As the match continued, Dugu Xin stood arrogantly on the arena, pointing at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy team. His voice was icy cold:
"Next."
Xiao Hongchen's face darkened. In one leap, he landed on the platform. After using soul power to shield himself from the residual Vermilion-Eyed Ice Toad venom on the ground, he fixed Dugu Xin with a frosty glare.
"My turn!"
Since this man hadn't activated any soul rings, his poison clearly wasn't from a martial soul skill. That meant Meng Hongchen must have been poisoned the moment the spear grazed her skin.
So as long as I avoid close combat, I'm safe.
Perfect—he specialized in ranged attacks.
"Match begin!"
The instant the referee's voice rang out, a dazzling golden aura enveloped Xiao Hongchen. Bumps rose along his back, and a third "leg" sprouted from his rear.
Two yellow, two purple, three black—seven soul rings rose in perfect order.
The crowd erupted in cheers!
A Soul Saint-grade soul engineer from Sun Moon Imperial Academy? An immense honor for the empire!
Even Xu Tianran on the main stand, whose face had been grim moments ago, now smiled warmly at Jing Hongchen returning from below. "Sect Master Jing, you've hidden your grandson well! He's surely a pillar of our nation's future."
Jing Hongchen exhaled slightly, offering a humble sigh—but pride radiated in every word.
Yet his eyes remained fixed on the arena.
For some reason… unease gnawed at him.
—
Onstage, Xiao Hongchen deployed the same tactic from the previous tournament. His first and third soul rings flared simultaneously. With a sweep of his arms, hundreds of metal spheres scattered into the air.
Around each sphere, concentric rings of light shimmered, rapidly coalescing into cannon barrels that locked onto Dugu Xin's position.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Crimson-orange flames roared. A storm of artillery fire rained down like apocalyptic hail—a dense, inescapable net of death blanketing the entire arena.
In seconds, blinding fire engulfed the platform, obscuring all visibility.
Tension gripped the audience as time crawled. Only when the cannonade ceased and the flames dissipated did clarity return…
Dugu Xin still stood, shielded by an Invincible Barrier—having weathered the barrage. But his labored breathing revealed heavy soul power expenditure.
Xiao Hongchen, meanwhile, remained motionless amid his floating cannons, raindrops sizzling into steam upon contact with their scorching surfaces.
Why no follow-up?
Is it over?
Confusion rippled through the crowd.
But others saw the truth.
Jing Hongchen, gripping his seat's armrests, stared in disbelief.
"Xiao… has already lost."
"What did you say?" Xu Tianran's tone sharpened.
The next second, Xiao Hongchen collapsed—just like his sister. Lethal venom coursed through his veins; within moments, he'd dissolve into pus.
"Your Highness, I beg forgiveness," Jing Hongchen said, rushing down from the stands again.
He'd need another antidote pill for Xiao Hongchen.
Xu Tianran's face turned stormy. Once Jing Hongchen was out of earshot, he muttered bitterly, "A Grade 7 soul engineer… defeated in one move by a mere Soul Emperor?"
"It's not their fault," Zhongli Wu chuckled softly from beneath his black hood. "That Dugu Xin's toxin has saturated the entire arena. Unavoidable. And Sun Moon's team was misled from the start."
Xu Tianran's expression eased slightly.
Then Zhongli Wu added, "Speaking of Dugu Xin… he reminds me of someone."
"Oh? Who?"
"Dugu Bo."
Xu Tianran's interest piqued. "Relation?"
"Perhaps an ancestor." Zhongli Wu's eyes narrowed. "Only the shared surname 'Dugu' and mastery of poison made me recall him."
"Who was Dugu Bo?"
"A figure from the Tian Dou Empire ten thousand years ago. Just an ordinary Title Douluo—yet he earned fame in the Battle of Jialing Pass during the God War."
Xu Tianran knew that battle well—a legendary clash that shaped history. He'd never imagined a "mere" Title Douluo played a key role.
"Alone, he slaughtered Jialing Pass's entire garrison," Zhongli Wu continued. "That victory became the turning point of the war, shifting momentum from the Spirit Empire's favor to their downfall."
Xu Tianran understood instantly. His gaze snapped to Dugu Xin—icy enough to freeze blood.
But Dugu Xin remained oblivious.
"Next," he called, his voice a death knell.
Crushing pressure fell on the remaining Sun Moon team members. With both captain and vice-captain unconscious, they were leaderless. All eyes turned to Jing Hongchen and their team mentor.
Audience chatter swelled.
