Zhang Wenyu launch an attack, Mu Xiaofeng became excited and followed his lead.

But the girl suddenly emerged from behind the tree, her expression serious, gripping her shield tightly, ready to fight.

Just as Zhang Wenyu was about to reach her, the ground beneath his feet gave way—it was a trap! Zhang Wenyu reacted quickly, leaping to avoid it. However, Mu Xiaofeng, who was following closely behind, didn’t slow down and fell straight into the pit.

This put Mu Xiaofeng in an awkward situation. Qin Baoyi, who was walking slowly, had not yet caught up. Zhang Wenyu immediately turned and ran, leaving Mu Xiaofeng alone.

“Looks like your friend abandoned you,” the Shadow Archer taunted Mu Xiaofeng, jumping down from the tree. Mu Xiaofeng glared at them without speaking, unable to understand why Zhang Wenyu had left him behind.

Soon after, Zhang Wenyu returned, charging at the two of them with all his might. Was he here to save Mu Xiaofeng? The girl tightened her grip on her shield and prepared to face Zhang Wenyu. The boy also drew his bow, aiming at him.

Seeing the girl charge, Zhang Wenyu smiled faintly and then suddenly veered off in another direction.

The girl thought to herself, “Mu Xiaofeng is stuck in the trap and won’t be able to get out for a while. It’s worth it to take this opportunity to deal with one of them.” She and the Shadow Archer chased after Zhang Wenyu.

As the two of them ran off, Qin Baoyi emerged from the forest, reached Mu Xiaofeng, and anxiously pointed in Zhang Wenyu’s direction, saying, “Zhang Wenyu led them away and told me to rescue you. We have to hurry; otherwise, Zhang Wenyu might be in danger alone.”

Mu Xiaofeng nodded, understanding Zhang Wenyu’s intentions and realizing he had almost misjudged him.

Qin Baoyi then summoned several fireballs, blasting the edge of the trap to create a slope.

Mu Xiaofeng climbed out, dusted himself off, and said to Qin Baoyi, “I’ll go ahead. Catch up as soon as you can.” With that, he grabbed his heavy sword and ran forward, hoping to reach the endangered Zhang Wenyu.

Ahead, Zhang Wenyu was already badly injured. It was clear that facing two opponents alone was extremely difficult. His only thought now was to delay them as long as possible, waiting for Mu Xiaofeng to arrive.

Another arrow shot toward Zhang Wenyu. He dodged it, but the girl swung her sword, leaving another wound on him.

“Zhang Wenyu, I’m here!” Mu Xiaofeng shouted, appearing in Zhang Wenyu’s view.

The girl signaled to the Shadow Archer, who leapt into a tree to hide. Zhang Wenyu, using the last of his strength, shouted at Mu Xiaofeng, “Watch out for an ambush!”

Hearing Zhang Wenyu’s warning, the girl frowned and struck Zhang Wenyu on the back with her shield. Unable to hold on any longer, Zhang Wenyu collapsed, unconscious, losing his ability to fight.

Now, both sides were on equal footing, but Mu Xiaofeng still had plenty of energy.

At that moment, the second bowl of water was nearly finished. Qiao Zi had already won her match. As soon as she left the arena, she began searching for Mu Xiaofeng, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Realizing Mu Xiaofeng hadn’t finished his match yet, Qiao Zi remembered that he had gone to the first arena and hurried there. Ximu, watching her rush off, sighed and followed her.

Seeing Zhang Wenyu knocked down and carried out of the arena, Mu Xiaofeng felt a mix of shame and anger. His eyes gleamed fiercely, and his heavy sword trembled in his hands.

Mu Xiaofeng accelerated and charged at the girl, infusing his sword with energy for a powerful strike. The girl, knowing she couldn’t withstand the blow, dodged backward. The sword missed her but struck the ground, causing it to crack from the sheer force.

The girl lost her footing and fell.

As Mu Xiaofeng prepared to strike again, a cold arrow shot from the trees, hitting his shoulder. Fortunately, his armor absorbed most of the impact, so he wasn’t seriously injured.

Mu Xiaofeng sneered and charged at the tree, slashing it down with his sword, forcing the Shadow Archer to jump down in front of him.

