Chapter 57 - Chapter 57: you protect me, I protect you

📍 Sky Stadium – Combat Ring 3, Ground-Level

Fan Yumei's eyes narrowed as she fixed her stance on the cracked stone arena floor. The air hummed faintly with residual qi, heavy with anticipation.

Across the ring, Kelan Shu's stormscale drake—a sinuous, armored beast coated in shimmering blue-black scales—arched its neck, emitting a low, threatening growl. Kelan's fingers traced an intricate rune in the air: a Tempest Coil Snap waiting to unfurl.

Fan Yumei raised her hand and gave a sharp, triple whistle.

Instantly, Lufei stepped forward with feline grace, antlers aglow faintly with crystal light. She moved like liquid shadow, silent and swift, deploying her Antler Mark Glyph-Trail to map Kelan's movements, sending faint emerald ribbons arcing through the air behind her.

Maxius launched upward in a wide arc, feathers glittering gold, wings tucked tight as he folded into a Skybreak Dive Compression. His spectral right wing flickered briefly, allowing an unpredictable zigzag descent aimed at Kelan's flank.

Kelan's drake twisted sharply, responding with a furious Stormscale Bind Snare, sending whip-like chains of crackling frost qi to entangle Maxius mid-dive.

But Maxius flicked his visible wing, activating Spectral Wing Phase-Shift — the spectral wing flickered out of sync, and the frost chains snapped against thin air.

Maxius landed behind Kelan's beast, screeching a compressed Wind Cutter Screech that blasted the drake's side, forcing it to rear back.

Fan Yumei moved smoothly through the opening, her hands weaving a sequence of runes charged with thunder qi.

Fan Yumei: "Lufei, pulse barrier."

Lufei's crystal antlers blazed briefly as she released Nature Pulse Barrier, a shock-absorbing wave of verdant energy radiating outward. It slowed and dulled Kelan's next aggressive elemental strike—a jagged bolt of electric storm qi.

Kelan snarled and pivoted, his drake unleashing a flurry of Spinal Tempest Bursts, razor-sharp pulses aimed directly at Fan Yumei's defenses.

Maxius intercepted, wings beating hard as he deflected multiple bursts with precise wingtip strikes, while Lufei shifted to Fan's rear, her Quiet-Step Matrix cloaking their combined movement as they executed a rapid triple pivot.

Fan Yumei responded with a sharp whistle—four short bursts this time.

Fan Yumei: "Attack. Now."

Lufei charged with a dazzling burst of speed, her hooves striking the ground like lightning taps, leaving glowing emerald afterimages. She aimed a precise Bioluminescent Glimmerburst—a sudden stun flash—at Kelan's drake, momentarily blinding it.

Simultaneously, Maxius swept in from the right flank, wings fully extended in a Split Wind Clone projection—two translucent phantoms flanking Kelan's beast, baiting its attention.

Kelan's drake snarled, eyes flickering with fury and tactical focus. He cast a quick Frost Coil Snap to shatter the clone's illusion, but Maxius had already vaulted away, repositioning for another strike.

Fan Yumei seized the opening, calling upon her internal qi to manifest a crackling Thunderclap Surge—a sharp shockwave that reverberated from her fists.

The drake staggered under the combined assault, but Kelan twisted in a sudden countermove, channeling a rapid Tempest Spike Barrage—a volley of ice-tipped qi daggers.

Lufei sprang forward, raising her antlers, and unleashed a Crystalline Shard Matrix, a fractal lattice of sparkling runes that caught and absorbed several spikes but was overwhelmed under pressure.

Maxius screeched sharply, wing feathers shimmering with electricity, diving in to strike the drake's exposed side with Skybreak Dive Compression.

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The crowd roared in the stadium and the live stream exploded with excited comments:

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"Fan Yumei and her beasts are absolutely insane—look at that coordination!"

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"Kelan Shu's drake isn't giving up an inch. This is high-level combat."

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"Maxius is a literal show-off but I love it."

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"Uncle Hanji just called out a hater in the chat—someone said Fan was 'lucky,' Hanji responded: 'Luck is earned, not given.'"

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[System message: User 'IronCladHanji' has been banned for aggressive language]

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"Haha, whoever this Hanji is he really went full uncle mode there."

———

Back in the arena, the fight raged on.

Fan Yumei wiped a bead of sweat from her brow but didn't falter. Her eyes locked on Kelan, reading his patterns, waiting.

Lufei backed off slightly, signaling a short cooldown for her Pulse Barrier.

Maxius called out in his eagle's screech, a sharp signal to Fan Yumei that a flank was open.

Fan Yumei nodded and launched into a sudden burst of hand seals, summoning her Sky Cloud Domain—a tempestuous storm field that amplified her speed and blurred her figure.

The battle became a fluid dance of strikes, counters, feints, and tactical repositioning—each side forcing the other to adapt mid-fight. Neither had gained the upper hand for long.

The storm field churned around Fan Yumei like a living thing. Her breaths came steady, but inside her chest, a knot of tension tightened. This was more than a battle for points—it was a test of everything she'd fought to build.

Kelan Shu's eyes burned with a quiet fire—no arrogance, no showmanship. Just raw, focused determination.

Fan Yumei: "Let's see whose will bends first."

Kelan nodded, almost a salute. His beast launched.

Their beasts collided.

Maxius screeched as the drake slammed into him. Maxius dodged and countered with another Skybreak Dive Compression, barely missing. Lufei slid between them, releasing Nature Pulse Barrier just in time.

Fan Yumei charged, fists blazing with Thunderclap Surge.

She and Kelan clashed—armor scraping, qi sparking.

