But in the end, this was only speculation, with no concrete evidence.
She couldn’t be sure if those half-baked noble adventurers had leaked her information, and there was no way to verify it now; her permission for going out had already been used up.
Likewise, she had no proof that Feini was the one spreading rumors everywhere.
“How is it?” Feini asked.
“Maybe I misunderstood. We’ve been together for a while now—you have no reason to betray me at this point.”
Besides, seeing Feini’s confident expression, Qingshamu couldn’t help but believe her.
After all, compared to those noble adventurers, she’d much rather trust the pitiful Fat Nini.
However, once again, she was mistaken…
Because the rumors of the [Pseudo-Demon] were secretly spread by Feini, who looked so harmless and innocent!
Feini had no combat strength.
If the main character has no fighting power, she can only use her brains, play tricks and schemes.
She couldn’t really just be a useless mascot, could she?
The pitiful yet terrifying Little Demon Beast, in everyone’s eyes, was finally taking action.
Being manipulated by this group of women every day was no way to live, so she began carrying out her own plans in secret.
But she didn’t spread these rumors to harm Qingshamu.
If she wanted to do that, she could have just given out her name directly, not just spread a terrifying legend.
Such a Legend of the Terrifying Campus would put invisible psychological pressure on Qingshamu, and only under high pressure could a hero undergo transformation.
And this was only the appetizer—the real plan was not just this legend of terror.
Every setup was for that Team Battle. All the explosions and drama would erupt during that battle.
———
At the same time, Tea Party Secretary-General Weima Ana Aru received an anonymous letter, one that hid a secret that could turn the tables.
She, that half-dragon maid, quickly hurried off to find President Haime, offering up the anonymous letter.
“So that’s it. They’ve got a big landmine hidden in their team. Looks like we can use this in the Decisive Battle.”
President Haime took the letter and, upon reading it, her eyes sparkled as her expression grew playful.
This piece of news was like having an unbeatable trump card in hand.
When things went awry, she could play it and ensure her team would always stand undefeated.
Heh. It’s time that arrogant Orange Milky Dragon learned that surviving in the Divine Demon Academy takes more than just fists—it takes depth, strategy, and connections.
“If you’re that good at fighting, why not go make a name for yourself as the Demon King instead of running a little club here? Watch me take you down.”
A ball of fire ignited in Haime’s palm as she burned the anonymous letter.
“President, our team list is ready. Please take a look.” Weima Ana took out another document.
With one glance, Orange Haime’s mood improved even further.
The Martial Arts Club’s lineup this time was packed with sincerity.
On the Tea Party side, three members would participate: Orange Haime herself and her two dragon maids—the highest combat power the Tea Party had.
The Martial Arts Club, in turn, sent out three of the Four Heavenly Kings—three old magical beasts who had no idea how many years they’d repeated a grade, but their strength was absolutely guaranteed.
The last participant was the vice president of the Martial Arts Club—someone from the command level to hold down the fort.
They couldn’t just send out only old-timers; that would attract criticism.
Now the senior grade lineup was set, and it was extremely luxurious—maybe even a little shameless.
Sending out so many repeat students was really unfair.
By contrast, the lower-grade team had a little deadweight. With a seven-member team, it was as if they were a person short.
And except for Ten-Step Hall and Xueyuedai, the others weren’t even a threat. It was practically a sure win.
She’d already looked into the identities of the other teammates—only the Golden Fang Beast Sisters had any real combat ability.
As for those Weapon Demons, Headless Riders, and the like, they were just trash magical beasts off the street.
Orange Haime was already looking forward to the coming club war.
———
On the next day, the seven members of the Lost Beast team gathered early in the morning.
“Qingshamu, you finally showed up. Where have you been all this time?” Ten-Step Hall Simon asked with a smile.
“Don’t act like we’re all best friends. Once we handle the senior grade’s business, you’re next on my list,” Qingshamu said coldly.
“Haha, I’m looking forward to it.” Ten-Step Hall let out a couple of light laughs.
The two of them weren’t pretending anymore; everything was out in the open.
After this fight, everyone knew the Double Tea Party’s next target to swallow up was the Kendo Club.
Team was team, club was club. The adventurer squad was just a stepping stone to their grand ambitions.
But this actually showed their relationship had improved—both rivals and friends.
Ten-Step Hall invited everyone to Jingui Lou for a hearty breakfast.
By now, everyone was quite familiar, with deep team camaraderie.
They sat together, eating voraciously without a care for appearances.
After eating their fill, Ten-Step Hall went to settle the bill, and everyone got up with toothpicks in their mouths, striding confidently to the Tea Ceremony Society’s building to discuss tactics.
