Chapter 17

1

My mind is overwhelmed with memories, and a thousand realizations flood my mind. Each step I take brings another thought to mind, each one making me stronger to take the next step.

Walking through the corridor that leads to the arena, this is the connecting passage between the hotel and the competition venue. It allows direct access to the starting point, and it is only open to the participants.

There is no one around, it's quiet, only the sound of my footsteps, my breath, and the pounding of my heart. Although it feels uncomfortable, it is undoubtedly the best for me right now. Only in this empty space can I truly feel what kind of existence I am, how I define myself. I must redefine myself from an ordinary high school boy to a legendary creature - a dragon.

At the end of the corridor is a long flight of stairs, and the lighting outside is incredibly bright. It creates a great backlight effect in the corridor, and there is only one ray of light at the exit, pure and pristine. The only flaw is that black shadow. When I see the shadow, I quicken my pace and stop in front of its owner.

"What is your final decision? Accept the request, or..."

"Qiong!" I interrupt her, "I remember what you just said."

Qiong immediately feels embarrassed, and her face unconsciously grows warmer.

Of course, she knows what I'm referring to. As long as Wenxin is okay, she will become a member of my harem, agreeing with my polygamy, whether it is legal or not.

"Three years ago, you said you would give me an answer. If that incident never happened, what would your answer be?" I put my hands in my pockets and look straight at the noisy battlefield outside.

"I forgot!" Qiong leans against the wall of the corridor.

"I'm sorry."

"I said..."

"I know that 'I'm sorry' cannot erase the damage I've caused you. Even if there is still a wall between us in the future, if you don't accept my apology, the wall won't fall. At the same time, I understand that the incident meant nothing to you, just like the blow of matricide on me. The only difference is your strength. You were able to remember it firmly and try to overcome it, while I chose to give up struggling and seal it away." I turn around to look into Qiong's eyes, where the seals of runes can still be seen.

"This is..." Qiong gently touches my cheek with her hand.

"I haven't truly broken free from the shackles yet. I am still trying to break free, but I feel like there's still something missing - your forgiveness." My gaze is filled with deep affection, whether it is innate or genuine, I do not know.

"..." Qiong falls silent.

"Well, I understand. I have enough power for Nophis now, so you don't have to force yourself." As I watch Qiong stay silent and lower her head, pulling her clothes with her hands, I understand what she means.

Taking a deep breath, preparing to step out onto the battlefield, Qiong finally hesitantly speaks up, "That day... my answer is... is... I like you too, please be in a relationship with me!"

Qiong's eyes are already red, and she really summoned a lot of courage to say these words.

"I truly am a beast. Only a beast would do those things to you. Are you really willing to be in a relationship with a beast?"

"You... are just a cowardly sheep, a sheep that always reacts slowly. It's obvious that my sister likes you. You pretended not to know and came to pursue me, a tomboy." Qiong's words come out, and she suddenly feels relaxed. Comparing the Qin Yang who pressed her down three years ago to the current Qin Yang, their eyes are incredibly alike. Deep down, he has been struggling, and the past will gradually fade with time. What is in front of her is real. Follow the present feelings, and the three years of pain for both of them might not be necessary anymore.

"Did Yao like me all along? I'm not her sister, how would I know so much?" I smile and put my hands on Qiong's shoulders, jokingly.

"Is your seal still intact?"

"We still have some rituals to complete. After completing them, it might be enough."

"Rituals?"

Qiong still hasn't figured it out yet, but I have already sealed her lips with mine. Our ritual is the final half of the "Dragon Spirit Covenant."

"Xiao Qiong, have you made your final decision to become a member of my harem? No matter if the Three Realms are destroyed, no matter if the Three Clans perish, will you still uphold our agreement?"

"Black, do you really have to be so cheesy with your lines in our contract? It's so cheesy!"

"Just learn from me!"

"Oh~~~ You're the master, so please go ahead."

Qiong quietly responded, "I am willing."

The unfinished contract array reappeared on Qiong's hand. Slowly, she repaired the remaining part. The contract could only be truly established if the other party accepted it sincerely. Forced signing could result in death.

