Ice and Fire Control the Thousand Strike Spear, Time and Space! (Part One)

At the first light of dawn, voices began to rise around Star Luo Plaza, and the next round of the points competition began on schedule.

In the corridor outside the guest rooms of the Star Emperor Hotel, an absurd spectacle unfolded early that morning.

Cao Jinxuan had practically wrapped himself around Huo Yuhao's leg. He clung on for dear life, refusing to let go, his face set with desperate determination.

Huo Yuhao looked down at the boy hanging from his leg. A vein twitched at his temple, and the corners of his mouth spasmed. "Wait. If you want to compete, why are you pestering me? I have things to do today. Cut it out."

"Boss! You're the president of the Lionheart Club and the Shrek Team's captain in name for this tournament! The roster and match assignments only count once you approve them!"

Cao Jinxuan looked utterly sincere, as though his argument were beyond dispute.

He had once been happy to slack off and let the team carry him to victory. But ever since he had followed Huo Yuhao and witnessed a clash between top-tier fighters, a fierce drive had been building inside him.

He no longer wanted to be an invisible passenger who contributed nothing, least of all at the Continental Tournament, where all eyes were on them.

The balance of power within Shrek had long since diverged completely from the original story.

Huo Yuhao had firmly taken the Body Sect's side and drifted farther from Shrek's traditional faction. Their positions opposed each other, and their paths had parted. They could no longer be called allies.

Ma Xiaotao was Shrek's chosen next-generation cornerstone and Yan Shaozhe's successor. She represented the academy's most orthodox line of inheritance.

At the root of it all, she and Huo Yuhao were natural enemies.