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More than half a month slowly passed. Above the cold spring of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the white cold mist that had covered the area for weeks finally started to disappear. As the mist vanished, two figures slowly appeared. The two people were embracing and regained their senses at almost the same time.
Kong Mingan did not open his eyes right away. His mind was busy organizing the many thoughts and ideas that had come to him during this time. After a long while, he let out a soft sigh. He felt a faint sense of weariness in his heart. Perhaps he had been too focused during his research.
He had been working for more than half a month without any sleep. He had not felt tired while he was working, but now that he was finished, the fatigue hit him hard. It felt like the crash after an adrenaline rush. Luckily, he could still handle it and it did not affect him too much.
Slowly opening his eyes, the faint blue light in them faded away like a tide. However, as soon as he opened them, he felt that something was not right. He paused and looked up. He naturally met the icy blue eyes that were silently watching him.
Kong Mingan was stunned for a moment before he calmed down. With a steady gaze, he softly called out, Snow Empress? The Snow Empress paused for a second and then let go of him. She pulled back slightly. With the departure of her soft, cold body, Kong Mingan could finally breathe properly again. Taking a deep breath, he moved to the main topic.
He asked her, how is your recovery going? The Snow Empress waited a moment before answering. She said the cold spring's effect is very good. If I use it a few more times, there will be no problem. Her voice was clear and cold, just like it always was. It seemed like nothing about her had changed.
The healing of the Snow Empress was not something that could happen overnight. Her transformation had been stopped by force and she had been Sealed. Although her injured Origin did not get any worse, it was impossible to fully recover in just half a month. Kong Mingan understood this and did not ask more questions.
Instead, his gaze fell on the cold spring at his feet. He could feel that the extreme cold Energy in the water was much lower than before. It was clear that the Energy in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was not infinite. However, he also felt that the Energy was coming back at a decent speed.
This was because the extreme heat and extreme cold of the well were working together to regenerate. Kong Mingan looked at it for a moment. He had to admit that the Energy structure of this place was perfect. Sadly, his focus was on the Snow Empress and her Elementalization, so he had to put these thoughts aside for now.
After saying hello to Tang Ya, who was busy digging and planting grass nearby, Kong Mingan raised his hand. He pulled out a gray door and stepped through it. The Snow Empress followed closely behind him.
Two of the three tasks in the Tianhun Empire were now finished. Now, it was time to finish the last one. They headed to Heaven Dou City. It was the final day of the Advanced Spirit Master Academy Soul Fighting Grand Competition. The sky was clear and blue.
Inside the massive arena, people were cheering loudly. The excitement of the crowd had reached its Peak. After many rounds of tough matches, the two teams on the final stage were old rivals. One was Shrek Academy, which symbolized being unbeatable. The other was the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, which represented the Peak of spirit tools.
In the Shrek resting area, the mood was very serious. Zhang Lexuan sat on the edge of her seat. She wore dark purple clothes with a black top that showed her figure. Her hands rested on her legs. At one point, she looked up toward the Sun Moon team across the arena. Her cold eyes looked at every person on the other side. She was trying to find the young man who had been on her mind lately. However, she found nothing.
She felt a little sad and disappointed. Perhaps it was her intuition, or maybe she cared more than she wanted to admit. Ever since the day she talked to this young man, who was her nominal clan brother, she could not stop thinking about him. This feeling got stronger after he suddenly stopped fighting in the competition. It was like he had vanished into thin air.
Zhang Lexuan stayed silent for a while. Her mind went back to the promise the young man made before she left that day. She whispered to herself, go home? She quickly realized what she was doing and stopped her thoughts. Shrek was her home. It was her only home. She told herself that she would absolutely not leave.
After saying this to herself a few times, she managed to calm her mind. she rubbed her temples to try and relax. Just then, a gentle voice spoke from beside her. Han Ruoruo said, Lexuan, Elder Xuan and the Teacher want us to go over the lineup and tactics one last time.
