The comments said I was deeply affectionate, I just added points by using an alternate account.

"Just exhausted."

Chen Guan steadily supported him, the furnace-like body temperature under his palm slowly receding, and he used the simplest explanation.

"You delivered the final blow. Well done."

"I?"

Long Ao blinked blankly, looking at his powerless hands, completely unable to remember what he had done.

An Changqing and Qin Wu quickly gathered around, looking at Long Ao's weak and confused appearance. They exchanged a complicated glance, neither of them mentioning the golden firebird that had burned everything.

That power was beyond their comprehension.

"Don't say anything yet."

Qin Wu reached out and touched Long Ao's forehead. The astonishing heat made his fingertips recoil. He spoke to the crowd in a deep voice.

"We won, let's rest first."

The joy of victory did not arrive; everyone's face bore a similar weariness.

The sights and sounds they witnessed in that illusion, especially Long Ao's godlike figure at the end, had a far greater impact on them than the battle itself.

Thanks to Long Ao's performance, everyone selectively forgot about Chen Guan's performance.

Chen Guan was thinking about something else.

"Bar"

He called out in his heart.

"Heh heh, kid, what do you want?"

Because he hadn't gone out yet, Baal could still come out and chat as he pleased.

"Were you scared by your friend? The bloodline of Suzaku, tsk tsk, although it's pitifully thin, it's more than enough to burn off a bit of dandruff from my idiot colleague's head."

"The codenames of the Guiyuan Group—Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, White Tiger, and Azure Dragon—are they because of this?"

Bahr raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Your little brain works pretty fast."

It didn't give a direct answer, but this attitude was enough to provide Chen Guan with his answer.

At that very moment, a magnificent voice descended from the sky.

"The first round of the team survival competition has ended."

"The ultimate winner is Huaqing Academy."

"All participants, prepare to be teleported back."

As the announcement ended, beams of soft white light descended from the sky, enveloping the Huaqing Academy students in the square.

……

At this moment, in the outside world.

An Changsong stood up excitedly. As the provider of the illusion, he had already discovered that the illusion had shattered.

They did it... these kids really did it!

Seeing An Changsong's reaction, everyone immediately guessed what was going on inside, and they all showed expressions of shock.

"Chairman An, was this also part of your plan?"

Huaqing Principal Ren Ping finally regained a sliver of rationality from his ecstasy.

He, the principal, was completely unaware that his students were so terrifying.

"plan?"

An Changsong shook his head with a wry smile: "I just want to use Astaroth's mental fragments to give these kids some pressure and see their limits."

He looked calmly at everyone, his voice filled with barely suppressed emotion.

"But these children didn't surprise me; they terrified me."

Accompanied by An Changsong's burning gaze, Chen Guan and the others appeared in the center of the square.

the other side.

As the pulling sensation of the white beam of light disappeared, the cool air of the square flowed back into my nostrils, dispelling the lingering stench of blood from the illusion.

Chen Guan held onto Long Ao's arm and could clearly feel the burning heat in the big man's body rapidly dissipating.

Almost as soon as their feet touched the ground, several medical staff who had been waiting nearby rushed up in a life support pod.

"Make way, make way, where are the wounded?"

Qin Wu took a step forward. He wanted to speak, but found his throat was still dry and he couldn't make a sound. In the end, he just raised his finger and pointed at Long Ao, who was being supported by Chen Guan.

"His condition is the most serious; get him checked immediately."

The medical staff acted professionally and quickly, and various probes and instruments were immediately attached to Long Ao's body, with alarms sounding one after another.

"Vital signs are extremely unstable, heart rate is too fast, body temperature is abnormal, and mental state is fluctuating erratically. Quickly, transfer to the intensive care unit!"

Long Ao was carefully lifted onto a stretcher. His eyes were still filled with confusion as he looked at his teammates surrounding him, and his lips moved slightly.

"Am I... dragging everyone down again?"

"Don't talk nonsense."

Qin Wu walked over and reached out to pat his shoulder, but was so burned by the astonishing body temperature that he quickly withdrew his hand.

He looked at Long Ao, his Adam's apple bobbing, his eyes filled with a mixture of admiration and lingering fear: "You should rest well. We won, and you deserve a lot of credit."

"I?"

Long Ao looked even more confused; could someone please replay the video for him?

An Changqing and Su Yuehe also came over. Su Yuehe looked at Long Ao and said gently, "Long Ao, you're just too tired. You'll be fine after a good night's sleep."

Long Ao seemed to want to say something more, but an irresistible sense of exhaustion swept over him, and his eyelids became so heavy that he could no longer keep them open.

As Long Ao's figure was quickly pushed towards the medical center, none of the surviving Huaqing team members on the square cheered in victory.

That golden firebird that burned away the will of the demon god was like an indelible mark, deeply etched in everyone's mind.

"What are you all standing there for?"

A steady voice came from behind, and Ren Ping and An Changsong walked over together.

Ren Ping's face was filled with visibly joy. He looked at his students as if he could see his own path to promotion.

I, the principal, am about to be promoted again.

An Changsong, having reached the point of no further advancement, became much calmer. He scanned each student present, finally fixing his gaze on his own son.

"Evergreen".

"Father."

An Changqing met his father's gaze and nodded slightly.

"Well done."

An Changsong's praise was brief and powerful. His gaze passed over An Changqing and landed on Qin Wu: "And Qin Wu, as the captain, you are outstanding."

"You flatter me, Chairman."

Qin Wu straightened his back, but his voice was filled with remorse: "I didn't do much; it was the junior students...it was they who turned the tide."

His gaze involuntarily drifted towards the coffin and Long Ao, who had just been carried away.

An Changsong saw through his thoughts and just smiled: "Nothing of the sort. The process is not important."

He looked around at the crowd, his voice echoing in every corner of the square: "I hereby announce that the final winner of the first round of the Four Schools League Team Survival Competition is Huaqing College."

The square was deathly silent.

Ren Ping looked at the group of students who seemed to have fought a world-ending war and were not in a good mental state. He felt both proud and worried. He cleared his throat and tried to ease the atmosphere.

"Alright, stop looking so serious. You're the champions, so give me a smile."

The students managed a forced smile, which looked more like a grimace.

An Changsong saw this but didn't force them; he understood how the children felt.

"I know you are very tired, your mental fatigue far exceeds your physical fatigue."

"The academy has prepared the highest-standard intensive care unit for you. You have three days to recover."