Chapter 120: Words for My Mother-in-Law

"That guy defeated me and left me in shambles using less than 30 percent of his power. Seeing how immensely powerful he was, I was completely at a loss. To survive, I even went as far as to kneel on the ground and lick the soles of his feet, hoping to earn his mercy and be spared. As he stepped on me, only one thought filled my mind: I would even lick his rear end if it meant I could be saved! But to my surprise, he looked at me with the tone one might use for trash and said with pity, 'You are disgusting to the extreme; I don't even want to kill you now... In my eyes, you are nothing more than a pile of filth wrapped in excrement.'"

Having revealed the tragic experience he had never shared with anyone before, Toshio finally turned around. Looking at Byakuei and Zhang Yang, his expression became serious. "After that, I underwent extremely grueling training and led the members of the New World Team to participate in this tournament. Although I lost to you on the field, I do not hate you, nor do I want you to avenge me. I have simply confirmed one thing: the person who can ultimately defeat that guy, Sikong Lang, is not me, but you, the ones who defeated me!" Turning away, Toshio waved at them. "I, too, want to see just how far you can go in this battle..."

Sitting before the cave entrance where Master Jinghai had sent him for his trial, Qin Xiaochuan wore a look of despondency. He had sat there blankly for two hours without moving. In his mind, he kept replaying the image of Master Jinghai’s face and the words she had spoken to him not long ago: 'If you kill me, you will gain even greater power...' 'You have passed the test...' 'This is the Spirit Light Jade...' 'Have you made your decision...'

After being sent flying by a punch from Sikong Lang, Qin Xiaochuan felt as though his soul had left him. He picked himself up from the ground and wandered aimlessly through the forest. When a crisp bird call finally jolted him awake, he looked up to find himself back at the familiar cave entrance—the place where Master Jinghai had sent him for his final trial, a place he would never forget for as long as he lived. Perhaps here, he could still feel the lingering weight of the final instructions she had given him.

Staring blankly at the cave, Qin Xiaochuan sank into memories of Master Jinghai. That aged face, half-kind and half-demonic; that voice that once made his teeth ache with frustration; the hidden longing deep in his heart—all of it drew him back into a cycle of mourning. Why do people die? Why did you have to leave me? Do you know? I miss you so much, Grandma!! They say you only learn to cherish what you have once it’s lost. I regret it so much, Grandma. I regret not arriving sooner, not being able to save you. Why, why did you leave so hurriedly? Why...

"...Little Enma?" Sensing a familiar aura behind him, Qin Xiaochuan did not turn around.

"Y-you... you actually noticed?"

"I'm not in the mood for jokes right now."

"...Understood." Watching Qin Xiaochuan’s slightly dejected back, Little Enma’s handsome little face also showed a trace of sadness. "Botan is also feeling down after hearing the news of Master Jinghai’s death. It seems she has been so affected that she can't even continue with her official duties..."

"...If only I had arrived a little earlier..."

"!" Hearing Qin Xiaochuan say this, Little Enma couldn't help but sigh. Hadn't this guy figured it out yet? He was being so foolish. Looking at Qin Xiaochuan’s lifeless back, Little Enma scolded him loudly, "Stop saying such stupid things!"

"Who are you calling stupid!" Seemingly finding a target for his frustration, Qin Xiaochuan suddenly turned, grabbed Little Enma by the collar, and began to lash out at the toddler, who was still sucking on his pacifier.

"Acting without understanding the situation and pointing blame where it doesn't belong is stupidity." Staring into Qin Xiaochuan's eyes, Little Enma revealed an expression of disappointment. "Even if you had arrived earlier, was the conflict between those two something you could have intervened in and solved?"

"..."

"They staked their lives on their own beliefs; what right do you have to force your way into their affairs?" Seeing Qin Xiaochuan fall into deep thought, Little Enma said calmly, "Are you not going to let go? How long do you intend to keep holding me? If you commit an act of insubordination, I could throw you directly into the eighteenth level of hell..."

Seeing Qin Xiaochuan sit back down in a lonely heap, Little Enma couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. After all, this child had been entrusted to him by an old friend; if he continued to languish like this, he wouldn't know how to answer to his old friend. Walking up to Qin Xiaochuan, Little Enma continued, speaking to his back: "Hey... by the way, Master Jinghai left a message for you. Do you want to hear it?"

