The light screen above the competition stage began to scroll again. After a few breaths, two new names firmly appeared at the top of the leaderboard.
[Body Sect · Huo Yuhao] VS [Tang Sect · Xie Xie]
The moment Xie Xie saw his name, a flash of light ignited in his eyes, and he sprang up from his seat.
"It's here! It's here! It's finally my turn!"
As he spoke, he strode toward the competition stage, leaped up, and landed on it with clean, decisive movements.
After Xie Xie stood firm, his gaze fell upon the figure opposite him. A smile curled at the corners of his mouth as he spoke.
"Although you are strong, Yuhao, but... I feel like I might be a little stronger."
His tone was filled with confidence, as if victory were already in his grasp.
In the spectator stands, Tang Wulin watched Xie Xie's restless demeanor and couldn't help but raise his hand to gently rub his forehead, his face full of helplessness.
Xie Xie was always this fearless, and one had to wonder where he got such confidence.
Soon, the rules for the first match appeared on the light screen.
[Rules for the first duel: Mecha Battle]
When Xie Xie saw this line, the smile on his face instantly froze, and he stood there stunned.
"Why is it a Mecha Battle again?"
He couldn't help but mutter, the confidence on his face fading, replaced by a look of depression.
Why did he have to play with mechas! He had never been interested in mecha classes; he always felt those things were too bulky and nowhere near as flexible as his own movement techniques.
Huo Yuhao didn't waste any words. He walked directly to the black mecha on the side of the stage and leaped lightly into the cockpit.
Seeing this, Xie Xie had no choice but to bite the bullet and climb into the other mecha.
The moment the match started, Huo Yuhao's mecha moved.
Under Huo Yuhao's control, that pitch-black mecha displayed an astonishing fluidity, as if the pilot and machine were one.
Xie Xie's mecha had only taken two steps when Huo Yuhao's mecha had already swept to close range. The metal blade in its hand swept out at a tricky angle, directly hitting the flank of Xie Xie's mecha.
Xie Xie's mecha's center of gravity lurched. He scrambled to steady the machine, but Huo Yuhao didn't give him any chance to breathe. Continuous attacks followed one after another, each precisely striking the weak points of Xie Xie's mecha.
In less than a minute, Xie Xie's mecha crashed to the ground, and the match ended.
"First match, Huo Yuhao wins."
When Xie Xie climbed out of the cockpit, his face was full of frustration. He patted his clothes, took a deep breath, and pulled himself together.
"Fine, fine. If I lost the Mecha Battle, then I lost. I'll definitely win the next one back."
He secretly cheered himself on in his heart.
Meanwhile, in the Divine Realm, a gaze fell upon the figure of the youth on the light screen.
Rong Nianbing sat in his seat, a thoughtful look in his eyes. He gently stroked his chin and spoke.
"Strange... Why do I always feel like this child has a deep connection with me?"
His voice was not loud, but it was clear enough for the surrounding Divinities to hear.
Upon hearing this, Tang San's heart tightened, and a flash of imperceptible vigilance crossed his deep eyes.
This child must absolutely not be snatched away by Rong Nianbing.
Huo Yuhao was the Child of Destiny of the Douluo Continent that he had long set his sights on, an important chess piece carefully prepared for his future plans, and he absolutely could not hand him over.
At the very least, before he could deepen the bond between Huo Yuhao and Xiao Qi, no mistakes could be made.
If Huo Yuhao could establish a deep relationship with Wang Dong'er, then in the future, he could easily recruit a first-level Divinity as an ally.
Tang San had planned so much for Huo Yuhao, but... this guy Huo Yuhao was not following the path he had laid out.
Thinking of this, a cold, icy light flashed in Tang San's eyes.
Truly courting death.
Even if the current Huo Yuhao was much stronger than he had originally arranged, so what? If he didn't follow his plan, it meant he had already escaped his control.
Furthermore... his strength was growing so fast; he must be lacking in sufficient tempering of his Heart-Nature.
Without experiencing tempering, one's Heart-Nature could not be stabilized. Even with all that skill, so what?
He hadn't even used the Valley of Love and Emotion yet!
Tang San's gaze passed through the light screen and landed on two figures in the corner of the spectator stands: Da Ming and Tai Tan.
He hoped these two had already done what needed to be done, deepening the bond between Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er so that his subsequent plans could proceed.
Otherwise... they would just be a bunch of useless good-for-nothings.
Just as Tang San was calculating these things in his heart, the light screen above the competition stage began to scroll again.
[Rules for the second duel: Weapon Battle]
When Xie Xie saw this line, light ignited in his eyes once more. He quickly looked towards Lin Feng, only to see Lin Feng wave his hand, and two weapons appeared in front of the two of them respectively.
In front of Xie Xie were two daggers, identical in appearance to Xie Xie's own Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger.
Appearing in front of Huo Yuhao was a translucent white Carving Knife, the blade slender and smooth, glowing with a warm luster; it looked more like a delicate tool than a weapon of slaughter.
Xie Xie reached out and grasped the two daggers, feeling the familiar texture in his palms, and a smile couldn't help but curl at the corners of his mouth.
This was the stuff he was good at.
The moment the match started, Xie Xie's figure vanished from the spot like a wisp of light smoke. The next moment, he appeared behind and to the side of Huo Yuhao, the daggers in his hands stabbing out with sharp, cold light!
