Roy glanced at the twin siblings.
Both had black hair and looked as if they were carved from the same mold, with nearly identical builds. If not for one wearing the male uniform and the other the female, it would have been hard to tell at a glance who was the older brother and who was the younger sister.
"Is the Second Senior Sister strong?"
Roy turned to Wu Xiaofei, tilting his head slightly upward.
The man was even taller than him, standing at least over 190 cm.
"Ranked fourth in the sequence, second among Master's disciples, slightly stronger than Third Junior Brother."
Hearing the question, Wu Xiaofei answered calmly. The "Third Junior Brother" referred to Zhao Hufeng, of course. After a moment's thought, he seemed to feel the answer was insufficient and added,
"Three years ago, Second Junior Sister and Third Junior Brother teamed up for the Phoenix Festa. They narrowly lost in the finals to the Sacred Paladin pair from Saint Galahadworth. Their experience in the Phoenix Festa is extensive."
Cecily Wong and Zhao Hufeng had taken second place in the Phoenix three years ago?
Roy looked at Zhao Hufeng in surprise. The boy was only high school age now—three years ago, he would have been a middle schooler. Yet even back then, he had managed to become a Phoenix runner-up. Though he seemed delicate, the title of "Tenka Musou" was no joke.
Perhaps that year's Phoenix hadn't been very competitive?
In any case, it definitely wasn't as stacked as this year's.
Incidentally, Saint Galahadworth had claimed both the Phoenix and Gryps championships in the previous season's Festa, securing the top spot in the six-school rankings.
However, the champions from that year had already graduated and left Asterisk, so Cecily Wong and Zhao Hufeng could be considered quasi-champions. This time, though, they weren't planning to participate in the Phoenix.
So, were these twins seeking out the Second Senior Sister to learn from her Phoenix Festa experience?
"That's a wise move, considering their opponents tomorrow are indeed formidable!"
Understanding their goal, Roy couldn't help but voice his agreement.
Wu Xiaofei gave him a strange look, surprised by his unreserved praise. But he wasn't one for unnecessary words, so he didn't press further and simply stood there like a silent gourd.
Roy glanced at him, finding the guy's refusal to engage in conversation a bit dull.
"Tomorrow's match?"
Fan Xinglou, however, seemed to perk up at the mention, straightening from her sprawled posture and sitting cross-legged with her legs tucked in.
"Your opponents are indeed strong. Under normal circumstances, you'd have no chance of winning. Even if you seek advice from Cecily, victory would still be impossible."
Li Shenhua's expression stiffened slightly, and Li Shenyun didn't look too pleased either.
They weren't satisfied with that outcome. While making it this far already placed them among the top eight, they believed their skills could have taken them to the semifinals—if not for their terrible luck in the sixth round, where they ran into this year's championship contenders!
"This old lady has an idea, though."
Fan Xinglou's face broke into a purely innocent smile.
Zhao Hufeng shot her a surprised look. Their master usually never interfered with her disciples' Festa strategies—why was she taking an interest now?
"Please enlighten us, Master!"
"Please enlighten us, Master!"
The twins were overjoyed and immediately bowed respectfully.
"No enlightenment. Off you go."
To their surprise, Fan Xinglou yawned and waved her hand dismissively, signaling for them to leave.
The twin siblings were dumbfounded.
"This..."
"I have my own plans. Just give it your all tomorrow."
"Yes! Since Master has spoken—"
"Then we'll simply await tomorrow's beheading of the champion candidate!"
Upon hearing this, the siblings' faces lit up with uncontrollable joy, their smiles wider than the sun in the sky.
If their master had personally spoken, didn't that mean victory was practically guaranteed?
How could there be any chance of losing now!
Zhao Hufeng, seeing their smugness, snorted disapprovingly. Facing a strong opponent in a match, instead of seeking inner breakthroughs, they sought external aid—utterly lacking the spirit of martial artists!
But since this was their master's decision, he couldn't say much.
Wu Xiaofei stood there as impassive as ever, eyes lowered as if completely oblivious to their conversation.
"I wouldn't be so sure."
At that moment, a voice drifted over.
Li Shenhua's expression darkened as she turned to the black-clad figure wearing a beast mask.
"...Do you have some profound insight to share?"
"Not really."
Roy smiled and waved his hand.
"Are you mocking us, sir?"
Li Shenyun's face also soured, but recalling Roy's earlier exchange with Wu Xiaofei, she paled and hid behind her brother.
Better to let him face this monster's gaze.
"Not that either."
Roy waved his hand again with a smile.
What the hell does this guy want?!
Li Shenhua's lips twitched several times, his eyes growing increasingly furious.
"Enough, leave now!"
Fan Xinglou's voice suddenly rang out from above.
Li Shenhua, brimming with anger, opened his mouth to retort but swallowed his words at her command. He shot Roy a glare before both siblings bowed to Fan Xinglou and exited Huangchen Hall.
"Today's sparring ends here. Chaofeng, come with me."
After they left, Roy and Wu Xiaofei continued training until evening, when Fan Xinglou finally rose from her seat and stretched lazily.
Roy approached her, and in the blink of an eye, they vanished from Huangchen Hall.
Another abandoned building in the redevelopment zone, different from the last.
"Roy, in tomorrow's match, you're forbidden from using weapons, the Seisenjutsu technique, or that little girl's assistance. Naturally, your Mystic Eyes and rune magic are also off-limits."
Fan Xinglou watched as Roy changed clothes, a pleased smile playing on her lips.
Roy paused mid-motion upon hearing this.
He gave her a deadpan look.
So this was her plan all along!
Indeed, Li Shenhua and Li Shenyun's opponents tomorrow were Roy and Claudia.
"Is this what you meant by 'having your own plans'?"
"Exactly!"
Fan Xinglou nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Are those two disciples really so favored by you?"
Roy rolled his eyes. He didn't find them particularly outstanding—was it worth restricting him this much just to ensure their victory?
"What if I still win under all these restrictions?"
To be honest, the strength of those two siblings wasn't weak, but in his eyes, it wasn't nearly strong enough!
The current restrictions were acceptable to him, but if Fan Xinglou intended to impose further limitations, he wasn't about to agree.
"Kid, sometimes you can be quite slow on the uptake."
Fan Xinglou suddenly let out a long sigh upon hearing this, giving him an inexplicably affectionate look.
"Winning would naturally be best!"
With those words, she waved her hand, dispelling the dark barrier surrounding them, and vanished in an instant.
Roy was momentarily stunned. He walked out of the abandoned building and only after a while did it dawn on him.
"Alright, so it was for my own good after all!"
For a moment, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
***
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