Chapter 152: I Concede
The soul power that Elder Xuan had quietly withdrawn went unnoticed by those around him. His gaze settled back onto the arena, but now there was an added layer of inscrutable depth within his eyes.
Wang Yan, who had been standing nearby and had caught the subtle shift in Elder Xuan's expression, couldn't resist probing in a low voice: "Elder Xuan, just now... was that Elder Mu speaking with you?"
Elder Xuan remained silent for a moment, then gave a faint nod, though he was clearly unwilling to elaborate. "This matter is not for you to concern yourself with. Focus on watching the match."
"Yes..." Wang Yan acknowledged and stepped back half a pace, yet inwardly he had already pieced it together.
Elder Mu must regard Furina with the utmost importance, to have specially transmitted a message cautioning Elder Xuan not to interfere. Wang Yan knew Elder Xuan's fiery temper all too well. Had Elder Mu not personally reined him in, it would have likely erupted already.
Meanwhile, out on the arena, Dai Huabin's trio was still sprinting at full speed, the distance between them and Furina—who continued to savor her cake with leisurely composure—shrinking with every visible breath.
Seeing Furina's utterly unhurried demeanor, the fury in Dai Huabin's chest blazed even hotter. "Damn her... how dare she treat us with such contempt!"
Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie wore matching expressions of indignation. Cui Yajie clenched her fists tightly and ground her teeth. "She's just a rank fifty Soul King—what's there to be so arrogant about? Does she really think we're nothing but props on a stage?!"
"Huabin, let's just use the martial soul fusion technique!" Zhu Lu urged urgently.
She could no longer stomach the humiliation of being so completely disregarded by their opponent and wanted nothing more than to unleash their ultimate move immediately and teach Furina a lesson.
Dai Huabin didn't respond, nor did he move closer to Zhu Lu—which meant he still had no intention of deploying the fusion technique. Seeing this, Zhu Lu had no choice but to suppress her frustration for the moment.
On Furina's side, she had already unhurriedly consumed her Nut Cake, Blueberry Cake, and Fruit Cake, layering all manner of enhancement effects neatly in place.
She watched the three figures gradually closing in on her, then lazily stowed her table and chair back into her storage ring. Afterward, she crooked her finger at them—a gesture that somehow combined the provocation of a "single finger strike" with the bravado of a "lion's roar"—
"You three. Come over here."
Her voice wasn't loud, nor her tone particularly fierce, yet the sheer mockery contained within it instantly maxed out.
"Wretched girl! This is utterly intolerable!" The veins on Dai Huabin's forehead bulged as all three of his soul skills activated simultaneously: White Tiger Protective Barrier, White Tiger Vajra Transformation, White Tiger Blazing Light Wave!
A searing, milky-white sphere of light shot from his mouth, hurtling directly toward the barrier in front of Furina.
Yet when the sphere of light struck the shield, it failed to ruffle even the faintest ripple. The transparent barrier remained as immovable and pristine as ever.
Such an outcome was, in truth, well within their expectations. After all, that earlier team composed entirely of two-ring Soul Grandmasters had failed to crack this shield even when expending every last ounce of their strength within the span of an incense stick. How could a mere second soul skill from a three-ring Soul Elder like Dai Huabin possibly shake the fifth soul skill barrier of a Soul King, deployed through a soul ring of fifty thousand years or more?
But Dai Huabin simply could not swallow this indignity.
He could not endure the way Furina regarded them as though they weren't even worthy of her notice.
Cui Yajie's martial soul was the Nine-Tailed Fox, treading the dual paths of spiritual control and forceful assault. Without a shred of hesitation, she activated her first soul skill, "Charm," attempting to disrupt Furina's mind. Yet Furina's spiritual power far exceeded her imagination. Having cultivated the Taiyi Spirit-Refining Art, even a peer-level spiritual-type soul master would struggle to shake her consciousness, let alone this mere two-ring charm technique of Cui Yajie's.
Cui Yajie hadn't held much hope for this move to begin with, but she hadn't expected it to sink like a stone into the sea, failing to raise even the slightest ripple.
As for Zhu Lu's attacks, they were utterly like scratching an itch, having not the slightest effect on Furina's barrier.
"Dai Huabin, use the martial soul fusion technique, quickly! If this goes on any longer, we're doomed to lose!" Cui Yajie urged frantically.
Zhu Lu also turned her head toward Dai Huabin, her eyes brimming with urgency. Dai Huabin finally drew a deep breath, as though steeling his resolve.