Hearing that Grandma had sent a message from the other side, Qin Xiaochuan immediately pricked up his ears. However, embarrassed by his earlier rash behavior, he remained sitting on the ground, feeling immense regret. It was all his fault for being so impulsive and misunderstanding this guy's good intentions. He hadn't expected Little Enma to have come all this way just to deliver Grandma's words. It was truly humiliating.

"I taught such a lousy disciple; I'm so exhausted! I don't want to see your face for a while, don't come looking for me here." Mimicking Master Jinghai's tone and posture, Little Enma put his hands behind his back, turned, and continued, "...Win! That's all."

"...... That dead old hag!"

As if something had suddenly clicked, Qin Xiaochuan leaped up from the ground in excitement, his face showing the same confident smile he had worn before. That's right, Grandma is still in the Spirit World, so why am I so sad? If I miss her, I'll just go to the Spirit World and see her, whether she likes it or not, hehe. Grandma, I'm going to send you a gift, too!

Thinking of this, Qin Xiaochuan felt his body fill with power. He crouched slightly, grabbed his right wrist with his left hand, and pointed his right index finger toward the sky, focusing all his spiritual energy into his fingertip. An unprecedented surge of power gathered at his finger, and the surrounding air seemed to be drawn in by this immense force, converging toward the tip of his finger.

"Oh, oh!!?"

Seeing the massive amount of spiritual energy gathering at Qin Xiaochuan's fingertip, Little Enma was shocked. He had never felt such immense spiritual power from any human being; even Master Jinghai, who had already reported to the Spirit World, had never emitted such a terrifyingly massive amount.

"Take this, you cranky old hag--!!"

A massive Spirit Gun shot from Qin Xiaochuan’s fingertip, trailing a long wake like a shooting star as it soared toward the sky. This Spirit Gun was at least ten times larger in volume and capacity than the one Qin Xiaochuan had fired during his battle with Yuan. The massive projectile streaked toward the horizon, its blinding radiance illuminating the entire sky above Fairy Island like a launched rocket.

"What is this!?" (Zhang Yang and Byakuei were also drawn by the light, looking up at the sky.)

"Could it be!?" (Feiyan also stopped throwing punches and looked toward the sky.)

"Qin Xiaochuan!!" (Sikong Lang looked up at the sky.)

"So powerful!" (Gou also sensed the massive spiritual energy and looked up.)

"..." (The Martial God also gazed toward the sky.)

"Is that Qin Xiaochuan's Spirit Gun!!? He's not human!" (Toshio looked at the shrinking light of the Spirit Gun, his face filled with shock.)

"Jyu, look!" (Reiku shook the drunken Jyu and pointed at the Spirit Gun in the sky.)

"I didn't expect this guy to get this strong all of a sudden!!" (Yuan lay in mid-air with his hands behind his head, watching the shooting star fly toward the horizon.)

...

"Grandma must have received it!" Lying on the grass, Qin Xiaochuan gazed at the sky. That Spirit Gun shot toward the heavens carried all the words he wanted to say to her. He believed that her spirit in the sky would surely see everything he had conveyed.

"Yes, she definitely received it!"

Watching the Spirit Gun disappear into the horizon, Little Enma nodded earnestly.

The day of the finals was approaching!!

Time flew by; the tournament was tomorrow at noon. On the day before the finals, the area around the arena was already lined with spectators waiting for standing-room tickets. Because the tickets for the Dark Tournament finals were exorbitantly expensive and had been sold out a year in advance, in order to satisfy the wishes of more fans wanting to experience the battle in person, the organizers arranged for a large number of standing positions before each final. As long as one secured the qualifications for a standing ticket within the designated quota, even those who hadn't bought final admission tickets could enter the venue to watch. Even standing in the arena was a highly sought-after opportunity for these passionate fans outside, so some would queue up long in advance to secure a chance for a standing ticket.

Therefore, besides the massive ticket revenue, another significant income for this tournament was television broadcasting rights. To achieve high ratings and convert them into massive advertising revenue was something no television station could afford to give up. However, it was a pity that for a massive cake like the exclusive broadcast of the Dark Tournament, pre-selection was inevitable.

Dark Star Television, as the station holding the exclusive broadcast rights for this tournament, had spared no effort in broadcasting the scene and increasing viewership. The exclusive interviews with the fans queuing outside were a special project planned by the station's editors.