By now, even a complete fool could see that these two had come specifically to stir up trouble. Why didn't you have the guts to go pick a fight with Sister Wen instead?
Did anyone ask for my opinion?!
I'm a pacifist, dammit! Fighting is strictly against my creed!
Besides, in a mess like this, winning or losing held zero benefit.
He wasn't afraid of losing—he was far more terrified of what would happen if he won.
This bastard looked like the kind who hid daggers behind pleasant smiles, quite possibly even pettier than his teacher. If Ji Jue won, who knew how long the guy would nurse a grudge... Though, there was a very real possibility he wouldn't ever have to hold a grudge again.
He'd go straight into the ground.
Ever since Ji Jue was ten years old, pulling punches had never been in his vocabulary. As a kid, it was one against many; later on, once he teamed up with Lu Feng, it became two against many. If they had ten-tenths of their strength, they would pray to unleash twelve! Groin kicks, stomping insteps, snapping fingers—he never hesitated for a second.
If you told him it was a fight to the death, he wouldn't flinch. But if you told him to stop when points were scored, he began to panic.
Excuse me, what does 'holding back' even mean?
Bro does not have that in his dictionary!
"Wait, wait, wait, fighting and brawling hurts everyone's feelings," Ji Jue forced out a smile under everyone's gaze, waving his hands. "Blades and bullets have no eyes, after all. It'd be terrible if an accident happened."
"Heh, that arrogant attitude already carries a bit of Master Ye's flair. Truly an outstanding disciple of your esteemed house." Kong Qingyan chuckled, her sarcasm delivered so smoothly it sounded like praise. "Rest assured, we aren't sore losers. Rather than worrying about my Xiao Lou playing dirty, you had better worry about yourself!"
Ji Jue didn't say another word.
He let out a sigh and looked toward Professor Ye.
Professor Ye remained as calm as ever, waving a dismissive hand as though she had read his thoughts completely. "Fight if you want to fight. With two Masters standing right here, do you really think anyone will die? If you die, it just means your skills weren't up to par. You won't have anyone else to blame."
Ji Jue's eyebrows twitched slightly.
Well, since you put it that way...
"Then don't mind if I don't hold back."
He rested a hand on the holster at his lower back, offering a polite smile.
Two minutes later, in the vast courtyard of the industrial compound, the ground remained spotless.
Beneath the azure sky, not a single cloud drifted. The blazing sun shone down as birds wheeled past with crisp cries, lending an air of absolute freshness. From the distant road came the tractor-like putter of busy traffic rolling past, and farther away, the echo of ocean tides rose and surged.
It was fine weather for a brawl.
"Standard duel rules for Celestial Chosen: no restrictions on process, weapons, or methods. The first to surrender or lose the capacity to continue is declared defeated."
Hands clasped behind her back, Ye Xian stood in the shade beneath the eaves and announced, "You may begin."
Ji Jue and Lou Feng were already positioned ten meters apart, facing each other.
Unlike Ji Jue, who openly wore his firearm, Lou Feng kept his hands casually tucked into the pockets of his bespoke suit. Under the bright sun, his styled hair and polished leather shoes gleamed with a waxy sheen, radiating sheer, untethered wealth.
By comparison, Ji Jue looked downright tragic.
A pair of sneakers worn for over half a year, cargo pants, and a T-shirt. Everything he had on combined probably cost less than a single button on Lou Feng's jacket—a walking, breathing display of poverty.
Not to mention the rings on the man's fingers, the bracelets, the necklace, and even the gold-rimmed non-prescription glasses resting on his nose—every single one gleamed with the light of spiritus.
Every single piece was enchanted gear!
Hearing the announcement, Lou Feng simply raised a hand to adjust his glasses, smiling graciously. "Brother Ji, please enlighten me."
"My pleas—"
Before Ji Jue could even finish the sentence, his pupils constricted.
*Bang!*
The insignia of the White Stag flashed on his legs for a split second, and his body shifted several meters to the left without the slightest warning. Rubber soles squealed sharply against the pavement.
The abrupt dodge nearly knocked him off balance!
