Minjun glanced sideways at him. "And what about you? Going to give them a show when your name pops up?"
Wuxie leaned back, stretching like a cat in the sun. "Oh, I'm definitely giving them something. But not the kind they expect." His grin turned sly. "I like surprises."
On the stage, Kael tilted his head, as if acknowledging the distant cheers of his academy.
His smirk widened a fraction when his gaze flickered toward Fen Mian. She didn't look back at him. She didn't move at all—just watched the Orb as if she could see straight through its spinning magic.
The magical screen shimmered again, replaying their names in bolder, brighter letters, before dissolving into a new cascade of light threads.
The air itself seemed to hum, the pressure thickening with each opponent pairing.
"Fen Mian's cursed energy," Minjun said thoughtfully, "it's not just a combat style—it's… suffocating. Like drowning in darkness."
