In the days that followed, Echo kept that silver phoenix blossom on her forehead, careful not to smudge it even while washing her face—until Seraphine unable to bear watching her anymore, finally told her the phoenix seal was waterproof. Only then did she relax, happily packing her snack box each day to cheer Seraphine on at her matches. In the Golden Core bracket, two names sat tied at the top with identical scores: Seraphine Velka and Xu Zehua from the Crimson Thunder Sword Sect. Both harbored the same dark wish. Drama always saves the best for last, doesn’t it? After countless rounds of wheel-spinning matches between the sub-hundred Golden Core cultivators, these two titans had somehow managed to avoid each other completely. “Luanyang Palace’s Seraphine Velka versus Crimson Thunder Sword Sect’s Xu Zehua!” The Nascent Soul cultivators were fewer in number, cycling through wins and losses. Foundation Establishment disciples still had rounds to go. But Seraphine and Xu Zehua? They were the only two Golden Core cultivators with perfect records. Today’s victor would claim the second slot for the Continental Championships. The viewing platform groaned under the weight of countless bodies, all eager to witness the birth of the Eastern Continent’s second champion. Human nature being what it is, everyone picked sides. Xu Zehua, with his late-stage Golden Core cultivation and thunder sword techniques, had certainly gained admirers after his recent winning streak—a far cry from his humiliating performance captured in those recording stones that had circulated through Luanyang City. But compared to Seraphine? [The Palace Lord is peerless and magnificent!] Every Luanyang Palace disciple who wasn’t actively competing had crammed onto the platform, turning it into a sea of supporters. They maintained perfect courtesy, projecting the sect’s image of friendly enthusiasm and humble restraint. Then they projected [Give that turtle grandson a beatdown!] across the sky in glowing letters. I hung up the silk canopy and positioned myself by the railing, hands clasped together. Grinning, I opened my palms and blew gently. Two silver phoenixes materialized, dancing playfully toward the arena. They barely made it halfway before lightning cracked from above, obliterating my phoenixes along with every other cheering illusion in the vicinity. Crimson Thunder Sword Sect Leader Xu Zuoli lowered his hand with a stern declaration: “Petty tricks that disturb the mind!” The crowd seethed silently. I tilted my head, studying Xu Zuoli with mild curiosity. Xu Zuoli caught Echo’s gaze and sneered back, as if warning Echo, dare you do it again? As a system, I operated by simple rules: if no warning popup appeared, if no regulations were violated, then anything was fair game. I calmly drew my sword and raised it high. Nine Heavens Clear and Bright, One Sword of Frost. The full might of a Nascent Soul cultivator poured into that single strike. The blazing summer sun plunged into winter’s embrace as snow began falling from clear skies. Northern winds howled, whipping up thousand-layered drifts. Dozens of silent phoenixes emerged, circling the arena in an ethereal dance. Snow struck the barrier and dissolved soundlessly, only for more to take its place. On the platform, Seraphine’s gaze followed the soaring phoenix figures before settling on Xu Zehua’s cold sneer. Her long lashes lowered, concealing her own mockery. With Echo’s intervention, the disciples who’d been suppressed by Xu Zuoli’s power burst into renewed cheers. Someone shouted boldly: “What’s next? The mighty sect leader going to control who we root for?” Find the newest release on novel⚑fire.net Xu Zuoli’s expression turned glacial. As he raised his hand again, a streak of light shot from Luanyang Palace, landing on the viewing platform. The newcomer made no effort to hide her aura. She caught a falling snowflake and smiled. “When Yunong was young, she too made her mark at the Five Continental Championships. How could I miss such an important moment?” Xu Zuoli’s face darkened. He lowered his hand. I packed some snow into a lopsided fat bird and turned to study this mysterious woman, offering a smile. When in doubt, smile. Can’t go wrong. That’s when Siyi approached, voice warm with respect: “Master.” My eyes lit up with understanding. I hastily placed my snow bird on the railing and waved my hand. The phoenixes circling the arena instantly transformed into floating text. [Warmly Congratulating Seraphine’s Perfect Victory!] “Hmph, nothing