The Finals and the Ye Family Girl

"Shen Nanxun, I'm withdrawing from the tournament."

On the way to the competition, the usually haughty girl raised her brows at Shen Nanxun and said this for the first time.

Shen Nanxun froze for a moment, then felt her forehead, testing her temperature. "Did you take the wrong medicine?"

"You're the one who took the wrong medicine!" Na'er turned her head away and muttered unhappily, "You don't know a good thing when you see one."

"Oh, I get it."

A flicker of barely concealed excitement passed through Na'er's eyes. Her cheeks puffed up slightly as she turned to glare at him, a deliberate softness tucked into her voice. "That's more like it."

She had thought Shen Nanxun had finally understood her feelings. It wasn't about winning or losing; she simply didn't want to stand against him and compete. But in the next moment, Shen Nanxun's lips curled into a teasing smile. With absolute certainty, he spoke, each word striking a nerve.

"You know you'd definitely lose to me, so you're withdrawing on purpose to do me a favor. That way, you won't have to actually face me and lose, saving face for yourself. Right?"

At his words, the faint anticipation on Na'er's face instantly froze. Then, grinding her teeth in anger, she raised a hand and lightly punched Shen Nanxun's arm. Her eyes widened, and the gentleness that had softened her expression vanished completely, replaced by her usual prickly, haughty demeanor.

"Shen Nanxun! What nonsense are you talking about!" Na'er's cheeks flushed faintly, and her voice rose a little, caught between embarrassment and irritation. "Who'd be afraid of losing to you! I just... just don't want to compete against you, that's all. Don't flatter yourself!"

Seeing her bristle, the amusement in Shen Nanxun's eyes deepened, but he still pretended to understand. "Oh? So that's how it is. I misunderstood?"

"Of course you misunderstood!" Na'er turned her head away, no longer looking at his irritating grin. The tips of her ears had quietly turned red, and she was both angry and annoyed, yet there was nothing she could do about him. All she could manage was a quiet grumble: "You really are a block of wood. You don't understand other people's feelings at all."

"Here."

Just then, a fair arm with its sleeve rolled up extended in front of Na'er.

"What do you mean?" Na'er's silver eyes widened for a moment. She forced down her longing, then swallowed.

Shen Nanxun said helplessly, "Don't you want to bite me? This is your reward."

"That's not what I meant!" Na'er was a little angry. Stupid Shen Nanxun always thought she had some ulterior motive.

But... but it smelled so good.

Ever since last time, Shen Nanxun had smelled better and better.

"Then what did you mean?"

Na'er pulled two little bottles from somewhere and shook them.

"Can I get it extra numbing and spicy?"

"..."

A month later, the tournament was nearing its end. The Youth Soul Master Tournament had one of the quickest schedules.

But at last, it was time for the finals.

"The first Star Dou Battle Net Internal Tournament of the Federation is about to hold its Youth Group final."

"The contestants are Wangzai Qiaoqiao and In the Name of Stars."

Unlike the regional competitions before it, this final had an audience. They watched through the Simulation pods, entering the Star Dou Battle Net.

Most of the audience consisted of eliminated contestants and other high-ranking officers from the legions. The Youth Group drew less attention than the Adult Group, but since this was the final, plenty of people were still in the stands.

Shen Nanxun arrived just in time. His opponent had already taken the field.

"Contestants, prepare. Release your Martial Souls. The match—begins!"

The mechanical announcement rang out.

Brilliant golden light suddenly blossomed around Shen Nanxun, and pure, sacred Soul Power swept outward. The Angel Martial Soul slowly spread its wings behind him, golden light flowing over it as an aura of nobility, far surpassing that of ordinary Martial Souls, instantly filled the arena.

His First Soul Ring lit up, and the Angel Sword appeared in his hand.

His opponent moved almost at the same time.

A burst of Soul Power erupted, and a long sword appeared in her hand from thin air. Its design was simple, yet it carried an ethereal sword intent.

The blade was as clear as the starry sky. It bore no unnecessary ornamentation, yet seemed to hold the power of an entire galaxy.

