Don't move…!
How did things end up like this?
Qian Renxue slowly closed her eyes, her trembling lashes betraying her unsteady emotions.
Forget it.
Let it be…
Adolescence—did that woman, Bibi Dong, truly never teach him how to handle such things on his own?
Best to pretend she knew nothing, pretend she was already asleep.
And so the night passed without a word.
When dawn was just barely breaking, Su Linfeng woke from a beautiful dream, his cheeks flushed. His gaze immediately met Qian Renxue, who was already sitting cross-legged on the bed, staring straight at him.
Judging from her appearance, she hadn't slept well again. Her eyes were a little swollen, and her expression was filled with silent reproach.
"Little Sis… you didn't sleep last night again, did you?"
Stretching lazily, Su Linfeng yawned. "I slept so comfortably, though!"
"You did."
Qian Renxue let out a soft, resentful hum. Under her breath, she muttered, "That woman really never taught you anything, did she? You were dreaming again last night… Go wash up before you leave."
"Uh…"
Lifting the quilt, Su Linfeng finally understood why Qian Renxue's face was so awkward.
"Luckily, I stayed awake all night," she muttered, cheeks burning. "Last night it almost…"
"Almost what?" Su Linfeng asked blankly.
"You almost made a huge mistake! We're siblings—some things are absolutely forbidden!"
Qian Renxue's pale face instantly flushed scarlet. She quickly urged, "Go! Hurry up and wash!"
"Heh…"
Of course, Su Linfeng knew exactly what she meant. As he climbed out of bed, he couldn't help but murmur, "Soon enough. The tournament still has two days left anyway…"
"What did you say?" Qian Renxue frowned. She hadn't heard clearly.
"Nothing! I'm going to shower!"
With a grin, Su Linfeng dashed straight into the bathroom.
Morning light filled Spirit City.
All the teams that had reached the finals gathered at the Spirit Hall Arena.
Even those who had been eliminated did not leave the city, instead choosing to stay, watch, and gather intelligence for the next tournament five years later.
With the knockout stages heating up, more and more spirit masters had poured into the city.
The crowd in the stands grew larger by the day, because the deeper the competition went, the more exciting it became—especially with this year's dark horse match.
Indeed.
During the draw, Su Linfeng had successfully drawn Qin Ming from Shrek Academy. This wasn't a mere coincidence. It was Bibi Dong's deliberate arrangement.
Spirit Hall had hidden him long enough.
Now it was time to reveal him to the continent.
A show of force.
A warning to every faction and every so-called young prodigy—that the future belonged to Spirit Hall!
Finally, under countless expectant gazes, the most anticipated individual match of the tournament began: Shrek Academy's dark horse Qin Ming vs. Spirit Academy's most mysterious genius Su Linfeng.
"A battle that will make history!"
In the Shrek rest area, Four-Eyed Owl Flender looked out at the packed stadium, fists clenched in excitement. "This is the chance to make Shrek Academy famous! I can already see our glorious future!"
Qin Ming's eyes burned. "Teacher, I'll give it everything I've got!"
"Go!"
Flender puffed out his chest, brimming with confidence. "The top four isn't our limit. What I want is the championship—the name of Shrek to echo across the continent!"
"Understood!" Qin Ming nodded firmly, then leapt down from the rest area.
With a burst of spirit power exploding beneath his feet, he crossed the distance in only a few strides, appearing in the center of the stage.
He wasn't flying, but manipulating his spirit power so precisely that it seemed as if he were stepping on air. The display drew gasps of admiration from the crowd—such refined control over soul power was rarely seen.
Then, under everyone's eyes, Su Linfeng slowly walked down from the Spirit Academy's rest area toward the arena.
The crowd erupted.
"What? He's just walking up like that?"
"Seriously? The captain of Spirit Academy looks too ordinary."
"Yeah! Doesn't have the aura of a powerhouse at all."
"He's young. If he won't show arrogance now, then when?"
"…."
Before the fight even began, from appearances alone, Su Linfeng seemed to have lost to Qin Ming in momentum.
Qin Ming frowned as he watched him approach. The more ordinary Linfeng seemed, the more unsettled he felt.
Logically speaking, a fifteen-year-old boy shouldn't make him nervous.
Yet something about this felt off.
According to Flender's analysis, the strongest Spirit Academy member was Xie Yue at rank 43. Though Su Linfeng had never revealed his level, as captain, he should be stronger than Xie Yue.
But at only fifteen years old, even with great talent, he couldn't be that much stronger. Flender estimated him at rank 43–44, at most rank 45.
That was nothing Qin Ming needed to fear.
In the stands, the atmosphere was intense. The two great seeded teams, Heaven Dou and Star Luo, had come to watch.
Heaven Dou's crown prince, Xue Qinghe, sat with Dugu Bo at his side.
Everyone's attention was fixed on this match.
"Both sides are ready."
The referee announced, "You know the rules. You have three minutes to prepare. After that, the match begins."
As the referee stepped back, Qin Ming immediately retreated half a step. "Shrek Academy, Qin Ming—rank fifty-five, Battle Soul King!"
At once, crimson flames of spirit power flared up, enveloping his entire body.
Then, from beneath his feet, five soul rings rose—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple!
A five-ring Soul King! The stadium erupted.
His fifth ring was purple?
Su Linfeng frowned slightly. So, Shrek Academy really couldn't provide the best conditions for their students.
Qin Ming's fifth ring was only a ten-thousand-year level at best. Such wasted potential for his talent.
"Senior Qin Ming," Su Linfeng said calmly, still not releasing his martial spirit, "after this tournament, you'll be graduating from Shrek, won't you? With your gifts, you deserve better resources. If the opportunity arises, have you considered joining Spirit Academy as a teacher?"
"Hm?"
Qin Ming's brows knitted. Was this… a recruitment attempt?
Indeed, it was.
After graduation, Qin Ming would remain on the continent. If he could become a teacher at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, he could just as easily accept Spirit Academy's invitation.
And since Spirit Hall and Shrek Academy weren't in direct conflict, someone like Flender—so greedy for money—would hardly refuse.
Su Linfeng was stealing Tang San's path, leaving him with nowhere to go.
"Spirit Academy's offer is tempting," Qin Ming admitted, then took a steadying breath. "But don't think I'll go easy on you. Defeat me first—then we'll talk."
Well then!
So he thought this was a bribe?
Without further words, Su Linfeng finally began to release his martial spirit.
Hum—
A crushing aura swept across the arena.
One by one, his soul rings rose from beneath his feet.
Yellow, purple, black, black, black!
The stadium froze.
What the—!!!