Rules Are Meant to Be Broken!

The night in Skysea City was quiet, save for the sound of waves gently lapping against the shore.

Gu Yue sat by the window, moonlight filtering through the gap in the curtains to cast a thin sliver of light upon the floor.

She did not turn on the lights; the room was dark, save for her eyes, which glimmered faintly in the gloom like two unremarkable pools of water.

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

Zi Ji knelt on one knee, her movements as light as a falling leaf.

"My Lord."

Gu Yue did not turn around. "Speak."

Zi Ji kept her head bowed. "The Moon has arrived; he is in Skysea City."

The venue for the Sky Sea Grand Competition was located by the sea, housed in a semicircular open-air stadium.

The stands were built against the mountain, capable of holding tens of thousands of people.

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

By the time the Shrek Academy team arrived, the stands were already filled with many spectators.

The majority were local residents of Skysea City, with others having traveled from surrounding cities, all there to watch the Shrek exhibition match.

Shen Yi led the children into the contestant area.

Ya Li did not accompany them; she had other arrangements today and had only seen Yun Jingheng to the entrance of the arena.

"Call me when the match is over."

Ya Li straightened his jacket. "Don't wander off."

Yun Jingheng nodded.

He walked into the contestant area alone and sat in the furthest corner.

His body still felt a bit weak, but it was much better than yesterday.

As long as his nutrition kept up, there would be no major issues.

Ye Xinglan stood at the edge of the field, performing her final warm-ups.

Her golden ponytail was tied tightly, making her look as sharp and clean as a freshly honed blade.

Xu Lizhi stood beside her, his complexion poor, with dark circles under his eyes that made it clear he hadn't slept well last night.

Ye Xinglan ignored him.

From last night until now, she hadn't said a single word to him.

"Sister Xinglan..." Xu Lizhi whispered.

Ye Xinglan did not turn back.

Xu Lizhi lowered his head, not daring to speak again.

Long Beibei stood nearby and patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't think about it, just focus on the match." Xu Lizhi nodded, but his expression remained grim.

When the referee entered the field, applause erupted from the stands.

The host stood in the center of the arena, his voice amplified by a Soul Tool to reach every corner of the stadium.

"Welcome everyone to the Sky Sea Grand Competition! First up is the exhibition match—the two opposing sides are the Shrek Academy representative team and the Skysea Academy representative team!"

The applause from the stands grew even more enthusiastic.

Skysea Academy was the home team, and since the majority of the audience were residents of Skysea City, the applause carried a strong sense of local pride.

There was applause for Shrek as well, but it was driven more by curiosity; everyone wanted to see just how strong the students of the continent's premier academy truly were.

Both teams entered the field.

Shrek had six members: Ye Xinglan, Xu Lizhi, Long Beibei, and four other children whose names Yun Jingheng could not recall.

Skysea Academy also had seven members, standing on the field in deep blue uniforms with serious expressions.

Ye Xinglan stood at the front of the formation, her hand resting on her sword hilt as her gaze swept over the six opponents.

Her expression was calm, so calm it was as if she were looking at six wooden stakes.

The referee blew the whistle. "Begin!"

To be honest, this match was completely devoid of substance; the victory was entirely... lacking in technique.

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

When the referee blew the whistle, the members of Skysea Academy still wore expressions that suggested they were simply relieved it was over.

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

Is this what an exhibition match is supposed to be?

He was an Oscar-worthy extra.

He shifted his posture, leaning back against the chair.

He had wanted to see Ye Xinglan fight seriously, but her opponents couldn't even force her to do that.

He had wanted to see the strength of the others from Shrek Academy, but they hadn't even stepped onto the stage.

Ye Xinglan had cleaned up the entire opposing team all by herself.

Boring.

He lowered his head to look at his own hands.

He hadn't tried New Moon Assault yet, and it had been a long time since he practiced Star Gallop Under Moon.

He glanced at the arena, where the captain of Skysea Academy was bending down to pick up the fragments of his shield, piece by piece, very slowly.

Suddenly, his hands felt restless.

Yun Jingheng stood up and walked toward the front of the contestant area.

Shen Yi was standing at the edge of the arena, watching the team members exit.

