Though puzzled, Shui Wuchen did not pay it much mind. After giving Feng Xiaotian a slight nod, he withdrew his gaze.
Over at Godwind Academy, Feng Qingcang also breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that his academy had made it through the first round.
As long as they had not lost, they would be fine. So long as they did not run into Shui Wuchen along the way, with Feng Xiaotian's strength as a Soul Emperor, it was basically impossible for them to lose.
Soon, the first round of the Finals came to an end.
The defeated teams left with their heads hanging low, while most of the victorious teams looked flushed with excitement as they chatted and laughed their way out of the grand square before Pope's Palace, returning to their respective lodgings.
Not long after Shui Wuchen and the others departed, the enormous block of ice containing Yan suddenly exploded. Yan was wrapped in flames, yet his face was still frozen purple-blue, and his body trembled without pause.
"Achoo!"
Yan sneezed, hugged his arms across his chest, and said through chattering teeth, "So cold. Damn Shui Wuchen."
Dense flame energy still covered Yan's body, but Shui Wuchen's energy clung to him like a parasite in the bone. No matter how he drove his Soul Power to strike at it from within, the effect was extremely limited.
The next moment, two figures appeared before him. They were Hu Liena and Xie Yue.
Seeing Yan in such a miserable state, Xie Yue picked up a chunk of scattered ice from the ground. After sensing it, his expression turned grave. "What terrifying ice-element energy."
Yan's martial soul, the Flame Lord, might not compare to certain pure fire-attribute martial souls, but the grade of its flames was still quite high.
Yet