Dong'er and Qiu'er Declare War—Who Will Win the Bet?

After the Eye of Destiny lost control, Xuan Lao suspended the three-person soul power resonance experiment.

But suspending the experiment did not mean everything came to a standstill. The atmosphere between Dong'er and Qiu'er only grew more tense. The jealousy and defiance of the past had now gained an indescribable unease—they both vaguely sensed that some force in the future was trying to push them in the same direction.

They both hated that feeling. Thus, the conflict between them finally erupted completely on the training grounds.

That day, Huo Yuhao was organizing records from his spiritual detection when Dong'er came to find him for martial soul fusion training. She had barely opened her mouth when Qiu'er approached from the other side. "I want to train with him too."

Dong'er's voice turned cold. "Don't you have your own training schedule?"

"Training with him is more effective." Qiu'er spoke calmly, staring directly at Dong'er. "Are you afraid of me?"

"Afraid of you?" Dong'er's gaze sharpened. "You're getting close to my person."

The area around the training grounds instantly fell silent. Wang Qiu'er stared at her for a moment before suddenly speaking.

"Then let's compete."

"Compete over what?"

"Who is more worthy of standing by his side."

Wang Dong'er's eyes were as cold as ice. "Fine."

Huo Yuhao immediately rose to his feet. "No." Both girls turned to look at him.

"This is between us," Wang Dong'er said.

"You don't need to stop us," Wang Qiu'er added.

Huo Yuhao said solemnly, "Neither of you is emotionally stable right now. If you really start fighting, you'll lose control."

Dong'er's eyes reddened. "Then what am I supposed to do? Watch her get closer to you day by day, then force myself to be magnanimous?"

Wang Qiu'er said bluntly, "I don't want her getting in my way forever either."

Xuan Lao appeared at the edge of the field at some point. Taking a sip of wine, he said lightly, "Let them fight. If they don't go through this, how can they accompany you in training properly?" Then he turned and quietly instructed, "Yuhao, use your spiritual power to control the field. Don't let them really hurt each other."

Huo Yuhao frowned, but in the end, he did not stop them again.

Dong'er stepped into the field first. Her Goddess of Light Butterfly martial soul unfurled in an instant, soul power surging like a tide. Wang Qiu'er took her position opposite her, golden light rising around her body as she tightly gripped the Golden Dragon Spear. The aura of an emperor was steady and tyrannical.

"Begin." As Xuan Lao's voice fell, the two moved at the same time.

Dong'er was incredibly fast. Her luminous wings sliced through the air, her first strike aimed directly at Wang Qiu'er's flank. Qiu'er neither dodged nor retreated, striking straight for Dong'er's neck. The soul power of the Goddess of Light and the Emperor Auspicious Beast collided violently, sending fine cracks spidering across the ground. Dong'er's attacks came in an unbroken stream; she had never been some weakling who needed protection. Qiu'er countered with an almost brutally simple style, every thrust carrying the instinctive judgment of a soul beast as well as the mysterious protective power of an ancient martial soul. The two fought faster and faster.

The two fought faster and faster.

"Why do you insist on taking him from me?" Wang Dong'er demanded.

"Because I want him." Qiu'er swept aside the luminous wings with a thrust. Dong'er's movement stalled slightly, and Wang Qiu'er closed in instantly, golden soul power crashing down like a mountain. Huo Yuhao's expression changed drastically. "Dong'er!" He rushed between them, using spiritual power to deflect the attack. Ultimate Ice erupted beneath his feet, forcibly severing the connection between their soul powers.

The training grounds fell into dead silence.

Dong'er's face turned pale. "Yuhao!"

Wang Qiu'er froze as well. The dragon spear had grazed Huo Yuhao's shoulder. Though the injury was not serious, it threw both girls into a panic.

Dong'er rushed forward. "Why did you step in front of it?"

"I didn't mean to hurt her," Qiu'er said softly.

Dong'er bit her lip, and tears finally slipped down her cheeks. Huo Yuhao drew a deep breath. "Don't use hurting each other to prove who matters more."

He looked first at Wang Dong'er. "Dong'er, you're very important to me."

Then he turned to Wang Qiu'er. "Qiu'er, you're our companion too."

Xuan Lao sighed from the edge of the field. "Kid, your control of the field was really a mess."

Qiu'er suddenly looked at Dong'er. "Let's make another bet."

"Again?"

"Not now." Wang Qiu'er said calmly, "In the future. We'll bet on whether he'll choose only you in the end..."

Dong'er raised her head. There were still tears in her eyes, but they carried the pride of someone unwilling to lose. "Fine."

Huo Yuhao felt immense pressure. Two people who refused to concede had pushed him to the center of destiny at the same time. And in this bet, there would be no true winner.

At least, not yet.