"Splash—"
Waves lapped gently.
In the swimming pool.
Xu Lexuan brushed back her long hair, wet from the water, and lay half-submerged in the tub, sneaking a glance at Xu Cheng sunbathing in the distance.
Her beautiful eyes blinked playfully as she picked up a towel by the poolside and tossed it toward him.
"Hmm? Can't wait anymore?" Xu Cheng caught the towel effortlessly, smiling faintly.
"How could I? I'm just curious how that little brat Wang Dong'er managed to ride her master into submission last night."Xu Lexuan lay in the pool like a mermaid, resting her chin on her hands, eyes sparkling with gossip-hungry mischief.
"..."Xu Cheng turned away, not responding further.
"Hmph, we'll see tonight whether you're really up to it or not."Xu Lexuan snorted, then dove beneath the water with a gurgling sound. She seemed to shed her usual cold and dignified persona as a noblewoman and starship captain, exposing a playful, girlish side in front of Xu Cheng.
Xu Cheng, meanwhile, stood up slowly, looking down from above.
They were on the top floor of the Mingdu Hotel. The view was excellent — the entire Mingdu Plaza was in full sight, and they could clearly see the audience entering below.
It was early morning. The Royal Soul Engineer Legion, one of the "Hands of the Nation," was managing the event with precision. Even from this height, the sounds of the massive crowd—numbering in the hundreds of thousands—were clearly audible.
Today marked the first day of the second elimination round.
After three days of fierce competition, sects like the Clear Sky Sect, Shrek Academy, and Snow Demon Sect had taken turns drawing all the attention, even changing the perception of once-declining sects. Now, many academies were reconsidering their former bias.
Because the forces behind those academies would eventually have to choose sides.
Most were fence-sitters — blowing whichever way the wind blew.
Once they saw the power of the Sun-Moon Empire, many had pledged loyalty to it. But now that the original continent's forces seemed to be rising again, they were already wavering...
"Tap, tap, tap—"
Slippers slapped lightly against the floor behind Xu Cheng.
A wave of fragrance swept over him. Xu Lexuan's soft body almost engulfed him entirely. Like a ripe peach, her voluptuous figure oozed sensual charm.
Just moments ago, she was a valiant warship captain. Now, she contrasted sharply with that image — soft and alluring.
"Why are you watching them? Aren't I prettier?" she asked softly.
"It's broad daylight," Xu Cheng replied expressionlessly.
"So what if it is?"Her delicate brows furrowed slightly. Then, she suddenly reached into his shirt with her slender hand, smooth and pale like jade, and wrapped her arm around his neck. Like a seductive serpent, she slid into his embrace and stared deep into his eyes.
"Broad daylight…" Xu Cheng sighed.
"Can't I get a little rest?"
"Nope~" Xu Lexuan giggled, speeding things up. Her eyes flicked downward as she whispered sweetly:
"Little Xu Cheng is definitely up for it… right?"
Xu Cheng: "..."
Beside the pool.
What remained was a total mess.
The sun chair where Xu Cheng had been lounging and even the pool itself had become a battlefield.
Looking at the tired beauty lying in his arms, Xu Cheng sighed.
"When will this life end…"
"Beep beep—"
The soul communicator nearby lit up.
"Hello? Brother, Shrek Academy contacted us. They want to meet this afternoon at the usual place. Should I say yes?"It was Nana's voice.
"Say yes," Xu Cheng replied with a grin.
He could crush Xuanzi with a kick, tear apart Xian Liner with bare hands — but messing with those Shrek folks was still quite entertaining. And maybe… he could dig up something about Tang San's next move.
"Mmm~"The beauty in his arms gave a soft hum, pulling his arm back to hug her smooth, pale back tightly. Only then did she close her eyes contentedly again.
"I'm taking a nap. Don't disturb me."
"Alright."
Xu Cheng lay on the sun chair, face filled with quiet despair.
"This second elimination round… trimming 272 teams down to 136 is definitely brutal."
Xu Sanshi looked down at the battlefield, sighing with emotion.
"Yeah, I don't know what the Sun-Moon Empire is thinking, letting the sects join too. Snow Demon Sect, Mingyu Sect, Earth Dragon Sect, and Sky Dragon Sect — they're not weak, and they'll definitely edge out some academy teams," said Beibei, standing at the front.
"Maybe Xu Cheng thought that a bunch of sects had already thrown their lot in with the Empire, so he brought them in to suppress us. But now? They might not even make the top three," Dai Huabin laughed lightly.