At the same time, the red rune on my right eye moved like a tadpole, enveloping my entire field of vision in a crimson glow. All the runes twisted into a single point of red, constantly pressing, continuing to press until it reached its limit. Then, all the power in my right eye exploded, turning the eyeball evenly blood-red, without any impurities or text.

Suddenly, spotlights shone on us, and our figures were displayed on the big screen in the arena.

"Wow~~~ Even before our first match, we're already seeing this intense restricted-level kissing scene. It's believed that this Inter-Imperial School Competition is going to be highly competitive. Allow me to introduce myself, I am the host and commentator of this competition - Maida," the host in the spacious broadcast room said cheerfully.

"To all the friends present and those watching remotely, it has been a year since we last met. By now, everyone must be wondering if the couple kissing on the big screen are really~~~"

"Oh~~~~" The audience's cheers were one of the reasons for the chaos.

"Alright! Enough jokes. Let me introduce to you these two, who are one of the representatives of The Chishin Academy. These young people these days are so stylish. The boyfriend steps onto the stage, and the girlfriend gives him a lucky kiss. It reminds me of my youth. Why couldn't I have such luck back then? Alright, where are our big FFF group?"

"Burn them!!! Burn them!!! Burn them!!!"

This ridiculous host's warming up was extraordinary.

"Okay, let's get serious. While everyone continues to enjoy this couple on the screen, let me continue to introduce to you. This match is the first match of the second round of the Inter-Imperial School Competition. The contestants are Tong Fei from Nanz Academy and Qin Yang from The Chishin Academy, hehe~~~," the host smirked. "Although he has the surname Qin, he doesn't seem to be from the Qin family."

"Then, today, in addition to the judging panel, we have the honor of having our great emperor of the empire as the referee." The big screen turned to a slightly bloated man on the high platform of the arena, sitting on a gold dragon and phoenix-adorned chair. "And we also have the four dukes of our empire, from left to right, Duke Qin, Duke Liu, Duke Ouyang, and Duke Situ, who had a bit of a family disturbance before."

Below the emperor were four more chairs, occupied by four well-known figures in the empire. But it seemed that the host had no fear of the Situ family and poked fun at them.

"After that, let me explain the rules of the competition again..."

While the host kept on talking, Qiong and I finally completed the final ceremony. Both of us ignored the weird host and silently immersed ourselves in our own world.

Qiong looked into my eyes again and said, "Didn't you say that you could break free from the shackles if I forgave you? Why is your left eye..."

"It's fine. Half the power is enough. With this half, it's not difficult to liberate the other side."

"Be careful."

"Heh~ Just worry about the other side for me."

After saying that, I walked into the arena with large steps. The arena was like four large football fields arranged in a cross shape, much larger than the training grounds of the academy. There were still thousands of spectators around, and their cheers filled the entire arena. But who were they cheering for? According to the information, I was a low-level summoner. Would they know that I was different now?

"We have three minutes left until the start of the match. The two participants have already come out. Let's confirm their personal information one more time. Qin Yang - low-level summoner with a familiar. Oh, let me interject, having a familiar as a low-level summoner is really rare. However, Qin student, you're going into the arena alone without your familiar. Aren't you afraid of being at a disadvantage? Please note that familiars are not allowed to be summoned in our arena."

I wanted to answer him, but I realized that the broadcast room was too far away. It would be a waste of effort. Let him say whatever he wanted.

"Tong Fei - high-level advanced Dark Magic mage, specialized in assassination. There's quite a gap in strength, but I heard that Qin Yang possesses a special skill that can sever all Magic elements, rendering the arena barrier ineffective. On behalf of the arena management, I give you a warning in advance. If Qin Yang really makes the arena barrier ineffective with his special skill, the use of this skill will be prohibited."

I walked to the middle of the arena with Tong Fei. We faced each other and shook hands, following the rules of the competition, which emphasized friendship first.

"Qin Yang, I didn't expect them to send you out in the first round. Elena seems quite passive!"