Only then did a piercing howl erupt from where he had stood an instant earlier. A faint streak of white light flashed through the air, carving out a ferocious gust as sharp as a blade!
What was that?
A sneak attack?!
The instant Ji Jue realized what had happened, his final shred of patience for polite banter evaporated completely: *How could this bastard be so damned underhanded?!*
If not for the intel Ye Chun had just sent to his phone, paired with Lao Zhang's terrifying training session yesterday, he would probably be flat on his knees right now.
The Lou clan of Chaocheng had a unique lineage. Aside from a rare few who underwent Autonomous Awakening, their Celestial Chosen throughout the generations performed their Calling using the exact same Celestial Craft. As a result, the ability they awakened was fixed, varying only in raw strength.
—Spiritus Shaping!
True to its name, this ability allowed him to mold his spiritus into any form at will, shifting unpredictably between liquid, solid, and gas.
With such a talent, the Celestial Chosen of the Lou clan typically pursued the Ascension path to delve deeper into its versatility, or the Entropy path to enhance its destructive power. Yet it also possessed a wondrous synergy with the Embers path, allowing the user to directly perform alchemical operations on their own spiritus, achieving fundamental transmutations and vastly superior control.
Meanwhile, the matrix Kong Qingyan passed down was called [Deft Craft], which maximized a craftsman's alchemical speed. The two complemented each other to perfection.
In other words, Lou Feng carried a practically endless arsenal of invisible weapons on his person at all times!
*Damn it all, a fully advanced class coming to bully a blank-slate newbie... Do you have any shame?!*
Across from him, Lou Feng froze briefly upon seeing his premeditated strike miss. Yet his shock seemed directed not merely at the missed attack, but at Ji Jue's method of evasion.
The expression in his eyes shifted from vigilance to suspicion, and then to enlightened understanding. He remarked casually, "Pardon me. It seems I misunderstood."
*You bastard, what the hell did you misunderstand?!*
Without a second thought, Ji Jue raised his hand and pulled the trigger.
Crisp shattering sounds erupted through the air. Right before Lou Feng, swirling spiritus rapidly condensed into a massive shield. It wasn't just a single layer, either; through rigorous training, behind its hardened outer surface lay multiple stratified sheets of liquid spiritus. The bullets that penetrated could be seen spinning slowly inside, their kinetic energy bleeding away layer by layer until they fell harmlessly to the ground.
Stopping bullets with abilities was apparently standard practice for the Lou family.
At that exact moment, a sharp whistle tore past Ji Jue's ear again.
A glimmer of spiritus flashed like an iron hammer, its sharp, beveled edge descending ruthlessly toward his skull. Yet by a fraction of an inch, it missed, smashing into the ground and splitting the pavement with a loud crack!
Ji Jue had already dodged, easy and relaxed.
No disrespect intended, but an attack of this level wasn't even fit to carry Lao Zhang's shoes!
If not for yesterday's crash course in spiritus offense and defense, he probably would have been reduced to an ugly donkey roll on the ground... *Thank you, Lao Zhang! When I get rich, I'm definitely buying a gold membership at your massage parlor!*
"He uses material property modification and Sovereign Virtue enhancement quite skillfully. Clearly he's put in plenty of practice," Kong Qingyan observed from afar, hands behind her back as she glanced at Professor Ye. "Though it surprises me you haven't taught him the Dissociation Art yet?"
Ye Xian remained silent, as if she hadn't heard a word, ignoring the probe completely.
Instead, she suppressed a cold sneer. *So they came prepared, specifically guarding against that trick, didn't they?*
As for material property modification and Sovereign Virtue enhancement... what a joke. How many days had Ji Jue even been attending her classes? Aside from laying down the foundational prerequisites, she hadn't had the time to teach applied techniques like that at all!
Hidden behind her back, her fingers twitched faintly.
Before the day before yesterday, he hadn't known the first thing about them. Now, he could execute them with a mere thought, without even an activation windup?
...In other words, that ridiculous proficiency was something he had picked up on the fly yesterday at the Security Bureau?
