" The Pope... why did he suddenly give you something so precious?" Ning Rongrong couldn't help but ask.
"You..."
"I have a private deal with her," Xuan Ming said.
"Don't ask too many questions about the specifics. She didn't harm me. Don't tell anyone about this; just pretend you don't know anything."
Everyone nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
"Do you need my help?" Gu Yuena asked softly.
"You?" Xuan Ming was taken aback.
"As for your mental state, I can help you," Gu Yuena said.
Xuan Ming frowned. "Is it troublesome?"
"No trouble at all, it'll be quick," Gu Yuena said.
"However, we need quiet."
Xuan Ming looked at everyone, and they all nodded in understanding. Dugu Yan said, "Then we'll go back to our rooms first. Just call if you need anything."
Everyone filed out, leaving only Xuan Ming and Gu Yuena in the room.
Gu Yuena walked behind Xuan Ming, gently placing her hands on his temples, and a soft and mysterious power slowly flowed into him.
Xuan Ming felt a cool sensation spreading from his temples, and his previously chaotic mental world gradually calmed down. The jumbled information no longer surged into his mind like a tidal wave.
" Sister Bing, you're not doing this on purpose again, are you?" Xuan Ming couldn't help but ask suspiciously.
"Why do you always doubt me?" The Ice Dragon King, feeling somewhat guilty.
"You're so unlovable, I'm ignoring you."
After saying that, the Ice Dragon King fell silent again.
Xuan Ming also gave up struggling. Although the matter was a bit strange, he really had no resistance to Gu Yuena.
As a normal man, facing a woman who knows him inside and out, cares for him sincerely, and is perfect in every way, it would be hypocritical to say that he has no feelings for her at all.
But he really didn't dare to think about these things now, because the more he thought about them, the more afraid he became.
As time passed, Xuan Ming's Divine Power stabilized completely, and he fell asleep without realizing it. Gu Yuena came to his side from behind, placed his head on her lap, and gently hugged him.
Suddenly, a soft knock sounded on the door, and before Gu Yuena could respond, the door opened.
Xue Qinghe peeked out from the crack in the door and, seeing the somewhat intimate scene inside, paused slightly, her expression complicated. "It seems I've come at the wrong time and disturbed you."
Gu Yuena slightly raised her head, her expression calm, showing no panic at being caught. "It's nothing, he just exhausted his Divine Power and fell asleep."
Xue Qinghe entered the room, gently closed the door, and sat down on the sofa. Looking at Xuan Ming, who was fast asleep with his head buried in Gu Yuena's arms like a child, she couldn't help but think of a few days ago when Xuan Ming had also slept in her arms like this.
"You..." Xue Qinghe opened his mouth, but the words he had prepared beforehand vanished the moment he met Gu Yuena's clear eyes.
"You like him?" Gu Yuena asked with some certainty.
Xue Qinghe nodded subconsciously, but quickly came to his senses, "Miss Gu Yuena, we..."
"I can tell," Gu Yuena said softly.
"You're good at pretending, but when you see him, your eyes betray you."
Xue Qinghe's expression changed slightly. "What did he say to you?"
Did that bastard sell her out again?
It was one thing to tell Hu Liena, but now Gu Yuena knows too?
Are they planning to reveal her identity next?
"No, he never mentions anyone else to me," Gu Yuena said softly.
"But I can tell that you like him, but you also hate him a bit; it's a very complicated feeling."
Xue Qinghe was silent for a moment, then said, "Don't you hate him? Aren't you angry? There are so many people around him..."
"Is this the first day you've met him?" Gu Yuena asked softly.
"Did he suddenly become like this?"
"As far as I know, you've known him for a long time, since he was very young, and you know these things about him."
Xue Qinghe opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but Gu Yuena interrupted him again, "You didn't just find out about him today, nor did you just meet him today. He didn't suddenly change, and he never lied to you. So why do you hate him?"
"Did he pressure you? Or did he do something to wrong you? He never took the initiative, and he even deliberately kept his distance. You were the one who crossed that line."
"He doesn't owe you anything. That's just how he is, you know that."
Xue Qinghe took a deep breath, "I..."
"If you don't understand him, what makes you say you love him? What do you love about him?" Gu Yuena asked.
"If you understand him, know what kind of person he is, know you can't accept him, yet you still insist on clinging to him, tormenting him and yourself, then... that's not love."
"You're being shameless! You're being shameless!"
You're demeaning yourself, and you're demeaning him! You're demeaning those who love him!
"What right do you have to say you love him?"
Xue Qinghe's face turned deathly pale instantly. She clenched her fists, and her lips trembled slightly.
Apart from Xuan Ming, no one has ever dared to insult her like that!
Just as she couldn't refute Xuan Ming back then, she can't refute Gu Yuena now either.
A suffocating silence fell over the room, with only Xuan Ming's even breathing echoing softly.
After a long while, Xue Qinghe slowly raised his head, his eyes flashing with complex emotions, "But, Gu Yuena, can you really be completely unconcerned?"
"With so many outstanding women around him, aren't you afraid that one day he'll change his mind and leave you?"
Gu Yuena gently stroked Xuan Ming's hair. "Whether I mind or not is not important. What's important is that I believe in him. He may be a playboy, and he may be surrounded by many female companions, but he has always been serious about relationships. He doesn't make promises lightly, but once he does, he will definitely keep them."
"And..." Gu Yuena paused, looking into Qian Renxue's eyes.
"I'm no worse than anyone else; I have my own charm and my own abilities."
"I believe that I hold an irreplaceable place in his heart."
"..."
