Divine Seal: Fire Kirin Fly Template, shattering the Demon God Pillar!

Chapter 21 The girl's heart is in turmoil! Facing Long Haochen
The hustle and bustle of the daytime gradually fades away with the evening breeze and starlight as night falls.

But the aftershocks of Li Hao's bombshell announcement in the arena are still reverberating in every corner of the Holy City.

The Temple Alliance's accommodation area for the participants included a brightly lit, elegantly decorated luxury private room.

"Come, come, Brother Li, Sister Yuan Yuan, don't be shy, make yourselves at home!"

Yang Wenzhao, who had been somber and bitter during the day, was now as enthusiastic as a dutiful host.

"Today's meal is on me! To celebrate Brother Li's resounding victory, and also... to wish us all great success!"

He raised the glass of fruit wine in his hand, his smile hearty, though there was a hint of self-encouragement in that smile.

Li Hao readily agreed, raising his glass. Wang Yuanyuan, ever the casual type, patted Yang Wenzhao on the shoulder and said, "You've got good taste, kid! I'm definitely having this meal!"

However, no sooner had she finished speaking than the door to the private room was pushed open from the outside with a creak.

A petite pink figure peeked in, her two playful pink pigtails drawing cheerful arcs in the air, and her big, watery eyes immediately curving into two adorable crescents after she saw who was in the room.

"Hey bro, we meet again!"

Chen Ying'er skipped and hopped in, her goal clear: to go straight for Li Hao.

Li Hao paused slightly in his hand holding the wine glass. Before he could speak, a fragrant breeze wafted past him.

Wang Yuanyuan moved almost instantaneously, stepping to the side like a female leopard guarding her prey, completely blocking Li Hao behind her and watching the newcomer warily.

"How did you get here?" Wang Yuanyuan's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible hostility.

"Wow! Sister, you're so beautiful!" Chen Ying'er seemed oblivious to the wariness in her voice.

She blinked her innocent big eyes, looked up at Wang Yuanyuan who was a head taller than her, and pouted slightly.

"But why are you so fierce? I... I didn't come here to fight."

Her innocent and harmless appearance, coupled with her soft and sweet voice, is extremely captivating.

At least, Wang Yuanyuan's sudden heightened alertness deflated like a punctured balloon, losing half its strength.

Wang Yuanyuan opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found that facing such a face, any stern words would make her seem like a bully who was picking on a child.

Li Hao, watching from behind, couldn't help but rub his forehead in disbelief.

He had a strange feeling that Wang Yuanyuan's posture made her seem jealous...

He had another illusion: the light in the eyes of the pink-haired girl in front of him.

It looks like a wolf has spotted meat and is very interested in him...

"Ahem! Um... Sister Ying'er, what brings you here?"

Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, Yang Wenzhao quickly rushed over with his wine glass, standing between the two like a peacemaker.

"You've come at the perfect time! Please sit down! Let's eat!"

As he spoke, he pulled Chen Ying'er to the empty seat next to him without saying a word, successfully separating the two girls with their subtle auras.

Chen Ying'er was quite obedient and sat down with a smile.

However, those big eyes would occasionally glance past Yang Wenzhao and steal a look at Li Hao, their curiosity and admiration almost overflowing.

The meal ended, albeit somewhat awkwardly, but unexpectedly pleasantly, thanks to Yang Wenzhao's witty banter and adeptness at navigating social situations.

Chen Ying'er pestered Li Hao with all sorts of questions, from the feel of the "God-Slaying Strike" to the secrets of transforming spiritual energy into wings. Wang Yuanyuan kept trying to shut her up with all kinds of delicious food. The interaction between the three of them made Yang Wenzhao both terrified and amused.

After the banquet, the moon was high in the sky.

The three bid farewell to Yang Wenzhao and walked on the stone-paved road back to their lodgings.

Chen Ying'er hummed a little tune contentedly and skipped along at the front.

Wang Yuanyuan, however, acted out of character, awkwardly trailing behind Li Hao by half a step, head down, silent, completely lacking the liveliness she displayed at the dinner table.

The evening breeze stirred her hair and also unsettled her heart.

Li Hao noticed something amiss behind him and suddenly stopped.

"Boom!"

Wang Yuanyuan was looking down, counting the gaps in the stone pavement, when he suddenly stopped and bumped headfirst into his broad, sturdy back, sending a tingling sensation through her nose.

"Ouch……"

She covered her nose, looked up, and met Li Hao's smiling eyes.

"Why are you walking so carelessly?" Li Hao looked her over with interest.

Under the moonlight, her handsome face, full of spirit, was flushed with a charming blush, and her eyes darted away, not daring to meet his gaze.

"me……"

Wang Yuanyuan's cheeks turned even redder, like ripe apples. She stammered for a long time, unable to utter a complete sentence.

Suddenly, as if she had made up her mind, she gritted her teeth and dodged past Li Hao.

He left behind a mumbled "I'm going back now" and ran headlong towards his residence without looking back.

