"I haven't lost!"
Huo Wu threw her head back and let out a hysterical roar.
The four Soul Rings around her suddenly and miraculously overlapped.
Ring Fusion!
This was Huo Wu's hidden trump card—the strongest one she had.
A rare innate skill that fused the power of all her Soul Rings into one.
The fire elements that had already died out around them were forcibly drawn back in.
A dazzling little red sun slowly took shape above Huo Wu's head.
Huo Wu Dazzling Sun!
This fireball contained all of Huo Wu's life force and Soul Power.
It radiated a terrifying heat that could destroy everything.
Even the surrounding snow and ice showed signs of melting.
The entire audience held their breath, staring at the red sun.
This strike had already surpassed the Soul Ancestor level. It could even threaten a Soul Emperor.
"Die!"
Huo Wu swung both arms with all her strength.
The enormous fireball hurtled straight toward Xue Tianyu's face with an earth-shattering force.
It tore through the air, leaving a charred trail of flame behind.
Shui Bing'er watched from behind, her heart in her throat.
Even she wouldn't be able to withstand an all-or-nothing attack like that.
Yet Xue Tianyu still showed no sign of dodging.
As he watched the fireball roar toward him, he didn't retreat. Instead, he stepped forward to meet it.
"Foolish."
Xue Tianyu raised his right hand.
This time, he didn't even summon the Snow Empress.
The red light of his Hundred Thousand Year God-Bestowed Soul Ring burst to life beneath his feet.
The Extreme Cold Domain instantly contracted, condensing on the index finger of his right hand.
He pointed.
The seemingly feeble finger landed precisely at the center of the enormous fireball.
There was no earth-shattering explosion.
Nor was there any drawn-out struggle between two clashing forces.
Huo Wu Dazzling Sun, which held all of Huo Wu's hopes—
the instant it touched Xue Tianyu's fingertip, it froze in midair.
Then, a bone-chilling sight unfolded.
The blazing red flames began rapidly turning ice-blue from the center outward.
Absolute cold replaced the intense heat.
Crack.
A crisp sound of shattering rang out.
The surface of the enormous Ice Flame sphere filled with countless fine cracks.
In the end, it crumbled into a shower of ice-blue fragments, scattering across the Great Soul Arena.
It was breathtakingly beautiful.
Huo Wu stared blankly at the falling ice shards, her mind utterly empty.
She had exhausted all her Soul Power and risked her life to unleash her strongest attack.
And someone had shattered it with a single finger, as easily as if it were nothing.
The gap between their strength was so vast that it left her in despair.
Her knees gave way. Huo Wu could no longer hold herself up and fell heavily to her knees on the cold arena floor.
Her red hair spilled across the ground, making her look utterly forlorn.
She gasped for breath. With every inhale, it felt as if she were swallowing shards of ice.
The crushing sense of defeat shattered every bit of her pride.
Since childhood, she had thought of herself as a genius.
She had believed that if she fought hard enough, she could overcome anything.
But today, this man had shattered everything she thought she knew.
She lifted her head and gazed up at the young man in white, as pure as snow.
Xue Tianyu looked down at her.
His gaze was as indifferent as if he were looking at a speck of dust.
In this man's eyes, she, Huo Wu, was nothing at all.
In the past, Huo Wu would have been furious. She would have felt humiliated.
But at that moment, she found herself strangely calm inside.
Not only was she not angry, she felt a thrill unlike anything she had ever known.
The absolute dominance Xue Tianyu had displayed, his composure as he treated all the heroes of the world as nothing—
it was like lightning, striking straight into her heart.
On Douluo Continent, the strong ruled.
Women were naturally drawn to the strong, and Huo Wu was no exception.
She had been proud because every man she had ever met was beneath her.
Now, a man who could crush all her pride with one hand, a man who looked down on her like a god, stood right before her.
Huo Wu's heart began to race.
A strange flush replaced the pallor of her face.
As she gazed at Xue Tianyu's flawless, frost-cold face, something deep inside her gave way.
Now this was a real man.
Now this was a peerless powerhouse worthy of her, Huo Wu.
Compared to Xue Tianyu, Feng Xiaotian, that lovesick fool who followed her around all day, didn't even deserve to tie his shoes.
The viewing stands fell utterly silent.
No one had expected this eagerly anticipated clash of powerhouses to end in such a crushing fashion.
Blazing Fire Academy hadn't even been able to force Xue Tianyu to reveal his Martial Soul.
The entire team had been like a pack of clowns, laughable before such absolute power.
