Ugh!
The sound of the hit and Xuefeng's grunt could be heard across the Arena as Xuefeng didn't even have time to stop himself when he struck the wall. The Emergency barrier of the Arena turned on, stopping him in place to avoid any damage but that didn't mean he was hurt less.
"Xuefeng!" Tianshi called out worried but the Trainer quickly assured her. "Don't worry, Miss. He will be fine. I only used five million Units of Strength. It seems like your armor is indeed sturdy. He should only have some minor injuries."
Tianshi was nowhere close to being assured.
"Five million Units?! He said two million!" Tianshi called out sternly, knowing very well the Trainer did it on purpose.
"Whoops. I guess miss heard," the Trainer shrugged, scratching his short back cut. "He is in one piece, so it should be okay. I will put five million Units as your final result."
Tianshi squinted her eyes at him and prepared herself to fly when Xuefeng lifted himself, brushed his messed up clothes, and flew back. He really didn't seem that hurt but Tianshi knew he took most of the impact onto his body. Even though she added multiple layers of shield around him, she wasn't so strong yet to resist five million Units of strength.
Xuefeng also didn't seem happy about the strike but he didn't come at the trainer with complaints.
"That wasn't two million Units," Xuefeng pointed out as he landed before assuring Tianshi in their connection.
'Don't worry, I'm fine. He only cracked my bones and almost raptured my organs but aside from that it wasn't that bad.'
'Only???! He almost killed you!' Tianshi called back in worry, but Xuefeng embraced her while caressing her cheek. 'Shhh, it's okay. He must have done that on purpose. He was testing me. We can't made him our enemy.'
'Mhmm… As long as you are okay…' Tianshi muttered, looking into his golden eyes lovingly. As long as he was safe, nothing else mattered.
Instead of replying to the obvious, the Trainer smiled, changing the subject, "Interesting. You two are talking in your minds, right? Do you use some Spirit Artefact or are your souls connected in some way?"
Both Tianshi and Xuefeng froze, not expecting the Trainer would figure it out just like that from their acting alone. Tianshi was about to lie openly when the Trainer stopped her.
"No, don't say anything. I don't want to know. It would only bring problems," the Trainer pointed out. "Give me your token. I will note down your results."
"Thank you," Tianshi acknowledged, even though she was still dissatisfied with him.
The procedure lasted a moment and the Trainer shushed them away, "Okay, you are free to go. I will see you in two days in the Tournament."
Saying that, he ignored them, beginning to clean up the pieces of Black Draconic Stone that were spread all over the stage. They flew into one spot, piling into a small heap.
"Alright, thank you, Sir," Xuefeng called out with a bow and grabbed Tianshi by the waist, leaving the place without causing any more drama. The Shorty Bai trailed after them with his gaze but they didn't give him any more time, more interested in improving their strength instead. If they wanted to win the Tournament and gain some more recognition, they had to work hard.
Eventually, after Xuefeng and Tianshi left, even the Shorty Bai left, not having enough face to stay and watch the Qualifier. Others who still lingered around the Stage also moved away, going to watch others.
The Trainer seemed to be waiting for that moment.
He looked around if anyone was watching and crouched in front of the pile. The fragments began to float and suddenly spread on the ground as if the Trainer was recreating the wall. He played with the puzzles until a whole black wall laid on the ground, stuck together like glue.
He frowned and touched the wall before smiling.
"I knew it…"
Gazing back at the exit, Xuefeng and Tianshi were already gone, so he didn't chase after them.
"I guess I will let it slide as he did trick me," the Trainer muttered under his nose as he kept all the fragments into his Storage Ring. "But that girl is interesting… Where did she get those Support Arts?"
He wondered out loud when he felt a vibration in his ring. He pulled out a communication crystal and raised his eyebrows after hearing a message.
'Uncle, meet me in the Golden Phoenix Restaurant. I have something important to talk to you.'
