Rules Were Meant to Be Broken!

Skysea City's night was quiet, with only the gentle sound of waves lapping against the shore.

Gu Yue sat by the window. Moonlight streamed through a gap in the curtains, falling across the floor in a thin line.

She had not turned on the lights. The room was dark, and only her eyes glimmered faintly within it, like two unremarkable pools.

In the corner, a purple figure emerged from the shadows.

Zi Ji dropped to one knee, her movements as light as a falling leaf.

"Lord."

Gu Yue did not turn around. "Speak."

Zi Ji lowered her head. "Moon has arrived. He is in Skysea City."

The Sky Sea Grand Competition arena stood by the sea, a semicircular open-air stadium.

The stands were built along the mountain and could accommodate over ten thousand people.

The morning sun shone in from across the sea, bathing the entire arena in gold.

By the time Shrek's team arrived, quite a few people had already taken their seats in the stands.

Most were local residents of Skysea City, while some had come from nearby cities. They had all come to watch Shrek's exhibition match.

Shen Yi led the children into the competitors' area.

Ya Li had not come along. She had other arrangements today and had only escorted Yun Jingheng to the entrance of the arena.

"Call me after the match."

Ya Li straightened his coat. "Don't run around."

Yun Jingheng nodded.

He entered the competitors' area alone and sat down in the farthest corner.

His body still felt a little weak, but he was much better than yesterday.

As long as he kept up his nutrition, it would not be a problem.

Ye Xinglan stood by the arena, doing her final warm-up.

Her golden ponytail was tied tightly, and she looked as sharp and efficient as a freshly honed blade.

Xu Lizhi stood beside her. He did not look well, with dark circles under his eyes that made it obvious he had not slept well last night.

Ye Xinglan ignored him.

From last night until now, she had not said a single word to him.

"Sister Xinglan..." Xu Lizhi called softly.

Ye Xinglan did not turn around.

Xu Lizhi lowered his head and did not dare say anything else.

Long Beibei stood nearby and patted his shoulder.

"Stop thinking about it. Focus on the match." Xu Lizhi nodded, but his expression was still unpleasant.

When the referee entered, applause rose from the stands.

The host stood at the center of the arena, his voice amplified by a Soul Tool and carried throughout the entire stadium.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Sky Sea Grand Competition! The first event is an exhibition match—the Shrek Academy representative team versus the Skysea Academy representative team!"

The applause from the stands grew even louder.

Skysea Academy had home-field advantage. More than half the audience consisted of Skysea City residents, and their applause carried a strong sense of hometown pride.

There was applause for Shrek as well, but even more curiosity. Everyone wanted to see just how strong the students of the continent's number one academy were.

The two teams entered the arena.

Shrek had six people: Ye Xinglan, Xu Lizhi, Long Beibei, and four other children whose names Yun Jingheng did not know.

Skysea Academy also had seven people. They wore dark blue uniforms and stood in the arena with serious expressions.

Ye Xinglan stood at the front of her team, one hand resting on her sword hilt as her gaze swept over the six people opposite her.

Her expression was calm, so calm that it was as though she were looking at six wooden posts.

The referee blew his whistle. "Begin!"

Honestly, there was nothing to watch in this match. The victory had absolutely no... technical merit.

When Ye Xinglan drew her sword, the opposing captain took one step back. Ye Xinglan took one step forward, and the entire opposing team retreated three steps.

When the referee blew his whistle, the Skysea Academy members still wore expressions that said, "It's finally over."

Yun Jingheng sat in the corner, watching the performance in the arena with a blank expression.

So this was what an exhibition match was like?

Oscar-worthy extras, all of them.

He shifted positions and leaned back against his chair.

He had wanted to see Ye Xinglan fight seriously, but her opponents could not even make her take them seriously.

He had wanted to see the strength of Shrek's other members, but they had not even entered the arena.

Ye Xinglan had dealt with the entire opposing team by herself.

Boring.

He lowered his head and looked at his hands.

He had not tested New Moon Assault yet, and he had not practiced Star Gallop Under Moon in a long time either.

He glanced into the arena. The Skysea Academy captain was bending over to pick up fragments of his shield, collecting them one piece at a time, very slowly.

Suddenly, Yun Jingheng felt an itch to fight.

He stood up and walked toward the front of the competitors' area.

Shen Yi was standing by the arena, watching the team members leave.

