Sirius Dome, Jie Long Seventh Academy's exclusive viewing room.
This was a special observation chamber prepared by Sirius Dome specifically for Jie Long, located above the stage, offering a bird's-eye view of the entire arena. Every academy had such a privileged viewing room, but securing access was notoriously difficult under normal circumstances. During the Phoenix Festa period, only student council presidents or figures of equivalent status could apply for entry.
"So that's the kid named Roy!"
Fan Xinglou sat by the window, tilting her head slightly as she took in the scene below.
The white-haired youth who had just appeared on the stage reflected in her eyes, and the amusement in her gaze deepened.
"Seeing him up close like this, the boy truly has remarkable potential! Disposition aside, his innate talent is absolutely top-tier! If he'd been born in my era, he might even have had the chance to ascend as an immortal!"
Fan Xinglou couldn't stop praising Roy.
Zhao Hufeng, however, felt nothing but unease.
He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his eyes pleading as he looked at Fan Xinglou.
"Master, you wouldn't just rush out and kidnap him without a second thought, would you?"
"What are you thinking, Hufeng? Do I really seem that unrestrained in your eyes?"
Fan Xinglou withdrew her gaze, a hint of displeasure flashing in her eyes.
"Though I might have done so in the past."
She really might have done it!
Cold sweat broke out on Zhao Hufeng's forehead. But even if he wanted to stop his master, he wouldn't dare—not even if his life depended on it. For now, all he could do was pray that she would honor the secret agreement with the conglomerate and abide by the rules.
"So that's the current top-ranked student at Seidoukan?"
"Is he really as impressive as Master says?"
At that moment, two voices chimed in one after another.
Zhao Hufeng's expression darkened as he turned a sharp gaze toward the source of the voices.
"Li Shenyun, Li Shenhua, are you doubting Master's judgment?"
"Not at all, not at all."
"Master is, of course, always correct."
Standing on the other side of Fan Xinglou, a pair of twin siblings with identical brown short hair and loose Jie Long uniforms grinned cheekily as they spoke. Their appearances were so similar that even their builds were nearly indistinguishable.
Their speech patterns were eerily synchronized, their words flowing seamlessly as if spoken by a single person, their auras unnaturally in sync.
"But Master also said that Roy is only exceptionally talented. Even if he becomes strong, that's a matter for the future."
"Right now, he might not be all that impressive—just a greenhorn with raw talent, right?"
They bantered back and forth, their smiles playful, but their words dripped with arrogance.
"You two..."
Zhao Hufeng's glare softened slightly, replaced by a frown as he hesitated.
Still, he couldn't entirely dismiss the possibility.
After all, the only combat footage of Roy available was from a month ago, and he hadn't made a single public move since then.
In that battle, it was widely known that he had won through overwhelming physical prowess, prana levels, and control—his actual combat skills were far from refined.
At least in the eyes of Fan Xinglou's disciples, Roy's skills were quite ordinary, even weak. Coming to Jie Long, forget about establishing his own school—there were countless students within Jie Long who imitated Fan Xinglou by setting up their own factions and taking disciples, with hundreds-strong factions being commonplace—he couldn't even rank among them.
"If he's just a talented but clueless rookie, then he's not much of a threat to us!"On the other hand, the Claudia Enfield beside him—her Orga Lux weapon is quite troublesome for us!"
The twin siblings went back and forth, seemingly settling the matter, as if Roy was truly nothing more than a clueless rookie in their eyes.
Zhao Hufeng wanted to argue. He held considerable goodwill toward Roy, who, like him, had taken the path of prana control. Having walked this path himself, he knew just how difficult it was—only a handful within the Six Flowers shared his ideals. Yet, the twins' words held undeniable logic, leaving him unable to refute them.
"There really are no traces of martial training on him."
At this moment, Fan Xinglou glanced at the three around her and finally spoke, though her tone lacked enthusiasm.
"Just as expected."
"No surprise there."
With Fan Xinglou's approval, the twins' faces lit up with smug satisfaction as they shot Zhao Hufeng a haughty look.
"But that was a month ago."
However, Fan Xinglou's next words left the twins frozen in shock.
"Even I was taken aback! Who would've thought that in just a month, this Roy kid would make such progress? If I had been the one to train him... Ah, what a shame, what a shame!"
Fan Xinglou slapped her thigh in frustration—why hadn't she been the one to discover such a prodigy first?
The twins exchanged glances, each seeing a flicker of astonishment in the other's eyes.
That Roy kid made significant progress in just a month?
And to the extent that even their master was surprised?
What kind of joke was this?
Among all their fellow disciples, who had ever earned such praise from their master?
"Just keep watching!"
Fan Xinglou waved her hand dismissively, her face full of melancholy.
As the match was about to begin, the three fell silent in unison, focusing their attention on the stage.
A massive spatial screen hovered above the stage, displaying a 360-degree view of the arena to ensure even distant spectators could see clearly.
"For this first-round match of Block A in the 24th Phoenix Festa, held at Sirius Dome, I, ABC commentator Ryusei Miko, will be providing live coverage. Joining me for commentary is Ms. Fan Shizhen, a Jie Long Seventh Institute alumna, current administrative officer, and captain of the Arad Faction."
"Hello, everyone!"
Another spatial screen appeared at the commentary booth, featuring a young woman with soft, curly hair and another with a neat black bob. Both smiled and greeted the audience through the camera.
"The most anticipated pair in this year's Phoenix Festa has to be Roy and Claudia. It's practically the former number one and the current number one competing together—hard to imagine any duo defeating them."
"Rumor has it they're the most heavily bet-on pair in online betting pools. Truly the top contenders for the championship!"
"Meanwhile, the two contestants from the other side have also taken the stage!"
On the platform, two young girls emerged from the western passageway.
One was tall, the other short, both close in age with strikingly elegant and refined appearances—clearly a duo from Queenvail Girls' Academy.
"Emerging from the western gate, these two contestants from Queenvail Girls' Academy are not to be underestimated either! Among them, Sandra Segur comes from the high school division, ranked 21st in the Book of Celebrated Priestesses. Though Nina Achenwall is from the middle school division, at such a young age she's already ranked 47th in the Book of Celebrated Priestesses. What's particularly remarkable is that she's also a witch with diverse and colorful abilities—her future potential is truly limitless!"
As the Queenvail duo was introduced, the cheers in the venue noticeably dropped off, the disparity in popularity plain to see.
On stage, the older of the two, Sandra, noticed the difference in the audience's enthusiasm, and her already unpleasant expression darkened further.
Beside her, the younger girl—perhaps making her debut on such a grand stage—kept her head bowed timidly, too afraid to even look up.
***
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