Chapter 82: Storm and Fury

Just as Zhang Yu and Lian Tianji stepped onto the dueling stage...

On the stage across from them, Bai Zhenzhen sat cross-legged, waiting calmly for her opponent—Xiong Wenwu from Red Tower High School. He was a Demon-Kin student towering over 2.7 meters tall and weighing nearly a ton, and like Song Hailong and Zhang Yu, he had earned a combat rating of 300.

At that moment, Xiong Wenwu stood in the Red Tower rest area, glaring furiously at Hu Yuntao.

"You lost? How the hell did you lose? And to someone from Songyang?"

Xiong Wenwu slapped Hu Yuntao on the forehead again and again. The same Hu Yuntao who had seemed so savage on the stage now sat obediently in front of him like a scolded kitten. The only thing betraying his frustration was the tail swishing behind him.

"Didn’t even make it through the group round—means you didn’t place at all. That’s one less achievement on your resume."

"Do you even realize? Missing just this one win could be the reason you get cut during your university interview."

"You don’t get into a top school, Father kicks you out of the family registry and ships you straight to the factory floor!"

Kicked out of the family registry. Sent to work in a factory.

Hu Yuntao, previously meek and compliant, visibly tensed at those words.

Why do so many monsters from the Protected-Zone Breeding Facility not have dads? Because those who flunk school and end up working menial jobs get disowned by their fathers. Removed from the family. For good.

"You know what factory work means for someone like you?"

Xiong Wenwu continued berating him. "Monsters don’t find jobs easy. You’ll end up in Father’s factory, modified and grafted onto the assembly line. You’ll piss, shit, eat, and die strapped to that belt like all those Bull-Demons, Horse-Demons, and Monkey-Demons. Spending your entire life paying off your Breeding Loans."

Hu Yuntao clenched his fists. He remembered the factory tour—those endless belts made from the flesh of Elder Demons, the workers fused into the lines, ceaseless day and night. He remembered those half-educated Demon-Kin predecessors—half elementary, half junior high, half high school—strapped in for life.

"After more than ten years of hard study, you made it to high school. Was it just to end up on a belt?"

Xiong Wenwu barked, "If you made it to the top and graduated from a major academy, nobody could revoke your family registry. Nobody could send you to the factory."

Hu Yuntao bowed his head in shame. "Big Bro, I understand now. I won’t hold back again. Next match, I’ll fight with everything I’ve got."

Xiong Wenwu sighed. "I just don’t want to see you throw away years of effort. If you fail to get into college, you’ll be chained to that line the moment you graduate. Father loses a good son. I lose a brother."

"What happens next depends on you."

"But today—I’ll get revenge for you first."

With that, he turned and strode toward the dueling stage.

Behind him, Hu Yuntao called out, "Big Bro, that chick’s got a Stealth-Type Combat Spirit Root. She can dull her opponent’s perception—watch out..."

Xiong Wenwu waved him off. Then, with a burst of power, he charged forward and leapt onto the stage. His near-ton bulk landed like a small mountain, shaking the entire arena with a deafening boom.

"Girl, I’ve never held back in a fight. If you think you’re about to die, better surrender fast."

As he finished, he jabbed three syringes into his neck.

A crackling sound echoed as the liquids were injected straight into his veins. His fur bristled violently, and the veins bulged across his bear-like face.

Just from his size alone, Bai Zhenzhen could feel the overwhelming power coiled within him.

Based on Lei Jun’s earlier analysis, she knew Xiong Wenwu’s physical toughness might be the highest among all the freshmen here.

"Probably around 2.5 to 2.6."

Hoo...

She let out a deep breath and felt the surge of her Spirit Root activating.

In that moment, her mind felt unshackled. Every martial arts technique she had studied or seen flickered across her memory, coming alive.

Ever since entering high school and beginning her martial training...

She had gone from someone who only used her Spirit Root for stealth to someone with a growing comprehension of martial arts. Not only had she begun learning faster, but real combat had sharpened her insight into her opponents’ flaws.

3... 2... 1... Begin!

At the referee’s whistle, Xiong Wenwu exploded forward like a cannonball.

She couldn’t take that hit. She had to retreat.

Bai Zhenzhen darted backward. At the same time, sparks of Spiritual Essence flickered at her fingertips, and a sharp blast of Sword Aura shot forth.

Expert-Grade Martial Technique — Piercing Sword Aura, Level 3 activation.

A foot-long blade of Sword Aura extended from her finger and shot toward Xiong Wenwu, just as he landed.

But with fur flying everywhere, Bai Zhenzhen felt like her strike had hit steel. She managed to slice through his fur and skin, but her attack stalled against his muscles.

"Protective Qi Barrier? And a Battle-Grade Spirit Root? Plus that absurd physical strength..."

She frowned. The next moment, she vanished from Xiong Wenwu’s view.

But Xiong Wenwu had seen it coming. Without pause, like a berserk beast, he swung both claws—cold light flashing—unleashing a relentless storm of attacks toward where she’d disappeared.

All the while, he sniffed furiously, trying to track her scent.

Bai Zhenzhen widened her eyes, carefully watching every motion he made. With her Spirit Root enhancing her perception, every move he made and every fluctuation in Spiritual Essence was laid bare before her.

She could even begin to predict his next attacks by reading the currents in the air.

But even with her stealth and evasive maneuvers, wounds began to appear—arms, legs, waist.

His claws sliced her flesh like hot blades through butter, leaving terrifying wounds with every graze.

