After Halone surrendered, there were seven participants remaining. The two defeated guardians lost to none other than Lucy, who soon turned her attention to Rasnod Ak Dark Blaze.

The man chose the farthest circle from Lucy and when he noticed her chilling gaze, he snorted and immediately sprung into action.

He did not hesitate to take out his strongest weapon, a thick spiked club enveloped by black flames. In addition, he used other artifacts to erect more than two spherical translucent barriers, protecting himself, the flag, and its circle.

Rasnod, along with the other five, all witnessed Lucy's prowess and what she was capable of, and as arrogant as the Patriarch might be, he was aware that he stood no chance against the White Specter.

After spending a couple of seconds recovering Mana, Lucy's right devil arm manifested itself again, letting out bursts of dense steam, which twirled around her like a tornado.

Like a shooting white star, Lucy charged at Rasnod and reached him within a split second; She clenched her right hand and punched the barriers, breaking them instantly and destroying the ground in the process.

Fearful and shocked, Rasnod took flight while swinging his club at Lucy, who flew at him like a lightning bolt. Alas, his attempt was poor and unsuccessful as his club hit nothing but air. He simply wasn't fast enough to react to Lucy's absurd speed, thus getting hit in the spine by Lucy's punch.

The physical hit was enough to incapacitate the Patriarch and break his bones, but since Lucy wanted to kill him, she did not hesitate to use her fusion fire.

Rasnod's body crashed into the ground, rolled a few times then limply laid on the ground, seemingly lifeless. The poor man did not even let out a groan, he fell unconscious and his spiked club was blown far away.

Just when the spectators thought the battle was over, Lucy landed next to Rasnod and hovered her left hand above his body, emitting a spark of greyish of fire, which invaded the victim's body and, in just a couple of breaths, scorched his insides and froze his skin and clothes.

The fight was over before it had even begun… then again, Rasnod, despite being an Exalted God, would never have stood a chance against Lucy. It was surprising to see Lucy outright kill Rasnod, which was prohibited, but the outcome of the battle was expected by almost everyone.

****

"We apologize for the unexpected sight. The Dark Blaze Sect has been caught trying to cause 'mischief' in our city so, my wife and I, took it upon us to exert the appropriate punishment."

Arthur explained what had just happened with an orotund voice, which was enough to quieten the curious crowd. His voice not only was heard by the spectators but by the participating guardians too.

"So they really were trying to do something?"

As Arthur returned to the VIP box and sat back on his seat, Isadore, unable to hold back his curiosity, eyed the parasite and commented.

"They should've tried it elsewhere. They got what they deserve."

"I see…"

The King of Green-Leaf nodded his head in agreement and after a momentary silence, asked again,

"So… did you kill Randuin?"

"Yes."

"Was he any trouble? I thought he was a Peak Exalted God."

"He was alright."

"What do you mean by alright? Like… did he put up a fight?"

"He did try… nevermind that. Let's watch the trial."

…

"Oh look who's back!"

Cristina angrily stomped her foot at the ground and glared at the red-haired youth who just entered the room.

Ho Qing was supposed to be meditating in his room, but since he came back, it means his period of enlightenment and learning was short-lasting. However, his cultivation was significantly higher and even his aura had a qualitative change, which meant it wasn't all for nothing, fortunately.

Ho Qing did not retort at the girl's snappy attitude, he walked closer to the bed and stared at Shu Ru.

"How are you feeling?"

She was still recovering, though her facial complexion was considerably better and no longer was she greatly affected by what the Time Wraith had done to her.

"I'm great, thank you!"

She sweetly smiled at the youth, but after her quick response, the atmosphere was dominated by an overwhelming awkwardness. All the members of the MoonStar team were finally in one room, but no one talked. They stared at each other in silence, some hesitating to talk, some looking crestfallen, and others simply lost in their thoughts.

At last, Bora, who looked the most cheerful of them all, broke the silence and said,

"I think we should leave."

"What? Leave? What are you on about?"

Cristina looked at her smiling childhood friend, a frown surfacing on her slightly exhausted face.

"We can't be under our teacher's protection forever. We have to leave Green-Leaf and visit other realms to hone ourselves and get stronger."

"I concur."

Ardor raised his hand and agreed with Bora, but the rest of the team members kept their mouths shut.

Ho Qing was about to say something but he noticed Rosea, who had her head down and was still depressed and feeling down.

"I heard about what happened."

He walked in front of the princess and coldly looked down at her.

"..."

The girl did not even glance at him, she kept absent-mindedly staring at the ground.

"If you're going to be like this then it's better to leave."

"Hey!"

Cristina attempted to stop him but was stopped by Bora, who shook his head and signaled for her to stand still and listen.

"Such a weak resolve after one defeat. You acting like a kid is embarrassing to us and even our teachers. I'll say it again, if you don't have the will to continue then leave right now. I don't want you in my team."

The girl was unresponsive, though her body twitched ever-so-slightly, clearly affected by Ho Qing's harsh words.

Surprisingly, Ho Qing did not stop at that, he actually bent down and slapped her with so much strength she was blown to the side, her body rolling on the ground.

Even the others were shocked by this display; Cristina broke free from Bora's grasp and lunged at Ho Qing, grabbing his collar and shouting at him. Shu Ru furrowed her brows and worriedly looked at Rosea whereas Bora was nervously looking at Cristina.

The only one who did not react was Ardor, he stood at the back and calmly watched everything. Even though Ho Qing was going overboard, he still chose to sit still and watch everything unravel, not because he enjoyed it but because this was necessary.

They had tried talking some sense into Rosea but it didn't work at all. This might be the only effective method to snap her out of it and push her to make a decision. By now, the six of them established a close relationship and if they were going to continue training and getting stronger together, they need to be of the same mind.

Rosea wiped her bleeding lips then looked at her hand, tears trickling down her cheek.

She suddenly leapt to her feet and rushed at Ho Qing, who was still held by Cristina.

Just like what he did to her, the girl viciously slapped him, separating him from Cristina but causing him to fall on the ground. She did not even let him time to react as she mounted him and unleashed a torrent of slaps, which he tried to resist but failed.

"Who said I wanted to leave?! You arrogant prick!"

She kept crying, slapping him, and insulting him over and over again.

"I tried my best! Alright! I want to get stronger too!"

"I like staying here and learning from Madam Lucy and Mister Arthur! Who are you to tell me what to do?!"

"Just because you showed off in front of everyone, you think you can order me around?!"

"Y-you… you ungrateful idiot! Not everyone is as lucky as you! Damn you!"

…

By the time Rosea stopped, Ho Qing's cheeks were red and his lips were bleeding. Nevertheless, his face was expressionless and he no longer tried to push her away.

Thankfully, Bora and Cristina stepped in and separated Rosea from Ho Qing, the former was choking on her tears but looked much better than before.