What on earth was going on?
On the spectator stands, Bai Qingxue stared intently at Cao Chenghua, her mind replaying that last strike over and over.
By all accounts, Zhao Yueru should have blocked it. Yet somehow, Cao Chenghua's sword had struck from an entirely different angle.
It was like a cursed blade.
Zhao Yueru was equally bewildered—she had no idea what had just happened. But there was no time to dwell on it.
Cao Chenghua's single blow had dealt 1241 points of damage. With her already low HP, Zhao Yueru was left critically wounded, clinging to just over 470 hit points. She could no longer survive another attack from Cao Chenghua.
Magic Classes had terrible defenses, weak Strength, and mediocre Agility. Once a Berserker closed the gap, it was a death sentence.
Zhao Yueru instinctively cast Ring of Flames, an instant-cast spell. A blazing ring of fire expanded outward, capable of knocking back nearby enemies.
Cao Chenghua showed no hesitation. He swung his sword straight through it.
With a deafening boom, his Iron-Slaying Greatsword cleaved through the fire ring. The force still pushed him back a step, halting his offensive for a moment.
Zhao Yueru seized the chance, retreating while firing off an Ice Arrow.
"Trying to run? Then die right here!" Cao Chenghua bellowed, tanking the Ice Arrow as he unleashed a sweeping slash toward Zhao Yueru.
Zhao Yueru raised her staff to block once more.
This time she locked her eyes onto the trajectory of the Iron-Slaying Greatsword, pouring every ounce of her focus into tracking it.
The greatsword was about to come down on her. Zhao Yueru swept her staff up with both hands to intercept.
But a mocking smirk crossed Cao Chenghua's face, and he drove the blade down with full force.
The same inexplicable phenomenon happened again…
Somehow, the Iron-Slaying Greatsword vanished—and struck her blind spot once more.
Zhao Yueru didn't even have time to be shocked before she collapsed to the ground. Her vision spun, the world growing darker and darker.
"Zhao Yueru. You should understand now, right? Stick with me, and only then will you have a bright future." Cao Chenghua stood over her fallen form, looking down with a condescending tone.
Zhao Yueru tried to rise and retort, but her HP had already hit zero…
The winner of the first match: Cao Chenghua!
Zhao Yueru not only lost a level but also dropped a piece of equipment, along with a significant amount of skill proficiency.
After respawning, Zhao Yueru walked over to Bai Qingxue with a dejected expression, her voice full of shame. "Qingxue… I'm sorry…"
Losing the first match undoubtedly made things harder. They now needed to win three of the remaining four rounds.
"This isn't your fault. Cao Chenghua was hiding his strength far too well. He not only learned a Limiter Release skill but also this bizarre new ability. There's no shame in this loss," Bai Qingxue comforted her. "Leave the rest to me."
"Mm." Zhao Yueru nodded silently, a faint glimmer of tears at the corners of her eyes.
Even though Bai Qingxue had comforted her, she couldn't forgive herself. What stung the most was that she had lost without understanding how—even now, she had no idea what had happened.
Watching from a distance, Shi Feng had witnessed the entire bout between Cao Chenghua and Zhao Yueru, and he was equally surprised.
When had Cao Chenghua gotten this strong?
Thinking back to how confident Cao Chenghua and his group had been, it all made sense now. No wonder they had all worn those self-assured expressions.