Chapter 37: Being Played Badly
The sixth bell rang, signaling one minute left.
The fair duel in the center of the battlefield continued, with punches and kicks flying.
The tens of thousands of spectators around were shocked and fell into a long silence.
"What kind of weird ability is this?" someone finally murmured.
"Did Xia Feng just say 'optimize'?"
"It looks like he temporarily strengthened the copied spiritual weapon. Wow, I suddenly want him to copy my spiritual weapon."
"Ah? Doesn't your spiritual weapon also have basic intelligence?" The person next to him gave him a weird look, suspicion in his eyes. "You don't have any special hobbies, do you?"
The man's face changed drastically. "Don't talk nonsense! I just want to know what my spiritual weapon looks like after it's strengthened! Really!"
"Okay, okay, I believe you."
"But then again, copying and optimizing? That's two skills, right?"
"Seems like it. Only B-level and above spiritual weapons have two skills. Either A or B, depending on the restrictions. I think it's likely A!"
"A or B, really?"
"What else? In my opinion, a spiritual weapon with copying abilities can't be low-level. If there are more restrictions, it's at least B-level. Tsk~ makes you jealous."
Zhao Jie stood in front of the window, his gray eyes flashing as he glanced at Panda with a solemn expression. "Little Fatty, it seems you misjudged again."
"If Yan Xujia loses, will you really send him to Southern Xinjiang?"
Panda pursed his lips and looked at the statue of the Fair Star God holding a scale in the distance. Under the gaze of the Fair Star God, no one dared to violate a contract, even if they were followers of the Black Moon Goddess.
Originally, Xia Feng was supposed to be sent to Southern Xinjiang.
But who would have thought Yan Xujia would actually lose?!
Panda clenched his fists secretly, but on second thought, it wasn't a big deal.
After all, his primary goal—attracting Xia Feng's hatred and diluting the bond line—had been achieved. When the master came out of seclusion, he'd have a surprise ready.
"As for Yan Xujia, let this idiot go to Southern Xinjiang. It's not me going there anyway," Panda sneered inwardly.
"Ding—"
At that moment, a special notification sound from a phone rang, and Panda turned around.
Yin was sitting on the sofa, happily drinking milk tea, not caring about the match. He looked at his phone, raised his head, and said seriously, "The master has come out of seclusion."
Seeing Xia Feng turn the tables with strange methods, Freya's beautiful eyes softened, and she nodded with satisfaction. She tilted her head and smiled softly, "Master Chen, now tell me, who do you think will win?"
Chen Xingdao didn't speak but stared at Xia Feng in the center of the battlefield, hands behind his back. After three seconds of silence, he suddenly said in a serious, melodious tone:
"This boy has the talent of an emperor!"
"..." Freya was long accustomed to Chen Xingdao's strange way of speaking. Though she didn't fully understand, she could grasp his praise.
As expected, her judgment wasn't wrong. Freya felt excited, and her desire to take Xia Feng as her disciple grew stronger!
To personally train such a young genius into a powerhouse—just thinking about it was thrilling!
As she fantasized, she suddenly noticed Chen Xingdao was gone.
Freya turned back in confusion. "Master Chen, where are you going?"
Chen Xingdao opened the door and turned back to explain seriously, "I've suddenly realized that Xia Feng and I share a deep fate!"
Freya's beautiful eyes widened.
"So, I've decided to make an exception and take this boy as my disciple!"
"?!?!" Freya's rosy lips parted in shock. By the time she reacted, Master Chen had already waved and left.
"Master Chen, stop!" Freya's eyelids twitched, and she rarely felt anger. She hurriedly chased after him.
When—
The seventh bell rang, marking 20 seconds left in the match.
Xia Feng quietly took the "Pingshan" pocket watch hanging from Yan Xujia's collar in the chaos, unnoticed as he was surrounded by ten wooden soldiers.
He stepped aside and watched the fair duel between ten soldiers and one man, rubbing his chin and nodding with satisfaction. He liked the feeling of this duel.
It was easy, fair, and he didn't have to lift a finger. Perfect for a peace-loving young man like him.
"Master~ Master~"
Selena's soft, trembling voice echoed in his ears. Xia Feng thought for a moment, raised his hand to his chest, and whispered again, "Optimize."
"Eh~ uh~~~~" Selena, now with human-like emotions, made a mechanical sound and cried out, "No—don't!!!"
