> [Sam, in position. Entering the battlefield.]
The sudden male voice made everyone present instantly alert—including Wu Zhangkong—because he hadn't sensed anyone else approaching at all. Or... could this be Liuying's soul skill?
Everyone's attention was drawn to the dazzling burst of firelight, even the students running laps on the playground stopped and stared at the flames.
Earlier, they had already noticed a beautiful girl arriving from outside the academy—it looked like she was here to enroll?
> "But I didn't expect this... that Teacher Wu would let Tang Wulin be the one to test her? This girl is in trouble," said Xie Xie with great confidence, his voice echoing in the ears of the other students. Only someone who had clashed head-on with Tang Wulin would truly understand his strength.
He was definitely not someone to underestimate.
But perhaps Xie Xie hadn't considered one possibility:
> What if this girl is even stronger than Tang Wulin...?
Once the blinding flames faded, what appeared before everyone's eyes was no longer the ordinary girl from before—but a suit of mecha armor gleaming with a radiant silver light!
> "Is that... battle armor? No, that's not right—what is that?!"
Even with Wu Zhangkong's knowledge and experience, he couldn't identify Liuying's martial soul at this point. He could only stand silently by and observe the fight.
In the end, the so-called "number one Black Tower student from Eastsea" could only helplessly mutter,
> "As expected of someone recommended by the Black Tower!"
But to Tang Wulin, the scene before him was completely different.
What had just been a girl about the same height as him had, in the blink of an eye, transformed into a towering mecha being...
> "So cool!!"
Staring at the incredibly stylish mech, Tang Wulin's eyes sparkled with little stars. He even paused his attack for a moment, utterly captivated.
> [Thank you for the compliment. However, the battle has already begun. Please prepare yourself immediately.]
"Ah! Y-Yes!!"
Being lectured by such a cool-looking machine somehow made Tang Wulin happy for some reason—even he didn't quite understand why.
After readjusting his state, Tang Wulin's eyes became firm.
> "For the sake of my food... I'll have to make you lose here!"
But what responded to him was the sound of mechanical movement—and...
> [Command: Flash Combustion Thrust]
Rider Punch!
Her entire right arm transformed into a blaze of fire. Liuying—or rather, Sam, assisted by her boosters, dashed sideways toward Tang Wulin at extreme speed and threw a fiery punch.
The two had already been standing close together, and with Sam's propulsion, she was on Tang Wulin in an instant. He had no choice but to wrap Bluesilver Grass around his arms to defend.
BOOM—!
Under the massive impact force, Tang Wulin was forced to stumble back over ten steps before barely managing to stop. But the Bluesilver Grass wrapped around him showed minimal damage—just a small charred patch that was already regenerating at a visible rate.
> Truly worthy of the power of the Goddess of Life—this Bluesilver Grass seemed to have some resistance to flames as well?
Seeing this, Liuying's gaze sharpened. She hadn't expected this to be so troublesome.
Yaolan's Black Tower projection had lived at Eastsea Academy for a while, so she had a decent grasp of the power level here. Based on that, the Liuying projection she created wasn't supposed to be very strong—or rather...
> At least for now, it didn't have overwhelming strength.
> Looks like it's time to get serious!
> [Command: Heavenly Fire Strike]
Rider Kick!
Sam launched herself high into the air with the help of her boosters and assumed the iconic rider kick pose. Flames wrapped around her as she struck down toward the ground.
This kind of big, flashy attack was, of course, caught in Tang Wulin's eyes. Even though the surrounding temperature had risen sharply, he still had plenty of stamina left and easily dodged the blow.
But… was it over?
> Of course not!
Although the attack didn't hit, Sam's energy was now fully charged.
> It was time to use that move!
> "Firefly Type IV, locked and loaded. I'll win this for myself!"
> [Firefly Type IV – Full Combustion Mode]
The mech's appearance quickly changed. A fiery red core that had been hidden in the chest now wrapped around the exterior—and behind her, two flame-like cloaks formed!
> "Whoa! It transformed?!"
Not just Tang Wulin—even the surrounding students who had been running laps were now fully drawn in, eager to see the girl's true power.
> "Is this your power? It's amazing!"
Tang Wulin's eyes sparkled again—after all, what boy wouldn't be fascinated by such a cool mech?
But Tang Wulin also understood—he couldn't just stand there.
> The greatest respect you can give your opponent… is to fight them with everything you've got!
> "In that case, I won't hold back anymore!"
Bluesilver Domain—Entangle!
Originally, Bluesilver Grass soul skill could only restrict opponents at most—leaving them open to follow-up attacks. But Tang Wulin had evolved.
He now released his domain, and all the burned areas on the field immediately sprouted fresh Bluesilver Grass, which began extending rapidly under his control.
It looked kind of disgusting—like a mass of tentacles growing from the ground…
For some reason, seeing this made Liuying suddenly worry for Tang Wulin's future wife.
> Could this really work out? This kind of stubborn, tenacious, and wildly aggressive Bluesilver Grass—
Most people probably couldn't handle it!
But now—it was time for weeding.
> [Death Star Overload]
> "I will… ignite the sea of stars!"
Two glowing swords suddenly appeared in Sam's hands. Behind her, fierce flames surged outward.
It was clearly a finishing move.
With two streaks of green light charging forward, an intense explosion rocked the center of the field. Everyone watched with bated breath, eager to see the outcome of this epic clash.
When the smoke finally cleared, Tang Wulin and Sam had both stopped using flashy attacks. Instead, they were locked in a test of brute strength—grabbing each other's hands in a contest of raw power.
> "Come on, Wulin! Knock that guy down!"
> "Don't you dare lose!"
His friends on the sidelines began cheering loudly for Tang Wulin.
But only one person remained silent—the teacher Wu Zhangkong.
In the moment when the two clashed hands, he had noticed a figure hiding in the lingering smoke…
> "AAAAAHHH! I'M GONNA WIN!!!"
Tang Wulin roared, gripping the mech's hands tightly. With sheer strength and endurance, he forced Sam back by one step.
But then—
THUD!
Just as Tang Wulin was fully focused on the match, something suddenly struck the back of his head.
Caught completely off guard, Tang Wulin was instantly knocked unconscious and collapsed onto the field.
Before him, Sam slowly faded away into flames…
A silver-haired girl stood there holding a piece of hard silver metal in her hand. With a faint smile on her face, she looked at Wu Zhangkong as he approached.
> "Teacher Wu, I won.