By the time the next set of matches approached, the tournament had already settled into a relentless rhythm.
Nearly three hours had passed since the opening ceremony.
The sun now stood high above the capital of the Sun Moon Empire, its light pouring down across the colossal stadium. The metal framework of the projection arrays glimmered faintly under the midday brightness while waves of cheers continued rolling across the stands.
Despite the long hours, the arena showed no signs of slowing down.
If anything—
The excitement had only intensified.
Several academies had already been eliminated. Medical teams moved through the lower corridors carrying injured participants toward recovery chambers, while officials hurried between control platforms updating match schedules.
On the massive projection screens suspended above the battlefield, the tournament bracket continued shifting.
Each victory carved another name from the board.
Each defeat removed another academy from the competition.
And throughout all of it—
One academy continued attracting more attention than any other.
Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.
Beneath the stadium stands, inside the preparation chamber reserved for their team, the atmosphere remained calm.
The distant roar of the crowd still echoed through the corridor leading toward the arena floor, but inside the room the group rested comfortably between matches.
Ju Zi stood beside the projection table, reviewing the updated bracket once more.
Several academies had already fallen.
She tapped the surface of the device lightly.
"The elimination pace is increasing," she said calmly.
Xiao Hongchen glanced up from his seat.
"That's expected."
"With so many academies participating, the organizers need to accelerate the early rounds."
Nearby, Su Mei was distributing small bowls of spiritual food again.
Light recovery dishes.
Cultivators burned through enormous energy during combat. Without proper replenishment, fatigue could become dangerous over time.
She placed a bowl beside Jiang Nannan.
"Eat."
Nannan accepted it quietly.
Even Wu Feng, who usually ignored such things, took a portion without complaint.
Ma Xiaotao leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"Three hours already."
Xu Tianzhen stretched her shoulders lazily.
"And the crowd still sounds like it just started."
Another explosion of cheers echoed from the arena above.
The ground beneath their feet vibrated slightly.
Long Xiaoyi rested her palm against the stone floor again, sensing the tremor.
"Another strong match."
Ji Juechen stood near the corridor entrance, watching the faint light from the arena spill into the hallway.
His sword rested quietly across his shoulder.
At the center of the chamber, Lin Huang remained seated.
His mask still covered his face.
One arm rested along the back of the bench.
The other held a familiar presence nestled comfortably against him.
Tushan Honghong.
In this reduced form, she appeared small enough to sit easily in his arms.
But even now—
Her presence was unmistakable.
Soft cerulean-blue hair framed her delicate features, shimmering faintly under the light of the room.
Behind her, ten long fox tails swayed slowly through the air.
Each movement caused subtle ripples in the surrounding spiritual energy.
Honghong looked half asleep.
Her head rested against Lin Huang's shoulder, ears relaxed as if the noise of the entire tournament meant nothing to her.
One tail lazily curled around his arm.
Possessive.
Meng Hongchen leaned forward slightly from across the table, eyes shining with curiosity.
"She's really gotten comfortable."
One of Honghong's ears twitched.
Slowly.
Then she opened one eye.
"…Hmph."
Wu Feng laughed.
"She definitely heard that."
Meng Hongchen grinned and carefully brushed one of the fox tails with her fingers.
It was incredibly soft.
Honghong's ears flicked again.
For a moment she stared at Meng with visible annoyance.
Then she shifted her position slightly, burying her face against Lin Huang's shoulder as if refusing to acknowledge anyone else.
Xu Tianzhen walked closer, studying the fox spirit.
"She acts like royalty."
Honghong lifted her head slightly.
"…Hmph."
Another tail wrapped loosely around Lin Huang's arm.
Xu Tianzhen chuckled.
"See?"
Even Ning Tian observed the fox spirit calmly.
Her eyes followed the slow movements of the ten tails.
"Her aura is extremely stable like this."
Lin Huang nodded once.
"Yes."
Honghong didn't respond.
But when Ning Tian gently tried to touch one of the tails—
The tail moved away.
Just enough to avoid her hand.
Outside the preparation chamber, several nearby competitors had gathered again.
Word had already spread about the ten-tailed fox spirit.
Some of them whispered openly.
"That's the martial spirit everyone was talking about…"
"Ten tails… is that even possible?"
"I thought fox spirits only had one or two."
A few spectators visible through the corridor even pointed toward the room.
Honghong glanced briefly toward the voices.
Then she turned away.
Unimpressed.
Her tails swayed lazily behind her.
Ju Zi tapped the projection disk again.
The bracket shifted.
A new match indicator appeared beside the Sun Moon team's name.
She looked up.
"Our next battle is approaching."
