He had boasted earlier about finding an academy genius, but looking at it now, who was the real genius?!
This Bai Feifei was even younger than Li Yan!
Wu Jinyi pressed a hand against Li Yan's chest, feeling the boy’s rapid heartbeat and confirming he wasn't in any life-threatening danger.
But in the shadows where no one could see, his expression was so dark it looked like it might drip ink.
His reputation was completely in tatters. For a moment, he couldn't even bring himself to lift his head, unsure of what expression to make when facing Wan Qianhong.
He was the one who had proposed the duel, and now it had ended like this... Were the people from the East District all laughing at him right now?
Eyes filled with venomous resentment and fueled by the shame of his defeat, he suddenly glared at “Bai Feifei” and snapped:
“It was supposed to be a simple duel, yet you were so vicious toward an Inner City student...”
Before he could finish his accusation, Xu Mo waved a hand and interrupted him with extreme impatience.
“Tsk, tsk, stop with that whining. You sound like a damn woman.”
“I clearly held back. What, you want me to give his neck a taste of the blade instead?”
Wu Jinyi was momentarily speechless. “You!...”
Xu Mo didn't bother with him. The only reason he hadn't killed Li Yan was to avoid the resulting headache; Wu Jinyi’s impotent rage was the most he'd have to deal with.
By contrast, something else was much more interesting.
Xu Mo turned his head toward a patch of empty ground. There was nothing there, but he could see fine sand and gravel on the ground swirling like a vortex toward the center.
More importantly, in Xu Mo’s game-like vision, a level indicator had appeared over that empty space.
——Level 61!
“Oh, the king of the spectators is here~” Xu Mo said, raising an eyebrow.
By then, Wan Qianhong had walked up to his side, asking in confusion, “What did you say?”
“Nothing. Just a spectator who probably can't sit still anymore.”
A few seconds later, everyone present began to realize something was wrong.
A wind had picked up out of nowhere, kicking up dust and sand, and all of it was converging toward the empty spot Xu Mo was watching.
Wan Qianhong's expression shifted. She stepped forward, positioning herself in front of Bai Feifei, and whispered:
“Coming and going without a trace, vanishing without a shadow... That’s an... Edgerunner!”
Her voice turned solemn, and she shot “Bai Feifei” a look, signaling her to restrain her attitude.
An Edgerunner represented the realm beyond a Rank 5 Scavenger—a leap in power.
In terms of game levels, that was Level 60 and above.
A necessary condition to reach this level was mastering an Escape Art.
Once an Escape Art was mastered, ordinary physical attacks could almost never claim an Edgerunner’s life.
From then on, these experts could dance on the razor's edge of life and death, which is why they were called “Edgerunners.”
The dust coalesced into a human shape, and as the wind slowly dissipated, the figure of an old man emerged on the previously empty ground.
He wasn't wearing a Scavenger uniform; instead, he was draped in a voluminous hemp robe.
The robe only looked voluminous because the old man was so gaunt. The skin exposed outside the robe was so thin it was indistinguishable from a bag of bones. With his deep-set eye sockets, he looked like a living skeleton.
Looking at the old man, Wan Qianhong’s hands tightened.
She knew that the most critical test of the night would be this Edgerunner.
Beside her, Xu Mo was also feeling a bit shocked, because—he didn't recognize this Edgerunner!
He was an Old-Timer; he had witnessed the fall of Dawn City countless times.
He usually had some impression of anyone who was anyone in this city, but he had absolutely no memory of this old man!
If even he didn't recognize the guy, then he was likely just another random nobody from the roadside with no real reputation.
“Lord Li! You’ve finally arrived!”
Wu Jinyi was overjoyed to see the newcomer.
Finally! Someone who could back him up had arrived.
He rushed forward, immediately wanting to lodge a complaint: “Lord Li, here...”
Slap!!
Before he could finish, a thunderous slap interrupted him, nearly sending Wu Jinyi flying.
The sound of the slap was jarringly loud in the night air, causing the surrounding crowd to fall into a silence so profound you could hear a pin drop.
Even Li Yan, lying on the ground clutching his crotch, didn't dare make another sound.
Wu Jinyi was completely dazed by the blow, but he didn't dare show any resentment. He stood straight where he was, a blood-red handprint blooming on his face.
“I told you to take the Inner City students out to see the world.”
“And you let someone get injured like this?”
The skeletal old man spoke with a raspy voice that sounded like wind blowing through a desert.
Wu Jinyi lowered his head, blood at the corner of his mouth, not daring to speak.
In the distance, Xu Mo curled his lip, thinking it was boring—just a classic trope.
By striking his own subordinate, the old man was actually intimidating everyone else present, putting psychological pressure on them.
You think you can pressure me? What level of Old-Timer do you think I am!
The old man stopped looking at Wu Jinyi and slowly turned his head toward Xu Mo and Wan Qianhong.
“I am Li Gui. I arrived a few minutes late and did not expect to encounter such an incident.”
“I will take responsibility for the anomaly here. Ms. Wan, take your people and leave now.”
Wan Qianhong pursed her lips. Clearly, she was also suppressed by his entrance, and she weighed her next words carefully.
Right then, the oppressive silence was broken by a rather ill-timed voice.
“What’s the deal? Are you Prophet Liu Yun? No, wait, didn't you just say you were Li Gui?”
“You're late, so let me catch you up on the plot. District Head Wan only accepts orders from the Prophet. Since the Prophet hasn't spoken, she's acting on her own authority. Understand?”
Wan Qianhong’s face changed instantly. Who else could have such an utterly arrogant tone besides “Bai Feifei”?
She wanted to stop her immediately, but Xu Mo seemed to remember something and continued with a look of realization:
“Wait, your name is Li Gui, and that kid is Li Yan...”
“Holy crap, you’re not his grandfather, are you? Beating the young only for the old to show up—it can't be that cliché, can it!”
The air seemed to freeze. Everyone looked at Bai Feifei as if she were a madwoman.
Has she lost her mind?! How does she dare speak to an Edgerunner like that!?
Whose subordinate is this?!
Li Gui stared at Bai Feifei with his sunken eyes and said hollowly, “I have no blood relation to that boy.”
As his voice fell, everyone felt their hearts sink, as if a heavy stone had been placed on their chests.
This was the outward release of an Edgerunner’s aura!
He was angry!
Rate on N.U.
