Collapse: The opening system captures the Herrscher of Knowledge

The next second, a wave of cold air surged out from Yan Qing's body, and even the arena gradually became covered with white frost.

The boy gripped the sword hilt with both hands, his knuckles turning white from the force. The sword vibrated and hummed, and fine frost bloomed layer upon layer along the spine of the blade.

The image of Jingliu wielding his sword was clearly imprinted in his mind—the sword energy carrying the chilling aura of an ancient glacier, a posture he had imitated countless times in his dreams.

The next second, Yanqing suddenly looked up, her eyes surging with a calmness and sharpness beyond her years.

"This sword strike illuminates all rivers and streams!"

The longsword slashed out diagonally with the force of a cleaving wind, and a crescent-shaped sword aura suddenly took shape, its icy blue halo filled with a bone-chilling cold.

Wherever it passed, patches of crystal-clear ice crystals instantly surged forth, their facets refracting a cold light.

On the viewing platform, Jing Yuan, who had been lazily leaning against the railing, slowly lowered his arms.

His gaze was fixed on the icy blue sword energy, a barely perceptible ripple flickering in his usually calm eyes, and a low sigh escaped his throat:

"master......"

"This sword strike is finally showing something!"

Standing in the heart of the chilling aura, Xiao Shi showed no sign of retreating; instead, his eyes and brows were filled with the excitement of a fierce battle.

She slammed her feet into the ground, her body as steady as a rock, and slashed out with her longsword to meet the icy blue sword energy—the crimson blade, wrapped in scorching heat, collided violently with the icy moon sword energy!

"boom--!"

The scorching heat and extreme cold clashed violently in the center of the arena, and the water vapor instantly evaporated into thick white smoke, which completely engulfed the two figures like clouds.

Jimi's excited voice pierced through the smoke and resounded throughout the stadium via the loudspeaker:

"The arena is now shrouded in steam. Who will stand on the stage and claim victory: Lord Yanqing or the Herrscher of Knowledge?!"

The airflow within the white smoke was still churning violently, followed by the dull thud of a heavy object hitting the ground.

The cheers from the stands instantly subsided by more than half, and everyone stood on tiptoe to look at the center of the arena. Even Jing Yuan leaned forward slightly, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the railing, a rare look of focus flashing in his eyes.

"cough......"

A soft cough, accompanied by panting, came from the mist, followed by a gust of wind that slowly dispersed the billowing white smoke.

The scene on the ring finally became clear—

Yanqing knelt on one knee, his long sword deeply embedded in the crevice of the rock to support his swaying body. His chest heaved violently, and beads of sweat mixed with unmelted ice shards rolled down his forehead.

Clearly, that sword strike had exhausted all his strength, leaving him completely drained.

Xiao Shi stood three steps in front of him, casually raising her hand to brush away the ice crystals that had formed on her shoulder, the light in her eyes still burning from the fierce battle.

"you lose."

Xiao Shi's voice was calm and even, without a trace of arrogance after winning, but instead contained a barely perceptible hint of approval.

Yanqing bit her lower lip tightly, her knuckles turning white from gripping the sword hilt. She tried to stand up by supporting herself on the sword, but her knees were so weak that they trembled, and even the sword swayed in the crack in the rock.

Just then, a hand suddenly reached out in front of him—

The boy paused, looked up at the owner of the hand, and then used the leverage to straighten himself.

"Thank you."

No sooner had the two finished speaking than Jimi's excited voice boomed again:

"Congratulations to the player 'Herrscher of Knowledge' for winning this year's 'Battle of the Champions'! Let's give both players the warmest applause and cheers to celebrate this thrilling duel!"

The cheers from the stands instantly lifted the roof off. Xing stood on tiptoe and waved her arms. March 7th even grabbed Danheng's arm and shook it vigorously. Only Danheng helplessly rubbed his forehead, but there was a hint of a smile in his eyes.

High in the stands, Jing Yuan, watching the two smiling at each other on the arena, smiled knowingly and muttered to himself:

“Master, although Yanqing lost, my disciple is more talented than your disciple.”

(Mirror Flow: ......)

