Mystique Soul: A Cultivator's Flame
Chapter 61

Chapter 61: Chapter 61

Feng Jiao Xue sat on her waiting room for the final matched. Half of her Qi was already depleted even if she ended the match early.

She had no choice but expend her Qi and magic to pierced through Feng Zhenhai’s defences.

A flowing water cannot break through a dam but with enough force and pressure, if you built up the water and strike in a single moment, no dam in unpenetrable.

Feng Jiao Xue glanced at the crowed through the small window in the waiting room.

It was ironic. At the start of this whole things, everyone expected her to be the laughing stock, the undeniable loser and now....

They all cheer for her win as if it was inevitable.

"Are you ready? Want me to ask for a longer break? I can ask for another hour" Feng Haoyang asked as he entered the room with a bounce on his step, a sack he obviously wanted to flaunt considering he has his own spacering.

"Uncle... what are you doing?’ Feng Jiao Xue asked with a raised brow while Feng Haoyang grinned merrily.

"Being a proud uncle of course" He merrily laughed with a sunny grin, putting the sack on the table.

Jingle! Jingle! Ching!

Gold, silver and bronze coins glittered inside the sack as they bounced and clicked because of the impact before settling down.

"Wahahaha! Your uncle striked it rich, Jiao Xue!" Feng Haoyang proudly told her. "I can probably live like a kingfor months!"

Feng Jiao Xue looked at the glittering coins then at the grinning Feng Haoyang.

"How many people did you cheat?" She asked wryly making the other squak in indignace.

"I won this fair and square. The supported uncle I am, generously betted on my beloved favorite niece and just so happen to win because they where blind fools who can’t see the real master!" Feng Haoyang shamelessly bragged on and on about his genuis and ’favor’ for Feng Jiao Xue.

She watched Feng Haoyang count his gold like a goblin, a freaky, greedy gaze and a bright sunny grin as if he had won the lottery.

Feng Jiao Xue wonders how this uncle of hers, a young master, was raised or was he dropped in the head as a kid. Watching him ’sweet talking’ his coins while inwardly shacking her head.

Grrrroooowwwww! A beast howl once again signaled the battle.

This was it.

The final match.

"Good luck, Xiao Xue!" Feng Haoyang finnaly stopped counting and bounced to her side.

Feng Jiao Xue nodded before walking to the platform again, standing at one end of the stage, her cold eyes eyes assessing her new opponent

Across from her was her opponent Feng Lanxiu bowed at her in respect. Unlike the others who had underestimated her, he held no arrogance in his stance. He had seen her previous matches. He knew better.

Dressed in crimson robes embroidered with golden flames. His previous robe was already torn so he had to change. Feng Lanxiu gripped his weapon, his sword already searing with heat. The blade pulsed, shimmering with raw power.

"Hey, i never bullied you so don’t humiliate me too much yeah?" He joked before he exhaled. "You’re strong Feng Jiao Xue. I won’t make the mistake of underestimating you."

A rare flicker of acknowledgment crossed Feng Jiao Xue’s face. "Likewise." It’s not just the strength of her opponent that she respects but how they carry themselves as well.

She had watched Feng Lanxiu and investigated his character. His honor and character is upheld with staunched conviction. Friendly and a little bit muscleheaded but not one for schemes.

"Oh~ Look’s like our contenders are already rearing for battle! So, let’s not wait any farther!" The announcer raised his hand. "Let the final match.... begin!"

Feng Jiao Xue waited for Feng Lanxiu to make the first move.

With a single step, he vanished, his footwork Flame Lotus Steps leaving trails of scorched marks in his wake. His sword flashed, a streak of molten light slashing toward her.

Feng Jiao Xue remained still.

’Heat’ Feng jiao Xue followed his movements despite his speed ’Looks like he left a few cards hidden in his sleeves"

Her eyes followed the flames that are blooming like a flower of hell all around her and....

At the last possible second, she shifted. A mere tilt of her head. The blade passed within a hair’s breadth, its heat singing the air but she remained untouched.

Instead, she smirked coldly and looked Feng Lianxiu in the eye before vanishing from his sight.

Feng Lanxiu’s eyes narrowed but Feng Jiao Xue appeared outside of his entraptment and instead finished the zig zagged flame circle.

"Not bad" She muses. "You moved randomly to hide the fact that you where preparing a care"

"It seems I am still far from actually fooling my opponent though" He conversionally replied despite cutting the flame with his sword to break the entrapment.

His instincts screamed at him ’Don’t let her control the pace! He had watched her fight. Feng Zhenhai clearly had a strong chance to win but from start to finish, she calculated all his movements into an elaborate and final strike.

Without hesitation, he twisted mid-air, bringing sword down in a fiery arc. The sword’s flame intensified fueled by his Qi. A strike meant to end the fight.

Clang!

Feng Jiao Xue met his blade with the edge of her own sword, her grip firm and resolute before jumbing back when she lost momentum against his strength as the sword split the platform in half.

