ETR | Chapter 87

Qin Lou's expression already said it all.

Xiao Xueman's heart sank, and his mood became complicated. Although he had prepared himself for this, truly understanding its meaning was a different feeling altogether.

Shen Guan, on the other hand, didn't react as quickly. He stared at the arena, eyes wide, probably not expecting such a sudden turn of events.

In the arena, vines sprouted from Xiao Wan's body, floating in mid-air. He had one hand gripping Feng Lingru's neck, while more vines wrapped around her body. More noticeably, the water that had filled the entire arena began to dissipate.

It was dissipating, not receding.

The water that had turned the arena into a lake seemed to vaporize bit by bit, then was drawn away by Xiao Xueman's vines, causing the water level to drop significantly, down to Xiao Wan's waist.

Now, Xiao Wan was completely unaffected by the water.

Feng Lingru, with her neck being squeezed, wanted to resist, but her domain was no longer effective. The arena was entirely out of her control. Domains vary in strength, and if one's domain is countered and destroyed, it can easily backfire.

That's exactly her current state, feeling powerless, with her spiritual power nearly depleted. Meanwhile, Xiao Wan, standing before her, was growing stronger.

Though he was gripping her neck, the pressure wasn't just on her neck; she felt the terrifying pressure throughout her entire body, her face turning red.

Was this how Xiao Wan felt when she used her domain earlier?

Probably not, as Xiao Wan had held on for a surprisingly long time before, but now, she couldn't hold on any longer. The oppressive feeling was squeezing her body, making her eyes widen, unable to utter a word.

Xiao Wan, however, remained clear-headed at this moment.

"I think it's time for you to admit defeat," he even smiled slightly, "You can't win if you keep going."

Not long ago, Feng Lingru had said something similar to him.

She was just as stubborn as Xiao Wan, refusing to admit defeat even at this point.

She attempted to resist, causing the remaining water in the arena to surge again, but it was far less intimidating than before. Xiao Wan felt her resistance, and his vines shook, pressing the water back down.

Outside the arena, Shen Guan noticed something.

It was just a clash of domains, a common occurrence in battles between spirit gods. If both sides have domain abilities, the stronger one naturally has the upper hand.

Judging by the current situation, it seemed that the newly awakened Xiao Wan was a bit stronger.

Was it due to his talent?

The audience seated below was buzzing with discussion, as no one expected to witness a domain clash in the Blue Sea Competition's sixteen-year-old showdown.

Shen Guan wanted to turn and discuss with Xiao Xueman, but before he could speak, he noticed Xiao Xueman's expression was off.

"What's wrong?" he asked, a bit slow to catch on, "Xiao Wan is about to win, aren't you happy?"

Xiao Xueman was about to share what he had just seen and his premonition, but at that moment, there was a change in the arena.

The protective barrier of the arena emitted a slight cracking sound. No one expected the youngest group in the Blue Sea Arena to experience a domain clash.

Qin Lou reacted the fastest. Before Xiao Xueman could rush out, he was already there. But even with Qin Lou's quick arrival, a tiny crack in the barrier allowed some of the arena's aura to leak out.

At that moment, Feng Lingru was counterattacking, and Xiao Wan had gathered his last bit of strength. The two domains collided with full force, resulting in an almost explosive effect.

Though they were just kids, and their domains were merely in their infancy, the power of the domains was still present. Everyone felt the impact, though the abilities of these two youngsters weren't enough to harm anyone. The shockwave, however, earned everyone's respect.

This year's Blue Sea Competition was indeed full of hidden talents.

But in the final moment, Xiao Wan remained clear-headed. Using his last bit of strength, he threw Feng Lingru out of the ring, while he, under the impact, stayed within the ring, just a step away from being out.

Clearly, without dispute, Xiao Wan won.

The audience didn't expect such a reversal. As they recovered from the shockwave, thunderous applause erupted.

Even Xiao Wan himself didn't immediately realize he had won. He took a deep breath, stood quietly, shook his head to clear his mind, and instinctively searched for Xiao Xueman.

After Qin Lou quickly reached the arena, he first reinforced the protective barrier with several layers, then helped the unconscious Feng Lingru up, handing her over to the approaching Feng Yiyan.

Although Xiao Xueman was a step slower than Qin Lou, he had been standing below the arena for a while. Xiao Wan, still conscious, confirmed the result and ran happily to Xiao Xueman.

The vines on his body retracted cleanly, and aside from looking a bit tired from using up his spiritual power, there were no other abnormalities.

Xiao Xueman watched him jump off the stage and run to his side, then took his hand.

"Daddy," he looked very happy, "I won."