"First place always belonged to Shrek. We just let them borrow it for a year."Beibei's voice was calm.
"Right, Senior Beibei!" Dai Huabin quickly agreed.
Xu Sanshi raised a brow, but didn't mock Dai Huabin's eagerness. In fact, deep down, he felt a trace of admiration. If it were him — once high and mighty, now reduced to just another talented youth — he might not have held up this well.
Now that Huabin finally had the chance to avenge his parents and brothers, that was something to be celebrated.
"Hehehe…"Dai Huabin scratched his head, pretending to be simple.
The group chuckled.
Only Zhu Lu had a look of heartache in her eyes.
"But… in today's eliminations, the Sun-Moon Empire's Royal Academy is facing the Clear Sky Sect."
Lan Ruoruo suddenly whispered.
"What?!!"
Everyone jumped, crowding around her to see the massive light screen, developed by the Sun-Moon Empire. It showed the tournament draw results.
Match 1: Tianxuan Academy vs. Lingmiao Academy!Match 2...
Their eyes slid downward…
Match 21: Clear Sky Sect vs. Sun-Moon Empire Royal Academy!
"Did I read that right? Is Xu Cheng insane?"Xu Sanshi stared at the screen, dumbfounded.
"This is their home turf — how could he not rig the results? Or maybe... they're not even afraid of running into Clear Sky? That makes no sense."Dai Huabin frowned deeply.
"The draw was legit. I went personally with Elder Xuan this morning. Nothing seemed off."Beibei's arms were crossed, his tone serene.
"You mean…"Xu Sanshi's eyes lit up.
"Exactly. I bet the Sun-Moon Empire side is panicking right now. Clear Sky and Shrek's strength only became clear in the past few days. They probably didn't have time to tamper with the draw before it was too late. Last year they blocked us from the top sixteen — now, they get blocked in Round 2 by Clear Sky."
"Hahahaha, and on their home turf too!"Dai Huabin burst out laughing."Shame we didn't get to personally wipe them out."
Lan Ruoruo and Lan Susu exchanged a glance and sighed in relief.
Xie Huan Yue gave a goofy grin.
The reserve team members cheered.
Beibei stood calmly, hands behind his back.
The advantage was theirs now.
Clear Sky Sect.
Tang San raised a brow.
He stared at the giant screen at the center. Seeing "Clear Sky Sect" written there, he checked several times to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him.
"So the Sun-Moon Empire's just delivering themselves to our door now?"
"Interesting, very interesting…"
Tang San chuckled softly.
"Young Sect Master, even with the God King's help, we mustn't underestimate the Sun-Moon Empire. Mingyu Sect nearly gave us trouble. And more importantly…"An elder of the Clear Sky Sect with white hair spoke quietly.
"Please be careful. We're still deep in enemy territory. If they pull something sneaky and our two Sect Masters aren't around, we could be in real danger."
"I know." Tang San waved dismissively.
"The Sun-Moon Empire? I could wipe them out with a flick of my wrist!"
Last time they thought we fought to a draw?The Sea God Trident only used 30% of its power. If I go all out… that woman wouldn't even last a second.
...
"Where's Acheng?" Meng Hongchen looked around suspiciously, but she still couldn't find Xu Cheng's figure.
"Probably hiding somewhere to slack off again," Tang Ya said lazily as she picked at her fingernails.
"Today is our academy's elimination match, and he doesn't care at all?" Meng Hongchen huffed angrily.
Of course, mostly because she would be competing.
"Angel Ye, or maybe Senior Sister, or perhaps Sister Xiaotao—he's definitely tangled up with one of those three," Tang Ya added sourly.
Her jealousy was so strong, it was almost tangible.
"Sister Xiaotao went to cultivate deep in the sea, so it shouldn't be her. Ye Guyi reportedly returned to the God Realm to stabilize her divine position. That just leaves Senior Sister," Ning Tian said with a light laugh.
"Sigh, Xiaotian, when did you get back?" Wang Dong'er's beautiful eyes widened in surprise. She stood up and quickly walked over to greet him.
"Just returned from the Temple of Destruction. I heard our academy is having a match today—of course, as a reserve team member, I have to come show some support." Ning Tian smiled brightly.
"Great, great!" Wang Dong'er said excitedly.
"Everyone, move aside! Leave Tang San to me! Just wait and see what my Signal Axe can do to him! With Xiaotian's support as an eight-ring Soul Douluo, I could crush him with one hand!"
Wang Qiu'er wiped her Golden Dragon Spear and gave a small nod.
Meng Hongchen remained silent.
