Chapter 63: Qian Renxue's

After Qian Renxue gave an order, the members of the Tiandou graduating class finally regained some confidence.

Although Dai Xiyu is a sixty-ninth-rank Soul Emperor and possesses a 100,000-year soul ring.

But our side has seven people in total, and one of them is a fifty-eighth-rank Soul King, so we might not be unable to fight him!

Thinking this, the six team members' fear quickly dissipated, and they swiftly took their positions according to the formation.

Before they finished setting up the formation, Dai Xiyu had been quietly observing, with no intention of making the first move.

After the formation was set, Qian Renxue bellowed: "Auxiliary, begin amplification; flanks, encircle and attack!"

One agility-attack soul master on the flank and a battle soul master on the other side immediately began to encircle Dai Xiyu from both wings.

Meanwhile, at the rear, a control-system soul master began releasing a soul skill, extending stone lumps from the ground beneath Dai Xiyu's feet in an attempt to block his movement.

Dai Xiyu, too, did not make an obvious move; he activated cognitive interference, causing the nearest agility-attack soul master's attack to lag slightly.

In the blink of an eye, he also projected cognitive interference onto the strength-attack soul master on the other side, causing both flankers to delay their attack simultaneously.

It was precisely this blink-of-an-eye delay that allowed Dai Xiyu to charge straight forward without needing to dodge deliberately.

As he advanced, he continuously released cognitive interference, slowing everyone's reactions by half a beat.

Thus, Dai Xiyu moved as if through an empty realm, instantly brushing past Qian Renxue and arriving directly before the control-system soul master.

"Bang!"

Without using any soul skill, he simply struck the control-system soul master's neck with a palm strike of pure physical strength.

Under the influence of cognitive interference, nobody on the battle stage had reacted yet, and the control-system soul master was already lying on the ground.

After dealing with the control-system soul master, Dai Xiyu released another cognitive interference, causing Qian Renxue to feel a urge to retreat; she withdrew instead of attacking, increasing the distance between them.

With the strongest combat power drawn away, Dai Xiyu immediately retracted his White Tiger martial soul and switched to his second martial soul, the Sharingan.

Like a tiger among sheep, he directly used sheer physical strength to fling the two auxiliary-system soul masters away.

In just a few seconds, three of the seven were down—namely the most important control and auxiliary systems.

Among the remaining four, there was one agility-attack, one defense, one strength-attack, and Qian Renxue herself.

At this moment, Qian Renxue was somewhat taken aback.

She couldn't understand why, when she clearly had an opportunity just moments before, she had instead chosen to retreat.

This feeling was like after losing a team fight in a game, then Monday-morning quarterbacking, thinking the engagement timing should have been later or a certain positioning should have been the opposite, which would have secured victory.

Although she secretly blamed herself, there was nothing she could do, after all it was her own choice.

This is the ability of cognitive interference: the interfered person will believe they originally wanted to act that way, that it was their own will.

Even if they later realize something is wrong, they will only think they made a mistake in their judgment at the time.

The sole active soul skill accompanying the million-year soul bone is naturally beyond ordinary comparison.

"So our gap is really this big…… No wonder you're the number-one genius of Star Luo."

"No, that's wrong; now he should be the number-one genius of the entire continent."

For the first time, Qian Renxue felt a sense of self-lamenting inadequacy.

Since awakening her innate twentieth-rank soul power, no one has ever made her sincerely admire them; Dai Xiyu is the first, and likely the last.

After Dai Xiyu broke through the formation and took out the three rear members, the other three had lost much of their will to fight.

They were already hard-pressed to match strength, and now with the auxiliary's amplification gone, their chances grew even slimmer.

Having already engaged, Dai Xiyu naturally could not stop; he turned and charged again at the agility-attack soul master.

This agility-attack soul master was a petite girl; seeing Dai Xiyu rush over, she reacted immediately.

She retreated at extreme speed, hoping to evade Dai Xiyu's attack with her swiftness.

However, under the observation of the Sharingan, this agility-attack girl's reaction speed was as slow as a snail's.

Dai Xiyu quickly calculated the nearest route, his inner soul power surging, and in a flash of elusive motion he appeared before the girl.

Still, he delivered a plain palm strike; the girl screamed in fright, but to no avail.

"Bang!"

Amid the dull thud of impact, the girl collapsed at the edge of the battle stage, letting Dai Xiyu achieve a quadruple kill.

After this series of actions was completed, the two strength-attack and defense system students had only just reached the midpoint, far too late to lend support.