At that moment, Mu Xiaofeng suddenly saw a flash of golden light, and the golden figure from before appeared again. The golden figure said, “Mu Xiaofeng, stay calm. Don’t let anger cloud your judgment. Take out the archer first.” With that, the golden figure vanished again.

Seeing that no one else seemed to notice the golden figure, Mu Xiaofeng realized he was the only one who could see it. Although he didn’t know what the golden figure was, Mu Xiaofeng decided to follow its advice and charged at the archer.

Mu Xiaofeng gathered his energy and slashed at the archer. In close combat, the Shadow Archer stood no chance.

The girl, unable to protect her teammate, could only watch as Mu Xiaofeng knocked him unconscious, and the tournament staff carried him away.

Dragging his sword, Mu Xiaofeng slowly approached the girl, his face still filled with grief and anger. Seeing her teammates defeated, the girl dropped her sword and shield in despair, sat on the ground, and raised her hand, saying, “I surrender.”

Mu Xiaofeng stopped in front of her. The girl looked at him with a resigned expression and asked, “My name is Yun Jie. Can you tell me yours?”

Mu Xiaofeng planted his sword in the ground and started to walk away. Suddenly, he stopped, turned back, and said, “My name is Mu Xiaofeng.” With that, he continued walking away.

“Mu Xiaofeng?” Yun Jie muttered, lifting her head and calling out to him, “Mu Xiaofeng, I promise you, next time, I will block your sword with my shield.” Mu Xiaofeng didn’t look back, but Yun Jie etched his name into her heart. Until her dying breath, she would strive to block Mu Xiaofeng’s attacks.

At that moment, Qin Baoyi arrived in front of Mu Xiaofeng, looked around, and, not seeing Zhang Wenyu, asked anxiously, “Where’s Zhang Wenyu? Did you find him?”

Mu Xiaofeng suddenly knelt down, tears streaming down his face, and cried, “It’s all my fault! My impulsiveness put everyone in danger. If it weren’t for me, Zhang Wenyu wouldn’t have been knocked down. I will never be so reckless again. I won’t let you guys be in danger anymore.”

At that moment, the judges’ voice echoed in the air: “First arena, Class 5 versus Class 31, Class 5 wins.” Only then did Qin Baoyi realize they had won the match. She comforted Mu Xiaofeng and led him off the arena.

In the stands, Qiao Zi heard the judges’ announcement and jumped for joy. But Ximu, standing beside her, sneered, “So weak. It took them so long to finish the fight. I got tired of waiting. If it took them this long to deal with such weak opponents, either their skills are lacking, or their leadership is poor. There’s nothing worth watching in a fight against such trash.”

Hearing Ximu mock her friends, Qiao Zi was naturally upset, but as soon as she saw Mu Xiaofeng and Qin Baoyi walking down, she ignored Ximu and ran over.

Qiao Zi happily congratulated Mu Xiaofeng, saying, “Mu Xiaofeng, congratulations on winning your first match!” Then she looked around and asked Qin Baoyi, “Where’s Zhang Wenyu? And who is this?”

Mu Xiaofeng, still feeling guilty, didn’t respond with joy. He answered Qiao Zi flatly, “Zhang Wenyu was knocked down during the match. This is my classmate, Qin Baoyi.”

He then introduced Qin Baoyi to Qiao Zi. “This is the friend I met on registration day, Qiao Zi.” Qiao Zi and

Qin Baoyi smiled and nodded at each other in greeting. But Ximu interrupted, “So weak. How could you get knocked down?”

Hearing this, Qiao Zi shot Ximu a fierce look and shook her fist threateningly. Meanwhile, Mu Xiaofeng maintained a cold expression and prepared to leave with Qin Baoyi.

Qiao Zi stopped Mu Xiaofeng and held out her hand, saying, “Mu Xiaofeng, let’s both do our best to hold on until we meet again, okay?”

Mu Xiaofeng slowly walked over to her, reached out, and high-fived her. “I will keep our promise,” he said before leaving the first arena with Qin Baoyi.

As she watched Mu Xiaofeng walk away, Qiao Zi clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and silently prayed, “Please, let us meet again, and let it be in the final match.” Ximu, still wearing a haughty expression, snorted and left as well.