Her expression was calm. There was nothing to get excited about from winning. It was only natural for Shrek to defeat Skysea Academy.

"Sister Shen." Yun Jingheng's voice came from beside her.

Shen Yi turned her head and saw the boy in the silver-white coat standing next to her, quiet and composed, his expression faint.

She instinctively looked behind him. Ya Li was not there.

"Jingheng? What is it?"

Yun Jingheng looked at her. "Can I register?"

Shen Yi froze for a moment. "Register?"

"For the competition." Yun Jingheng said, "I want to compete."

Shen Yi looked at him and remained silent for several seconds.

The boy before her was the son of the Sea God Pavilion Master, Elder Ya Li's precious child, the little prince of all Sea God Island.

Just how much did those elders of the Sea God Pavilion spoil him?

Zhuo Shi found fruit for him, Cai Yue'er opened the storehouse for him, and Long Yeyue stayed awake in the middle of the night to secretly watch him make a telescope.

Feng Wuyu never said it aloud, but his eyes lit up every time this child was mentioned.

She wanted to refuse, but the words reached her lips and were swallowed back down.

"Well..." Shen Yi carefully chose her words. "The exhibition match slots were already decided, and the exhibition match is over..."

Seeing Yun Jingheng's expression, she added, "And you still haven't fully recovered, and your mother—"

Yun Jingheng nodded.

"I understand." He did not say anything else. He turned and returned to the corner, taking out his communicator.

Shen Yi watched his back and let out a breath of relief.

Then she saw Yun Jingheng place the communicator to his ear and say a few words.

She could not hear what he said, but after he hung up, the corners of his lips curved up slightly. Then he went back to sitting quietly in the corner, as though nothing had happened.

Ten minutes later, Shen Yi's communicator rang.

She glanced at the caller ID, took a deep breath, and answered.

"Your Eminence?"

Ya Li's voice came through, gentle and soft, like a sea breeze blowing across the beach.

"Teacher Shen, Jingheng said he wants to go out and have some fun. I have already spoken to the organizers, and they are very welcoming. There is a new rule: Shrek Academy can participate in the competition, but not in the finals. It will essentially be an exchange match, with no involvement in rankings."

Shen Yi opened her mouth. "Your Eminence, his health—"

"I know."

Ya Li said, "He has not fully recovered yet, but going up to play for a while will not hurt him. It is not like he is going out there to risk his life."

She paused. "This child slept for a year. He has been stifled enough. Letting him move around a little will also help his recovery."

Shen Yi fell silent. The organizers had already agreed, so what else could she say?

"Understood, Your Eminence. I'll arrange it."

After hanging up, Shen Yi stood by the arena and looked at the quiet boy in the corner.

He was looking down at his hands, seemingly lost in thought.

She suddenly wanted to laugh.

This family... the father was the Sea God Pavilion Master, the mother was an elder, and the son could change the organizers' rules with a single phone call.

She walked over. "Jingheng."

Yun Jingheng looked up.

Shen Yi looked at him. "The competition has added a rule. Shrek can participate, but we will not take part in the finals."

Yun Jingheng finished her sentence. "Shrek will not be included in the rankings?"

"Yes. Do you want to compete?"

Yun Jingheng nodded. "Sister Shen, don't you think that last match was won with... no technical merit at all?"

Shen Yi looked at Yun Jingheng, fell silent for two seconds, then smiled.

"It really did not have much technical merit."

She paused. "If you want to compete, then compete. But remember, you have not fully recovered. Don't push yourself."

Yun Jingheng nodded. "I know."

Shen Yi turned and walked toward the organizing committee.

The change in rules needed to be formally announced to all participating academies. It was not something she could decide alone, but the organizers had already agreed, so she only needed to confirm the procedure.

When she reached the organizing committee office, she heard people talking inside. Their voices were loud.

"Shrek wants to compete? Weren't they only here for the exhibition match?"

Another voice said, "The rules have already been changed. Shrek can participate in the competition, but they will not compete for rankings."

"In other words, they can fight, but even if they make it to the finals, they will not occupy a ranking."

The first voice fell silent for a moment. "Then what are they competing for?"

No one answered.

Shen Yi pushed the door open and entered.

Several people sat in the office, all representatives from different academies.

When they saw her enter, everyone stopped talking.

"The Shrek representative team will have eight participants in the following exchange matches. They will not occupy rankings or affect rankings. They are only here to fight."

After saying that, she left.