The referee stood dazed for a long moment before hurriedly blowing his whistle.
"Blazing Fire Academy has lost the ability to fight."
"The winner of this match is Skywater Academy!"
As the referee's voice rang out, thunderous cheers erupted through the Great Soul Arena.
The legend of Skywater Team continued.
The man with the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring had become the undisputed uncrowned king of this tournament.
Xue Tianyu paid no attention to the noise around him.
He turned, ready to leave with Shui Bing'er and the others.
Just then, Huo Wu struggled to push herself up from the ground.
"Wait!"
Her voice was hoarse, but firm.
Shui Bing'er's expression darkened. She immediately stepped forward, putting herself between Huo Wu and Xue Tianyu.
"Huo Wu, the match is over. What are you trying to do?"
"Don't push your luck!"
Shui Yue'er eyed Huo Wu warily, afraid the madwoman was about to pull something again.
Huo Wu ignored the Shui sisters' warning completely.
She swayed as she straightened up and took a deep breath.
Dragging her exhausted body, she walked toward Xue Tianyu one step at a time.
With every step, the fervor in her eyes grew.
Huo Wushuang was frozen inside a block of ice in the stands. All he could do was glare helplessly.
Feng Xiaotian sat in the Godwind Academy stands, his grip bending the railing out of shape.
He stared at Huo Wu, unable to guess what she was about to do.
Xue Tianyu stopped and looked at Huo Wu.
"Don't stop her."
He waved for Shui Bing'er to stand down.
He wanted to see what this woman, who had been utterly crushed, could possibly do next.
Shui Bing'er didn't like it, but she never disobeyed Xue Tianyu's orders. She obediently stepped aside.
Huo Wu walked up to Xue Tianyu.
They stood less than half a meter apart.
Xue Tianyu could even smell the faint scorched scent clinging to her, mingled with the sweet fragrance of a young woman.
Huo Wu lifted her face and stared straight into Xue Tianyu's eyes.
There was no humiliation or hatred in her gaze.
Only undisguised admiration and infatuation.
"Your name is Xue Tianyu, right?"
Huo Wu suddenly spoke, her voice gentler than it had ever been.
Xue Tianyu gave her a cold look but didn't answer.
"I've never lost before."
"I swore that the man I, Huo Wu, chose would have to be the strongest person in the world."
Her chest heaved. A flame burned in her eyes, fiercer than any fire.
It wasn't the flame of battle, but the flame of desire.
The entire audience held its breath.
Huo Wu's sudden confession had left them stunned.
Feng Xiaotian's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. He almost spat up a mouthful of blood.
The goddess he had pursued for so long had confessed in public to a man who had just beaten her half to death.
"You defeated me."
"You didn't just win the match. You also crushed my pride beneath your feet."
Huo Wu suddenly laughed, her smile bewitchingly radiant.
"Since I've lost, then all of me belongs to you."
Before the words had even faded—
under the horrified gaze of everyone present—
Huo Wu suddenly rose onto her tiptoes.
She grabbed the edges of the coat on Xue Tianyu's shoulders with both hands and leaned forward.
Her warm, soft red lips pressed against Xue Tianyu's slightly cool ones without the slightest hesitation.
Boom!
The entire Great Soul Arena erupted in an instant.
Everyone went wild.
Shouts of shock rang out across the stands.
Feng Xiaotian of Godwind Team rolled his eyes and passed out on the spot.
Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er, and the other girls of Skywater Team stared wide-eyed, covering their mouths in shock.
The hot-tempered, proud Huo Wu—
had actually kissed a man of her own accord in front of everyone.
And he was the very enemy who had just pinned her to the ground and crushed her.
Xue Tianyu's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
He felt the warmth of her lips and the scorching aura unique to a fire-element female Soul Master.
Huo Wu closed her eyes, her long lashes trembling slightly.
The kiss had no skill to it. It was clumsy and reckless.
Because of her injuries, there was even a faint taste of blood on her lips.
But it was filled with unreserved admiration and surrender.
Several seconds passed.
At last, Huo Wu reluctantly let go and took half a step back.
Her cheeks were so red they looked ready to drip blood, but her eyes were extraordinarily bright.
The pride that had once filled her eyes was gone. Now, they held only her infatuation with Xue Tianyu.
"Remember this taste."
Huo Wu licked the blood from her lips. Though her voice was weak, it still carried a domineering note.
"From today on, I, Huo Wu, belong to you, Xue Tianyu."
"You go wherever I go."
"Anyone who dares stop me, I'll burn them to death!"