Ji Juechen was about to speak, but Jing Ziyan covered his mouth and gestured for him not to.
Ji Juechen glanced at the Clear Sky Sect, then at Wang Dong'er, and let out a helpless sigh. He just wanted to fight…
Everyone knew about Wang Dong'er's grudge with the Clear Sky Sect, so no one said anything. They all silently agreed to let her take this chance for revenge.
Although the elimination matches didn't include solo fights and were all team battles, during the match, everyone would tactfully give her the opportunity. Only if she truly couldn't handle it would someone else step in.
They were basically her backup.
"Hehe, thanks everyone!" Wang Dong'er wrapped her arm around Ning Tian's shoulder and looked him over. "Wow, you've already broken through to Soul Douluo? So technically, you're now the number one of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Clan on the continent?"
"That's right," Ning Tian replied with a generous smile, calmly admitting it.
"Eighty-sixth level support-type soul master."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk…"
Wang Dong'er clicked her tongue in amazement. "Support-types are already hard to cultivate, and you've broken through the seventh-ring bottleneck. Your cultivation speed is really impressive."
As the two chatted casually—
The match had already begun.
As the 21st match, naturally, they had to head down to prepare early.
"After all, it's the elimination round, we should be fully prepared. Me, Ya, Dong'er, Qiu'er, and Xiaotian—the five of us should be enough. The only real threat on the other side is Tang San," Meng Hongchen said thoughtfully.
Ji Juechen opened his mouth, then turned his head away bitterly.
In a sense, he was also considered a trump card. Even though he might not get the chance to act, before everything was settled, his strength still needed to be kept hidden.
As for their captain, Xiao Hongchen—
He rarely appeared from the beginning.
He was busy with academy affairs. If they were really going to let him compete, it would probably have to wait until the finals.
"Alright, the match has started. Let's head down and get ready."
The girls all stacked their hands together.
"Victory!"
…
Mingdu.
Behind the bustling city streets, in a secluded alley.
Xuanzi patted his head, trying to shake off the flush on his face. He sneakily glanced around, and seeing that no one was watching, he headed toward a tavern.
Xian Lin'er followed closely behind, afraid that Old Xuan would get drunk and mess things up. Even though he was publicly Shrek Academy's number one combat power, her mother had reminded her repeatedly before she left—to treat Elder Xuan like a child who hadn't grown up. She had to follow him at all times, or else he really might ruin something important.
"Bring me wine!"
Sure enough, as soon as Xuanzi entered, he loudly demanded alcohol.
"Elder Xuan!" Xian Lin'er gritted her teeth. "We're not here to drink—we're here to make contact! Have you already forgotten that you got dead drunk yesterday, and I had to carry you back?"
A trace of embarrassment flashed across Xuanzi's face.
"Hehe, did I? Got drunk yesterday—cough cough—forgot."
"Hoo…" Xian Lin'er said expressionlessly, "You absolutely cannot get drunk today. Senior Long Xiaoyao is crucial to the Academy. He may not trust me, and if we lose this chance, Lord Tang San's entire plan might be in jeopardy…"
"Alright, alright." Xuanzi smacked his lips, annoyed.
He hated two things: being nagged, and not being allowed to drink.
Especially when both happened at once—very irritating…
But he also knew that Xian Lin'er was right. He took a deep breath and said nothing more, patiently waiting for Long Xiaoyao to show up.
"Sigh, someone's here already…"
A few minutes later—
Xian Lin'er saw a figure in a black robe sitting in an empty seat. She frowned and coldly said:
"Hey, this seat's taken."
"Oh? Taken?"
An elderly voice came from under the black robe, tinged with a trace of amusement.
"You… Wait, something's wrong!" Xian Lin'er's eyes narrowed, just as she heard Xuanzi speak beside her: "Elder Long?!!"
"Hehe, at least you're not totally clueless." The robed figure chuckled, slowly pulling back the black hood to reveal a familiar face to Xuanzi.
"It's really you! You're not hurt?" Xuanzi said with delight.
Xian Lin'er felt the same.
They both knew—if they had managed to contact Long Xiaoyao, or rather, if he was willing to meet with them, that alone already said a lot.
As for whether the plan would succeed or not—well, that was just a matter of raising the stakes.
Besides…
They had leverage over Long Xiaoyao.
"What, were you hoping I'd be dead?" Xu Cheng smacked his lips, sipping from the wine on the table. It was rich and mellow—no wonder Long Xiaoyao used to like coming here.
But now…
He was Long Xiaoyao.
(End of Chapter)