Even so, utilizing material property modification and Sovereign Virtue enhancement was only allowing Ji Jue to weather a one-sided beatdown. His counterattacks were futile, making him look more like a toy being toyed with.
Ji Jue's temper began to flare.
*If I had a shotgun loaded with solid slugs right now, would I be in this pathetic state?*
*Fine. Since that's how it is, I'm done playing the gentleman...*
Seizing an opening to empty an entire magazine at Lou Feng, Ji Jue suddenly widened his eyes and yelled, "Brother Lou, watch your back!"
"..."
For an instant, even Lou Feng was dumbfounded. In fact, he was utterly astonished.
Astonished that an opponent would resort to such a childish kindergarten trick!
And astonished that he actually thought anyone would fall for it!
Are you kidding me? Am I the kind of idiot who actually looks ba—
*"—BEEP!!!!"*
In that split second, a deafening blast roared out as if destiny itself had supplied the final punctuation.
Right behind him!
A massive, jagged shadow plummeted from the sky, falling across the face that had turned around in pure bewilderment and painting it with a pattern of clumsy, comical dread.
The next instant, the brand-new wheels Ji Jue had installed yesterday slammed into Lou Feng's face with a tremendous crash. As its tires spun furiously, Little Niuma roared at the top of its mechanical lungs.
*Run him down!*
The spiritus defense shattered with a loud crack. Immediately following, a fresh tread mark smeared with mud and dust was stamped firmly across his face.
Lou Feng collapsed backward from the impact. His necklace flared with blinding brilliance as a terrifying repelling force erupted, instantly hurling Little Niuma away.
Mid-air, Little Niuma executed an agile flip. Both wheels hit the ground cleanly, and it trotted back to Ji Jue's side like a faithful hunting hound, eagerly soaking up its master's affectionate pats and praise.
Ji Jue let out a scoffing sigh.
*Bro was just playing around with you, so why give bro that haughty look?*
"As everyone knows, my ability is controlling tools. So keeping a little scooter on hand is totally normal, right?" Ji Jue offered a calm explanation in the face of Lou Feng's murderous glare.
Lou Feng's expression was as dark as storm clouds. Enclosed behind thick layers of hardened spiritus, he slowly wiped away the mud and dust from his face.
As he stared at the little moped squirming and shimmying beside Ji Jue, his vigilance deepened.
Yet his offensive showed no mercy!
Did he think pulling out a half-finished toy from his teacher could intimidate anyone?
Dream on!
Outside the sparring area, Kong Qingyan had also fallen silent. Unlike Lou Feng, she wouldn't make the mistake of thinking Ji Jue was bluffing with one of Ye Xian's creations.
Any qualified artisan could see just how crude and chaotic that machine was.
Three of the four core elements were violated right off the bat!
What a joke. With something so messy and disorganized, a woman as proud as Ye Xian would rather hang herself than create such an unholy monstrosity!
Then who made it?
That brat Ji Jue?!
Her narrow eyes snapped toward Ji Jue. Feeling the spiritus resonance between him and Little Niuma, and witnessing the machine's lively responsiveness, she could barely suppress the jealousy burning in her chest.
He had been an apprentice for what, half a year? A year at most! How could he possibly produce a creation of such caliber?!
Was she doomed to be overshadowed by that wretched woman Ye Xian in every single thing?!
"What are you dawdling for, Ah-Feng!" Kong Qingyan snapped in fury. "Is that how I taught you?!"
Lou Feng remained silent, not uttering a single word.
His face drained of color, turning pale as paper—yet his spiritus fluctuations surged skyward. Runes and spiritus circuits poured out, and under the boost of Deft Craft, the specialized application of the Sovereign Virtue insignia formed in the blink of an eye.
In fact, in its sheer intricacy, it surpassed Ji Jue's by a wide margin!
—[Tianyuan]!
With that, he reached out and grasped the empty air. In an instant, Ji Jue felt weightless, staggering and nearly slipping to the ground!
He felt an immense force radiating from Lou Feng's position, dragging him forward!
An effect developed straight from Tianyuan.
—Gravity!
Chapter 55