Mystique Soul: A Cultivator's Flame
Chapter 51

Chapter 51: Chapter 51

The air was thick with tension, and the crowd’s collective breath was held in anticipation. The dust that had settled after the explosion of energy still clung to the air, the arena eerily quiet as both combatants steadied themselves.

"Ming’er!" Feng Haotiang worriedly called out leaning on the rail of the balcony they sat on

Feng Jiao Xue shattered Feng Ming’s defense, but Feng Ming was not one to back down easily. Her eyes, sharp and focused, narrowed with a cold, deadly intent. Her hands trembled slightly, but she quickly steadied herself, lifting her head high with a regal, almost disdainful air.

"You should be grateful," Feng Ming sneered, her voice dripping with venom as she wiped the blood that spurt out of her mouth. "that I even allowed you to reach this far."

Feng Jiao Xue just looked at her coldly. Her Qi around her sword slowly turning into green. At her statement, Feng Jiao Xue just smiled coldly. "You’re about to learn something, Feng Ming. You’ve relied on your status your whole life. But being the young miss alone won’t win you battles."

Without waiting for a response, Feng Jiao Xue pushed forward, her golden aura intensifying around her. In an instant, she closed the distance between them, the ground beneath her feet cracking under the pressure of her Qi. Feng Ming barely had time to react before Feng Jiao Xue was upon her.

Feng Ming barely raised her hands, summoning a massive wall of energy in front of her, but Feng Jiao Xue’s next move came so fast, so overwhelming, that Feng Ming had no chance to properly defend.

"Qi Blade!" Feng Jiao Xue shouted, the force of her sword carrying her words with destructive intent. A crackling, pulsing energy shot from her outstretched palm, tearing through the air with the force of an avalanche.

The impact was deafening, a roar that shook the very ground beneath them. Feng Ming’s barrier trembled before collapsing entirely, and the blast sent her tumbling backwards, her feet dragging across the ground as she tried to regain control.

Feng Jiao Xue didn’t give her a second to breathe. She was already in the air, her body glowing with now a fully green Qi as she summoned the final strike.

"Blade Qi" She roared again, her voice carrying the weight of everything she had endured to get here. The force of destruction erupted from her hand like a comet, a massive beam of golden light that streaked toward Feng Ming.

Feng Ming’s eyes widened, a flicker of panic flashing across her face for the first time in the entire battle. She tried to summon another barrier, but it was too late. The beam collided with her in a blinding explosion of light.

For a moment, everything was white. The crowd was silent, the air thick with the remnants of the shockwave. When the light faded, Feng Ming lay on the ground, her body bruised and battered, her hair singed, her once-pristine clothing torn. She coughed, struggling to lift her head, but the effort was futile. She collapsed back onto the ground, unable to rise.

Feng Jiao Xue stood tall, her chest heaving with exertion, but there was no exhaustion in her eyes. Only the fire of victory.

The crowd erupted in a deafening roar, their cheers shaking the very heavens. The impossible had happened. Feng Jiao Xue, the so-called "trash," had defeated the favored daughter of the Feng Clan. She had crushed every expectation and proved that strength wasn’t determined by one’s title, but by one’s heart and will to fight.

Feng Jiao Xue’s gaze fell upon Feng Ming, who lay there, defeated. Her expression was cold

She took a step back, raising her chin slightly. "I didn’t need your approval, Feng Ming. I never did. Nor have I needed the approval of the Feng Clan. I only needed to prove to myself that I was capable."

The announcer’s voice rang out, filled with disbelief and awe. "Win-winner, Feng Jiao Xue!"

The arena erupted into a storm of applause and cheers, the spectators still in shock from the unexpected turn of events. Some were in awe, while others were in disbelief, unable to fathom how the "trash" had defeated the Feng Clan’s brightest star. But it was clear. Feng Jiao Xue had earned her victory.

"No way....!!!!!!!!"

For a moment, no one spoke. The shock was palpable.

"That... that can’t be right," someone stammered, his voice barely audible. "Feng Ming lost? To her?"

"Did we all see the same thing?" another voice called out, laced with disbelief. "That was Jiao Xue! The so-called ’disgrace’ of the clan!"

"She was supposed to be nothing," a young man muttered, his face pale. "No spiritual root, no talent, no future... How did she do that?"

"But look at her," an older woman whispered, her eyes wide. "She didn’t even flinch in the final strike. That power... it wasn’t luck. She’s stronger than we ever imagined."

