After a short break, the afternoon matches began.
Mu Anqi had no idea how many factions were desperately wishing, "Please don't let us run into Money Tree!" After all, she didn't have any bad intentions; she was just simply grabbing a few lucky contestants to perform their talents.
Who knows, maybe they'd even discover a new hobby for their long lives ahead. Take that Peony Beauty, for instance. As the first demon to "eat the crab," she could totally develop a career in "crosstalk" or "singing and dancing." At worst, she could become the first Magical Peony Girl in the Broken Mirror Continent. She could even start her own troupe, touring the Broken Mirror Continent with performances from the Feast of Extreme Bliss, raking in ticket sales.
Of course, without the blessing, how much of that original performance she could replicate would depend on her natural talent.
Mu Anqi thought sourly: Those contestants who surrendered immediately, too afraid to even step on stage, had no idea what they were missing!
That afternoon, Money Tree also fell victim to the surrender strategy. In the past, only major figures or powerful factions enjoyed this green pass privilege. Who would have thought a player would dominate the arena like this this time?
But did Mu Anqi have weaknesses? Yes, and they were quite obvious.
But her luck was surprisingly good. She hardly ran into any opponents who countered her. And the few she did encounter… weren't much to write home about.
Until…
"Red: Money Tree vs. White Fox Clan"
She was matched against Bai Yulai's race!
Just as Mu Anqi slowly got to her feet, pondering whether the White Fox Clan would surrender, she heard the private message notification.
Wu Sansheng was messaging her?
[Wu Sansheng]: The one representing the White Fox Clan is a genius who emerged in the clan over the past decade. This fox is arrogant, self-important, and looks down on his unaccomplished clansmen. He's haughty and has never suffered a setback. Bai Yulai wants you to teach him a lesson.
Of course, this version was polished by Wu Sansheng. The moment Bai Yulai saw the matchup, she dragged Wu Sansheng out of the booth and started ranting about all the things that insufferably arrogant fox had done. The grudge-holding Bai Yulai even said, "It was this guy who refused to help me chase you, and also turned down the clan leader lending me the sword, saying I was an embarrassment, that I made the White Fox Clan a laughingstock." As for the lesson, Bai Yulai had yelled, "Have Mu Anqi pluck all his fur out!" and "That baldy is definitely jealous of my gorgeous coat!"
Well, some of the cruder language wasn't really suitable for relay.
[Wu Sansheng]: The above is a relay. No need to follow her suggestions exactly. That fox seems proficient in illusion and charm magic. Be careful.
[Mu Anqi]: Okay!~
Seeing Mu Anqi's reply, Wu Sansheng then looked at Bai Yulai, who was still muttering complaints. "I passed on the message. Let's go back and watch the match now."
"Good, I must record this match. Let's see how that little bitch dares to look down his nose at me anymore!"
"…Mu Anqi can't make him shorter," Wu Sansheng said bluntly.
"…" Bai Yulai was momentarily speechless. "At times like this, you just need to listen quietly, or agree with me. And look at that fox's attitude! He never looks me in the eye properly. Last time I passed by, I even heard him 'tch' at me!"
Wu Sansheng simply looked at her quietly and nodded slowly.
Bai Yulai: "…" She was truly out of arguments.
Forget it, back to recording the match.
…
The opponent from the White Fox Clan was indeed an ethereally handsome man. He wore pristine white ancient-style robes, his long silver-white hair meticulously styled. A single, exquisitely placed cinnabar dot graced the area just below his long, slightly curled eyelashes. His peach-blossom eyes held a hint of shimmering moisture, yet his brows and gaze carried a cold, elegant handsomeness. He walked onto the stage slowly, each step perfectly poised. From a distance, he looked like a fox immortal who had stepped right out of a painting.
Mu Anqi thought this was just wonderful. When a beauty like this transformed into a magical girl, it would surely be absolutely stunning.
She must make sure to control the blessing duration this time, not giving this guy any chance to open his mouth and "surrender"!
Before the match officially started, Mu Anqi quickly modified her action list, ensuring every action included a vocal performance—either singing or speaking—firmly preventing this young master from having any opportunity to cry for help.
Excellent, let the performance begin!
Mu Anqi raised her head with a smile. The moment the match started, the words of blessing left her lips. And in that very instant, her gaze met those deep, amethyst fox pupils. The mental protection barrier from her pendant shattered with an audible crack.
"Is that all you've got? Submit to me!" A cold, male voice exploded in her mind. Mu Anqi felt a moment of dizziness, and one mental protection shield was gone. At the same time, her sincere blessing took effect!
The white-robed celestial fox shook his long sleeves, his posture contorting into a pose. That cold, clear voice began to emit a rhythmic accompaniment—he started doing the Yangko dance!
The sense of incongruity instantly skyrocketed. Even the audience fell silent for a few seconds before erupting in uproarious laughter.
The familiar dance instantly grounded this fox. His body swayed and twisted to his own accompaniment, the movements extremely precise. Although his attire wasn't particularly fiery red and festive, his face slowly turned a deep crimson, making up for some of the lack.
