Chapter 8: I’m So Embarrassed!
Xingluo Royal Academy was clearly confident about this match. In less than three days, news of the battle between the two royal teams had spread far and wide. They even used an eye-catching headline: "Elite Soul Master Competition Final Preview!"
Cities buzzed with excitement, and even the Papal Palace heard about the upcoming fight.
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan, holding his wine jar, staggered toward the Star Luo Arena. He was slightly drunk, and everyone except Oslo felt a rising sense of panic.
The day before, Qin Ming had made the decision to replace Oslo with Lu Yuan for the match. Oslo was overjoyed, feeling like the luckiest man in Douluo Continent. No fight alongside Lu Yuan meant no danger!
It was Lu Yuan's first time participating in a spirit battle, and no one could predict what he might do in the arena. Most of the team members had grim looks on their faces—except for Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, of course. Even they wouldn't dare ask Lu Yuan to drink less.
When Zhu Zhuyun saw Lu Yuan enter the Great Fighting Soul Arena with the Royal Team, she jumped to her feet.
"It's him!" she exclaimed.
"Zhuyun, who?" asked a man with long blond hair, lounging lazily in the rest area.
"The soul master who rescued Zhu Zhuqing, the one I told you about with three purple and one black spirit rings."
Zhu Zhuyun's face tightened at the memory of the terrifying Sword Qi from that day. She still felt a chill thinking about it.
"I told you, there's no way someone like that exists. You must've imagined it," the man replied, unconvinced.
"I know what I saw! Even if no one else saw it, I did!"
"You were probably caught in an illusion," the man said dismissively.
The peak duel between the two teams was about to begin. After three days of hype, the excitement in the Star Luo Great Fighting Soul Arena had reached a fever pitch. The arena, which could seat hundreds of thousands, was packed with spectators eager to watch these young soul masters in action.
Among the crowd were powerful sects looking to recruit talent and even young girls hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite soul master.
In the team lounge, Lu Yuan had fallen asleep on a sofa, still clutching his wine jar. Qin Ming stood to the side, his eye twitching as he watched helplessly.
There were only five minutes left before the match began, and Lu Yuan was fast asleep!
"Yanzi, Lingling, wake him up," Qin Ming said. He didn't dare approach Lu Yuan himself. Who knew how Lu Yuan might react after being disturbed in a drunken state?
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling tried calling out to him softly, "Lu Yuan…"
"Lu Yuan, Big Brother…"
But no matter how they called, he didn't stir.
"Lu Yuan, get up for a drink!" A cold voice came from the corner. It was Zhu Zhuqing, dressed in a black robe.
Of course, she wasn't going to miss the chance to see Zhu Zhuyun's reaction today. She had snuck in with the Royal Team just to watch.
"Drink!" Lu Yuan mumbled, staggering to his feet. "Kitten, you want to drink with me again?"
Zhu Zhuqing gave a faint smile. "It's time to play!"
Ever since their drunken night together, Zhu Zhuqing hadn't shared a drink with Lu Yuan again. But she had learned to smile, though it was only for him.
In the corner, Qin Ming gave Zhu Zhuqing a thumbs up. He was impressed!
"Xingluo Royal Team vs. Tiandou Royal Team!"
"Please enter the arena!"
Cheering and applause echoed through the massive stadium as the two teams prepared for battle.
The moment Lu Yuan stepped into the arena, he drew the attention of hundreds of thousands of spectators. His swaying body resembled a drunken willow in the wind, and every few steps, he'd pause to take a sip from his wine jar.
"Is this really a soul master?"
"He's in the wrong place, right?"
"That kid looks like he just started at an Advanced Soul Master Academy. How is he representing the academy in a competition?"
The audience was buzzing with confusion and disbelief.
Ye Lingling, who could no longer bear to watch, rushed over. "Lu Yuan, Big Brother, let me help you."
Dugu Yan joined her as well.
"No need, no need," Lu Yuan said, taking another gulp. "I don't need help with this."
"What is Tiandou Royal Team thinking, sending a drunk to participate in the soul fight?" someone in the audience muttered.
"They're clearly not taking Xingluo Royal Academy seriously."
"You don't get it," another man chimed in. "Tiandou is weak, so they're probably using this guy as a scapegoat. After they lose, they'll just blame him and save face for the academy."
"Ahh, makes sense."
As the audience debated, Lu Yuan finally made it onto the battlefield. Except for Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan, the rest of the team kept a wide distance from him, standing ten meters away.
The spectators were bewildered by the bizarre formation.
Lu Yuan swayed in place, recalling the one rule the referee had mentioned: no killing.
"Game start!"
"People say you're strong. Let me see!" Davis, the captain of the Xingluo Royal Team, surged forward, his four spirit rings appearing as he launched a punch toward Lu Yuan.
"Hmm?" Lu Yuan casually caught Davis's fist with his right hand, as if it were nothing. With his left hand, he lifted the wine jar to his lips.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp…"
"You're too weak!" Lu Yuan said, his tone almost bored.
Davis was outraged. How could this drunkard be so dismissive? He prepared to retaliate, but before he could react, Lu Yuan unleashed a surge of energy, sending Davis flying across the battlefield.
Lu Yuan scratched his head, muttering to himself. "I've been behaving recently… who told them I'm strong?"
The entire audience gasped in unison—not because Davis had been overpowered, but because of the spirit rings beneath Lu Yuan's feet.
Four spirit rings: three purple and one black.
Qin Ming couldn't believe his eyes. "Good heavens! When did Lu Yuan become a Soul Sect?"
And those spirit rings… how was it even possible?
The crowd stared in shock at the young man standing before them, their confusion turning into awe. The entire arena was filled with stunned silence.
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