As the match ended, Xu Tianhao and The Four Little Ones rushed to the sidelines, the little ones cheering enthusiastically, as if they were already the grand champions.
Xu Tianzhen waved her small fist vigorously: "Big Brother! We won! We won!"
Beside them, The Hongchen Siblings also chimed in, their youthful voices interweaving, filled with unconcealed ecstasy and pride.
It was as if the championship trophy was already firmly in the hands of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
Xu Tianran panted slightly, looking at the four jubilant little figures on the sidelines. The fatigue in his eyes was instantly replaced by a touch of tenderness.
Xu Tianran reached out, one hand tightly gripping Xu Tianhao's warm little hand, while the other gently held Xu Tianzhen's wrist.
Despite his physical weakness, the corners of his mouth curled into his signature smile, his voice slightly hoarse: "How about that? Big Brother didn't embarrass you, did he?"
"Big Brother is the best!" Xu Tianzhen shouted, almost jumping, her eyes sparkling with intense light.
It was an emotion mixed with admiration, pride, and ecstasy.
"Big Brother, you were so cool just now! You're simply my idol! In the future, I want to become a powerful Soul Engineer just like you!"
Xu Tianhao stood to the side and chimed in: "Right! Big Brother is the most powerful! Mere Shrek is a piece of cake!"
Xu Tianzhen took a neatly folded handkerchief from her pocket. She stood on her tiptoes and gently wiped the blood from the corner of Xu Tianran's mouth with the handkerchief, her movements soft.
The cotton of the handkerchief was soft and carried a faint, pleasant scent, bringing a touch of warmth as it brushed against his skin.
Xu Tianzhen looked up, the excitement in her clear eyes fading, replaced by worry. Her voice was soft and delicate: "Big Brother, does it hurt? You lost so much blood..."
Xu Tianran looked down at her earnest little face, his heart softening.
He slowly shook his head and gently ruffled Xu Tianzhen's hair: "It doesn't hurt."
Xu Tianhao reached out with his little hand and gently patted Xu Tianran's chest, his movements very light: "Although you look a mess, that's worthy of you, Big Brother."
This sentence lacked flowery language, yet it touched the heart more than any praise.
Hearing this, Xu Tianran couldn't help but chuckle: "You brat, you've even learned to tease your Big Brother."
On the sidelines, the other team members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy also gathered around, their faces overflowing with irrepressible excitement and pride.
Unlike the enthusiastic atmosphere on the side of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, the atmosphere in another corner of the arena appeared exceptionally heavy.
Zhang Lexuan slowly opened her eyes. Her face was pale, and her once lively eyes had lost their usual luster, becoming dull and lifeless.
Xuan Zi stood behind her, slowly withdrawing his hands.
Just now, while Zhang Lexuan was unconscious, Xuan Zi had immediately used his own profound spirit power to forcibly stabilize her injuries.
Fortunately, although Xu Tianran's final blow was powerful, it did not cause fundamental damage. It was merely excessive consumption of spirit power combined with a blow to her mental state; she would slowly recover with proper rest.
Zhang Lexuan slowly lowered her head, her long eyelashes drooping, concealing the shame and self-reproach in her eyes.
She dared not look into Xuan Zi's eyes, nor did she dare to look at the expressions of her teammates beside her.
Her voice was low and hoarse, thick with nasal congestion. Every word was filled with guilt: "Elder Xuan, I have failed your expectations, failed the Academy's cultivation, and failed everyone..."
Her shoulders trembled slightly, as if bearing a heavy burden. Every word seemed to be squeezed from her throat, carrying unspeakable pain.
As the most outstanding student of this generation at Shrek Academy, she carried too many hopes.
Elder Xuan's careful guidance, the Academy's full-effort cultivation, and the trust and reliance of her teammates.
She had once vowed to defend the glory of Shrek and to let the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy know who was truly the number one on the entire continent.
But now, she had lost, lost so thoroughly, so miserably.
This huge disparity was almost unbearable for her, and the self-reproach in her heart engulfed her like a tide.
Seeing Zhang Lexuan looking so dispirited and dejected, like a wilted eggplant, Xuan Zi sighed softly.
He looked at the child he had watched grow up from a young age, and a flash of heartache crossed his eyes.
He reached out, wanting to pat Zhang Lexuan's shoulder, but hesitated and ultimately put his hand down.
Xuan Zi comforted her: "You have already done very well; we have all seen it."
