[Reboot Volume] Chapter 253: Yielding the Position

“I can still fight!” Xiao Feng shouted, his eyes blazing with defiance.

“Uh... no need, right?” Mo Xing hesitated. “You’re already so injured...”

“No, I’m going to stand my ground until the very end!” Xiao Feng swung his spear and charged at Mo Xing.

Sighing, Mo Xing picked up his weapon.

“Break Spear Technique!”

Wind elements gathered beneath Xiao Feng’s feet as he leapt into the air, his figure casting a shadow over half the sun.

“Chilling Water: Spiral Storm!”

Mo Xing summoned water elements, spinning the blade of his sword rapidly. A stream of water sprayed upward, serving as a shield while he attempted to retreat using the sword’s flight-enhancing effect.

“Flash!”

Xiao Feng roared, darting around the water stream and thrusting directly at Mo Xing’s back.

Mo Xing immediately rolled aside, narrowly evading the fierce strike.

The floor cracked open, dust swirling into the air.

Xiao Feng swung his spear back; Mo Xing hurriedly parried with his sword.

Thrust after thrust came from left and right; Mo Xing blocked each one with the sword’s flat. Each attack changed direction, grew stronger, and quickened in speed, forcing Mo Xing to constantly retreat and reposition. This guy was seriously going all out!

“Their speed’s really picking up!” an onlooker remarked.

“Not just speed—reaction time, coordination, and agility have all increased by leaps and bounds since before,” another analyzed.

“That Xiao Feng is a wind-element assassin, one of the top among our freshmen when it comes to attack and movement speed. But Mo Xing here is holding his own, and with ease,” praised another student.

“You might not be entirely right,” said someone else.

Nearby students turned to see who spoke and immediately paled.

Xiao Ling!

Ranked tenth in the freshmen assessment overall!

They had been so focused on Mo Xing and Xiao Feng’s duel that they hadn’t noticed this heavyweight standing nearby.

Xiao Ling’s real name was Ling Ke, a dual-gun wielder, known for being ruthless and taciturn.

“Mo Xing is about to falter, unless—” Xiao Ling paused, “he counterattacks.”

In the center of the arena:

“Why are you getting faster?” Mo Xing frowned. The frequency of Xiao Feng’s attacks was increasing rapidly. He was about to falter and desperately needed a breakthrough.

“Haha,” Xiao Feng smiled, “I’m nowhere near my limit! You’re the one who can’t hold on?”

Bang!

Mo Xing abruptly swung his spear upward, retreating sideways while slashing out a curved ice blade from his sword. Xiao Feng twisted sharply to dodge and pressed the attack.

Mo Xing unleashed two more curved ice blades; Xiao Feng flicked his spear, “Dragon’s Radiance,” unleashing a powerful wind current that blew the ice blades away.

“That move won’t work!” Xiao Feng chuckled, riding a gust of wind into the air, using brief aerial movement to close in rapidly.

“Wind Shadow Step!”

A wind-augmented skill that gathers wind elements, forming a cyan tornado around the user’s limbs, allowing mid-air movement. The higher the Dragon God power level, the longer the skill lasts, even enabling flight!

In the surface world’s major basketball leagues, this was practically a broken skill—an endless “moonwalk” allowing for easy slam dunks.

“Not necessarily,” Mo Xing smiled, gathering water elements to release several more ice blades from his sword.

“That move again—”

Xiao Feng was about to sweep the ice blades away with his spear “Dragon’s Radiance” when a sound echoed in the air. Turning around, he saw the curved ice blades he had just dodged returning.

“Chilling Water: Whirlwind Strike!”

A new technique Mo Xing developed practicing in the underground casino sewers. It sent curved ice blades back and forth in a double strike. The critical part was the second attack—a surprise “return strike” that had felled many “monsters” during the last anti-bandit operation.

“Overlord Spear!”

Xiao Feng shouted, sweeping “Dragon’s Radiance” in a circle. The ice blades nearby were instantly blasted away by wind elements, shattering into various-sized ice shards scattered across the ground.

“Didn’t expect that, huh!” Xiao Feng laughed, then charged at Mo Xing.

Mo Xing gathered water elements and unleashed “Pillar of Ice,” sending a ring of ice pillars crashing from above.

Xiao Feng swept his spear through the ice pillars and lunged at Mo Xing.

“Chilling Water Grip!”

Mo Xing formed a giant claw with water elements, reaching to grasp Xiao Feng, who narrowly dodged with a sidestep.

“You’re definitely going down!” Xiao Feng yelled, thrusting his spear at Mo Xing.

“Not so fast—” Mo Xing smiled, raising “Frostless Divine” to block. The two weapons clashed, sending a sharp collision ringing through the air.

Xiao Feng froze, stunned. Ice formed between the weapons, rapidly spreading along the entire spear. Before he could retreat, the ice reached his forearms, encasing both his hands and spear in a frozen sculpture.