That silhouette even carried a hint of fleeing in panic.

Li Hao watched her disappearing figure around the corner, chuckled to himself, and shook his head.

“This girl…”

The competition proceeded smoothly for the next few days.

For the rest of the third group, however, it was a nightmare.

"Group 3, Round 3, Li Hao vs. Random Guy!"

As soon as the referee finished speaking, the young man named Zhang Qian walked onto the stage with a tragic expression, bowed to Li Hao from afar, and said in a booming voice, "I...I concede!"

After saying that, he turned and left, decisively and without any hesitation.

"Group Three, Round Four: Li Hao vs. Random Person B!"

"Referee, I concede!" The voice came from the preparation area before the person even stepped onto the stage.

"Group Three, Round Five..."

"I surrender!"

In several matches in a row, without exception, every opponent chose to forfeit when it was Li Hao's turn to play.

They didn't even have the courage to go on stage, fearing that Li Hao would think they had a challenging intention and give them a "god-slaying strike" as an "appetizer."

The atmosphere in the entire stadium became unusually strange.

While other arenas were filled with fierce battles and bursts of spiritual energy, Li Hao only needed to stand on the arena, strike a pose, and he could win a victory.

They won all seven of their matches, almost always receiving a bye.

This left the various geniuses who had come specifically to watch the battle and gather more information completely dumbfounded.

Li Hao himself stood on the stage, rubbing his nose with a rather speechless expression.

He felt like he wasn't there to compete, but rather to collect protection money.

It wasn't until the eighth battle, when the referee announced the names of the two opponents, that the "curse of surrender" that had been hanging over Group 3 was finally broken.

"Group 3, Round 8, Li Hao vs... Long Haochen!"

Wow——!
The entire audience was instantly invigorated!
coming! finally come!
One is an unparalleled prodigy who appeared out of nowhere, crushing seventh-tier magical beasts with his sixth-tier body!

The other is the once-in-a-century Son of Light of the Knights' Temple, a future leader with extraordinary talent and unwavering will.

Everyone craned their necks, knowing that this might be one of the most intense matches in the individual competition phase of this year's Demon Hunter Team selection tournament.

Long Haochen, clad in fine knight's armor and wielding the Ripple of Light, stepped onto the arena.

His steps were steady and powerful, each step seeming to resonate in the hearts of everyone present.

His handsome face showed no fear, only an unprecedented solemnity and high fighting spirit.

"Brother Li, I know that I may not be your match."

"But I will not admit defeat!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the entire stadium, resounding with conviction.

That indomitable will moved countless knights present, and even Han Qian on the second floor of the council hall showed a look of satisfaction and pride in his eyes.

This is the future of their Knights' Temple!
"Om-"

As Long Haochen made his firm declaration, a six-colored light gate opened out of thin air beside him, and then a strange and powerful figure walked out from it.

That was a lizard-like magical beast with two enormous heads, Long Haochen's partner, the two-headed dragon Haoyue!
Long Haochen flipped over and straddled Haoyue's back, holding the Ripple of Light high in his hand, his body radiating a soft and holy golden light.

The man and the dragon, their auras intertwined, instantly ascended to their peak.

This is his strongest form as a knight!
Faced with this overwhelming fighting spirit, a satisfied smile finally appeared on Li Hao's face.

"It would be truly boring if you gave up!"

He spoke calmly, and amidst the uproar, he made a move that surprised everyone.

With a backhand flick, he actually retrieved the heavy greatsword, which exuded a terrifying aura, into his storage ring.

Immediately afterwards, accompanied by a clanging sound of metal scraping together, a set of dazzling and ornate armor quickly slipped off his body.

What was removed was a Brilliant-grade armor!
In just a moment, Li Hao was left with only a close-fitting outfit that outlined his not-so-exaggerated, but extremely powerful muscle lines.

"I won't bully you either." Li Hao cracked his knuckles, making a series of crisp "crack" sounds.

Looking up at the ready-to-fight Long Haochen, he spoke calmly but with an undeniable air of dominance, "If I'm one level below you, I'll fight you with these fists."

"If you can defeat me bare-handed, you win, and you'll advance!"

As soon as the words fell, the whole place fell silent.

Immediately following was a huge uproar and gasps of shock!

He's insane! This guy is absolutely insane!
Faced with the Son of Light, who was going all out and had become one with the dragon, he actually put away his weapons and armor and decided to fight with his fists.
What confidence!
Do not!
This is no longer confidence; it's an absolute and overwhelming arrogance about one's own strength.

Wang Yuanyuan, sitting in the audience, was so anxious that she kept stamping her feet, while Yang Wenzhao opened his mouth wide enough to fit an egg.

Meanwhile, Ren Wokuang, who was on the second floor of the council chamber, slapped his thigh and burst into wild laughter: "Hahahaha! Good! Good lad!"

"Now this is the true power of my Warrior's Temple! Now this is what it means to be invincible!"

(End of this chapter)