"Since you’ve steeled yourself—"

"—then let’s fight with everything we’ve got!"

"Corruption Artifact—Divine Stroke!"

Chu Tong swiftly bit her finger. Blood arced through the air, coalescing into a life-sized calligraphy brush that landed firmly in her palm.

Ming Yi also bit his finger, eyes locked sharply on Chu Tong, every sense heightened.

Holding the brush, Chu Tong radiated a dense fighting spirit. Her long black hair stirred without wind, aura sharp and imposing.

She swung the brush. The massive tip traced a jet-black ink mark midair, humming with ancient, weighty energy. With a sharp flick, the mark shot toward Ming Yi.

At the same moment, Chu Tong lunged forward, brush raised.

*Here it comes!* Ming Yi’s gaze sharpened.

Blood surged from his fingertips, weaving faint crimson threads before him. Hands curved slightly, the threads twisted instantly into a nearly invisible net.

Simultaneously, he gave an almost imperceptible flick of his wrist.

The ink mark struck the net with tremendous force. On contact, the net bent to its absolute limit—teetering on the edge of snapping.

"Your Corruption Artifact lacks both hardness and resilience compared to a standard one. What makes you think you can block me?"

True to her words, before the sentence ended, the net tore with a sound like ripping silk. The ink mark surged again toward Ming Yi.

Ming Yi didn’t stand still. A light tap of his toes sent him shooting backward.

But Chu Tong pursued like a shadow, thrusting the brush upward.

Two attacks converged. Trapped with nowhere to retreat, Ming Yi was cornered in an instant!

*Chu Tong’s strength is no joke.* Admiration flickered in Ming Yi’s mind—but his body reacted faster. A backflip, his nose barely grazing the brush tip.

At the same time, he shot a blood thread at the wall behind him, yanked hard, and propelled himself backward—evading the ink mark and gaining distance.

*Brilliant escape!* Xiao Chengcheng silently cheered, then yelled, "Hey! Ming Yi, stop running! Are you a man? Turn and fight her!"

Seeing Ming Yi evade, Chu Tong’s brow furrowed slightly—but she pressed on. A few swift strokes in the air, and a minimalist ink bird spread its wings, chasing him.

Ming Yi sprinkled blood droplets on the floor, then clenched his right hand.

A chilling aura brushed Chu Tong’s back. Without turning, she twisted aside.

*Hiss—* A blood arrow grazed her cheek, leaving a faint inch-long cut.

*Aiming straight for my face? So ruthless! Does he have no chivalry at all?* Annoyance flickered in her chest. She looked back—Ming Yi already held a slender blood-whip, shattering her ink bird with a sharp crack.

Xiao Chengcheng sucked in a breath. *Ming Yi really doesn’t hold back with girls!* One slip could’ve scarred her. Blood Essence could heal it—but would Chu Tong ever speak to him again?

"Shameless trick!" Chu Tong snapped. Gripping the brush with both hands, she swung it down hard.

This time, Ming Yi didn’t retreat. Eyes fixed on the brush, he shifted half a step sideways the moment it came down. His hand rose—a slender Bloodsword materialized, meeting the brush.

*Clang!* A crisp clash. With a subtle twist, the brush handle glanced off. Their positions swapped in a flash.

In that fleeting glance, Chu Tong froze.

Ming Yi’s eyes held not a trace of panic or fear—only crystal clarity, cold and utterly undisturbed, as if the raging battle meant nothing.

A nameless dread coiled in her chest.

*If he’d just pressed a little harder… that Bloodsword would’ve shattered my brush—and me.*

*Huff—* Both leaped apart. Chu Tong, still shaken, looked again—and blinked. Ming Yi now looked breathless, sweat beading on his brow, eyes bright with excitement yet tinged with fatigue.

*An illusion?* Before the thought settled, a faint smile touched Ming Yi’s lips.

Chu Tong’s heart skipped. A subtle, sticky tug wrapped her ankles. She glanced down—she stood exactly where Ming Yi had dodged the first ink mark. Two blood ropes bound her feet.

She turned back.

A blood arrow hovered one inch from her forehead.

"I win." Ming Yi flashed a bright, disarming smile.

---

---

Both dismissed their Corruption Artifacts. Ming Yi hurried over, bowing slightly. "Those sneak moves during the fight were a bit underhanded. I sincerely apologize, Chu Tong. Please don’t take it to heart."

Chu Tong touched the cut on her cheek, studying him carefully from head to toe.

Now he looked shy, flustered—no trace of that earlier icy indifference.

"Ming Yi, just now—" She hesitated, then shook her head.

"—No. You fought brilliantly. You calculated every detail, lured me perfectly into your trap. I lost fair and square."

Xiao Chengcheng ambled over, shaking his head. "Told ya. This guy always wins with sneaky tricks. Infuriating—and utterly helpless against it."

Ming Yi shot him a glare. "I haven’t even mentioned you kicking me while I was down. Now you’re badmouthing me? Want me to write your name on your underwear and toss them into the girls’ dorm across the street tonight?"

"Holy crap, Ming Yi! Are your schemes side dishes for Liang Feifan? How do you even *think* of stuff that dirty?" Xiao Chengcheng paled.

Watching them bicker, Chu Tong let the unease fade. *Maybe it really was just my imagination.*

Still… Ming Yi was far stronger than she’d expected.

She knew head-on, she’d overpower him—but experiencing his precision firsthand was chilling. He was no pushover.

From the first dodge, he’d planted counters. After the second evasion, he’d already foreseen the entire flow—only then could those two blood drops have been placed.

The sidestep. The position swap. The final strike the moment her focus shifted to the ropes.

It felt scripted before the fight even began.

She sighed inwardly. *Xiao Chengcheng and Ming Yi… a terrifying duo.*

If she wanted to keep up with the Student Council? She’d need to train much, much harder.