Translated by Jousissance of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
One second, two seconds, three seconds…
It wasn't until twenty-nine seconds that the space in front of the Gravity Room warped, and You XiaoMo finally appeared in front of everyone. As soon as he was out, he collapsed to the ground, panting.
He had used up all his soul force, almost overtaxing himself. He didn't have the strength to move even a finger anymore. He was happy about being able to break the record and even lasting over thirty minutes. As for his image, he seemed to have lost most of it.
Then, someone walked in front of him. You XiaoMo raised his head, panting. It was Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao bent down to help him up. If it wasn't for the audience and You XiaoMo's disapproval of such actions, he would've picked him up directly. Though he was often rather domineering towards his lover, he would still occasionally respect his wishes.
Under Ling Xiao's support, You XiaoMo stood on shaky legs. After a beat, the entire palace rang out with applause like thunder. Amongst them, BaiLi XiaoYu and Jiang XiaoFeng clapped the hardest, as if they were the ones to claim first place.
The Fifth Elder stroked his beard, nodding in satisfaction. He waited until the clapping died down before stepping forwards, smiling as he said, "You XiaoMo is first place in the second competition. Since he broke the record, we will award him six points. His total is twenty. Joint second place goes to Chai Zheng and Qing Qiu, third place is Teng ZiXin, fourth is Tong YueXu…"
Hearing the Fifth Elder's announcements, You XiaoMo couldn't prevent the excitement from showing on his face. He had finally managed to gain a stable position in the top three. He was certain that even if he didn't manage to get a high score in the third round, he could still keep his place in the top three.
This result was something many people hadn't expected. Though they knew You XiaoMo would do well, they hadn't thought he would break two records in one go. One, being Teng ZiXin's record, the other being the Gravity Room's record.
The Fifth Elder continued to speak, "The third round will occur in the afternoon. The place is the arena. This round will be important as well, so I hope that everyone can attend in their best state. Alright, you're all dismissed."
After the competition was over, no one was preparing to stay much longer. The third round would be in the afternoon in a few hours, so the crowd dispersed bit by bit.
You XiaoMo left the palace with Ling Xiao's support. When they arrived at a place with less people, Ling Xiao suddenly bent down and picked him up.
"Wait," You XiaoMo nervously looked around. There were few people in this area, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't see BaiLi XiaoYu or Jiang XiaoFeng.
Ling Xiao smiled, eyes curving, "Are you that afraid of others knowing about our relationship?"
You XiaoMo shrunk a little into himself. Though he had accepted the reality of their relationship, he was still a little awkward with the idea of letting others know.
Ling Xiao teased the other as he walked, "No matter if its practitioners or mages, cultivation requires a free, open spirit. Only then can you become the crème de la crème. Having too many worries like you do now will make it harder for you to breakthrough."
You XiaoMo half anxiously, half doubtingly asked, "You aren't tricking me, right? Is it that serious?"
Ling Xiao glanced down at him from above, asking, "You think what I said was illogical?"
You XiaoMo rubbed his nose. "Not really."
Though he wasn't originally from this world, he had noticed, after being here for so long, that cultivation did have something to do with the state of mind. If one had a peaceful state of mind, cultivation would be quicker.
After a bit of hesitation, You XiaoMo then asked, "But even if so, what do you want me to to do about it? Go and announce to everyone that we're a couple?"
Ling Xiao rubbed his chin. "If you want to, I have no objections."
You XiaoMo immediately stared daggers at him.
Ling Xiao chuckled, saying, "Alright, in reality, there's no need to be so drastic. In the future, just stop introducing us as friends."
You XiaoMo instantly went red, whispering, "I, I'll try."
Ling Xiao suddenly lowered his head, whispering into his ear in a low tone, "If it's possible, I would prefer it if you could introduce me as your husband. What say you, my dear wife?"
You XiaoMo's entire face flushed, stuttering at Ling Xiao, "Who, who, who…who the hell are you calling your wife? Don't say nonsense."
The corner of Ling Xiao's lips twitched up. "Is there another apart from you?"
You XiaoMo mumbled, "But I'm a guy." How could a guy be called a wife? That was a title for women.
Ling Xiao looked him over, the hint of a smile in his gaze, saying, "Why can't a guy like you be called wife? Do you think you can manage to penetrate someone else?"
You XiaoMo's eye twitched. That one word in the last sentence was a little too explicit. How Ling Xiao managed to say things like that was beyond him and not something he could keep up with. However, this was about his pride as a man, so he couldn't back down.
