Chapter 204: The Contest
"How are you feeling? Not hurt, right?" Dai Yao asked.
Feng Wutong, catching her breath slightly, nodded. "I'm fine, just a little drained."
After today, there would likely be others who could achieve a one-against-seven victory, but not with Feng Wutong's ease. The match had ended before Dai Yao's tea had even cooled. This outcome was partly due to the elemental advantage her Vermilion Bird martial spirit held over Botany Academy's plant-based spirits, and partly due to the sheer power of her Vermilion Bird Domain, which amplified her fire-based attacks to an extraordinary level.
The Vermilion Bird Domain not only boosted Feng Wutong's own power, but empowered all fire-type spirit masters within its area, emphasizing the Vermilion Bird's supremacy. While Tang San's Blue Silver Domain was versatile, Feng Wutong's was pure strength, though it consumed soul power at a significantly faster rate.
Though her performance seemed effortless, it wasn't. From the moment she stepped on the stage, Feng Wutong had activated her domain, and within mere moments, her soul power was nearly depleted. Despite the Vermilion Bird spirit's balance of power and endurance, her abilities still demanded tremendous energy, especially with no access to her fourth spirit ability.
"You're still lacking the soul power to maintain the domain without draining yourself," Dai Yao noted thoughtfully. "Once you're at a higher level, you'll be able to sustain it more easily. Use it wisely in future matches."
"Understood," Feng Wutong replied, accepting the tea cup he handed her.
At that moment, Luo Ling rushed over, taking Feng Wutong's hand with excitement. "Wutong, you were amazing! One against seven! Those Botany Academy girls were so annoying, thank you for putting them in their place. If I weren't a support spirit master, I'd have loved to give them a lesson myself."
Feng Wutong smiled, her soft laugh belying her recent display of strength. "They really were irritating."
Zhu Zhuqing's expression showed her own admiration. Now, Feng Wutong was at her level, only slightly weaker due to the heavy consumption of her Vermilion Bird Domain compared to Zhu Zhuqing's Netherworld Domain. With her newly awakened spirit power, Feng Wutong was now Oakland's third strongest member, after Dai Yao and Zhu Zhuqing.
Dugu Yan, who had been tense during the match, relaxed visibly. When she'd first heard that Dai Yao's goal was to surpass Spirit Hall's Golden Generation, she'd thought it an impossible dream. But as the tournament progressed, their chances of victory felt more realistic, especially with Feng Wutong's advancement to Spirit Ancestor level, which further strengthened their odds.
Looking at Feng Wutong thoughtfully, Luo Ling murmured, "I still don't get it, Wutong. With how strong you are, why serve as Dai Yao's assistant? With your power, you could join almost any academy."
Her quiet words nonetheless caught the attention of the rest of the Oakland team, who all looked over with curiosity. Feng Wutong's talent clearly matched that of Spirit Hall's Golden Generation. A prodigy destined to become a titled Douluo serving as an assistant seemed…incomprehensible.
Feng Wutong glanced at Dai Yao, her sharp eyes softening for a moment, then replied with a warm smile, "That's a secret."
Seeing her reaction, Luo Ling shook her head knowingly, thinking, Another woman completely smitten.
"Against the Heaven Dou teams, the teams from other kingdoms and duchies don't stand a chance," Dai Yao observed as he watched the day's matches. In today's seven rounds, it was clear that teams from kingdoms and duchies fell far behind the five teams representing Heaven Dou Empire. Botany Academy, with three Spirit Ancestors, was already the strongest of the teams from those regions; on average, most of these teams had only one Spirit Ancestor each. They simply couldn't compete with the Five Element Academies, Shrek, or Oakland.
"So much for the other teams," Dai Yiyuan stretched his arms, visibly relieved. "I was worried for nothing."
"Understandable," Feng Qianli replied. "Most powerful soul masters won't stay in kingdoms and duchies. They're all attached to the empires. The teams that got knocked out in the preliminaries aren't that different from these."
"Let's go, everyone. Matches are done for today," Jackson instructed, waving the team back to their area. But just as they turned to leave, three figures in bright red blocked their path.
Jackson frowned as he recognized them. "Fire Elder, what do you want?"