Xue Qinghe was deeply shocked by Gu Yuena's words; she had never seen such a confident and determined woman.
She lost more than just what was visible to the naked eye; she lost completely!
They've even lost their self-confidence!
Chapter 259 The Question of Dignity
The qualifying rounds continue.
In the following days, the Imperial Fighting Team did not encounter any strong opponents.
Xuan Ming didn't even need to make a move. As long as his opponent couldn't break through Dugu Yan's domineering and extremely poisonous control, the battle would inevitably be one-sided.
Even though all the teams knew that Imperial Fighting Team's tactics were simple and their teamwork was rusty, in the face of an absolute gap in strength, they didn't even have the right to touch their opponent's weaknesses.
"Our next opponent is Godwind Academy."
Inside the lounge, Xue Qinghe was synchronizing intelligence.
"Although they had previously lost to Blazing, they subsequently defeated Skywater Academy and Thunder Academy."
Overall, if Xuan Ming hadn't forcibly changed the guaranteed admission quota, Godwind Academy would undoubtedly have been the strongest team in this preliminary round.
"I'm being restrained again, it's up to you now." Dugu Yan leaned to the side, her tone nonchalant.
It wasn't until this competition that she truly realized the extreme nature of her Martial Soul. When it wasn't countered, even if her opponent had higher Soul Power, they would still be wary of her. After all, winning or losing was a small matter; losing her life was a big deal.
But once she is restrained, even if the opponent's Soul Power is lower, she is helpless.
If she could use her fifth Soul Skill, she would still have control over the battlefield even though the poison mist was countered by it. However, Xuan Ming forbade her to use it, as that move was too cruel to Soul Elder and low-level Soul Ancestor Masters.
Ultimately, her poison skills were still far inferior to her grandfather's.
After the competition ends, I need to go into seclusion and focus on my studies.
" Godwind Academy..." Xuan Ming frowned slightly.
"What?" Dugu Yan looked over.
"Last night, their captain, Feng Xiaotian, came to see me," Xuan Ming said calmly, "Saying he wanted a fight between men."
"A fight between men?" Ning Rongrong's eye twitched. "You stole his girlfriend?"
Xuan Ming glanced at her. "Do you want to listen to what you're saying?"
"Then why did he suddenly tell you this?" Ning Rongrong asked, puzzled. "Why would a man suddenly challenge another man he doesn't know to a fight, besides because of a woman?"
"..."
The match began soon.
Even if Dugu Yan isn't countered by a strong team like Godwind Academy, the chances of losing to Emperor Dou's ragtag team are still quite high.
Team battles are too chaotic. In a team with no coordination, even the strongest individual players will only hinder each other.
If they encounter a well-coordinated team, it would be perfectly normal for them to be defeated one by one.
Amidst deafening cheers, both teams stepped onto the central Soul Fighting Arena.
"Captain, are you really going to fight him right here?"
The members of the Godwind Academy Team looked at Feng Xiaotian with some worry.
Before the competition began, they did have doubts that Xuan Ming's strength was exaggerated, but after both Blazing Fire Academy and Skywater Academy lost to Xuan Ming in such a manner, they no longer doubted his strength.
Xuan Ming's ability to block the Martial Soul Fusion Skill of the Skywater Academy Team demonstrates that his strength is undoubtedly above that of Soul Emperor!
Feng Xiaotian's plan to fight such an opponent head-on was not only risky, but also extremely dangerous!
If Feng Xiaotian is seriously injured, their Godwind Academy Team will definitely be greatly affected in the upcoming matches!
"I've already told him that this is a battle between men. Once the match starts, you can just go down. Even if I get injured, with your strength, you're more than capable of winning the preliminaries," Feng Xiaotian said.
Hearing Feng Xiaotian say this, the members of the Godwind Academy Team didn't say anything more.
"Both teams, get ready!" The host, Doudou, rang out loudly, echoing throughout the arena.
Strangely, the Godwind Academy Team did not set up a formation, and apart from their captain Feng Xiaotian, no one released their Martial Soul.
"Looks like he really intends to fight you one-on-one?" Ning Rongrong looked puzzled; it had been a long time since she had encountered such a brave warrior.
Back when Xuan Ming was still Soul Elder, no Soul Ancestor dared to challenge him.
"Then we won't disturb you any longer." Dugu Yan readily agreed and led the remaining team members off the stage.
The strength of the Godwind Academy is not weak. Without using her fifth Soul Skill, she is not confident of winning this match. Since Xuan Ming will still have to make a move in the end anyway, they might as well just go down and give up, as it won't affect the outcome.
"You may all leave as well," Feng Xiaotian said.
"Captain, take care."
Amidst the bewildered gazes of tens of thousands of spectators, all members of both the Imperial Fighting Team and the Godwind Academy Team, except for their two captains, left the stage during the preparation phase.
"Is he planning a one-on-one fight?"
In the VIP section, everyone was puzzled by the strange behavior of the two teams.
Although the Imperial Fighting Team has an advantage in Soul Power Level, their teamwork is very poor.
In this situation, why would the Godwind Academy Team willingly give up their team fight advantage?
"If you know there's no chance of winning and want to avoid team casualties, wouldn't it be better to just forfeit?" Gu Rong said.
Why bother?
" Uncle Bone, from the start of the competition until now, apart from the first match between Shrek Academy and Imperial Fighting Team, have you seen any other team forfeit their match against Imperial Fighting Team?" Ning Fengzhi asked.
Gu Rong was taken aback. "It seems not."
Apart from Shrek Academy, no other team, no matter how badly they were beaten or how humiliatingly they lost, ever forfeited in a match against Imperial Fighting Team.