Against Zhou Feng (2)

"Oh please. Don't go easy on me, Zhou Feng. Look, we're already in the center spot." Xu Qi grinned as he pointed at the projection above their heads. Sure enough, their battle was now one of the main focuses, the other matches momentarily forgotten by the Elders and the spectators.

On the side of the elders, Elder Sun and Elder Liu watched with intrigued expressions as Xu Qi made it look so easy to overcome someone at a higher stage than him. Meanwhile, Elder He's smile grew wider, as she had finally witnessed the Celestial Eloquence. She knew it was that despite Xu Qi's expert subtlety at hiding its uniqueness.

"Shut up! What the fuck is wrong with you? What trick are you playing?" Zhou Feng roared, his qi fluctuating as his emotions got the better of him. He knew something happened with his tornado earlier but he couldn't quite pinpoint how. He resonated with the primal element, they've taken his qi. So how did they falter?

"Trick?" Xu Qi said, his voice filled with genuine surprise. "I assure you, I'm not one for sleights of hand. But, if you're so keen on seeing a trick, I'd be more than happy to oblige." With that, Xu Qi pretended to open his palm, his qi gathered on it followed by the primal element converging with it. He meticulously acted like he was also resonating with them when in fact, he was merely calling them to answer his command.

Zhou Feng's eyes widened as his breath got caught up in his throat. He knew that was a sign of a higher cultivation technique. But when Xu Qi didn't release anything from his hand, his face fell and confusion swirled in his eyes. "What the fuck? Did you just pretend?"

"Nope, the real trick is this." Xu Qi's body suddenly blurred as he whispered to the wind, his figure disappearing from Zhou Feng's line of sight. The crowd gasped, the females' eyes lighting up with excitement. Xu Qi reappeared behind his opponent, delivering a swift kick to his back, sending Zhou Feng sprawling into the dirt.

Once again, a fourth stage was made to look like a fool. Xu Qi's kick sent Zhou Feng flying, his body crashing into the dirt with a thud that was heard across the stage. The crowd's surprise turned into laughter, the females giggling at the sheer elegance of Xu Qi's move.

Ling Lian who was watching at the side couldn't help but feel some heat on her cheeks. She warned Xu Qi earlier but it looked like he had it under control. Xiao Yue had a knowing smirk on her face, her eyes gleaming with excitement. She's confident in Xu Qi's ability to turn this in his favor.

However, the match had yet to end. Even though he had already taken a few attacks and became bruised and battered while Xu Qi remained unscathed, Zhou Feng was not one to admit defeat so easily. He clambered back to his feet, his qi unsteady but his eyes gleaming with a newfound determination. He had to win, for his pride.

This was supposed to be an easy match for him but here he was, the laughingstock of the arena. Zhou Feng's eyes were bloodshot with fury, his chest heaving with every ragged breath he took.

Xu Qi knew that pushing his buttons was a risky strategy, but it was clear that the crowd was on his side now. He had to keep up the pressure, to ensure victory.

Amusement filled his eyes as he said, "Ah, look at you. So tenacious. Are you sure you're not just playing hard to get? Come on, I'm almost drained out of my qi. Just admit defeat for me."

The crowd's laughter grew louder, and Xu Qi knew he had to capitalize on it. He took a deep breath and whispered to the air, his Celestial Eloquence weaving a subtle spell of sound that amplified his voice, carrying it across the arena. "Perhaps, Zhou Feng, you're not meant to be the hero in this tale. Maybe you should try the role of the lovable sidekick. It's less pressure, I assure you. Or maybe, you can be his heroine?"

At this, even Zhang Han who was staying silent at the ground shouted angrily, "Damn you, Xu Qi! Leave me out of this!" His face was red with embarrassment, as the females in the crowd giggled uncontrollably. Xu Qi's words were like a knife but instead of cutting into their skin, it cut through the tension of the crowd and the pride of his opponents.

Zhou Feng's fury grew, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets. "You think I'll fall for that?!"

He roared like a crazed beast as he charged at Xu Qi again. Pooling his gathered qi in his fists, they once again became ablaze with fire.

But Xu Qi had long anticipated this. He whispered to the primal elements of water in the air, turning the droplets into a layered barrier in front of him, extinguishing Zhou Feng's fiery punches as they made contact.

Since he was starting to become desperate, Xu Qi knew that the water barrier wouldn't be enough to fully block his assault this time around. So, as the flaming fists breached it, he took a step back and smirked, his words started to be coated with his qi as he started to directly influence Zhou Feng's qi.

But unlike what he did with Ling Lian where he stimulated her qi to aid her, here he whispered for his qi to go berserk while hiding its use with his usual tirade, "Zhou Feng, Zhou Feng. You have to do better than this. You can't become a good heroine in the story if you just turned out to be a damsel in distress."

Zhou Feng's qi grew wilder, his attacks more erratic as Xu Qi's words sunk into his qi and followed its way to his nerves and eventually his mind.

The enraged outer disciple's fiery punches grew stronger but also more uncontrolled, leaving openings that Xu Qi was more than happy to exploit.

He took a stance. His body was light on his feet but stable on the floor as his qi melded more with his words.

"Look at you. So eager to prove yourself to your... buddy? Brother? Boss? Or whatever your relationship may be." He paused for a moment, allowing the crowd to catch on, and when they did, the snickers grew a little malicious, making Zhang Han on the ground clench his fist from Xu Qi's implication. "It's almost touching, really. But isn't it time to realize that your love might not be reciprocated? For example, Zhang Han might not be into men."

Zhou Feng's eyes bulged, and his qi grew wilder, the fire in his fists burning brighter. The females in the audience giggled, while the males shifted uncomfortably, some trying to suppress their laughter.

Xu Qi's words were like a dance, elegantly weaving together insults and jest, a performance that was both entertaining and infuriating to his opponent.