Dai Yao's eyes narrowed, studying the newcomers—members of the Blazing Academy. Leading them was an elderly but fit man with flaming red hair streaked with silver. His very presence radiated the intensity of fire. Beside him stood Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang. Huo Wu met Dai Yao's gaze defiantly, while Huo Wushuang's eyes kept darting to Feng Wutong, his gaze full of intrigue.
"That powerful fire energy—it must be Blazing Academy's headmaster," Dai Yao thought.
With a gentle but firm gaze, the elder, whom Jackson had addressed as Fire Elder, focused on Feng Wutong. "I'm here for her."
"What business do you have with Wutong?" Jackson asked, his frown deepening.
The Fire Elder smiled kindly, "Young lady, may I have a word with you?"
Feng Wutong looked to Dai Yao. Her performance had clearly caught their attention. Blazing Academy had sought her out when she'd first awakened her Vermilion Bird martial spirit, and now, after her spectacular one-on-seven display, it seemed they could wait no longer.
Dai Yao stepped in, his voice firm. "Fire Elder, I understand, but you should leave."
The Fire Elder's gaze sharpened, his red eyes flashing. "Young man, I know that both Spirit Hall and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan favor you. But her potential is equal to your own. Blazing Academy is the ideal place for any fire spirit user to grow. If you really care about her future, let her go."
The elder's tone was pointed. He knew that with Dai Yao's connections, he couldn't force Feng Wutong to leave. Instead, he framed it as a moral decision, implying that if Dai Yao held her back, he'd be stunting her growth.
Even if it didn't succeed, at least it would sow discord between the two.
"Old friend, isn't this a bit much?"
Jackson stepped in front of Feng Wutong, his expression darkening slightly.
Dai Yao knew that the elder from Blazing Fire Academy, Huo Lao, wouldn't give up easily. Deciding to settle the matter, Dai Yao tugged on Jackson's sleeve and said to Huo Lao, "Alright, if that's the case, Wutong, why don't you talk it over with Huo Lao yourself?"
"A wise decision, young man," Huo Lao said with a smile.
Watching the two leave, Dai Yao felt no concern that Feng Wutong might actually join Blazing Fire Academy. After journeying together since their time at Star Luo Royal Academy, he had complete faith in her loyalty.
Just as the group was preparing to leave, Huo Wu suddenly stepped in front of Dai Yao.
Jackson's face revealed a playful smirk, his gaze shifting to Dai Yao.
Instantly, the looks from Dugu Yan and Zhu Zhuqing fixed coldly on Dai Yao.
"Miss Huo Wu, is there something you need?"
Feng Qianli, as the captain, spoke up.
"I'm here to talk to Dai Yao."
Huo Wu's gaze briefly passed over Feng Qianli before she nodded and took a few steps forward, locking eyes with Dai Yao.
"Dai Yao, don't forget the promise between us," she said.
"Oh?"
Huo Wu's words instantly sparked curiosity among the Oakland team's male members. They exchanged knowing glances and directed all their attention toward Dai Yao.
Scratching his head, Dai Yao stepped forward cautiously. This so-called "promise" left him utterly perplexed.
"Promise? What promise?"
Huo Wu was stunned, disbelief written all over her face. Her chest heaved slightly as a faint mist appeared in her beautiful eyes.
"You dare forget our promise?"
Dugu Yan cast Huo Wu a coquettish glance and leaned close to Dai Yao's ear, whispering softly to remind him.
Seeing this display of intimacy between Dugu Yan and Dai Yao, Huo Wu inexplicably felt a pang of bitterness in her heart.
With Dugu Yan's reminder, the memory clicked for Dai Yao.
Back then, after Dai Yao had defeated Huo Wu, she had been unconvinced. She used his external soul bone as leverage to demand a fair rematch in the promotion rounds.
Even though Dai Yao's external soul bone had already been revealed during his fight with Tang San, there was no harm in fulfilling Huo Wu's request for another battle.
"Oh, now I remember," Dai Yao said, realization dawning on him.
Huo Wu was furious at his nonchalant attitude.
"It's good that you remember. When Blazing Fire Academy faces Oakland Academy again, we'll both go first and have a fair fight," she declared.
