Chapter Sixty-Five: The Dream Fox Embarks on Its Journey

Chapter Sixty-Five: Dream Fox Steps Into the Spotlight

That evening, he once again found a moment to exchange a few words with Nalan Sheng over social media. Yet, as before, Nalan Sheng inexplicably went offline again—clearly, someone must have taken her phone. This only intensified Xia Zheng’s dissatisfaction with the Nalan family. He’d originally intended, upon meeting Nalan Zheng and Nalan Yun, to soften his attitude and let bygones be bygones. But now, in light of these circumstances, he doubted he would yield so easily.

The next day, the first round of matches began at nine o’clock. Xia Zheng didn’t see Nalan Sheng at any of the arenas, so it seemed she wouldn’t be coming in the morning.

As the first match of the third round, the Professional League had chosen the airport venue for a live broadcast. All contestants in broadcasted matches would receive a share of the streaming revenue, regardless of victory or defeat.

Dream Fox, with her adorable and striking appearance—especially those fox ears—had become one of the most popular contestants in this round. Online, many men and women alike were hailing Dream Fox as the new idol of the competition, with petitions for her debut as an official celebrity gathering nearly a million supporters.

Dream Fox’s first opponent was a formidable nature-type ability user, who didn’t appear to be an ordinary novice—she seemed quite battle-hardened.

Her name was Flora—a robust woman clad in heavy leather armor, wielding a rather unusual weapon: a one-handed hammer and a giant spike, as if she intended to drive it straight into her adversary.

Dream Fox seemed somewhat intimidated by this woman. Sensing her fear, Xia Zheng projected a mental message into her mind: “Don’t be afraid. Use your speed; this time, your hypnotic ability will shine.”

When the match began in earnest, many spectators were shocked: Flora’s specialty was actually ranged attacks, and her technique was particularly troublesome—lightning-based.

When she brought her hammer down upon the spike, blue arcs of electricity burst forth with a crackle, striking the ground and sending sparks flying. Blackened scorch marks were left in their wake. A direct hit would surely cause paralysis, perhaps even serious injury.

Dream Fox, as a beastfolk, was naturally terrified of thunder and lightning. Discovering her opponent could wield such a power left her flustered. But she remembered Xia Zheng’s advice, running swiftly around the arena. Her speed was astonishing, causing Flora’s attacks to miss repeatedly.

Online, Dream Fox’s supporters fretted for their as-yet-unlaunched idol, already composing words of comfort in anticipation of her defeat.

Xia Zheng frowned—he had not expected the opponent’s lightning attacks to be so vexing. Taking them head-on was out of the question. Though Dream Fox’s abilities were rated at C-level, her main strength was hypnosis; her enhancement-type powers were only at E-level, leaving her at a disadvantage.

Yet, her natural speed and agility allowed her to dart around the arena, making Flora struggle to keep up. Flora’s own abilities were also E-level and couldn’t last indefinitely. Her size suggested she’d neglected speed and reflex training, so her attacks were always a step behind.

“Huff…” After ten minutes of intense attacks, Flora was forced to pause, gasping for breath. She hadn’t expected her opponent, this seemingly delicate girl, to be so fast—or to regain her composure as the fight went on. This boded ill for her.

Then Flora, perhaps recalling some lesson from experience, deliberately slowed her movements, making herself look battered and exhausted—a ruse easily detected by many spectators.

Xia Zheng’s lips curled into a faint sneer: “This woman, relying on her experience, is trying to lure her opponent in. Unfortunately for her, she’s not facing some naive young girl, but one who has lived longer than any elder in the Federation.”

Indeed, Dream Fox “fell for it.” Noticing Flora’s sluggishness—her attacks less frequent—Dream Fox became eager, planning to use her speed to strike back.

As Dream Fox drew within five meters, Flora’s heart leapt with joy. Her mind ignited, and she let out a wild roar.

She raised her hammer high, channeling all her strength, and electric arcs gathered around the weapon. Then, grasping the spike in her other hand, she drove it into the ground.

With a crack of thunder, a pool of blue lightning spread, enveloping a ten-meter radius. Dream Fox was instantly caught, frozen in place.

“Hahaha! Caught in my Thunder Net—let’s see how fast you are now!” Flora cackled, rushing forward and swinging her hammer down at the paralyzed Dream Fox—she had always resented women more beautiful or cute than herself.

