Lin Yuan finished collecting his loot when he heard a flurry of hurried footsteps behind him.
It wasn't a monster; it was people—three of them.
He didn't turn around. Standing where he was, he looked at the map on his phone, considering which area to head to next to grind for points.
The footsteps stopped about seven or eight meters behind him.
“Are you Lin Yuan?” a voice asked, deep and deliberately lowered.
Lin Yuan didn't bother responding and prepared to leave.
Over the past two days, too many people had come to ask him that same question.
They would ask, take a look at him, and then walk away. Lin Yuan felt it was a serious waste of his grinding time.
Suddenly, a sharp blade energy slashed toward Lin Yuan’s back.
It wasn't a feint but a genuine strike. The blade energy from the A-rank spirit blade Iron-Cutter let out a piercing whistle as it tore through the air.
Lin Yuan tilted his body. The blade energy grazed his right shoulder and struck a pine tree in front of him that was as thick as a bowl.
The pine tree was sliced clean through the middle, the cut as smooth as a mirror.
Lin Yuan turned around, his expression changing.
It wasn't anger; it was coldness.
“What’s the meaning of this? You looking to die?”
Seeing this, Han Feng smiled and slowly sheathed his blade.
He was the one who had just unleashed that strike, using the projected blade energy of Iron-Cutter.
He didn't intend to sneak attack—at least, that was what he told himself.
He just wanted to test the reaction speed of this F-rank lightning user.
The test was over. The guy was indeed fast, but speed didn't equate to strength.
“I want to challenge you,” Han Feng said, enunciating every word as his right hand gripped the hilt of his sword.
“An F-rank piece of trash... I don't know if you're relying on that Tier 2 weapon or some underhanded trick to get first place. I’m not convinced.”
Lin Yuan glanced at him. Just once.
That look wasn't one of contempt or anger; it was boredom.
Then, as if he had just come up with a wicked idea, the corners of Lin Yuan's mouth curled upward.
“Heh heh heh.”
He stabbed Purple Lightning into the ground and shoved his hands into his pockets. “You can challenge me.”
Han Feng’s eyes lit up at those words.
“One lightning-attribute combat technique, Tier 4 or higher. Otherwise—get lost.”
Han Feng’s expression froze. A Tier 4 lightning technique?
Such a thing would cost at least several million on the market, and even then, they were rarely available. Lightning-attribute users were rare to begin with, making their combat techniques a scarce resource.
A Tier 4 lightning technique for a single challenge?
The tall, thin boy behind him couldn't help but speak up. “Are you insane? A Tier 4 technique for one challenge? Why don't you just go—”
“I didn't ask you to challenge me,” Lin Yuan interrupted, his tone as lazy as ever.
“You’re the ones who came looking for me. Fight if you want, or beat it if you don't. I’m busy. I have several Tier 2 monsters waiting for me to kill them every minute.”
The tall, thin boy was choked for words, his face flushing red. Han Feng remained silent for a long while.
He thought about the balance in his bank account, the Han family’s status in Hangzhou, and the few lightning techniques gathering dust in his family’s technique library.
Since there were few lightning users, those techniques were just sitting there anyway.
More importantly, he didn't believe he would lose.
So what if he used a technique as a wager?
If he won, he would step over the Lin Yuan who had defeated nine people and take the top spot on the leaderboard.
If he lost... he hadn't even considered losing.
“Deal,” he squeezed the word through his teeth.
“I have a Tier 4 lightning technique at home. If I lose, it’s yours. If I win...”
Lin Yuan finished for him. “I know the rules. If you win, you take thirty percent of my credits.”
The commotion had already attracted nearby examinees.
One, two, five, ten... soon, a dozen or more.
The crowd formed a circle around the clearing. Someone recognized Lin Yuan.
“Holy crap, it’s the guy from yesterday who took down nine people!”
Someone else recognized Han Feng and said, “Han Feng from Hangzhou No. 1 High School? What’s he doing here?”
People pulled out their phones. Even if the signal was bad, they had to record; even if the quality was terrible, they had to record. They even had the titles ready.
“The Battle for Hangzhou's Strongest Examinee! Han Feng vs. Lin Yuan!”
In the crowd, two figures squeezed to the front.
Xiaxia crossed her arms, her face wearing an expression of someone who loved watching drama.
Bai Li stood beside her, her gaze fixed on Lin Yuan. Her lips were pursed, and a faint crease appeared between her brows—she was worried.
“Tsk,” Xiaxia glanced at the center of the clearing.
“I’ve seen this Han Feng guy before. No. 1 High School hypes him up like he’s something special. A-rank weapon system, six rounds of bone tempering, Tier 1, Level 5. He’s definitely a figure in Hangzhou.”
“Han Feng isn't like other Tier 1, Level 5s. A Tier 1, Level 5 with an A-rank ability is much stronger than a C-rank or even a B-rank.”
She turned to Bai Li and asked teasingly, “Does that senior of yours really not need help? If you beg me, I’ll help him deal with Han Feng.”
Bai Li didn't speak; she just shook her head.
It wasn't that she didn't want to help, but she knew Lin Yuan didn't need it.
She still remembered the first time she met Lin Yuan in their freshman year. The sight of his back as he walked over alone to protect her—that person never needed anyone’s help.
Lin Yuan’s gaze swept through the crowd, pausing for a moment on Bai Li’s face before moving on.
He looked at Han Feng, then at the man and woman behind him.
“Don't waste time.” He pointed at Han Feng, then at the tall, thin boy and the short-haired girl.
“The three of you, come at me together. I’m in a hurry.”
The entire area fell silent for three full seconds before exploding.
“Holy shit, what did he just say?”
“One against three? The opponents are three Tier 1, Level 5s!”
“Is this guy crazy? Yesterday he fought nine because they were all scrubs, but this is Han Feng!”
“Record this! Record this! Quick, quick, quick!”
Lin Yuan began to explain, “My realm is higher than yours, so I’m not bullying you by taking on three at once.”
“Even if you lose, the three of you only need to provide one Tier 4 or higher lightning technique together. Just one, not three. I’m a very fair person.”
The two behind Han Feng exchanged a look.
The tall, thin boy was named Sun Lei, a B-rank earth ability user, Tier 1, Level 5. He was the number one defense specialist at Hangzhou No. 1 High School.
His earth shield had withstood a frontal collision from a Tier 2 monster in simulated combat, and teachers had praised it as the “hardest shield to break among those of the same rank.”
The short-haired girl was named Fang Qing, an A-rank plant system user, Tier 1, Level 5. Her vines could both control and attack, making her the recognized strongest support at Hangzhou No. 1 High School.
One front-line tank, one crowd control, and one main attacker.
This team composition of Han Feng’s could rank in the top three among all three thousand examinees in Hangzhou.
Han Feng stared at Lin Yuan for two seconds before a loud voice rang out: “Deal.”
He raised his hand in a signal, and Sun Lei and Fang Qing immediately moved into combat positions.
Sun Lei stepped forward, his earth ability fully activated as a half-human-tall, earthy-yellow shield materialized in front of him.
It wasn't an ordinary earth shield, but the Sun family’s inherited defensive technique, the Rock-patterned Shield. No attack below Tier 2 could hope to pierce it.
Fang Qing stood beside Han Feng and waved her hands, dark green plant-type source energy surging in her palms.
The ground beneath Lin Yuan’s feet split open silently as four dark green vines, as thick as wrists, burst from the soil, coiling toward his feet and hands respectively.
Han Feng drew his blade.
He kicked off the ground, cutting in from the side.
Vines for control, the earth shield for pressure, and Han Feng as the primary attacker.
Rate on N.U.
