The Martial Arts Tournament at Xiao Ling's House (Prelude)

It's holiday time.

This year's holiday is somewhat unusual, with only three days between the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day. After careful consideration, Principal Roccia decided to give the students a thirteen-day holiday without making up for missed classes.

As you know, for students in Dragon Country, having a thirteen-day holiday is already a blessing, not to mention that there are no make-up classes scheduled afterward, which is even better.

So the moment the students received the notification, they seemed to have collectively evolved into loyal henchmen of Roccia, and even expressed their support for all her decisions, as if they were her guiding principles.

And what is Miss Roccia's own attitude towards this...?

"My thinking is simple: since the interval between these two holidays isn't long, I might as well take them together," she explained her decision. "Having three more days of classes between the two holidays would be too discouraging, and it's not necessarily going to improve learning efficiency much."

"Actually, you just don't want to work three extra days, right?" Xiao Ling teased with a smile.

"You understand me," Roccia a smile. "Although the workload here is much less than at the Star Torch Academy, we still need to try to get as much rest time as possible."

"That's great! Having another thirteen-day holiday so soon after the start of the semester is wonderful!"

Today is the second day of the holiday. Although it's a short holiday, Xiao Ling obviously has no plans to take the girls on a trip.

The reason is simple: they've had enough fun during the summer vacation, and since they haven't decided where else to go, they've decided to stay in the city.

"Master, would you like to try this Fox Heart Sticky Rice Cake?"

With Heartfox's soft and charming voice, she placed a freshly baked Xin Yuehu sticky rice cake on the coffee table in the living room.

"Did Sister Xuanqing make this?" Xiao Ling asked instinctively, looking at the delicious-looking and fragrant Heart Fox Sticky Cake in front of her.

Yes, yes!

The true chef of this dessert entered the living room with cheerful steps. Her brown fox ears and tail twitched slightly, making her stand out. Her delicate face bore a resemblance to that of Heartfox.

Xuanqing, a resonance user of Heartfox, is, like Mia, a person who has long since passed away.

Yesterday was the Mid-Autumn Festival. When everyone went out to play, Heartfox followed the song to a riverbank and found her releasing lanterns.

Isn't this ridiculous? Going out for a holiday and bringing back a sunny and cheerful girl? A girl like that falling into the hands of KG Games is bound to end badly.

But that's all in the past. Now that they've reunited, and their relationship is like that of sisters, Xiao Ling is naturally delighted.

"Don't just stand there! Try it while it's hot, or it'll taste worse when it cools down!" Xuanqing was indeed an enthusiastic girl; she hadn't even had time to wipe the flour dust off her hands before urging Xiao Ling and the others to try her cooking.

"Oh, okay!" Hajiling, snapping out of her daze, casually picked up a piece and offered it to Heartfox's mouth.

The little fox was flattered and thanked its tamer before taking the piece of heart-shaped sticky rice cake and eating it.

"Here, Sister Luo, this is your share."

"Oh, thank you." Roccia took a bite of the dessert her boyfriend offered her.

After giving each of the two a piece of Heart Fox Sticky Rice Cake, Xiao Ling's gaze fell on Dania was constantly scrolling through her phone.

"Yaya, come and have some dessert~"

"Oh."

Miss Honey Peach, who was surfing the internet, didn't even lift her eyelids and, based on instinct, took a bite of the pastry Xiao Ling handed her, along with his finger.

"What's wrong? One pastry isn't enough? Want another?" Xiao Ling teased.

"This should be a reward for you," Miss Honey Peach retorted.

"You have a really good eye for people."

Xuanqing: What are you two talking about?

The innocent little fox couldn't understand the flirting between Xiao Ling and Dania at all, and subconsciously turned her gaze to her Sentinel, only to find that she also had a completely indifferent expression.

Well... I'd better just pretend I didn't see it...

"But then again, staying home all the time is fine for a short time, but after a while it really makes you feel like you'd rather go back to school," Xiao Ling complained, turning on the TV and randomly picking a show to watch.

"It makes no difference to me, since I sleep most of the time in class anyway. But I'm more comfortable sleeping at home; no one will suddenly call on me." Yaya held the opposite view.

"That makes some sense, so do you have any ideas?" Roccia asked. "Or have you already come up with some interesting and good ideas?"

Hmm... let me think about it.

After watching martial arts masters fight in movies and TV shows for a while, Xiao Ling propped his head up with one hand, when a sudden inspiration struck him.

"I've got it!" he snapped his fingers with delight. "How about we hold a martial arts tournament?"

"A martial arts tournament? Could it be the kind I'm thinking of?" Heartfox asked to confirm.

"So you knew?"

"Look at what you're saying! I've lived in Dreamland for so many years, and I've heard plenty of anecdotes and stories from the streets," Heartfox said with a charming smile. "This martial arts tournament you mentioned is simply a platform for martial arts heroes from all over to showcase their skills."

That's right.

"This time, instead of mini-games, we're going all out with real weapons?" Roccia smiled.

"I think it's a good idea. There's a saying that fighting can bring people closer, and another proverb that goes, 'No fight, no friendship.'" Xiao Ling quoted classical texts, "This is a perfect opportunity for you all to spar."

Xiao Ling's words made sense. To give just one example, Master Qingxiao clearly intended to spar with Cartethyia.

Since everyone's gathered here anyway, why not have a competition? It'll be a great opportunity to test our skills and build camaraderie at the same time—why not?

"Since we're really going to hold this martial arts tournament, there are two issues to resolve." Roccia elegantly held up two fingers. "The first is the venue. Although the backyard of this villa is large enough, I'm worried that some girls might get carried away and lose control, blowing the entire venue apart. If that happens, we'll have nowhere to stay after the competition."

"Secondly, we also need soundproofing. Last time we fought, it was so loud that the neighbors could hear us. Although we live in the suburbs and there aren't many people here, it's always good to be safe than sorry."

"Regarding these two matters... I'll go find Shorekeeper and Momo's Ning to see if they have any good ideas," Xiao Ling replied after a moment's thought. "I'll also put some effort into the rule-making process myself."

"Hmm... I do have a good idea." Heartfox then offered her opinion, "Does the Charioteer still remember the Divine Palace of Myriad Forms?"

"You mean you can conjure up a realm independent of this area?"

"Yes, but it won't last long. Didn't you see that last time, Master?"

"I see. But if it's just for holding a martial arts tournament, that should be enough." Xiao Ling nodded. "Thank you for your help. If you need any assistance, you can contact Shorekeeper and Morning."

Heartfox nodded, then said in a light tone, "It's alright, I'm also looking forward to what surprises this martial arts tournament will bring."