The Finals

The waiting area in the contestants' lounge fell silent. Dong Qianqiu sat on a bench, staring blankly at Lan Mengqin, who had just finished cursing out Chen Ming. She clearly had no idea what had just happened.

Chen Ming was just as baffled as he looked at Lan Mengqin. That string of insults had almost made him feel good. It was like being scolded by a little girl in a babyish voice—there wasn't a hint of menace in it.

Lan Mengqin covered her eyes with both hands, though the gaps between her fingers didn't hide a thing. She stared blankly at the plastic cup in Chen Ming's hand. The milky-white substance inside didn't seem to be what she'd thought it was.

"...What is that?"

Only then did Lan Mengqin realize she might have gotten the wrong idea, but she still pressed him for an answer.

"Ice cream."

Chen Ming's gaze grew profound. He knew what she'd thought, too. That kind of reaction, along with how red her face was, definitely meant something was up.

"So... you were all talking about ice cream just now?"

Lan Mengqin went stiff all over. Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally gave out. This was it! Her reputation was ruined!

Looking at Lan Mengqin, whose toes were curled so tightly she could probably dig out the foundations of Tiantou Technology Academy, Chen Ming folded his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"What else could it be?"

Lan Mengqin felt like she was going to die of embarrassment. With Chen Ming and Dong Qianqiu looking at her so strangely, she felt like she'd never be able to hold her head up again.

"I... I meant ice cream! I absolutely didn't mean anything else!"

Lan Mengqin snatched the ice cream from Chen Ming, then sat down beside Dong Qianqiu and ate it as if no one else were there.

It really did taste good. Still, Chen Ming and Dong Qianqiu's stares made her feel prickly all over.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

But the very next second, Chen Ming leaned in and pinned Lan Mengqin against the wall. She jumped in fright, nearly sending the ice cream flying from her hand.

The two of them stared at each other. Lan Mengqin looked into Chen Ming's deep, dark eyes, then guiltily turned away—only to meet Dong Qianqiu's gaze.

Dong Qianqiu's eyes brimmed with curiosity and confusion. She'd lost her memory as a child and couldn't remember anything from before. She'd grown up in an orphanage, too, without learning about such things, so she was still quite innocent.

She had no idea why Lan Mengqin had reacted so strongly, but the atmosphere seemed a little off, so she didn't say anything.

Under Dong Qianqiu's gaze, Lan Mengqin felt even more guilty. She turned her face away, only to see Chen Ming slowly moving closer. She kept shuffling backward until her back and head pressed against the wall, leaving her nowhere else to go.

Chen Ming brought his face close to her ear. His warm breath brushed against Lan Mengqin's soft pink earlobe, and it quickly turned crimson.

"You little pervert."

Just as Lan Mengqin held her breath, her heart pounding, Chen Ming's voice suddenly rang out, clear as day in her ear, warm breath and all. It made her feel weak all over.

But Chen Ming's words struck Lan Mengqin like a bolt of lightning. Her face flushed scarlet as she gritted her teeth and glared at him, too angry to say a word.

After saying those two words, Chen Ming elegantly straightened up and sat down opposite them.

Dong Qianqiu was a Soul Master, too, so she'd naturally heard Chen Ming's words. Looking at Lan Mengqin's flushed face, she hesitated. Had Sister Mengqin thought of something inappropriate just now?

And the people involved were her and Chen Ming? But why? They'd just been eating ice cream. How had Sister Mengqin connected that to something naughty?

In front of those two veterans, the innocent Dong Qianqiu seemed like a child. In truth, even if you added Chen Ming and Lan Mengqin's ages together, they wouldn't amount to a fraction of hers.

After that, the contestants' waiting area quieted down. The last contestant seemed to be recovering and hadn't come over yet.

In the waiting area, Lan Mengqin took bite after bite of her ice cream, biting into it with such force you'd think it was Chen Ming.

Before long, the break ended, and both contestants took the stage. Chen Ming and Lan Mengqin faced each other on the arena.

As soon as the referee announced the start of the match, the temperature around them plunged and snowflakes began to fall. Chen Ming raised a hand and caught a Wood Spear.

"Ice Shard Blade!"

Dozens of Ice Shard Blades came flying at him. Chen Ming spun his spear and blocked them all, then hurled the Wood Spear straight at Lan Mengqin.

A wall of ice rose to meet the spear. With a loud crash, Ice Crystals and splinters of wood flew everywhere. Lan Mengqin channeled her Soul Power again, freezing all the splinters in place.

"Now you're out of options, aren't you?"

Lan Mengqin's eyes narrowed. Dong Qianqiu had lost to this move that morning. If she froze the wooden splinters, Chen Ming wouldn't be able to control them.

"When it comes to fighting you, I've got more than one trick."

Chen Ming raised a hand and conjured a Wooden Sword. At the same time, a fishing rod appeared in his other hand. He spun and flicked it, sending the hook straight toward her.

Lan Mengqin reacted at once. She knocked the hook aside with an Ice Cone, then froze it to the ground.

At the same time, Chen Ming closed in. His Wooden Sword came slashing down, and Lan Mengqin raised a hand. Layer upon layer of Ice Spikes burst up from the ground.

Chen Ming swung his sword at the Ice Spikes rushing toward him. Countless spikes shattered into ice shards.

"Ice Spear!"

Lan Mengqin raised a hand and five Ice Spears flew toward Chen Ming. Several loud crashes rang out as Ice Crystals and icy mist burst into the air, obscuring Chen Ming's figure.

Lan Mengqin watched the mist warily and instinctively backed away a few steps to widen the distance, ready for Chen Ming to launch a surprise attack at any moment.

When the mist cleared, Chen Ming had vanished without a trace. Lan Mengqin froze, as did everyone watching.

"Where is he? Left? Right? Behind me?"

Lan Mengqin immediately looked around, alert, trying to figure out where Chen Ming was hiding. But in the very next instant—

A hand suddenly reached up through the tiles beneath Lan Mengqin's feet and grabbed her calf, wrapped in a white ankle sock. Chen Ming's voice rang out at the same time.

"Below."

Lan Mengqin shuddered and looked down sharply at Chen Ming's hand emerging from beneath the ground. Her eyes filled with shock, and she cried out.

"What?! Ah!"

A tremendous force yanked Lan Mengqin straight underground, leaving only her head above the surface. Chen Ming emerged from the ground in front of her at the same time.

He then used his mental control over the soil to enclose them, forming a sealed space that blocked their surroundings from view.

The darkness suddenly gave way to light. Chen Ming placed a torch on the ground, then crouched and smiled at Lan Mengqin, who looked utterly disheveled.

"You lose."

Lan Mengqin struggled for a while. When she realized it was no use, she gave up and said helplessly,

"I surrender..."

"No. I haven't gotten my revenge yet."

Chen Ming shook his head and refused to accept her surrender. Then, under Lan Mengqin's bewildered gaze, he went around behind her...