Su Yun covered her mouth and giggled.
"Don't get the wrong idea, Mo. I only told Big Brother Xia Yuan some inside information about the tournament..."
Mo Shiyu smiled on the outside. "Oh, I see."
Inside, she silently mocked Su Yun for being so sickly sweet. Why was her voice so sugary? And what was with calling him "Big Brother Xia Yuan" over and over?
Su Yun smiled sweetly. "You seem to care a lot about Big Brother Xia Yuan, Mo. You ask about everything he does."
Mo Shiyu's expression turned blank. "He's my Contract Spirit, my partner who's with me day and night. Is there a problem?"
Su Yun picked up the wineglass she'd used to feed Xia Yuan earlier and took a sip, her red lips brushing the rim. "I'd never restrict my Contract Spirit from doing anything. Even finding a wife is fine with me..."
Mo Shiyu's eyes widened. She raised a hand, then lowered it, unsure what to say. Xia Yuan had drunk from that glass...
Xia Yuan, meanwhile, paid no attention to the two of them. He picked up a plate and went right back to finding more food, enjoying the feast.
The rhythmic music in the Starry Sky Banquet Hall swelled, bringing the atmosphere to a climax.
Men and women moved to the center of the hall and began to dance to the beat.
Mo Shiyu and Su Yun's gazes suddenly sharpened. Almost at the same time, they rushed up to Xia Yuan.
"Big Brother Xia Yuan, would you dance with me?"
"Xia Yuan, dance with me!"
At the same time, a larger group of beautiful women was on its way over, and their intentions were just as clear.
Xia Yuan had just finished eating. He patted his belly and let out a satisfied burp.
Seeing Mo Shiyu and Su Yun both holding out their hands to him, he smiled. "Are you sure you want to dance with me? I can't dance..."
Mo Shiyu said, "That's fine!"
Su Yun said, "I can teach you, Big Brother Xia Yuan..."
They spoke almost in unison.
Seeing the horde of women closing in behind them, Xia Yuan simply took both girls by the hand and led them onto the dance floor. "All right, then, let's dance together. It'll be good exercise after a meal!"
Mo Shiyu looked dumbfounded. "Hey, wait... The two of us together is a bit..."
Su Yun hadn't expected Xia Yuan to choose both of them, either. Men and women usually danced in pairs.
Though Xia Yuan had never danced before, he was sure he had a natural talent for it. Becoming Asia's King of Dance was only a matter of will!
And then...
Two spinning flowers bloomed on the dance floor.
One was a rose, the other a snow lotus.
Xia Yuan grinned without a care in the world as he held Mo Shiyu and Su Yun by their hands, making them spin around again and again...
"Ooh... This is fun!"
"Dancing is so easy!"
Their long skirts fluttered as they spun, blooming like flowers.
It was certainly a spectacular sight!
But it took a toll on the dancers...
"You're spinning so fast! You can go even faster. Hold on tight—I'll make you take off!"
The more fun Xia Yuan had, the harder he pushed, speeding up their spins.
Mo Shiyu and Su Yun spun until they were dizzy. They wanted to tell him to stop, but they couldn't even get the words out...
They regretted it. They really regretted it!
Xia Yuan was treating the two of them like spinning tops, whipping them around!
The crowd's cheers rang out without pause. Everyone applauded and shouted for the girls' incredible spinning-top dance, as if they were watching an acrobatic act!
By the time the Starry Sky Banquet ended...
Mo Shiyu and Su Yun had already left some time ago.
They'd had a rough time of it.
Before passing out from dizziness, they'd both sworn never to ask Xia Yuan to dance again!
The next day.
The provincial tournament officially began!
The 270 young Contract Spirit Masters selected from the 27 Contract Spirit academies across Cloud River Province gathered at Heavenly Cauldron Grand Square in Chongyang City!
Heavenly Cauldron Grand Square was comparable to the Bird's Nest from his previous life, with a vast area.
The spectator stands surrounding the field could hold nearly 100,000 people!
Today, every seat was filled!
The crowd roared, and the atmosphere was electric!
Prominent Contract Spirit Master families from across Cloud River Province were in attendance, along with officials from the Spirit Tamer Alliance. Even several big shots from the Military Department had come to watch.
The entire tournament was being livestreamed nationwide, with no blind spots in the view.
Major media outlets from across Great Xia were there to provide live coverage and commentary.
This scale, this spectacle—and it was only a provincial tournament.
It showed just how seriously the National Contract Spiritist College Tournament was taken!
The future stars of Cloud River Province—the vital force that would defend humanity against Dungeon Monsters and Secret Realm Monsters—entered Heavenly Cauldron Grand Square amid thunderous cheers from the enormous crowd!
Among the Chuanbei Representative Team,
Xia Yuan strode along with swagger, surveying the astonishing scene around him and exclaiming in wonder:
"Whoa, this really is a provincial tournament. It's on a whole other scale compared to Chuanbei."
He still looked relaxed and lazy. "But once I win first place, we can wrap this up and get back to the hotel early. I've made plans with Censor and a girl I met online..."
Censor was the nickname for the Holy Light Knight.
Once they'd gotten to know each other, Xia Yuan had started calling him that because it was convenient and rolled off the tongue.
The girl he'd met online was someone he'd encountered while gaming. She was a woman with really good skills.
The Chuanbei team didn't think Xia Yuan was showing off or bragging.
Because he really was that good...
This was Mo Shiyu's first time competing in a tournament like this, and she seemed a little uneasy and excited.
She wondered what expression she should wear when Xia Yuan stole the spotlight.
How was she supposed to avoid all those envious, jealous looks?
It would be hard to keep the corners of her mouth from lifting!
Mo Shiyu rubbed her chin. She'd been smiling so much lately that her mouth was getting sore. She needed to rein it in...
Once everyone had entered the venue,
the senior officials from the Chuanbei Provincial Government came over and gave a long speech full of encouragement and lofty promises. It was tedious and dull.
Just as Xia Yuan was about to go up and shoo them away, the chief examiner from the Spirit Tamer Alliance, who was in charge of the provincial tournament, finally took the stage and announced the rules:
"This tournament will no longer use the standard arena format. Instead, we'll hold a Dungeon Speedrun Competition."
"Before the competition begins, ten special dungeon portals will appear in the center of the arena."
"These special dungeons were created by my SR Contract Spirit, the Secret Realm Creator, Zhuang Meng."
"The monsters inside each dungeon are exactly the same, and the difficulty is equivalent to a four-star dungeon!"
The announcement stirred the crowd, and gasps of surprise rose from every side.
The competitors were even more astonished, and began whispering among themselves.
The chief examiner was a well-built middle-aged man dressed in a neat suit.
He raised a hand to quiet the crowd, then continued:
"You must have your Contract Spirits clear a four-star dungeon solo as quickly as possible!"
"You'll have three attempts. You can challenge the dungeon three times, and your result will be based on your fastest clear."
"There are 270 competitors in this tournament, but only the five Contract Spirit Masters with the fastest times will advance to the Peak Tournament in the Great Xia Imperial Capital!"
He let out a sneer. "If you can't even clear a four-star dungeon solo, then just withdraw now. The Peak Tournament isn't for people at your level..."
Before you continue