The Fasno Province. Snowfall Royal City. Inside the great coliseum, at the very center of the main arena,
"I… I admit defeat."
The weary voice echoed across the stage. For a heartbeat the place fell silent, then the crowd erupted into thunderous cheers.
Of course, mixed in with the excitement were groans of dismay,from those who had just lost their wagers.
It was a personal match: a Soul Elder crossing realms to challenge a Soul Ancestor. Level 32 versus Level 42. Nobody had expected the underdog to win.
"Xiao Hai's really getting stronger and stronger." From the competitors' section, Yu Feng couldn't help but sigh in amazement.
"Count up the points. After this win, Xiao Hai should have enough to be promoted straight to a Purple-Gold Battle Emblem, right?" Ao Si Luo's eyes glowed with admiration. "In such a short time, to reach Purple-Gold while still a Soul Elder… he's practically written himself into the coliseum's history."
Beside them, Yu Tianheng's fist tightened slightly, his eyes darkening.
Since the start of the circuit nearly two months ago, he had watched the distance between himself and Yang Yunhai widen day by day. From a mere Level 39 Soul Elder to someone who now dared to challenge Soul Ancestors across ten levels… every step forward Yunhai made was carved into Tianheng's eyes.
And he had no choice but to admit: right now, he wasn't Yunhai's match.
"Mm. It's enough," Qin Ming said with a small smile. "Winning while fighting across realms earns far more points."
As team leader, he couldn't help but feel proud. Yunhai's Purple-Gold promotion would bring honor not just to himself, but to the entire team.
"Come on, time's about up. We should head to the arena for the team match."
"Yes!" The group rose together and filed out.
Meanwhile, amid the roar of applause, Yunhai stepped off the stage and into the shadowed tunnel.
"Xiao Hai! That was amazing!" Yu Feng was the first to greet him, thumb raised high, his eyes sparkling with open admiration.
Yunhai gave a light laugh. "It was just taking advantage of an opening. If my opponent had been any higher level, I might not have held them with control alone."
Truth be told, he hadn't fought anyone above Level 42 yet. For a control-type Soul Master, defeating an opponent ten levels higher wasn't unheard of. But beyond that… the difficulty grew unreasonable.
He knew better than to flaunt too much.
In reality, he had already broken through to Level 37 over a month ago. Against a Level 42 Soul Ancestor, victory was hardly difficult for him now. But to keep his true strength hidden, he deliberately feigned strain.
Without stronger opponents, the training value was limited,but testing his martial spirit's abilities was still worthwhile.
Once I reach the Soul Ancestor realm, defeating Tianheng will be effortless… He caught a glimpse of Tianheng's expression, and the flicker of relief there. Yet Yunhai knew that pride weighed heavily on the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon heir's heart. Beating a Soul Elder while standing as a Soul Ancestor was no achievement worth boasting of.
"Hey, Xiao Hai, come on,how much did you bet this time?" Yu Feng's grin turned sly.
A cross-realm duel was always a hot ticket, and the coliseum played it up to the hilt. The odds were outrageous. Yunhai had been using this to quietly line his pockets at every city they visited.
The main arenas of the great cities traded information,but the local gamblers never knew the truth.
"Pretty much everything I had on me. It's all winnings anyway,nothing to lose sleep over." Yunhai's smile was calm.
Yu Feng's eyes bulged. "Damn! You're rich now! Tonight you're treating us,I'm going to eat you dry!"
"Ha. And you didn't bet anything yourself?" Dugu Yan cut in smoothly, stabbing him in the back with a smirk.
"J-just a little! A tiny win, that's all." Yu Feng hunched his neck, grinning sheepishly.
The rest of the team chuckled. Of course they'd all placed bets. Having Yunhai on their side was like having a golden goose.
"Alright, enough chatter. The match is starting,let's go." Qin Ming's voice cut in.
Yu Feng exhaled in relief and clamped his mouth shut, following Tianheng into the tunnel with the others.
Once the team disappeared from view, Qin Ming guided Yunhai back toward the viewing stand.
The opposing squad was ordinary,hardly worth Yunhai's effort. And just as expected, the Heaven Dou team returned victorious barely fifteen minutes later.
"Haha! A few more wins and we'll finally reach Gold Team rank!" Yu Feng's grin was wide as they settled back down.
Their record was decent, but because Yunhai rarely fought, their win streaks were too short. Losses cut into points, and advancing from Silver to Gold took a mountain of them. Up until now, they'd always fallen just short.
"Yeah. As long as we don't lose, the chance is high. Let's push harder." Honest-faced Shi Mo's eyes burned with fighting spirit.
Truthfully, he didn't want the team to rely solely on Yunhai for promotion.
Qin Ming, watching from the side, only smiled.
Yunhai was the perfect benchmark. Against tough veteran squads, unleashing him showed the others the gulf between them. That gap, in turn, pushed them to train harder. Already, several were brushing up against breakthroughs.
"Alright, that's enough for today," Qin Ming said warmly when the group returned. "Get some rest tonight. Tomorrow morning we depart for the Balak Kingdom. First to Soto City, then north to Silves, and finally back to Heaven Dou City for a break. It's been nearly two months on the road,time for everyone to see home again."
"Yes!" The cheer was unanimous.
If they could earn the Gold Team Emblem before returning, it would be the perfect thing to brag about at home. As for personal Gold Emblems… well, most of them knew their limits.
Soto City…Yunhai's gaze flickered.
If he recalled the original timeline correctly, the Shrek team should still be competing there.
And trailing them, the venomous old monster Dugu Bo. If a fight broke out, Xiao Wu's true identity might be exposed. At Yan's current strength, she had no hope of claiming a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring. And Dugu Bo,he'd never settle for just a bone and not the ring. With storage tools capable of holding living beings, he'd likely choose to cage Xiao Wu instead.
Plenty of time remained to maneuver.
Still… he'd need to lay some groundwork. If Dugu Bo made a rash move, Tang Hao would hunt him to the ends of the earth. And right now, the old poison wasn't Tang Hao's match at all.
Yunhai fell silent, lost in thought.
"Come on, let's get your results tallied," Qin Ming's voice brought him back.
Nodding, Yunhai followed the others out of the stands.
Back in the resting area, a supervisor was already waiting.
"Honored Blue Silver Controller, congratulations," the man said smoothly. "You've broken our arena's records and earned the Purple-Gold Emblem. Here it is, along with your wager payouts. Please accept them."
"…." A few of Yunhai's teammates twitched at the corners of their mouths.
"Blue Silver Controller" was the random title Yunhai had scrawled on his registration form. Every time someone said it aloud, it sounded more like a joke. Even the staff probably thought so,but rules were rules. Only the participant could choose their title.
"Thank you." Yunhai accepted the emblem and card without a change in expression.
The supervisor, all smiles, then turned to tally the others' accounts. Between a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon heir and the granddaughter of a Titled Douluo, this team was worth a personal touch.
A short while later, everything was settled, and the man excused himself.
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