The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the arena fire qi and her qi clashed violently. Steam burst into the air, veiling the battlefield in mist.

Feng Lanxiu gritted his teeth and pressed forward. His sword became a blur, striking relentlessly. His movements were refined, precise. Not a single attack was wasted.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sounds of swords clashing rang one after another as Feng Jiao Xue and Feng Lianxiu exchanged blows after blows.

Feng Jiao Xue dares to do this because their cultivation level is about the same.

Feng Jiao Xue she remained composed. Every slash, every thrust, she was already a step ahead.

Though Feng Lianxiu was not far behind, puttng his strength on every clash.

The audience murmured in awe.

"She’s not even attacking."

"She’s waiting. Studying his every move."

"Wait, papa whose winning then?" A little girl asked.

"Is Feng Jiaoxue holding back?"

Lanxiu’s brow furrowed. He could feel it. The shift.

She had done this before.

Feng Jiao Xue never overwhelmed her opponents with brute force. Instead, she let them exhaust themselves, revealing every flaw, every habit. Then, when they least expected, she struck.

He wouldn’t give her that chance.

Flames detonated around him, turning the battlefield into an inferno. The air shimmered, warping from the heat. His Qi surged, feeding the firestorm.

Feng Lanxiu’s voice rang clear. "Let’s see you escape this!"

A massive wave of fire roared toward Feng Jiao Xue, a beast of molten fury.

Feng Jiao Xue smirked. "So, you’ve shown your final card"

Red, everything she sees is red and... as Feng Jiao Xue looked at the mountainous raging flame, she faltered.

Suddenly, she wasn’t in the arena anymore.

A modern villa stood tall and proud in front of her.

"Gasp" She couldn’t breath. She couldn’t move. Her eyes locked on a figure slowly being engulfed in flames....

"...Jiao Xue! Feng Jiao Xue, focus! Dodge, d@mn it!" Huang Jin De’s voice screamed in her mind making her snap back in reality.

The crowd gasped and murmured while she was in a daze.

"She has nowhere to run!"

"This should be his strongest move!"

"Wait, is she really going to lose?!"

"Ahhh! I betted all my money on Feng Jiao Xue since she managed to beat Feng Zhenhai!"

As the crowds anxiously waited for her to burn, she stepped forward and the battlefield froze.

A pulse of chilling energy exploded from Feng Jiao Xue, swallowing the firestorm whole.

Frost raced across the scorched earth, devouring the flames in an instant. The heat vanished, replaced by a deep, unnatural cold. The temperature plummeted, breaths turned visible, the ground cracking under the sheer force of her Qi.

Feng Lanxiu staggered.

His sword once burning like a second sun was coated in frost. The heat that had fueled his techniques was gone. His movements were sluggish his Qi resisting the cold but losing ground.

This....this wasn’t just ice. This was suppression. Feng Jiao Xue had accidentally managed to merge her magic with her qi. Her fear, her sadness, her isolation, her guilt, everything. In that moment, Feng Jiao Xue let it all consume her and turned the blazing grounds into an icy domain.

Feng Jiao Xue exhaled, her breath a wisp of white. "Is this all?"

Feng Lanxiu gaped at her before clenched his jaw in determination. No. Notyet. He grinned in excitement as his eyes flared even more intensely.

He forced himself forward. Even if his flames were weaker, even if his body was cold, he refused to give in so easily.

His sword whistled through the frozen air and attack but as he swings his swords towards her...

She was already gone. She vanished from where he stood.

"Kachaah!" A sharp, cracking sound echoed.

Feng Lanxiu’s breath hitched. His body locked in place.

A thin layer of ice had formed along his limbs, freezing him mid-motion. The frost bit deep, numbing his Qi.

Behind him, Feng Jiao Xue stood at ease, her whip lazily coiled at her side. "You should concede."

Lanxiu took a sharp breath. His flames flickered weakly, trying to melt the ice but it was futile.

"Hehadlost." The realization settled in his chest like a heavy stone.

Then.... he smiled wryly.

"I see. You were holding back this whole time." His voice held no bitterness only respect. "I never stood a chance, did I?"

Feng Jiao Xue didn’t answer.

She didn’t need to.

The announcer, still shaken, raised his voice. "F-Feng Lanxiu can no longer continue! The winner of the tournament is, Feng Jiao Xue!"

Silence.

Then....the arena erupted.

The once-skeptical crowd was in an uproar.

"She won?!"

"She completely froze Lanxiu mid-attack!"

"That wasn’t just ice. That was something else entirely..."

"The good for nothing... won over the genuises..."

Feng Jiao Xue ignored them and just retracted her Qi.

As the ice faded, Lanxiu let out a soft chuckle. "I won’t forget this, Jiao Xue." He extended a hand. "Next time, I’ll be stronger."

She glanced at his outstretched palm, after a brief pause, shook it.

"No doubt." She nodded before she let out a small yet enchanting smile despite the burn of her face, Feng Lanxiu’s heart skipped a beat and a flushed red color creeped up from his neck.