On the competition stage, Huo Yuhao and Meng Hongchen stood facing each other.
The protective barrier around the enormous arena had been fully activated, and the referee had retreated to the edge of the field early on.
A gentle breeze swept past, stirring the young man's ice-blue hair. Beneath the sunlight, his peerlessly handsome features appeared even colder and more otherworldly.
A full three minutes had passed since the starting whistle.
Yet the situation on the stage had become bizarre beyond belief.
Meng Hongchen stood where she was, neither circulating the slightest bit of Soul Power nor performing Martial Soul Possession.
She simply stared fixedly at Huo Yuhao's face.
Her clear ice-blue eyes shimmered with undisguised infatuation and passion.
Judging by that look, it was as if she wanted nothing more than to devour the young man before her on the spot.
Huo Yuhao stood there, looking at Meng Hongchen, who resembled a lovestruck fool, and felt deeply helpless.
What the hell?
Are you here to compete, or are you here to chase a celebrity?
Even he, who had always maintained a cool and composed persona, could not stop himself from furiously complaining inwardly.
If not for the protective barrier around them and the knowledge that this was the semifinal of the continent's highest-level Soul Master tournament, he might have thought he had wandered into some fanatic fan meeting.
The referee nearby opened his mouth, wanting to urge them along, but since neither had stepped out of bounds or broken any rules, he could only swallow the words back down.
"You..." Huo Yuhao finally could not endure it any longer. He raised an eyebrow slightly and spoke softly.
"Are you going to fight or not?"
Meng Hongchen was jolted awake by his voice and suddenly came back to her senses.