Chapter 335: Chapter 335: Fight

Instead of being feared, it was treated as a symbol of rarity and status.

Few could afford such a creature.

Only someone like Shelley, someone born into privilege and possessing extraordinary talent, could obtain a beast like this.

Lana shifted her gaze toward Shelley, who stood smiling confidently, clearly convinced she had already secured victory.

Compared to Taro, Mr. Crow appeared insignificant.

He was not even half the size of one of the creature’s wings.

The massive white beast loomed over the arena, easily twice the size of a carriage, casting a wide shadow across the ground.

It would be a difficult fight.

A flicker of unease rose in Lana’s chest.

Through their link, she asked quietly, ’Will this be alright? If you want, we can withdraw.’

Mr. Crow’s response came calm and steady. ’Do you doubt me?’

Before she could answer, the audience erupted into chatter.

“Well… it’s over for her.”

“I’m impressed she held out this long against Shelley.”

“But with a beast like that, she has no chance.”

Some spectators shook their heads, convinced the outcome was inevitable. Others murmured in confusion.

“If Lana is truly strong, why doesn’t she have a powerful companion?”

A commentator added mockingly,

“Talent backed by a great name will always outshine someone like her. At best, she’s just an ordinary cultivator. Most people her age are already at the ninth or tenth stage of Earth Rank. She only just broke through.”

At that moment, a student from Shadowridge University could no longer remain silent.

“That’s because Lana only awakened her mystical talent at the beginning of this year,” the student said firmly.

The words fell like a stone into still water.

The surrounding voices stopped.

Everyone turned toward the speaker, stunned.

“Repeat that,” someone demanded.

But the student said nothing more, leaving the revelation hanging heavily in the air.

Seeing that the student had fallen silent, most of the Spineridge University crowd simply assumed she had been exaggerating.

After all, who would believe such a thing?

How could a mystic cultivator who had only just begun training already reach the Earth Rank? Wouldn’t such a person be called a once-in-a-century prodigy?

Murmurs of disbelief spread, and soon they dismissed her words entirely.

Only Brenda knew the truth.

She lowered her head slightly, letting out a quiet sigh.

’I shouldn’t have come here as an exchange student at all,’ she thought bitterly.

Back at Shadowridge University, she had always been considered excellent, someone with a promising dream warden career.

Yet after arriving here, she realized just how far behind she truly was.

Even the journey to reach this program had been painfully difficult, to the point where she had cursed her own brother for sponsoring the trip.

And now, when she finally spoke honestly, no one believed her.

Her gaze drifted toward Lana, who stood calmly across the arena, facing Shelley without the slightest hesitation.

In that moment, Brenda understood the true difference between talent and perseverance.

Lana had started late, yet she could stand against the strongest student of Spine Ridge University.

Meanwhile, Brenda could not even confidently challenge an average student here.

If there had been no comparison, she would have felt proud of herself. But now that she had seen Lana, all she felt was shame.

Lana, unaware of Brenda’s thoughts, looked toward Shelley and asked, “Shall we begin?”

Shelley nodded.

At once, the white mystical beast, Taro, launched into motion.

It soared into the air, its crystal-like wings slicing through the atmosphere as it lunged toward Mr. Crow.

Yet Mr. Crow avoided the attack with effortless precision, darting away like a shadow carried by the wind.

Taro gave chase.

At first, the audience did not think much of it. But as the pursuit continued, students from Spine Ridge University began to laugh.

“That crow is just running away!”

“It doesn’t even know how to attack!”

“Is that really a mystical beast? It looks completely useless!”

Some sneered openly, claiming Lana had chosen a companion far beneath her supposed talent.

Others shook their heads, saying that even if Lana herself was capable, she would inevitably be dragged down by such a weak beast.

A few even added mock sympathy.

“You can’t blame Shadowridge students,” one Spine Ridge student said loudly. “They don’t have access to the same quality resources we do.”

The remark drew nods, and although the Shadowridge students felt insulted, they found themselves unable to refute it.

Meanwhile, Lana remained completely calm.

Through their connection, she continuously guided Mr. Crow, not merely to dodge, but to move with deliberate timing.

They had already planned this strategy.

Fifteen minutes passed.

Taro’s enormous body began to show signs of strain.

Maintaining flight while chasing such a small, agile target required tremendous strength.

Despite unleashing several attacks, it had not managed to land even a single hit.

Only then did Shelley realize what was happening.

Mr. Crow was not fleeing.

He was conserving energy.

Shelley’s eyes narrowed.

’This Lana… she is far more calculating than I thought.’

She instructed Taro to land and recover, confident that even if Mr. Crow attacked, such a tiny creature could never seriously harm her beast.

But the moment Taro settled on the ground, Mr. Crow seized his chance.

Without hesitation, he unleashed his psychic power.

Taro suddenly felt as though an invisible hand had grabbed hold of its massive body and begun to twist it.

At first, it thought it was nothing more than an annoyance.

Then the spinning intensified.

Shelley’s expression changed. “Break free!” she commanded.

Too late.

The rotation accelerated, disorienting Taro’s senses. The sky, the ground, and the arena all blurred into a dizzying spiral.

Within moments, the majestic creature began to wobble, then retch violently.

Even then, the spinning did not stop.

Mr. Crow used subtle, efficient bursts of psychic force, consuming very little energy while exploiting Taro’s size and balance against it.

Finally, he released his grip.

Taro collapsed. Unconscious.

Mr. Crow fluttered back and perched proudly on Lana’s shoulder, feathers slightly ruffled but eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

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