“What… what’s happening? How did I get frozen so quickly—Ah-choo!” Before he could finish, Xiao Feng sneezed.

This was ice below freezing, and the cool early autumn air stung his nerves.

This was a new skill Mo Xing had recently mastered—condensing water elements into ice to immobilize opponents. Inspired by elemental principles from his studies and the freezing effect of “Pillar of Ice,” he called it “Ice Seal.”

“Well then, I guess that’s that. No more fighting,” Mo Xing smiled, turning aside and waving his hand.

The watching students gasped in astonishment. Mo Xing was far stronger than they imagined—not only able to match Xiao Feng’s speed and agility but also easily defeating him. Keep in mind, Xiao Feng was ranked within the top 100 freshmen!

Just like that, a victor was decided?

“Amazing! That move freezes the opponent instantly!” one praised.

“Yeah, what’s that skill? Even an agile assassin like Xiao Feng can’t dodge it,” another shook their head.

“I don’t know,” one shrugged, “But if he’s this strong, why did he perform so poorly in the individual freshmen assessment?”

“Who knows? Maybe he was holding back. I bet if he went all out, he could crack the top ten!”

“Not so sure,” someone countered, “Besides, holding back wouldn’t benefit him.”

“But his two-on-five in the team match was incredible! I think he’s hiding his true strength!”

“Maybe. Only the person themselves really knows.”

The students debated, each with their own opinion. Ling Ke remained silent. As the tenth-ranked freshman himself, he knew Mo Xing’s current strength didn’t place him in the top ten, or even the top fifty. Defeating Xiao Feng, ranked ninety-second, was partly luck.

Still, he had a strong hunch Mo Xing would soon rise to the top.

Mo Xing, I’ll remember you!

“Ah-choo—”

Mo Xing sneezed mid-sentence.

“Hahaha! Aren’t you the ice user? How come you’re catching a cold too?” Xiao Feng, who had been a bit annoyed, laughed out loud at the sight.

“Who says ice users can’t catch colds?” Mo Xing sniffled. “Does that mean fire users can’t get burned? Doesn’t make sense.”

“Don’t you know about elemental immunities? Super ice immunity resists cold, super fire immunity resists burns, and super lightning immunity resists paralysis...” Xiao Feng explained patiently.

“Really? I didn’t know that,” Mo Xing shrugged, then called out toward the stands.

“Instructor Mu Si!”

“What is it?” came the reply.

“I think Xiao Feng should be class president!” Mo Xing said.

“Hey, hey! I’m not letting you step down! I want to defeat you myself!” Xiao Feng objected.

“But your hands are frozen,” Mo Xing shrugged.

“I still have my legs to kick you to death!” Xiao Feng snorted.

“No need. Your legs are about to give out, right?” Mo Xing pointed at Xiao Feng’s legs.

“I did 3,000 squats this morning, and just now we fought so intensely, running and jumping nonstop. My legs are at their limit. If this continues, I’ll injure my muscles,” Mo Xing paused. “Not worth it.”

Xiao Feng was stunned, thought it over, then nodded. “Sounds reasonable! How did you know?”

“Uh... just a feeling,” Mo Xing smiled.

Actually, it wasn’t just a feeling. Using the Dragon Water God’s perception, he sensed Xiao Feng’s physical condition and analyzed it. After days of grueling training, his perception had reached unprecedented levels. Now he could faintly sense everyone’s state and strength—as if seeing health bars and stats in a game, making the gap between friend and foe clear at a glance.

“Ouch!”

Mo Xing’s head was lightly tapped. Turning around, he saw Instructor Chen Mu Si standing behind him, looking a bit annoyed, followed by other students.

“Why hand the class president spot to someone else?” Chen Mu Si pouted.

“I don’t think I’m good at managing the class...” Mo Xing explained. “I feel Xiao Feng is better suited and can liven up the atmosphere.”

“If you don’t know how, you can learn!” Chen Mu Si said. “I can teach you if you want!”

“Goddess Mu Si! I don’t want to be class president either. Can you teach me too?” Xiao Feng winked.

Chen Mu Si glanced at Xiao Feng, then turned back to Mo Xing. “Mo Xing, if you don’t want to be class president—”

“Please give me a reasonable explanation,” Mo Xing interrupted.

“Uh… about that...” Mo Xing stammered, unsure how to respond.

What explanation could he give?

How to explain?

“I’ll be traveling to Dragon Fang Island in a few days,” he suddenly blurted out, “so it’s inconvenient to be class president...”

A flimsy excuse, but it was all he had.

“Oh right, I almost forgot about that,” Chen Mu Si nodded, then turned and pointed to someone in the crowd.

“Ling Ke, you’re the new class president.”

Huh?

Mo Xing froze.

Just brushed it off like that?

So sudden and roundabout?