Watching the Battle

As Xun'er leaped down from the Trial Grounds, the final match of the elimination round came to an end.

Looking around, even the weakest of those who remained possessed the strength of a Three Star Dou Zhe. One of them had even reached the level of a Nine Star Dou Zhe, only a single step away from becoming a Dou Shi.

"I didn't expect there to be so many strong competitors in this tournament. I wonder if that little girl at the Nine Star level would be willing to spar with me," Xun'er said with a trace of excitement.

She had come to improve her strength through sparring, gaining insights and techniques through battle to make herself stronger. Still, casually taking first place would not be bad either.

"Mm, compared to elites like you, this level of strength is still rather low, isn't it?" Yun Xi teased.

Aside from junior elites like Xun'er from the Gu Clan, the others had not received focused training. Even their Dou Techniques and cultivation methods were slightly inferior, let alone their levels.

To reach the Nine Star level through her own strength without receiving focused training was enough to show that she was extraordinarily talented.

"Hehe."

Xun'er merely chuckled and did not answer. Perhaps she felt that Nine Star strength was still insufficient.

Yet she seemed to have forgotten that she herself was only at the Five Star level...

"From the looks of it, Miss Xun'er seems to have won quite easily."

The moment she stepped into the rest area, Gu Qingyang's admiring voice came from nearby.

"Hehe, wasn't Big Brother Qingyang the same? Defeating your opponent in one move—truly worthy of the strength of the strongest among the younger generation."

Blinking her bright, sparkling eyes, Xun'er said with a sweet laugh.

"But I haven't even entered the arena yet." Gu Qingyang did not know whether to laugh or cry at Xun'er's words. "I'm in the second round. It won't be my turn until later."

Xun'er: ⊙_⊙

"Ah? Is that so... Ahahaha... I meant that I hope you can defeat your opponent in one move later!" Xun'er said with an awkward smile, her little face flushing red.

She had not expected that the casual flattery she tossed out would land right on the horse's backside. It left her somewhat embarrassed, but fortunately, she had enough social awareness to save herself. Otherwise, it would have remained awkward.

"Thank you for your praise, Miss Xun'er. Qingyang will certainly give it his all." Seeing the blush on Xun'er's face, Gu Qingyang quietly gave her a way out as well.

Boom~~

"The second match begins! Contestants participating in the second match, enter the arena." Accompanied by the drumbeat, Elder Gu Dao's aged voice, infused with Dou Qi, resounded throughout the entire grounds.

"Miss Xun'er, it's my turn. I'll be going first." Hearing the Elder's voice, Gu Qingyang turned to Xun'er and spoke.

Once Xun'er nodded, Gu Qingyang faced the arena, stomped his foot, and shot forward. In the blink of an eye, he stood firmly in the center of the field.

"Hmm? He's already a Five Star Dou Shi?"

Seeing Gu Qingyang's display, Xun'er vaguely sensed his strength—Five Star Dou Shi.

"He must have just broken through." Xun'er stroked her chin, slightly furrowed her brows, and muttered in a deliberately mature tone, "Yun Xi, do you think I could beat him with my current strength?"

"Yun Xi, Yun Xi?"

After calling several times without hearing Yun Xi's voice, Xun'er felt inexplicably flustered.

"Yun Xi???"

"Hmm? What is it? I'm here."

Yun Xi's lazy voice came through, and Xun'er immediately let out a sigh of relief.

"What were you doing?! I called you, but you wouldn't come out!"

"I was savoring someone's skill at flattering others... It was truly impressive... Hahahahahaha!" Unable to hold it in any longer, Yun Xi finally voiced his thoughts.

Those words just now gave Yun Xi a whole new impression of the little girl before him. That flattery... was absolutely incredible!

Even without coming out, Yun Xi could sense the faint awkwardness permeating the air. This kind of awkwardness was called: I'm embarrassed for you.

Hearing Yun Xi's unrestrained laughter, Xun'er's lips twitched slightly. She suppressed her anger and shouted, "Yun Xi!!! Enough already!!!"

Yun Xi: (ーー゛)

"Sorry, I was wrong... I won't do it again..."

"Hmph!"

With a muffled snort, Xun'er ignored Yun Xi's apology and turned her gaze toward the arena, searching for a more interesting battle.

Suddenly, the fight in the arena at the very corner caught Xun'er's attention. It was not just her—many people had been drawn to that battle.

Following everyone's gazes, the two people below were already locked in a heated fight. Their powerful Dou Qi clashed, producing waves of explosions. Amid the blasts, two figures flickered about, accompanied by repeated sounds of fierce bodily impacts.

The battle had entered its most intense stage from the very beginning. There had not even been the slightest warm-up before it erupted into a fierce clash.

Bang!

With a muffled impact, one figure was sent flying backward. After retreating several dozen steps, he finally steadied himself.

As one of them appeared, the dust in the arena gradually dispersed, revealing the other figure to the crowd as well.

The one who had been sent flying possessed Metal Attribute Dou Qi, while the one standing in place possessed Wood Attribute Dou Qi. Both were One Star Dou Shi, as could be seen from the gauzy Dou Qi garments covering their bodies.

In terms of attributes, Metal Attribute Dou Qi clearly restrained Wood Attribute Dou Qi. Yet in actual combat, the situation was completely reversed. The one sent flying was actually the user of Metal Attribute Dou Qi.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the Metal Attribute Dou Qi user attacked once more. A powerful aura burst forth, and under his control, every part of his body seemed as sharp as a blade. His hands, legs, and elbows carried intense Dou Qi fluctuations as he pressed in for close combat. Every punch and kick carved golden arcs through the air.

Meanwhile, the Wood Attribute Dou Qi user could only evade passively, and his Dou Qi was gradually running dry. Clearly, the outcome had already been decided.

"Yun Xi, who do you think will win? If you guess correctly, I won't be mad anymore." Watching the battle in the arena, Xun'er curiously asked Yun Xi within her body.

Obviously, she was merely looking for an excuse not to stay angry at Yun Xi, because in her eyes, the winner and loser were already obvious.

"The one with Wood Attribute Dou Qi." After taking another look, Yun Xi answered softly.

Xun'er: ???

She was a little bewildered. From the situation, Metal Attribute Dou Qi was clearly crushing Wood Attribute Dou Qi. Was Yun Xi saying this because he wanted her to keep being angry????

"You! ..."

Bang!

Before Xun'er could finish her next sentence, the contestant using Metal Attribute Dou Qi had already been eliminated from the arena.

Xun'er: ???

"What happened? What just happened?"

"On the surface, Metal Attribute Dou Qi was indeed stronger, but the Dou Qi in his body could not withstand such wasteful expenditure. The Wood Attribute Dou Qi user only used a small portion of his Dou Qi for defense, while the other part was gathering power for an attack. Do you understand now?" Yun Xi explained seriously.

Xun'er nodded as if she understood, though she had not yet recovered from her shock when Yun Xi's gentle voice sounded again.

"All right, my little princess. You said that if I guessed correctly, you wouldn't be angry anymore."

"Hmph."

Hearing what he called her, Xun'er's little face reddened slightly. She turned her head aside and gave a soft huff.