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Chapter 24: Elemental Subjugation · The Dual Beauties
The second day of the qualifiers.
The clamor of the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena gradually dissipated at dusk, and the teams from various academies left the venue one after another. In the Blazing Academy's lounge, the atmosphere was as heavy as solidified lava.
Huo Wu sat on a bench, a towel draped over her neck, as sweat trickled down her sun-kissed skin. Her head was bowed, hands clenched into fists resting on her knees; her nails were dug deep into her palms, nearly drawing blood.
Lost again.
Today's opponent was Tianshui Academy. Originally, Huo Wu thought this would be a balanced battle—after all, water counters fire, but Blazing Academy's explosive power should have been enough to compensate for the elemental disadvantage. However, reality had dealt her a harsh slap in the face.
Shui Bing'er, the captain of Tianshui who usually maintained a cold demeanor, had displayed overwhelming strength today. The moment her Ice Phoenix martial soul appeared, the temperature of the entire stage plummeted, and the power of Huo Wu's flames was suppressed by a full 30%.
Not long after the battle began, Huo Wu discovered that her "Resisting Fire Ring" simply could not push back Shui Bing'er's "Ice Seal" skill. Those ice crystals seemed alive, coiling around her flames, gradually eroding and extinguishing them. Her pride and joy, "Huo Wu Dazzling Sun," had barely condensed into form before it was completely frozen by Shui Bing'er's "Ice Crystal Barrier," shattering into a heap of ice shards mid-air.
What frustrated Huo Wu the most was that Shui Bing'er had barely moved from her spot. She simply stood calmly at the other end of the stage, her hands forming seals, her eyes as indifferent as if she were watching a performance that had nothing to do with her. The phantom of the Ice Phoenix spread its wings behind her, each flap bringing a piercing, bone-chilling wind.
Huo Wu exhausted every effort, pushing her soul power to the limit, her flames soaring as if to ignite the entire arena. But Shui Bing'er merely uttered a single word:
"Seal."
Then, Huo Wu couldn't move.
It wasn't that she was frozen, but rather that her soul power circulation was locked by a nameless chill. Her flames were still burning, but they were like fire trapped inside a glass jar—unable to spread, unable to harm, only futilely consuming her soul power.
Huo Wu watched helplessly as her teammates were defeated one by one, watching Shui Bing'er's ice-blue eyes gaze at her calmly, as if looking at an unruly child making a scene.
That look hurt more than any mockery.
"Huo Wu, aren't you leaving yet?" Huo Wushuang's voice came from the doorway, tinged with exhaustion.
Huo Wu looked up and saw bruises on her brother's face—marks left by ice cones thrown by a girl from Tianshui named Xue Wu. Blazing Academy had lost, and they had lost poorly. Although they weren't at the point of elimination yet, this defeat was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing all of Huo Wu's pride.
A Rank 43 Control System Battle Spirit Ancestor, the once-in-a-century genius of Blazing Academy... in front of Shui Bing'er, she was nothing.
"I'll practice a bit longer," Huo Wu's voice was hoarse.
Huo Wushuang sighed, walked in, and sat beside her. "Don't blame yourself too much; there's nothing to be done about elemental counters. Shui Bing'er's Ice Phoenix is a top-tier martial soul. Your Fire Shadow is strong, but..."
"But it's just not as good as hers, right?" Huo Wu interrupted him, laughing self-deprecatingly. "Brother, tell me the truth. If I were at the same rank as Shui Bing'er, could I beat her?"
Huo Wushuang fell silent.
The answer was obvious—no. The suppression of a top-tier martial soul over an ordinary one was comprehensive, not to mention the elemental counter. Even at the same rank, Shui Bing'er would firmly hold the upper hand.
Huo Wu closed her eyes, and the figures of the girls from Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Team One from yesterday surfaced in her mind again. Xiao Wu's bizarre fifth spirit skill, Zhu Zhuqing's speed, Dugu Yan's poison, Ning Rongrong's amplification, Ye Lingling's healing... and those black ten-thousand-year spirit rings on their bodies.
Why?
Why could they be so strong?
Why did they have such spirit ring configurations?
That man... that man in black sitting in the corner of the VIP seats, leisurely drinking tea...
Soul-Forging Douluo, Mo Bai.
"Brother, do you think..." Huo Wu bit her lip, "If I went to find him, would he..."
"Huo Wu!" Huo Wushuang's voice turned stern. "Are you crazy? That person definitely has problems! Look at the state of Ning Rongrong and the others—do you think they are normal? The way they look at Mo Bai, that is absolutely not the way a student looks at a teacher!"
"I know," Huo Wu whispered. "But brother, tell me, do I have any other choice besides finding him? If I cultivate step-by-step, will I reach Spirit King in five years? Spirit Emperor in ten? But they only took half a year..."
She stood up and walked to the window. Outside was the darkening sky, with the silhouette of the Mo Manor faintly visible in the twilight.
"I don't want to be stepped on for the rest of my life." Huo Wu's voice was soft but firm. "I don't want to be just a foil in every tournament. I want power, real power. Even if... even if the price is high."
Huo Wushuang remained silent. He knew his sister too well; Huo Wu's pride and stubbornness had never changed since they were kids. But precisely because he understood her, he was even more worried.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Huo Wushuang finally asked.
"I don't know." Huo Wu turned around, her eyes flickering with a complex light. "But at the very least, I have to go and ask. He said yesterday... that my fire has the potential to become 'top-grade.' I want to know what that means."
Huo Wushuang looked at her for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh. "Suit yourself. But Huo Wu, promise me, if you find anything wrong, leave immediately. Though our Blazing Academy isn't as great as those major sects, we can still protect you."
"Mm." Huo Wu nodded, though she knew in her heart that if she truly went, she might not be able to leave just because she wanted to.