Champion and Fireworks

The award ceremony proceeded in an extraordinarily complicated atmosphere.

Martial Soul Hall Pope Bibi Dong personally presented the awards to the champion team. When she handed the Champion Trophy, symbolizing the highest honor, to Yu Tianheng, the team captain, her face still retained the Pope's grace and majesty, but deep within those profound eyes lay an icy chill. Her gaze, intentionally or otherwise, swept over Zhang Bufan, who stood at the back of the team looking utterly unconcerned.

Zhang Bufan felt nothing about it. He even thought the trophy took up too much space. His mind had long since drifted elsewhere.

The cheers and glory belonging to the champions were mainly enjoyed and borne by Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and the others. Zhang Bufan only showed himself when necessary; the rest of the time, he cleverly slipped away and found Huo Wu waiting for him in the crowd.

"Congratulations, champion." Huo Wu looked at him, her beautiful eyes carrying a smile and a trace of barely noticeable shyness. Zhang Bufan's dominance and strength in the arena today had been deeply engraved in her heart.

"It's just a trophy. Nothing special." Zhang Bufan shrugged, naturally taking her hand. "Come on, I'll take you somewhere nice."

"Huh? Where are we going? Aren't we attending the celebration banquet?" Huo Wu let him pull her through the noisy crowd.

"What's there to celebrate with a bunch of grown men?" Zhang Bufan did not even look back. "Our celebration should naturally be held separately."

He did not use any Soul Power. Like an ordinary young man, he pulled the girl he loved through the brilliantly lit, bustling Heaven Dou City. They ran through streets hung with ribbons and Soul Guiding Lanterns, weaving around the crowds cheering wildly for the champions.

Huo Wu watched his back, felt the warmth in her palm, and listened to the wind rushing past her ears and the distant clamor. A simple, unprecedented joy surged into her heart. She stopped asking questions and merely ran after him, the smile on her lips growing wider and wider.

In the end, Zhang Bufan brought her to the summit of the tallest building in the city—the Star Gazing Tower. It was normally closed to the public, but to Soul Masters who could fly—or overpowered cheaters who could move through space—it might as well have been nonexistent.

The wind atop the tower was strong, whipping their clothes around them. Looking down from here, they could take in the entire nightscape of Heaven Dou City. Myriad Lights of Homes scattered below like fallen stars, while winding streets resembled glowing rivers.

And at that moment, a grand fireworks display began to bloom in the night sky.

"Whoosh—boom!"

The first firework exploded in the night sky, turning into a shower of golden light that illuminated Zhang Bufan's and Huo Wu's faces. Then came the second, the third... Colorful fireworks of every shape raced into the sky, painting the night as bright as day, as dreamlike as a fantasy.

This was part of the celebration prepared by the Heaven Dou Royal Family and Spirit Hall—though the latter was reluctant—to commemorate the successful conclusion of the tournament and the birth of a new champion.

"So beautiful..." Huo Wu tilted her head back and watched the dazzling sky, her eyes filled with the colors of the fireworks. Though she was a Soul Master, she was still a young girl at heart and had no resistance to such beautiful, romantic scenery.

Zhang Bufan said nothing. He simply watched her quietly. Firework light flickered across her delicate profile. Her eyes, usually burning and leaping like Flame, now reflected the brilliant colors filling the sky, making them seem especially gentle and captivating.

(Famous scene: Prelude to a confession beneath the fireworks.)

The clamor lay beneath their feet, prosperity stretched before their eyes, yet this small tower top seemed to have become the quietest corner at the center of the world.

"Hey." Huo Wu suddenly turned to Zhang Bufan, her face flushed like rosy clouds beneath the fireworks. "Today... in the arena, were you so angry because he insulted me?"

As she asked the question, she felt her heartbeat quicken.

Zhang Bufan looked at her and smiled. Rather than answering directly, he asked, "What do you think?"

Huo Wu grew a little embarrassed under his gaze. She lowered her head and muttered softly, "I... how would I know?"

"I used to think that being powerful was so I wouldn't be bullied, so I could live freely and without restraint." Zhang Bufan turned back to the fireworks in the night sky, his voice calm and clear. "But today, I realized that strength is also for protecting."

He paused, and his tone became incomparably serious. "To protect the people I care about. To make sure she never suffers even the slightest grievance and never hears a single filthy word. Whoever dares offend her, I'll beat him until even his mother won't recognize him."

Huo Wu's heart jolted. She raised her head and stared blankly at his sharply defined profile.

"And you, Huo Wu." Zhang Bufan finally turned around, his burning gaze fixed on her. In those deep eyes, her reflection was now clear, with nothing else in them. "You are the person I want to protect most."

Fireworks erupted thunderously above their heads. The enormous blasts drowned out every other sound in the world, yet seemed to become the grandest backdrop for his confession.

Huo Wu felt her cheeks burning hot. Her heart was like a startled deer, thumping so hard it was about to leap from her chest. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, only to find her throat dry.

(Inner monologue — Huo Wu: He... he said I'm the person he wants to protect most... Is this... a confession? What should I do? Say yes? But... isn't this too fast? Still... the way he looked in the arena today... was really so cool...)

(Inner monologue — Zhang Bufan: The mood is right, and the BGM—the fireworks—is working perfectly. Time to make my move! Success or failure depends on this!)

(Commentary — Author: Look at the setting this guy chose for his confession! The top of the Star Gazing Tower, fireworks filling the sky, overlooking the entire city! Learn from him! Stop doing nothing but strolling down the street!)

The air carried the faint smell of smoke left by the fireworks, along with a sweet atmosphere called "ambiguity." All the groundwork seemed complete. Only that final, crucial step remained.