The platform wobbled again as Yue Shanshan jumped backward to avoid Mu Chen’s grab.
Han Yi, standing behind her, shrieked as the board tilted sharply under his feet.
"STOP MOVING SO MUCH!" Han Yi yelled.
Yue looked back at him.
"This is a fight. What do you want me to do—stand still?"
"Yes!" Han Yi shouted instantly.
Lei Feng slipped again and barely caught himself by grabbing Mu Chen’s sleeve.
Mu Chen stared at him.
"Let go!"
"I will fall if I let go!"
"You’ll make ME fall!"
The two struggled like a pair of drowning chickens trying to stay afloat.
Ling Qingxue stepped between them, pushed lightly on both of their shoulders, and the platform settled again.
Mu Chen blinked.
"You fixed it again! How are you doing that?!"
Ling Qingxue pointed at the wooden board.
"It has three balance points. If you stand here, it stabilizes."
The others stared at her like she had just deciphered the secrets of the universe.
Han Yi pointed at her dramatically.
"WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY THAT EARLIER?!"
Yue Shanshan didn’t wait for explanations.
She moved in again, aiming a punch at Ling.
Ling blocked lightly.
This time the impact made the entire platform sway.
Han Yi rolled on the floor trying not to fall off.
"I’M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!"
Yue Shanshan jumped into the air for a spinning kick.
Mu Chen shouted, "NO JUMPING—"
But it was too late.
The moment Yue’s feet left the board, the entire platform tilted wildly.
Lei Feng lost balance and flew backward off the side.
"WAIT—NO—" he yelled as he disappeared from sight.
THUD.
Tian Lei raised one hand without looking up from the board in his hand.
"Lei Feng, eliminated."
Lei Feng’s voice rose from below, full of pain and betrayal.
"I hate this sect!"
Back on the platform, the remaining four were desperately trying to stay upright.
Yue landed her spinning kick, aiming straight for Ling Qingxue’s shoulder.
Ling stepped aside, grabbed Yue’s wrist, and redirected the force.
Yue spun the other way and crashed into Mu Chen.
Both of them slid dangerously close to the edge.
Han Yi watched them from the middle, horrified.
"STOP SLIDING TOWARD ME! IT WILL TIP THE WHOLE THING!"
Mu Chen grabbed the plank with both hands.
"I DON’T WANT TO FALL AGAIN!"
Yue hung onto his arm.
"THEN STOP MOVING!"
The board tilted down.
Han Yi was launched upward with a terrified scream.
He flopped back down, somehow landing on his stomach in the middle.
"I HATE THIS ROUND!"
Ling Qingxue moved with perfect timing, shifting her weight once again, steadying the whole platform.
Mu Chen gasped in relief.
"Thank the heavens..."
Yue panted.
"She’s too strong... she’s balancing while fighting!"
Han Yi raised a shaking finger.
"She’s not human. None of you are human."
Tian Lei called from below, "Keep fighting!"
Yue recovered first.
She charged Ling again with renewed determination.
Mu Chen joined in from the side, deciding to attack too while the board was stable.
Han Yi screamed,
"WHY ARE YOU TEAMING UP AGAINST HER?!"
Mu Chen shouted back,
"BECAUSE I WANT TO SURVIVE!"
Yue nodded.
"She’s too strong alone!"
Ling Qingxue looked at the two charging her.
Instead of panicking, she just sighed quietly.
She dodged Yue’s punch.
She deflected Mu Chen’s kick.
She tapped Yue’s elbow again.
She swept Mu Chen’s foot lightly.
Both of them wobbled.
Mu Chen flailed.
Yue cursed.
The platform tilted sharply.
Han Yi slid toward the edge.
"NO NO NO NO—"
He grabbed the edge at the last second.
Yue and Mu Chen were thrown sideways.
Mu Chen fell off first.
"AAAAAAAH—"
THUD.
Tian Lei raised his hand again.
"Mu Chen, eliminated."
Mu Chen groaned from the ground.
"I blame Yue... and Han Yi... and the platform..."
Yue Shanshan barely caught herself and managed to stay on with one foot.
She grinned breathlessly.
"This is great... Let’s keep going!"
Han Yi crawled back to the center like a dying crab.
"I want to go home..."
Now only three fighters remained:
Ling Qingxue
Yue Shanshan
Han Yi (clinging to the center like it was his mother)
Tian Lei shouted,
"Round Three continues!"
Han Yi screamed,
"WHY?!"
Yue Shanshan steadied her footing and wiped sweat from her forehead.
"Alright," she said, breathing hard. "Just the three of us now."
Han Yi lifted his head slightly.
"I’m not ’us.’ I’m just here to suffer."
Ling Qingxue stood calmly, her posture relaxed, completely stable on the shaking platform.
Tian Lei shouted from below,
"Keep fighting! Don’t slow down!"
Han Yi yelled back,
"STOP SAYING THAT!"
But no one cared.
Yue charged again, aiming at Ling Qingxue with fast punches.
The moment she moved, the platform tilted.
Han Yi slipped and grabbed Ling’s ankle.
"DON’T LET ME DIE!"
Ling looked down at him, confused.
"Let go."
"I CAN’T!" Han Yi cried.
She shook her leg gently until his hands came off.
Han Yi rolled away like a kicked potato and somehow ended up hugging the center again.
Yue reached Ling and swung a heavy punch.
Ling blocked with one hand.
The impact tilted the board again.
Han Yi spun in a circle.
"I’M GONNA THROW UP!"
Yue tried a low kick next, but Ling stepped on a balance point again.
The platform steadied instantly.
Yue groaned.
"You’re cheating with your brain!"
"It’s not cheating," Ling said. "It’s balance."
Yue clenched her teeth and rushed again.
Han Yi screamed again.
"STOP RUSHING! YOU’RE SHAKING MY SOUL!"
Yue ignored him and kept attacking.
Punch.
Kick.
Elbow.
Knee.
Ling dodged each one with small steps, always staying on one of the balance spots.
Yue couldn’t land a single clean hit.
Han Yi peeked between his fingers.
"Ling is fighting like she’s walking in a garden... Yue is fighting like she’s fighting for her life..."
Suddenly, Yue jumped forward for a hard palm strike.
Han Yi yelled,
"NO MORE JUMPING!"
The moment her foot left the board—
the platform dropped again.
Han Yi slid directly toward the edge.
"I’M FALLING—NO—HELP ME!"
He grabbed Yue’s leg mid-slide.
Yue lost balance completely.
"LET GO OF ME!"
"I DON’T WANT TO DIE!"