At the corner of Jing Yuan's lips lingered a gentle smile as he slowly nodded in praise, "Splendid. I didn't expect that even in the beginning rounds, we'd witness such a marvelous duel."
Beside him, Feixiao could no longer hold back her excitement and exclaimed again and again, "This sparring match was just way too exhilarating!"
In the arena, Fu Shi reached out to pull Mei☆ up, her tone carrying a touch of crisp pride, "You've grown stronger. Keep working hard."
Mei☆ nodded firmly, battle spirit burning in her eyes as she replied earnestly, "Next time, I'll definitely unleash an even stronger strike with that sword!"
At that moment, the sunlight pierced through the clouds, gently spilling over the two of them, and also onto the battered arena, adding a lingering aftertaste to the duel.
In the audience, Guinaifen gently shook Sushang, who was still in a daze, and asked curiously, "Sis, the livestream viewers want me to ask you, why did the move that the Herrscher of Sentience called out look so much like yours? Except she summoned a mighty, majestic phoenix, while yours was just a big fat chicken?"
Sushang scratched her head, thought carefully, then explained, "Well, I don't remember it all clearly. I only heard from my mom that Taixuan Sword has five aspects. I haven't memorized exactly which five yet."
"But what Senior Fu Shi just called out was 'Heaven Aspect', just hearing the name sounds so awesome! I've only just reached the 'Form Aspect' stage, still way behind. But once I master 'Heaven Aspect' in the future, maybe I can be just as cool!"
As soon as her words fell, her eyes suddenly lit up. She tugged Guinaifen closer and whispered, "Do you think I should go ask Fu Shi for guidance right now? I feel like she's even stronger than my mom… maybe… she's actually the master that my mom always mentioned!"
Guinaifen blinked and nodded thoughtfully, "That really might not be impossible."
"Wait, if she really is my mom's master…" Sushang suddenly remembered how she had been casually throwing her arm around Fu Shi's shoulders earlier. Her face collapsed. "Then I've been acting all rude in front of her! If my mom finds out, she'll kill me for sure!"
Seeing this, Guinaifen chuckled and comforted her, "Look on the bright side, sis. If you really do get the chance to receive your mother's master's guidance, your mom would definitely be pleased."
Sushang clapped her hands, eyes lighting up, "Little Gui, you're right! Master just finished the match, she must be tired and hungry. I'll go buy some food to comfort her! If she gets in a good mood, maybe she'll teach me a few tricks! When my mom finds out, she'll definitely look at me differently!"
After saying that, Sushang hurriedly bid Guinaifen farewell and rushed out of the stands.
Owlbert then announced, "Since the arena has suffered heavy damage, we'll now be taking a short break. Once the stage is repaired, we'll begin the next round of the Tournament! I'm your favorite host, Owlbert, don't go anywhere!"
Just as his words fell, Fu Shi suddenly spoke, her tone lazy and casual, "Who said the arena was heavily damaged?"
With that, she snapped her fingers.
A sharp snap sliced through the air.
In the next instant, space rippled like water. The crowd blinked their eyes open again, only to find themselves leaning neatly against one another, while those without support were simply lying flat on the ground. The scene looked absurdly orderly.
Guinaifen froze, then looked down in surprise, Sushang, who had just run off to buy food, was somehow sitting beside her again, leaning gently on her shoulder.
Moments later, Sushang slowly opened her eyes, looking around in confusion and muttering, "Huh? How did I end up back here?"
Down below, Owlbert rubbed his eyes in shock, "What the?! What just happened? The Herrscher of Sentience only snapped her fingers, and the cracked, ruined arena instantly returned to its original state, without a single trace of battle left!"
Hands on her hips, Fu Shi explained with a touch of pride, "That's because I pulled all the spectators into a dream."
Jing Yuan murmured, thoughtful, "To so soundlessly drag others into a dream, and even read their thoughts… could her power be from the Aeon of Harmony?"
Stelle immediately complained on the spot, "Again with dreams?! Penacony is still chasing me!"
