"I-"

His words were cut-off by a loud blast; the flaming orb exploded, unleashing an inferno into the coliseum. The deafening sound of the explosion followed the sounds of the seething wind, affecting those around their battle. The barrier surrounding their arena came out in full force, stopping the wind and fire that raged from spreading outside, but the sound could not be stopped, causing people to grab onto their ears, hoping to block it away.

A lull took over the hall as everyone paused, looking at their arena, wondering how even with the protection if they were affected, how would the duo in the arena be. The flames kept what was happening inside a mystery, and after a few moments of interest, they moved back to their activities. Only Hei Yu stared at her worriedly, scratching at the stadium as he knew he could not get in.

A wheezing cough was sounded as the words that hung in the air finally landed, "-Forfeit."

Even as Zhou Shen spoke, he coughed up a cloud of smoke, and his words allowed him to be transported out of the arena, exposing his sorry sight earlier than if he stayed still, but the sword that stabbed at where he previously was, showed he made the correct judgement.

Zhou Shen was nearly unrecognisable; his black robes were torn and burned in many places, revealing his tender burnt flesh, stinging at every little movement he made, blood trickled from his ear, and his chest appeared to be sunken in, looking a far cry from the smug face he had on previously.

Xue Yueliang was not in a much better state either, already having been injured; the advantage of having limited control of the flame energy did not present itself as clearly as she hoped, the multiple cuts on her body and burn scars that covered her arm and stomach stung, and the slight protection from her robes was gone.

Seeing that her strike came too late, Xue Yueliang clicked her tongue, opening a random storage ring from one of her many victims, retrieving a robe to cover herself with - apparently belonging to a man - ignoring the pain as it stuck to her wounds.

The injuries she had surpassed to launch the final attack broke out, and she vomited two mouthfuls of blood, collapsing onto her knees.

"I thought healing was on the house?"

Xue Yueliang complained as Hei Yu stood an arm's distance from her, not wanting to jump into her embrace at the fear of hurting her further. With a light laugh, a smoke of dust covered her from the outside world. The Dragonoid questioned: "What are you planning?"

Though his question was light-hearted, Xue Yueliang disliked the thought of being seen through, but since he already knew, she did not see the point of pretending.

"I need my items from the storage ring," Xue Yueliang stated frankly, "I understand why I can't keep it, but can I at least retrieve some items?"

"You risked your life for that?"

Even as Xue Yueliang spoke with him, her gaze faltered a few times, almost passing out, but she relied on the jolts of pain radiating from her torso to stay awake.

"I guess."

If Zhou Shen had pulled out a technique he kept hidden, he could have possibly killed her, but she trusted her judgement, and though she was right, the danger was still there.

"I hope you can answer me before I pass out." The Dragonoid smiled at her impatience and waved his arm, leading a warm stream of energy into her body.

Although he appeared to control it, it was disconnected from him; is it from the arena?

Faster than she could believe, the wounds on her body closed up, and the damaged skin was restored, eliminating the weakness that overwhelmed her, but before she could revel in being fully healed, the energy stopped. Her eyes that had closed from comfort opened again but were met with a cold, indifferent face, "It is only meant to keep you alive."

The storage ring appeared in her palm, letting her retrieve whatever items she needed, but before recovering what she needed, she calmed her startled heart, wondering what caused his sudden mood change.

The wyvern's corpse was much too big for any of her stolen rings, so she settled with getting Energy Restoring Pills, a jar of honey and a few miscellaneous items.

"Thank you," she returned it with both hands, and he received it simply before disappearing again. Xue Yueliang popped a few pills into her mouth, feeling the warm energy coursing through her meridians and into her dantian, satisfyingly helping restore her spiritual Qi. As soon as the dust around her settled, Xue Yueliang made eye contact with Zhou Shen, noticing the disappearing cloud of dust surrounding him and his much better injuries.

"Hope you got to know who I am," she laughed, winking, at him, but was only met, with the stunned look on his face, appearing starstruck.

She noticed that he wasn't the only one who stared at her oddly, only realising what happened when the cold wind passed her face. Her veil had been blown off.

"What, am I too beautiful?" She joked, walking to pick up her veil from the ground.

Although it was thin, it was meant to be worn when fighting, and it being flown off surprised her, but noticing its tattered state, she realised it did not have much to hold onto. It slowly recovered, but like her clothing, it could not be worn in this state. She tied it to the side of her belt, planning to wear it when it fixed itself. Jumping of the arena, Hei Yu closely looked at her, but looking at the hurt expression he had, she averted her gaze, feeling discomfited.

Unlike her, Li Hua was deep in battle, so the first to come up to her this time was Xiong Qingge, beginning with compliments, "Though I assumed you were gorgeous, I feel like I still underestimated you."

Even in terms of power.

Though she was ranked sixth, Xiong Qingge was unsure if she could handle that attack. Her evaluation of Xue Yueliang could not help but rise a few ranks.

"It's too bad; I heard beauty is the downfall of; so many cultivators," Xue Yueliang joked, "Being too beautiful is such a burden."

And my face was broadcasted to the entire country.

Though she only took the veil on a whim, she could not deny its benefits; otherwise, Sun Wei would not have been the only one to bother her.

"You can always join me, and I will carry that burden for you," Xiong Qingge winked, outlining where the words were written on her robes before sauntering off.

