Deafening explosions shook the combat hall as the ice shards Guanglin Douluo hurled collided with the dark flames Qian Fan unleashed, bursting into multicolored sparks of energy like a dazzling fireworks display.
Qian Fan rolled clumsily to evade the attacks, his clothes slashed by fierce sword energy and his disheveled hair plastered to his sweat-soaked forehead.
"Brother Guanglin, go easy on me!" he shouted himself hoarse, only to be answered by another screaming beam of soul power.
Qian Fan's pupils contracted sharply. Instinctively, he twisted aside and rolled, the beam grazing his shoulder before scorching a deep, black-smoking crater into the floor.
With his soul power nearly exhausted, Qian Fan felt as though his legs had been filled with lead. Like a bird startled by the twang of a bowstring, he could only flee through the wreckage.
Guanglin Douluo, meanwhile, wore a teasing smile like a cat toying with a mouse, each attack precisely skimming the edges of Qian Fan's clothes.
At last, Qian Fan stumbled and fell. Guanglin closed in instantly, hauled him up, and wrapped golden chains of soul power around his wrists.
"Fan, how are you doing? Are your injuries serious?" Guanglin asked with apparent concern, though a sly smile flickered in his eyes.
He deliberately tightened the chains, savoring the sight of Qian Fan wincing in pain. Well, well, little Qian Fan. So you've finally met your match. When you smashed me with that lousy axe last time, why didn't you think about the consequences of offending your sparring partner? Ah, this feels good. My revenge is complete.
The chains squeezed Qian Fan until he could barely breathe. Fury surged through him, and he cursed Guanglin up and down in his head. Fine, fine, fine, you useless, grudge-hoarding Guanglin.
I hit you once last month, and you're still holding on to it. You'd better, you'd better, you'd fucking better not give me a chance to turn the tables, or I'll skewer bird meat on your arrows, roast it, and feed it to the dogs!
But all he could do was force out a placating smile. "Thank you, brother. Thank you, brother..."
Satisfied with Qian Fan's submission, Guanglin finally released him. He patted Qian Fan's shoulder, his tone abruptly turning serious.
"Fan, after this month's training, you've broken through to level 74. My assignment is complete, so it's time I returned to report. The Great Enshrined ordered me to tell you to report to Spirit Hall's elite team today. Tomorrow, you'll compete in the finals of the All-Continent Advanced Elite Soul Master Tournament and claim the Spirit Condensation Wisdom Skull from among the three soul bones."
Before his words had finished echoing, Guanglin unfurled his martial soul and vanished in a flash of golden light.
Before Qian Fan could catch his breath, a system notification sounded in his mind: "Ding! Main quest 30 unlocked: win a 1v7 battle in the finals of the All-Continent Advanced Elite Soul Master Tournament. Reward: 200 shop points + shop unlocked. Accept?"
Qian Fan's eyes lit up, a confident smile curving his lips. "Holy shit, that's generous! Of course I'll accept! I'm a level 74 Soul Saint-how could I lose to a team of seven Soul Ancestors? What a joke. This is in the bag!"
He clicked accept without hesitation. His deep-purple Fallen Angel wings snapped open, and he flew toward the Pope's Palace. Meanwhile, inside the Pope's Palace, the atmosphere was tense.
Bibi Dong sat upon her elevated seat, her crimson eyes sweeping over the Golden Generation team below.
Yan's face flushed red, his clenched fists trembling slightly. "Why should someone we've never met, whose strength we don't even know, replace our support?"
Bibi Dong's fingers struck the armrest hard, producing a sound that set hearts trembling. Already vexed by matters concerning Qian Fan lately, she now burned with anger. "Yan! Are you defying my decree?"
Just then, Yue Guan entered with Qian Fan.
Qian Fan had deliberately pulled his long hair down, hoping not to draw too much attention.
But the instant Bibi Dong saw him clearly, her pupils contracted sharply. They had only been apart for a month, yet the aura surrounding the youth had undergone another earth-shaking transformation. The faint fluctuations of level 74 soul power reminded her of the shocking scene in the Pope's Palace last time.
"Qian Fan will join the team." Bibi Dong suppressed her astonishment, her voice carrying unquestionable authority.
Though Qian Fan had no desire whatsoever to associate with these people, he remembered the system's quest and bowed respectfully. "Yes, Your Holiness."
As he listened to Bibi Dong explain the arrangements for the tournament, his thoughts had already drifted far away, calculating how to stun everyone with a single brilliant showing in the arena.
After the meeting, Qian Fan had barely stepped through the doors of the Pope's Palace when Yan blocked his path.
Yan looked him up and down, disdain written all over his face. "Hey! New guy! Don't think you can do whatever you want just because the Pope favors you! Listen, you look like you're only somewhere in the forties. If we lose tomorrow's final because of you, you'll regret it!"
Qian Fan found it laughable and stepped around Yan to leave.
That contemptuous attitude enraged Yan completely. Looking at Qian Fan's handsome face, he remembered how Hu Liena had glanced at the boy a couple of extra times inside the palace. The flames of jealousy instantly devoured his reason.
"Stop right there!" Yan roared, raising his hand to slap him.
Qian Fan's gaze turned cold. Soul power erupted around him, and a dark-purple shield of light formed in an instant.
With a muffled bang, Yan flew backward like a kite with its string snapped and slammed into the wall, leaving a human-shaped indentation in the stone.
Hu Liena had been about to reprimand the newcomer for his arrogance, but when she saw that the person flying backward was Yan, she froze on the spot.
Xie Yue's eyes widened even further, and he hurried over to "pull" Yan out of the wall.
He looked at Qian Fan, steady as Mount Tai, then at the dusty, bedraggled Yan. Taking his sister and Yan with him, he hurried away, afraid of stirring up any more trouble.
Qian Fan dusted off his hands and shrugged. "Well, you all saw that, right? He was the one asking for it. I barely fought back, and he went flying. That's got nothing whatsoever to do with me."
Night fell. Qian Fan lay in Qian Renxue's bedroom, staring blankly at the ceiling. Moonlight streamed through the window, bathing his profile in a gentle glow.
Tomorrow's tournament was not merely a chance to prove himself, but a crucial step on his journey to the pinnacle.
At that thought, he clenched his fists, determination shining in his eyes. No matter how many obstacles lay ahead, he would crush them all beneath his feet, reclaim his former peak, and even surpass it, becoming an even more powerful being and personally slaying every enemy of his in the Ten Thousand Monster Domain.
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