Chapter 11: The Ice Phoenix’s Ascent

After completing the ticket check, time flowed silently. Several hours of waiting felt like a protracted overture before the match finally commenced.

As expected, Ouyang Xiyue gazed at the dense crowd in the stands, a sense of helplessness welling up within him.

He couldn’t help but wonder why the audience seemed to grow larger with each passing match.

Nevertheless, such thoughts were inconsequential now that the competition had begun; the first round demanded his utmost effort to secure victory.

“You each have three chances to shoot an arrow,” Ye Xuehui drawled, stifling a yawn with an air of nonchalance. “Hit the target, and you win. Simple, isn’t it?”

Following the direction Ye Xuehui indicated, Ouyang Xiyue mused, ‘Tsk, such a formidable aura. That’s an incredibly powerful magic array, not just one or two layers, but like an impregnable fortress.’

‘Hmph, quite interesting. If it’s a test of precision, I’m certainly confident of victory.’

“Enough idle talk,” Ouyang Xiyue declared, his face radiating confidence, his words imbued with an undeniable resolve. “Let’s begin.”

“Hold on a moment,” Ye Xuehui interjected. “The target is quite far, and the view is somewhat blurry, well beyond the range of human eyesight.

Here, put on these tactical glasses.” With that, Ye Xuehui casually tossed a pair of deep blue glasses towards Ouyang Xiyue.

“It’s not entirely invisible, just a little blurry,” Ouyang Xiyue replied softly, taking the glasses. “Still, thank you.”

Ye Xuehui strolled to the side and slowly picked up a bow.

He lightly plucked the string twice, the crisp sound like a prelude to battle.

Immediately after, he drew the bowstring without hesitation.

Before Ouyang Xiyue could even react, a magic array swiftly materialized in Ye Xuehui’s hand.

‘At that moment, Ouyang Xiyue’s heart leaped. This fellow could form a magic array so quickly!’

‘Judging by the surging magical fluctuations, his magical realm must have already surpassed the fourth tier.’

In an instant, the arrow, coalesced from magic, shot forth with an unstoppable momentum, like a bamboo splitting in two.

Within mere breaths, the shaft of the projectile became enveloped in raging flames, resembling a colossal, burning dragon.

With a resounding “bang,” the magic array and the arrow collided, igniting a dazzling burst of light.

However, in the very next second, several more “bangs” echoed consecutively as multiple magic arrays were instantly pierced.

One layer, two layers, three layers—by the time the arrow struck the fourth magic array, its relentless momentum began to wane.

Just as it was about to breach the crucial fourth layer, the arrow slowly dissipated into the air.

Witnessing this, Ouyang Xiyue couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Yet, the moment he exhaled, another “bang” reverberated, causing his heart to tighten once more.

No sooner had the first arrow vanished than the second shot forth like lightning.

The fourth magic array shattered instantly, fragments like glass raining down before slowly disappearing.

The fifth magic array served as the final defensive line; surely it wouldn’t be breached with ease.

Indeed, as anticipated, though the second arrow inflicted minor damage upon the fifth defensive magic array, the harm was repaired almost instantly.

“Ah, it didn’t shatter,” Ye Xuehui exclaimed, a genuine pity in his tone. “What a shame. But now, be annihilated!” His gaze suddenly sharpened, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

Ouyang Xiyue stared intently, his mouth agape.

The transformation in Ye Xuehui’s pupils was none other than the unique bloodline power of the people of Blazing Moon Continent—the Star Bloodline.

This bloodline manifested randomly in a part of one’s body after their magical awakening, but Ouyang Xiyue had never before witnessed it appearing in the pupils.

At this moment, his face was etched with shock; it seemed this fellow was about to go all out.

“Look quickly! Ye Xuehui’s Star Eye of Revelation has appeared, and it’s already in a six-pointed star state! I remember last time he displayed his power, it was only a four-pointed star.”

“Wow! It’s already reached its final form! Truly the unique bloodline of Blazing Moon, this powerful oppressive aura is absolutely suffocating.”

“Ye Xuehui is truly a monster. Not only did his bloodline manifest in the incredibly rare location of his eyes, but it’s grown so quickly. Why can’t I even reach a one-pointed star state yet!”

“I’ve only just reached the one-pointed star state myself. Good heavens, it’s only been a month, and his evolution speed is terrifying, isn’t it? I suspect this guy is cheating!”

Meanwhile, Ouyang Xiyue, listening to his classmates’ chatter, felt immense psychological pressure.