Her expression was calm; there was nothing to be excited about in winning this match. For Shrek Academy to beat Skysea Academy, winning was the only normal outcome.

"Sister Shen." Yun Jingheng's voice came from the side.

Shen Yi turned her head to see the boy in the silver-white jacket standing beside her, very quiet, his expression indifferent.

She instinctively glanced behind him; Ya Li was not there.

"Jingheng? What is it?"

Yun Jingheng looked at her. "Can I sign up?"

Shen Yi was stunned for a moment. "Sign up?"

"For the competition," Yun Jingheng said. "I want to go on stage."

Shen Yi looked at him, silent for several seconds.

The boy in front of her was the son of the Sea God Pavilion Master, the treasure of Elder Ya Li, the little crown prince of the entire Sea God Island.

To what extent did those elders in the Sea God Pavilion spoil him?

Zhuo Shi found fruits for him, Cai Yue'er opened her treasury for him, and Long Yeyue would stay up late at night, watching from the shadows while he built his telescope.

Although Feng Wuyu never said it out loud, his eyes would light up every time this child was mentioned.

She wanted to refuse, but the words died on her lips.

"This..." Shen Yi carefully chose her words. "The spots for the exhibition matches are already set, and the exhibition matches are already over..."

She looked at Yun Jingheng's expression and added, "Besides, your body hasn't fully recovered, and your mother—"

Yun Jingheng nodded.

"I understand." He didn't say anything else, turned around, and walked back to the corner, pulling out his communicator.

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

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

She couldn't hear what he said, but after he hung up, she saw the corners of his mouth curve slightly as he sat back down in the corner, quiet and still, as if nothing had happened.

Ten minutes later, Shen Yi's communicator rang.

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

"Your Excellency?"

Ya Li's voice came from the other end, very gentle and light, like a sea breeze blowing across a beach.

"Teacher Shen, Jingheng said he wants to go on stage and play a little. I've already spoken to the organizers, and they are very welcoming. Under the new rules, Shrek Academy will participate in the matches but not the finals; it will be an exchange match, not counting toward the rankings."

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

"I know."

Ya Li said, "His body hasn't fully recovered, but going up to play a little won't hurt. He isn't going there to risk his life."

She paused. "The child has been asleep for a year and is stifled. Letting him move around will be good for his recovery."

Shen Yi was silent for a moment. Since the organizers had already agreed, what else could she say?

"Very well, Your Excellency, I will make the arrangements."

After hanging up, Shen Yi stood at the edge of the arena, watching the quiet boy in the corner.

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

She suddenly felt like laughing.

This family—the father is the Sea God Pavilion Master, the mother is an Elder, and the son can change the rules of the competition with a single phone call.

She walked over. "Jingheng."

Yun Jingheng looked up.

Shen Yi looked at him, "The tournament rules have been amended. Shrek can participate, but we will not take part in the finals."

Yun Jingheng picked up where she left off: "Shrek won't be competing for a ranking?"

"That's right. Do you want to compete?"

Yun Jingheng nodded. "Sister Shen, don't you think the match just now... lacked any technical substance?"

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

"It certainly lacked technical substance."

She paused. "If you want to compete, then go ahead. But remember, your body hasn't fully recovered yet, so don't push yourself."

Yun Jingheng nodded. "I know."

Shen Yi turned and walked toward the organizing committee.

A change in rules required formal notification to all participating academies; this wasn't something she could decide alone, but since the organizers had already agreed, she only needed to confirm the procedure.

As she reached the door of the organizing committee office, she heard people talking inside, their voices loud.

"Shrek is going to compete? Weren't they just here for the exhibition matches?"

Another voice said, "The rules have been changed. Shrek will participate in the matches, but they won't be competing for a ranking."

"In other words, they can take the stage and fight, but even if they make it to the finals, they won't occupy a spot in the rankings."

The first voice was silent for a moment. "Then what is the point for them?"

No one answered.

Shen Yi pushed the door open and walked in.

Several people were sitting in the office, all representatives from various academies.

Seeing her enter, everyone stopped talking.

"The Shrek representative team will have eight members participating in the upcoming exchange matches. They will not occupy any ranking spots and will not affect the standings; they are simply here to fight."

She finished speaking and walked out.