Meanwhile, her Piercing Sword Aura barely nicked off fur, leaving nothing more than cosmetic scratches.

"Too much disparity in power and speed."

"Four or five seconds more, and I’ll lose."

And yet, Bai Zhenzhen felt startlingly calm.

As his attacks grew more intense and the Spiritual Essence thickened around her, his techniques and movements became even clearer in her mind.

To her eyes, Xiong Wenwu looked like a massive furnace, roaring with Mana and Spiritual Essence that powered his monstrous body.

And she could see the fine threads of Spiritual Essence covering his skin—worn like a suit of armor.

"No weaknesses? No... there are."

Even as deep gashes opened on her shins, Bai Zhenzhen could finally see the gaps—flaws in his form, weaknesses in his body.

She stepped forward—like a butterfly dancing in the heart of a hurricane.

Step by step, she wove between his killing strikes, brushing past the edges of death.

"I won’t be stuck on the first floor all my life..."

"I will get into the Ten Great Academies!"

"I will walk farther down the Immortal Path!"

Her fingertip roared with Sword Aura as she slashed toward the weakness she saw.

…

From the stands—

Qian Shen and his two companions stared wide-eyed at the battle between Xiong Wenwu and Bai Zhenzhen.

Xiong Wenwu’s attacks were relentless and blindingly fast, crashing down on Bai Zhenzhen like thunder and lightning.

The sheer pressure of his assault left them unable to speak—despite the distance, they felt suffocated by his momentum.

Bai Zhenzhen looked so small next to him, so fragile it was almost painful to watch.

Qian Shen thought grimly,

Too savage. Even grazing hits are tearing her flesh. If she takes one solid blow, she won’t just lose—she might not even survive.

“She’s done for…”

As Bai Zhenzhen’s calf burst with fresh blood and a new wound opened, all three of them felt their hearts sink. In their minds, they could already picture her body mangled and soaked in blood.

But then—she slipped through the blur of claw strikes and unleashed a sudden counterattack.

A Sword Aura cut upward in reverse arc.

Xiong Wenwu’s body suddenly froze, and a geyser of blood exploded from his back.

Zhao Tianxing gasped, “She broke through his defenses?”

He Dayou followed, “She couldn’t even cut through his muscles a moment ago. What changed?”

Qian Shen frowned in deep thought. “Could she have hit a flaw in his technique?”

As the blood gushed more violently from Xiong Wenwu’s back, spraying like a fountain, Qian Shen exclaimed, “She hit an artery? That’s way too much blood!”

On the battlefield—

Lei Jun’s eyes locked onto the spot gushing blood on Xiong Wenwu’s body. Then his gaze lit up. “Hemorrhoids! External hemorrhoids!”

“Of course! Most Demon-Kin evolved from quadrupeds. Once they adopt a human form for cultivation, they have to sit for long hours every day. Hemorrhoids must be worse—and bigger!”

“Especially external hemorrhoids that protrude from the body. They’re outside the range of any Body Refining technique’s protection!”

“Plus, Xiong Wenwu just fought at full throttle and injected himself with multiple high-concentration enhancers. His whole body’s blood vessels are engorged. No wonder the bleeding’s so severe.”

Lei Jun’s face lit with glee. “To think she found that kind of weak spot! All those lessons I gave her actually paid off…”

But then—

On stage, Xiong Wenwu’s bloodshot eyes blazed. He roared like a cornered beast.

Inside, his heart screamed,

I want to study! I don’t want to die strapped to a conveyor belt! I want to stay my father’s son!

In the next instant, Xiong Wenwu began spinning wildly.

His claws and blood sprayed in every direction, blanketing the area in a berserk frenzy.

“Not good!” Lei Jun’s eyes narrowed. “The monster’s gone mad! He’s lashing out at random…”

Seeing Bai Zhenzhen’s wounded leg and how her mobility was compromised, Lei Jun knew she’d have a hard time dodging such chaotic attacks.

By the time Lei Jun made it to the edge of the platform...

Xiong Wenwu was lying in a pool of blood, collapsed.

Nearby, Bai Zhenzhen stood gasping for breath. Aside from the gashes and claw marks that covered her body, her right elbow ended in nothing—her entire forearm was gone.

Her right arm had been torn off by Xiong Wenwu’s final rampage.

Bai Zhenzhen… wins!

Lei Jun quickly scooped up the severed arm, picked up Bai Zhenzhen, and rushed her to the emergency zone.

One look at her wounds and the emergency medic couldn’t help but grin. But when he turned to see which of his colleagues had been assigned to Xiong Wenwu, a hint of envy crossed his face.

“Massive blood loss, overexertion, organ failure, and a hemorrhoid surgery on top… with that kind of physical durability? That Bear-Demon’s gotta be worth at least a few hundred grand.”

Sighing, he turned back to focus on Bai Zhenzhen.

But just as he was about to begin treatment, Bai Zhenzhen groaned and asked, “How much? Can I use insurance?”

The medic replied blandly, “Basic diagnostics, standard treatment, and limb reattachment—eighty-eight thousand. But there’s an extra thirty thousand that’s not covered. You’ll have to pay that out of pocket.”

“Out of pocket?” Bai Zhenzhen snapped. “I bought insurance and you’re still charging me thirty thousand?!”

The medic didn’t answer. He just gestured impatiently. “If you want treatment, hurry. If your arm necrotizes any further, I won’t be able to fix it. And if it goes to the hospital, that’s easily a three-hundred-thousand bill.”