Thud.
Li Ming groaned. "Ow… that's definitely my spine."
He opened his eyes to find himself half-buried under rubble. Dust drifted down like snowflakes. Overhead, the once-glorious arena was now a crater wide enough to fit a small city.
"Bai Guo… Lan Yue… anyone alive?"
A weak voice replied, "Define alive."
Li Ming peeked out. Bai Guo lay upside-down on a rock, feathers singed and smoking slightly. Lan Yue stood a few meters away, brushing dust from her robes, somehow completely unharmed.
Li Ming blinked. "You didn't even get dirty?"
She raised a brow. "You're the one who exploded the arena."
He sighed, dragging himself upright. "I didn't explode it. I just… released it from structural expectations."
Bai Guo rolled off the rock. "You mean you blew it up again."
Before Li Ming could answer, the ground rumbled. A surge of energy pulsed beneath his feet—familiar yet far stronger than before. Golden light crawled up his arms. His breath hitched.
