Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 317: The Tri-Academy Exchange Arc (Part-9)

A single, casual sentence was enough for Reesa to claim a flawless slap-in-the-face victory.

Winner or loser was never decided by words alone, but the truth stood plainly before everyone’s eyes. Reesa had advanced to the second round. That alone made her far stronger than Drusilla, who had fallen by her hand and now lay unconscious.

Ophelia’s expression was dark with frustration. Her sister had already fainted, and even after taking recovery potions, there was still no sign of her waking up. Now Reesa’s words were like salt rubbed into an open wound. How could she not be furious?

Meanwhile, Ragnor Blackstar’s gaze slowly shifted toward Zora as he commented. "The academy has lost twice in a row. This time, they’re clearly going all out. It looks like they intend to fight recklessly and seize public attention."

This woman was absolutely not simple.

Leaving aside her ambiguous relationship with Harold, the mere fact that she had crushed Ophelia so decisively was enough to make anyone wary. According to the information they had gathered, Zora herself had already broken through to the Innate Realm.

Breaking into the Innate Realm at such an age was no ordinary feat. She was not born into some legendary bloodline, nor was she backed by a great martial family. Yet she had still reached this level. Even Ragnor Blackstar, at her age, had not managed such a breakthrough.

The sooner such a person fell, the better.

Seeing Ragnor Blackstar step forward with clear hostility, Zora did not even look up. She continued helping Reesa with acupuncture, her voice calm and faintly mocking as she countered. "So the royal family of the Leon Empire’s habit of throwing its weight around the women hasn’t changed at all, huh?"

The moment those words fell, Ragnor Blackstar’s expression turned ugly.

He had expected her to restrain herself out of fear for his imperial status. Instead, Zora spoke openly and sharply, as if she welcomed the trouble.

The surrounding Spirit Warriors exchanged strange glances. They were not ignorant of Ragnor Blackstar’s reputation. His fondness for women was hardly a secret. Seeing the tension between him and Zora, many quickly pieced together an unspoken conclusion.

Otherwise, with Ragnor Blackstar’s temperament, why would he personally come over to provoke her unless there had already been friction?

"Hmph. Zora, you’d better pray you don’t meet me in the next round," Ragnor Blackstar said coldly, his eyes filled with malice. "Otherwise, your end will be very unpleasant."

He had no interest in women who already belonged to someone else, but Zora had crossed his bottom line. This humiliation would not go unanswered.

Zora finally lifted her gaze.

Her voice was icy, her dark eyes dark and sharp. "You should be the one praying you don’t meet me."

She had never harbored any goodwill toward Ragnor Blackstar. She had tolerated enough since arriving at Thunderclap Academy. Their provocations and sarcasm had never stopped, as if silence were weakness.

If that was the case, then she would respond with strength.

No matter who stood in her way, she would crush them head-on.

As her words echoed through the arena, the surrounding Spirit Warriors fell into stunned silence. This was no longer the restrained, indifferent Zora from before. The pressure she exuded now was sharp and unmistakable, sending an involuntary chill through the crowd.

For the first time, many truly realized that this woman was not someone to be trifled with.

Ragnor Blackstar found the whole thing rather amusing.

In his eyes, Zora was seriously overestimating herself. Below the Innate Realm, opponents were easy to deal with. Even at the Innate Realm, victory was often just a matter of a single decisive step. Her earlier words sounded bold, but to him, they bordered on arrogance.

A little resistance was fine. A little backbone could even be interesting. But to truly believe she had the qualifications to challenge him was laughable.

Ragnor Blackstar no longer spared Zora another glance. Trading words was pointless. One sharp sentence was enough. Anything more would drag him down to the level of Caius, barking endlessly without substance.

Meanwhile, Zora remained focused, kneeling as she continued the acupuncture on Reesa. Silver needles rose and fell with precise rhythm while Reesa steadily swallowed recovery pills.

During the process, Reesa gradually realized something astonishing.

The hollow, drained sensation in her body was fading. Her meridians seemed to awaken one after another, and every cell greedily absorbed the energy flowing through her body. What had felt like an empty shell moments ago was now being filled again, warm and vigorous.

Her eyes grew brighter by the second.

Awe surged in her heart. Red makeup’s acupuncture technique was nothing short of miraculous.

When Zora finally withdrew the silver needles, Tiffany and the others hurried over.

"Reesa, how do you feel now?" Tiffany asked anxiously.

"I’ve recovered!" Reesa exclaimed, unable to hide her excitement. "The exhaustion is completely gone!"