"Th-thank you for the explanation, Herrscher of Sentience."
Owlbert's heart skipped a beat, he was only controlling a puppet remotely from the IPC, yet he'd still been dragged into the dream. A cold sweat broke out on his back.
Quickly steadying himself, he hurried to escort Fu Shi off the stage before announcing loudly, "Since the arena is now 'repaired,' let us welcome the next contestant!"
"Wait. As the victor, I'm not done talking yet."
Fu Shi suddenly spoke again, her gaze sweeping over the roaring audience. She raised her finger to the sky and called out brightly, "Everyone in the audience, listen to me, now shout together, Long live the Herrscher of Sentience!"
As her voice fell, the entire crowd instantly ignited with passion.
Spectators leapt to their feet, waving their arms and echoing loudly, "Long live the Herrscher of Sentience!"
"It's just a Tournament, still far from the real 'Clash of Defenders.' Do they really have to get this worked up?" Owlbert muttered under his breath. But swept up in the heat of the moment, he also shouted, "Long live the Herrscher of Sentience!"
"Long live the Herrscher of Sentience~ Long live Mei☆!"
"The Herrscher of Sentience is the best! Long live Mei☆!"
Elysia waved her hands, Fu Hua cheered along too, but before his words finished, a small hand pinched his waist hard.
Kiana☆ leaned in close, her voice dripping with jealousy and a bit of menace,
"You're not allowed to cheer!"
After Fu Shi's exit, Sushang returned carrying bags stuffed with food, happily bouncing into the players' lounge.
She peeked inside, her voice tentative and probing,
"Fu Shi… no, Master, are you in here?"
The door creaked open. Fu Shi leaned lazily against the frame, raising a brow at the bags in Sushang's hands, "Why, if it isn't Sushang. You brought all that food for me?"
Sushang's eyes sparkled. She nodded eagerly and stuffed the bags into Fu Shi's arms without hesitation.
Fu Shi weighed them, then leaned closer to sniff the aroma, it really did smell pretty good. The only question was how it would taste.
Seeing Fu Shi's expression soften, Sushang quickly lifted her head, eyes full of expectation, "Master, I specially came to seek your guidance!"
At that, Fu Shi's expression turned a bit odd. She jiggled the bags in her arms, "Oh? You're here to become my disciple? Don't tell me these are your gifts for apprenticing under me?"
"No, no!" Sushang flailed her hands, cheeks flushed pink, her tone softening. "You're my mom's teacher, how could I dare worship you as my master? I just… just wanted to ask if you could give me a little guidance in cultivating the Taixuan Sword technique."
But even as she said that, a thought flashed in her mind, Then again, if I really did apprentice under her, wouldn't that make me on the same level as Mom? Actually… that doesn't sound too bad.
Fu Shi, on her side, quickly put the pieces together. Sushang had barged in calling her "Master" over and over, clearly because she'd used Taixuan Sword on the stage, making the girl mistake her identity.
Still, Fu Shi froze for a moment staring at the bags in her arms, then suddenly burst into laughter, "Hahaha! So you've been calling me 'Master' because you thought I was your mom's teacher? And you're so sure of it, huh?"
Sushang blinked her bright eyes, her voice brimming with smug certainty, "Of course! The techniques you used in the arena are exactly the same as what my mom taught me! And besides, you're way stronger than her. She often told me herself, the only one better than her in cultivating Taixuan Sword is her master. So it has to be you!"
'This world's Sushang is really such a silly girl. But she's fun. If I record this and show it to everyone back home, it'll be hilarious, keh keh keh.'
Fu Shi's eyes gleamed mischievously as her thoughts turned, letting out a villain's chuckle before stepping aside to let Sushang into the lounge.
But not long after, Fu Shi came back out, her gaze drifting toward the window, deep and doubtful as she murmured, "How can someone fall asleep standing up right after hearing the Taixuan Sword incantation? Is the problem with me… or with her?"
At that moment, Fu Shi began doubting her own teaching skills.