Chapter 135


    The maiden watched vin with a smirk that wasn''t quite a smile, yfully blinking her eyes at him.


    The other Protégés of Bloodlore watched closely. Their gazes were fixed in vin''s direction, and a


    few even began to show interest. They hadn''t yet decided who to challenge at this gathering of the


    guilds over tea. Perhaps Cobalt Strike would be their target?


    Their grinning faces made the members of Cobalt Strike feel even more uneasy, while the other


    guilds were secretly pleased; with Bloodlore preupied with Cobalt Strike, their own teams would


    be under less pressure.


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    The five Elders of Cobalt Strike were puzzled—what was going on? It seemed Bloodlore had set


    their sights on them. Dealing with the Earthbound Spirits was headache enough, and now


    Bloodlore, too? How could they possibly stand a chance?


    At that moment, the small fox that had been nestled in the maiden''s arms leaped away, deftly


    darting through the crowd until it reached the ranks of Cobalt Strike. The creature moved with a light


    and ethereal grace, its fluffy fur resembling a little cloud. Unconcerned with propriety, it jumped onto


    vin''s shoulder, its moist little nose sniffing at him before it revealed a delighted smile, seemingly


    quite fond of vin''s scent.


    vin reached out to touch the fox''s nose gently, but the little creature yfully scratched at his


    hand, as if urging him for more Restoration Aether.


    "Eh? E, what''s going on?" the Protégés of Bloodlore murmured in surprise. The youngdy''s


    magical pet had run over to vin and seemed quite affectionate.


    The other guilds were also taken aback; the little fox was known to belong to E, so why had it


    made its way to vin?


    Roald and hispanions were even more baffled—what in the world was happening?


    E whistled, beckoning to the fox, but the little fox ignored her, perched on vin''s shoulder,


    insistently nudging him with its bright, sparkling eyes.


    The crowd grew more curious, their attention drifting towards this unexpected scene in the grand


    arena.


    "Commander Jarad, does your precious granddaughter know thatd?" a Commander inquired


    from the main tform, speaking to an elder beside him.


    The Bloodlore Commander was bewildered. The little fox was a Sr Fox, a creature of high spirit


    and pride. Aside from E, it allowed no other to touch it—why, then would it approach a stranger?


    Commander of Cobalt Strike, fearing more chaos, made a calm suggestion, "Lord Doramon,


    perhaps it is time to begin."


    "Indeed." The old Lord of Warriors'' Vale rose to his feet, exchanging pleasantries before loudly


    dering, "The Championship shall nowmence!"


    His call ignited the atmosphere, and a thousand eyes focused intently on the dueling tform,


    eager for the start of the contest.


    "vin!!" With a roar, the Earthbound Spirits'' Protégé Tarner leaped onto the tform, pointing at


    vin from afar. He couldn''t wait any longer; he wanted to be the first to crush vin.


    vin nudged the little fox, which reluctantly left his shoulder and returned to the Bloodlore ranks.


    "His name is Tarner, much stronger than Marak, whom you faced the other day," Cedrick warned


    vin.


    Adirich smirked sardonically. "The Earthbound Spirits have sized you up and vowed to repay


    Marak''s injuries twofold. Be prepared and try to hold out as long as you can; don''t be too quick to


    fall."


    "Remember, you represent Cobalt Strike!" Roald also reminded vin, urging him to put up a fight,


    however brief.


    vin remained silent, stepping onto the dueling tform.


    "The first bout of the tournament promises to be interesting."


    "It''s rare for someone to provoke the Earthbound Spirits before the contest even begins. Thatd


    has invited trouble for Cobalt Strike; they won''t let them off lightly."


    "vin is a mere servant of Stage VIII. Cobalt Strike has provided this year''s Championship with


    some amusement."


    "I sense there''s more to it. What do you think, could he surprise us?"


    "Tarner is powerful; the Earthbound Spirits chose him for his certainty of victory. No matter what


    tricks vin tries, he''ll likely fail."


    The Protégés from various guilds watched vin with interest, most seeing him for the first time.


    The spectators in the stands were also eager, most having heard of the incident three days prior.


    "Let this be a fair match, and take care not to harm each other," a solemn middle-aged warrior


    reminded Tarner and vin from his seat on the tform.


    "The Earthbound Spirits, Tarner!" Tarner shouted from across the distance, raising his fist in


    challenge to vin.


    "Cobalt Strike, vin!" vin stood at the edge of the tform, not venturing far inward.


    "Are you prepared?" Tarner was clearly impatient.


    "Proceed!" With a brief warm-up, vin took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and unexpectedly


    closed his eyes before the watching crowd, his right hand tightening with a creak.


    "What is he doing?"


    "Praying?"


    "Is he too afraid to step forward? Why stand so close to the edge?"