Chapter 10: The Cold Fairy's Midnight Lesson
The moonlight over the Imperial Arena was silver and sharp, but inside Xu Yanluo's private villa, the atmosphere was thick with the scent of jasmine and spiritual incense.
[System Notification: "Ling"]
[Warning: Host, an 'Ice Element' signature is approaching your balcony. It's Fairy Ye. She looks angry. Or constipated. It's hard to tell with these 'Cold Beauty' types.]
Yanluo, who was currently being pampered by Mu Qinglan and Ling Yuechan (the two "neglected" heroines from the day before), didn't move. Qinglan was gently kneading his feet with jade-infused oils, while Yuechan was feeding him spirit-cherries, her eyes soft and adoring.
"Your Highness," Yuechan whispered, "you were so brave today... even if you were being a bit of a brat."
"A handsome brat," Yanluo corrected, stroking her hair.
Suddenly, a cold breeze swept through the room. Ye Ziyun stood on the balcony, her white robes fluttering. Her face was a mask of icy indignation.
"Xu Yanluo!" she cold-called. "Your behavior today was disgraceful. To treat a duel like a joke... to insult my Sect's honor with your hands in your pockets... have you no shame?"
Yanluo signaled his consorts to give him a moment. He stood up, his white hair catching the moonlight, and walked toward her. He didn't stop until he was inches away, his red eyes peering over the edge of his blindfold.
"Shame?" he echoed, his voice a low, vibrating hum. "Fairy Ye, your 'honor' is just a cage. You pretend to be cold, but your heart is pounding so hard I can hear it from here."
He reached out, not for her waist, but for her hand. He took it gently, his thumb brushing against her knuckles.
"The Sword God treats you like a trophy," Yanluo whispered, using the System's 'Voice of the Author' buff to lace his words with irresistible logic. "I treat the world like a playground. Tell me... which one of us is truly free?"
[System Skill Activated: Logical Corruption]
[Effect: Sweet Dreams & Swaying Heart]
"I... I should leave," she stammered, but her hand stayed in his. The ice around her heart didn't just melt; it evaporated.
"Sweet dreams, Ziyun," Yanluo murmured, kissing the back of her hand.
[System Report]
[Target: Ye Ziyun]
[Purity Level: 88 -> 65 (Drastic Drop!)]
[Status: 'Confused but Captivated']
The Morning Massacre: Three in a Row
The next morning, the arena was packed. The Sword God, Lin Feng, looked like he wanted to swallow a sun out of pure rage. He had seen Ziyun return from the Prince's villa looking "dazed."
"I'll kill him!" Lin Feng hissed.
"Save your energy," Yanluo called out as he stepped onto the platform, still blindfolded. "I've got a busy schedule today. I'll take on the next three of your 'Top Disciples' at the same time."
The crowd erupted. "Three at once?! He's insane!"
Three disciples—The Iron Mountain, The Shadow Blade, and The Fire Phoenix—leaped onto the stage. They didn't wait. They attacked in perfect unison.
1. The Iron Mountain: A giant of a man slammed a hammer down. Yanluo didn't dodge. He simply tapped the side of the hammer with a finger.
[Skill: Law of Kinetic Reversal]
The hammer swung back with double the force, hitting the giant in his own chest. BOOM. One down.
2. The Shadow Blade: A rogue appeared behind Yanluo's neck. Yanluo performed a 360-degree spin-kick without taking his hands out of his pockets. His heel connected with the rogue's jaw. CRACK. Two down.
3. The Fire Phoenix: A woman unleashed a wave of crimson flames. Yanluo simply exhaled. A blast of 'Chaos Breath' extinguished the fire and sent the woman flying into the VIP seats, landing right in the lap of a very confused old Elder.
Yanluo adjusted his blindfold. "Next?"
He turned toward the Sword God, who was trembling. "Oh, and Lin Feng? Your fiancée says hi. She tastes like mint and cold moonlight. Very refreshing."
The "Face-Slap" was so powerful that half the audience gasped in physical pain. Lin Feng coughed up a fountain of blood from pure humiliation.
🛌 Post-Battle Recovery
Back in his villa, Yanluo didn't even get to sit down before he was snatched.
Hu Ruyan, the Fox Princess, dragged him to her oversized silken cushions. "My turn again! You were being too cool out there, it's making me thirsty!"
She forced him into her lap, her nine tails creating a soft, warm cocoon around them. Yanluo settled in, cozy and arrogant.
"You're a greedy little fox," Yanluo teased, his hand wandering to her ears. "But I suppose a Prince needs his rest. I've been so busy 'corrupting' fairies that I almost forgot how much I enjoy being pampered."
He whispered a scandalous joke about the "Sword God's limp blade" into her ear, making her let out a lewd giggle and slap his chest playfully.
"You're the worst, Yanluo!" she chirped, hugging him tight.
"And yet," Yanluo smirked, closing his eyes as his other consorts began to pile onto the cushions, "everyone's still waiting in line."