Chapter 90: Round Two

Chapter 90: Round Two The arena buzzed with excitement. Thousands of disciples, nobles, and cultivators packed the stands, waiting for the second round to begin. A massive jade board displayed the matchups: ???? Hei Long vs Silver Claw Sect’s Genius???? Lin Fan vs Ocean Blade Pavilion’s Second Disciple???? Bai Luoluo vs Sword Maiden of Red Hills???? Zhao Chun vs... literally a stick with a face drawn on it (the stick forfeits) Match 1 – Hei Long vs Silver Claw Sect’s Genius The announcer’s voice echoed: "First match! The Saint of Sect versus Silver Claw’s number one disciple, Feng Yushu!" Feng Yushu, a tall, muscular man with long gray hair and claws for weapons, pointed at Hei Long. "I’ve waited to test myself against you!" Hei Long yawned. "Claws? Seriously? What are you, a house cat?" Yushu roared and leapt forward with lightning-fast strikes—only for Hei Long to casually dodge, step on his foot, and send him flying with a flick to the forehead. The crowd gasped. BOOM. Feng Yushu was buried in the wall behind him. "...Match over! Winner: Hei Long!" Lan Yinyin, sitting high in her private booth, smiled while sipping spirit tea. "Hmph. Show-off." Match 2 – Lin Fan vs Ocean Blade Pavilion’s Second Disciple The next match began. Lin Fan stepped into the arena, arms crossed, a serious expression on his face. He turned to his opponent, a stoic woman holding a glowing spirit blade. "I’ll warn you now," Lin Fan said, slicking back his hair. "I’ve trained... for like two whole hours last night." "...Good for you," she replied. The match started. Lin Fan charged in with a wild war cry—and was immediately smacked in the face by the flat of her blade, spinning him like a top. He bounced off the ground with a thud, arms twitching like a dying crab. The audience paused in awkward silence. The old man in his head groaned. "Stop embarrassing us." "Winner: Ocean Blade Pavilion’s disciple." As Lin Fan was carried away on a stretcher, he whispered, "Was she... interested in me though?" Match 3 – Bai Luoluo vs Sword Maiden of Red Hills Bai Luoluo’s opponent swung her sword with dazzling technique, but Bai simply brought out her custom mechanized cannon. BOOM—The Sword Maiden barely had time to blink before she was launched across the ring. Even Hei Long whistled. "Remind me not to upset her." Between Matches – The Royal Stirring Inside the royal viewing chamber, Prince Lan Yu was biting his nails watching Hei Long win again. His sister, Lan Yinyin, sat beside him. "Isn’t he impressive?" The prince turned to her, scandalized. "You’re rooting for him now!?" She shrugged, brushing a strand of blue hair behind her ear. "He’s interesting." Suddenly, a guard rushed in. "Your Highness! We... lost track of Hei Long again after his match." "HOW!?" "He vanished into the food stalls." Meanwhile, at the Food Stalls... Hei Long was sitting casually, enjoying a pork bun while Zhao Chun clapped like a seal. "That was amazing, Brother Long! You wiped the floor with that claw guy!" Hei Long chuckled. "Please, I was just stretching." Suddenly— "Youuuu...!"A blur of fury stormed toward them—it was Lin Fan, bandaged up, eyes blazing. "You embarrassed me in front of the Ocean Blade Pavilion! You distracted me with your aura!" Hei Long blinked. "So it’s my fault you fought like wet tofu?" "You...!" Lin Fan grabbed the pork bun from Hei Long’s hand. "I’ll—" Hei Long pulled out a spare pork bun and continued eating. Zhao Chun whispered, "He’s always one step ahead..." Later That Evening – Secret Meeting That night, in the royal palace— Lan Yinyin summoned her personal guards. "I want you to find out everything about Hei Long," she said. "His sect, his background, his likes and dislikes." "Yes, Princess!" As they left, she sat alone at her garden table, twirling a teacup. "Hmph. He stole from me, humiliated my people, and doesn’t bow before me..." She smiled slightly. "I like him." Elsewhere – Lin Fan’s Personal Meltdown Lin Fan sat alone on a rooftop, kicking his legs like a sulking child. The old man in his head sighed. "You said you wanted to get serious." "I AM serious!" Lin Fan snapped. "I’m seriously pissed off!" "That’s not how this works." Lin Fan glared at the stars. "One