Zhang Lexuan turned and saw Han Ruoruo and Wu Ming coming toward her. Han Ruoruo was calm and gentle as always. Wu Ming looked excited, and her eyes were full of Battle Intent. Zhang Lexuan took a deep breath and nodded. She said, alright.
The three of them went to the Team Leader Teacher and started to talk. The teacher told them that the format was the same as before. There would be individual matches, then two-on-two or three-on-three matches, and finally a team battle.
The teacher said he would not go over the details again because they should have them memorized. For the first match, the individual competition, he told Wu Ming she was up first. He told her she must get the first win. Wu Ming smiled and clenched her fist.
A golden flame appeared around her. She was very confident. Her Golden Crow Spirit was very scary in one-on-one fights. Zhang Lexuan felt a little better seeing this. As Wu Ming's best friend, she knew how strong she was. Even if Wu Ming was a bit impulsive, she was a great fighter. She was the best choice to start the match.
After everyone checked the plan, they went back to wait. Zhang Lexuan sat back down in her seat. Once again, she looked over at the other team's area. Suddenly, her eyes widened. In the shadows of the Sun Moon team's area, a person had stepped out. It was Kong Mingan. He was wearing his white clothes, and his black hair was neat. He had a faint smile on his face. He looked over and met her gaze.
He gave her a polite smile. Zhang Lexuan's heart skipped a beat. She felt a strong sense of worry. She wanted to yell a warning to Wu Ming, who was walking toward the stage. But right then, the referee shouted that the first match was starting. Before she could say a word, Wu Ming jumped onto the stage with a flash of golden light. The crowd cheered for her.
Zhang Lexuan looked back at the other side. She saw Kong Mingan nod to her. He took a step and his body flickered. A second later, he appeared right in front of Wu Ming. Kong Mingan was actually going to fight in this match himself.
The crowd went wild as the two fighters stood face to face. Wu Ming looked at Kong Mingan with surprise, but her Battle Intent only grew stronger. She did not know who this young man was, but she could feel a strange energy coming from him.
On the other side, Kong Mingan remained calm. His expression did not change even with thousands of people screaming around him. He looked like he was taking a walk in a park rather than standing on a competitive stage. Zhang Lexuan watched from the sidelines, her hands clenched into fists. She knew that Kong Mingan was not simple.
Every time they met, he seemed more mysterious. She wondered why he chose this specific moment to return to the competition. The atmosphere in the arena was thick with tension as everyone waited for the referee to give the signal to start the fight.
Wu Ming took a deep breath, and the golden flames around her body grew brighter. She was a Spirit Saint, and her power was respected by everyone at Shrek. She didn't believe that someone her age could beat her easily. Kong Mingan just stood there, his hands behind his back. He didn't even call out his Spirit yet.
This made the audience whisper in confusion. Usually, Spirit Masters would prepare their Spirits as soon as they got on stage. But Kong Mingan seemed to be waiting for something. The referee looked at both of them and raised his hand. He checked to see if they were ready.
Wu Ming gave a sharp nod. Kong Mingan simply blinked his eyes. The referee's hand dropped, and he shouted for the match to begin. Immediately, the air on the stage became hot as Wu Ming's flames exploded outward, covering the ground in golden fire.
Despite the intense heat, Kong Mingan did not move. He stayed exactly where he was, as if the fire could not touch him. This shocked the spectators. Even a Spirit Emperor would have to defend against Wu Ming's flames.
Zhang Lexuan leaned forward, her eyes fixed on Kong Mingan. She wanted to see what he would do next. She knew that this match would not be a simple one. The Sun Moon Academy had been quiet for most of the tournament, but now that Kong Mingan was back, everything had changed.
The fate of the championship seemed to hang in the balance of this single fight. Wu Ming didn't hesitate. She charged forward, her hand turning into a claw made of golden fire. She aimed straight for Kong Mingan, wanting to end the fight quickly and prove Shrek's dominance.