The stadium, which had just been filled with deafening cheers and waves of discussion, suddenly fell silent after a brief moment of shock.
Three hundred thousand spectators held their breath almost simultaneously, all eyes fixated on the burly figure hovering directly above the arena, his dark golden dragon wings unfurled.
Everyone had assumed the tournament was over; who would have expected there to be another act?
Inside VIP Room 1, Saint Dragon En Ci, who was Long Yue's teacher, had his expression shift slightly, and he let out a heavy harrumph: "Nonsense!"
At such a grand official event, publicly challenging Huo Yuhao of the Federal delegation could, at the very least, be called acting without authorization and disrupting the order of the competition; at worst, it could even be interpreted as the Star Luo Empire deliberately provoking the Douluo Federation.
But what made Saint Dragon En Ci the angriest was that the brat Long Yue hadn't even given him a heads-up beforehand; it was clearly premeditated, likely because he feared he wouldn't agree.
Beside him, Dai Tianling waved a hand, his face devoid of any anger; instead, he chuckled to smooth things over: "Teacher, there is no need to get angry. Young people, you know—a little mischief is no big deal."
"That brat Long Yue has had a strong competitive spirit since he was young. It is only natural that he wants to experience the skills of the Federation's number one Genius on the arena stage."
As he said this, Dai Tianling raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone carrying a faint hint of anticipation: "Besides... Teacher, aren't you curious about just how strong that Huo Yuhao really is?"
Upon hearing this, Saint Dragon En Ci's expression gradually softened. His earlier display of anger had not been entirely without an element of performance.
After all, with his Disciple acting on his own initiative in front of the Emperor, as his teacher, he had to make some sort of stance.
After a moment of silence, he spoke slowly: "The Federation's number one Genius, Spirit Transmitting Huo Yuhao—I am indeed quite curious about just how strong he is."
In another private box, everyone's gaze focused on Huo Yuhao almost simultaneously.
Xie Xie even sprang up directly from the sofa, striding over to Huo Yuhao's side in three steps.
His tone was filled with irrepressible excitement: "Yuhao, what are you still standing there for? Accept his challenge!"
"Go down there and show that Long Yue what a true Genius is, and what true domination looks like!"
"He thinks he's invincible just because he beat Wulin and Long Chen, but that's only because you haven't made your move yet."
Xu Xiaoyan also stood up, nodding vigorously in agreement: "That's right, Yuhao. If you go on stage, he definitely won't be your match."
Even Long Chen, Xue Liushuang, and Weng Daimin from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, who were nearby, had eyes filled with irrepressible excitement and anticipation.
If Huo Yuhao were to make a move and defeat Long Yue, then they, as people from the Federation, would all share in the honor.
Huo Yuhao sat on the sofa without a word, his gaze calmly fixed on Long Yue, who was looking toward this direction from outside the window.
He seemed to have no intention of accepting the challenge; after all, he no longer needed to prove anything through an arena match.
Just then, the Spirit Tool communicator on Huo Yuhao's wrist suddenly vibrated.
He glanced down, then connected the communicator and called out in a calm tone: "Hello, Teacher."
From the other end of the communicator came Han Tianyi's steady voice: "Yuhao, Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Sima Lanxiao just contacted me, hoping you would accept Long Yue's challenge."
"He said this is not just a spar between young Spirit Masters, but also concerns the Federation's face on the Star Luo Continent, and hopes you will consider it carefully."
Hearing that Huo Yuhao did not reply immediately on the communicator, Han Tianyi added: "However, I have already told him that the final decision rests with you."
"If you don't want to accept the challenge, then don't. No one can force us."
Huo Yuhao was silent for a few seconds, then stood up and said calmly: "Teacher, I will make my move."
Huo Yuhao's figure had not yet appeared on the arena, but the host, having already received news of his acceptance, could no longer contain his excitement.
His passionate voice spread to every corner through the Spirit Tool loudspeaker, instantly driving the emotions of the three hundred thousand spectators at the scene to a climax.
"Everyone! The official competition has completely concluded successfully, but please do not rush to leave, because next, we are about to witness an even more blood-pumping, even more spectacular exhibition match!"
"Just now, contestant Long Yue crushed the entire field with absolute strength, taking the individual championship without a shred of suspense—a victory well deserved!"
"So, perhaps many of you are asking, why did he choose to issue a challenge at this final moment to someone who did not participate in this tournament?"
"Who exactly is this person named Huo Yuhao? Is he worthy of Long Yue's challenge?"
The host deliberately paused for a few seconds, whetting the appetites of the three hundred thousand spectators in the stadium.
Then he took a deep breath, and his already resonant voice rose another octave as he loudly announced: "Next, please allow me to grandly introduce the person who is about to take the stage—the number one Genius from the Douluo Federation, Huo... Yu... Hao!"
"Huo Yuhao comes from the Spirit Pagoda. At ten years old, he led his team to defeat the Shrek Academy team, becoming famous in a single battle and ascending to the top of the Young Genius List."
"In the five years since, his position at the top of the list has remained unshakable, and the Spirit Pagoda even made an exception to grant him the title of Spirit Transmitting!"
The host's introduction, filled with unsparing praise, instantly ignited the already high atmosphere of the entire stadium.
Many spectators with limited knowledge of the Federation were still a bit bewildered when they heard the title "Number One on the Federation's Young Genius List," but they knew far too well about Shrek Academy.
Leading a team to defeat the Shrek Academy team at ten years old—the weight of that achievement was immense.
Amidst the host's passionate introduction, Huo Yuhao's figure walked unhurriedly through the contestant passage and into the arena area.
At this moment, the host took one final deep breath and used all his strength to shout out the opening lines for this exhibition match.
"Next, let us hold our breath and wait to enjoy a spectacular duel between the two top Geniuses from the Douluo Federation and the Star Luo Empire!"
Long Yue hovered in mid-air, the massive dark golden dragon wings behind him flapping slowly, the airflow they generated forming visible ripples above the arena.
He lowered his head, his gaze locked firmly onto the slender figure walking slowly onto the arena below, his pupils burning with irrepressible excitement and Battle Intent.
On the Star Luo Continent, he was the undisputed number one among his peers, a peerless Genius praised by countless Spirit Masters, and the successor personally designated by Saint Dragon En Ci, a Limit Douluo.
His strength and reputation had been accumulated through one hard-fought battle after another.
Therefore, he never feared challenges; on the contrary, he craved them, craving an opponent who could allow him to truly let loose and fight with all his might.
The reason he had publicly challenged Huo Yuhao in front of everyone had no complex purpose; he simply wanted to see who was stronger between himself and this number one Genius who had made a name for himself across the Federation.
Huo Yuhao stood on the arena, looking up calmly at the dark golden figure in mid-air, who was filled with Battle Intent.
Long Yue was indeed strong; his strength was comprehensive, with no weaknesses.
In the conventional sense, it was indeed hard to find an opponent among his peers, but who could help it that Huo Yuhao just happened to be the most unconventional existence of all?
Huo Yuhao spoke slowly: "You want a battle, then I will give you a battle. I only hope you do not regret it."
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A/N:
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.