The chaotic roar drowned out the sharp cry of the phoenix.
The force of the explosion engulfed the phoenix and spread towards Shui Bing'er.
She, who had always been calm, steady, and good at restraining her emotional fluctuations, lost control in the final moment, which was rare for her.
But she didn't regret it; on the contrary, she was very grateful for the opportunity to release the passion within her.
The shockwave rapidly approached, and she gently closed her eyes.
Having done everything she could, she had no regrets.
The ice ring armor covering her body collapsed the instant it collided with the shockwave.
Her body was also sent flying, crashing several meters away.
"Bang!"
But compared to the impact she had expected, the power of this shockwave was far too weak.
It only shattered the armor on her front and didn't penetrate her internal organs.
After being knocked away and falling back to the ground, the undamaged armor on her back not only reduced the impact but also lessened the friction, reducing secondary damage through sliding.
She opened her eyes again in confusion, seeing a clear blue sky.
"I'm okay?"
There was no pain, only the exhaustion and weakness after her soul power was depleted.
At that moment, she heard footsteps approaching, and a sturdy arm entered her field of vision.
Back to his normal state, Huo Wushuang lacked the imposing presence he had just displayed, appearing somewhat simple and honest.
Shui Bing'er didn't speak, only stared at Huo Wushuang calmly but with a hint of pressure.
This caused Huo Wushuang, who wanted to express goodwill, to hit a wall.
Unsure of what to say, Huo Wushuang awkwardly froze there, just as he couldn't help but shift his gaze to the referee's side, wanting to await his judgment.
The corners of Shui Bing'er's lips curved into a captivating curve, and she extended her hand first, saying, "I lost. Thank you for the guidance."
When Huo Wushuang saw Shui Bing'er's faint smile, it was as if he saw a proud white snow lotus blooming on the Tianshan Mountains; although it lacked vibrant color, when it bloomed, the world paled in comparison.
In the face of this captivating smile, Huo Wushuang felt the agitation and anger in his heart quietly dissipate.
A gentle smile also appeared on his face as he reached out and lightly grasped Shui Bing'er's slender hand, replying, "You and your Tianshui Academy are very strong. I look forward to our next match."
The sense of crisis that Tianshui Academy brought to Blazing Fire Academy far exceeded that of Thunder Academy.
They were truly forced to use their full strength, which was also a rare challenge for them.
During the battle, both sides held anger and hostility, but after the victory and defeat were decided, all that remained for both sides was admiration and respect for each other.
With Shui Bing'er's admission of defeat, this long but undulating duel finally came to an end.
The audience immediately burst into warm applause, not only applauding the wonderful duel displayed by both sides but also praising the sportsmanship of both sides shaking hands and making peace after the match.
When Huo Wushuang returned to the team, he originally wanted to celebrate this precious victory with his teammates, but he noticed that the expressions with which everyone was looking at him were very strange.
The twin brothers, who had been lying down the whole time, propped themselves up and teased, "I didn't expect our captain to be quite the tender and considerate type. You didn't use your full strength at all, did you?"
Following Huo Yu's teasing, Huo Yun looked at Huo Wushuang with some resentment and said, "Didn't you say you were going to stand up for me? Is the brotherhood between us not as important as this 'love at first sight' that came out of nowhere?"
No matter how thick-skinned Huo Wushuang was, he couldn't stand the teasing of the two brothers, and his face immediately turned red.
He retorted in exasperation, "What are you guys talking about? I was just showing the proper sportsmanship of our Blazing Fire Academy.
Besides, wasn't it you, Huo Yun, who told me to hold back?"
Huo Wushuang pointed at Huo Yun and blamed him for the reason.
At this moment, Lin Meng, who was sitting to the side and sighing at the sky, muttered to the void, "If I had known it was to pick up girls, I wouldn't have given up my position.
My precious chance to appear has been taken away again.
Ah, heavens, won't I have no chance to appear even by the end of the competition?"
Although Lin Meng didn't directly target anyone, everyone knew that he was expressing his dissatisfaction to Huo Wushuang.
Huo Wushuang became angry out of embarrassment and directly grabbed his collar, shaking him and saying, "Are you calling me out?
Isn't it just an appearance? Next time, I'll let you be the first to go on stage, okay?"
Lin Meng's eyes lit up with a gleam of slyness, and he excitedly grasped Huo Wushuang's hands, saying, "Really? Then I won't be polite."
A sly look flashed across the corner of Lin Meng's eyes, and he happily flaunted to the silent Wang Xing and the Ling Yun brothers beside him.
Huo Wushuang realized that he had fallen into the big pit dug by Lin Meng and sighed helplessly.
"Brother, if it's the captain of Tianshui Academy, then I support you!"
Before Huo Wushuang could catch his breath, Huo Wu gave Huo Wushuang an approving thumbs up and said playfully.
Quan Yi also didn't miss this opportunity, following up and saying, "Yes, you've been busy cultivating these years and haven't had a girlfriend. Taking this opportunity, Brother Wushuang can also try to pursue his own happiness."
Seeing that even Quan Yi, who was usually the most serious, was saying this, Huo Wushuang covered his face and rubbed his throbbing temples.
"You guys, don't go too far."
Just as the Blazing Fire Academy was in a burst of laughter, the situation was similar on the opposite side of Tianshui Academy.
They were not immersed in the disappointment of defeat; the injured team members had a curious light burning in their eyes, surrounding Shui Bing'er and staring at her with a gossipy look.
The most mischievous and youngest Shui Yue'er joked about her own older sister, saying, "Sister, this is the first time I've seen you take the initiative to reach out to a boy.
You wouldn't have developed an interest in him, would you?"
Shui Yue'er's innocent words directly hit the most core part.
The team members beside her quickly covered her mouth, but their attention was focused on Shui Bing'er.
But unexpectedly, a touch of blush appeared on Shui Bing'er's face.
Shui Bing'er, who never showed her emotions, rarely revealed a flustered expression, explaining suspiciously:
"I was just thanking him for showing mercy in the battle. Yue'er, if you have time to think about these things, you might as well carefully review this match and see what shortcomings you have."
Shui Bing'er's unusual reaction made the strange light in everyone's eyes even more intense.
But because of the power of Shui Bing'er's captaincy, they smiled and stopped asking, only letting Shui Yue'er be criticized for no reason.
Forcibly changing the subject, Shui Bing'er breathed a sigh of relief, her body turning backward in an evasive manner.
It was just this turn that her gaze happened to meet Huo Wushuang's, who was also trying to escape from his teammates' teasing.
This gaze may have been a coincidence.
But it was this coincidence that stirred up youthful ripples on the calm lake, which could not be calmed for a long time.