He gazed at Ye Xuehui’s mysterious yet beautiful eyes, finding himself somewhat lost in thought.

‘Is this truly the strongest individual in Sacred Sea?’

With a gentle pull of the bowstring by Ye Xuehui, an arrow instantly coalesced into being.

The arrow seemed to possess life, emitting a sound like a dragon’s roar.

During its flight, the arrow, originally wreathed in a layer of raging fire, suddenly transformed into the majestic form of a colossal dragon, majestically hurtling towards the final magic array.

As the arrow collided with the magic array, the materialized dragon of magic receded back into the arrow, as if concentrating all its power into a single point.

With a thunderous “boom,” the final magic array ultimately proved unable to withstand the immense impact, shattering into a myriad of glass-like fragments that slowly vanished into the air.

Everyone had initially assumed Ye Xuehui would surely hit the target. However, to their utter astonishment, the beast-like arrow merely grazed the side of the target, missing by a mere tenth of a millimeter.

With a rumbling crash, the arrow did not dissipate; instead, it plunged directly into the ground of the competition stage.

The moment the arrow struck the earth, the ground fractured and split apart at a visibly rapid pace.

A dull explosion, a “thump,” jolted Ouyang Xiyue awake from his daze.

He turned his head to see a large section of the ground’s surface utterly blackened.

Ouyang Xiyue quickly looked at the target, only letting out a long breath of relief when he saw it remained completely undamaged.

‘He had been so lost in thought just now that he hadn’t even noticed the target’s condition.’

“What, are you scared?” Ye Xuehui teased, a slight upturn at the corner of his lips, his signature poker face unwavering. “If so, I suggest you give up. I wouldn’t want to crush your confidence.”

‘This fellow is indeed powerful. If not for that last arrow’s slight deviation, the target would certainly have been pierced.’

‘Phew, good thing. Now it’s my turn, and I must succeed; I absolutely cannot bring shame upon my Master.’

With these thoughts, Ouyang Xiyue, who had felt somewhat subdued, instantly became full of fighting spirit once more.

Ye Xuehui watched Ouyang Xiyue, musing inwardly, ‘This fellow is truly interesting. His inner resolve is remarkably strong.’

‘Indeed, I haven’t misjudged him, Ouyang Xiyue.’

“You seem rather pleased with yourself,” Ouyang Xiyue stated, his gaze firm, his voice brimming with confidence. “I only need one arrow to pierce all the magic arrays and strike down the target.”

“You say you only need one arrow?” Ye Xuehui retorted, a smirk playing on his lips, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes. “Then I shall certainly be watching.”

“Exactly! Even someone as powerful as Ye Xuehui needed three arrows to pierce the magic arrays, and he even missed one shot. How could that be possible?”

“While Ouyang Xiyue isn’t weak, how will he back up such a bold claim?”

Each time he heard the murmurs of others, Ouyang Xiyue couldn’t help but feel a headache brewing.

He wasn’t boasting, for he had just realized that all the magic arrays were imbued with the fire attribute.

It was crucial to understand that Ye Xuehui’s three arrows were also fire-attributed; attacks of the same attribute naturally yielded negligible results.

While his own ice attribute didn’t directly counter fire, what he possessed was the Absolute Zero Ice.

He recalled the experience four years ago, traveling with his Master to the Eastern Lands of Extreme Cold—countless life-threatening crises, his body stiff with frostbite in blizzards, yet still forced to undergo desperate combat training.

In comparison, the current challenge was utterly insignificant.

‘Absolute Zero Ice, freeze everything, shatter everything! Inheriting his Master’s unique magic.’

“Ice Phoenix Ascends to Heaven! Everything that stands in my way shall be shattered!” As these memories surged, Ouyang Xiyue began to gather his power.

By this moment, the long-charged arrow had fully taken shape.

What majestically appeared before everyone’s eyes was, astonishingly, an ice phoenix!

“It’s a phoenix, and an ice phoenix at that!”

“That magic looks so familiar… Why do I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before?” a keen-eyed student gasped.

“You’re right, I feel it too.”

“You still have time to chat?” Ye Xuehui interjected, watching the temperature plummet at an alarming rate, a grim thought crossing his mind. “If you don’t want to turn into ice sculptures, hurry up and evacuate this archery combat training ground.”

‘This fellow, to possess Absolute Zero Ice… I truly underestimated him. He certainly has some formidable skills.’