"It's true that losing four games in a row at the beginning means direct elimination. But are you sure I'm here to give away points?"

"I knew you wouldn't just play along. Let me tell you the truth. I was the one who put the cursed dagger in your sister's body, and the method to break the curse is also wrong. And I still have a trick up my sleeve," Tong Fei rolled up his sleeve, revealing a magic circle. "As long as you don't behave, I can make your sister die instantly."

"You despicable person!" I couldn't believe he had a backup plan. If I confronted him now, he would immediately turn on me. Regardless of whether this magic circle was real or fake, I couldn't risk Wenxin's life.

'Nophis,' I contacted Nophis through our contract.

'Master.'

'How is Wenxin doing?'

"Give me another ten minutes."

'Tell me once Wenxin is down.'

'Understood.'

I could only buy ten more minutes. After those ten minutes, I would make this despicable person understand the anger of a big brother.

2

"Time's up, let the match begin."

The host's announcement signaled the start of the competition. Tong Fei took the initiative, wielding two daggers. His speed was as fast as wind magic, but it wasn't wind-based. It was dark magic. Dark magic differed from midnight magic in that it had an incredibly powerful and sudden attacking force. Midnight magic users generally lacked other abilities and purely focused on destructive power, much like a warrior charging forward. On the other hand, dark magic had low attack power but great versatility, including binding, acceleration, confusion, curse, and even healing.

This guy was somewhat unfortunate to use dark magic against me.

It was best not to let someone in an unlimited state like him touch me. So I kept jumping back, prepared to dodge his attacks from any direction.

Tong Fei was thinking the whole time. He couldn't gauge my magic power level. Was my magic power too weak for him to notice, or was I simply much stronger than him? But the match had already started, and he had no other way out.

Suddenly, Tong Fei changed his tactics. Since he couldn't wound me up close, he decided to try a different approach. He stepped back, put away the dagger in his left hand, and gathered blue magic elements. Blue elements could be water or lightning, but they were gentle and lacked a strong explosiveness, so it was likely water magic.

His left hand gathered an unusually large amount of water elements, and the temperature kept dropping. Oh no, this guy was an ice magic user.

A series of ice mountains rose up, surrounding me, forming obstacles along my path. Then, the ice mountains burst open under my feet, closing in on me like a claw.

Instinctively, I jumped up, and Tong Fei took the opportunity to appear in front of me, stabbing towards me with his right hand. We crashed into the back area of the arena, and I crossed my arms to hold back his right hand and stop the dagger in front of me.

Tong Fei said crazily, "Still hiding? Just let me defeat you obediently, or else your sister will truly be beyond help." He then displayed a blue magic circle with his left hand.

"You actually concealed your magic attribute."

"They only asked for my main magic discipline to be reported, not the secondary one."

"Oh~"

Tong Fei's left hand magic circle hit me, quickly encasing me in a small ice mountain.

Upon seeing this, Ma Da exclaimed, "Wow, Qin Yang dodged and hid for ten minutes, making everyone fall asleep. Suddenly, there's a big turnaround. Tong Fei froze Qin Yang, and with a gentle touch, Tong Fei can win this match."

"Hehe~ Qin Yang, remember our request not to use the 'Seal Demon Binding'." Tong Fei raised his dagger high again.

When he was about to make the final move, a sudden change occurred. Crack! Numerous cracks appeared on the ice surface, and dark crimson flames burst out from the gaps, enveloping the entire ice block. As the flames spiraled rapidly, the ice was consumed and turned into water vapor with a hissing sound.

At this moment, Duke Qin involuntarily slammed the armrest of his chair and stood up.

Emperor Zi Lietong's brow furrowed deeply.

"Wow!" Host Ma Da, after so many years, was for the first time at a loss for words.

"I'm sorry, I also have a minor in Magic that I didn't report."

With one hand gripping Tong Fei's head, he flew at high speed from one end of the arena, dragging him along the ground and forcefully crashing into the wall, creating a large pit.

His right eye blood-red, he surveyed the entire arena, and all the spectators, including the emperor, felt the urge to bow down...