Only Huo Wushuang and a burly defensive Soul Master remained on the field, standing there alone with blank looks on their faces.
Silence.
A deathly silence.
In the enormous Soul Fighting Arena, eighty thousand spectators could not make a single sound.
Even Xue Ye in the vip seats had his mouth hanging open for a long while.
What kind of fighting style was this?
One person, one umbrella, weaving through seven opponents as if dancing without even letting them touch the corner of her clothes, yet she had beaten the other side into complete disarray?
"Th-this is what Your Highness meant by bringing honor?"
"!!!"
Meng Shenji swallowed, his voice somewhat dry.
Xue Qinghe lifted his teacup and gently blew at the floating tea leaves, hiding the smile at the corner of her lips.
"Does Councilor Meng think this is still not honorable enough?"
On the arena.
Huo Wushuang stared at his teammates sprawled across the ground, his eyes bloodshot like those of a wounded beast.
"I haven't lost yet!"
He roared, abandoning any thought of tactics or teamwork as his entire body transformed into a mad blaze that charged recklessly at Gongsun Li.
"Ah."
Gongsun Li sighed, folded away her paper umbrella, and shook her head helplessly.
"The Dean said to end this quickly. We need to get back for dinner."
With a light tap of her toes, she rushed head-on toward Huo Wushuang like a ghost.
Just as the two were about to collide.
The paper umbrella in Gongsun Li's hand suddenly opened, completely blocking Huo Wushuang's vision.
The next second.
The umbrella spun, stirring up a strange whirlwind.
Gongsun Li's figure flickered in and out behind it. Every time she appeared, a Maple Leaf Dart struck one of Huo Wushuang's joints.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
A string of dull impacts rang out.
Huo Wushuang's massive body was like a living target, forced to a halt by the relentless barrage.
"The final strike."
Gongsun Li appeared in midair, her paper umbrella turning into a streak of light aimed directly at Huo Wushuang's brow.
"Get down!"
Boom!
The paper umbrella did not truly pierce Huo Wushuang's skull. Instead, the moment it touched him, it erupted with another fierce burst of force, blasting Blazing Fire Academy's captain off the arena and heavily into the dirt below. He could not get up for a long time.
As for the final defensive Soul Master.
Seeing Gongsun Li walk toward him with a cheerful smile, he sensibly raised both hands and jumped off the arena himself.
"Jixia Academy wins!"
The referee's voice trembled, but it still carried across the entire venue through the amplifying device.
Only then did the audience seem to wake from a dream.
"Th-they won?"
"My god! Is she even human?"
"Who exactly is that little girl? She's way too strong!"
"Jixia Academy! Jixia Academy!"
No one knew who started it, but the scattered cheers swiftly gathered into a roaring tide, eventually becoming a unified chant that filled the entire arena.
In this world where strength was revered above all else, power was the best pass.
It did not matter whether you had been famous before. As long as you could crush a strong team beneath your feet, you were the new king.
In the rest area.
Lu Ming brushed the orange peel from his hands and rose to his feet.
He was not surprised by the result at all.
What a joke.
Gongsun Li was someone he had spent a fortune cultivating. Coupled with the skill mechanics granted by the King System, she was practically a dimensionality-reducing strike on the Douluo Continent.
Especially against traditional Soul Masters without many mobility options, Gongsun Li's kiting style was simply a nightmare.
"Let's go home."
Lu Ming beckoned to Gongsun Li, who had just jumped down from the arena and was wearing an obvious expression that begged for praise.
"Dean! I was amazing, right? That big guy's face turned green just now!"
Gongsun Li skipped over and wrapped her arm around Lu Ming's.
"Mm, not bad. You were only a little better than when you beat training dummies."
Lu Ming casually humored her, but his gaze passed over the noisy crowd and settled on the second row of the vip seats.
There, Xue Qinghe had risen to her feet and raised her teacup toward him from afar.
Their gazes met in the air.
A teasing curve tugged at Lu Ming's lips.
He knew that after this match, the name of Jixia Academy had truly established itself on the continent.
And that Crown Prince disguised as a man was probably secretly delighted right now.
After all, the stronger Jixia became, the heavier the bargaining chip in her hand would be.
Except...
Lu Ming glanced at the chattering Gongsun Li beside him, then thought of Mirror, who was still cultivating in seclusion at the academy, as well as the Lord of the Far North.
That bargaining chip might be heavy, but it was also rather scorching.
Your Highness, were you sure you could hold it?
In the vip seats.
Bishop Salas's expression was frighteningly grim.
He stared fixedly at Lu Ming's departing back, his fingers digging hard into the armrest.
"Investigate."
He turned his head and gave his subordinate behind him a low command.
"Find out exactly where this Jixia Academy came from. I want to know everything about that little girl's Martial Soul and that Dean's background!"
"Yes!"
Beside him.
Ning Fengzhi stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Uncle Jian, what do you think? If we could recruit that little girl named Gongsun Li into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect..."
"Difficult."
Chen Xin shook his head, his gaze sharp as a sword.
"That girl looks at that Dean with nothing but admiration and dependence in her eyes. If you want to poach her, you must first win over that Dean. But... that young man gives me a very dangerous feeling."
"Oh?"
Ning Fengzhi was somewhat surprised.
For Chen Xin, the Sword Douluo, to use the word "dangerous," this Lu Ming was certainly no simple man.
"It seems this Soul Master Competition is going to be interesting."
Ning Fengzhi smiled faintly and turned his gaze toward Xue Qinghe, who had maintained a calm smile throughout.
"His Highness the Crown Prince truly has a keen eye."
Xue Qinghe modestly lowered her head.
"You flatter me, Teacher. Qinghe merely... got lucky."
The night was black as ink, and Heaven Dou City's clamor gradually quieted as darkness fell.
In Jixia Academy's backyard, a lone lamp glowed like a bean.
Lu Ming reclined in a lounge chair, idly playing with a newly made mechanical component. Metal gears turned between his fingertips with crisp, faint clicks.
Footsteps sounded outside the door.
They were neither hurried nor slow. Every step was steady, as though measured with a ruler.
"Come in."
Without even looking up, Lu Ming flicked his fingertip, and the gear embedded itself steadily into the belly of the Mechanical Bird on the table.
The door opened, and Xue Qinghe entered.
His Highness the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire had dismissed his attendants and crossed the threshold alone, closing the door tightly behind her.
She walked over to face Lu Ming and sat down without ceremony.
"Dean Lu certainly has plenty of leisure."
Xue Qinghe looked at the Mechanical Bird on the table, not yet as large as a palm, her eyes unreadable.
Lu Ming picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup. Then he took another empty cup, filled it, and pushed it toward Xue Qinghe.
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