Fini lowered her head in self-blame.
“It’s all my fault for not observing carefully. If I had noticed its injuries earlier, I would have warned Lorevil…”
Leina’s cold gaze swept over her as she said impatiently,
“Cut that out.”
“We want the blood qi, the blood core, and the points—every last one of them.”
The Blood Hunting Ground had clear regulations: no fighting between teams, and no malicious ambushes.
If things really kicked off, regardless of who was right or wrong, both teams would lose a massive amount of points.
In serious cases, they might even be banned from entering.
At that moment, Lorevil understood as well.
If they actually fought, it would definitely not be worth the loss.
Putting herself in Leina’s shoes, her actions were perfectly understandable.
After a moment of thought, Lorevil let out a light laugh.
“Alright then, since we can’t agree, let’s settle this another way—we’ll settle it one-on-one with an arm wrestle.”
“Arm wrestle?”
Leina was taken aback, clearly not expecting her to suggest such a solution.
“That’s right. Purely bloodline energy, no secret arts or combat skills. The loser admits defeat.”
Lorevil pointed to a flat boulder nearby as a signal.
“If you win, I’ll compensate you double. If I win, the blood qi and points go to us, and I’ll give you back the blood core. Any objections?”
Lorevil shrugged.
Back in high school, she used to arm wrestle with classmates during breaks all the time, and she’d even held the champion spot several times.
“Fine, I’ll take you on. If I lose, I’ll own up to it, and I won’t cause you any more trouble!”
Leina’s competitive spirit flared up instantly.
There was nothing this girl hated more than being challenged, especially in what she was best at—bloodline energy.
As Lorevil and Leina prepared for their private match, a crowd of curious students quickly gathered around.
They were all teams hunting blood beasts nearby.
Although team fights were strictly forbidden in the Blood Hunting Ground, situations like Lorevil’s weren’t rare. Occasionally, teams would settle disputes through competitions.
“Tsk, this is really something. Didn’t Lorevil just have a bet fight with Laide’an yesterday? And now she’s going up against ‘Mountain-Crushing Blood Rhino’ Leina?”
“Yeah, and I heard some guy at Mid Third Rank tried to outlast her in bloodline energy before. Lasted half an hour, then collapsed from exhaustion and admitted defeat.”
Listening to the chatter around her, Fini clenched her fists nervously, her palms and forehead covered in cold sweat.
“‘Mountain-Crushing Blood Rhino’ Leina? Is she that famous?”
Lorevil asked curiously.
“Lorevil, Leina’s strength is solid at the Third Order. Her bloodline energy is known for being incredibly dense. A lot of students say she’s like a blood rhino with endless stamina, and because her power is as heavy as a mountain, they call her ‘Mountain-Crushing Blood Rhino.'”
Fini whispered in warning.
Lorevil rubbed her nose.
‘The girl thought her own bloodline had been tempered by Violent Blood Energy many times—at least she should be able to hold her own, right?’
But if she lost, it would be too embarrassing.
Lorevil and Leina each took their positions on opposite sides of the boulder.
The two beautiful girls stood there, forming a striking scene.
The sunlight filtering through the blood-colored trees shone on them like a spotlight.
Leina’s teammates stared at the pair with bated breath.
Someone couldn’t help but whisper encouragement.
“Go, Captain! Show Lorevil what we’ve got!”
But the moment the words left his mouth, Fini shot him a fierce glare, and he immediately shrank back.
The two vampire girls placed their pale, delicate elbows firmly on the boulder, their fingers locked together.
The moment Leina gripped Lorevil’s hand, she secretly exerted force, intending to give her a taste of her power.
But the other girl’s arm was like an iron clamp—utterly unmovable.
“Start!”
The student acting as referee beside them shouted loudly.
In an instant, surging red blood light erupted from both girls.
The talent secret arts awakened at the Third Order were reflected in their bloodline energy.
Lorevil’s bloodline energy was long and agile.
Leina’s was deep and heavy.
The two sides were surprisingly evenly matched.
Several dozen seconds passed.
Leina’s blood energy surged like a violent storm, pressing down with overwhelming force, even carrying the momentum of thunder.
But Lorevil was like a gentle force deflecting a thousand pounds.
Like an unfathomable deep pool, wave after wave, she swallowed the storm whole.