With a crash, the Dream Fox before her shattered to pieces. Flora paused, alarm bells ringing in her mind as the sound of something slicing through the air came from behind.

“Damn!” She hastily raised her hammer to summon lightning for defense, but a claw struck her abdomen, sending her flying. She vomited blood in midair, landing dazed and barely able to prop herself up, watching Dream Fox waving to the audience, who cheered her on. Flora was left utterly bewildered.

“What happened?” Flora soon saw the replay: her Thunder Net had struck only empty air. Dream Fox had feigned being hit, remaining outside the attack’s range. Flora’s hammer had smashed nothing but air, and she’d failed to realize it—until Dream Fox’s paw struck her down, sealing her defeat.

Many in the audience stood and applauded. The match, though not spectacular, garnered Dream Fox immense popularity—especially since her hypnotic skill had been used at just the right moment, as later explained by expert commentators. The online petition for her debut instantly doubled to over two million, making her the hottest topic of the day.

After the match, Dream Fox was whisked away by the organizers for interviews. It seemed that under Camilla’s stewardship, the Professional League’s reforms had achieved notable success, greatly boosting the reputation of ability users and bringing in significant profits for the league. Should the upcoming inaugural Grand Tournament also succeed, a new era would dawn.

Unable to dine with Dream Fox, Xia Zheng heard she had been scheduled for numerous activities, with several entertainment agents already calling to sign her.

Xia Zheng saw a golden opportunity and immediately contacted Claire, planning to establish an idol training company under their firm. It would focus on nurturing ability user idols—not mere pretty faces, but stars with both strength and commercial appeal, unlike the company he’d once interviewed for. He made this clear to Claire, who was intrigued and called Chu Yan for support. Despite not fully understanding, Chu Yan trusted Claire completely, and so Tian Ren Corporation invested two million, while Xia Zheng contributed one million, founding the "Tian Ren Idol Agency." Their first signee would be the soon-to-be-famous Dream Fox.

Dream Fox herself had no objection to becoming an idol, though she knew not all humans could be trusted—her elders had warned her. Thus, she placed her faith in Xia Zheng. Upon learning of the new agency, she agreed at once.

Claire and Zhang Ziqi quickly arrived to help Dream Fox handle her debut and media interviews. Xia Zheng, meanwhile, focused on Nalan Sheng’s upcoming match.

Just then, he received a message from Nalan Sheng.

“Brother… I have a bad feeling. Please come quickly to the city auction hall.” She had only time to send this before going offline again.

Xia Zheng hurriedly left the league hall, instructing Yuhua to navigate to the auction hall, arriving some twenty minutes later.

The auction hall wasn’t open to just anyone—ordinary people needed credit guarantees to enter, and Xia Zheng encountered this hurdle. He called Shentu Wanhua for assistance.

“Just show your foundation vice-chairman credentials. Your information is already uploaded with the Department of Commerce, and they can verify it immediately,” Shentu Wanhua advised.

“Thank you, Sister Wanhua,” Xia Zheng replied gratefully, about to hang up when she asked if he planned to bid on something.

“I just want to see if there’s anything suitable for me,” he replied.

“That’s fine. The auction usually doesn’t have anything too extraordinary, but you can have a look,” she said.

“I won’t buy anything expensive, just browsing,” Xia Zheng joked. Though he now had several million at his disposal, he was still a pauper compared to the bigwigs.

“You misunderstand, Azheng. If you find something you want, don’t hesitate to bid. As vice-chairman of the foundation, you have a line of credit—no need to worry,” Shentu Wanhua explained.

Xia Zheng was surprised—the foundation granted him a line of credit? “How much is my credit line?” he asked, curiosity piqued.

She smiled, replying, “One billion.”

“What… one billion?” Xia Zheng trembled. He hadn’t realized his position wielded such authority.

“This foundation was established with you as a pretext, Azheng. You’re our main beneficiary. The family head has made it clear: your vice-chairmanship is not a token post—only I outrank you. We trust you. A mere billion is nothing,” she said.

“A ‘mere’ billion…” Xia Zheng was speechless. He still did not understand the world of the wealthy.

After presenting his vice-chairman credentials, his identity was swiftly verified. The staff’s attitude changed at once; he was handed a VIP badge to wear on his chest. Inside, a hostess escorted him to the auction hall.