"Stronger?" a scoffing voice cut in, though it wavered with uncertainty. "She just beat Feng Ming, one of the clan’s brightest stars! She’s not just strong—she’s terrifying!"

"This changes everything," another elder murmured, stroking his beard. "The trash of the Feng Clan? No, not anymore. She’s something else entirely."

"But how?" a young girl asked, her tone a mix of confusion and awe. "She didn’t even look tired. Was she hiding her strength all along?"

"No way. I must have misseen it," a woman muttered, rubbing her eyes as though the act might change what had just unfolded. "That girl was supposed to be useless! How could this happen?"

"She’s been called trash for years!" someone exclaimed, his voice high pitched with shock. "And now she’s standing there victorious... against her! How is that possible?"

"I thought Feng Ming had this in the bag," another person muttered, clutching the edge of their seat. "No one expected Jiao Xue to last more than a few seconds, let alone win!"

"Ahhh!!! My money! My life savings! I thought for sure Feng Ming have this in the bag!"

"Wait... that means... I won?" A youth asked wide eyed. "I only bet on her as a joke but I won.... Ahahaha! I won! Alright! Drinks on me tonight!"

Feng Ming, still on the ground, glared at her with a mixture of anger and humiliation. But even in her defeat she looks unresigned. She refused to admit she lost to this trash!

The arena buzzed with disbelief as the crowd erupted into shocked murmurs. Amid the chaos, a group of elders sat in the elevated seats reserved for the Feng family’s most influential figures. Their usually composed faces betrayed a mix of astonishment, confusion, and curiosity.

"This... this cannot be," Elder Feng Guang muttered, stroking his long, white beard with trembling fingers. "How did Feng Jiao Xue manage to defeat Feng Ming? It defies logic!"

"I was certain Feng Ming would end this in a single move," Elder Feng Lian added, her sharp eyes narrowing as they followed Feng Jiao Xue’s calm figure in the arena. "That girl was written off as a failure for years. Are we to believe she was hiding such strength all this time?"

"Hiding? Nonsense!" Elder Feng Hao scoffed, slamming his palm against the armrest of his chair. "She’s nothing more than a fluke! There’s no way she could’ve cultivated to this level in secret. Someone must be backing her, some hidden master or unorthodox method."

"Fluke or not," Elder Feng Guang interjected, his voice measured but wary, "we cannot ignore what we’ve just witnessed. That strike, that composure... Feng Jiao Xue is no ordinary cultivator anymore. There is strength in her, strength even Feng Ming could not match."

"Strength, yes," Elder Feng Lian admitted reluctantly, her tone grudgingly respectful. "But there’s something else about her. Did you see her movements? Precise. Calculated. That’s not something someone with no battle expirience could do"

Elder Feng Hao sneered, refusing to be impressed. "Calculated or not, she’s still just a girl. One victory does not make her worthy of our attention."

"Don’t be so sure, Hao," Elder Feng Guang warned, his eyes narrowing. "Feng Jiao Xue has shattered the perception of what she once. The good for nothing miraculously beating one of the best... If she continues to rise..." He trailed off, his gaze heavy with thought.

"She could become a force to reckon with," Elder Feng Lian finished, her voice carrying a note of finality.

Elder Feng Hao’s frown deepened, his fingers tightening around the armrest. "But what of Feng Ming? She’s one of the brightest stars of the younger generation! What will this loss do to her standing?"

"That’s for Feng Ming to determine," Feng Guang replied coolly. "The question we should be asking is this. what do we do about Feng Jiao Xue?"

"Do about her?" Elder Feng Hao echoed, incredulous. "What can we do? She’s still an outcast in the eyes of many."

"Not anymore," Elder Feng Lian said firmly. "This battle has rewritten her place in the family. Whether we like it or not, Feng Jiao Xue is no longer the clan’s trash. She has earned her place... and let’s not forget just who her parents are."

"So what?..." Elder Feng Hao scoffed, but his words carried less conviction now.

The elders fell silent, their gazes fixed on the girl standing in the arena. Feng Jiao Xue stood tall, her calm demeanor contrasting with the roaring crowd. Though she didn’t look up at them, her presence demanded recognition.

Feng Guang sighed, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "Perhaps it’s time we stopped looking at her through the perception of someone who cannot cultivate. Feng Jiao Xue has changed, and if we’re not careful, she might become someone beyond our control."

For the first time in years, the elders of the Feng family found themselves watching Feng Jiao Xue with a mixture of unease and reluctant admiration. The girl who had once been dismissed as worthless now stood at the center of their attention, her potential impossible to ignore.

Feng Haoyang sneered as he listens to them.