Fully Armed

Hearing Fan Lang's words, Luo Hongyan nearly spat out another mouthful of blood.

Even a sparring match had made her cough up blood. If it had been a life-and-death battle, she truly would have lost her life.

Though the pride she had cultivated over the years made Luo Hongyan unwilling to admit defeat so easily, reality stood before her, and pain wracked her body. She had no choice but to accept it. Now she understood why her father had forced her to drink with Fan Lang that day. Someone this talented would be immensely useful to the City Lord's Mansion. If they could recruit him, the City Lord's Mansion would become even more secure.

Luo Hongyan let her thoughts run wild for a moment, then suddenly noticed that Fan Lang had an arm around her waist. Their bodies were pressed tightly together in an extremely intimate position, and Fan Lang had covered them both with a large piece of cloth that looked suspiciously like a tent. She had no idea why.

"Why are you covering us with this cloth?" Luo Hongyan's curiosity got the better of her. Instead of breaking free from Fan Lang's arm, she asked about this first.

"I had to cover us up, or you'd be exposing yourself," Fan Lang explained.

"Exposing myself?" Luo Hongyan was even more confused.

Fan Lang offered a further explanation, reaching out and rubbing Luo Hongyan's arm.

Smooth and tender, like brushing against tofu. The feel deserved praise!

Luo Hongyan clearly felt the contact against her skin. There was no clothing protecting her. Enduring the pain, she turned her head to look, and her mind buzzed as though she had been struck by lightning.

The earlier impact had been too violent, causing several parts of her clothes to tear apart. Her lamb-white body had been exposed, so no wonder Fan Lang said she was exposing herself.

Fan Lang had seen all those little secrets, and they had even shared skin-to-skin contact.

It was Luo Hongyan's first time experiencing something like this. Almost instinctively, she let out an earth-shattering scream that could practically count as a sonic attack.

"Ah!!!"

The scream was loud enough to spread to every corner of the City Lord's Mansion.

Things had gotten out of hand.

What followed was a chain reaction.

Luo Hongyan fought Fan Lang with the bearing of someone who would rather die than submit. She broke free from his clutches, wrapped herself in the large cloth, and hid by the wall, crying miserably.

City Lord Luo Jiuxiao rushed over in a panic and asked what had happened. Yet Luo Hongyan only kept crying, leaving endless room for speculation.

In the end, Fan Lang had to explain it himself.

If anyone else had bullied his daughter like this, Luo Jiuxiao might have slapped them to death. But facing Fan Lang, he merely laughed it off.

He had not even had time to recruit Fan Lang. How could he fall out with him over something so trivial?

Besides, Luo Hongyan had not suffered any great loss.

And so the matter passed.

Afterward, Fan Lang claimed that he had something to take care of and needed to go out. He would not return until later. As for the sobbing Luo Hongyan, there was no need to pay her much attention.

One wave ended, but the ripples continued.

After Fan Lang left the City Lord's Mansion, rumors quietly began spreading through it.

"Have you heard? Fan Lang actually dared to force himself on Miss Luo in broad daylight and stripped off all her clothes!"

"Fan Lang even humped her a few times. If the City Lord hadn't arrived in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable!"

"If he really humped her, that means the City Lord didn't arrive in time..."

"After such a scandal, the City Lord didn't even blame Fan Lang. It seems he intends to marry Miss Luo off to him."

"Alas, Miss Luo is getting married, and I'm not the groom."

If the rumors continued spreading, Luo Hongyan would soon become a mother.

Fan Lang did not take making Luo Hongyan cry too seriously. After leaving, he continued doing as he pleased, completely unaffected.

His goal that day was still to hunt for equipment. With Li Yunyan assisting him, he spent more than half the day completing two equipment-related quests in a row, acquiring two more five-star pieces of equipment for free: the Sky Soaring Boots and the Silver Thread Hundred Flower Armor. Each had its own effect.

The fourfold drop rate had helped greatly again. Otherwise, he could not have completed the quests in such a short time.

Sky Soaring Boots:

Category: Equipment.

Star Rating: ★★★★★

Attribute: Wind.

Defense: 750.

Durability: 1000.

Effect: Creates a current of air beneath the feet. Stepping on the current allows the wearer to float briefly. The current lasts 5 seconds, each use consumes 50 points of Mystic Power, and it can be used once every 0.5 seconds.

Silver Thread Hundred Flower Armor:

Category: Equipment.

Star Rating: ★★★★★

Attribute: Metal.

Defense: 2000.

Durability: 1200.

Effect: Blade Snare. When a weapon pierces the Silver Thread Hundred Flower Armor, there is a 20% chance that it will become stuck, unable to advance or retreat.

For equipment like this, defense was what mattered. The effects were merely an extra and were not particularly useful in practice.

Both were equipment rather than cards.

That was perfectly normal. Weapons and equipment were sealed into cards for convenient switching, but boots and armor were worn at all times. There was simply no time to change them in battle, so there was no need to seal them into cards.

Fan Lang armed himself from head to toe: the Li Kan Sword in one hand, the Crab Shell Shield in the other, the Silver Thread Hundred Flower Armor on his body, and the Sky Soaring Boots on his feet. He looked like a completely different person from before.

This outfit gave him the bearing of a Great General, and Fan Lang was very satisfied.

The system had a photo function. Fan Lang struck a flashy pose and took a picture as a keepsake. The only drawback was that it could only be viewed within the system and could not be taken out.

While completing the quests, Fan Lang also earned a great deal of Experience Points, raising his level by one. He had reached the third level of Mystic Spirit, and his strength increased once more.

He had also learned both new skills, Asura Swordplay and Sky Covering Hand. Their Progress Bars had both been completed.

Level, equipment, and skills.

Only when all three were balanced could one be considered perfect. None of them could be a weakness, and Fan Lang was now perfect in all these aspects.

Fan Lang would enter the Wind Cloud Genius Battle in this perfect state, crushing everything and beating down everyone!

By evening, Fan Lang returned to the City Lord's Mansion and met Luo Jiuxiao. The two ate alone, both choosing to avoid mentioning the little incident from earlier that day.

During the meal, Fan Lang said seriously, "Let me go to tomorrow's genius battle alone. Don't let Luo Hongyan go. I'll bring back first place for you."

"Fine. With you there, there truly is no need for a second person." Luo Jiuxiao agreed without hesitation.

"Excellent." Fan Lang smiled and drained the wine in his cup.

"After you win, all the rewards will be yours. The City Lord's Mansion will not take a single coin."

"I don't care much about those ordinary rewards. The only thing I value is the chance to temper my body in the Ice Fire Pool."

"Yes, that is what matters most."

Luo Jiuxiao nodded.

The Wind Cloud Genius Battle had not appeared out of nowhere. It was the existence of the Ice Fire Pool that had given rise to the Wind Cloud Genius Battle. The victor of every tournament could earn one opportunity to enter the Ice Fire Pool.

This opportunity was extraordinarily precious, enough to make the geniuses of every faction fight until their heads bled.

A night passed.

The sun rose, illuminating the land. The Wind Cloud Genius Battle arrived as promised. In literature, there was no first; in martial arts, no second. Only the strongest could reign above countless geniuses and look down upon all beneath them with a disdainful gaze.