C12 An Exquisite Performance

Lin Luo's immense chakra burst forth suddenly.

Transforming into a streak of lightning, he closed in rapidly on the Great Sage Equalling Injustice.

Just as the Great Sage was about to speak,

He caught sight of Lin Luo right before him, too late for any reaction.

Lin Luo's chakra-enveloped fist slammed into the Great Sage's chin.

The force of Lin Luo's punch, piercing through the armor, spread throughout the Great Sage's body.

Propelled backward, his body hit the ground with a heavy thud.

He did not rise again.

With one punch, Lin Luo had taken down the Great Sage Equalling Injustice.

Lin Luo stood there, dumbfounded.

The Great Sage had been wearing heavy armor.

Even as a newcomer, his constitution shouldn't have been so fragile.

Lin Luo had barely tapped into half his chakra.

He feared that had he unleashed his full power, he might have shattered his opponent with that single blow.

But there was another factor in his swift victory.

As he struck, Lin Luo's keen perception kicked in.

The Great Sage had, in a fleeting moment, dissipated all the Spiritual Energy within him.

At the moment of impact, the Great Sage's defense was nothing more than his heavy armor.

It stood no chance against Lin Luo's punch.

"Could it be that the Great Sage Equalling Injustice intended to lose? Why else would he suddenly release all his Spiritual Energy?" Lin Luo pondered.

The victory had come too easily.

Silence enveloped the arena as the battle concluded.

No one had anticipated such an abrupt end to the fight.

Most astonishing of all, Brother Fearless had won.

After a staggering 249 consecutive losses, he had finally claimed his first victory.

Ten seconds passed before the audience erupted into vehement protest.

"He threw the match on purpose!"

"I thought he was formidable! To be knocked out by a single punch, and by Brother Fearless, no less!"

"Great Sage Equalling Injustice must be an actor. He actually moved his shield aside to let Brother Fearless strike his face."

"Exactly. A heavy armor warrior's shield is as vital as a warrior's sword. Great Sage Equalling Injustice must be a paid actor for Brother Fearless."

"Let's give him a round of applause! His performance was quite convincing. But at least Great Sage Equalling Injustice could've taken a few more punches from Brother Fearless."

"Hasn't anyone else noticed something off about Brother Fearless? The burst of speed he just showed was way beyond what you'd expect from a typical newbie."

In the far reaches of the Empire lies Osul City, also known as the City of Extreme Ice—one of the Empire's seven major fortresses.

Currently, in the Battle Network Training Room of the Osul Psionic Academy, every member of the Academy Team wore a look of sheer astonishment.

All of a sudden, a burly young man collapsed to his knees, hammering the ground with his fists as tears streamed down his face. His laughter was loud and unbridled, "The top freshman of Osul Psionic Academy, Bai Feiyang, the Bai Family's prodigy with a Spiritual Energy growth of 9.0, was just knocked out in his very first War Net match with a single punch!"

"He was too cocky. Had he chosen to be a Marksman, he wouldn't have been taken down by one punch."

The surrounding team members exchanged awkward glances, struggling to suppress their amusement.

Bai Feiyang's face was the picture of dejection, mirroring his War Net ID to a tee. It was his debut on the Academy Team, and he'd already been bested by a super rookie with a dismal track record.

He had casually picked heavy armor for the match, not anticipating his opponent's refusal to go on the offensive.

Exhaustion set in from maintaining his Spiritual Energy for so long. He wanted to pause for a breather and to give his opponent a heads-up.

What he didn't see coming was the swift punch that landed the moment he let his Spiritual Energy dissipate.

Bai Feiyang refused to believe his opponent had timed the attack to his release of Spiritual Energy. He dismissed his adversary as a super rookie, lacking the insight for such a move. It had to be a fluke.

Yet, the rapidity of his opponent's strike was undeniable.

Among all the members of the Osul team, only the Ice Goddess was intently reviewing the fight footage. As the captain, it was her responsibility to dissect each member's missteps and understand why they failed.

Jaina's unwavering commitment was the driving force behind Osul Psionic Academy's remarkable achievement of reaching the semifinals in the fiercely competitive last Imperial Academy Competition—a feat not to be compared with the third-tier Psionic Academy of Star Glory City.

Before the term even began at Osul Psionic Academy, all members of the academy teams were summoned for intensive training, gearing up for the Imperial Academy Competition slated for the following month.

At this moment, Jaina was the epitome of concentration.

Observing Bai Feiyang dissipate his Spiritual Energy, Lin Luo seized the moment with decisive action.

A subtle shift crossed Jaina's features.

This individual had a knack for seizing the moment in combat, coupled with extraordinary speed.

He could cover several hundred meters in the blink of an eye.

Surely, someone of his caliber belonged in the Elite Level, not the Rookie Level.

And his combat record—what was the story there?

Jaina couldn't puzzle it out, yet something told her there was more to this person than met the eye.

She swept her gaze over the team members and spoke in an icy tone, "Everyone, review the battle footage immediately. Pinpoint the reasons for our defeat."

"If you come up empty, brace yourselves for double the training load tomorrow."

Confusion rippled through the team.

Wasn't Bai Feiyang's defeat simply due to overconfidence?

Had they overlooked something?

But with Jaina as their battle captain, her commands were beyond question.

And so, the Battle Network Training Room of Osul Psionic Academy echoed with the sounds of dismay.