Wu Feng immediately straightened.
"How long?"
Ju Zi checked the display.
"Approximately ten minutes."
Ma Xiaotao pushed herself away from the wall.
"Good."
Xu Tianzhen stretched again.
"So who's going next?"
Lin Huang looked briefly toward the arena corridor.
Behind the mask, his voice remained calm.
"Decide among yourselves."
Honghong yawned softly in his arms.
Her ten cerulean tails swayed slowly behind her.
As if the battles raging above them—
Were nothing more than distant noise.
The stadium roared once more.
Another match had just ended, and the crowd had barely finished cheering when the arena formations beneath the battlefield began glowing again.
Lines of light spread across the stone platform, erasing the damage left behind by the previous fight.
Cracks sealed.
Scorch marks vanished.
Within seconds, the arena returned to its pristine state.
Above the battlefield, the selection array activated once more.
Four glowing symbols spun slowly across the massive projection screens.
1 vs 1
2 vs 2
3 vs 3
7 vs 7
The crowd leaned forward in anticipation.
After the overwhelming victories from Sun Moon Academy earlier, every time their name appeared the excitement in the stadium surged.
The symbols rotated faster.
Then slowed.
Then stopped.
7 vs 7
The reaction from the crowd was immediate.
"Team battle!"
"Seven versus seven!"
"This one will be big!"
The announcer's voice echoed across the stadium.
"Next match!"
"Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy!"
The cheers became thunderous.
The opposing academy name appeared a moment later.
North River Academy
Seven fighters stepped forward from the opposite side of the battlefield.
Their formation was disciplined.
Several carried weapon-type martial souls, while others activated defensive abilities as soon as they entered the arena.
Clearly—
They were taking this match seriously.
Back in the preparation chamber, Ju Zi glanced at the projection disk.
"Seven versus seven."
Wu Feng smirked.
"That's new."
Ma Xiaotao rolled her shoulders.
"About time we actually used a full team."
But before anyone could step forward—
Tang Ya stood.
Her movement was quiet.
But everyone noticed.
Wu Feng looked at her.
"You want in?"
Tang Ya smiled gently.
"I'll go."
Wu Feng blinked.
"Just you?"
Tang Ya nodded.
"That should be enough."
Ma Xiaotao laughed softly.
"Show them what battlefield control looks like."
Ji Juechen said nothing.
But he nodded once.
Lin Huang didn't move.
Honghong remained curled comfortably in his arms.
One cerulean ear twitched slightly as Tang Ya walked past.
One of the fox's tails lifted lazily—
Then dropped again.
Unconcerned.
The arena gate opened.
Sunlight flooded across the battlefield as Tang Ya stepped forward.
The crowd reacted immediately.
"Only one again?!"
"Against seven this time?!"
"This academy is insane!"
Across the arena, the seven members of North River Academy stiffened slightly.
Their captain frowned.
"…Where are the others?"
Tang Ya stopped calmly several meters away from them.
Her expression remained warm.
Almost gentle.
"I'm here."
The referee raised his hand.
"Match begin!"
The North River team moved instantly.
Seven fighters advanced together in a coordinated formation.
Two ranged attackers activated their martial souls first, launching waves of spiritual projectiles toward Tang Ya.
Three frontline fighters rushed forward to close the distance.
But before the attacks could reach her—
Tang Ya raised her hand.
The arena floor trembled.
Then exploded.
Vines burst from the stone like living serpents.
The entire battlefield erupted into green.
Roots tore upward through the ground as enormous trees grew instantly across the arena.
The crowd gasped.
"The arena—!"
"It's turning into a forest!"
Within seconds, half the battlefield had transformed.
Branches twisted into barriers.
Vines wrapped around pillars of wood.
The stone arena had become a living forest.
Tang Ya stood calmly at its center.
Her Blue Silver Emperor martial soul spread through every root and branch.
The North River fighters were forced to halt their charge.
The terrain itself had changed.
The battlefield now belonged to her.
One of the North River fighters shouted.
"Break through!"
But before they could move—
The forest moved first.
Massive wooden arms rose from the ground.
Two wooden golems formed from the surrounding trees, stepping forward with heavy footsteps that shook the battlefield.
At the same time—
The branches above twisted together.
A massive serpentine shape formed among the trees.
A Wood Dragon.
The dragon roared as it descended through the forest canopy.
The North River fighters froze.
For the first time since the match began—
Panic spread across their formation.
Tang Ya watched calmly.
Her voice remained gentle.
"This forest…"
Vines tightened around the battlefield.
"…belongs to me."
The forest closed in.
By the time Tang Ya left the battlefield, the stadium was still roaring.
