Silent Crown

Mirror! Mirror! Mirror! Mirror! Mirror! Mirror!
Inside the ring, something finally revealed its true appearance like a blossoming lotus.
Seventeen “Mirrors” hung in the air, forming a matrix. Like an active rail, it transformed, following a nonexistent track. Opening like a lotus flower in the rain, they were close to one another and wrapped around Edmund, creating a kaleidoscope of reflections. Mirror was the only rune that Ye Qingxuan could activate instantaneously. It was also his biggest accomplishment from the past ten days.
After that night, that rune that had been left over in his memory was imprinted into his brain, turning into an instinctive ability. With the help of the double snake time meter, he had finally reached the ability to use instantaneous runes. Using mercury as supportive material, he was able to create mirrors identical to the ones in a lighthouse. But this rune seemed to be useless right now.
Edmund froze in the surging heat. He could not believe that the mirrors were Ye Qingxuan’s last attempt. “You think this can stop my Dragon Breath?!” It was absurd.
“Of course not.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head. “But if you stop now, it’s not too…”
“Die!” Edmund cut him off and raised a hand, eyes fierce.
The energy building up in his ring had turned the amber a crimson red. The catastrophic Dragon Breath would spew out in the next moment.
Some in the audience had already covered their eyes, too scared to look.
But Brian finally reacted, his face changing dramatically. “Edmund, stop!”
“Too late,” Dominic laughed loudly at their misery. Brian had put up the soundproof barrier himself. It had nothing to do with anyone else.
—
Aether surged wildly inside of the snake circle. Crimson red light lit up from within the amber, the piercing redness blinded everyone in a second. The wild heat spilled in all directions. Even the transparent barrier was revealed under this heat, restraining the bright radiance within it. But despite how terrifying it was, it was only the precursor.
Edmund put everything into guiding the aether, but when he looked up, he saw Ye Qingxuan’s faint smile through a layer of fiery light. The smile was so full of pity and mockery.
Under everyone’s nervous eyes, Ye Qingxuan raised a hand and snapped his fingers. Immediately, the mirror matrix began spinning, replicating the Church’s machinery with aether. Seventeen dazzling silver reflections joined together immediately. There were no sparks as they touched each other, no rotating, creaking, or grating. The lotus-like matrix closed in soundlessly.
In an instant, the limitless red light disappeared. Replacing it was a wail that sent goosebumps up everyone’s skin.
“Ah!!”
—
The seventeen mirrors formed a seamless wall, trapping all light and heat within it. In the blink of an eye, the mirrors turned red hot from the terrifying heat. As if an oven was about to be melted to the ground, one could see melting metal and copper dancing in the flames.
The Dragon Breath had yet to be released, but the heat brewing in the light was enough to evaporate the mirrors. But those mirrors which should have been surrounding a lighthouse reflected the light, increasing it’s power by one-thousand, turning the inside into an inferno. It was the matrix designed by the church! Even in its most basic form, it could transform a sliver of light in the night sky into a lighthouse!
The mirror formation was sustained for a second before falling apart. But the light and heat had already disappeared. The Dragon Breath had lost all control. The aether that had flooded over dissipated soundlessly. All that remained was Edmund, singed black and laying on the ground.
—
—
“My eyes! My eyes!” Putting a burned hand over his face, he touched his body, but he could only feel burned skin and charred clothing. “What did you do? What did you do?!” he screamed in hysteria, blood seeping from his face. “You b*stard, what the f*ck did you do to me?!”
“I just wanted you to experience the ‘Lighthouse’.” Ye Qingxuan walked over and bent down to look at him. “How did it feel under all that light? I hope you can be like the lighthouse and be a useful member of society.”
“Ye Qingxuan!” Hearing those words, Edmund growled hoarsely, “Ye Qingxuan! I’m going to kill you!” His features twisted and his charred skin cracked open, revealing the bloody mess inside.
