Su Wan's body swayed slightly as she took two steps back.
She lowered her eyes, her mind already calculating.
She had known for a long time that Zhou Yuanqi was at the Level 4 Early Stage.
Thus, she had not revealed her full strength, choosing instead to suppress her aura to the Level 4 Early Stage as well.
Only by doing so would Zhou Yuanqi let his guard down instead of choosing to communicate cautiously.
She needed Zhou Yuanqi to make a move, and she needed him to show his full strength.
She wanted to test exactly how strong a Level 4 Ability User from Blue Star really was.
After actually clashing with him, she finally confirmed that the strength of a Level 4 Early Stage on Blue Star was a cut below those of the same rank in the Apocalyptic Plane.
Despite being at the same rank, the Ability Users in the Apocalyptic Plane possessed more condensed energy and far richer combat experience due to spending their lives in extreme environments.
While Zhou Yuanqi's energy was vast, it felt somewhat "hollow," as if it had been piled up through resources. It lacked the raw, ruthless edge honed only through genuine life-or-death struggles.
Without the enhancement of artifacts, he wouldn't stand a chance against other Level 4 Early Stage users in the Apocalyptic Plane.
“Hand it over!” Zhou Yuanqi growled, lunging forward once more.
This time, he held nothing back, unleashing one hundred percent of his power!
His palms flew in a blur, each strike carrying a pale blue glow of energy that enveloped Su Wan in a flurry of palm shadows!
Su Wan dodged left and right, defending without attacking, wanting to suss out Zhou Yuanqi's trump cards.
Seeing her only evade without retaliating, Zhou Yuanqi assumed she lacked the strength. His confidence surged, and his offensive grew increasingly fierce.
The moment Su Wan dodged another of his palm strikes, an object suddenly slid from Zhou Yuanqi's left sleeve.
It was a palm-sized bronze mirror, its surface smooth as water, with intricate runes carved along its edges.
“Bind!”
Zhou Yuanqi barked. He aimed the bronze mirror at Su Wan, and a beam of golden light shot from its surface at an astonishing speed!
Su Wan's pupils contracted slightly.
The moment the light shone upon her, she felt as though her body had been bound by something.
It was a form of suppression on an energetic level, as if the surrounding air had solidified, pinning her to the spot.
It was a binding artifact!
Su Wan understood instantly.
The Yuansou organization was indeed incredibly wealthy; the treasures in its members' hands were each better than the last.
“Miss Su, I advise you to be sensible!”
“Hand it over, lest you suffer physical pain!”
The corners of Zhou Yuanqi's mouth curled into a smug smirk. A sphere of pale blue energy condensed in his hand as he thrust his palm toward Su Wan's chest!
Just as his palm was about to make contact with Su Wan's body—
Su Wan moved!
With a slight lift of her hand, an invisible wave of mental power surged from her fingertips like a sharp blade, slicing precisely onto the surface of the bronze mirror!
Crack!
A minuscule cracking sound rang out.
The light on the surface of the bronze mirror dimmed instantly, and a fine web of cracks appeared across its face.
Zhou Yuanqi's expression changed dramatically.
This bronze mirror was a binding artifact he had spent a vast amount of Contribution Points to exchange for within Yuansou. It had been with him for years and had never failed!
But now...
Su Wan's body was free once more.
She looked up at Zhou Yuanqi, her gaze tranquil.
“Whatever other tricks you have, use them now.”
Zhou Yuanqi gritted his teeth.
He refused to believe it!
How could Su Wan, an Ability User who had only just broken through to Level 4, shatter his binding artifact so easily?
He withdrew the bronze mirror into his sleeve, reached into his jacket, and pulled out another item.
It was a dark red bracelet, with each bead the size of a thumb, a faint light flowing across their surfaces.
Zhou Yuanqi tossed the bracelet into the air. It unraveled instantly, and the twelve beads hovered in midair, forming a circle that enclosed Su Wan within!
“Trap!”
The twelve beads lit up simultaneously, shooting dark red beams from all directions toward Su Wan, weaving into an airtight net of light in midair!
The net of light slowly contracted, descending over Su Wan!
Su Wan looked up at the net of light.
This was a composite artifact combining both restraint and attack, significantly more advanced than the bronze mirror from before.
The net contracted at an extreme speed, reaching the top of Su Wan's head in the blink of an eye.
Su Wan raised her hand, splayed her fingers, and lightly clenched her fist toward the net of light.
Her invisible mental power acted like a giant hand, grasping the net of light tightly in her palm.
“Collapse.”
Su Wan murmured.
The net of light shuddered violently before being forcibly compressed by some unseen force. From a massive net covering several yards, it shrank into a fist-sized sphere of light.
The twelve beads shattered with a series of sharp cracking sounds. Their light faded rapidly as they fell to the ground one by one, rolling a few times before falling completely still.
Zhou Yuanqi's face drained of all color.
This bracelet was one of the strongest artifacts in his possession, costing him five years' worth of Contribution Points within Yuansou!
Each of the twelve beads contained the energy of a Level 3 Peak. Linked together, they were powerful enough to trap a Level 4 Mid Stage Ability User!
Yet before Su Wan, they hadn't even lasted three seconds!
“You—”
Zhou Yuanqi's throat bobbed, and a look of genuine terror finally surfaced in the depths of his eyes.
“You're not at the Level 4 Early Stage...”
Su Wan did not answer. Instead, she took a step toward him.
Zhou Yuanqi took a step back, his heart sinking heavily.
He was at the Level 4 Early Stage and had the backing of powerful artifacts, yet before this woman, he didn't even have the room to strike back.
Reflecting on Su Wan's composure, Zhou Yuanqi came to a realization.
Su Wan must have known she was exposed. She knew he would come, and she might have even known about the existence of that tracking artifact. She knew it would project her image to him, and she knew he had already seen her face.
She...
She had used herself as bait to fish him out!
This realization sent a cold sweat breaking out across Zhou Yuanqi's back.
He instinctively mobilized his mental power to probe Su Wan once more—
And then, he froze.
Level 4 Mid Stage...
This outrageously young-looking woman was actually at the Level 4 Mid Stage!
She was a whole minor realm higher than him!
Though it was merely a single minor realm's difference, at this level, such a gap was more than enough to decide life and death!
She had been playing weak to prey on the strong all along!
Zhou Yuanqi's fingers tightened slightly, his throat bobbing.
How was this possible?
Just a few months ago, she was nothing more than a defenseless young socialite.
After the Su family went bankrupt, she didn't even have a decent place to live. She was rejected everywhere she applied for a job, owed money to loan sharks, and was essentially at a dead end.
Afterward, she had barely scraped by by pawning her jewelry and relying on charity from the Liu family!
He had reviewed her files in Yuansou's archives; her background was clean and simple, with absolutely nothing of note.
Yet such a person had transformed from an ordinary human into a Level 4 Mid Stage Ability User in just a few short months!
Why on earth was this?
Just what had she gone through?
Rate on N.U.
