Seeking Comfort

Upon returning to Ling Lian's side, Xu Qi let himself fall into her embrace, enjoying the warm comfort of her body, making most male disciples gnash their teeth in envy.

Ling Lian didn't mind it though. She was ready to comfort him after his loss. But Ling Lian felt a cold gaze coming from the audience's stands. There, she found Xiao Yue staring at her before shifting down to the young man in her embrace.

Feeling a little triumphant that she was the one holding him, Ling Lian couldn't help but put on a smile as she tightened her embrace, burying Xu Qi's face in her chest.

Xiao Yue's gaze flickered as she looked at Ling Lian again, a challenge written in her eyes. Despite the warmth surrounding him, Xu Qi felt a sudden chill. But before he could raise his head, Xiao Yue dropped the pressure from her gaze and looked away, not letting anyone catch on to the rivalry that formed between them.

Ling Lian playfully curled his hair with her fingers, satisfied at that short moment of victory.

"Xu Qi, Senior Sister Xiao Yue saw us. I think she's envious she cannot comfort you like I do." Ling Lian whispered teasingly into his ear, her cheeks flushing slightly with pride.

Xu Qi chuckled weakly, his cheeks red from embarrassment rather than exertion. "It's nothing, she's just... surprised." He knew Xiao Yue had noticed from that sudden chill, but he couldn't bring himself to break the moment of comfort with Ling Lian.

Was that unfaithful? Maybe it was in the eyes of those who were used to the societal values of Earth, but Xu Qi had already accepted the fact that with his abilities, he'd get entangled with more women than just Xiao Yue and Ling Lian. If he found them special, he'd naturally treat them as one and he wouldn't lie to them about it.

Ling Lian understood that's why she turned it into an opportunity to tease him while Xiao Yue decided not to cause a scene and bide her time for when she could get to him.

"Surprised, huh? Are you not afraid that either of us will get jealous of each other? Or be mad at you for rowing between two rivers?"

"Afraid? Of course, I am. You two can beat me up anytime, can't you? And if you choose to do so, I won't stop you. I deserve that, after all." Xu Qi's voice was filled with humor, yet there was a hint of seriousness that made Ling Lian's heart skip a beat. He had a way of acknowledging the complexities of his relationships without letting them get weighed down by it, a trait that only made him more endearing to the women around him.

While it was the same as saying, 'I won't choose between you two', Ling Lian picked up that it also meant Xu Qi would treasure them without favoring one over the other.

"You're such a rascal. Careful playing with fire, you might get burned in the end.." Ling Lian murmured with her voice laced with both her affection and a warning.

Her words made Xu Qi laugh, the tension from the battle dissipating. He knew she wasn't just teasing; she was giving him a gentle nudge to be more careful. Despite his charm and wit, he wasn't oblivious to the potential consequences of his actions.

Women are complex creatures no matter which world. It's just the values between them that differed. He's ready to be treated as a scum if ever but he'll treasure whoever he finds special. If they get hurt because of him or if they end up venting their frustration on him, he'll take responsibility. It was his choice, after all.

"Mhm. I'll remember that. But Ling Lian, you also have to tell me if things aren't sitting well with you. I'll either adjust or let you do what you think is best for us." Xu Qi mumbled into her chest, his voice muffled but earnest.

Ling Lian looked up at the retreating figure of Xiao Yue, who was now engaging with other disciples, her earlier tension nowhere to be seen. "You're really something, Xu Qi. But I trust you. And let's not talk about this here. Focus on recovering for your next match."

"Can I recover like this?" Xu Qi replied without any intention of lifting his face from her bosom.

Ling Lian's lips twitched at his response as she gently pushed him away. "You can recover faster if you actually rest. Also, you're drawing eyes on us. I can feel embarrassed too!" She whispered back with a slight blush on her cheeks.

Xu Qi reluctantly pulled away from Ling Lian's embrace, feeling the weight of the gazes from the surrounding disciples. He took a moment to compose himself before turning to face the audience, flashing a shameless smile that was met with both admiration and envy.

Before long, Ling Lian went up on stage again for her second match. She finished it instantly. Her opponent conceded defeat. She drew another fifth stage outer court disciple who was smart enough not to try his luck.

The draws weren't unfair at all. And Ling Lian would probably only be drawn against fifth stage Elemental Awakeners.

Xu Qi had long noticed that there was at least some semblance of reasoning with the matchups.

In his first match, he drew someone at the fourth stage. He won the match which showed that his strength was at that level. It was like matchmaking rankings in those online games where similarly skilled players would be matched against each other.

Despite his loss against Ji Feiyang, he performed magnificently. He could already expect to be matched with either another fifth stage or a fourth stage Elemental Awakener.

On the same note, those who performed poorly like Zhou Feng got another third stage as his second opponent, earning him his first win. Furthermore, no first stage Elemental Awakener disciple has been matched to a third stage or above. Everything was getting adjusted depending on their subsequent performance.

"Hey, Xu Qi. Your turn to comfort me. I didn't get to fight because he's afraid of me." Ling Lian said as she returned to her seat acting like her feelings were hurt.

Xu Qi didn't hesitate to open his arms to receive her, switching up their positions from earlier. Ling Lian was now feeling comfortable on his chest, "Isn't that a good thing? You can beat up Zhang Han more in your next match. I have a feeling you'll draw him. He's the strongest before you broke through, right?"

Ling Lian rolled her eyes playfully, "You shameless guy. You really want me to roll him up for you, huh? But you're wrong. He was not the strongest before I broke through. But looking at how he was about to beat that guy who's supposed to be the strongest. He might be now."

As she said that, both of their eyes focused on the projection above the dome. On the center screen, there's Zhang Han against another guy who already looks like a mess. They're both fifth stages but the disparity between them was already showing.

If Xu Qi could put Ji Feiyang as an early fifth stage, Ling Lian before her breakthrough as intermediate fifth stage is the same as Zhang Han. On the other hand, the other guy on the screen was at least late or peak fifth stage. He was close to breaking through. But that close meant at least a few months or a year, at the very least. There was that certain gulf between the fifth and sixth stages, after all. It was a known bottleneck.