The forest she had created slowly faded as the arena formations reclaimed the battlefield. The massive trees dissolved into streams of green spiritual energy, vines retracting into the ground as the formation arrays restored the stone platform beneath.
But the impression remained.
Seven fighters.
Defeated without ever reaching her.
High above the arena, spectators were still talking over one another.
"A whole forest… inside the arena!"
"That was complete battlefield control!"
"She didn't even need to move!"
The reputation of Sun Moon Academy had already been growing since the morning.
Now—
It was spreading even faster.
Inside the Sun Moon preparation chamber, Tang Ya returned quietly.
Wu Feng leaned forward.
"Seven."
Tang Ya smiled slightly.
"They tried."
Ma Xiaotao laughed.
"Barely."
Su Mei handed her a bowl without a word.
Tang Ya accepted it politely.
"Thank you."
Ju Zi tapped the projection disk again.
The bracket shifted once more.
Another academy name faded from the tournament.
"North River Academy eliminated," she said calmly.
Xiao Hongchen glanced at the screen.
"The early rounds are ending quickly."
Ji Juechen nodded once.
"As expected."
Nearby, Honghong lifted her head slightly.
The fox spirit had clearly noticed Tang Ya returning.
Her cerulean eyes followed the movement briefly.
Then she relaxed again, one tail lazily brushing across Lin Huang's sleeve.
Apparently satisfied.
Ju Zi glanced at the bracket again.
"Next Sun Moon match in approximately fifteen minutes."
Wu Feng cracked her knuckles.
"Good."
Long Xiaoyi pushed herself up from the bench.
"I'll go next."
Wu Feng tilted her head.
"You sure?"
Long Xiaoyi nodded calmly.
"Yes."
Ma Xiaotao smirked.
"Then show them what happens when the ground itself fights back."
A few minutes later, the arena selection array activated again.
Four glowing symbols spun above the battlefield.
1 vs 1
2 vs 2
3 vs 3
7 vs 7
The symbols slowed.
Then stopped.
3 vs 3
The announcer's voice echoed across the stadium.
"Next match!"
"Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy versus Stone Ridge Academy!"
Three fighters stepped forward from the opposing side.
Their martial souls activated almost immediately.
Rock-type spirits.
Heavy armor.
Powerful frontline fighters.
Their bodies carried the solid weight of earth-aligned cultivation.
The crowd murmured.
"This will be interesting."
"Earth against earth?"
Then the Sun Moon gate opened.
Only one person stepped forward.
Long Xiaoyi.
Her brown hair moved slightly in the arena wind as she walked calmly onto the battlefield.
The murmurs returned instantly.
"Again?!"
"They're sending one person again!"
Inside the Shrek observation section, Wu Ming laughed.
"Of course they are."
Ling Luochen crossed her arms.
"That academy has no intention of hiding anything."
Han Ruoruo narrowed her eyes.
"This one is different from the others."
On the battlefield, the Stone Ridge fighters frowned.
One of them stepped forward.
"…You're alone?"
Long Xiaoyi stopped several meters away.
She rested her hand lightly against the arena floor.
The stone beneath her fingers trembled faintly.
"Yes."
The referee raised his hand.
"Match begin!"
The three Stone Ridge fighters attacked immediately.
Their bodies surged forward with the heavy momentum typical of earth-type cultivators.
One swung a massive stone hammer.
Another formed a shield of compressed rock.
The third prepared a ground-shaking strike aimed directly at Long Xiaoyi.
But before they reached her—
She pressed her palm against the ground.
The arena trembled.
Then it moved.
Stone pillars erupted upward from the battlefield like rising mountains.
The attackers were forced to leap backward as the ground beneath them shifted violently.
The entire arena floor had changed.
Long Xiaoyi stood calmly in the center of the upheaval.
Her Earth Dragon King martial soul awakened.
A deep rumbling sound spread across the battlefield as enormous slabs of stone rose around her like the bones of a mountain range.
The terrain itself now answered to her.
One of the Stone Ridge fighters shouted.
"Break the pillars!"
They charged again.
But the ground moved once more.
A massive wall of stone rose between them.
Thick.
Impenetrable.
The Stone Ridge fighters slammed into it with their weapons.
The wall did not move.
Behind it, Long Xiaoyi lifted her hand slightly.
The entire structure shifted.
Stone pillars closed inward from every direction like the jaws of a giant trap.
The Stone Ridge fighters were forced back.
Cornered.
Pinned between rising walls of earth.
Long Xiaoyi lowered her hand.
The pillars stopped.
Three opponents stood trapped inside a prison of stone.