Then—

Inside her mind, she faced it:

She didn't know what this world held for her. In her last life, she'd been an orphan—alone, unseen. Now she had a family. A home. And this second chance?

It wasn't for repeating the past.

It was to thrive.

She had to grow strong, fast, smart. Not just for herself. But for her mother, her beasts, and the soul of the girl whose body she now inhabited.

Kelan's expression flickered. This wasn't glory.

This was survival.

They exchanged blows—Thunder Qi Lance met Tempest Coil Snap.

Maxius darted in again. Lufei's Glimmerburst flashed—an opening.

Strike.

Maxius scored the hit—burned the drake's flank.

But the beast didn't falter. A final Nova Pulse surged.

Toward Maxius.

Fan Yumei moved.

Took the blast.

Nano-armor flared. She slammed into the rail.

Still kneeling.

Still raised her hand:🖐️

Federation Yield – Medical Priority.

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🎙️ "ROUND ONE ENDED — MATCH HALT REQUESTED."

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Lufei froze.

Mystic flickered. Not rage.

Fear.

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📱 LIVE COMMENT FEED

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Uncle Hanji: "WHO LET THAT LIZARD IN?!"

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🚫 [FanHanjiOriginal banned for abusive language]

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"NotFanHanjiDefinitely": "She dropped a dragon. I raised her on walnut buns. Respect."

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Commander Qian Shiyan: "Technique recognition: highest command precision on record. This match was data, not a loss."

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Student Chat: "She tanked it. Maxius lived. She's future elite."

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📊 MATCH SCORE – ROUND ONE: FAN YUMEI vs. KELAN SHU

• Combat Synergy: 9/10

• Command Execution: 5/5

• Tactical Adaptation: 14/15

• Qi Bond Resonance: 10/10

► Total: 38/40

Kelan Shu:

• Combat Synergy: 10/10

• Command Execution: 5/5

• Tactical Adaptation: 15/15

• Qi Bond Resonance: 9/10

► Total: 39/40

🎙️ "Victory by score and final impact: Kelan Shu."

📍 Location: Village Theater – Federation Stream Hall – Outer Regions

No cheers. Just a hush. Everyone watching.

Fan, still kneeling, whispered:

"He protected me. I protect him."

Ka Sanni's eyes shimmered. Yangwei leaned in:

The old theater was full to bursting. Farmers still in work boots, shop vendors in aprons, a few tired beast herders with straw in their hair—all packed shoulder to shoulder in the glow of a massive projection screen. On it, Fan Yumei live battle. Her yielding to save her beast.

Near the front, Ka Sanni sat with her arms locked across her chest, lips pressed tight. Her hand was clamped in her husband's—Yangwei—until she suddenly pinched it. Hard.

Yangwei: "OW—woman! What in the moons—my hand?!"

He yanked it back instinctively and shot her a look, but then glanced at her face.

And stopped.

She wasn't angry. She was worried .

Her eyes were locked on the screen, the light catching in the shine of unshed tears, jaw clenched with silent fear.

Yangwei's expression softened. He reached over, rubbing her head the way he always did when she wouldn't speak.

Then he slid an arm around her shoulders and pulled her gently against his chest.

Yangwei: "…You don't have to be afraid."

Ka Sanni (quiet, tense): "Do you know what it means to have my bloodline? My family's inheritance? Do you know what this means for her life?"

Yangwei stayed silent, listening.

Ka Sanni: "Do you know what it meant for me? Why it was so hard for us to get married? Why I had to run—why I had to escape that world, that life? Especially after the war… and we were still pregnant with her."

He held her tighter.

Fan Yangwei He continued: "I know I carried you away our daughter can't be hidden—even if the stars or heaven themselves tried. She's not meant to stay small. She's not meant to stay here."

Ka Sanni: "But she's never grown up with them. They know about her."

She looked down, voice shaky now.

Ka Sanni: "She doesn't know about them. And I… I felt it, after her soul beast hatched. That aura. That gift. It's my family's. The old blood. She inherited it."

She stared at her lap.

Ka Sanni: "I wasn't so lucky. I awakened the Beast Healer profession, sure—but no ancestral gift. Not like her."

Yangwei: (gently) "Your family never abandoned you, my love. You banished yourself. Because you thought, after your soul beast died in that war… that you weren't worthy anymore."

She flinched but didn't argue.

Yangwei: "Your father still writes me. Checks in. Sends resources. I always send them back. Just tell him you're fine. That your daughter is growing up strong."

Ka Sanni: (whispers) "I didn't want the military life for her. I didn't want her to feel that kind of loss. To lose her beast. It's something no one can understand… not really."

Her voice cracked—haunted, heavy with grief.

Yangwei: (quietly) "She might face it. But she might also survive. Win. Lead. Heal. And maybe—maybe she'll help you heal too."

The screen flashed brighter—Fan Yumei raising one hand at the end of the battle calling the medics.

She wasn't panicking .

She was focused. Fierce.

A force of nature in storm-lit armor.

Ka Sanni said nothing. But she sat straighter. Watched longer.

And slowly… she nodded.

Mystic curled around Maxius.

Ka Sanni (soft): "She's going to tear the sky open."

Yangwei (grinning): "Then we'd better get a stronger roof."

📍 Transition – Tier IV Corridor, Match Recovery Zone

Fan Yumei sat quietly, one hand on Maxius, the other over Lufei. Breathing. Still.

Jin Minhe stepped in. Dropped his med pack beside her.

Jin Minhe (dry): "I stress-ate every snack in my second backup stash. You owe me dinner. Minimum three courses."

Fan Yumei: "I'll add dessert."

Zhou Qian, Kai Shi, and Min Zhao arrived behind him. Silent. Steady.

No words needed.

They moved as one.

And the next round?

It was coming fast.