"If you lie down, I can also… do that to you," You XiaoMo said without much confidence. He knew that with his strength, he had no way of pinning Ling Xiao down, but he had to retort; he was a man, too.
"Alright then, let's go and try it out now, and see if you can 'do that' to me." Ling Xiao grinned and sped up as the words left his mouth.
You XiaoMo was dumbfounded and didn't manage to react until Ling Xiao had walked quite a distance, hurriedly saying, "Wait, wait, I just finished a competition, so I'm exhausted. Can we do this another day?"
If he wanted to top Ling Xiao under these circumstances, he didn't think he had any chance of success. But, he was unwilling to let go of this opportunity.
Ling Xiao smiled gently. "Nope! You have to hit the steel while it's hot!"
You XiaoMo felt like coughing up blood. Don't think I don't see the anticipation in your eyes. Then, he said in defeat, "Then never mind, I don't want to do it."
Ling Xiao smiled down at him, saying, "Really?"
You XiaoMo hesitated again, taking a while to mull over it. In the end, he couldn't help but ask in a compromising tone, "I have a competition in the afternoon, can you really not switch a day?"
Ling Xiao felt like he was injuring himself from the effort it took to hold himself back, but eventually agreed with great reluctance. You XiaoMo almost cheered, but, knowing how Ling Xiao felt, kept his joy to himself as he planned out how he would finally get to top. He hadn't realized that imagination and reality were very different yet.
After returning to their building, You XiaoMo was carried up the stairs by Ling Xiao to get rest.
His soul force replenished rather quickly. Barely half an hour later and it was mostly restored.
After that, he went to BaiLi XiaoYu to ask after the contents of the third round.
The third round was rather violent, testing the offensive capabilities of mages. Everyone would stand in one ring and fight. The last five standing would obtain points from one to five. If Teng ZiXin, Chai Zheng and the others wanted to turn the tides, they had to work hard in this round.
In the afternoon, You XiaoMo and the others arrived at the arena in a timely fashion. Before the competition started, You XiaoMo was rather nervous. The third round wasn't nearly as tame as the previous rounds. It was a real fight that he had to participate in personally; he couldn't use his contracted demon beasts.
You XiaoMo couldn't help but cling to Ling Xiao and ask for comfort.
Ling Xiao said, "You only need two points to assure your place in the top three."
You XiaoMo replied, "Then what if I can't?"
Ling Xiao responded, "Then you can wait for your mentor to come back and deal with you."
You XiaoMo: "…"
As You XiaoMo prepared to enter the stage, Qing Qiu suddenly came to stand in front of him.
You XiaoMo watched her cautiously. He hadn't forgotten what Jiang XiaoFeng said that morning. If it was true, he really wasn't sure how to face her. Should he just reject her directly? But she might not be into him like that. If he didn't reject her, then Ling Xiao's jealousy would be able to drown him.
Qing Qiu said, "Teng ZiXin and Chai Zheng are preparing to gang up on you."
You XiaoMo replied, "And?" He had guessed as much.
Qing Qiu twisted the strands of hair beside her neck, smiling. "I rather like you. If I help you, can you give me a chance?"
You XiaoMo felt nervous sweat beading. Jiang XiaoFeng was right. Qing Qiu really did like him. But, before he could answer, a burning gaze landed on him.
You XiaoMo gave her an apologetic look, "Sorry, but I already have someone I like."
Qing Qiu fell silent. "Then that's too bad."
She left as soon as she finished speaking, not bringing up the proposed cooperation. Seems like there was no chance for that anymore. She was rather emotional. Even if they couldn't be lovers, they could still be friends.
Then, Tong YueXu walked over, saying, "I'll help you."
You XiaoMo looked at him with gratefulness.
After entering the arena, Tong YueXu stood with him. Opposite them, stood Teng ZiXin, Chai Zheng and their followers. Qing Qiu also had quite a few helpers. The rest were loners. After two rounds of elimination, no more than fifty people were still present, but everyone had great ability.
The Fifth Elder declared the competition to be in motion and tension immediately rose in the ring.
You XiaoMo saw TengZiXin and Chai Zheng look over at him simultaneously. Though he had managed to get good scores in the previous two rounds, the third round was equally as important, as the Fifth Elder had said, because he could be overtaken by those behind him at any time.
He knew, Teng ZiXin and Chai Zheng would love nothing more than to kick him out the ring right this moment.
A low ringing noise erupted from the stage along with the pulse of a strong soul force from each contestant. The invisible vortex of spiritual energy was like a dragon rising from its slumber.