Chapter 340: Scorched Sky

Chapter 340: Chapter 340: Scorched Sky

The projection array updated above the colosseum.

Vermilion Bird Sect versus Glacial Palace.

The crowd buzzed with anticipation as both teams entered the arena. Glacial Palace moved first, their disciples spreading out across the stage.

Ice crystals formed beneath their feet, crawling across the stone floor in fractal patterns.

The temperature dropped.

Damon watched from the Azure Dragon dugout, his arms crossed.

The Glacial Palace disciples were good. Their frost spread fast, coating the arena in a layer of absolute-zero ice that cracked the stone beneath.

But Fania just smiled.

She stepped forward, her robes flaring with heat. Her eyes burned with crimson light.

Then she raised her hand.

Scarlet flames erupted from her palm, spreading across the stage like a tidal wave of fire. The ice didn’t stand a chance. It boiled instantly, turning into towering plumes of steam that rose toward the sky.

The crowd roared.

Fania’s flames consumed the frost, pushing back against the cold. Steam filled the arena, thick and hot, obscuring the fighters on both sides.

But Fania wasn’t done.

She spread her arms wide, and two massive wings of Vermilion Bird fire erupted from her back. They stretched across the stage, each feather a blade of concentrated flame.

She flapped once.

The steam cleared, and the Glacial Palace disciples were thrown backward. Four of them crashed into the barrier, their ice armor shattered, their bodies smoking.

Fania stood in the center of the arena, her wings spread wide, her expression one of pure arrogance.

She didn’t even look tired.

The crowd loved it. They chanted her name, their voices rising in a wave of adoration.

Fania soaked it in.

She turned in a slow circle, her wings still blazing, her eyes scanning the crowd. She was performing. She knew it. And she loved every second of it.

From the Azure Dragon dugout, Flare watched.

Her eyes were narrowed, her jaw tight. She studied Fania’s every movement, every shift in stance, every flicker of flame.

And she saw it.

The way Fania’s lower meridians strained during prolonged output. The way her fire Qi spiked then dipped, creating an uneven flow. The way her left wing flickered for a split second after each major attack.

A flaw. A crack in the foundation. Flare’s sharp eyes caught it instantly—the subtle hesitation in Fania’s left wing, the way her fire Qi stuttered for a fraction of a second after each burst. A weakness a clever opponent could exploit.

Flare filed it away, her fingers tightening around the hilt of the Inferno Phoenix Blade at her waist. The leather grip creaked as she studied the arena with predatory focus.

"She’s good," Flare muttered, her orange eyes never leaving the blazing figure. "But she’s not perfect. Not yet."

Damon glanced at Flare sideways, noting her intensity, but said nothing. He turned his attention back to the arena, his golden eyes tracking the battle.

The Glacial Palace captain stepped forward, her silver hair whipping in the frozen wind, her icy gaze locked on Fania.

She was a tall woman with silver hair and eyes like frozen lakes. Her robes were caked with frost, and her breath misted in the air. She looked at Fania with cold fury.

"Enough," she said. "You think fire can melt my ice? Let me show you the true power of Glacial Palace."

She raised her hands, and the temperature dropped again.

Ice formed around her, not on the ground but in the air. Crystals of absolute-zero frost gathered above her head, spinning into a massive lotus shape. The Frozen Lotus bloomed, its petals made of ice so cold it burned.

The arena froze.

Literally.

The stone floor cracked as frost spread across it. The crowd’s breath misted in the air. Even the Vermilion Bird disciples stepped back.

But Fania just laughed.

"A flower?" she said. "Let me show you what happens to flowers when fire touches them."

She raised her hand, and a concentrated beam of phoenix fire shot forward.

The Frozen Lotus bloomed fully, its petals opening to reveal a core of absolute-zero energy. The fire beam hit it, and steam exploded outward.

For a moment, they were locked.

Ice against fire. Cold against heat. Frozen Lotus against Vermilion Bird.

Then the lotus cracked.

The fire beam punched through the center, and the Frozen Lotus incinerated mid-bloom. The petals turned to ash, scattering across the arena like snow.

The Glacial Palace captain stared at her empty hands, the shattered remnants of her Frozen Lotus still burning in her memory like a frostbitten scar.

She looked at Fania, who remained smiling, arrogant, untouchable, her Vermilion Bird wings folded like a cloak of living fire.

The captain’s shoulders sagged in defeat. She lowered her head, her pride crumbling.

"I concede."

Grand Marshal Vane stepped forward, his voice cutting through the noise.

"Vermilion Bird Sect wins! 7-3! They advance to the Quarterfinals!"

The crowd erupted.

A tidal wave of cheers and stomps shook the arena, the Vermilion Bird disciples roaring in triumph as their heiress basked in the glory of her overwhelming victory.

Fania raised her arms, her Vermilion Bird wings spreading wide. She turned to the Azure Dragon dugout, her eyes locking onto Flare.

She mouthed two words.

"You’re next."

Flare’s hand tightened on the Inferno Phoenix Blade.

Damon placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Let her talk," he said.

"Actions speak louder than words."

Flare nodded, but her eyes never left Fania.

The Vermilion Bird disciples gathered around their heiress, celebrating their victory. They were loud, arrogant, and confident.

And they had every right to be.

They had just destroyed Glacial Palace in a battle of pure elemental opposition.

Fire had melted ice.

The Vermilion Bird had devoured the Frozen Lotus whole, leaving nothing but ash and shattered pride in its wake.

But Damon was already thinking ahead.

Vermilion Bird versus Black Tortoise. Fire against defense.

It would be a clash of titans, a war between the unstoppable force and the immovable object.

And after that, the winner would face the Azure Dragon Sect.

Damon smiled. The path to victory was becoming clear.

All he had to do was let the flames burn themselves out against the mountain, then strike when both sides were exhausted.

Patience. Strategy. Timing.

That was how true power was claimed.

And after that, the winner would face the Azure Dragon Sect.

Damon smiled.