Chapter 38: Finals

Grey finally caught up to Shu Shu, who was sprawled on the ground, leaning against the wall like he had just run a marathon he didn't sign up for. He looked like a deflated balloon, completely wiped out.Grey sighed and plopped down beside him, his anger melting away. After all, it wasn't entirely Shu Shu's fault this time. There was some Grey's fault too."Shu Shu, give me that book," Grey said, extending his hand with a trace of exasperation.Shu Shu blinked up at him, still trying to catch his breath, and gave a goofy smile. "You still wanna see it, Brother? Even after—"Before he could finish, Grey snatched the book and, without hesitation, set it ablaze with a snap of his fingers. Red flames flickered for a few moments before the book was reduced to nothing but ashes."There. Problem solved," Grey said nonchalantly, flicking the ashes from his hand. "No more weirdness or embarrassment. You're welcome."Shu Shu stared at the ashes, then at Grey, his face caught somewhere between relief and confusion. "Brother Grey, I—I'm really sorry about the whole… book thing."Grey gave a crooked grin. "Yeah, well, maybe I shouldn't have grabbed it in the first place. Who knew you were reading that in public?"Shu Shu turned beet red. "I—I thought it was historical fiction!"Grey snorted, barely containing his laughter. "Sure, 'historical fiction.' With diagrams, I bet."Shu Shu waved his hands frantically. "It had a lot of footnotes! I thought it was educational!""Well, I learned something today," Grey said, standing up and brushing off his robes. "Never, ever borrow books from you again."With a chuckle, Grey nudged Shu Shu. "Come on, it's time for my final match. This one's going to be good."Shu Shu scrambled to his feet, still looking embarrassed but grateful. The two made their way back to the arena, their friendship somehow stronger after surviving yet another awkward chapter.The arena buzzed with excitement as the crowd leaned forward in anticipation of the final match. The announcer's voice rang out dramatically."Disciples of Azure Cloud Sect, we have reached the FINAL match of the Seven Peaks Martial Contest!"The crowd erupted in cheers as the announcer continued."The winner of this match will receive the prestigious artifact-the legendary Six Directions Mirror!"Grey puffed out his chest a little at the mention of the prize. I definitely want that. It'll look great on my shelf and it's a bunch of system points."On one side, we have Disciple Grey from Big Bamboo Peak, who has decisively—well, mostly decisively—defeated all his opponents!"Grey gave a sheepish wave to the crowd. Yeah, that one guy tripped on his own before I could even throw a punch…"And on the other side, we have Disciple Lu Xueqi from Small Bamboo Peak, renowned for her genius, elegance, and… well, let's just say she's got quite a following among the disciples."Lu Xueqi stepped into the arena, her expression cool and composed. The crowd roared even louder, and it was painfully clear who the favorite was.Seriously? Grey thought, watching the disciples—especially the guys—cheering like they were at a festival. Do they all think with their bottoms when it comes to girls?To his dismay, even his senior brothers from Big Bamboo Peak were clapping and shouting at Lu Xueqi. Traitors, Grey thought, shaking his head. Maybe I should give them my "special" training when this is over.He grinned to himself, imagining them trying to survive a week of his tough drills.Why does my luck have to be this bad? Grey mused. Of all people, I had to face Lu Xueqi in the finals. Sure, he knew he could defeat her—he wasn't worried about that—but the situation felt ironic.After all, the misunderstanding that had labeled him as a pervert in Lu Xueqi's eyes still hung in the air. Not that he cared much about that now. Winning this fight was all that mattered.As the match was about to begin, Grey took a deep breath, maintaining his calm demeanor. He wasn't going to let the cheers for Lu Xueqi, or her icy glare, distract him. Focus on the fight, he told himself. Put everything else aside.