The fox's expression gradually turned icy cold, his purple pupils fixed directly on Mu Anqi. Mu Anqi uttered another blessing, looked up, and met his gaze again—another mental protection shield shattered.
Mu Anqi: "…" If it weren't for these mental protection shields, who knows how badly she might have failed. No wonder this fox was so confident; he was waiting for her here all along.
After a moment's thought, Mu Anqi added "retract all charm magic, illusion magic, and other similar attack techniques" before the ten actions. After all, her mental protection shields were limited; she needed to use them sparingly.
"Two tigers love to dance…"
When this song escaped the lips of the White Fox beauty, his purple pupils contracted violently, as if he had received an extreme shock. For the first time, Mu Anqi realized that "pupils shaking with shock" wasn't just an exaggeration. After one round of cheerful and nonsensical song and dance, the energetic BGM started up again. The colorful stage lights got a second round of employment. This time, the audience, now fully familiar with the procedure, loudly beat out the rhythm for him, no need for the celestial fox to sing himself.
The combination of ancient-style robes and a magical boy looked very strange, yet held a subtle, bizarre allure, making people think "What the?!" while simultaneously unable to look away, wanting to watch a few more times.
"Magical girl, transform!" One hand shot straight up, revealing a pale, slender arm. The magical fox perfectly completed this performance. The venue reached a fever pitch at that moment; many whistled at him and shouted "Encore!"
It was in the midst of this heated atmosphere that Mu Anqi forgot she hadn't uttered the blessing words again. She, too, waited with a smile for the next performance, only to see the beautiful fox opposite suddenly let out a sharp roar and instantly transform into a three-meter-tall beast!
"May you have triple blessings and sixfold great fortune!!—" In her panic, the words of blessing spilled from Mu Anqi's lips. She dodged sideways with a roll, narrowly avoiding a burst of purple flame spat by the giant fox, and drew her demon-slaying blade to counterattack. But then she saw the three-meter-tall giant fox's eyes filled with pure hatred, and then—
It rose onto its hind legs, forelimbs akimbo, and began tap dancing.
"Pfft haha— Sorry, sorry, pfft hahahaha… I mean no harm…" Mu Anqi couldn't hold back, bursting into loud laughter. She tried to control herself while apologizing, but failed miserably, only laughing louder. The fur all over the giant fox's body was standing on end, but even this couldn't resist the blessing's effect. It had become a three-meter-long, puffed-up fox.
Even the well-traveled Mu Anqi found this scene utterly ridiculous, let alone the audience. I mean, who could withstand this? Laughter erupted throughout the venue. Even inside her private booth, Bai Yulai was laughing so hard she couldn't straighten up. She simply couldn't fathom that guy's thought process. What was going on? Did he find his human form's dancing insufficiently elegant? Or did he feel he couldn't let the audience come for nothing, so after dancing in human form, he had to dance in beast form, striving to give everyone the ultimate experience?
Marvelous! Simply marvelous!
Of course, Bai Yulai could guess the real situation. That guy must have been utterly enraged. The moment he regained control, his only thought was to kill Mu Anqi immediately. With nothing in his mind but "Kill her!", he naturally wouldn't think to flee the arena or anything else. How could a haughty genius like him tolerate running away like a scared dog? Ah, but sometimes, the more you try to save face, the more you end up losing.
Fox dancing!
Fox backflips!
Fox breakdancing!
Fox handstand spins—fifty times!
Each performance was more spectacular than the last. The audience couldn't bear to look away. Because Mu Anqi had added the precondition to the actions, she didn't have to worry about being hit by his techniques anymore and could properly enjoy the show. She was surprised to find that compared to this fox's aloof, unapproachable human form, she much preferred this fluffy version. Even if it was a three-meter-tall fluffball, its puffed-up appearance was no different from any ordinary fox.
Although… it did seem… that Bai Yulai's fur was indeed sleeker, more… "luxuriant."
Just as the fox before her began swaying its body and launching into a song-and-dance number about "You love me, I love you," Mu Anqi watched as the fox sang, then rolled its eyes back and actually fainted from sheer rage.
Wait, could it be faking? But under her blessing, even feigning unconsciousness shouldn't be possible, right? Just as Mu Anqi hesitated, not uttering the next blessing and instead raising her rifle warily towards the singing, dancing fox, the cheerful "You love me, I love you" song and dance concluded. The three-meter-tall great white fox collapsed onto the arena with a dull thud, completely unconscious.
"Huh? Uh, Money Tree wins!" The referee was slow on the uptake. Only after the giant fox had been lying there for three or four seconds, and Mu Anqi also looked completely bewildered, did he realize this wasn't part of the act. He quickly waved his hand, ending the match.
Mu Anqi watched as the pitiful large fox was unceremoniously carried off the stage. She rubbed the tip of her nose somewhat sheepishly, feeling a twinge of guilt, wondering if she had gone too far. But the next moment, she thought: Even Miss Peony didn't faint! And you're in your fox form! How could you get so angry you passed out? They were just a few dances.