I will eventually become a divine being through accumulating constantly

His face flushed with a hint of red, his right hand cradling his own cheek, he said dreamily,

"Fantastic, that aura just now... it felt as if I was being tightly embraced by Xue Jun."

Upon hearing this, Xue Jing's smile suddenly froze, a chill ran through his body, and he tensed up.

He quickly waved his hands and said, "Suzuka, seriously, stop it with that, it's too scary."

Otogirusu, seeing his resistance and the discomfort in his body, immediately burst out into crisp laughter, shaking with mirth.

His eyes curved into beautiful crescents, "It seems I've grasped the key to defeating Xue Jun. I'm really looking forward to our match... Maybe if I suddenly lean in and kiss you, the effect might be even better than an Ultimate Skill strike?"

Hearing this, Xue Jing revealed an almost horrified expression for the first time and involuntarily took a few steps back, distancing himself from Otogirusu.

Yin Muhu, who also heard this, had an awkward expression and displayed a 'subway granny's phone.jpg' look.

All those following Xue Jing were astonished by this scene. Why was it that Xue Jing, who didn't give an inch even in the face of Zhou Yinglin, appeared somewhat... disheveled before Otogirusu?

What on earth had happened?

Otogirusu was also slightly taken aback and said with a mix of laughter and sighing,

"Xue Jun, I was just kidding."

Xue Jing's mouth twitched, "You'd better be."

He really couldn't guarantee that if Otogirusu really did something so outrageous, he wouldn't hurt him in a moment of panic.

Aside from the discomfort caused by Otogirusu's behavior, Xue Jing had a rather good impression of him and considered him a friend worth making.

Amidst the jesting and bantering, time slowly passed.

The result of the first match came out quickly, and unsurprisingly, Phoenix Cry School Wei Junwu had won.

"Old Xue! How was my 'Mystery·Sparrow Turns Phoenix' just now, wasn't it cool?"

We Junwu, who had arrived at the competitor's viewing area, immediately came up to Xue Jing, speaking with a bit of smug pride.

It seemed as if Wei Junwu felt that since Xue Jing had called him Old Wei, they were now very familiar with each other.

"Not bad, it was a decent move," Xue Jing casually replied.

Otogirusu and Yin Muhu beside him had smiles in their eyes, catching the underlying implication— that the person himself wasn't so impressive.

"Eh~ satisfying." Wei Junwu, who didn't catch the insinuation, suddenly showed a look of relaxed pleasure.

That was the Xue Jing who was arrogant to the extreme, who regarded Zhou Yinglin as insignificant, and who had said in an interview, "I am an eagle; you all are snails"... and he had just given him a 'not bad, quite good' review, wasn't the value of that statement completely golden?

"The second match is Old Song fighting Li Miao... You should have seen Old Song before, right? From the Celestial Movement Sect, a lineage from the Old Era 'Ancient Martial School', it's rare nowadays to find those who practice this kind of ancient martial arts. Places like the Taoist and Buddhist sects are mostly hidden deep in the mountains, and their disciples rarely show themselves publicly..."

Wei Junwu was good at finding topics to talk about, and he comfortably stayed by Xue Jing's side, tirelessly speaking even as Xue Jing either didn't respond or simply acknowledged with a noncommittal hum, never once letting the conversation lapse.

Soon the intermission was over, and with the commentator's voice, the second match of the top eight began.

On the stage, the serene and steady Song Nanxing assumed a boxing stance and did not move an inch.

"The fighting technique of the Celestial Movement Sect originates from the Old Era's 'Celestial Movement' theory, which regards oneself as the center of everything. Self remains still as the heavens move... It emphasizes striking first by acting second, reacting naturally based on the opponent's approach and it's a school deeply focused on 'defense-counter'."

Wei Junwu began to explain.

As he did so, he sighed.

"Lucky Old Song, he's got a free ride to the semifinals."

Xue Jing glanced at him, "Oh?"

Wei Junwu asked curiously, "You don't know? The top eight has a double-elimination format."

"After today's fights, there will be a winner's bracket and a loser's bracket. The day after tomorrow will see another round, the winner of the first match will fight the loser of the fourth match, and likewise, the winner of the fourth match will fight the loser of the first match."

He pointed at Xue Jing and himself, "After you and Zhou Yinglin have determined the winner and loser, as the winner of the first match, I have to fight whoever loses between you two... Damn, it's like playing on hard mode."

Stopping there, Wei Junwu hesitated as he held back an additional thought.

If Xue Jing lost... he would be killed by Zhou Yinglin, who would also be disqualified from the tournament, automatically advancing Wei Junwu to the top four.

Wei Junwu pursed his lips, "But Old Song has it much more comfortable... he's the second match, and if he wins, he will face the loser of the third match, which is Otogi fighting Chen Chao. No need to ask, the winner is definitely Otogi, and the loser will be Chen Chao."

"You advance to the semifinals by winning two matches in the top eight, and both matches he fights will be against the two relatively weakest, damn, what dumb luck."

"I see," Xue Jing replied nonchalantly.

He wasn't too concerned about these rules. Although he knew that one needed two losses to be eliminated in the double-elimination format, it turned out there were more intricacies to it.

"Don't worry, you probably don't have to be concerned about that," Xue Jing said softly.

Wei Junwu, "Hmm?"

Xue Jing didn't elucidate further, just turning his gaze back to the stage.

With his eye power, he had already seen through the situation on the stage.

Facing the unmovable, steady Song Nanxing, the sweating Li Miao was out of strategies.

The winner was clear.

Otogirusu had also seen this and spoke softly,

"Then, Xue Jun, I'll go get ready backstage."

Upon hearing this, Xue Jing nodded at him.

Noticing Xue Jing's gaze upon him, Otogirusu suddenly smiled, gave a wink, and acted quite playfully cute, not at all like a man.