day... I’ll be the main character." Then a pigeon pooped on him again. The second half of the day’s events were underway, and the battles had intensified. But all eyes weren’t on the fights—no, the crowd was buzzing with another rumor. Lan Yinyin, the pride of Ocean City, had been asking about a man. A young man who... did not kneel. Royal Garden – Hei Long, Summoned Hei Long had just finished his snack (another pork bun) and was strolling past some pavilions when a royal servant, sweating nervously, approached. "S-Saint Hei Long! Princess Lan Yinyin wishes to meet with you privately... in her personal garden." Hei Long blinked, chewing slowly."...She’s fast." Zhao Chun leaned over and whispered, "Bro. You’re about to get royalty-ified. If it were me, I’d propose on the spot!" Hei Long ignored him. "Fine, I’ll go. Can’t say no to flowers and threats." . . . Hei Long entered the garden, where Lan Yinyin stood by a koi pond, her light blue hair fluttering in the breeze, dressed in ocean-colored silks that shimmered like waves. She didn’t turn to greet him. "So," she said, voice cold and elegant. "You’re the one who stole from me." Hei Long sat without permission on a nearby stone bench and shrugged. "I prefer the word borrowed." She finally turned, her blue eyes narrowing. "You are lucky I’m interested in why you did it." "Maybe I like shiny things," he said lazily. "Or maybe I knew you’d chase me." "Are you... flirting with me?" she asked, folding her arms. He smirked. "Is it working?" Lan Yinyin’s eye twitched. "No. Definitely not." But her cheeks did flush pink for just a moment. "Leave," she said, turning away again. "Before I imprison you." Hei Long stood, bowed slightly with an exaggerated smirk, and whispered as he passed her, "You already caught me." And then he vanished over the wall like a rogue cloud. Lan Yinyin stared at the koi pond, completely flustered."...What the hell is wrong with that man?" Elsewhere – In a training area nearby, Lin Fan was trying to meditate—shirt half-torn, hair a mess, and his chicken beast pecking at his sleeve. "STOP THAT!" he yelled. The chicken blinked slowly. Then pecked him again. "You should’ve gotten a dragon," the old man inside his head muttered. "Shut up! At least I’m not flirting with nobles like Hei Long!" "You tried to flirt with a tree yesterday." "That tree had curves!" Meanwhile – In the royal palace, Prince Lan Yu was slamming his fist against a jade table. "That bastard... he’s seducing my sister, my soldiers are useless, and my father wants him as an honored guest!" He turned to the man standing nearby. "Bring me... Lin Fan." Moments later, Lin Fan walked in, confused and chicken-feathered. "Did someone say my name?" Prince Lan Yu squinted. "This... is our anti-Hei Long weapon?" "Heck yeah!" Lin Fan grinned. "I’ll ruin that man’s life!" The prince sighed. "You better." Evening – Back in the City As the sun began to set, the sect teams were allowed a brief break to explore the city before the next rounds. Everyone split off—Hei Long strolled through the city streets, ignoring countless stares from women (and a few men), while Lin Fan followed behind, plotting ways to "accidentally" bump into Lan Yinyin. But just then, he spotted her walking toward the arena again. This was his chance. He slicked back his hair, popped his collar, and walked toward her like a drunk goose. "Hey, beautiful... You look like a cold ocean breeze." Lan Yinyin stopped, looked him up and down once... and said flatly: "Who let the chicken keeper out?" She walked past him without a second glance. Lin Fan stood frozen. Then looked down. His chicken was pooping on his shoe. Night Before the Final Round Back at the sect lodging, Hei Long was laying down with one leg crossed over the other, arms behind his head. Bai Luoluo was sitting nearby, tinkering with her new weapon, but occasionally sneaking glances. The master, Mu Qianxue, walked in—"Tomorrow is the real show. Ocean City’s top sects, nobles, and clans will be watching. Don’t embarrass me." She winked at Hei Long. Lin Fan, still wiping chicken crap off his shoe, muttered, "Oh, I’ll be there. And I’ll win." "With your luck?" the old man muttered. "You’ll probably fight the chicken."