Chapter 127: The Duel for the Devil’s Glance

Chapter 127: The Duel for the Devil’s Glance Location: Imperial University – Moonlit Courtyard Arena It began, as all disasters do, with a misunderstanding.And by misunderstanding, we mean Li Chen opening his mouth. He’d had enough. Hei Long had stolen his spotlight, his system’s narrative focus, and now his precious, cold, mysterious transfer student target—Leng Qingxue. But Li Chen still had one card to play: His childhood sweetheart. Zhao Yuran — beloved by many, envied by all. Fiery temper, top of the pill alchemy department, and ranked #2 in the university’s "Most Likely to Dominate You With Just Eye Contact" poll (Hei Long was #1 by a landslide). Yuran had been by Li Chen’s side since their village orphanage days, and she had just started realizing he was more than a brother figure. Maybe. Probably. Possibly. ...Okay, maybe not. But today, Li Chen was sure of it. Because when he’d mentioned that Leng Qingxue kept calling Hei Long "Master"... Yuran had narrowed her eyes. "She what?" And when he added that Qingxue had followed him across worlds, frozen a leaf midair, and poured Hei Long tea in front of the entire martial arts department— Yuran had stood up. Tied her hair back. And said only two words: "Challenge. Issued." — That Night – The Courtyard Arena The university buzzed like a beehive on spiritual sugar. Students lined every inch of the observation balconies. Drones circled overhead broadcasting the fight live. Betting markets opened. Sects sent observers. A junior cultivator fainted from excitement before the match even began. The moon was full. And at the center of the arena stood: —Zhao Yuran, crimson robes blazing, a flame lotus etched into her sleeves.—Leng Qingxue, in icy white, sleeves rippling like snow in the wind. And on a private balcony above them both, sipping wine he didn’t pay for— Hei Long. Because of course he was watching. "You think you’re worthy of him?" Yuran asked, eyes narrowed. Leng Qingxue didn’t blink. "He trained me. He shaped me." Yuran’s voice rose. "You call him Master, but he looks at you like a tool. I’ve known men like him. You’ll break long before he ever does." Qingxue tilted her head. "I was broken before I met him. He made me sharp." Sparks flared around Yuran’s fists. "You’re obsessed." "I’m loyal." The Duel Begins Yuran struck first — a phoenix-shaped flame shot across the arena, spiraling with aggressive precision. Qingxue didn’t move. The ice rose on its own — a dome of frozen elegance, rippling with her will. BOOM. The fire crashed. The dome held. Qingxue countered. A spear of jagged frost erupted from the ground. Yuran dodged — barely — but her sleeve froze at the edge. "Not bad," she admitted, eyes narrowing. "But how much willpower does it take to chase a man who doesn’t even look at you?" Qingxue responded by freezing the arena floor. Instantly. Yuran slipped. Qingxue was already in front of her. Palm raised. A breath from her throat. And yet— She paused. Didn’t strike. Instead, she said, "He doesn’t have to look at me. I was never chasing his eyes." "What, then?" Yuran spat. "His shadow is enough." On the Balcony Hei Long didn’t react. Didn’t smile. Didn’t nod. Just sipped his wine. But... a flicker passed through his eyes. The students watching all gasped. "She chose the shadow!""THAT’S HOT""I ship them. I ship them aggressively.""Yuran’s going to explode.""Li Chen watching this stream in 720p, screaming into a towel." — Back in the Arena Yuran roared and unleashed her full cultivation—blazing golden flames lit with fury and heartbreak. "YOU THINK YOU CAN WIN HIM BY GROVELING IN HIS WAKE?!" Leng Qingxue simply closed her eyes. And a lotus of ice bloomed beneath her feet. It spread upward, becoming a crown. "I’m not here to win him," she said. "I’m here to belong to him." She moved once. Yuran collapsed, frost spreading across her chest. She coughed. Defeated. The match was over. — Aftermath – Hei Long’s Balcony He stood. Qingxue looked up at him. He met her gaze. The crowd held its breath. And then— He nodded. Once. Simple. And her smile — the faintest, rarest thing in the world — broke through her winter facade. Meanwhile – Li Chen In the infirmary. Wrapped in three spiritual bandages. Watching the duel replay on his phone. "WHY IS IT ALWAYS HIM?!" His system responded: [Ding! System Update Available: "Learn to Cope (Passive)."] . . . . . . The room was warm, lit by soft orange lanterns and the steady hum of her personal flame array. On the wall hung her ancestral blade, Blazing Orchid, and beneath it, the embroidered crest of her hometown—the same village where she and Li Chen grew up. It was a place filled with memory. Familiarity. Safety. And yet tonight... it felt suffocating. Zhao Yuran sat cross-legged on the floor, hands folded in her lap, a half-empty jade flask of spirit wine beside her. Outside, the wind stirred with rumors. "Did you see how she called him Master?""She froze Yuran mid-strike.""No one wins against Hei Long. Not in love. Not in life." She tried to shut it out. She tried to remember why she had ever looked at Li Chen with anything resembling affection. And what she found was... a hole. Not a wound. Not a scar. Just... emptiness. Flashback – Years Ago, Village of Twin Pines "Yuran, you’ll marry Li Chen someday." Her mother’s voice had been teasing. Assured. They were thirteen. Li Chen had just slipped on a beetle during sword practice. Yuran laughed. And didn’t argue. Because back then, Li Chen had been everything familiar. Brave, clumsy, stubborn. He tried so hard to stand tall. To impress. To protect. He was warm. But warmth fades. And now, years later, she found herself wondering— Had she ever truly loved him? Or had she loved the idea of him? The way you love an old blanket. Comfortable. Predictable. Safe. But not burning. Never burning. Present She rose from the floor, walking to her mirror. Touched her cheek where Leng Qingxue’s frost had bitten her skin. It still tingled. She didn’t feel rage. She didn’t feel jealousy. She felt... Curiosity. A terrible, spiraling curiosity. "What would it be like," she whispered, "to give yourself to someone colder than you?""Someone who doesn’t ask for affection... but demands it through silence?" She thought of Hei Long. The way he stood above them all. Untouched. Unconcerned. Unreachable. Her hand trembled slightly. Later That Night – Yuran’s Journal Day 147 of pretending I want the hero.Today I asked myself the wrong question.Not whether I loved Li Chen... but whether I ever truly saw him at all.Or if I’ve just been waiting... for someone who would never look back. He looked down from the balcony that night.Not at me.Not at her.Just at the world.Like he owned it already. And I hated how much that thrilled me. She closed the journal. Burned the page. And didn’t sleep. The Next Day – Training Grounds Li Chen found her sparring alone. Hard. Furious. Flames licked off her arms with every strike. "Yuran!" he called. "Let me help you." She stopped. Turned. And for the first time... there was nothing soft in her expression. Only silence. "Do you love me?" he asked. Desperate. Tired. Afraid. And she— She looked at him for a long, long time. Then finally whispered, "I think I was just waiting for someone to burn me differently." She walked away. Li Chen didn’t follow. Couldn’t. Meanwhile – Hei Long Standing in the private rooftop garden of his skyscraper suite, watching the city lights blink like stars beneath his feet. He held a letter. The seal broken. The handwriting elegant. "Do you feel it too? The weight of being everyone’s gravity?" He folded it once. Tossed it into the koi pond. Leng Qingxue approached silently from behind. "You’ve changed her," she said. "I change nothing," Hei Long replied. "I simply exist. The rest... breaks on its own."