The violent winds fell into the abyss and were assimilated in an instant.
Fini’s eyes went wide; the sweat on her palms had already soaked the hem of her tightly gripped clothes.
Just as the outcome was about to be decided—
A familiar yet bone-chilling killing intent suddenly struck from behind Leina.
At that moment, none of the vampires reacted.
The violently clashing bloodline energy had dulled their perception of their surroundings.
The speed was absurdly fast.
“Shiiing!”
Sharp wolf claws tore through the air.
It was a Shadow Blood Wolf that had been lurking nearby.
Carrying a thick scent of blood, it lunged straight for Leina’s back.
And in that exact moment, Lorevil was completely focused on the blood energy clash—even her Blood Line hadn’t detected its presence.
“Watch out!”
Fini screamed, her face instantly pale, her eyes filled with despair.
At that critical, life-or-death moment.
Lorevil acted almost on instinct, yanking Leina’s hand aside.
Then she pulled her into an embrace.
Twisting her waist, she rolled them both to the ground.
“Boom!”
The Shadow Blood Wolf’s sharp claws slammed heavily into the boulder.
The entire boulder exploded, sending countless fragments flying in all directions.
Dust instantly filled the entire area.
It was an aged Shadow Blood Wolf.
Every week, the academy released a batch of Shadow Blood Wolves on the outer ring.
And there were always one or two that slipped through, surviving by devouring the carcasses of other blood beasts.
Not only had it firmly remained at the Third Order Early Stage, but it was also more sinister and cunning than ordinary Shadow Blood Wolves, and extremely skilled at ambushes.
Seeing its ambush fail, wariness flickered in the old blood wolf’s murky eyes.
The next second.
It swiftly turned its wolf-like body and dove into the dense forest.
With a few bounds of its claws, it completely vanished.
Leaving only chaos behind.
The empty ground fell into dead silence.
None of the vampires had yet recovered from that terrifying scene just now.
The old blood wolf’s cunning and caution left everyone with a lingering fear.
Leina was still held protectively in Lorevil’s arms.
In that moment between life and death, her mind had gone blank.
The girl’s crisp fragrance lingered at the tip of her nose, and her heart pounded so fast it felt like it might explode.
If Lorevil hadn’t chosen to save her without hesitation—
Even if it had been just half a second later—
She would already be a cold corpse.
Coming back to her senses, Leina gently pushed Lorevil away.
Her face showed both shyness, the complex expression of her earlier hostility fading, and a hint of relief at having survived.
Finally, she turned her head awkwardly and said softly,
“Um… thanks, Lorevil.”
Lorevil patted the dust off her clothes, stood up, and said calmly,
“It’s nothing. Let’s call this match a draw.”
“A draw?”
Leina took a deep breath and looked back at Lorevil.
The hostility in her eyes had completely disappeared.
“I admit defeat.”
Her teammates broke into an uproar, wanting to persuade her otherwise.
But Leina let out a cold snort.
“Is my life really that worthless? Or do you think I’m the kind of person who can’t afford to lose?”
Everyone immediately shut up.
“I don’t want this blood wolf anymore. I’ll just wait for the academy to release new ones next week.”
Leina reached up to brush her messy silver short hair, tucking a strand behind her fair ear.
The silver chain on her wrist let out a crisp clink.
Then she looked at Lorevil.
“Or, how about we team up and kill that old wolf that ambushed me? Split the blood qi fifty-fifty. What do you say?”
“Sounds good.”
Lorevil smiled gently.
The girl’s smile was like a warm spring sun, dispelling the gloom that had just shrouded everyone’s hearts.
After the watching students realized there was danger here and all scattered,
Leina leaned close to Lorevil’s ear and lowered her voice.
“Actually, the academy releases nine Third-rank Blood Beasts on the outer ring every week.”
“Officially, they say it’s because they didn’t watch them properly and they escaped.”
“But it’s actually for the students to practice on.”
“The blood qi and blood cores of these wolves are best for students from the Third Order Early Stage to the Third Order Mid Stage to absorb. It’s designed to make us compete and push our potential.”
Lorevil suddenly understood.
“So that’s how it is.”
No wonder Teacher Catherine hadn’t shown up when she was in danger earlier.
Just as the two were talking,
among the remaining vampire students, a tall woman in a blue dress silently turned and left.