Xiao Xueman patted his head and said, "Yes, Daddy saw it just now. Xiao Wan is amazing."

Xiao Wan smiled, shook Xiao Xueman's arm, and continued, "I didn't disappoint you, did I?"

"Of course not," Xiao Xueman sighed inwardly, but facing Xiao Wan, his expression remained gentle, "Xiao Wan has never disappointed me, never."

He held Xiao Wan's hand, intending to take him back. Although the competition wasn't over, Xiao Wan's group had finished, and to Xiao Xueman, the rest of the competition wasn't as important.

Now that Xiao Wan had just awakened his domain, he seemed fine, but he actually needed time to stabilize and rest.

Before leaving with his son, Xiao Xueman glanced at Qin Lou.

He hadn't returned to the chief judge's seat, watching them instead, but didn't approach to disturb them.

"I'll talk to you later," Xiao Xueman mouthed, "Don't worry too much."

Qin Lou's prophecies usually involved major events in the future, but they often took a long time to come to fruition. They both had their own matters to attend to, and there was no rush. Besides, worrying now wouldn't help.

However, when Qin Lou comforted him before, he said not to worry. Now, he said not to worry too much.

Something was definitely going to happen.

Xiao Xueman didn't say anything more, keeping his concerns to himself, and quickly took his son back to the resting room.

Xiao Wan had only been holding on out of excitement and the urge to share with him. Once they reached the resting place, he followed Xiao Xueman's method to sort himself out, then immediately fell asleep on the bed.

Xiao Xueman watched him sleep peacefully, gently stroking his soft hair. Sitting there, he seemed to lose track of time.

As the sky darkened, Qin Lou arrived.

When he pushed the door open, Xiao Xueman didn't need to turn around to know it was him.

"...Is the competition over?" he asked.

Qin Lou sat on the other side of the bed and replied, "It's over."

He was the chief judge of the Blue Sea Competition's individual matches, and leaving at that moment would have been inappropriate. Moreover, after seeing the full prophecy, he wasn't sure how to tell Xiao Xueman about it. He needed time to prepare.

Xiao Xueman understood this.

"I never expected these things to happen when I agreed to come to the Blue Sea Competition," Xiao Xueman sighed deeply, "I didn't expect that fate would have its trials, unavoidable no matter how hard you try. Qin Lou, what exactly did you see? Tell me everything."

Qin Lou was silent for a moment, then said, "At first, I thought it was a good prophecy."

The prophecy did involve Xiao Wan, mostly about him. Qin Lou saw his future, where Xiao Wan seemed very powerful, at least at the spirit god level, as the strength he displayed suggested.

The prophecy was just a few fragments, roughly indicating that he had achieved great success.

Some fragments showed him seemingly helping to manage the Wangtian Immortal Gate, while others depicted Xiao Wan in battle.

He appeared to have fully inherited Xiao Xueman’s talent, using vines in battle that were almost identical to Xiao Xueman’s.

He looked very much like Xiao Xueman, and if it were someone else, they might be momentarily confused, unable to tell them apart. But Qin Lou knew it was Xiao Wan, not Xiao Xueman.

That's why he smiled at Xiao Xueman, thinking his previous worries were unnecessary, as most of what was shown was positive.

Not only did Xiao Wan seem to have grown well, but seeing him manage the Wangtian Immortal Gate also suggested that Xiao Xueman and Qin Lou's relationship had greatly improved, just as Qin Lou had hoped.

But he quickly realized something was wrong, just when he made eye contact with Xiao Xueman.

He had seen so many fragments of Xiao Wan, but none included Xiao Xueman or himself.

Xiao Wan's expression remained cold and indifferent, showing no emotion or smile.

No wonder Xiao Wan was managing the Wangtian Immortal Gate. If thinking positively, it might just mean that Xiao Xueman and Qin Lou weren’t by his side during those times, or perhaps they had reconciled and left the family business to their son to enjoy a life together.

But what did the last scene in the prophecy signify?

Xiao Wan’s use of vines was so similar to Xiao Xueman’s, and they looked identical. In terms of wood-type talent, they were indeed alike, as he inherited the Tianxi Divine Tree’s talent.

But the last scene showed Xiao Wan as the Tianxi Divine Tree, having mastered this talent exceptionally well.

However, Qin Lou knew that the Tianxi Divine Tree’s abilities were extraordinary, and there could only be one Tianxi Divine Tree in the world.

The previous one had to perish for the next to be born.

He was well aware of this when he saved Xiao Xueman, which was why he fought so hard to save him.

If Xiao Wan became the Tianxi Divine Tree, where would Xiao Xueman be at that time?

Qin Lou dared not think further.