Lan Ke had no idea how serious the situation had become. He maintained his posture as a powerhouse from the Nine Stars Ranking, still trying to toy with Yan Zhen using the ice spikes from his Ice Silkworm Gloves.
That is, until a sudden suction force threw off his balance. His foot slipped, and he nearly tumbled to the ground in an undignified heap.
He looked up to see the small vortex in Yan Zhen’s palm slowly fading away. In the next instant, Yan Zhen’s figure closed the distance explosively.
The counterattack had begun.
In truth, Lan Ke was no slouch in close-quarters combat, but Yan Zhen kept deploying the Qi Vortex Technique to throw him off at irregular intervals. Though it never fully locked him down, the disruptions were cleverly timed to wreck his offensive rhythm, leaving him nauseated and utterly frustrated.
It was like lifting his hand to unleash a devastating area-of-effect skill—only for a silence debuff to shut it down, tanking his gaming experience into the dirt.
With no other choice, Lan Ke activated his Ice Armor Mystic Artifact to block Yan Zhen’s strikes while racking his brain for a way to turn the tables.
He wasn’t an idiot. Once he regained his composure, he immediately created some distance between himself and Yan Zhen.
He had heard of this obscure Mystic Technique known as the Qi Vortex Technique before. Its range was extremely limited, so staying far enough away rendered it useless.
The momentum shifted once more. Lan Ke kept retreating while peppering Yan Zhen with ranged attacks, making it impossible for his opponent to close the gap.
Xiao Mie, Yu Yue, and the other mentors launched into another round of analysis and commentary.
They first praised Yan Zhen’s ingenious tactics before pivoting with a sympathetic “What a shame.” They all agreed the ultimate winner would still be Lan Ke and that Yan Zhen had already performed admirably to push things this far.
Yan Zhen took the pounding patiently while they droned on. For his part, Lan Ke let out a cold chuckle.
“For a Six-Star Mystic Practitioner to force me into a corner like this, you can hold your head high. But a six-star is still just a six-star. If you truly want to beat me, go train some more… Now, allow me to finish you with my ultimate strike!”
A spiraling ice spike rapidly took shape, locking onto Yan Zhen as it began spinning at blinding speed.
The corner of Yan Zhen’s mouth curved upward. The moment had finally arrived. He kicked off the ground and shot forward.
His brow lit up, invisible flames danced, and a pulse of spiritual power slammed into Lan Ke like a hammer!
Qi Vortex Technique at full throttle—sucking and pulling!
Eight Extremes Explosion’s Three Heavy Strikes—detonating!
Lan Ke froze for a split second. Before he could unleash his own skill, he was yanked forward like a ragdoll, straight into the path of Yan Zhen’s fist.
A punch at full power!
Bang!
A muffled thud echoed through the arena. The once-invincible Lan Ke—man and armor alike—went down.
Silence blanketed the entire venue. All eyes locked onto the young man onstage, mystic power roiling around him as he held his punching stance, the scene frozen like a snapshot.
Xiao Shi and Xiao Xinyan were especially stunned, gaping in disbelief that Yan Zhen had actually beaten Lan Ke. They stood there dumbfounded, like a pair of stunned chickens.
“We won! Cousin’s amazing!”
Yan Meng’er was the first to erupt in cheers, clapping her small hands furiously. Mi Xue’er and Yan Ruyu quickly joined in, followed by the girls from Class 1, Mentor Yu Xuan in the stands, the other mentors—and then thunderous applause swept through the crowd.
Yan Zhen pulled back his fist. He flashed a thumbs-up at the three girls cheering him on from below, then winked at Mentor Yu Xuan.
The unexpected flirtation sent their hearts into a flutter, faint blushes coloring their cheeks. Mentor Yu Xuan smiled to herself, pondering whether to give him another reward.
As the referee mentor made the official declaration, Lan Ke’s attendants rushed onstage to carry him away for treatment. Before they left, Lan Ke shot Yan Zhen one last icy glare.
Yan Zhen paid it no mind. Beat the underling, and the boss shows up—it was par for the course.
“Mentor,” he said, “I beat Lan Ke. That means I can jump from Intermediate Class to Advanced Class, right?”