Her bold declaration spread across the entire arena through Soul Power.
Xue Tianyu lightly wiped his lips with the back of his hand.
He looked at the woman before him, driven mad by her admiration for the strong.
There wasn't a ripple in his eyes.
"What a boring trick."
Xue Tianyu turned and strode away.
"If you want to follow me, you'd better be prepared to be a dog."
Those words, cruel to the extreme, reached Huo Wu's ears.
Huo Wu not only didn't get angry.
Instead, as if she'd just heard the sweetest love confession, the fervor in her eyes grew even stronger.
"Even if I have to be a dog, I'll be the fiercest one by your side."
Huo Wu gazed at the white-clad figure gradually disappearing into the distance and laughed dreamily.
Everyone from the Blazing Fire Team was dumbstruck.
Was this really their high-and-mighty young lady, Huo Wu?
At that moment, they all understood.
The Blazing Fire Team was finished.
Their spiritual pillar had been utterly crushed and captured, body and heart alike, by that peerless god of slaughter.
The passageway was dimly lit.
Every member of the Skywater Team followed closely behind Xue Tianyu, taking small, hesitant steps.
Not a soul spoke. The atmosphere was so oppressive that even their breathing could be heard clearly.
Shui Bing'er walked at the very front, less than half a step behind Xue Tianyu.
Her beautiful eyes were fixed on his back.
Her hands, hanging at her sides, were clenched into fists so tight that her nails dug into her palms, yet she didn't even notice.
What had happened on the arena just now was like a red-hot steel needle, stabbing viciously into her heart.
That shameless Huo Wu!
That disgraceful loser!
She'd actually kissed their captain in front of countless people across the continent!
He was the peerless deity Shui Bing'er spent every day with, the one she considered it sacrilege even to look at for too long.
What gave some lunatic from Blazing Fire Academy the right to lay a finger on him?
And then she'd even brazenly declared she wanted to be his dog!
Shui Yue'er leaned close to Shui Bing'er's ear, her voice full of indignation.
"Big sister, that Huo Wu is so shameless!"
"She kissed the captain in public. Isn't she obviously trying to steal him from our Skywater Team?"
"So many of us sisters are with the captain every day. Can't we even compare to some outsider?"
Shui Bing'er pressed her lips together and shot her younger sister a cold glance.
"Quiet. This isn't the place for you to run your mouth."
Shui Yue'er shrank back in fright and didn't dare say another word.
But the other girls on the Skywater Team wore the same expressions of resentment and indignation.
Xue Tianyu pushed open the door to the lounge.
He walked straight over and took the seat of honor.
He raised a hand, casually removed his jacket, which still carried a faint burnt smell, and tossed it onto an empty chair nearby.
"We were too slow today."
Xue Tianyu leaned back in his chair, his tone as casual as if he were commenting on the weather.
But everyone present knew that if he'd truly stepped in himself, the Blazing Fire Team wouldn't have lasted a second.
Shui Bing'er hurried forward.
She picked up a clean, warm towel from the side and knelt beside Xue Tianyu's legs as naturally as could be.
"Captain, let me wipe that for you."
Shui Bing'er's voice was very gentle, with the faintest tremor in it.
She tilted up her lovely face, her gaze falling without hesitation on Xue Tianyu's lips.
A faint flush still remained there: blood from where Huo Wu had split her lip by using too much force.
Seeing the red mark, Shui Bing'er felt a sharp ache bloom in her heart like a rapidly spreading vine.
She drew a deep breath, then carefully and earnestly wiped the corner of Xue Tianyu's mouth, bit by bit.
She even secretly channeled her Soul Power.
A thread of freezing cold seeped through the towel, lest even a trace of Huo Wu's scorching presence remain.
"It's just a little dirt. Is there any need to scrub so hard?"
Xue Tianyu lowered his eyes and looked at the peerless beauty so close to him.
Shui Bing'er's hand paused.
She gritted her teeth, then suddenly dared to meet Xue Tianyu's gaze.
"Captain, do you think I'm scrubbing too hard?"
"Huo Wu was so rough just now. Why didn't you push her away?"
As soon as she said this, the air in the lounge fell utterly silent.
Shui Yue'er, Xue Wu, and the other girls held their breath in fright, not daring to make a sound.
It was the first time they'd seen Shui Bing'er speak to Xue Tianyu in such a strongly jealous tone.
Usually, she wouldn't even dare breathe too loudly without first checking his mood.
Xue Tianyu looked at Shui Bing'er's eyes, faintly reddened, without the slightest anger at her insolence.
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