On the arena, Yanqing watched Xiaoshi turn and leave, and the images of Jingliu, Ren, Danheng and others flashed through his mind again. Suddenly, he gripped the long sword in his hand tightly.

Beneath his tousled hair, his eyes burned even more intensely.

"My flying sword has been dulled by the heavy rain, and my warhorse has rusted, but my charge is a Don Quixote-like charge! O windmill of life, I will fight you three hundred rounds, three hundred rounds!"

The cheers from the martial arts ceremony still lingered on the Competition Ship. Sensing the seriousness of the situation, Xiao Shi and Kiana☆ quickly returned to the inn.

?————

The two men pushed open the door with solemn expressions, but what they smelled was not the aroma they expected—instead, a rich and lingering fragrance of tea slowly permeated the room.

Xiao Shi and Kiana☆ exchanged a slightly surprised glance. Just as they stepped across the threshold, they saw Alicia leaning against the table making tea.

A celadon teapot hangs in mid-air, and warm water is poured into a porcelain white teacup in a gentle stream. A few tender green tea leaves unfurl in the cup, creating light green ripples.

Alicia glanced up and saw the two of them. Her eyes immediately curved into crescent moons filled with laughter, and her voice was as soft as crumpled cotton:

"Hey, our champion is back!"

"How did you end up in A-Ming's room?" Xiao Shi's voice carried a hint of inquiry as her gaze swept across the furnishings, seemingly searching for some clue.

As soon as Xiao Shi finished speaking, the bamboo curtain in the inner room was gently lifted.

Mei☆ emerged from inside, seemingly having tasted the sweetness and never satisfied. Her skirt still had some unsmoothed wrinkles, but when she saw Shiki and Kiana☆ at the door, she subconsciously paused for a moment.

This scene instantly darkened the expressions of Xiao Shi and Kiana☆, their gazes shifting back and forth between Mei☆ and Alicia at the table.

Mei's neckline was slightly open, revealing faint traces of pink on her neck. Although Alicia was brewing tea with an elegant demeanor, her expression also revealed an undeniable blush and a satisfied sense of fulfillment.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Xiao Shi and Kiana☆ exchanged a glance and read the same conclusion in each other's eyes: these two must have had a relationship with A Ming!

In that instant, the aroma of tea that had just filled the room seemed to have faded a bit, and there was a faint hint of something else mixed in with the air.

Kiana clenched her fist, took half a step forward, and her voice was filled with barely suppressed anger:

"You two...!!!"

Alicia paused, her fingertips tracing the cool porcelain surface, her eyes still crinkling with a smile.

"Kiana☆, keep your voice down. Ah Ming is a little tired and is taking a break inside. I'll make some tea while I'm waiting for you to come back."

As she spoke, she picked up the teapot and poured some water into the empty cup, the tea leaves gently swirling in the warm water.

"You rushed back so quickly after the competition, you must be thirsty. Come on, sit down and have some tea, hmm?"

Mei☆ followed suit, her expression softening. She raised her hand to smooth the stray hairs at her temples, tucking the sweaty strands behind her ear, and took a small sip of tea.

"Yes, Kiana☆, I thought you were ready to accept us after spending these past few days together, but what's done is done. What's the point of getting angry? Why don't you sit down and have a cup of tea to calm down?"

Kiana☆ clenched her fist until her knuckles turned white, took another half step forward, and slammed her hand on the table, saying:

"Shut up! You two... you philandering cats, who wants to drink your tea!"

Xiao Shi ignored the argument and walked straight into the inner room, gazing at the figure on the bed with her arms crossed.

The room was dimly lit. Fu Ming sat against the headboard, half-covered by the sheet, his neck covered with glaring teeth marks.

Fu Ming felt uncomfortable under her gaze and hurriedly looked away, reaching out to pull the slipped blankets up as if trying to cover something.

A moment of silence fell between them. Xiao Shi glared at him, then rubbed Fu Ming's face with both hands, gritting her teeth as she said:

"Stop pretending to be innocent. If you want to run away, they can't stop you. Just say so if you want to leave. Also, get up now, or a fight will break out outside."