[Optimizing—]
[Second optimization failed—Wood integrity reduced by 19%]
Xia Feng frowned. Though the optimization failed, Selena's emotions became richer, her voice more layered, almost like a real person.
He activated the skill again. "Optimize!"
[Optimizing—]
[Third optimization failed—Wood integrity reduced by 61%]
"Is it really not working?" Xia Feng sighed inwardly. He had hoped to upgrade the quality further, like forging equipment.
But it seemed optimization could only be done once. Further attempts damaged the spiritual weapon.
Still, he wasn't convinced.
"Optimize!"
"No—wait, wait~~~ Master! Save me~~~~"
Yan Xujia vaguely heard Selena's soft, trembling cries, and his heart ached. How had things come to this? Bastard! Xia Feng!! I'll kill you!!!
[Optimizing—]
[Fourth optimization failed—Wood integrity reduced by 99%]
"Master, master~ I'm sorry, Selena was played badly~" Her intermittent, trembling voice grew weaker. Yan Xujia's heart twisted, and his consciousness began to collapse. Damn it, damn it, how did this happen? In his daze, he felt a pang of regret. If only he hadn't provoked this.
"Bang!!!!"
Xia Feng was about to optimize a fifth time, but Selena couldn't endure it any longer and collapsed.
The wooden armor covering her body exploded into sawdust, vanishing in a burst of fierce light, completely gone from this world.
Selena was "dead."
Xia Feng was slightly injured.
The audience was shocked but not surprised. B-level and A-level spiritual weapons often had side effects and limitations. Cases of spiritual weapons exploding due to loss of control weren't rare.
Yan Xujia had lost everything this time. He didn't win the match, was exiled to Southern Xinjiang, and lost a wood general with basic intelligence.
When—
The eighth bell rang.
"The match is over." A referee appeared out of nowhere in the center of the battlefield. His calm voice carried a strong spiritual pressure that immobilized both Xia Feng and Mu Bing.
The referee checked the unconscious Yan Xujia, felt his breath, lifted his eyelids, and nodded. He stood up and announced in a deep voice, "The winner of this match is Xia Feng!"
After a second of silence, thunderous applause erupted. Cheers and screams filled the air, with boys and girls shouting, "Xia Feng, I want to have your baby!"
Though the result was unexpected, the thrilling battle had satisfied the audience's emotions. In summary, they had become Xia Feng's fans.
However, a few spectators sat expressionlessly in their seats.
"If I'd known, I wouldn't have bet everything on Yan Xujia! Damn, I lost my underwear!" someone lamented in despair.
"100-to-1 odds! If only I'd bet a little on Xia Feng…"
"No use crying over spilled milk. The chance to get rich overnight is gone! Damn!"
"Oh no, A Lin, didn't you say you bet ten yuan on Xia Feng?"
"Yeah, hehe~ 100 times ten yuan, that's 1,000 imperial coins!" The boy laughed. "It's so cool, 648 is enough!"
"Father, that's 300 left."
"I'll treat you!"
"Father Lin, you're the best!"
"Oh my God! Look at the group chat—someone said they'd eat dirt live if Xia Feng won!" someone suddenly exclaimed.
"Ah? So he's…"
"Yeah! He said his only virtue is integrity, so he's live-streaming from the toilet—"
"Stop! Don't say it, it's disgusting!"
The crowd buzzed with noise. Amid the screams and cheers, Xia Feng smiled awkwardly but politely, bowed, and quickly left.
"Boy, stop."
As soon as Xia Feng walked out of the exit passage, he was stopped by a strange man in a gray Taoist robe.
With his hooked nose, drooping eyes, thin cheekbones, and pale face that looked unnervingly gloomy under the dim light, he resembled an evil villain from a novel who liked to laugh menacingly.
Xia Feng took a cautious step back.
Taoist Chen had no idea how alarming his appearance was. He grinned, showing a creepy smile. "Young man, do you crave power?"
"..."
Xia Feng's eye twitched slightly, and he shook his head quickly. "No, goodbye!"
With that, he walked around the man and left.
Taoist Chen frowned slightly. Was my smile not sincere enough? He raised his hands and pulled the corners of his mouth into an even creepier smile.
"Perfect!" After preparing himself, he turned and quickly caught up to Xia Feng, saying in a deep voice, "Young man, I see you have extraordinary bones and the talent of a swordsman. Why not follow me, this old Taoist, to practice swordsmanship and spiritual attire?"
