Volume 2, Chapter 24: The Opening Ceremony
The Federation Capital was alive with color and noise. Flags from countless academies, sects, and clans fluttered in the breeze, mixing the Federation's blue-and-gold with hundreds of other crests. The air hummed with the low energy of tens of thousands of people gathered in one place. Their combined presence created a warmth you could almost feel on your skin.
Yuhao adjusted the stiff collar of his Academy uniform. It still smelled faintly of fresh laundry soap, a clean scent that felt out of place in the middle of this grand event. To his left, Ma Xiaotao stood tall, drawing plenty of curious and admiring glances. Her presence was warm and bright, like a campfire on a cold night. To his right, Tang Ya remained quiet, one hand resting on the hilt of her practice sword, her emerald wrist guards hidden under her sleeves.
"Keep your head up, Yuhao," Tang Ya whispered. "The Sun-Moon teams are watching us closely. They're looking for any small weakness in how we carry ourselves."
Yuhao nodded, but his attention was elsewhere. His new third eye, hidden beneath the skin of his forehead, kept twitching. It didn't focus on the crowd. It saw deeper things — the heavy, metallic gear the Sun-Moon students wore. Their gauntlets and chest plates didn't pulse with natural life. Instead, they pushed out a forced, artificial pressure.
The VIP platform floated high above the arena like a terrace of white marble. The most respected elders and leaders sat there, watching everything below.
Mu En, the Sea God's Pavilion Master, sat calmly with his eyes closed, his presence steady and peaceful. Beside him was Long Xiaoyao, his scarred face as hard as granite.
But the person who drew the most attention was the woman standing behind them.
Ye Guyi remained at attention in her polished white-and-gold armor. She was the Senior Captain of the Radiant Sentinels and a direct disciple of Qian Renxue. Her pale blonde hair and steady, lighthouse-like eyes made her stand out even in this massive crowd.
"She's staring right at us," Ma Xiaotao muttered, a competitive spark lighting up in her eyes.
"She's staring at everyone," Yuhao corrected quietly. "She's not just looking for strong opponents. She's looking for any sign of trouble."
Ye Guyi's role was clear: she was the protector of harmony. Her job was to make sure the heavier, more industrial energy from the Sun-Moon side didn't disturb the spiritual balance of the Capital. To her, this tournament wasn't just a competition — it was also an inspection.
For a brief moment, her gaze met Yuhao's. Her eyes narrowed slightly. Through his Gaze of Openings, Yuhao felt a gentle pulse of pure, balanced light brush against his mind — a quiet warning to stay focused and in tune.
As the teams marched toward the preparation tunnels, the atmosphere shifted. The Sun-Moon Academy group walked past them. Leading their team was a tall, lean young man with ink-black hair and a simple, long sword strapped to his back.
Ji Juechen.
He didn't look at the flags or the crowd. He only paid attention to the movement of energy around the people. When he passed Yuhao, he stopped for a second.
"Your eye," Ji Juechen said in a flat, steady voice. "It sees the gaps between things. I would like to test that edge someday."
"Maybe later," Yuhao replied, his heart beating faster. He could feel the pure, focused intent coming from the swordsman. It wasn't malice — it was simply a deep hunger for the perfect strike.
But the real chill came from the student walking at the very back of the Sun-Moon line.
He wore simple grey robes from a minor sect called the Desolate Thorns and a bamboo hat that shaded most of his face. He walked with a slight limp and carried a long bundle wrapped in rough cloth on his back.
Chen Feng.
He had covered his dark iron-like body with a layer of ordinary-looking spiritual mud, making him appear like any commoner who had barely qualified for the tournament. But to Yuhao's Gaze of Openings, he was a hole in the world — a patch of lifeless static in an otherwise beautiful scene.
The hallway was narrow. As the two groups passed each other, the air between Yuhao and Chen Feng seemed to grow thick and cold.
No one else noticed anything unusual. To the other students, it was just two boys walking by. But in the deeper movement of energy, it felt like a collision.
The cold voice in Chen Feng's mind spoke:
[Draining force active.]
[Gaze of Openings detected. Analyzing…]
Chen Feng didn't turn his head, but his voice slipped directly into Yuhao's mind like a distorted whisper.
"Do you really think the Phoenix cares about you, Yuhao? He's just watching everything like an experiment. He's the one who allowed someone like me to exist. He built the cage you're living in."
Yuhao stumbled for a second, his vision blurring. The words felt like a cold needle pressing into his thoughts.
"Yuhao? You okay?" Ma Xiaotao asked, catching his arm.
"I'm fine," Yuhao lied, his eyes following the grey-robed figure as it disappeared into the shadows of the tunnel. "Just… a bit of a headache."
The opening ceremony didn't waste time with long speeches. This was Lakan's world — efficiency mattered.
"The first match," the announcer's voice boomed across the arena, carried by thousands of resonance shells. "Hall of Radiance Youth Division versus Iron-Core Technical Institute!"
It was the perfect opening bout: the Federation's traditional style against the heavy, mechanical approach of the Sun-Moon side.
Ye Guyi stepped onto the arena floor alone. She didn't bring a team. She didn't need one. Her opponents were seven students clad in heavy, steam-hissing armor. They looked like walking tanks, their gauntlets glowing with forced artificial power.