She even bounced lightly on her feet to prove her point. The liveliness in her movements left no room for doubt.

Tiffany and the others broke into wide smiles. None of them had expected that in less than half an hour, Reesa would recover to such a state. This was undeniably good news for the upcoming round.

Across from them, the students of Thunderclap Academy and Lunar Academy stared in disbelief.

They were all too familiar with what true exhaustion felt like. Once one’s mana was depleted, even standing was a struggle. Recovery required time, rest, and patience.

Yet Reesa now looked completely relaxed, as if nothing had happened.

This was no act.

"How is this possible?" Ophelia blurted out, unable to contain herself.

Everyone had agreed that Reesa would be unable to recover in time. The scene before them shattered that assumption entirely.

Caius’s face grew darker by the second. He had mocked Zora earlier, dismissing her efforts as useless. Now reality slapped him squarely in the face.

Not only was it not useless, but she had single-handedly restored a key combatant for the academy.

"How did you do it?" Caius asked stiffly, his voice tight.

He had always believed that once mana was exhausted, recovery could only come slowly through cultivation. There was no shortcut.

Yet what he had just witnessed overturned that belief.

Ignar’s gaze also lingered on Zora. From the moment they first met, she had felt different. After today, that feeling only deepened.

Those silver needles... they resembled techniques rumored among physicians.

Ragnor Blackstar and Dravenor Blackstar exchanged glances, both seeing the same thought in each other’s eyes.

This method was extraordinary.

If such a technique could truly alleviate exhaustion, its value would be immeasurable.

The gazes of the surrounding Spirit Warriors were now firmly fixed on Zora.

Admiration flickered openly in many eyes.

Regardless of her status as a student of the Imperial academy, Zora had defeated her opponent with a single move and then demonstrated an almost unbelievable technique right after. Strength and composure, displayed without excess or noise.

"That girl from the academy is incredible. What kind of method was that just now? She actually helped someone recover their depleted strength."

"I’ve never heard of anything like it. But judging from what we saw, it’s real. This Imperial academy might truly overturn expectations this time."

"Thunderclap Academy is still the strongest, though. Offending the royal family... Zora won’t have a good ending."

As soon as those words spread, the students of Thunderclap Academy immediately retorted.

In their hearts, the dignity of the royal family was untouchable. To provoke the princes was no different from courting death. No matter how talented Zora was, they believed she would eventually pay the price.

On the high platform, Cindral’s eyes rested on Zora, his expression tinged with intrigue. This situation had clearly exceeded his expectations.

"Gerrad," Cindral asked slowly, "what method did that girl just use? It looked like... lost technique of acupuncture?"

As the principal of Thunderclap Academy, Cindral had seen countless techniques and secret arts. Although acupuncture had disappeared for many centuries, it had once been revered as a supreme medical skill. He still remembered its legends when the Eastern Continent was at its prime.

"Acupuncture has been lost for ages," Malrick spoke up before Gerrad could answer, disbelief written across his face. "How could it appear in the hands of a little girl?"

What a joke.

Even famed physicians of the past had struggled to master acupuncture, and now it was considered a lost art. Zora was merely a young Spirit Warrior. How could she possibly wield such a technique?

Cindral’s gaze wavered slightly. He, too, found it hard to believe. And yet, what Zora had just done looked uncannily similar to the records of acupuncture.

Then, under the stunned gazes of both men, Gerrad nodded calmly. "Yes," he said in a steady voice. "It was acupuncture. The principal’s judgment is correct."

The words landed like thunder.

"What?"

Both Cindral and Malrick felt a wave of shock surge through their hearts.

The academy had truly produced something extraordinary this time.

They had heard that Zora and Reesa were only first-year students. When that news reached them, they had assumed the Imperial academy was declining to the point of sending freshmen to such an important exchange.

Now, reality slapped them hard.

Not only had both first-year students advanced, but they had done so with dazzling performances that left no room for doubt.

"Gerrad, are you joking?" Malrick forced an awkward smile. "Zora is a Spirit Warrior. How could she possibly master acupuncture that only rumored divine physicians have the knowledge of?"

Gerrad glanced at him, a faint pride flickering in his eyes.

"There are many things you don’t know," he said evenly. "Zora is not only a Spirit Warrior, but she is also a genuine physician."

"If you ever feel unwell, you’re welcome to seek her treatment. You’re a vice principal of a top academy, after all. She wouldn’t refuse."

The smile on Malrick’s face froze.