Number ten.
The second prince stared at the corners of his mouth twitching, looking like a stiff mud sculpture.
The expression appeared for just a moment before he concealed it.
“This is unfortunate…” The second prince forced a smile and dryly said.
He clenched the wooden sign with the number so tightly that he wanted to stab it into the palm of his hand.
The cultivators on his team, showing a despondent look, had lost half of their fighting spirit.
Having experienced battles before, they knew that against Zhu Yu’s team; they were outmatched.
The probability of drawing teams from the same country in the first round of the competition was not high.
This was not only a matter of probability, but also a mysterious element of luck.
Two teams from the same country might compete with each other, but ultimately, they shared a common foundation and fought for the honor of the country.
During the battles, their fates were often intertwined, making them less likely to face each other in the early rounds.
However, now, in just the first round… the two teams from the Holy Radiance were going to fight each other!
Thinking back to a month ago when Zhu Yu didn’t even participate, and yet her team defeated others, the second prince felt anxious.
Perhaps… they were going to be stopped here.
Facing the result, the people from Holy Radiance were surprised, while cultivators from other smaller nations were happy to watch.
Regardless of who won or lost between these two teams, the onlookers would have one less formidable opponent, increasing the chances of victory for the remaining teams.
Very good, very good.
Teams that made it to the tenth round were not weak, and their battles tended to last longer.
By the time it reached the tenth group, it was already dusk.
Zhu Yu led her team to the side of the martial arena. Yue Ge followed her, whispering, “The second prince is getting anxious.”
She had glanced at the second prince a few times, seeing him clenching his fists with bulging veins, looking fierce… as if he couldn’t help but eliminate everyone who had offended him.
But he would endure, for the sake of his ambitions.
“Don’t mind him. We will do our best as usual,” Zhu Yu said. “Just be cautious; he might resort to some tricks.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful,” Yue Ge said with a smile.
On the other side, the second prince tried to force a calm smile and said, “Even if our strength is far inferior to others, we can’t let our morale drop. Moreover, the outcome is not certain. Until the last moment, we won’t know.”
With his slightly lowered posture and encouragement, his team members reluctantly mustered some spirit and headed toward the martial arena.
First, it was a one-on-one battle.
Everyone assumed that Zhu Yu, as the only Sky Realm cultivator, would appear in the final round.
Unexpectedly, after the host signaled the start, she was the first one to step into the martial arena.
Having taken a step, the second prince, already on the stage, murmured, “…”
He had thought that either Yue Ge Jiu Fang or Xuan Ling would be the first to appear. In that case, he could use his special move to seek revenge.
After all, they arranged the tactics with the second-strongest going first and the strongest appearing last. But who could have expected Zhu Yu to go against the norm?
However, the rules of the martial arena dictated that the order of combat couldn’t be changed once set, and there was no turning back after stepping onto the stage.
So, the second prince had no choice but to grit his teeth and place his other foot on the stage.
… And he suffered a complete defeat.
When the battle ended, Zhu Yu remained in her pristine white clothes, untouched by dust. The second prince, though not seriously injured, looked miserable and disheveled.
Zhu Yu didn’t spare him more than half a second of her gaze before turning and leaving the stage.
“For the team battle that follows, be careful,” Zhu Yu communicated through spiritual energy, her expression stern. “The second prince is indeed unpredictable; there might be something up his sleeve.”
Yue Ge nodded.
Seeing the malicious gaze cast by the second prince, they knew there was something suspicious!
In the second match, Yue Ge took the stage.
Facing a senior student she had encountered in the academy, who seemed unenthusiastic, Yue Ge won.
Although the opponent still had some strength left, he didn’t intend to fight to the end. Instead, he nodded and jumped off the stage.
After four more matches, Zhu Yu’s team had 250 points, while the second prince’s team had only 50 points.
At that point, the two teams could negotiate whether to continue the team battle. If both teams didn’t want to continue, Zhu Yu’s team would be declared the winner—given the current trend, the second prince’s team had almost no chance of winning.
However, the second prince chuckled. “The fundamental meaning of the martial arena is to exchange and learn. We are both from the Holy Radiance empire, so winning or losing is not very important…”
He wanted to proceed with the team battle.
Zhu Yu said in a deep voice, “Then let’s fight.”
With a suggestive touch hidden in her sleeve, she pinched Yue Ge’s wrist.
Yue Ge froze for a moment: “…”
Although she knew that was a signal to be vigilant, she couldn’t help but feel a flutter in her heart…
The two teams entered the arena.
The team battle was, in fact, meaningless.
In Yue Ge’s eyes, as long as she gave Zhu Yu enough time, Zhu Yu alone could take on the entire opposing team without any problem.
During the battle, Zhu Yu did not protect Yue Ge.
Protecting someone sometimes equated to harming them, disrupting the cultivation path of the person you cherished—Zhu Yu understood that well and wouldn’t interfere.
Watching the seemingly easy duel coming to an end, Yue Ge felt a bit puzzled.
Was the second prince not planning to do anything?
That didn’t match his character at all!
As she pondered this, a sense of danger arose in her heart.
Zhu Yu blocked the spiritual power sent by the second prince, but in the process, a subtle force penetrated the golden spiritual net and headed straight for Yue Ge’s dantian.
The more Yue Ge perceived the more calm and fearless she became. Although skilled in attack, the Golden System also had a decent defense. She was confident in blocking the dark force by ninety percent—
A pure and clear ice blade swiftly shot out, knocking the insidious dark force away. Yue Ge’s eyes turned and saw Zhu Yu standing not far away, her face masked in frost.
Before the second prince could react, she waved again, and an inconspicuous aura of ice spirit rushed over and entered the second prince’s body without him noticing.
He had no awareness of it at all.
Yue Ge’s eyes widened, and after Zhu Yu completed the move, she waved again, driving one opponent behind her off the stage.
Seeing that one strike was ineffective, the second prince gritted his teeth and didn’t try again.
Zhu Yu’s team won.
After stepping down from the stage, Zhu Yu transmitted a message:
“The second prince is treacherous. He doesn’t want you to suffer serious injuries affecting the upcoming battles, but he wants to obstruct your path of cultivation.” Zhu Yu said.
“That dark force was created using a special technique. It won’t erupt immediately; it will lurk in the meridians… It could be as short as a few months or as long as several years before it fully erupts.”
“In that case, even if you don’t die, it will be difficult for your cultivation path to make any progress.”
After saying that, Zhu Yu’s expression was stony, revealing genuine anger.
Yue Ge grabbed her sleeve and smiled, saying,
“So… you just used his methods against him?”
Zhu Yu remained silent for a moment and nodded.
She did indeed use the method passed down to her to inject the dark force into the second prince’s body.
If no one discovered it within a month at least, it would be impossible for him to reach the Cloud Ascendant Realm.
Yue Ge understood and said in a low voice, “Thank you.”
Zhu Yu responded, “No need.”
At times like this, one must protect. If there’s any honing to be done, it’s better to do it under her wings.
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Baihe Tales 