"They have a lot of metal," Tang Ya noted from the sidelines. "But their movement of energy feels rough. It's like they're forcing the world to give them power instead of working with it."
"They are," Professor Lakas said, appearing behind them with a bag of roasted peanuts. He looked like he hadn't slept much, but his eyes were sharp. "That's the Sun-Moon way. Why wait for a seed to grow naturally when you can just build a machine to copy the result?"
The match began.
The Iron-Core team didn't rely on martial souls. They used their heavy armor. Seven beams of concentrated blue light shot toward Ye Guyi. The air screamed as the artificial energy tore through the arena's natural flow.
Ye Guyi didn't dodge. She raised a single finger and traced the ᜎ (La) marking in the air.
"ᜀᜏᜒᜆ᜔ ᜈᜅ᜔ ᜊᜓᜃᜅ᜔-ᜎᜒᜏᜓᜃ᜔-ᜎᜒᜏᜓᜃ᜔," she whispered — the Song of the Dawn.
A single massive wing of pure, balanced light erupted from her back. It wasn't blinding. It was clear and gentle, like the first soft light of sunrise.
When the blue beams struck her light, they didn't explode. They simply lost their will and softened, turning back into harmless ambient energy that faded away.
"The Phoenix doesn't destroy things," Lakas muttered, chewing on a peanut. "It just reminds them what they're supposed to be."
Ye Guyi took one calm step forward. The wave of her balanced power washed over the Iron-Core team. Their heavy armor groaned as the gears seized up. One by one, the walking tanks dropped to their knees, their systems shutting down.
The match ended in less than thirty seconds.
•••••
Up on the Phoenix God Star, Lakan watched the replay. He wasn't focused on Ye Guyi's power or grace. He noticed the small way she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear afterward — a very human, slightly nervous habit.
"She's a good kid," Lakan said, leaning back. "Renxue trained her well. She has real strength, but she still worries about little things like her hair."
Yes, Qian Renxue has taken Ye Guyi as her disciple, teaching her a lot of knowledge that made her a very formidable opponent and a nightmare to Evil Soul Masters.
Gu Yuena sat beside him, watching the grey-robed figure of Chen Feng in the waiting area. "And the other one? The Desolate Thorn? He didn't even react when she released her light."
"He wouldn't," Lakan said, his voice turning a bit bitter. "He's removed the part of himself that feels wonder. He's not looking at her beautiful display. He's only looking for the way she creates it so he can figure out how to stop it. He's become a parasite, Nana. He waits for others to show their best, then tries to break it."
Lakan glanced at the small, crumpled doodle of a chicken drumstick still sitting on his side table.
"I built a world full of beauty," he whispered. "And now I have to watch someone who might have been a normal coworker back on Earth try to tear it down because he's angry and empty, and that his favorite hero isn't the one ruling this world. It's almost funny, in a sad way."
•••••
After the match, Yuhao walked through the cool tunnels back toward the dormitory area. The air was damp and smelled of stone.
Suddenly, the movement of energy in the tunnel changed. The distant noise of the crowd faded away.
Chen Feng was standing by a water fountain, his bamboo hat pulled low. He held a small, rusted cup, watching water slowly trickle into it.
"You didn't use the Da marking today," Chen Feng said without turning around. "You're keeping it hidden. You think that if I don't see it, I won't be able to adapt to it."
"I don't need any special marking to deal with someone who runs away," Yuhao replied, his violet eyes steady.
Chen Feng turned. Under the brim of his hat, his face was a pale, emotionless mask. He reached out and touched the tunnel wall.
The stone didn't crack, but the color drained from it. A grey stain spread from his fingers, turning the living rock into brittle, lifeless ash.
Yuhao reacted on instinct. He didn't summon his martial soul. He activated the Gaze of Openings.
The world around him slowed. He saw the draining force crawling toward him like a swarm of grey insects. He countered it by focusing on the natural movement of air in the tunnel, making it thicker and more resistant.
The grey stain stopped just an inch from his boot.
The two boys stood facing each other in complete silence. To anyone watching, it would have looked like nothing more than a staring contest. But between them, the very flow of the world was straining.
"Impressive," Chen Feng said. The grey stain slowly retreated. "Your eye is getting stronger. But remember this, Yuhao… the Phoenix is a bird of fire. And fire eventually burns everything it touches — even the ones who follow it."
Chen Feng turned and disappeared into the shadows without another word.
Yuhao leaned against the wall, his forehead burning. He looked at the spot where Chen Feng had touched the stone. It remained grey and dead.
He thought about Chen Feng's words. The Phoenix is the one who let me happen.
Was there any truth to that?
"But I'm not just a piece in someone else's game," Yuhao whispered to himself. He looked at his still-shaking hands. "And I'm not going to be weak."
He stepped out of the tunnel and into the evening sunlight. The Capital was beautiful, but for the first time, Yuhao clearly saw the shadows it cast. He realized that the natural flow of the world wasn't something you could simply enjoy — it was something you sometimes had to protect, even if the one who created it was quietly watching from afar.
End of Volume 2, Chapter 24