"Game start!"
The referee's voice had barely fallen when Lu Yuan shot forward like a released arrow, sword flashing in the light. His footwork was erratic, his swaying body unsteady, but everyone who had seen him fight before knew better than to laugh.
"Go together!" Huo Wushuang roared, charging straight ahead, his fiery aura blazing.
The audience gasped.
"Whoa—Blazing Academy actually rushed him head‑on?"
"I thought they would surrender the second the match began."
"Not bad, not bad! At least they've got guts. Look at those flames!"
"Hah! Feng Xiaotian, you see this? Compared to them, you just flap around like a scared pigeon!"
The mocking laughter echoed, but Feng Xiaotian ignored it completely. He clenched his jaw, truly pitying the fools charging across the arena.
These people hadn't faced Lu Yuan before. They didn't understand what they were dealing with. To drag Huo Wu—his own little sister—into this storm? Utter madness. Lu Yuan was drunk again! If he lost his sense of direction, could he even distinguish teammate from enemy?
Feng Xiaotian wanted nothing more than to bury his face in his hands.
"Together? Perfect! The more, the merrier!" Lu Yuan bellowed, his grin wide as he welcomed the seven blazing figures. Fighting like this was his idea of fun!
"Flames like silk!"
"Flames like rain!"
"Wrath of the Tyrannosaurus!"
Seven voices shouted as one. Each unleashed their spirit abilities in a brilliant storm of fire, converging upon Lu Yuan all at once. For a moment, the stage blazed like a furnace, heatwaves crashing across the arena.
"Ooooohhh!" The crowd rose to their feet, stunned by the courage of Blazing Academy. Even if they knew the ending, they had to admit—the opening looked spectacular.
But Lu Yuan only chuckled, his body swaying as purple light suddenly flared from him, expanding outward in layered ripples. His fifth spirit ring ignited brilliantly underfoot.
"Fengchen Absolute Slash!"
The explosion of sword qi tore through the seven fiery figures like a gale through candlelight.
No one even saw when he moved. One instant he stood before them—the next, he was behind them.
A hush blanketed the arena.
Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.
Clear metallic notes rang out softly as crisp red badges dropped in unison to the ground—the Royal Academy emblems each Blazing member wore pinned to their chests. Their uniforms remained perfectly intact, but the space where their badges had been was sliced cleanly.
Yu Tianheng and his team, halfway to surging in as back‑up, froze mid‑step. They didn't need to lift a finger.
The referee gaped. Across the VIP podium, even Emperor Xue Ye leaned forward in shock.
"Hahaha!" Gu Rong of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan clapped his massive palms together, nearly knocking over a servant beside him. His eyes were glowing, his chest rumbling with laughter. "Ning Fengzhi, aren't you glad I came? If Chen Xin were here instead, he'd be bawling again!"
"Oh?" Emperor Xue Ye raised a brow.
"Chen Xin—Sword Douluo," Gu Rong explained quickly. "It took him reaching Contra before his sword qi control reached this fineness. And Lu Yuan is only… what, fifteen? No—twelve years old! Twelve! To control sword qi like this already? Pfff, Chen Xin would drink sour vinegar for three years straight."
Beside him, Ning Fengzhi tried to maintain composure, but his lips were twitching upward anyway. "Indeed, Lu Yuan's talent is unrivaled. He displayed terrifying potential even before turning eight… to see this now with my own eyes, I am certain he carries the makings of a true peak spirit master."
Emperor Xue Ye nodded slowly, eyes full of light. "Ning Sect Leader, I want to meet this boy after the match."
Ning Fengzhi's smile threatened to crack. Oh no. Oh no no no. That sounded good on paper, but reality was a different matter. Lu Yuan was drunk as a pig right now. Handing him over to the Emperor without preparation? They'd be lucky if he didn't slap Xue Ye on the back and call him "Brother Oldie."
If only he had more time to warn the brat first!
From her seat, Princess Xue Ke nearly jumped for joy. "Father, let me fetch him after the match!" Her heart fluttered; she had been searching for an excuse to meet Lu Yuan openly, and now the heavens themselves had dropped one on her lap.
While the nobles chattered in anxious amusement, the seven members of Blazing Academy were panic‑stricken.
Lu Yuan's sword qi hadn't even scratched them—but it had touched them. Badges cleanly sliced off? What if the cut had been aimed an inch higher or lower? Their throats, their hearts, even their clothes—it didn't bear thinking about.
Huo Wu flushed scarlet. If her outfit had been slit open in front of the crowd, she would rather have died.