He didn't wait and flew up, leaving the Arena through the roof without any care about restrictions. The Trainer shot through the sky like a bullet, dodging Flying beasts with ease, and arrived in front of the restaurant within minutes.
"Sir, Miss Liu is waiting for you in the private room number four."
The moment he entered, he was immediately spotted by the waitress who led the way for him.
He was about to reach to knock when the door opened and a familiar voice called out to him.
"Come in!"
Entering inside, the Trainer saw the table full of food and two ladies sitting by it, eating to their heart content. Purple eyes gazed at him as she put a snack into her mouth.
It was no other than his niece, Liu Xinyu.
"What is that important to talk about that you came all the way to Water Land, Little Xing?" The Trainer went straight to the point, closing the door behind him.
Miss Liu acted as if she didn't hear the question and proposed, "Hey, Uncle Liu. How about you join us? We have plenty of food."
"I am not hungry. I also need to report to the Officials and submit my results. I just finished my Qualifier for the upcoming tournament," Uncle Liu replied, causing Miss Liu to drop her fork.
"Huh? Why are you pretending to be an official this whole time?"
Uncle Liu shrugged.
"How else can I know what is happening in my City if I don't oversee it from the inside? Anyway, what is it? Is it about those two disciples of your father?" Uncle Liu questioned casually, playing his guessing game to perfection.
Liu Xinyu paused.
"How you know?"
"Because I just saw them during the Qualifier and found they are really interesting," Uncle Liu replied. "Maybe the current them are still a bit too weak but they definitely have immense potential."
"Huh? How so?" Liu Xinyu asked curiously, leaning on the table with both hands. "I want to know more about them. Especially him."
Uncle Liu's brows lifted.
"Why do you want to know so much?"
Liu Xinyu asked back, "What, my great detective Uncle Liu can't figure it out on his own? Why would I be interested in two new disciples of my father?"
"Hmm… Either you fell for the guy or something is wrong with their disciple status. After all, my brother is still in closed-door cultivation. He wouldn't go out just to recruit two disciples. Is that it?" Uncle Liu commented, making Liu Xinyu knit her brows.
"If you know the answer already then why would you mention the first option! I didn't even meet him!" Liu Xinyu called out upset. "Why you bully your niece?"
"Haha, aren't you still single? It's normal to search for a partner and this Xuefeng seems quite nice. He is handsome, smart, skilled, and has a lot of hidden power. He even cheated the qualification right in front of me, destroying the Black Draconic Stone wall. I would definitely not be sad if you two ended up together," Uncle Liu explained. "You two should be spending some more time together now that he became your junior. Who knows what will happen between you two."
"Hey! He has multiple Wives already! Why would you want me to share my man with others?" Liu Xinyu argued. "Anyway, he might not even become one. That's why I am here. He forged my father's Disciple Tokens. He is simply a con artist."
Uncle Liu didn't seem to mind that fact.
"Does it matter? You can't undo it anymore unless you silence them. Even with that, there would be too many questions raised. They created quite a scene in the Qualifier. If people learn he forged the tokens, my brother would lose face," Uncle Liu said. "My advice would be to lure him on our side instead."
"Yeah… He is also the son-in-law of Trade Union's President Wu," Liu Xinyu revealed.
"That's more than enough reasons to keep him on our side. You can also get from him how did he forge the tokens so this wouldn't repeat again," Uncle Liu suggested. "I'm also very interested in his skills. I heard he has the Judgment Vine. What else is he hiding?"
"Tsk, that's exactly what I wanted to do," Liu Xinyu snickered and suddenly stood up. "I lost my appetite. Mia, we are going to rest."
"If you want to meet him now, I can ask my people to track him down," Uncle Liu suggested with a smile but Liu Xinyu shook her head.
"He is participating in the Tournament, right? Good. I will observe from the side to see how good he actually is. If he can't even win a small Tournament, I will kick his butt."