but parlor tricks.” Xu Zehua sneered from the arena, raising his sword. Seraphine’s smile turned predatory, her expression radiating casual arrogance. “Oh? Why don’t you write that down and burn it as an offering to Li Wuhe? Ask him how it felt to die by parlor tricks.” Xu Zehua’s face contorted. His grip tightened on his sword hilt. Seraphine’s gaze swept dismissively over his weapon, her lips curling with disdain. Tournament overseer Lanzhi bowed to Siyue from her position. “Let the match begin—” The words barely reached their ears before flames erupted skyward, rushing toward Xu Zehua’s suddenly constricted pupils. Initially, Xu Zehua had dismissed Seraphine as merely talented. But the two-stage cultivation gap between them should have made victory impossible for her! But every time Seraphine’s competition was held, he always uncontrollably hid in the crowd to watch. Her techniques were overwhelmingly domineering, each move carrying the momentum of world conquest. Even against mid-stage Golden Core opponents, she never yielded ground. Each time she claimed victory amid the roaring cheers, Xu Zehua’s heart felt crushed in an invisible fist. He fantasized about her next opponent cutting her down, humbling that insufferable arrogance! But Seraphine had swept through everything in her path, even managing a narrow victory against a late-stage Golden Core cultivator. That same cultivator had fallen to Xu Zehua’s blade, yet as she left the arena, he’d heard her mutter: “She’s even stronger than Xu Zehua.” Rage consumed him. He needed to prove himself before everyone, to repay the humiliation Seraphine had inflicted a thousandfold! But now, standing on the actual platform with those roaring flames bearing down on him, his heart clenched in familiar terror. “Young Master Xu seems to think little of me, taking time to daydream mid-fight. I suppose I must use my full strength now.” Seraphine’s whip cracked against the ground, leaving charred marks where golden-red flames danced along the scars. Xu Zehua’s lightning finally responded, water vapor billowing up to shroud the arena. Thunder crackled through the mist, amplifying his thirty percent effort into seventy percent effectiveness! The battle turned fierce—the most savage Golden Core match yet. Neither competitor bothered with pre-fight courtesy, immediately unleashing their full arsenal. “Is it just me, or do these two want to actually kill each other instead of just sparring?” a disciple whispered, shivering. “Crimson Thunder Sword Sect and Luanyang Palace have plenty of bad blood. Add in that death match from before—they claim no grudges, but everyone’s nursing hatred inside.” “Don’t forget Xu Zehua’s massive humiliation in our city. Tsk, tsk.” From the platform, I leaned forward, my blue robes brushing against my snow bird and knocking it over. No time to rescue it—my attention was glued to the leaping flames on the arena. Something nagged at me. In all of Seraphine’s matches so far, I’d never seen her true phoenix manifestation. “Interesting, Seraphine’s power has grown beyond what I’ve seen before. She seems on the verge of breakthrough.” Siyue murmured to Siyi. “Such talent surpasses even Yunong!” Siyi replied, “The Palace Lord has always been diligent. She’s earned this.” Siyue nodded approvingly. It wasn’t just Siyue. Many observers noticed Seraphine’s rising battle state and cried out in amazement. On the arena, Xu Zehua retreated repeatedly, sensing imminent defeat and growing desperate. When someone’s will to fight begins wavering, their defeat becomes inevitable. Seraphine detected Xu Zehua’s withdrawal and charged forward with a cold laugh. Thunder rumbled faintly on the horizon, outshining the crackling lightning within the barrier. Arena barriers blocked spiritual energy absorption. Competitors couldn’t use spirit recovery pills—they had to rely solely on the spiritual power in their own consciousness sea to fight. Xu Zehua’s heart hammered as he watched Seraphine show no signs of fatigue while flames pursued him relentlessly! His mind scattered just as the fire whip lashed toward his face. Unable to block in time, the whip caught him across the cheek. Blood sprayed as flesh sizzled and burned, half his face mangled beyond recognition. Cultivators healed quickly, especially Golden Core stage ones, but the sheer humiliation sent Xu Zehua into a blind rage. Unable to touch Seraphine, his fury destroyed his composure completely. His sword work devolved into wild, formless