76: Chapter 76 The Dance of Ice and Fire

He tapped his foot, his figure darting out like a civet cat, and a short dagger appeared in his hand out of nowhere, thrusting straight at Ding Siyi's ribs.

That was a blind spot in her flame defense that he had captured using his Wood Leaf Pupil.

Ding Siyi, however, seemed to have anticipated this; with a slight twist of her wrist, the flame lotus in her palm suddenly dispersed, transforming into dozens of pink-purple flame petals that circled her body like butterfly wings.

As soon as Wan Hao's short dagger approached, it was gently deflected by a flame petal, and the blade even showed traces of being scorched black.

"Such intense heat!" Wan Hao was startled and dared not rashly close in again.

Relying on the insight of his Wood Leaf Pupil, he tapped his feet repeatedly, maneuvering around the arena to look for the next opening.

As fellow New Students, he knew very well that Ding Siyi's Talent Rank was far higher than his own, so he could only rely on technique to fight for a sliver of hope.

Ding Siyi stood still, merely manipulating the flame petals to shift with the opponent's movements, keeping her surroundings guarded flawlessly.

Her movements were gentle and slow, yet carried a sense of effortless composure, as if every one of Wan Hao's probes was within her expectations.

A moment later, Wan Hao spotted a gap and threw his short dagger violently; at the same time, he followed closely behind, his left hand condensing a refined Wood-type spiritual energy, aiming straight for Ding Siyi's face.

This was a combo he had designed in conjunction with his Wood Leaf Pupil: the short dagger to lure the enemy, and his true self to launch a surprise attack, the angle extremely tricky.

But Ding Siyi’s eyes merely flashed slightly, and the flame petals surrounding her suddenly closed, re-gathering into a huge lotus, protecting her entirely in the center.

With a soft "hum," a layer of scorching light flared on the surface of the lotus petals.

"Pfft!" The short dagger struck the lotus petals and was instantly burned to ash.

Wan Hao's Wood-type spiritual energy disintegrated inch by inch the moment it touched the light, and he himself was blown back several steps by a wave of scorching air, his cheeks seared hot.

"Do you still want to continue?" Ding Siyi's voice came from behind the lotus, still gentle, but carrying unquestionable power.

Wan Hao clutched his burning cheeks, looking at that pink-purple flame lotus, his eyes dimming slightly; as a fellow New Student, he had already given his all, yet he couldn't even break through her defense.

He took a deep breath and cupped his fists to concede: "I lost. Student Ding is more skilled."

Ding Siyi dispersed the flame lotus and nodded slightly, a faint smile of a fellow New Student in her eyes: "Thank you for the match."

Seeing this, the crowd below also nodded and discussed:

"Although Wan Hao lost, being able to go this many rounds under Ding Siyi is already quite impressive."

"After all, they are both New Students. Wan Hao's Wood Leaf Pupil has good potential, it's just that he ran into a flame talent that counters him..."

On the Spirit Gathering Crystal, the name on the Ninth Arena was still displayed as Ding Siyi.

And just as this duel between New Students concluded, the light for the next challenge had quietly lit up.

No sooner had the duel between Wan Hao and Ding Siyi ended than two more dazzling names leaped out on the Spirit Gathering Crystal—Ji Changkong had issued a challenge to Zhao Ya.

The entire arena instantly boiled over.

"It's happening! Third versus Second!"

"Ji Changkong's Son of the Harsh Winter versus Zhao Ya's Crimson Flame Dancer, a collision of ice and fire!"

Amidst the discussion, Ji Changkong had already stepped onto the arena on crushed ice; he was dressed in plain white martial attire, and the cold air around him had almost condensed into substance; when he landed, ice ridges half a foot thick formed at the edge of the arena.

"Zhao Ya," his voice was cold as ice, "Today, I want to see whether your fire is hotter or my ice is colder."

Zhao Ya flashed in red, already standing opposite him, the flames around her like leaping magma; as soon as she stood firm, she scorched faint marks into the ground.

Her red lips curled slightly, carrying a touch of arrogance: "You'll know once you try."

Before the words fell, Ji Changkong had already raised his hands to form a seal: "Ice Seal of a Thousand Miles!" In an instant, the cold air swept across the arena like a tsunami.