But as the Lost Beast team, they had already completed dozens of adventure missions together and knew perfectly well how to coordinate in battle.
“Just stay by my side.” The only thing worth noting was Xueyuedai’s reminder to Feini.
“Dun dun dun~” Feini nodded repeatedly, even playing a couple of tunes on her harp.
Everyone spent the day practicing their positions, simulating the duel to come tomorrow, looking more and more like a real team.
The basic formation had the Golden Fang Beast Sisters and Qingshamu as the vanguard, Ten-Step Hall as the central pillar, White Feather Dove as the free agent, with Feini and Xueyuedai as the backline support and artillery.
———
On the third day, the highly anticipated day of the duel arrived in a flash.
The Lost Beast team prepared fully. The seven gathered at the Low-rank Magical Beast Canteen for a simple but hearty breakfast, then headed to the Tea Party Club building.
Today’s weather was gloomy, dark clouds pressing down, heralding an approaching storm.
On the way, waves of freshmen—members of the Double Tea Party—popped up to escort the seven to their destination, protecting them from senior students’ tricks.
In front of the Tea Party Club building, a sea of people gathered—socially aggressive men, all members of the Martial Arts Club, forming a human wall that blocked the way forward.
“The rest of you, halt. Only the seven of you are allowed in.”
Half-dragon maid Weima Ana stepped forward to greet them, but it was also a show of force; apart from the seven, no other lower-year students were allowed inside to watch.
“How can this be?”
“Let us in!”
“Who knows what tricks you’ll pull in there?”
Members of the Double Tea Party protested loudly.
Ten-Step Hall Simon slowly raised a hand for silence.
“We’ve invited the presidents of dozens of clubs to serve as impartial witnesses, and Witch Instructors will also be present to maintain order. No one will be pulling any tricks,” Weima Ana explained.
“Thank you all for your efforts. Please stay here and pray for us.” Ten-Step Hall added.
With the club president herself saying this, everyone could only remain in the square in front of the Tea Party Club building, unable to watch the match—a major regret in their lives.
In the end, only the seven members of Lost Beast entered the Tea Party’s territory, and not even the building itself—because the Tea Party’s territory included not just the building, but other high-end facilities.
The previously mentioned anti-magic gymnasium was one of them.
Along the way, senior members of both clubs glared fiercely at the seven, trying to cow them even before the match began.
Of course, such petty intimidation couldn’t faze the Lost Beast team. Led by the Dragon Maid, the seven entered the anti-magic gymnasium with perfect composure.
There, even more senior students had lined up. Only those of high status could be here. It felt as if no one went to class today; everyone was here to watch.
Even so, all they could do was crowd the small windows at the bottom of the gymnasium walls, sneaking a peek.
People were like ants, clinging all over the gym’s walls, just to get another glimpse.
Only the Tea Party and Martial Arts Club’s mysterious high-level members, and other club presidents, could watch up close.
This included the Kendo Club’s captain, Mion Noah.
Like Orange Haime, she’d become a club president as a second-year, though her rise wasn’t as legendary—there just weren’t any other masters in the Kendo Club.
In addition, several Witch Instructors were present as supervisors, including the infamous Training Director, the Faceless Witch.
And the enemy team had long been waiting…
The Tea Party sent out their familiar trio: Orange Haime, her Dragon Maid, and Old Mo.
However, the three of them hid in the back row. President Haime even brought a chair to sit on, with the Dragon Maid and Old Mo guarding her flanks.
Standing in front of them were four male apprentices, lined up in a row, their auras overwhelmingly strong—enough to suppress even the main character aura of the Lost Beast team.
The first was a bearded guy with long, sweaty hair parted down the middle.
He looked like he’d repeated a grade for at least three years, radiating a rogue’s energy—he was the spitting image of a street punk from a dream.
The second was a much more weathered blond uncle, who looked at least thirty years behind in school, with a fierce, meaty face, chewing on who knows what strange thing—not at all like a high schooler.
The third was a sickly pale guy with messy hair, holding an umbrella indoors.
Anyone could tell he wasn’t right in the head—a pure lunatic. Standing there, he was like a ghost.
The last one finally looked normal: a handsome, scholarly guy with a bowl-cut, at least age-appropriate for a high schooler.
Many recognized this handsome guy—he was the Martial Arts Club’s Vice President, but he was more suited to being the club’s “White Paper Fan”—a strategist like Xueyuedai, not a fighter.
But it didn’t matter; anyone could see the three old men beside the Vice President were extremely tough.
Because these three were the previously mentioned [Four Heavenly Kings].