The referee mentor gave Yan Zhen a long, complicated look. An Intermediate Class student challenging a Nine Stars Ranking expert—and the third-ranked Lan Ke, no less—and actually winning? In nearly a decade of teaching, this was a first for him.
“Academy rules do allow it,” he replied. “But you’ll need to go through the proper procedures. It should take two or three days before you’re cleared to report to Advanced Class. Your new mentor will notify you then.”
Yan Zhen bowed politely and descended from the stage. Surrounded by his cheering classmates and “escorted” by the three girls, he left the dueling grounds.
Xiao Mie, Yu Yue, and the other Nine Stars Ranking elites watched his retreating back with grim expressions, not saying a word.
…
“Hiss—easy, easy there.”
Inside the room, Yan Zhen sat on the bed while Mi Xue’er bandaged his arm.
The backlash from the Eight Extremes Explosion’s Three Heavy Strikes had wrecked his entire limb. He couldn’t move it at all right now. According to the script, he’d retreat to the Crystal Stone Space, where the Beautiful Female Master would heal him and feed him elixirs to speed recovery.
But Mi Xue’er produced a pill from her storage ring and said, “Little Brother Yan Zhen, this is a Tier 3 Healing Pill. Take it, and you’ll be healed up in no time.”
Huh? Yan Zhen took a look and a sniff. The fragrance was pure and elegant, the pill patterns crisp and clear—Tier 3 for sure.
Tier 3 elixirs didn’t come cheap. How was Mi Xue’er just pulling one out like it was nothing? Even the Mi Family couldn’t be throwing around that kind of wealth casually.
“I brought it from home,” she explained. “I figured you’d get hurt dueling Lan Ke—even if you won—so I prepared ahead.”
Yan Meng’er and Yan Ruyu felt a twinge of envy. They’d brought Healing Pills too, but only Tier 2 ones, which felt inadequate to offer now.
Still, the two sisters eyed her suspiciously. Xue’er sure seemed to like Cousin a lot, but shelling out this much? Unless…
Yan Meng’er recalled her earlier over-the-top enthusiasm around Yan Zhen. Yan Ruyu remembered that mysterious voice mentioning Mi Xue’er had feelings for him too.
Warmth bloomed in Yan Zhen’s chest. He gave a wry smile. “A Tier 3 elixir is way too valuable. It’s just a little injury—no need to waste it like this.”
Besides, per the script, the Beautiful Female Master was the one who healed him. Not just with pills, but massaging his arm with Starlight Glazed Fire.
That was meant to be their first moment of true intimacy—the spark that slowly ignited their master-disciple bond.
Their relationship had already reached near-endgame levels of closeness by now, but the plot had to play out. As a professional method actor, he needed to nail every detail!
“It’s no little injury,” Mi Xue’er insisted, her voice tinged with heartache. “Your whole arm is swollen and inflamed. If you delay treatment, it could leave permanent damage.”
In her previous life, she’d only known that Yan Zhen ended up with his arm bandaged and immobile after the fight. She hadn’t realized the extent of the injury until now—brushing it during bandaging had made him yelp in pain.
“Come on, eat it. If you feel guilty, just promise me one tiny favor later.”
“What kind of favor?”
“A tiny one—nothing too hard for you. Now be good and open up.”
As she spoke, she coaxed his mouth open and fed him the pill. Only then did she flash a satisfied smile.
“With a Tier 3 elixir, your arm should be fully healed in two or three days. Get some rest for now. We’ll bring dinner by later.”
The three girls didn’t linger. They helped him lie down and then departed.
Yan Zhen let out a long breath. First, he summoned the System Interface and claimed his mission reward.
【Special Trump Card: 1V1 – Upon activation, forcibly select a target for a one-on-one duel】
“Oh?”
Handy for taking out the enemy leader amid a mob.
No matter how many foes swarmed him, popping this card let him drag one into a mandatory solo fight.
That’s right! Yan Zhen recalled the other card: “Special Trump Card: He Wants to Fight Ten.” What if he activated 1V1 first, then followed up with “Fight Ten”? Wouldn’t that flip the script—him ganging up on them instead?
At last, the chain combo of Special Trump Cards had arrived!