“Edmund, calm down!” The barrier around the snake circle shattered and Brian rushed in. Frantically, he poured medicine over Edmund’s body, keeping him alive.
“Chorale musicians! Where are the chorale musicians?” Brian searched in panic, completely forgetting that he had gotten rid of the practice ring’s chorale musicians in order to help Edmund with his plan.
“How can you be so cruel?!” He glared at Ye Qingxuan, unable to hide his panic.
“Ha.” Ye Qingxuan shrugged. “You are ‘allowed’ to injure and maim in the concertmaster challenge…Isn’t that what you said?”
“You!” Brian’s face was practically black with anger, but he could not deny Ye Qingxuan’s words. He glared at the student coldly and turned back to help Edmund’s friends pick him up and take him to the hospital, but someone stopped him.
“What’s the hurry, professor?” Charles stopped him, seeing through his attempt to muddle through. Seeing his nervous expression, Charles laughed. “That was the last round. You haven’t announced the result of the challenge yet.”
“Now’s not the time for this!” Brian’s eyes twitched, unwilling to face the result.
“Really?” Grinning, Charles patted his shoulder. “Then please go do whatever you’re busy with. When I was wandering around just now, I ran into an old man. He seems to be really dissatisfied with you.”
Brian flinched and turned around. Dominic stared emotionlessly at him from the shadows. Nothing was said, but for some reason, cold sweat beaded on Brian’s forehead. Under everyone’s anticipating eyes, his features twisted. Finally, he grit out through clenched teeth, “The winner of the tenth round is Ye Qingxuan!”
The silent crowd erupted into cheers in an instant. After witnessing such a legendary fight, no one could resist the urge to jump up in excitement.
Bai Xi yelled happily in the crowd. As she cheered, she turned around, looking for Ye Qingxuan. But all she saw was the youth’s lonely backside within the snake circle.
As if sensing her gaze, Ye Qingxuan turned around. Seeing her smile, he gave her a thumbs up, smiling tiredly.
Then, before her shocked eyes, the white-haired youth fell over, unconscious.
—
Yunlou Chaoyue watched quietly from the entrance of the underground palace. Her face was neutral, as if she had been looking at mere hallucinations and nothingness in the air.
“A bunch of uncouth things who dared to be so violent before the Princess. My apologies for ruining your experience.” Beside her, Sydney wiped away his sweat and explained quietly, “Please do not misunderstand. These embarrassments are still the minority of the academy. The true geniuses are all chivalrous gentlemen. We’ve also arranged a banquet tonight, you will…”
As if she had not heard anything, the girl focused on the center of the square, studying the unconscious youth and the frantic girl hugging him. Confusion entered her cool eyes, as if she had never seen something like that before.
In the square, Bai Xi glanced up accidentally, looking into the direction of the girl. For a moment, their eyes met through an opening in the crowd, and they saw each other clearly. Elegant and downtrodden, reserved and panicking, mature and immature. One looked like a princess, the other did not.
In the next moment, the crowd rejoined and the girl disappeared, as if swallowed by the ocean.
The princess stepped forward subconsciously, but then hesitated. She did not take another step forward.
After a long time, Yunlou Chaoyue turned around gradually, letting the girl remain lost in the sea of people.
“Maybe it’s better this way…” she murmured.
“Huh? Miss Chaoyue, what did you say?” Sydney asked.
“Nothing.” She shook her head and suddenly said softly, “I said I want to leave, so let this be a farewell, Mr. Sydney.”
“Miss Chaoyue, Miss Chaoyue!” Shocked, Sydney ran over and subconsciously grabbed the girl’s sleeve. “Where…”
The words died in his mouth when the girl turned back, looking at him silently.
There was not fury or bone-chilling disgust in those eyes—only coolness. It was as if she was high up in the sky, looking down at the mundane world, and so humanity’s ugliness was reflected in her eyes.
In the face of those eyes, Sydney let go reflexively and retreated. “No, I—I didn’t…”
The girl turned and left without another word.