Referee Zheng Zhan, seeing Sun Moon's panic, hastily declared, "Begin!"
The longer this drags, the worse for Sun Moon.
Such blatant bias drew glares from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. Does he think we're fools?
Ning Tian frowned. "Brother Junting, Sun Moon's gone too far with this favoritism."
"No matter," Chen Junting replied coolly—though his tone was sharp. This reminded him of some other clowns.
Onstage, Dugu Xin's eyes flickered with killing intent. The Dugu lineage had never been kind. Beyond allies, he was petty, vengeful—and utterly amoral.
Since you've offended me, this Sun Moon member can die.
Unlike the Hongchen siblings, this one had no backing—no risk to the sect.
And if it's ruled an "accidental death"? They'd have no grounds to complain.
His poison wasn't non-lethal.
—
Shi Xing, the next Sun Moon contestant, activated his defensive soul tool the moment he stepped onstage, repelling raindrops with soul power.
The referee immediately started the match—buying Sun Moon time.
But the moment Shi Xing's barrier deployed, hiss-hiss—corrosive sounds erupted. The toxin ate through his defenses.
"This is—!" Shi Xing gasped in horror.
He realized: the poison wasn't just in the rain—it permeated the entire arena.
His breath hitched.
"Noticed it?" Dugu Xin's voice cut through.
Shi Xing looked up—only to see the arena transformed. Colorful toxic mists now obscured all vision.
Blind.
—
Meanwhile, after administering the antidote, Jing Hongchen left the ready zone to avoid suspicion.
Thanks to his profound soul power and shorter toxin exposure, Xiao Hongchen woke before his sister.
His first words were a snarl: "Damn it! That blinding white light! He hid his soul ring activation behind it!"
Then he saw the arena's state and whirled around. "Who's up there?!"
"Shi Xing," came the reply.
The team quickly explained everything—including the referee's bias.
Xiao Hongchen's face paled. "Get Shi Xing down—NOW!"
"Huh?" The team was confused.
But Xiao Hongchen knew: the earlier colorless toxin had been replaced. Why abandon a superior combat advantage?
Unless… the change served another purpose.
Connecting the referee's obvious bias, Sun Moon's strained relations with the Three Great Empires, and the current chaos—
"Referee! We forfeit this round!"
Zheng Zhan ended the match instantly.
As the mists cleared, Dugu Xin stood calmly—martial soul retracted, soul tools stowed. Beside him, Shi Xing lay motionless.
His skin had turned the same hue as the toxin. No breath. No life.
Poisoned to death.
Xiao Hongchen roared, "Dugu Xin! You killed my teammate!"
Dugu Xin smirked. "Think this is a game? Accidental deaths are common in tournaments. Didn't your team kill someone last round too?"
His eyes narrowed like a viper's. "And if I truly wanted you dead… you and your sister wouldn't have woken up."
Xiao Hongchen choked on his rage. Watching teammates retrieve Shi Xing's body in a soul tool container, he ground out, "You'll pay for this."
"I'll be waiting," Dugu Xin replied indifferently.
Xiao Hongchen took a deep breath, forcing calm. Silently, he carried the container past Chen Junting.
"Chen Junting," he sneered, "your sect has quite the member."
Chen Junting didn't rise to the bait. He merely glanced at the container. "When you step onto this stage, you accept death. This isn't friendly sparring—it's war."
"Good! Good! GOOD!" Xiao Hongchen's fury boiled over—then deflated.
He was powerless against them. The gap was too vast.
"You won't have an easy tournament," he spat, turning to leave.
Then, raising his hand, he declared bitterly: "Head Referee—we forfeit."
Zheng Zhan, unsurprised, confirmed: "Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy officially forfeits?"
"Yes." Xiao Hongchen nodded sharply.
What choice did they have? They were broken.
The announcement sent shockwaves through the crowd.
On the main stand, Jing Hongchen hurriedly apologized to Xu Tianran—this forfeit was his call too.
Expecting fury, he was stunned when Xu Tianran waved it off. "Not their fault."
"Your Highness, they've shamed the empire—please punish us," Jing Hongchen pleaded.
"It's just an elimination round," Xu Tianran said dismissively. "Don't dwell on it."
After comforting Jing Hongchen, Xu Tianran turned to Zhongli Wu. "State Preceptor, during the toxin haze—could you discern Dugu Xin's methods?"
Zhongli Wu didn't answer directly. "Your Highness, I'm certain of one thing: if he keeps growing… that possibility will become reality."
Xu Tianran nodded. "Then I'll leave it to you, State Preceptor."
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