I'm bound to the World-Destroying Witch

Chapter 37. Played to Death
when--

The clock struck for the sixth time, with one minute remaining.

The fair one-on-one duel in the center of the battlefield continued, with punches and kicks flying.

The surrounding 10,000 spectators were stunned into a long silence.

"What kind of weird ability is this?"

Finally, someone murmured.

Did Xia Feng just say "optimize"?

"Looks like it's a temporary enhancement of a copied spiritual weapon. Goodness, I'm suddenly tempted to have it copy my spiritual weapon."

"Huh? Doesn't your magical artifact also have basic intelligence?" The person next to him looked at him strangely, with a suspicious gaze. "You don't have any special fetishes, do you?"

The man's expression changed drastically. "Don't talk nonsense! I just want to know what my spirit weapon will look like after it's been enhanced! Really!"

"Okay, okay, I believe you."

"But then again, copying and optimizing? Aren't those two different skills?"

"It seems that's correct. Only B-grade and above spiritual artifacts can have two skills, either A or B, depending on how restrictive their abilities are. I think it's most likely A!"

"A or B, is it true or false?"

"Otherwise, in my opinion, a magical artifact with the ability to copy cannot be of a low grade. If there are more restrictions, it would at least be a B grade. Tsk~ It's really enviable."

Zhao Jie stood by the window, his gray eyes flashing. He turned his head and glanced at Panda, whose face was solemn: "Little Fatty, it seems you've misjudged again."

"If Yan Xujia loses, will you really send him to the Southern Frontier?"

Panda hesitated for a moment, then looked at the statue of the God of Justice holding scales in the distance. Under the gaze of the God of Justice, no one dared to break the contract, even if they were followers of the Goddess of the Black Moon.

Xia Feng was originally supposed to go to the Southern Frontier.

However, he never expected that Yan Xujia would actually lose!
Panda clenched his fists tightly, but then he thought about it again and realized it wasn't a big problem.

After all, his primary goal—to draw Xia Feng's hatred and dilute the bond between them—has been achieved. He will eventually be able to give his master a surprise when he comes out of seclusion.

"As for Yan Xujia, let that idiot go to the Southern Frontier, it's not like I'm the one going," Panda thought to himself with a sneer.

"Ding--"

Just then, a special notification sound from a cell phone rang, and Panda turned around.

Yin remained seated on the sofa, happily sipping her milk tea, seemingly unconcerned about the match. At this moment, she glanced at her phone, then looked up earnestly and said, "My lord has emerged from seclusion."

*
Seeing that Xia Feng had turned the tide of the battle with his extraordinary methods, Freya's beautiful eyes softened, and she nodded in satisfaction. She tilted her head and chuckled softly, "Master Chen, now take a look and see who will win?"

Chen Xingdao remained silent, his hands clasped behind his back, staring intently at Xia Feng in the center of the battlefield. After three seconds of silence, he suddenly spoke in a serious, deep voice, his tone melodious:

"This child has the potential to become an emperor!"

Freya was already used to Chen Xingdao's strange way of speaking. Although she didn't understand it, she could still roughly understand the meaning of his praise.

As expected, my judgment was correct. Freya was thrilled, and her desire to take Xia Feng as her disciple rose again!

The thought of nurturing such a young genius into a powerful figure is exhilarating!
As she was thinking about this, she suddenly realized that Chen Xingdao was gone.

Freya turned around in confusion: "Master Chen, where are you going?"

Chen Xingdao opened the door, turned around and explained earnestly, "I must say, I suddenly realized that Xia Feng and I are quite destined to be together!"

Freya's beautiful eyes widened.

"Therefore, I have decided to make an exception and accept this child as my disciple!"

"?!?!" Freya opened her rosy lips, but by the time she realized what was happening, Master Chen had already waved his hand and left.

"Old Chen, you stop right there!" Freya's eyelids twitched, and she was unusually angry. She quickly chased after him.

when--

The clock struck for the seventh time, signaling the countdown to the start of the race, which had only twenty seconds remaining.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Xia Feng snatched the 'Pingshan' pocket watch hanging on Yan Xujia's collar. Because they were surrounded by ten wooden soldiers, no one saw it.

Then he stepped aside and quietly watched the fair one-on-one duel between ten people, rubbing his chin and nodding in satisfaction. He had come to like the feeling of this kind of duel.

It's easy, fair, and you don't even have to lift a finger. Hmm, perfect for a peace-loving, laid-back young man like him.

"Master~Master~"

Serena's soft, trembling voice echoed in his ears. Xia Feng thought for a moment, then raised his hand to his chest and said in his heart again, "Optimize."

"Eek~ Uh~~~~~" Serena, now imbued with human emotions, emitted a mechanical chorus again, shouting, "No—no!!!"