But would Furina simply let them have their way?
She raised her fingers with a light, casual motion. Two spheres of water coalesced and detonated between Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu without the slightest forewarning! The surging waves of water instantly blasted the two apart. Zhu Lu, as an agility-type soul master, possessed no soul skill to bolster her defense. Taking this "Water Explosion" head-on, she was gravely wounded on the spot, blood spilling from her lips.
Furina's figure moved like the wind, seizing the opening to sweep in before Zhu Lu. She lifted her leg and delivered a light yet devastatingly precise flying kick—
Bang!
Before Zhu Lu could even register what was happening, she was already tumbling out of the arena's boundary like a kite with its string cut.
Cui Yajie's heart plummeted. Their team's greatest reliance was the martial soul fusion technique between Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu—"Netherworld White Tiger."
Now, with Zhu Lu thrown from the ring, who could still complete the fusion with Dai Huabin? Who could still contend against Furina? This battle... was likely already lost.
Dai Huabin, witnessing this, let his eyes blaze blood-red. With a deafening tiger's roar that shook the arena, he hurled himself at Furina once more, utterly heedless of all else!
But just as he was about to close the distance, Furina flexed her fingertips slightly, and yet another "Water Explosion" detonated in the air before him—
BOOM!
Dai Huabin was hurled backward by the blast wave, nearly tumbling straight off the platform.
Yet Furina did not follow up with a finishing blow.
She merely turned around lightly, stepped off the arena with unhurried poise, and then faced the referee. Her voice was calm and clear as she declared:
"I concede."
She had jumped off the stage, and she had spoken the words of surrender.
By the rules, there was no doubt that Furina had lost this match. Yet anyone with eyes could see that Dai Huabin's team had been utterly incapable of defeating her. Had she merely landed one more attack, all three of them would have been eliminated on the spot.
The referee stood frozen for a good long while before finally, somewhat stiffly, raising his voice to announce: "Victors—Dai Huabin's team!"
After all, he couldn't exactly declare Furina the winner, could he? The opponent had jumped off the stage in full view of everyone and verbally conceded. If he were to twist black into white, his own reputation as a referee would be utterly ruined by tomorrow.
Up in the spectator stands, everyone except Huo Yuhao wore expressions of bewilderment.
Du Weilun furrowed his brow deeply: "What kind of act is this now? Bombing the fish pond halfway and then suddenly giving up?"
Yan Shaozhe shook his head. "Perhaps she didn't want to face Huo Yuhao's team prematurely. Or perhaps... she simply grew bored and decided to disgust them out of pure spite."
He paused and waved a dismissive hand. "Forget it. Let her be."
On the other side, Elder Xuan and Wang Yan were equally filled with puzzlement.
Elder Xuan tugged at his beard and muttered in a low voice: "That little girl... what exactly is she playing at?"
Wang Yan smiled wryly. "Elder Xuan, I can't see through it either. Fu... Furina has always operated with a rather... unconventional flair. It's difficult to fathom her intentions through ordinary reasoning."
He hesitated briefly, then lowered his voice further: "Could it be that the Church of the Water God harbors some old grudge against the White Tiger Duke's Manor? But the Star Luo imperial family clearly holds the Church in the highest esteem, even publicly proclaiming it the state religion—though the Church of the Water God has never formally acknowledged the title."
Elder Xuan gave a huff and waved his hand. "Enough, enough. This old man can't be bothered to meddle in such trifling affairs."
After declaring her concession, Furina left the arena without a single backward glance, utterly indifferent to whatever reactions Dai Huabin and his team might be having on the stage.
The championship?
She had never cared about it in the slightest. As for rewards like soul bones—as long as one had sufficient merit points, they could be exchanged at any time. The Church of the Water God now had an ample internal pool of points, and the soul bone catalog had long been made public, allowing any member to exchange for them according to their contributions. Had it not been for the fact that Lei Bao and the other four Protectors were holding out for higher-quality soul bones that suited them better, they would have long since assembled full sets with their existing points.
As for Dai Huabin... let him fight for that "second place."
It was perfect, really—it also gave Huo Yuhao the chance to exact his revenge with his own hands. Let the boy properly teach that pampered, insufferable scion a lesson.
Her steps were light and brisk, and the corner of her lips held a faint, almost imperceptible smile. It was as though that baffling concession just moments ago had been nothing more than a tiny chess piece casually laid down at her whim.
The real show... was still to come.