The moment Jiang Shaoyu landed, his expression changed subtly. While he had been in the air earlier, he had felt a barrier intercept his flight. Although that barrier was extremely gentle and had not harmed him, there was no doubt that a master had stepped in then. For the person responsible to have changed this area into a cage without him noticing, they were most certain to be a Domain-level master.
Jiang Shaoyu swept a cautious gaze around the equipment store. When his eyes landed on Ling Lan standing not too far from them, he directly looked past her, putting his focus on those people hiding in the corner. A stern-faced middle-aged man with glittering eyes caught his eye — at his level, he actually could not tell what level the other was at. Could it be him?
Right then, Jiang Shaoyu was no longer as confident and composed as before. He did not know which side this Domain master was on, so his heart began to beat erratically.
At this time, he suddenly saw that middle-aged man turn his gaze to the white-clothed youth standing not far from them, and his lips moved as if he was saying something to the other. Jiang Shaoyu’s heart clenched in fright. He could almost confirm from this that the middle-aged man should be on the other’s side. If he really hurt the beautiful youth before him by accident, he could imagine that things would not end well for him.
Having secured his position as number one in the Second Men’s Military Academy, Jiang Shaoyu was not a simple-minded person. He came to a quick resolution. When he saw his opponent prepare to attack, he immediately blocked with his hand and shouted, “I admit defeat.”
Unfortunately, his opponent was Luo Lang under the control of the Transcendent Cold personality. This Luo Lang was not someone who would make any half-hearted efforts. Since he had already clashed with the opponent, how could he rest without determining who was the winner once and for all?
Jiang Shaoyu saw that the other’s footsteps did not even pause at his words and his heart sank. He felt that he had truly been too impulsive this time. Before obtaining a full picture of the First Men’s Military Academy, he had recklessly challenged them upfront. Sure enough, lust truly clouded the mind … for the first time, Jiang Shaoyu felt remorseful — he had truly brought a knife down upon his head due to his desires.
Resigned, Jiang Shaoyu once again traded a move with Luo Lang. This time, as he had been forced to react hastily, he was sent reeling back a few more steps than Luo Lang; he only stopped when he bumped into the boundary Ling Lan had set.
Ling Lan, who had been observing the fight coolly all this while, suddenly raised her eyebrows, and her gaze carried some deeper contemplation when she looked at Jiang Shaoyu. Just now, her Domain had been attacked, but unfortunately, the strength of the attacker was too weak in comparison to her own and had been unable to break her Domain.
Apparently, Jiang Shaoyu had only looked like he had been forced back so many steps by Luo Lang’s Qi-Jin. In reality, he did not have to retreat that far. Luo Lang’s activation of the Transcendent Cold personality may have made up the difference between their realms, but with regards to reserves of internal energy, Luo Lang was still weaker; thus, even though Jiang Shaoyu had lost the initiative, Luo Lang still would not have been able to suppress Jiang Shaoyu to this extent.
Jiang Shaoyu’s performance was completely so he could use Luo Lang’s attack as cover to try and escape from the Domain. When he had been about to bump into the barrier, long prepared, he had circulated his Qi-Jin and slammed it into the barrier. Unfortunately, the barrier was much more solid than he had expected — his Qi-Jin attack had not even caused a ripple in the barrier. His Qi-Jin had been absorbed completely in an instant and he had been blocked, still within the barrier.
By now, Jiang Shaoyu knew that even if he took the initiative to admit defeat, neither Luo Lang before him nor the Domain master helping Luo Lang from the shadows would let him go. Terrified, a savage gleam entered Jiang Shaoyu’s eyes. Since the opponent was unwilling to let him go, then he would exact some price from them at all costs.
In renewed ruthlessness, Jiang Shaoyu no longer drew back. He unleashed his full force of presence, putting his all into the battle with Luo Lang.
As expected, at full power, Jiang Shaoyu immediately recaptured the flow of the fight, overpowering Luo Lang. However, as time went by, the situation seemed to be slowly tilting back towards Luo Lang. For the Transcendent Cold personality, the weaker his position, the harder he fought back — meanwhile, unable to take down his opponent after so long, Jiang Shaoyu was finally starting to show signs of impatience …
There was a loud ‘bang’! The two boys clashed once more, but this time, the two boys did not separate instantly like the previous few times. They remained with their hands touching, standing motionless.
However, those with keen eyes could see clearly that, this time, Luo Lang had not used a fist but a palm. His left palm was clasping Jiang Shaoyu’s fist, and this was one of the reasons why the two of them had not sprung apart like before.
A trickle of blood suddenly flowed down from the corner of the immobile Luo Lang’s lips. In order to hold the other in place, Luo Lang had received the full brunt of the opponent’s Qi-Jin and so had inevitably incurred some internal damage.
Jiang Shaoyu’s face changed abruptly as the injured Luo Lang did not seem to feel the pain of his body — his palm holding Jiang Shaoyu’s fist captive was still strong and steady. Luo Lang’s suddenly raised his long prepared right hand, and a fierce fist was sent hurtling towards Jiang Shaoyu’s face. Jiang Shaoyu seemed to catch the sound of the fist cutting through the air. He knew that if he was hit by this punch, he would definitely be struck unconscious.
Jiang Shaoyu was caught by Luo Lang so he could not dodge. He could only fight back with force — his left hand clenched into a fist and he threw it out decisively.
Fist met fist and the forces behind them grappled with each other for several seconds. Having had time to prepare, Luo Lang had used his full strength in his punch, while Jiang Shaoyu had countered hastily and so could only manage to use 70% of his power in his own punch …
The outcome had been decided the moment Luo Lang decided to receive some damage to engineer this scenario. The two fighters were suddenly thrown apart, flying backwards. There was more blood trickling down from Luo Lang’s lips now, but Jiang Shaoyu could not control the roiling copper scent in his chest — he spewed a mouthful of blood in mid-air before crashing heavily onto the ground to slide several metres, only stopping when he reached the barrier.
Luo Lang’s condition was not much better than Jiang Shaoyu’s. After landing, he staggered back several steps and then, no longer able to stay upright, he collapsed to sit heavily on the floor.
Seeing this, Ling Lan knew the outcome had been decided, so she dismissed her Domain. Jiang Shaoyu, who had been half leaning against the barrier, suddenly felt the barrier disappear from his back. His body fell backwards beyond his control, and he quickly put his hands out to prop himself up, narrowly avoiding smashing into the ground again.
Luo Lang wiped away the traces of blood from his lips as he struggled to his feet. Then, he slowly walked over to stand before Jiang Shaoyu and said coldly, “Remember, I’m called Luo Lang. Don’t even think about touching my little sister. If there’s a next time, I’ll kill you.”
When Luo Lang said this, his eyes were all too calm and still, an extreme form of indifference within them. This gaze chilled Jiang Shaoyu’s heart — he clenched his fists tightly as he stared steadily at Luo Lang without saying a word. As the number one of the Second Men’s Military Academy, he had his pride. He would not permit himself to yield.
Luo Lang did not care about Jiang Shaoyu’s attitude; he had merely said what he did to convey his determination. As for whether the other was willing to listen, that was not part of his considerations. And so, as soon as Luo Lang’s words faded, his expression had begun to change. His eyes, which had been emotionless and as calm as water, suddenly became lively again, and the cold air surrounding his body disappeared instantly. He had become his usual self again.
Luo Lang slowly made his way back to Ling Lan’s side. Ling Lan greeted him with a raised brow and asked lightly, “Satisfied?”