The ground froze into an ice surface at a speed visible to the naked eye, and countless ice spikes shot out from under the ice, thrusting straight at Zhao Ya—he opened with a large-scale heavy attack, wanting to suppress the fire with extreme cold.

Zhao Ya, however, did not retreat but advanced, the flames around her suddenly surging: "Crimson Flame Prairie Fire!" Orange-red flames poured out like a tide, and the moment they collided with the ice spikes, a "hissing" explosion sounded, and rising white steam filled the air.

The ice spikes melted upon contact with the fire, and the flames also stagnated slightly upon hitting the cold air; half the arena was frozen, half was burning, a truly shocking sight.

"Interesting." A sharp glint flashed in Ji Changkong's eyes as he slammed his hands onto the ice surface.

"Ice Dragon Break!" A dull dragon roar came from beneath the ice surface, and a giant dragon condensed from cold ice burst through the ice, its scales and claws distinct, pouncing toward Zhao Ya with cold air that tore through the air.

Zhao Ya tapped her toes lightly, her figure tracing an arc in the flames, avoiding the frontal impact of the ice dragon while simultaneously condensing a slender flame whip at her fingertips: "Flame Snake Coil!"

The flames transformed into a spiritual snake, wrapping around the ice dragon's neck; the high temperature scorched the ice dragon's scales, causing them to peel off continuously, but it was also hissed and crackled as it was frozen by the ice dragon's cold air.

"Boom!" The ice dragon and the flame snake collided and exploded, the cold air and flames clashing, kicking up a sky full of white mist.

Just at this moment, Ji Changkong's figure had merged into the ice mist, and several ice lines extended from the ice layer beneath his feet, silently wrapping toward Zhao Ya's ankles—he was adept at hiding his figure in the ice mist; this was his trump card for a surprise attack.

But Zhao Ya's flames were extremely sensitive to aura, and the moment the ice layer approached, she had already sensed it.

"Spinning Fire Dance!" Her figure spun suddenly, and the flames around her transformed into a high-speed rotating fire wheel; the ice lines were melted the moment they touched the fire wheel, and even the ice mist was scorched away for the most part.

The moment the ice mist dissipated, both of them moved at the same time.

Ji Changkong pushed his palms out, and refined ice cones shot out like a rainstorm; Zhao Ya spun and kicked, the resulting flame leg shadows spreading out like a fan, melting all the ice cones.

The collision of ice and fire exploded on the arena with continuous dull thuds, the cold air and heat waves clashing alternately, making everyone below the stage unable to help but take a few steps back.

"Wrath of the Harsh Winter!" Ji Changkong slammed a fist onto the ice surface, and an ice hill instantly rose in the center of the arena, with countless ice ridges erupting from the top of the hill, sealing off all directions for evasion.

Zhao Ya's long hair flew, her Battle Intent burning to the extreme: "Heaven Burning Style!"

She clasped her hands together, the flames around her suddenly contracting, then exploding violently, transforming into a pillar of fire that shot into the sky, swallowing all the ice ridges and burning even that ice hill until it melted and collapsed.

When the fire pillar dissipated, both had retreated several steps, their breathing somewhat disordered.

Ji Changkong's left shoulder was covered in a layer of thin ice, clearly burned by the flames; Zhao Ya's hair tips were covered with tiny white frost, and her lips also showed a flush of red.

"Exhilarating!" Zhao Ya wiped the corner of her mouth, her flames rising again, "Now this is proper!"

Ji Changkong, however, shook his head slowly and raised his hand to signal his concession: "No need to fight anymore. My ice truly cannot suppress your fire."

He knew very well that the previous Heaven Burning Style had exhausted most of his spiritual energy, while Zhao Ya's flames remained intense; continuing the fight would only lead to a miserable defeat.

Zhao Ya withdrew her flames and looked at him: "Thank you for the match."

Thunderous applause erupted from below the stage; although this duel of ice and fire did not determine life or death, it made everyone watch with boiling blood—as fellow New Students, being able to utilize their talents to such an extent was already astonishing.

When Ji Changkong walked off the arena, his gaze subconsciously swept toward the direction of the first arena, where Zhang Wen was standing quietly, as if the fierce battle just now had nothing to do with him.

And Zhao Ya's gaze had long since fallen on Zhang Wen, her fists beneath her red clothes slightly clenched.

The duel of ice and fire concluded; the real main event was already close at hand.