hacking. Seraphine snorted with contempt. From the sidelines, Xu Zuoli watched with growing horror. “Great Perfection to this degree? Why must such talent belong to Luanyang Palace!” Another fire rain descended as Xu Zehua was driven into a corner. The outcome was clear. “Fellow Daoist Xu,” Seraphine said leisurely, “have you admitted defeat?” Xu Zehua clenched his fists, hatred blinding him completely. Seeing Seraphine’s apparent reserves, he snarled: “Defeat?” “Let me show you who’s really going to lose!” To everyone’s shock, he pulled out a pill bottle and downed its contents despite the crowd’s outcry. High-grade recovery pills worked instantly, flooding him with spiritual energy. Lightning blazed anew as he poured everything into his sword for one final strike. “Warning! Rule violation!” I barked. I leaped from the platform, drawing Nine Heavens. Just then, a clear cry rang out from within the surging electrical storm—a phoenix’s song. Golden wings spread wide, deflecting all lightning back at its source as flames towered skyward. Within that inferno, Seraphine stood untouchable. My anger spiked. My usually expressionless face scrunched into a deep frown as I gripped my sword tighter. Frost instantly coated the ground beneath my feet. “Rule violation.” I said quietly. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice?” Seraphine’s smile turned predatory as her tongue darted out to lick blood from her lip. Her whip flew out, wrapping around Xu Zehua’s weapon and yanking it away before tossing it at her feet. She strolled forward with casual disdain. “Without that toy, what are you exactly?” Her golden shoe pressed down on the thunder sword. “No!” Xu Zehua roared, but the golden phoenix surrounding Seraphine spread its wings wide. Its eyes blazed with divine contempt as it dove toward him wreathed in towering flames. The thunder sword shattered in two pieces. Lightning died instantly. The phoenix slammed into Xu Zehua, hurling him against the barrier. He dropped like broken clay, bones shattered throughout his body, life hanging by a thread. From the high platform, Lanzhi frowned. “Crimson Thunder Sword Sect’s Xu Zehua has openly violated tournament rules. All achievements are nullified. All other Crimson Thunder Sword Sect disciples are disqualified.” She raised her hand, and every Crimson Thunder Sword Sect name on the leaderboard dissolved into ink stains. As the barrier dissipated, Xu Zehua collapsed from the platform. Xu Zuoli roared in fury and lunged at Seraphine! At that critical moment, both Siyue and Echo landed in front of her, forming a protective barrier. Late-stage Soul Transformation pressure erupted, forcing Xu Zuoli to his knees. “Sect Leader Xu.” Siyue’s voice carried deadly calm, “I’ve killed more Soul Transformation cultivators than you’ve probably met in your lifetime. A frog in a well doesn’t recognize the vast sky. You dare harm my Luanyang Palace Lord? Do you wish to leave Luanyang City alive?” “Your Luanyang Palace goes too far! Killing my own flesh and blood before my eyes!” “He tried to harm Seraphine.” I stated flatly. “He deserved death.” Xu Zuoli’s gaze shifted from Siyue to Echo. Their eyes met—his blazing with fury, hers utterly impassive. I raised my sword toward his face. “I’ll fight you.” Seraphine peeked over Echo’s shoulder, pressing her sword down with a gentle touch. She smiled mockingly. “Sect Leader Xu, I am magnanimous. Though Xu Zehua’s behavior was utterly shameless, I spared his life—merely crippled his spiritual veins so he’ll live as a trash. Shouldn’t you thank me?” Xu Zuoli frantically knelt beside his son, confirming he still breathed before forcing a pill between his lips. After one final cold sweep of the arena, he departed in fury with his remaining disciples stumbling behind. Seraphine watched their retreat, concealing the killing intent in her eyes. From this day forward, Luanyang Palace and Crimson Thunder Sword Sect are sworn enemies. After such a thrilling match, cheers erupted from the crowd. I hurried to retrieve Nine Heavens’ sheath, securing my sword before joining the applause. Seraphine smiled faintly and stepped over to Echo’s side. She lifted her hand to gently grasp Echo’s chin, tilting her face upward. High on the mountain, the great scroll displayed a new name beneath the first qualifier. [Luanyang Palace - Seraphine Velka] Seraphine chuckled softly and leaned close to Echo’s ear. Gone was the arena’s sharp, icy edge, replaced by a gentle whisper: “See…… our names are together.”