The referee raised his hand immediately.
"Victory—Sun Moon Imperial Academy!"
The stadium exploded with cheers again.
"Another one!"
"They control the entire battlefield!"
"That team is unbelievable!"
Back inside the preparation chamber, Wu Feng laughed.
"Okay, that one was satisfying."
Ma Xiaotao grinned.
"She didn't even let them touch her."
Ju Zi updated the bracket again.
Another academy disappeared from the board.
At the center of the room, Honghong stretched lazily in Lin Huang's arms.
One of her ten cerulean tails flicked slowly.
As if she had already expected the result.
The arena remained restless.
Even after Long Xiaoyi's overwhelming victory, the energy inside the stadium refused to settle. Waves of conversation rolled through the stands as spectators tried to process what they had just witnessed.
Three members of the same academy.
Three victories.
And each battle had ended with complete dominance.
The projection screens above the arena flickered once again as the battlefield formation arrays restored the stone platform.
Cracks sealed.
Stone pillars dissolved into dust-like streams of spiritual energy.
Within moments—
The arena was pristine again.
Ready.
Above the battlefield, the selection array began spinning once more.
Four glowing symbols rotated slowly.
1 vs 1
2 vs 2
3 vs 3
7 vs 7
The crowd leaned forward.
By now, everyone was watching for the same thing.
When would Sun Moon Academy appear again?
The symbols slowed.
Then stopped.
1 vs 1
The announcer's voice echoed across the stadium.
"Next match!"
"Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy versus South Cliff Academy!"
The crowd erupted again.
Inside the preparation chamber beneath the stands, Ju Zi glanced at the projection disk.
"Sun Moon again."
Wu Feng smirked.
"They're really moving through the bracket."
Jiang Nannan stood quietly from the bench.
"I'll go."
Wu Feng tilted her head.
"You sure?"
Nannan nodded once.
"Yes."
Ma Xiaotao grinned.
"Show them something fast."
Ji Juechen glanced briefly toward her.
"A clean fight."
Lin Huang didn't speak.
Honghong remained comfortably in his arms.
But when Jiang Nannan passed by—
One cerulean fox ear twitched slightly.
As if acknowledging her departure.
The arena gates opened.
Jiang Nannan stepped onto the battlefield.
The reaction from the crowd was immediate.
"She's another one from that team!"
"That's the assassin-type girl!"
Across the arena floor, her opponent approached cautiously.
A young fighter from South Cliff Academy, carrying a long spear martial soul.
His cultivation aura was solid.
A Soul King.
Not weak.
But when the projection screen displayed Jiang Nannan's information—
The murmurs grew louder.
JIANG NANNANAge: 13Rank: 57 — Soul King
The South Cliff fighter's expression tightened slightly.
Thirteen.
Rank fifty-seven.
Another abnormal prodigy.
The referee raised his hand.
"Match begin!"
The spear fighter attacked immediately.
His martial soul erupted in a surge of spiritual power as he lunged forward with a sharp thrust aimed directly at Jiang Nannan.
Fast.
Precise.
But the spear struck empty air.
Jiang Nannan was gone.
The crowd blinked.
Then she appeared behind him.
The movement had been so fast it looked like she had simply vanished.
The spear fighter spun instantly, sweeping the weapon across the battlefield.
But again—
Nothing.
Another flicker.
Another shift.
The air around the battlefield rippled faintly as Jiang Nannan moved again.
Her Void Rabbit martial soul shimmered softly behind her.
Space bent.
Distance folded.
The opponent's attacks struck nothing but shadows.
Inside the Shrek observation section, Ling Luochen narrowed her eyes.
"Spatial movement."
Wu Ming leaned forward.
"That's fast."
Han Ruoruo nodded slowly.
"She's not even using full displacement."
Back on the battlefield, the South Cliff fighter tried to widen the distance.
His spear slashed through the air repeatedly, attempting to force Jiang Nannan back.
But every strike met empty space.
Another flicker.
Jiang Nannan appeared at his side.
Two silver daggers flashed in the sunlight.
A clean strike tapped lightly against the opponent's shoulder.
He froze.
The blade had stopped just short of his throat.
The referee raised his hand instantly.
"Victory—Sun Moon Imperial Academy!"
The crowd erupted once more.
"That was instant!"
"He couldn't even touch her!"
"She disappeared three times!"
Back inside the preparation chamber, Wu Feng laughed.
"Fast."
Xu Tianzhen nodded.
"Very."
Ju Zi updated the bracket again.
Another academy vanished from the tournament.
At the center of the room, Lin Huang still hadn't moved.
Honghong stretched lazily in his arms.