You're the swordsman, and your whole family are swordsmen! Xia Feng glanced at him. "Who are you?"
"Ah, yes, here's my business card—"
A black business card was handed over.
Xia Feng glanced at it and saw the following:
[Captain Chen Xingdao of the 7th Squadron, Imperial Holy Department]
[Honorary Professor of Sword Spirit Studies, Imperial Boundless Academy]
[President of the Sunflower Sword Style Research Association]
[Contact: 139******]
[.]
Though Xia Feng didn't know what the Sunflower Sword Style was, the first two titles were impressive.
Not only was he a beast, but also a captain? On the same level as Professor Freya? Xia Feng stopped and asked, "From what you're saying, you want to take me as your disciple?"
"Exactly. I just watched your match. The spiritual attire you released is perfect in both style and structure. Your combat fundamentals are solid, making you ideal for learning advanced sword techniques! How about it, Xia Feng? I'm also a professor of sword spirits. Follow me—"
"Reject."
Before Chen Xingdao could finish, a bright broadsword suddenly rested against his neck. A mature female voice with a terrifying aura spoke coldly behind him, "Master Chen, are you trying to steal my disciple?"
Xia Feng was shocked. He was facing Chen Xingdao and hadn't noticed the red-haired woman behind him.
Looking closer, he realized it was Freya.
But Freya's expression was completely different from her usual gentleness. Her loose martial arts uniform billowed as if in a breeze. The moment her terrifying spiritual pressure unfolded, Xia Feng felt as if he were facing a tiger gazing down at all living beings with cold eyes.
Chen Xingdao's body stiffened momentarily. His gloomy eyes narrowed slightly as he said in a deep voice, "So, the disciple the Sword Demon mentioned earlier was Xia Feng?"
"Exactly," Freya said confidently.
"Eh? Wait! Professor Freya, I haven't agreed to be your disciple yet!" Xia Feng interjected hurriedly.
Freya's face froze.
Chen Xingdao's eyes lit up instantly. He calmly moved the blade aside with his fingers and turned back. "So it was just the Sword Demon's wishful thinking. That makes things simpler."
"..." Freya's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, but she seemed to recall something and slowly lowered her blade, stepping aside.
"Xia Feng, my friend, I'll soon be a fourth-level spiritual master, while Captain Fu will remain at the third level for a long time. It's obvious who the better choice is, right?"
"Ah?" Xia Feng glanced at the broadsword resting on Chen Xingdao's neck, surprised. Why does it seem like you don't dare to fight Professor Freya?
"How about it, Xia Feng, my friend? Will you join my Sunflower Sword Sect?"
"Sunflower Sword Sect?" Xia Feng looked puzzled.
"Exactly!" Taoist Chen spoke seriously, exuding confidence. "The B-level spiritual attire, Sunflower Sword Style, has the power to dispel evil. Its strength rivals many A-level spiritual attires. Moreover, I've discovered a method to elevate it to A-level. I'm just one step away, though I'm not sure where I went wrong. Well, I've digressed~"
He looked serious, with a hint of expectation in his slightly feminine, gloomy eyes. "How about it? Before learning this method, you only need to remove two taels of flesh from your groin. With your talent, I believe you can carry this method forward—"
"Pfft~" Freya, standing nearby, couldn't hold back a soft laugh.
Taoist Chen frowned and sneered, "Sword Demon, what are you laughing at? Do you think Xia Feng is as vulgar as you?"
Xia Feng: "..."
Freya ignored Chen Xingdao and instead looked at Xia Feng with gentle, smiling eyes. "Student Xia, what do you say? Will you learn the sword from him or the blade from Professor Freya?"
Taoist Chen also turned, his face filled with expectation.
Sorry, but I'm just an ordinary guy. Xia Feng's eye twitched slightly as he bowed to the man in the Taoist robe. "Master Chen, to be honest, my biggest dream is to marry a beautiful wife."
Hearing this, Chen Xingdao frowned, feeling a bit disappointed. He had thought such a genius would be a fellow Taoist devoted to the path, but it seemed he was still burdened by worldly desires.
He didn't understand—what was so great about sleeping with a woman?
Wasn't sleeping with a sword better? Jianjian was his sword, and he often slept with it in his arms. Wasn't that more interesting than a woman?
"So, you agree to be my disciple?" Freya smiled softly.
(End of Chapter)