Only after Mu Anqi stepped down from the stage and returned to the rest room did it dawn on her—the ancestral founder overseeing the arena was also from the White Fox Clan!
…But the founder didn't seem angry? When she had stepped off the stage, the founder's expression was still smiling, as if she had enjoyed the spectacle. After some thought, Mu Anqi figured it was probably the kind of smile an elder wears when watching younger generations showcase their talents. For someone of that stature, such a minor skirmish was more about entertainment than anything else.
Thinking about it that way, the fox who fainted was just too weak. Of course, for someone as proud and arrogant as him, Mu Anqi's actions were likely more insulting than an outright defeat—it was nothing short of humiliation.
Leaving aside the utter shame and resentment the white fox demon felt upon waking up, the other participants from Mingdu had discovered a new perspective. As long as they didn't take human form, who besides their own clan members could distinguish one another in their original forms? Moreover, animals dancing tended to come off as cute rather than ridiculous, so it wouldn't lead to any embarrassing viral moments!
"It seems… surrender isn't the only option."
"Besides, that Money Tree's defense against mental attacks isn't very strong. In the match against the White Fox Clan, she seemed to use some protective items."
"Even if she's a player, the Nirvana Space isn't a charity—she must have a limited supply of items!"
"There's a chance!"
In fact, the later they encountered Money Tree, the greater their chances of defeating her.
Despite being just a player, and a new one attending the Feast of Extreme Bliss for the first time, Mu Anqi's popularity now subtly surpassed even Ji Huaichu's. The audience was buzzing about Mu Anqi's abilities and performances, while her opponents analyzed her weaknesses and skills. She was likely the only player who could make her adversaries hesitate before the battle even began.
Unaware of these discussions—after all, she had a clear sense of her own limitations—Mu Anqi knew that once her protective items were used up, she wouldn't take the stage again. By then, it would undoubtedly be the domain of the top-tier experts, and players like Ji Huaichu and He Guxia would surely step into the fray.
In her next match, Mu Anqi encountered an utterly absurd opponent. It was clear that this faction had no intention of winning this round but didn't want Mu Anqi to continue her winning streak unchallenged. So, the contestant they sent forth was—Jue Chen, a sacred relic who had attained sentience, emanating a halo of divine light.
Jue Chen had no flashy abilities—only a single passive one. Anyone who looked at him would find themselves unable to harbor any ill intent toward him. In an instant, all malicious thoughts would vanish, and they would be incapable of attacking him.
"Benefactor," Jue Chen greeted Mu Anqi with a respectful bow.
Mu Anqi returned the gesture. As she looked at Jue Chen, she felt as though her mind and soul were being purified. "Venerable Master, although I cannot attack you, I must be honest with you—my skill is [Blessing], and it must be spoken with sincere goodwill."
"For your own good, you should step down." Since she couldn't harbor any negative feelings toward Jue Chen, she naturally had no desire to make a spectacle of him. She spoke earnestly, "This blessing carries no malice whatsoever, nor any intent to attack."
"…You are most benevolent, Benefactor." For a moment, Jue Chen looked startled, then he smiled wryly, bowed once more, and stepped down from the stage.
He was the first opponent Mu Anqi had voluntarily spared.
—"What a pity, we almost got to see the venerable master break into a hot dance," lamented an anonymous spectator in a low voice.
The nearby audience members, snapping out of their daze upon hearing this, joined in with sighs of regret.
That would have been a venerable master dancing! A sacred relic dancing! To think they had missed such a sight!
Of course, these thoughts only emerged after Jue Chen had left the stage and they could no longer see him. While gazing upon him, they couldn't possibly entertain such sacrilegious ideas.
"So her blessing really is just a blessing…"
"It's not a mental attack after all."
The other participants also sighed with mixed feelings, watching Mu Anqi leave the arena and speculating about who the next unlucky contender would be.
"Can't someone powerful just come and take care of this Money Tree already?" one contestant wailed in frustration.
"…But wasn't Money Tree already taken in by General Ji? She's probably just been let out again, right?" his companion couldn't help but whisper in reply. The two of them fell into a shared silence.
Back in the rest room, Mu Anqi was intently watching the screen, her attention fixed on the blue stage where one of the competitors was someone she somewhat recognized—"Miss White."
Dressed in a white robe and wearing a white mask, the outfit concealed Miss White completely. Her opponent was a ghost from Taiyin.
As soon as the match began, the ghost's form instantly dissolved into a mist of black smoke. The arena was instantly cast under an eerie filter as the dark fog spread, shadows flickering and darting across the stage, seemingly searching for an opening to attack.
Miss White slowly drew a white parasol. Then she raised her right hand, and her gloved finger lightly touched the air—yet in that instant, it seemed as if she had touched something solid.
"Found you."
A crisp crack echoed, like shattering glass.
In that very moment, the ghost hiding within the black fog discovered he was no longer in the arena! He had been inexplicably transported into a cramped space surrounded by mirrors on all sides, each one reflecting his own face!
