Chapter 404: The Seven-on-Seven Spirit Fight Invitation
After Ye Haoran shouted those words, the atmosphere outside the shop froze for a moment.
Under Qi Han's nervous gaze, the heated argument soon resumed.
He quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Ye Haoran was just an impulsive kid—surely no one would take his words seriously, right?
Feeling reassured, Qi Han returned to the kitchen and continued his cooking for the day's business hours.
What he didn't notice was that, within the crowd, several of the leading figures exchanged glances. Their eyes flickered with interest, and after a silent moment of mutual understanding, they each gave a subtle nod.
Although the debate was intense, everyone clearly hadn't forgotten the purpose of lining up—to eat. When it was their turn, each customer entered the shop in an orderly manner, leaving the arguing to those still waiting outside.
That scene completely put Qi Han at ease, even bringing a faint smile to his face.
What's there to worry about arguing? As long as no one starts fighting, it's fine.
At this level, the "sweet-versus-savory" dispute was nothing more than a large-scale debate session.
So really, nothing to worry about!
—Or so he thought.
By the time breakfast hours ended the next morning, Qi Han's smile had long vanished.
A group of more than ten people, led by Darn and Yun Qing, walked into the shop together.
"Boss Qi, do you have a moment?" Yun Qing called out brightly.
"What's going on?" Qi Han had just finished washing his hands and stepped out from the kitchen. Seeing the group assembled, he was briefly taken aback before walking over.
"It's like this," Yun Qing said, her amethyst eyes burning with the flames of youthful passion, "we've formed two teams and are going to settle the sweet-versus-savory tofu pudding debate with a Spirit Fight! This time, there will be a winner!"
"Huh?"
Qi Han blinked in surprise. "You're seriously going to have a Spirit Fight?"
In his mind, Spirit Fights were something akin to underground street fights from his previous life, part of a gray, quasi-illegal industry.
Although the Great Spirit Arena of Shrek City was close by, he had never once gone there.
The Grand Auction House, on the other hand—that was somewhere he occasionally visited.
"That's right!" Darn nodded firmly. "We're all spirit masters. What better way to decide the true taste of tofu pudding than through a duel?"
Yun Qing grinned mischievously. "We gathered fourteen people last night—just enough for a seven-on-seven match. The duel will take place tomorrow afternoon, right after your shop's operating hours, so we'd like to invite Boss Qi to come watch!"
Qi Han fell silent for a moment, scanning the faces before him.
Exactly fourteen of them. Clearly, these were all the participants.
A closer look showed two distinct sides standing apart—and each face looked familiar.
They were all regulars of Han Shi. Some of them were even disciples from the Tang Sect.
"…Alright, I'll come," Qi Han finally nodded, pausing for a moment before adding, "but I have one condition."
"The duel is one thing—but if anyone inflicts serious injury or endangers a life, that person will be permanently blacklisted from Han Shi. No exceptions."
That was Qi Han's bottom line. Friendly competition was fine, but if a sweet-versus-savory debate turned into a tragedy, that was the last thing anyone wanted.
Hearing his words, the group exchanged glances and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Boss Qi. We won't go that far."
For them, joining this Spirit Fight was partly about proving their flavor's supremacy—but mostly because it sounded fun.
There was no real enmity between them, so there was no reason to go overboard.
After reminding them again to show restraint, Qi Han watched the group leave and let out a quiet sigh.
They're really going to fight.
Who would've thought it would actually come to this?
I wonder who's going to win…
"Teacher, let's go watch tomorrow afternoon!" Ye Lingqing said excitedly beside him.
The customers were actually going to have a seven-on-seven Spirit Fight over which flavor of tofu pudding was better—savory or sweet.
Just imagining it made him eager to see how it would turn out.
"Alright," Qi Han agreed.
…
Time flew quickly, and soon it was the afternoon of the appointed duel.
The news that fourteen spirit masters were holding a large-scale seven-on-seven Spirit Fight because of tofu pudding had spread like wildfire.
Thanks to them, nearly every customer who came to the shop that morning ordered tofu pudding—some even tried both flavors just to taste for themselves what kind of dish had inspired such a battle.
As more people tried it, the "sweet-versus-savory" debate only grew more intense.
During breakfast hours, Qi Han even witnessed Tang Qianqiu and Qi Poxiao arguing over it.
Tang Qianqiu stood firmly with the savory camp, while Qi Poxiao favored the sweet.
Fortunately, those two didn't end up fighting again over the matter.
When lunch service ended, Qi Han took his disciples and several of his staff to the Great Spirit Arena of Shrek City.
Today happened to be a day off for Shrek Academy, so Fu Ya and Ying Shuang had no classes, and the others were also free.
Once they heard about the duel, everyone was curious—so they decided to go together.
The Great Spirit Arena of Shrek City was even larger than those in the capitals of the two empires.
Since Spirit Fights showcased the strength of spirit masters, and Shrek City had the highest concentration of them on the continent, it was only natural that this arena would be the grandest of all.
Qi Han had seen its majestic exterior from afar before, but this was the first time he'd ever stepped inside.
And contrary to what he had imagined—a dark, bloody atmosphere—the interior was splendidly lit and lavishly decorated, rivaling even the Grand Auction House across town.
Among the shop's employees, Ying Shuang and Fu Ya—the "Peerless Duo"—were a registered Gold-level team in the arena. Ji Yunruo held her own Gold-level badge, while Mo Ran had once been part of a Gold-level seven-man squad. Even Ping Xinyan, who hadn't fought here before, had earned a Silver badge at the Great Arena of Heaven Dou City.
So none of them were strangers to the place.
Following their lead, Qi Han and Ye Lingqing quickly found the assigned arena and entered.
"It's this big?"
The moment Qi Han stepped inside, he couldn't help but gasp.
The circular field before him stretched nearly five hundred meters across, and around it were seats for tens of thousands—many already filled.
Such a grand setup could easily host a concert.
"Boss, this is an Amethyst Spirit Fight arena," Fu Ya explained, her face full of surprise.
"Amethyst is above the Gold rank—Spirit Fighters of that level are extremely rare. Could it be that someone among the two teams actually holds an Amethyst badge?"
The staff exchanged startled looks.
An Amethyst Spirit Fighter?
They all knew the massive gap between Gold and Amethyst—it was like crossing a canyon.
After finding their seats, they began whispering among themselves.
More and more spectators arrived—most of them Han Shi's regular customers, while others were curious onlookers drawn by the absurd premise of the match.
The great dome overhead slowly began to close, dimming the light inside the arena.
Then a single spotlight descended from above, illuminating the center of the massive stage.
The seven-on-seven Spirit Fight—had begun!
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