Huo Yuhao's reaction was just as fast. He dodged to the side, and at the same time, the Carving Knife in his hand drew an arc, precisely parrying Xie Xie's daggers.
"Clang—!!"
The two weapons collided, emitting a crisp sound of metal clashing.
Xie Xie's movement technique was extremely flexible. He constantly changed positions on the competition stage, appearing in front of Huo Yuhao one moment, and circling to the flank the next. The two daggers in his hands attacked alternately, his offensive continuous and unending.
Although the Carving Knife in Huo Yuhao's hand was not as flexible as the daggers, his parrying and dodging were equally outstanding, and he was able to barely block Xie Xie's offensive every single time.
The two traded blows, blade light and dagger shadows flickering, and the clanging sounds of collision rang throughout the entire competition stage.
After all, Xie Xie specialized in movement techniques and dual daggers. Long-term practical combat experience had brought his mastery of these two weapons to a quite skilled Realm. While Huo Yuhao's use of the Carving Knife could be considered proficient, it was used for crafting Spirit Tools, and ultimately, he wasn't skilled in combat with it.
Finally, after a series of rapid thrusts, Xie Xie's daggers were precisely held against Huo Yuhao's neck.
"Second match, Xie Xie wins."
Xie Xie withdrew his daggers and let out a long breath, his face full of a satisfied smile. He had finally managed to win one back.
Just as the third match was about to begin, Xie Xie stood on the competition stage, hands clasped together, muttering something under his breath.
"Please don't let it be a Spirit Soul battle... Please don't let it be a Spirit Soul battle..."
Tang Wulin sat in the spectator stands, and seeing Xie Xie like this, the look of helplessness on his face deepened. He couldn't help but raise his hand to cover his face.
Xu Xiaoyan and Gu Yue sat to the side, also watching the figure muttering on the competition stage, both of them wearing rather subtle expressions.
Embarrassing... it was truly too embarrassing.
However, Xie Xie's prayer seemed to have actually worked. The third duel rule that appeared on the light screen made him jump up.
[Rules for the third duel: Comprehensive Battle]
"Great!!"
Xie Xie couldn't help but shout, his face full of joy.
A Comprehensive Battle—this was what he was best at. He could release his full strength without any reservations.
Xie Xie took a deep breath, and the Spirit Power around his body began to surge. A layer of strange light appeared on his skin. He no longer held anything back and directly released his Spirit.
Space-Time Dragon Spirit!
At the same time, the Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger in his hands lit up with dazzling light.
In the corner of the spectator stands, Di Tian's gaze froze the moment Xie Xie released his Spirit.
His pupils contracted sharply, and a look of disbelief appeared on his face.
"This is... the Aura of the Space-Time Dragon?"
Di Tian's voice trembled slightly. His gaze locked onto the figure on the competition stage, his heart churning with stormy waves.
There could be no mistake... that was the Bloodline Aura of the Space-Time Dragon.
Although it was not dense, it could even be said to be quite thin, but there was absolutely no mistake about this Spirit; it was the Dragon God's shadow guard, the Space-Time Dragon!
Di Tian's mind raced, connecting all the clues from this period of time.
Tang Wulin was the Dragon God's Reincarnation; he was certain of this.
And this young man named Xie Xie before him... actually possessed the Space-Time Dragon Spirit.
So everything matched up. Tang Wulin was the Dragon God's Reincarnation, Xie Xie was the successor of the Dragon God's shadow guard. Although the Space-Time Dragon's Bloodline was not much, wasn't this enough to prove it?
He really hadn't misjudged; in this academy, not only was there the Dragon God's Reincarnation, but also the Dragon God's shadow guard, plus those two girls who possessed the complete Origin of the Silver Dragon King...
Di Tian took a deep breath, his golden eyes full of complex light.
And just as these thoughts were churning in Di Tian's heart, the battle on the competition stage had officially begun.
Huo Yuhao looked at the figure opposite him whose Aura was skyrocketing, his deep blue eyes remaining as calm as water.
A dazzling golden light suddenly ignited in his eyes, and an invisible Mental Force spread out like a tide.
The next moment, Xie Xie's figure stiffened abruptly.
His movements stopped in mid-air, the luster in his eyes dimmed in an instant, and he fell straight backward like a puppet with cut strings.
With a "thud," Xie Xie's body hit the floor of the competition stage, eyes closed, motionless.
Everyone was stunned. Those who didn't understand looked at each other, their faces full of confusion and bewilderment.
Xie Xie had clearly been full of fighting Spirit and aggressive just a moment ago, why did he suddenly lie down?
What was going on?
Sleeping wasn't allowed here!
Of course, those who knew naturally understood where Huo Yuhao had won, and what means he had used.
"Third match, Huo Yuhao wins."
Huo Yuhao was clear that Xie Xie's Mental Force was a weak point. Even if Xie Xie had Cultivated the Purple Demon Eye, which could improve Mental Force, it wasn't Huo Yuhao boasting, but the fact was that even if Xie Xie had improved his Mental Force, it was ultimately inferior to his own Mental Force.
And in the Divine Realm, Tang San watched this scene, the panic in his eyes deepening even more.
The strength displayed by the Child of Destiny was too formidable; it had already exceeded his original estimation.
Once such a person completely escaped his control, the consequences would be unimaginable.
----------------------------------------------
A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
1 Review = 1 Bonus Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.