[Under Optimization]

[Second optimization failed - 19% of the wood will break]

Xia Feng frowned. Although the optimization failed, Serena's emotional changes were becoming more and more varied, and her voice was becoming more and more layered, making her sound more like a real person.

He activated his skill again: "Optimize!"

[Under Optimization]

[Third optimization failed - 61% of the wood will break]

"So it really doesn't work," Xia Feng sighed inwardly. He had thought that, like forging equipment, the quality could be upgraded again after the initial upgrade.

However, it seems that it can only be optimized once, and further optimization will damage the artifact itself.

But he still refused to believe it.

"optimization!"

"No—wait, wait a minute~~~ Master! Help me, uh~~~~"

Yan Xujia vaguely heard Serena's soft, trembling voice calling out. His heart ached. How could things have come to this? You scum! Xia! Feng!! I'll kill you, you piece of trash!!!

[Under Optimization]

[Fourth optimization failed - 99% of the wood will break]

"Master, Master~ I'm sorry, Serena has been ruined~" The broken, intermittent trembling voice grew weaker and weaker. Yan Xujia's heart pounded as he listened, his consciousness gradually collapsing. Damn it, damn it, how could this happen? In his hazy, delirious state, he suddenly felt a pang of regret. If only he had known, if only he hadn't provoked her.
"Bang!!!!"

Xia Feng was about to optimize it for the fifth time, but Serena couldn't withstand that many times and crashed.

The wooden armor covering his entire body exploded and shattered into wood chips amidst the raging flames, disappearing completely from the world.

Serena is dead.

Xia Feng also suffered minor injuries as a result.

The audience was startled, but not too surprised. Both B-grade and A-grade magical artifacts have some side effects and limitations, and it is not uncommon for magical artifacts to suddenly lose control and explode like this.

Yan Xujia has suffered a double loss this time. He not only failed to win the competition but was also exiled to the southern border and lost a wooden general with basic intelligence.

when--

The bell rang for the eighth time. "The match is over." A referee appeared out of thin air in the center of the battlefield, and with his calm voice, a powerful spiritual pressure rippled outwards.

Xia Feng and Mu Bing were both unable to move.

The referee approached the unconscious Yan Xujia, checked his breathing, examined his eyes, nodded, stood up, and said in a deep voice, "The winner of this match is Xia Feng!"

After a moment of silence, thunderous applause erupted from the audience, accompanied by waves of cheers and screams from boys and girls shouting, "Xia Feng, I want to have your babies!"

Although the result was quite unexpected, this spectacular battle greatly satisfied the audience's emotions, and in short, many viewers became fans of Xia Feng.

However, a small number of audience members sat blankly in their seats with no expression.

"If only I hadn't bet everything on Yan Xujia! Damn it, we've lost everything!" someone said in despair.

"A hundredfold payout! If we bet on Xia Feng, he'll win!"

"What a pity there are no 'what ifs'; the chance to get rich overnight is gone just like that! Damn it!"

"Wait a minute, Ah Lin, didn't you say before that you bet ten yuan on Xia Feng to win?"

"Yeah, hehe~ 100 times ten yuan, that's a thousand Imperial Coins!" The boy grinned from ear to ear. "That's awesome, I've got 648 yuan in one go!"

"Father, what about the remaining three hundred?"

"My treat!"

"Father Lin is awesome!"

"Oh my god! Look in the group chat! Someone said they'd eat shit live if Xia Feng wins!" someone suddenly exclaimed and stood up.

"Huh? So he is now?"

"Yes! He said he had no redeeming qualities, except for his honesty, so he livestreamed himself in the toilet—"

"No! Don't say it, it makes me feel nauseous!"

Amidst the noisy crowd, Xia Feng gave an awkward yet polite smile, bowed, and quickly left the scene.

"Hey kid, stop right there."

As soon as Xia Feng stepped out of the exit passage, he was stopped by a strange man dressed in a gray Taoist robe.

With a hooked nose, slanted eyes, and thin cheekbones, coupled with a pale face that looked strangely gloomy under the dim light, he looked like an evil villain from a novel who liked to let out a sinister laugh.

Xia Feng took a step back, wary.

Completely unaware of how wary his appearance was, Master Chen grinned, revealing a chilling smile: "Young man, do you crave power?"

"."

Xia Feng's eye twitched slightly, and he quickly shook his head: "I'm not thirsty, goodbye!"

With that, he took a detour and left.

Master Chen frowned slightly. Could it be that my smile wasn't sincere enough? As he pondered, he raised his hand and lifted the corners of his mouth, forcing a chilling smile.

"Perfect!" After preparing himself again, he turned around and quickly walked to Xia Feng's side, saying in a deep voice as he walked, "Young man, you have extraordinary bones and are born to be a swordsman. Why don't you follow this old Taoist to cultivate swordsmanship and spiritual skills?"