Dai Yao was momentarily taken aback by her insistence and glanced at his teammates.
If he were to go first, he could easily defeat five or six opponents, if not all seven, without much effort. That would leave his teammates with no chance to participate in the battle.
"You don't need to worry about us," Feng Qianli said, clapping Dai Yao on the shoulder.
Luo Feng and Dai Yuan also smiled in agreement, fully supporting Huo Wu's challenge.
Pressing his lips together, Dai Yao turned back to Huo Wu and said seriously, "Fine, I'll go first. Just don't end up crying when you lose."
Huo Wu, a fiercely competitive girl, could barely tolerate the idea of a one-against-seven scenario. Such a defeat would severely damage the reputation of Blazing Fire Academy. In the original story, her pride even drove her to a near self-destructive fight with Tang San to regain face for her academy.
"You don't need to worry about me," Huo Wu huffed, turning away and rejoining Huo Wushuang.
After Oakland Academy left, Huo Wushuang sighed and said, "Sister, why go through all this trouble? You know how strong Dai Yao is. Even if all of Blazing Fire Academy's members team up, we might not be able to defeat him. Why insist on this promise?"
Huo Wu's fiery red eyes lowered as a faint glimmer flashed within them. Though her emotions seemed low, her tone carried stubborn resolve.
"Brother, I know beating him is nearly impossible, but I just want a proper fight with him. Even if I lose, I'll accept it willingly. I've already lost twice to him—once in a one-on-one match and once in a team battle."
"In both battles, he held back and maintained a level of power similar to mine. I didn't lose because of strength; it felt like he could read my every move, completely suppressing me tactically."
"Being overpowered, I can accept. But having my strategies picked apart and toyed with—that's unbearable."
Huo Wushuang sighed helplessly. As her older brother, he knew her too well. His proud sister wasn't angry about losing in strength but about being outsmarted.
Inside his tent, Dai Yao meditated in silence, seizing every moment to cultivate. One day, his efforts would yield unimaginable results.
After some time, he slowly opened his eyes, retracting his circulating soul power.
"Hah—just broke through to level 45. Level 46 still feels so far away."
In his mind, his primary rivals were Tang San and the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall.
Having recently defeated Tang San, Dai Yao wasn't concerned for the moment. However, as the story's destined protagonist, Tang San would always remain a formidable foe in the future.
The Golden Generation, on the other hand, represented his immediate challenge.
"They won't be easy to handle. In the original story, Tang San only managed to defeat them by relying on the poison of his Eight Spider Lances. Without Tang San's hidden weapon techniques, defeating them head-on will be incredibly difficult."
Thinking about this, Dai Yao felt a hint of frustration.
"Forget it. No point dwelling on it now. Today, Huo Lao from Blazing Fire Academy clearly wanted to recruit Feng Wutong. Standing out too much is a double-edged sword."
"Today it's Blazing Fire Academy. Tomorrow, it might be another academy—or even the Heaven Dou imperial family."
"While I don't worry about Feng Wutong leaving, I need to cut off these attempts to poach her. With her potential, even Spirit Hall would struggle to find someone of her caliber. I'll talk to Grandpa Salas later and have Spirit Hall intervene to end Blazing Fire Academy's plans."
At that moment, the tent flap opened, and Feng Wutong stepped inside.
"You're back."
"Yes, Young Master."
Feng Wutong first tidied Dai Yao's bedding before gracefully sitting down and meeting his gaze.
"What terms did they offer?" Dai Yao asked.
Feng Wutong hesitated briefly. She had expected him to ask whether she had accepted or rejected the offer, but his question assumed her loyalty. A faint smile curved her lips.
"They didn't ask me to join immediately. They wanted me to join Blazing Fire Academy after the tournament ends. If I agreed, they'd provide me with optimal soul ring configurations for my future breakthroughs and even a soul bone over 10,000 years old."
Dai Yao couldn't help but suck in a breath. Such conditions were the dream of any soul master—a perfect soul ring setup and a 10,000-year soul bone were treasures beyond measure.
Meeting Feng Wutong's warm gaze, he clasped her delicate hand and said softly, "Don't worry. Follow me, and your future achievements will far surpass anything Blazing Fire Academy could offer."
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