"Hmm?"
Everyone watched as Hun Tiandi left arrogantly, unable to make sense of it.
Everything had been fine—so why just up and leave?
Perhaps only Soul Heavenly Emperor at the center stage understood part of the truth, and even many Soul Clan experts could see the frustrated expression on Hun Tiandi's face as he departed.
Including the referee, Hun Dun.
He, too, had clearly seen the anger and unwillingness on Hun Tiandi's face as he left, and he understood the reason behind it.
But there was nothing he could do. Hun Douluo had admitted defeat. Hun Tiandi had won. That meant the match was over.
Hun Douluo looked at Hun Tiandi's fading silhouette and murmured, "Men are such strange creatures."
She then gave a respectful nod to Hun Dun before stepping down from the dueling platform.
Her Dou Qi was nearly depleted—barely a tenth remained. She had no interest in watching the rest of the battles. She needed to recover and prepare for the upcoming challenges and finals.
With Hun Tiandi and Hun Douluo gone, the clan competition continued. Hun Dun announced loudly, "Number 2, Number 99!"
As his voice fell, two new figures stepped out.
"Hun Zhang."
"Hun Tianlin."
"Please guide me."
...
"Father, Brother Hun Tiandi left… He looked really sad," said Gu Xun'er sadly, watching from the high platform.
Seeing her beloved Brother Hun unhappy made her unhappy too.
"Later, I'll take you to find him," Gu Yuan said, stroking her head.
With how battered Hun Tiandi had looked, it was no wonder he was upset. Though he won, it was clearly a frustrating experience.
Still, he had brought that frustration on himself—no one else was to blame.
"Mm."
Gu Xun'er nodded, her eyes darting with thought.
Then, seeing Gu Yuan's attention locked on the arena, she quietly slipped off her seat and snuck away.
This didn't escape the notice of Gu Yuan, nor the other Soul Clan elders and even Soul Heavenly Emperor. All of them noticed the little girl's actions.
But since Gu Yuan said nothing, they all pretended not to see it either.
As Gu Xun'er left the high platform, she glanced back at her father. Seeing that he hadn't noticed her "escape," she sighed in relief—then bolted.
She was going to find Brother Hun Tiandi. She had no interest in sitting around here.
Gu Xun'er thought her escape was flawless and unnoticed.
But in truth, it was all intentional on Gu Yuan's part. Watching her "run away," he smiled helplessly and shook his head.
"This little one… she's definitely going to find Hun Tiandi."
"Sect Brother Gu, shall I send someone to follow her?" Soul Heavenly Emperor asked with a smile.
Truthfully, he found Gu Xun'er's little scheme adorable—it even stirred the desire to have a child of his own. A daughter, to be precise.
"No need. She's just going to see Hun Tiandi," Gu Yuan replied with a shake of his head.
"Very well."
Since Gu Yuan said so, Soul Heavenly Emperor didn't press further. And besides, who in the entire Soul Clan territory would dare lay a finger on his future daughter-in-law?
Both men turned their attention back to the platform.
The fight between Hun Zhang and Hun Tianlin wasn't particularly exciting. The former was a five-star Dou Wang, the latter a three-star Dou Wang.
The result was predictable—there wasn't much suspense.
...
Meanwhile, Hun Tiandi returned to his courtyard to clean up, then prepared to head for the rear mountain.
Training—that was his entire world.
Without the strength to ensure his safety, what else could he do but train?
Today's mistake had taught him a hard lesson:
Don't act high and mighty just because you've got some strength. If not for the system, he would've been dead already.
He made up his mind—something like today could never happen again.
Just then—
"Xun'er?"
He stared, surprised, at the little girl standing at his courtyard gate.
"Brother Hun Tiandi—hug~" Gu Xun'er spread her little arms wide, clearly asking for a hug.
"…Mm."
Hun Tiandi scooped her up. Such a cute little girl—he couldn't bear to say no.
"How did you end up here? Weren't you supposed to be watching the clan competition?" he asked, his tone full of fondness.
Xun'er's nervous, innocent look melted his heart.
"I saw Brother Hun Tiandi was unhappy, so I snuck away," she chirped.
"You little rascal…"
Hun Tiandi gave her nose a playful flick and looked at her affectionately, deeply moved inside.
"Alright, let's go. I'll take you back."
He spread his red Dou Wings and, holding Gu Xun'er in his arms, turned into a streak of light toward the arena.
"Father, Father-in-law, Elders…"
Hun Tiandi landed on the high platform with Gu Xun'er in his arms and respectfully bowed to Soul Heavenly Emperor, Gu Yuan, and the other elders.
"Mm."
Soul Heavenly Emperor gave a faint nod, eyeing the freshly changed Hun Tiandi. "Since you're here, sit and watch. This match is Hun Yu vs. Hun Feng."
"Alright."
Hun Tiandi nodded and sat on Gu Xun'er's seat, with Xun'er sitting on his lap.
...
In the air—
Both Hun Feng and Hun Yu were wreathed in terrifying Dou Qi. The surrounding heaven and earth trembled with their power.
Hun Feng said, "Hun Yu. I didn't expect to face you so soon. But that's fine. Sooner or later, we'd have fought anyway."
Hun Yu smiled wryly. "Nor did I. I didn't expect you to be my opponent."
"I'm not going to hold back. I may not win first place, but I'm confident I can fight for second."
His aura sharpened, and even his gaze became piercing.
Hun Feng answered confidently, "That's exactly what I was going to say."
Both of their auras surged dramatically—and with that, the battle exploded.
"Heaven-Shattering Palm!"
"Breaking Sky Finger!"
Neither bothered with showy moves. From the start, they unleashed their ultimate techniques.
A massive palm and a colossal finger collided in the sky, blotting out the sun. The energies in the air raged violently.
Boom!
The giant palm slammed toward the finger, while the finger jabbed toward the palm. The collision tore through the sky, unleashing thunderous echoes.
The impact made the whole arena tremble. The shockwaves were so intense that the crowd had long since scattered.
These days, if you didn't have strength, you couldn't even afford to spectate.