Dai Xiyu gave them no chance, not even a chance to surrender, and directly launched a cognitive interference at the head of the defense-system soul elder.

That defense-system's little fatty, completely unable to react, was circled behind by Dai Xiyu, who struck his neck with a palm.

Before the little fatty even hit the ground, Dai Xiyu had already shifted his cognitive interference onto the strength-attack system student.

That strength-attack system soul elder was the graduating class's second-best talent, possessing a thirty-fourth-rank soul power.

Under the influence of cognitive interference, this second-best talent directly adopted a defensive stance.

A strength-attack battle soul elder, under the assault of a strength-attack soul emperor, taking a defensive stance was essentially waiting to die.

Whether dodging or using offense as defense, both are stronger than pure defense.

After all, he is a strength-attack type, not a defense type; his soul power lacks the advantage, and passive defense would only make him lose worse.

Upon entering a sure striking distance, Dai Xiyu directly transferred his cognitive interference, projecting it onto Qian Renxue.

Qian Renxue now had no will to fight at all, simply standing still.

This would look too obvious, likely causing the spectators to become dissatisfied, so Dai Xiyu scrambled Qian Renxue's will, turning it into an impulse to attack him at the opportune moment.

And once the interference on the "second-best talent" was lifted, he too realized how absurd his utterly passive defense had been.

However, it was already too late.

Dai Xiyu had already arrived before him and brought down a palm strike.

He didn't even have time to dodge; the strike landed directly on his neck, his vision went black, and he collapsed.

With the sextuple kill complete, Dai Xiyu turned to block, using his powerful soul power to neutralize Qian Renxue's attack and then withdrew by borrowing the force.

By this point, the only ones still standing on the battle stage were Qian Renxue and Dai Xiyu.

Before Tian Dou's strongest youth, Xue Qinghe, he defeated the remaining six team members one by one, and from start to finish he used no soul skills at all, even putting away his martial soul.

Simply by using the overwhelming soul power of a sixty-ninth‑rank Soul Emperor, together with his freakish physique, he reached this level.

Without a doubt, the strongest team of Tian Dou Royal Academy is no match for Dai Xiyu.

Qian Renxue, having come to her senses, could not help but give a wry smile, put away her martial soul, and said, "We concede."

After Qian Renxue said she conceded, the entire venue remained silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Dai Xiyu's overwhelming might completely surpassed everyone's imagination.

Even the Star Luo delegation here was awed by Dai Xiyu's formidable strength.

After a while, the Star Luo delegation members burst into cheers, and under the lead of the old dean, they all clapped.

A sixty-ninth‑rank Soul Emperor with a hundred‑thousand‑year sixth soul ring, who single‑handedly defeated seven opponents and crushed Tian Dou's strongest team led by Xue Qinghe.

This time, Dai Xiyu fully displayed the might of the Star Luo Empire.

As for the Tian Dou Empire side, everyone was left dispirited.

Not only is its national strength inferior to Star Luo's, but even its young geniuses have been defeated by Star Luo people.

Only now have they realized what happened.

The Star Luo Empire boasts not only the supremely gifted Dai Xiyu, but even the remaining delegation members generally possess higher soul power than those on the Tian Dou side.

There is simply no comparison; they were utterly routed, suffering a crushing defeat.

On the stage, seeing Qian Renxue concede, Dai Xiyu voluntarily deactivated his Sharingan martial soul.

He stepped forward a few paces, extended his right hand to Qian Renxue, and said, "I hope this match will not affect the friendship between our two nations."

Although the two are close friends—indeed, as close as can be—and Qian Renxue doesn't care about winning or losing at all,

but given that many Tian Dou nobles are present and the Snow Night Emperor is watching, Dai Xiyu still has to keep up appearances.

Qian Renxue, who is skilled at disguise, also smiled, reached out, and clasped hands with Dai Xiyu.

At the same time, raising her voice, she said:

"It was my earlier arrogance; now you are merely returning to me exactly what I once did—how could that affect the friendship between our two nations?"

"Tian Dou is certainly not a nation that cannot afford to lose; I believe our two academies will have many more opportunities to cross blades in the future. Our future will certainly not end today."

No wonder she, disguised as the crown prince, had lain hidden in Tian Dou for years without detection; at this crucial moment she still showed some mettle.

Upon hearing her say that, the hearts of the Tian Dou spectators felt instantly more at ease.

Exactly, Dai Xiyu's actions today merely reenacted what Xue Qinghe once did.

Tian Dou Royal Academy, having defeated Star Luo once, will surely have a second and third victory; today's win or loss is only temporary.

