...
Because Xuan Hao's first move in the opening match was so stunning, a strange phenomenon occurred on the field in the following days of the qualifiers.
Any team facing the Royal Fighting Team II would either be so terrified by their infamous reputation that they would choose to forfeit on the spot.
They could either swallow their pride and give up challenging Xuan Hao, and let Ning Rongrong and the other "normal people" take the stage for a team battle.
Fighting those delicate and beautiful Soul Kings would at most result in getting beaten up and losing the match;
But if they stubbornly insisted on challenging that monster, the tragic scene of the seven girls from Tianshui Academy being shocked and bleeding from all seven orifices and going into shock on the spot is still fresh in everyone's mind!
This resulted in Xuanhao, the team leader, becoming a completely idle person with nothing to do in the days that followed, and losing all opportunities to play.
In the private lounge.
Watching Xuan Hao lounging on the sofa all day, drinking tea and yawning, Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, finally couldn't help but voice her doubts:
"I remember over a year ago, when you first created this Royal Fighting Team II, you were very interested in this Soul Master Tournament.
You even enthusiastically said that you planned to lower your strength and play with these geniuses on stage.
But now, you've staged this 'killing the chicken to scare the monkey' show, making yourself unable to even get on stage. What's the point?"
"Since you don't want to play, you might as well have gone directly to the Heavenly Dou Royal Team as a guaranteed spot.
Anyway, with the strength of Yu Tianheng's team, it wouldn't be difficult for them to win the preliminaries with a little effort.
Why bother squeezing into this second team?"
Xuan Hao leaned back on the sofa. "Being interested in competitions?
That's an old story from almost two years ago.
I've been soaking motionless in the spring water of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well for so long, how could I still have so many playful thoughts like I did back then?"
"Now, sitting here watching these so-called prodigies is like watching a bunch of toddlers fighting in a mud puddle.
Do you think an adult would want to jump into the mud puddle and join a bunch of kids messing around?"
Na'er, who was standing nearby, came over with a plate of peeled fruit.
She carefully examined Xuan Hao's expression and asked with some suspicion:
"It can't just be that you find it boring, right?
Brother, have you been in a bad mood these past few days?"
Upon hearing Na'er's voice, Xuan Hao leaned forward, burying most of his body against her and burying his head deep in her soft, fragrant embrace.
"It's not that I'm in a bad mood... I'm just simply tired."
Xuan Hao closed his eyes. "I was in seclusion in that damned spring for over a year, enduring the torment of being tempered by ice and fire and the tearing of my mental energy every day.
My brain was almost depressed from being soaked in it."
"I wasn't just relaxing and sleeping in there; I was constantly undergoing intense, holistic training.
Now that I'm out, my energy and blood have transformed, but I'm completely exhausted, both physically and mentally.
I'm so tired that all I want to do is find a quiet place and sleep like a log. I don't have the leisure or inclination to compete on stage."
Upon hearing this, Qian Renxue sighed, feeling a mix of heartache and helplessness as she complained:
"Why didn't you tell me sooner? If you had told me earlier that you were so tired, I would have simply swapped your roster with Yu Tianheng and Tang San's team before the competition started.
I could have let you be the nominal captain of the first team and be guaranteed a spot in the finals so you could relax comfortably, right?"
"That won't do."
Xuanhao shook his head in Na'er's arms and said in a muffled voice, "I don't want to fight, it's too much trouble. But Na'er and Rongrong want to play."
"Such a lively event across the entire mainland, it probably only happens once in a lifetime.
I led them through the qualifiers, letting everyone have a great time and showcasing their skills, just to give them a beautiful memory of their youth."
Qian Renxue was speechless for a moment, then twitched her lips and said sarcastically, "Oh, I didn't realize that you, the ruthless President Xuanhao, are actually quite considerate to these female confidantes in private."
Xuan Hao lifted his head from Na'er's embrace and glanced at her.
"Stop being jealous of me. Put your hand on your heart and do the math. I've made far more concessions and compromises for you than for them.
To be honest, I was determined from the start not to mess with you, you big troublemaker."
Qian Renxue's expression froze, and she snapped angrily, "Shut up!"
Xuan Hao immediately backed down and buried his head back in Na'er's arms. "Na'er, listen to this, she's yelling at me again!"
"Don't be angry, don't be angry. Na'er is here, ignore her." Na'er reached out her fair little hand and gently patted Xuan Hao's head, her tone full of indulgence and pampering.
Watching these two clowns play this pointless "children's house" game without any sense of boundaries, Qian Renxue felt a spasm in her stomach and stood up with a black line on her face.
"I must be crazy to be here watching you two act crazy!"
Qian Renxue snorted coldly, turned around and left the lounge, preferring to stay out of sight.
The room fell silent immediately, leaving only Xuan Hao and Na'er.
The two of them nestled quietly on the sofa, enjoying this rare moment of peace and tranquility.
A short while later, a slightly hesitant knocking on the door suddenly broke the silence of the room.
"Tuk-tuk-tuk-"
Someone is coming.
Na'er gently patted Xuan Hao's head, and Xuan Hao reluctantly moved away from his comfortable position and sat up lazily.
Na'er straightened her skirt, got up, walked to the door, and gently opened it.
Standing outside the door was none other than Shui Bing'er, the captain of the Tianshui Academy team.
Shui Bing'er looked up at the stunningly beautiful silver-haired girl in front of her, who was even a head taller than her.
A hint of awkwardness flashed in her eyes as she asked somewhat timidly, "Um... excuse me, is Xuan Hao here?"
Na'er stepped aside and said softly, "My brother is resting inside. Is there something you need from him?"
Shui Bing'er bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, and then said with a forced smile, "If it's convenient... I'd like to have a few words with him alone. It'll be quick."
Na'er didn't answer immediately. Instead, she turned to look at Xuan Hao sitting on the sofa and asked with her eyes, "Brother?"
Xuan Hao looked at Shui Bing'er, whose face was still somewhat pale, at the doorway, took a deep breath to dispel his drowsiness, and sat up straight.
Seeing that Xuan Hao did not refuse, Na'er smiled and nodded to Shui Bing'er: "Come in."
Shui Bing'er took a deep breath and stepped into the private lounge belonging to the Royal Fighting Team 2.
However, the moment her gaze fell upon the boy on the sofa who had once transformed into a terrifying golden dragon in the arena, Shui Bing'er's long, straight legs began to tremble uncontrollably, and a sense of fear from the depths of her soul instantly spread throughout her body.
Seeing her struggling but still swaying precariously, Xuan Hao pointed to the single sofa next to him and said, "Come sit over here."
Shui Bing'er hesitated for a moment, but finally suppressed the urge to turn around and run away.
She walked over cautiously and sat down on the sofa next to Xuan Hao.
The moment she sat down.
Xuan Hao suddenly reached out, across the coffee table, and gently touched Shui Bing'er's long, smooth, light blue hair.
Shui Bing'er froze, just about to instinctively resist.
But the next second, a gentle and pure warm current flowed through Xuan Hao's palm and directly into her limbs and bones!
As this warm current flowed in, Shui Bing'er was surprised to find that the palpitation that had been lingering in her heart for several days, the feeling that made her tremble uncontrollably whenever she saw Xuan Hao, vanished without a trace in an instant!
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