One cerulean tail lifted slightly—
Then tapped softly against his sleeve.
As if applauding the result in her own quiet way.
By the time Jiang Nannan returned through the preparation corridor, the atmosphere inside the stadium had changed again.
Not louder.
It had already been loud all day.
But different.
The tone of the crowd carried something new now.
Recognition.
The audience had begun noticing a pattern.
Every time the name Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy appeared on the projection screens—
The result was the same.
Fast.
Clean.
Overwhelming.
Inside the preparation chamber beneath the arena stands, Jiang Nannan stepped back into the room quietly.
Wu Feng looked up immediately.
"Done already?"
Jiang Nannan nodded.
"Yes."
Xu Tianzhen smirked.
"You barely broke a sweat."
Ma Xiaotao stretched her arms lazily.
"That's four more wins today."
Ju Zi glanced down at the projection disk and tapped the surface once.
Another academy name faded from the bracket.
"South Cliff Academy eliminated."
The updated standings shifted across the display.
More than half of the early competitors had already been removed from the tournament.
Xiao Hongchen studied the projection briefly.
"The early phase is nearly finished."
Ji Juechen nodded once.
"The weaker academies cannot last long."
Su Mei approached Jiang Nannan with a bowl.
"Eat."
Nannan accepted it politely.
"Thank you."
At the center of the room, Lin Huang remained seated.
Honghong had shifted slightly during the last match.
Now she lay curled comfortably in his arms again.
Her cerulean-blue hair fell across one side of her face while her ten fox tails rested loosely behind her.
One tail slowly swayed through the air.
Then another.
The fox spirit opened one eye slightly.
Her gaze drifted toward Jiang Nannan.
Then toward the projection screen showing the tournament bracket.
A moment later—
She closed her eye again.
Apparently satisfied.
Outside the preparation chamber, several nearby competitors had gathered again.
They weren't even pretending not to stare anymore.
Their eyes were fixed on the small fox spirit.
"Ten tails…"
"That's definitely not a normal martial spirit."
"I heard it belongs to the captain."
"I still haven't seen him fight."
Honghong's ears twitched.
She lifted her head slightly and glanced toward the corridor.
For a moment—
One of her tails lifted slowly and wrapped around Lin Huang's arm again.
Possessive.
Meng Hongchen laughed quietly.
"She heard that."
Honghong turned her head toward Meng.
"…Hmph."
Then she buried her face against Lin Huang's shoulder again.
As if refusing to acknowledge the outside world.
Wu Feng shook her head.
"She's worse than a spoiled noble."
Xu Tianzhen shrugged.
"Not wrong."
High above the arena floor, inside the Shrek observation section, the reactions were much more serious.
Wu Ming leaned forward against the railing.
"That's another one."
Ling Luochen nodded.
"Every single member of that team can fight alone."
Chen Zifeng folded his arms.
"And they're not even struggling."
Yao Haoxuan scratched his head.
"So how many of them are like that?"
Han Ruoruo didn't answer immediately.
Her eyes remained fixed on the Sun Moon preparation chamber visible through the projection arrays.
Specifically—
On the masked figure sitting calmly at the center of the group.
"…All of them."
Wu Ming blinked.
"What?"
Han Ruoruo spoke quietly.
"That entire team."
"They haven't shown their real strength yet."
Across another section of the stadium stands, Princess Xu Jiujiu watched the arena floor with equal focus.
She had seen every one of the Sun Moon battles today.
Sword.
Sun.
Phoenix.
Metal.
Forest.
Mountain.
Shadow.
Seven different styles.
Seven overwhelming victories.
And yet—
The one person everyone expected to see had not moved.
Her gaze drifted toward the Sun Moon preparation chamber.
"…So you're waiting."
Back beneath the stadium stands, Ju Zi studied the bracket again.
She tapped the projection disk once more.
"The next Sun Moon match will not be until the next rotation."
Wu Feng stretched lazily.
"How long?"
Ju Zi glanced at the schedule.
"Approximately thirty minutes."
Ma Xiaotao leaned back against the wall.
"Plenty of time."
Jiang Nannan finished her bowl and placed it back on the table.
Long Xiaoyi rested her hand against the stone floor again.
Ji Juechen remained near the corridor entrance.
The distant roar of another match echoed faintly through the hallways.
And at the center of the room—
Lin Huang still hadn't moved.
Honghong shifted slightly in his arms.
One cerulean tail lifted and tapped gently against his sleeve.
Almost impatient.
Behind the mask, Lin Huang's gaze moved briefly toward the arena corridor.
The early phase of the tournament was nearly over.
And soon—
The real matches would begin.