If Star Luo can produce geniuses, who says Tian Dou cannot?

Perhaps before long, another Xue Qinghe will appear, leading the delegation to revive Tian Dou's glory.

In that moment, as the first‑in‑line heirs of the two nations shook hands and made peace, the stiff atmosphere instantly dissipated.

Even the Snow Night Emperor seated in the place of honor could not help but nod in agreement.

In the gradually warming atmosphere, Dai Xiyu and Qian Renxue walked down the Soul Fighting Stage hand in hand.

Next, the final‑year graduation ceremony is drawing to a close, and Tian Dou Royal Academy will hold a banquet to see off the Star Luo delegation.

In the Star Luo Royal Academy, and indeed in all of Star Luo's advanced soul master academies, there is simply no rule forbidding underage students from drinking alcohol.

After all, it is a nation that venerates martial prowess, so there are not so many restrictions.

In Tian Dou, however, such regulations are numerous; at the banquet only teachers are allowed to drink.

Dai Xiyu naturally pays no heed to those rules; with his strong, healthy body he can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, completely ignoring these regulations.

After the banquet ended, Dai Xiyu was merely a little tipsy, and he returned alone from the auditorium to his dormitory.

He pushed open the door, looked inside, and discovered Qian Renxue, her face similarly flushed.

Previously, Qian Renxue had never drunk alcohol.

But today she had a drink, and now she feels a bit intoxicated, in a hazy half‑awake state.

At this moment Qian Renxue has already changed into pajamas, her hair half‑dry, obviously having just finished washing.

Bathing after drinking is bad for the body… of course, that is for ordinary people.

Soul masters have robust physiques, so these things pose no taboo for them.

Dai Xiyu turned, locked the door, then took off his coat and hung it on the rack by the door, stepping slowly to the bedside.

Qian Renxue lifted her head, gazed at Dai Xiyu, and stared blankly.

Dai Xiyu undid his buttons, picked up the loose pajamas from beside the pillow, turned, and walked into the bathroom.

Soon after, the sound of splashing water rang out, accompanied by Dai Xiyu humming a tune.

After washing, Dai Xiyu used soul power to vapor‑dry his hair, then came out wearing his pajamas.

Seeing Qian Renxue still sitting dazedly on the bed's edge, Dai Xiyu smiled and asked:

"Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and sit on the bed—although you've had a drink today, it won't affect your cultivation."

Qian Renxue, meanwhile, turned her head to look at the approaching Dai Xiyu and finally spoke:

"Xiyu, I told you before that after the final Soul Fighting ends I would tell you something."

Dai Xiyu raised an eyebrow, sat beside Qian Renxue, and said, "Go ahead, then—what secret do you want to share with me?"

Qian Renxue bit her lip, finally made up her mind, rose with the help of the alcohol, and came before Dai Xiyu.

"You said that no matter what my true identity is, you must not despise me or sever ties with me."

Dai Xiyu nodded and said, "A man's word, once spoken, cannot be taken back—even four horses cannot retrieve it."

Qian Renxue took a deep breath, then activated her Angel Soul Bone, shedding her disguise.

Instantly, the handsome young man vanished, replaced by a face of breathtaking, nation‑toppling beauty.

His short hair turned into golden locks that flowed smoothly down his back.

The whole person exudes a sacred, inviolable aura.

Seeing Qian Renxue's appearance, Dai Xiyu did not show much surprise; instead, they shook their head and smiled wryly.

Seeing Dai Xiyu like this, Qian Renxue asked doubtfully:

"Xiyu, you…… you already knew I was a woman, right? Otherwise, why wouldn't you be surprised?"

Dai Xiyu restrained their smile and simply said:

"We've lived together for so long; I naturally would have noticed. That's why I said, even if you have an even more extraordinary identity, I will not abandon our friendship."

"No matter what you become, I will always be myself, with no change."

Seeing this, Qian Renxue's long-held heart finally relaxed.

She lunged forward, tackling Dai Xiyu onto the bed, with tears glimmering at the corners of her eyes.

This is an expression of extreme joy.

"Xiyu."

"Hmm?"

"Let's do deep dual cultivation; that way you'll have a chance to break through and be able to withstand Bibi Dong's encirclement."

After a moment of silence, Dai Xiyu attempted to say:

"But this is too unfair for you. We are good friends, but not a husband and wife."

Qian Renxue remained silent for a moment, then spoke in a voice as faint as a mosquito:

"Then, then after I become the Pope, we will become husband and wife... okay?"

(End of chapter)