Xue Yueliang was stunned by how forward she was, and though she was sure her skin had thickened, she was not at Xian Qingge's level, disappointing her.

Besides, is she tempting me?

This realisation caused her to bitterly smile, wondering if she should reject the idea outright. She was also startled that she had not changed her mind, as her actions in the arena were not exactly honourable, and although the White Lilac Sect was infamous, it was still a righteous sect. She would not be a good look for them.

A heated eye locked onto her, interrupting her thoughts, causing her to follow it to Sun Wei, who did not attempt to hide his gaze.

Well, I did not miss that. Ignoring the gaze that unabashedly focused on her, Xue Yueliang scanned for Li Hua, and now that the battle was done, the adrenaline settled; she recalled Li Hua's warning earlier. Although she found her to be silly, she would not have tolerated her if she was an eyesore, but her actions weren't killing innocents or burning villages; so this much should be okay?

That shouldn't matter. Xue Yueliang shook off these thoughts; she would not change herself for someone else's approval; besides, Li Hua was still deep in battle, and she would not have witnessed what she had done either way.

Her opponent - Dai Xing, did not carry the usual regalness or calmness excepted of a royal, carrying himself in a playful and almost childish manner. Though it was hard to tell from the short while she watched, their battle appeared to be the most relaxed, probing each other and taking this as more of a friendly spar rather than a competition.

They appeared like old friends, teasing and laughing at each other, contrasting against the seriousness of everyone else present.

They do look good together.

Though a confined arena should have made it difficult for a long-distance fighter like Li Hua to get an advantage, she did not seem to have a problem keeping up with the dagger-using prince, gracefully dodging his attacks before launching arrows at him. Silvery light surrounded her body, making her jumps light and attacks sharp.

Though Dai Xing was only ranked seventh, he held his own, retreating and attacking in perfect harmony with her, showcasing his admirable control, and although this sight was aesthetically pleasing, he could not win at this rate. The only reason he did not lose yet, was because the small distance made it so Li Hua could not focus on her attacks.

"Prince, do you think you will win at this rate?" She teased, "If you don't know, I can tell you. You won't."

"Does it matter; I'm happy with my current placing." He smiled.

"Of course; otherwise, you wouldn't be content with being the Sixth Prince." Li Hua quipped back, a retort Xue Yueliang enjoyed a lot.

She witnessed Mao Ya's expression darken from the sidelines; he had been paying attention to the battle as not only was Dai Xing his brother but also in his camp. Even if the attack was not directed at him, it felt like it was aimed at his sore spot.

After the children were born to the queen, the rest were ranked by their achievements, placing him just behind the First Princess Yao Ming, and a dead infant brother, with no way to get higher. From his point of view, it was only fair to look for outside help, even if it was dishonourable, as this was the only way to get ahead.

His gaze flitted toward Lei Fu, and his heart calmed, realising it wouldn't matter if he was crowned King.

Prepare the cards, improve my cultivation and reputation, and I will be King.

Reaffirming his ideals, he continued to watch the battle; a day and a half had passed with no challengers; though he knew this was the calm before the storm, his posture couldn't help but straighten.

Noticing the minute changes in his mannerism, Xue Yueliang was that he couldn't compare to the Princess; she wasn't as easy to read as he was.

"Why would I burden myself with a throne that wasn't meant for me?" Dai Xing smiled, not taking her words to heart, "True, things like that are always a burden." Li Hua agreed.

"I knew you would agree with me." The prince exclaimed, happy to find a kindred spirit, "Life is better spent doing fun things."

It seemed neither understood the power a leader of a country wielded nor its allure, but life decided to place them at the centre of a power struggle. Li Hua smiled in response but used his distraction against him as silvery light converged to the tip of her arrow, showing power above what she had used before.

Noticing the magnitude of her attack, Dai Xing raised his hands playfully, "Well, I surrender then."

His words came out easily, "I would love it if we could become friends, Young Lady Li Hua."

His manner was easygoing, not showing bitterness or unwillingness, as he was transported out of the arena, declaring Li Hua the winner. Though he did not have the dignity of royalty, Xue Yueliang liked how he carried himself, and her smile widened as Li Hua walked toward her.

"You two seem to get along well." She began, "He's a better match for you than your dear Crown Prince."

"Don't do that," she said, rolling her eyes, "He's just a brat."

"A brat that matches you well,"' Xue Yueliang added, "I think you would make a cute couple. Like those who are never-not-bickering but care for each other."

"Really, then what type of couple would you and Lei Jian be?"

The pretty picture she painted for Li Hua in her head disappeared, realising the topic she opened, "Umm, childhood friends turned lovers?"

"Wow, you two are childhood friends? So, how long have you known each other?" "Have we never mentioned this before?" Xue Yueliang asked, puzzled, but was met with Li Hua's earnest expression as she shook her head.

Xue Yueliang averted her gaze, "Since before I could speak." She finally said.

"His name was actually one of my first words," she laughed before feeling a slight pang in her heart, "He was always by my side. He comforted me when I grieved my mother's death, protected me when others tried to harm me, even if it meant being beaten in my place, and would never frown, holding up my world even when his world broke down."

Her eyes reddened at recalling some of their memories; I miss him. Thinking this, she could not help but feel a little chill. I cannot be sucked into his world.

"Well, what about you? What do you like about your dear Shi Ling?"

Li Hua appeared stunned by the question, but she still answered, "He- He's handsome and domineering."

"..."