Two yellow Hundred-Year Soul Rings rose around her as well. Their light merged with the Soul Power in the sword, making its aura even sharper.

Before the swords had even touched, two utterly different pressures collided in the center of the arena, golden holy light clashing with starlight.

Shen Nanxun's fingers paused slightly around the Angel Sword. Clear surprise flickered in his eyes.

The Star Saint Sword?

No, this sword seemed to be of a higher level than the Star Saint Sword. He knew a thing or two about the Star Saint Sword, whether from Ye Xi or his own mother.

Without any further probing, his opponent struck first. Sword in hand, she darted forward like a shooting star, pointing her blade straight at Shen Nanxun. Her sharp sword intent tore through the air and rushed straight for his face.

Her moves were vicious and fierce, her swordsmanship domineering!

Shen Nanxun instantly focused, leaving nothing in his eyes but seriousness. He turned his wrist and raised the Angel Sword, holy light coiling around its blade as he steadily met her attack.

After several exchanges, neither had gained much of an advantage in swordsmanship.

"Ye Family Sword Technique! Who exactly are you?" His opponent's voice had been processed by the system, making it impossible to tell whether it belonged to a man or a woman.

Shen Nanxun didn't answer, but his sword strokes grew more and more ferocious.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

A steady stream of metallic clangs burst from the center of the arena. Every clash between golden holy light and starlight sent violent ripples of Soul Power surging across the entire battlefield.

Shen Nanxun's Angel Sword was wrapped in sacred Soul Power. His every strike was steady and powerful, his sword moves sweeping wide, carrying the natural suppressive force of the Angel Martial Soul.

His opponent's sword was nimble yet domineering. The Ye Family Sword Technique was exquisite, its strikes sharp and vicious, each one aimed at an opening. Her ethereal sword intent blended perfectly with her fierce swordsmanship, leaving her completely unafraid of the Angel Martial Soul's holy pressure.

The two darted back and forth across the arena, their afterimages overlapping. Their dancing swords cut through the air with sharp whistles. The spectators in the stands couldn't help holding their breath, their eyes fixed on the two battling figures.

After several exchanges of quick strikes, they remained evenly matched. Their swords clashed again and again, neither gaining the slightest advantage. The force of their Soul Power left both of their fingertips faintly numb.

Their swords crashed together once more, and both used the impact to retreat, opening several meters between them as they faced off.

A hint of admiration appeared in Shen Nanxun's eyes. Judging solely by swordsmanship, his opponent was in no way inferior to him, despite the training he'd received from Qian Renxue and his mother, Ye Li.

That alone showed just how extraordinary his opponent's talent with the sword was.

But a Soul Master battle depended on more than just swordsmanship.

His gaze suddenly sharpened. The golden light of the Angel Martial Soul behind him blazed brighter, and the sacred Soul Power around him slowly began to boil. Against an opponent whose skill far surpassed that of others at the same rank, a contest of swordsmanship alone could no longer settle the outcome. The longer it dragged on, the more variables there would be. He had no intention of holding back.

So he stopped holding anything back.

The second yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring beneath Shen Nanxun's feet suddenly lit up!

Dazzling golden light erupted to its peak. Clusters of searing golden-red flames ignited within the sacred Soul Power. Sun True Fire raced along the Angel Sword, instantly wrapping around the entire blade. Scorching heat swept across the arena, distorting even the air.

Sun True Fire was the fiercest of yang forces, the natural bane of evil and yin-based Soul Power. It also possessed tremendous burning and destructive power—the Angel Martial Soul's second Soul Skill, a deadly force!

Shen Nanxun turned his wrist and swung the Angel Sword, now blazing with Sun True Fire. A wave of searing flames accompanied the sharp gust of his sword, cleaving straight toward his opponent. The golden-red fire cut across the arena, its pressure to burn everything locking firmly onto her!

"Sword God Net!"

A clear, cold shout rang out. His opponent held her sword across her chest, and her second yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring blazed with light. Countless flecks of starlight burst from the blade, weaving into a dense, star-blue sword net. Her Soul Power was condensed to its limit, and the net formed a solid shield in front of her. Every strand carried a keen sword intent, in an attempt to block the Sun True Fire.

