“Su Li is indeed impressive and has some close-combat skills, but fighting Kagu is asking too much. Even in our usual lessons, she only managed to defeat a magic machine modeled after the Zerg once.”
“She can beat a Zerg machine? That's quite strong. Let's see her try.”
“Exactly! Watching a beautiful girl fight—what could be better?”
In the seating area of the neighboring class, people began to jeer and cheer.
Many in the magic department knew that a legendary beauty had appeared in Linya's class. Plenty of people had tried to confess their feelings, only to be blocked by Linya every time.
Rumors had even spread throughout the academy that Linya, a madman who only had eyes for Su Li, had imprisoned the lovely girl and locked her in a room every day to do terrible things.
Consequently, several rescue operations had been launched by various classes in the magic department to “save” Su Li, though they all naturally ended in failure.
“Has Su Li already completely submitted to Linya's evil clutches by now?”
Seeing the lovely girl being watched by Linya at every moment, many felt a mix of pity and indignation.
Xia Jin, of course, hadn't been paying much attention to these matters and was unaware of what was happening.
This projection of hers was truly just enjoying life.
Now, faced with the crowd's demands, Linya turned a pleading gaze toward her.
“Alright, it's a good chance to test my strength.”
She considered her options; she would avoid using the Hand of Zergification to prevent unnecessary trouble.
As she rose from her seat, countless students across the entire assembly hall turned their eyes toward her.
Under the gaze of thousands, a girl who appeared so delicate undoubtedly became the center of attention.
In that moment, many realized that Star Rain Academy held such an overlooked, goddess-like student.
As she walked onto the combat stage step by step, even Kagu stood dazed for a long time.
Coming to his senses, he gave a slight nod to the girl standing opposite him.
“Hello. Are you a senior from the magic department? This kind of fight is dangerous, so please put on your protective gear.”
“There's no need.”
Su Li displayed an extraordinary level of confidence.
“Sigh...”
Kagu began to wonder how he could win without hurting the girl in front of him.
She was stunning enough to topple nations and looked so frail; it would be heartbreaking if she got hurt.
Just then, the host gave a brief introduction, and the match began.
Kagu launched his attack immediately.
In truth, Su Li had imitated and learned a bit of magic, but that level of power didn't meet the basic requirements of a brain bug, so she rarely used it.
“Close combat it is, then.”
Seeing him rush toward her, the girl lightly kicked off with her right foot. Her Tier 8 leg strength was released in an instant, and the ground beneath her caved in with a thunderous boom.
In the blink of an eye, a fist slammed heavily into his abdomen.
Because she was so fast, Kagu didn't even see her move.
She had undoubtedly controlled her strength, keeping it at roughly the level of Tier 7.
The impact instantly shattered the vitality covering his body.
With a single strike, the boy was sent flying, crashing heavily onto the ground.
“You shouldn't lose sight of your enemy.”
A large number of students in the audience stood up in shock.
Some were left gaping.
Those who had been worried about Xia Jin getting hurt were now just as stunned.
“Unbelievable.”
The principal, sitting at the highest point, couldn't help but stand up.
“Tier 8... reaching Tier 8 through pure physical strength alone. How old is she? To be this powerful at such a young age—is this even normal?”
The girl landed softly. She had excellent control; though the gale from her movement was strong, her skirt only fluttered slightly, giving no one the glimpse they had been hoping for.
Seeing that the punch had left her opponent unable to get back up, Xia Jin leisurely turned around and walked back to her seat.
“So strong...”
This time, the girls who had been jealous of Su Li were speechless.
They realized the gap between them was beyond imagination.
However, no one present knew that at this very moment, a small number of locusts had already crawled from the remote wilderness into the city, slowly digging through the earth to approach the academy.
“Let's go outside and take a look,” Xia Jin said, winking at Linya.
“Yes.”
The two beautiful girls ran out of the venue.
A few minutes later, in front of the iron fence at the northernmost edge of the academy, Xia Jin crouched down.
Outside the fence, amidst the dense grass and shrubs, a large insect crawled out.
Linya cast a cloaking spell, and the locust easily spat out acid, melting a hole through the metal bars.
The locust quickly scurried inside.
“I didn't expect the Zerg to have such curious creatures.”
Even though Linya was connected to the Swarm network, she hadn't been actively receiving information, so she wasn't very familiar with the Zerg's current state.
She had only realized yesterday that the Swarm had already reached the province north of Star Rain Academy.
The city still appeared harmonious and beautiful, but the shadows of war had already gathered.
Two legions had arrived in the city and were currently debating whether to take the initiative to intercept the enemy or stay and defend.
The sight of these well-equipped soldiers occasionally walking through the city gave the students and civilians a strong sense of security.
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