The battle lasted less than fifteen minutes from start to finish.
None of the seven members of the Fierce God Team survived.
There was a moment of silence on the stage.
Then the audience erupted.
It wasn't cheering—it was cursing, slamming chips, and people tearing up their betting tickets and throwing them onto the stage.
The vast majority of the audience bet on the Fierce God Team to win; it was a sure-fire win—when has the Fierce God Team ever lost?
But now, those seven notorious outlaws lie sprawled on the ring, none of them able to stand up again; their money was wasted.
A few spectators who had bet on the Nameless Team cheered in a corner, but their voices were drowned out by the jeers.
Supervisor Liu stood at the sidelines, and this time the register in his hand really fell to the ground. He bent down to pick it up, and it took him two tries to get it back.
But the seven members of the Nameless Team turned a deaf ear to all of this.
Feng Lingtian looked down at his hands, those hands that were as steady as a rock in battle, were now trembling slightly uncontrollably.
Lu Hanxiao stood at the edge of the arena. The Snowy Owl's wings had been retracted, but the chill from the wingtips remained. He put his hands behind his back, not wanting anyone to see his trembling fingertips.
Su Mei'er appeared the calmest, even taking the time to check on her teammates. But Feng Lingtian noticed that her fingers, hanging at her sides, were trembling slightly.
The trembling was so slight that it was barely noticeable unless you got very close. She didn't clench her fist or hide her hand; she simply let it tremble as if waiting for it to stop on its own.
Ye Qingyu sat by the arena, her hands resting lightly on her knees—the posture she usually adopted when playing the zither.
Her fingers unconsciously plucked at the air, then plucked again, and then suddenly froze. She realized she was searching for the War Drum tune she had just played.
That was the rhythm of her Second Soul Skill, and that melody directly boosted her teammates' attack power. She put her hands back into her sleeves and didn't touch her Martial Soul again all night.
Zhong Yue repeatedly wiped his tortoise shell, and Bai Yu went over to take it and wiped it for him, only to find that there was no blood on it at all.
Jiang Lin closed his eyes and discovered that the six fatal acupoints he had just identified were all etched into his mind— the Spirit Eyes never forgets anything. He stared at the starry sky all night with his eyes open.
Ji Ning said nothing, but kept rubbing his fingers—the same hand he used to pierce his opponent with the Hummingbird: Pierce. He rubbed them again and again until his knuckles were red, as if there was something stuck on them that he couldn't wash off.
The bloodstains on the ring were washed away by the staff, and the audience's shouts gradually subsided.
Beside a pillar in the last row of the Soul Fighting Arena, Huo Xiao with his arms crossed, watching the dozen or so silent youths walk out of the Soul Fighting Arena's gate one by one, cross the street where the curses had not yet subsided, and disappear in the direction of the inn. He silently followed, still not showing himself, still not saying a word.
Feng Xiaotian offered no words of comfort, but simply led everyone back to the inn. Everyone returned to their rooms, footsteps echoing sparsely in the corridor, no one speaking. As Feng Xiaotian passed Shi Yan, the two stood side-by-side for a moment.
"Captain," Shi Yan said softly, "It might be my turn next time."
Feng Xiaotian nodded. "When it's your turn, I'll stand next to you."
For the next few days, Feng Xiaotian did not arrange any Soul Fighting. The whole team traveled through the mountains and rivers along the way—the pine needles of the red pine forest shimmered with a golden luster in the afternoon sun, the streams overflowed the stone path, splashing up fine water droplets, and the distant mountains unfolded layer upon layer in the twilight, like a watercolor painting with too little ink.
No one mentioned the fight, nor did anyone discuss what happened in the ring. They simply walked, admired the scenery, and stopped at roadside tea stalls for a bowl of hot tea.
Su Ran distributed a handful of pine nuts to everyone. Bai Yu and Zhong Yue sat side by side on the Shitou by the stream, listening to the sound of the flowing water. Lu Hanxiao sat alone at the farthest point, and Lu Qing sat next to him, keeping him company without saying a word.
Feng Lingtian repeatedly washed his hands in the stream—not because there was anything on his hands, but because he felt he should wash something. Feng Xiaotian stood behind him, saying nothing, and simply placed a dry cloth on his shoulder.
On the evening of the third day, the group set up camp by a stream. Su Ran lit a campfire, the firelight casting flickering shadows on everyone's faces.
No one organized it, but everyone spontaneously gathered around the fire—the first time the whole team had truly sat together since leaving that city.
After a long silence, Bai Yu suddenly spoke, "There were fish in that stream today. Lots of them."
No one responded. After a while, Zhong Yue said, "We can make the arrest tomorrow."
After another long silence, Bai Yu suddenly spoke, "There were fish in that stream today. Lots of them."
No one responded. After a while, Zhong Yue said, "We can make the arrest tomorrow."
There was another moment of silence.
Ji Ning held his reddened finger up to the fire to warm it, then suddenly blurted out, "Grilled fish should be quite delicious."
Su Ran paused for a moment, then pulled out a small packet of spices wrapped in oiled paper from his pocket—he had bought it on a whim when he passed by the market earlier, intending to use it for brewing tea for everyone. "As for grilled fish," he said, "I have this."
Ye Qingyu looked at the bag of salt and suddenly smiled—a very light, very brief smile, but it was the first time anyone had smiled in days.
Feng Lingtian raised his head, glanced at her, then folded the dry cloth in his hand and placed it on his lap.
Several days later, the group continued south. Feng Xiaotian walked at the front, and the footsteps behind him were no longer the dull, dragging sounds they had a few days before.
He didn't need to turn around; he could tell everyone's state just by listening to their rhythm. Feng Lingtian's steps had regained the lightness and agility of Peregrine Falcon. Su Mei'er was once again idly twirling the flames on her fingertips. Su Ran had a few pebbles picked up from the stream in his pocket, making a sound with every step he took. Ji Ning found it noisy and had already glared at him several times.
Feng Xiaotian silently counted in his mind. Almost there.
When the group arrived Suotuo City, the notice board at the city gate was covered with various bounties and announcements, but the most eye-catching was a large promotional poster for the Soul Fighting Arena.
The poster features silhouettes of seven people, with the words " Shrek Seven Devils, Undefeated" prominently displayed at the top.
Feng Xiaotian stood in front of the poster, listened to the footsteps behind him again, then turned around and smiled at his teammates.
"Let's go, let's go meet them."
Huo Xiao followed at the back of the group, glancing up at the poster. Silver Soul Fighter, undefeated. He recalled the gold on the Divine Wind Team's badge, a smile playing on his lips.
Gold Soul Fighting versus Silver Soul Fighter. This battle should be very exciting.