"Sir, hiding in the darkness to ambush a lady is hardly gentlemanly conduct," a magnetic male voice murmured by his ear. The black fog ghost, startled, instantly dissolved into mist again to conceal himself. However, the space was simply too small; even as he spread out as mist, he remained trapped within this mirrored box.
An illusion? Was this all a delusion? He was still on the stage, wasn't he?
Just as he was trying to calm himself within the black fog, the tip of a black parasol pierced through his chest from behind.
"Sir, daydreaming on the battlefield is not a good habit," the black parasol cleanly sliced the black fog ghost in two. In the next instant, the entire small box exploded. Countless shards of mirror burst out and fell like rain, glittering.
The black fog ghost lay screaming in the center of the arena. Miss White stood expressionlessly before him, her white parasol open, shielding her from the sunlight.
The black fog ghost was carried off the stage, and Miss White descended as well, parasol in hand.
"Darling, our coordination remains absolutely seamless~"
"Darling, why aren't you speaking? Are you unhappy? We only need to fight two more matches before we can leave for a while~ Just a short absence; Upside-Down City will operate as usual."
"Darling, your expressionless face is truly beautiful. Did you know, when you reached out your hand on stage just now, you captured my heart."
"Darling, as a lady, ignoring people like this is terribly impolite."
"Shut up."
"Alright, darling," Mr. Black chuckled, his deep voice sounding once again in Miss White's ear, "The way you look when you're angry also intoxicates me."
"Don't make me shatter the mirror."
"Fine, fine, I'll shut up," Mr. Black conceded quickly, though his voice now echoed within Miss White's mind: 'But darling, you must know, the way you shatter the mirror is simply breathtakingly cool!'
Miss White: "…"
Unaware of Miss White's irritation, Mu Anqi was simply witnessing Miss White and Mr. Black's combat style for the first time. It was… utterly dazzling, wasn't it? Though she didn't understand why the opponent had suddenly materialized and stood dazedly in the center of the stage, in that moment, the mirror that abruptly appeared behind the ghost and Mr. Black stabbing out from within it with his black parasol… was absolutely epic.
It was just a shame that this two-souls-in-one-body fighting style was something ordinary people simply couldn't emulate.
As for the Brocade Land faction, Wan Jin hadn't taken the stage for several rounds. They seemed as casual as if they were drawing lots to decide participants—even Lady Red had taken a turn. Her opponent had been so terrified that upon entering the competition area and catching sight of Lady Red before even reaching the stage, they let out a shriek, turned tail, and fled, forfeiting without even setting foot on the platform. Their panicked, disheveled flight amused many spectators.
Watching the elegant white fox beauty on stage transform into a ferocious giant beast and pin her opponent firmly under her claw, Mu Anqi vaguely recalled that Bai Yulai hadn't revealed this form during their match. Was it because she wanted to use her sword, or because Bai Yulai considered the beast form ungraceful for combat?… Mu Anqi didn't ponder it deeply. After all, Bai Yulai hadn't been fighting seriously in that match—it had been a limited, custom-made "nuclear" performance specifically for Wu Sansheng.
"Red: Giant Bear Clan vs. Money Tree"
Hm? My turn already? Mu Anqi stretched a bit, loosening up her muscles, and leisurely walked out of the rest room towards the competition area. The demon races from Mingdu were pretty straightforward. Take this Giant Bear Clan, for example—their talents were obviously allocated to strength and explosive power. Generally speaking, they posed little threat to Mu Anqi. Of course, if you wanted to get technical, the Giant Bear Clan could produce a genius in mental abilities, but the probability was about the same as the Giant Bear Clan producing a panda—extremely low.
What? You're asking how the Giant Bear Clan could produce a panda? Well, that would require telling the touching, star-crossed love story between the Giant Bear Clan and the Panda Clan…
Mu Anqi stepped onto the platform. Just as she finished stretching, she saw a black bear enter the competition area on all fours, loping towards the stage.
…What in the world?
"Ahem, sending a bear straight up to fight… that's against the rules, isn't it?" Mu Anqi really wanted to ask if they were just being sore losers, but considering the massive audience at the Feast of Extreme Bliss, she phrased it more tactfully.
"That is not the case. That is the contestant," the referee stated calmly. "The Giant Bear Clan stated they would appear in their original form and fight in their original form. No matter what happens, after it's over, outsiders won't know who was on stage. It's the most reasonable competition method."
"Yes, fighting in my original form does not mean I look down on you," the black bear said as it clambered onto the platform, sitting down with a rather simple and honest thump. It scratched its head with a paw and continued, "If you insist I transform into a human form, then I'll just forfeit."
"…" Mu Anqi fell silent. Clearly, this black bear was fully prepared for the entire performance. She could, of course, add a prerequisite like "transform back into human form" to the action list, but that would be just too inhumane. She had no grudge against this bear; there was no need to be so mean. "Alright then, let's begin."
"Um, so… could you make it a high-difficulty, really cool street dance? Our clan is going to record this for promotional use later."
"…Sure." Mu Anqi was utterly baffled, her mind filled with question marks. She never imagined she would one day be used as a tool like this.
What kind of bear talent was this?!