In this match, Zhang Lexuan had given it her all. From the steady play at the beginning to the desperate counterattack later, she had demonstrated the resilience and strength that a Shrek student should have.
Xu Tianran's strength had exceeded everyone's expectations; losing was not her fault.
However, hearing Elder Xuan's comfort, the self-reproach on Zhang Lexuan's face did not diminish; instead, it intensified.
She suddenly looked up, her eyes red, tears swirling in them but stubbornly refusing to fall: "Elder Xuan, I will bear the bet with Xu Tianran myself; I will not implicate the Academy."
The bet was made between her and Xu Tianran; now that she had lost, she naturally had to fulfill her promise.
She could not bring unnecessary trouble to Shrek because of her momentary impulse.
Hearing this, Xuan Zi frowned slightly, then smoothed his brow again.
He looked at Zhang Lexuan's firm gaze, feeling both gratified and somewhat helpless.
He said in a deep voice: "You represent Shrek. Since the bet is made, the Academy naturally won't let you be wronged. It's just a Spirit Bone; consider it a reward for them."
While a Spirit Bone is precious to a Spirit Master, Shrek Academy has a ten-thousand-year heritage and deep foundations; it wouldn't let its own student bear the consequences alone for the sake of a single Spirit Bone.
In his view, a student's growth and safety were far more important than a Spirit Bone.
Of course, there was a prerequisite: whether this student was worth the investment.
If it hadn't been Zhang Lexuan who lost, Shrek might not have shouldered this bet.
Xuan Zi paused, as if just remembering something, his eyes carrying a hint of inquiry: "Besides the added Spirit Bone, what was your previous bet?"
Zhang Lexuan's cheeks instantly turned even paler, and her eyes darted away.
She lowered her head, her voice as low as a mosquito's hum, almost impossible to hear: "If we lost, we would publicly admit that we are inferior to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, or..."
At this point, her voice choked, and she could no longer continue.
Xuan Zi raised an eyebrow, a trace of doubt rising in his heart, and pressed: "Or what?"
He could feel Zhang Lexuan's resistance and shame, which made him even more curious.
What kind of bet could it be that made the usually proud Zhang Lexuan find it so difficult to say?
Zhang Lexuan bit her lower lip tightly, her lips losing their color from the force.
She remained silent for a moment, as if using all her strength, before saying in an almost inaudible voice: "Or I go to the Sun Moon Empire to serve him for three years..."
"What?" Xuan Zi's voice rose sharply, the gentleness on his face instantly fading, replaced by a stern expression.
He looked at Zhang Lexuan in disbelief, his eyes filled with obvious disappointment at her failure to meet expectations.
He hadn't expected that Zhang Lexuan would make such an absurd bet!
Serve Xu Tianran for three years?
For a student of Shrek Academy, this was simply a huge humiliation!
With Zhang Lexuan's talent and status, she was destined to be a leader in the Spirit Master's world in the future. How could she go to the Sun Moon Empire and become a servant catering to others?
Zhang Lexuan stiffened under Xuan Zi's stern gaze, her head drooping even lower, almost burying into her chest. Her hands tightly clutched the corner of her clothes, her knuckles turning white from the force.
She knew this bet was absurd, but at the time, she had been provoked by Xu Tianran to her face.
Plus, being overly confident in her own strength, she had agreed on impulse.
Now that she thought about it, she felt nothing but regret.
However, Xuan Zi's anger did not last long.
He took a deep breath and cast his gaze toward the figure on the other side, surrounded by the crowd. The sternness in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a trace of complexity and helplessness.
After calming down and thinking carefully, he also felt relieved.
No one had expected that Xu Tianran's strength would be so powerful.
When the bet was made, everyone thought Zhang Lexuan had the victory in the bag; after all, she was the standout of this generation at Shrek.
And although Xu Tianran was the Crown Prince of the Sun Moon Empire, he rarely revealed his true strength in public.
Moreover, this bet was bidirectional.
Xuan Zi knew clearly in his heart that if Zhang Lexuan had won this time, according to the bet, Xu Tianran would also have to come to Shrek Academy and serve Zhang Lexuan for three years.
This was an equivalent exchange; whoever lost had to bear the corresponding consequences.
Unfortunately, this time it was Shrek that lost, it was their talented student Zhang Lexuan, of whom they were so proud.
Having figured this out, Xuan Zi's expression gradually calmed down.