"You're the slut, your whole family is sluts!" Xia Feng glanced at him. "Who are you?"

"Oh right, this is a business card—"

A black business card was handed to me.

Xia Feng glanced at it, and there it was clearly written—

[Seventh Squad of the Imperial Holy Ministry - Captain Chen Xingdao]

[Honorary Professor of Blade & Soul Studies, Imperial Weiyang Academy]

President of the Sunflower Sword Style Research Association

Contact number: 139******

【.】

Although Xia Feng didn't understand what the Sunflower Sword Style was, the first two names sounded quite impressive.

Not only is he a professor, but he's also a captain-level figure? Seems to be on par with Teacher Fu? Xia Feng stopped and said, "From what you're saying, you want to take me as your disciple?"

"Indeed, I just watched your match. Your released spirit garment was perfect in both its opening stance and spirit particle structure. Your basic combat skills are also very solid, making you very suitable for learning advanced sword spirit garments! What do you say, Xia Feng? I'm still the professor of sword spirit studies. Follow me—"

"reject."

Before Chen Xingdao could finish speaking, a gleaming broadsword was suddenly held against his neck, and a mature female voice exuding a terrifying aura spoke coldly and displeasedly behind him: "Old Chen, are you trying to steal my disciple?"

Xia Feng was startled. He was clearly facing Chen Xingdao, yet he hadn't noticed the red-haired woman behind Chen Xingdao at all.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that the person was Freya.

However, Freya's expression at this moment was completely devoid of her usual gentleness. Her loose martial arts uniform moved without wind, and the moment her terrifying spiritual pressure was unleashed, Xia Feng seemed to see a sky-covering tigress looking down at all living beings with indifferent eyes.

Chen Xingdao's body stiffened for a moment, his gloomy eyes narrowed slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "So the disciple that the Blade Demon mentioned earlier was Xia Feng?"

“That’s right,” Freya said confidently and calmly.

"Hey? Wait a minute! Teacher Fu, I haven't agreed to be your apprentice yet!" Xia Feng said hurriedly.

Freya's face stiffened.

Chen Xingdao's eyes lit up instantly. He calmly deflected the blade with his fingers and turned back to say, "So it was just the Blade Demon's wishful thinking. That makes things easier."

Freya narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly, but then seemed to suddenly remember something, and slowly put down her knife without stopping him.

"Young friend Xia Feng, I will soon be a fourth-level Spirit Master, while Captain Fu will be stuck at the third level for a long time. It's obvious who I should choose as my master, isn't it?"

"Huh?" Xia Feng looked at the large knife held against Chen Xingdao's neck with some surprise. Why do you look like you don't dare to fight Teacher Fu?
"Well, young friend Xia Feng, would you be willing to join my Sunflower Sword Sect?"

"Sunflower Sword Sect?" Xia Feng asked, his eyes filled with doubt.

"Exactly!" Master Chen said confidently, his gaze serious. "The B-grade spirit armor, the Sunflower Sword Style, possesses the power to ward off evil and bring good fortune. Its power is even comparable to many A-grade spirit armors. Moreover, I have vaguely discovered a method to improve it into an A-grade spirit armor. Now, it's just one step away from completion. I just don't know where things went wrong. Hmm, I digress..."

His slightly effeminate, slanted eyes were earnest, with a hint of anticipation. "Well? Before learning this method, all you need to do is cut off two ounces of flesh from your crotch. I believe that with your talent, you will surely be able to carry this method forward—"

"Pfft~" Freya stood to the side listening silently, and when she heard this, she really couldn't help but chuckle.

Master Chen frowned, tilted his head, and sneered: "Blade Demon, what are you laughing at? Do you think young friend Xia Feng is as vulgar as you?"

Xia Feng: "."

Freya ignored Chen Xingdao, but looked at Xia Feng with a gentle smile and beautiful eyes: "Little Xia, what do you think? Do you want to learn swordsmanship from him, or knife skills from Teacher Freya?"

Master Chen also turned his head, looking expectant.

"Excuse me, I'm just an ordinary person." Xia Feng's eyes twitched slightly as he cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the Taoist man: "Ahem~ Master Chen, to be honest, my biggest dream is to marry a beautiful wife."

Hearing this, Chen Xingdao frowned, feeling somewhat disappointed. He had thought that such a genius would be a fellow believer who was wholeheartedly devoted to the Dao, but he hadn't expected that he would still be burdened by the filth of this world.

He didn't understand what was so good about sleeping with women.
Is sleeping with Jianjian more pleasant? Jianjian is his sword, and he usually likes to sleep with his sword in his arms. Isn't that more interesting than sleeping with a woman?
"So, you've agreed to become my disciple?" Freya smiled with a hint of joy.

(End of this chapter)