But the Sun True Fire was the fiercest of yang forces, nurtured by the Angel Martial Soul. How could an ordinary defensive Soul Skill withstand it?

The golden-red flames crashed into the Sword God Net, and a piercing sizzling sound rang out. The starlight-weave melted at a visible rate.

Sparks flew everywhere. The seemingly sturdy defense was no match for the Sun True Fire. In the blink of an eye, the entire Sword God Net had been burned away. The wave of scorching flames lost none of its momentum and continued to surge toward his opponent.

His opponent's expression shifted. She abruptly retreated, sweeping her sword sideways to split open the wave of flames. Seizing the opening, she charged at Shen Nanxun again, her Star God Sword Intent surging. Clearly, she intended to close in and finish the fight quickly.

Shen Nanxun had anticipated this. He tightened his grip on the Angel Sword and once again met her blade head-on.

"Boom!!"

Another deafening crash rang out as the swords met and Soul Power collided wildly. This time, his opponent's sword remained domineering, boosted by the force she'd used to cleave through the flames. But Shen Nanxun had a trick up his sleeve. For a moment, they were locked together, their strength evenly matched.

As they struggled against each other, his opponent spoke coldly, with absolute certainty: "You can't beat me with a sword alone."

From their swordsmanship clash to their Soul Skill contest, they had remained evenly matched. In her eyes, even with Sun True Fire bolstering him, Shen Nanxun couldn't defeat her with sword techniques alone.

At her words, a faint smile suddenly tugged at Shen Nanxun's lips, and a glint of mischief flashed in his eyes. His tone was calm. "Who told you I only use a sword?"

The instant the words left his mouth, Shen Nanxun abruptly released the sword with his left hand, clenching his free fist.

His pupils instantly became vertical slits. A faint dragon's might emerged, bloodlust filling the air as dark-gold light surged around him. Without any flourish, he drove his fist straight toward his opponent's chest.

Caught off guard, his opponent had never imagined Shen Nanxun would abandon his sword and use his fist. There was no time to defend herself. She could only hurriedly summon Soul Power to shield her body.

But this was no ordinary punch.

A dull impact sounded.

His opponent felt an immense force bearing down on her. The Soul Power shield around her shattered instantly, and she was sent flying like a kite with its strings cut. She hit the arena floor hard and slid several meters before stopping. The long sword in her hand vanished at once, and she no longer had the strength to get back up.

"Congratulations to Wangzai Qiaoqiao for winning the final!"

"That was unsportsmanlike!"

In front of the Simulation pod, a golden-haired girl fiercely flung the headphones she'd been wearing to the ground. Her deep-blue eyes were full of anger.

"Are you all right, Sister Xing Lan?"

A chubby boy hurried over from the doorway, asking with concern.

The girl's expression was cool, and she didn't answer. She still seemed to be replaying the match in her mind.

How had the Ye Family Sword Technique ended up in the hands of an outsider?

"Sister Xing Lan, it's okay. We're about to go to Shrek Academy. We'll definitely become stronger there. When that happens, that guy won't be your match!"

The chubby boy kept babbling at her, trying to comfort her. One moment he said Shen Nanxun had won unfairly; the next, he said Shrek Academy was full of talented people, and that they'd surely settle the score someday. He didn't stop talking for a moment.

But the girl never replied. She simply lowered her eyes and curled her fingers into a fist, replaying the scene in the arena again and again in her mind.

The Angel Martial Soul, the strange power, the formidable swordsmanship. And those flippant yet outrageously arrogant words.

"Who told you I only use a sword?"

She never yielded easily to anyone. Among her peers, she'd never encountered anyone who could match her swordsmanship. Yet today, she'd lost to an opponent with one trick after another.

After a long while, she finally lifted her head. The anger had left her deep-blue eyes, replaced by a cold determination to fight.

Her voice held the stubbornness unique to a young girl.

"Next time."

"When we meet again, I'll defeat you with my own hands!"