Lu Yuan staggered, sword casually resting on his shoulder. "Hoh… you brats got lucky this time. Let's see if your luck continues." His sword qi roared again.
"Referee! We surrender!" Huo Wushuang yelped immediately, his limbs trembling as he snatched out the white flag.
Their plan had always been clear: rush together, test one attack, and if they survived, fight on. If not—surrender. Better a little shame than the abject humiliation of being hammered into the floor.
Except… they never even saw the moment Lu Yuan struck.
Before they could even breathe, it was already "game over."
Lost for words, the referee finally raised his hand. "Blazing Academy surrenders!"
"Boom!"
A furious fist still cracked down on Huo Wushuang's head anyway.
"You surrender now?! You made me run for nothing!" Lu Yuan roared, clearly annoyed.
"Ow ow ow!" Huo Wushuang clutched his head, trapped in despair. He had surrendered! And still taken a beating!
The referee swallowed hard, his whole body tense in terror of Lu Yuan's next tantrum. "Tiandou Cup, Group A second round. Tiandou Royal Academy, victory! …Lu Yuan is issued a severe warning for striking a surrendering opponent."
The warning sounded so feeble in his own ears that even he cringed. But, thank the heavens, Lu Yuan only flicked his sleeve, saying nothing. The auditorium released a collective breath.
The crowd devolved into chatter.
"I thought Blazing Academy had backbone this time. In the end, they bent even faster than Kamikaze!"
"Eh, can you blame them? Did you see that sword? Just stepping into it felt like getting cut."
"Huo Wushuang surrendered with dignity, at least. Better than being nailed into the ground like Feng Xiaotian was."
"Dignity?? He just tucked his tail between his legs! At least I didn't surrender!" Feng Xiaotian snapped bitterly, his voice louder than intended.
The crowd heckled back mercilessly.
"You didn't surrender because you couldn't move, didn't you get smashed like a rag doll?"
"Exactly, if Lu Yuan hadn't gotten bored, you'd still be choking on dirt!"
Speechless, Feng Xiaotian puffed up indignantly but had no rebuttal.
Nearby, Huo Wushuang clenched his fists, ignoring them all. "It doesn't matter. As long as we beat Kamikaze tomorrow, we qualify. We'll advance just the same, and they'll be the ones humiliated."
"Captain," one of his teammates whispered nervously, "isn't that… literally using Feng Xiaotian as a stepping stone?"
"Yes! Exactly that!" Huo Wushuang smirked despite his bruised pride.
Feng Xiaotian's face turned green. "Huo Wushuang, you damn dog! And don't think liking your little sister will save you either!"
The quarrel spiraled into childish insults while the rest of the audience roared with laughter.
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan was sprawled comfortably on a bench in the rest area, recapping his jar. His grin only widened as he guzzled.
"Comfortable! Truly comfortable! Who knew joining the Tiandou Cup came with so much free wine? If I'd realized sooner, I wouldn't have wasted all that time sleeping in the dorms!"
At that moment, Princess Xue Ke's face appeared at the tunnel exit. She waved him down hurriedly.
"Lu Yuan! My father wants to see you."
"Your father?" Lu Yuan blinked, squinting drunkenly. "He wants to reward me with more wine, right? Haha, let's go then!"
He stumbled after her eagerly, practically bouncing at the thought of top‑shelf royal liquor.
"Father, this is Lu Yuan!" Xue Ke dragged him proudly forward, presenting him like a prize.
The boy staggered into the Emperor's presence, head tilting hazily. His eyes wandered for a silent moment, then he muttered aloud, "Huh? This old man… wanted me?"
"His Majesty," Xue Ke whispered urgently at his side.
Lu Yuan blinked twice. Then, with all seriousness, he bowed stiffly. "Your Majesty. You were looking for me?"
Before the courtiers could even exhale in relief, Lu Yuan leaned sideways, bumping gently against Xue Ke's shoulder, his drunken weight testing her balance. "Don't be polite with me, though…"
Then, with his usual careless grin, he raised his jar and thrust it toward Emperor Xue Ye.
"Old man, want a drink?"
The entire audience fell into stunned silence.
Ning Fengzhi nearly choked. Gu Rong slapped his own thigh, wheezing. Princess Xue Ke froze like ice, utterly horrified.
And the great Emperor Xue Ye himself sat blinking at the jar of wine being offered to him with casual cheer, as though his throne room were a tavern table.
The Tiandou Cup had just witnessed a new level of audacity.
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