Principles of Challenging Above Your Rank

"Who the hell are these people...?"

Hearing the chaos behind him, Xiao Xiao had no idea how badly his shop would be destroyed.

He was extremely wary, so he slipped out the back door. After thinking for a moment, he quickly grabbed a broom from the side and braced it against the door frame. Still feeling uneasy, he continued walking forward, kicking two heavy trash cans over to block the doorway.

They quickly made their way through the alley behind the bar and onto the street.

Taxis often just stop at the bar entrance to wait for customers, while the streets behind are bustling with traffic. But as Xiao Xiao walked to the side of the street, an eye had already floated up to the sky above the street and locked onto a taxi with a "vacant" sign. It wasn't moving fast, but it was cutting diagonally forward. Just as Xiao Xiao reached the side of the road, the taxi pulled up in front of him, and he immediately waved to stop the car.

He darted to open the door, got into the car, and whispered, "Keep going straight ahead."

"Oh dear, it's time to hand over my shift..."

The taxi driver looked complaining and seemed somewhat dissatisfied.

But before he could finish speaking, a loud bang was heard from the back door of the bar. The metal-handled mop used to hold the door frame was instantly broken, and both doors, along with two huge trash cans piled behind them, were sent flying.

Trash flew everywhere, and Ruan Ruan voice came from inside:

"Xiao-gege, where are you?"

"Stop hiding..."

"..."

At that moment, Xiao Xiao was so frightened that his face turned slightly pale, while the driver didn't say a word and stepped on the gas.

"Hey bro, got cornered by your girlfriend while you were out having fun?"

"..."

Xiao Xiao had no choice but to smile wryly and say, "That's about right, thank you."

"We're all men, it's only right that we help each other out..."

The driver glanced at Xiao Xiao in the rearview mirror and gave him a knowing look, showing great magnanimity.

"..."

Xiao Xiao watched Ruan Ruan rush out of the bar and searched through the piles of trash. Though Ruan Ruan in stature, she moved with surprising speed, quickly scouring every nook and cranny outside the bar. She even peered into several nearby trash cans, a sweet smile on her face, but she gripped a large metal wrench tightly in her hand, as if she might strike it down at any moment.

But she didn't notice herself rapidly distancing herself from the traffic.

A shiver ran through me...

Thankfully, Ruan Ruan isn't on the Insightful path, otherwise she would definitely be able to find herself in this chaotic scene...

How can such a small body contain such ferocious fighting power?

Being targeted by her is even more terrifying than facing Aberrant Creature.

"Turn around the corner..."

Quickly analyzing the situation in his mind, Xiao Xiao urged the driver to quickly circle around to the front door of the bar, get out of the car, walk to the Ruan Ruan motorcycle, pull out his fruit knife, and stab the tire twice before getting back into the motorcycle.

I breathed a slight sigh of relief when the taxi quickly turned the corner and the bar was completely out of sight.

He immediately took out his phone and called Yang Jia, with so many questions on his mind.

"Did we dodge the first wave?"

Yang Jia's voice sounded slightly amused as she said, "Sorry, I didn't know they were standing so close."

"They probably sensed that I wasn't in a good mood, so they didn't leave and just followed us from a distance."

"When this training session was scheduled, they weren't far from the bar..."

"..."

"Is it a question of whether it's far or not?"

Xiao Xiao was immediately furious. "What kind of hellish training is this...?"

"That brat Little Four, did you even realize he shot me in the head?"

"And Ruan Ruan, I have no doubt that she's already torn down most of my bar..."

"..."

Yang Jia suppressed a laugh and said, "That's how special training is, otherwise how would we put pressure on you?"

"But..."

Xiao Xiao couldn't help but ask, "I heard Ruan Ruan say before that your Dante Organization does academic research, right?"

"Why were you so ruthless?"

"..."

"This is how we've always conducted academic research..."

Yang Jia laughed and said, "In such a godforsaken place, how can I ensure that I can focus on my academic work without being ruthless?"

Xiao Xiao: "..."

What do you do when you suddenly have a lot to say but no way to express it?

"Of course, to be fair, our special training wasn't originally supposed to be like this..."

"And you..."

Yang Jia smiled and continued, "We always take people directly outside the city to fight the strange creatures in the Mist Sea."

Xiao Xiao was speechless again.

"But you, you are a special case after all."

Yang Jia suppressed her smile and said softly, "Before those people reach a final decision, I must use this special training to determine if you truly possess sufficient potential. If you can pass the training, I will help you complete the third stage of enhancement. I also believe that with the help of Mister Ye. Ye and me, you can successfully obtain the Lord Pact and even secure your position as the Black Gate City Guild Master..."

"But if we can't pass, then we shouldn't take the risk and should just admit defeat."

"..."

"But..."

Hearing her words, Xiao Xiao couldn't help but sigh dejectedly, "This special training is really going to be deadly..."

"The gold coins are right in your hands, aren't they?"

Yang Jia seemed to think for a moment and said, "The initiative is also in your hands. After 24 hours, you can give me the gold coins. Even if you complete the special training, I will help you complete the third stage of enhancement and also help you obtain the Old Chairman's contract. If you really feel too much pressure and want to stop the special training, that is very simple. Just throw away the gold coins, and our special training will end immediately."

"Is it enough to just throw away this gold coin?"

Xiao Xiao was slightly taken aback. He touched the cold gold coin in his pocket and suddenly became much more sober.

He was somewhat nervous and found it unbelievable before.

But now that he heard about a way to interrupt the special training at any time, he calmed down immediately.

A lot of thoughts flashed through my mind in an instant: I had already decided to explore the secrets of this world, to figure out why these things happened to me, and I also wanted to find back the kind of life that truly belonged to me that I longed for.

Xiao Xiao wasn't very interested in inheriting the Old Chairman's contract or his legacy.

After all, he didn't even know that person.

However, the thing in his safe, the signpost that supposedly points to the end of everything, really tempted him.

Now such an opportunity is presented to me...

... Are we really going to interrupt this so easily?

His mind was racing with thoughts, but on his face, after only a slight pause, Xiao Xiao's expression relaxed.

Is that so?

"This is quite interesting, let's continue."

"..."

After saying that, he took a deep breath, said no more, and hung up the phone.

In reality, I was far less relaxed than I appeared on the surface.

But showing off is a basic necessity!

Anyway, I already have the opportunity to stop this special training at any time, don't I?

For now, show some confidence. When you really have no choice but to give up, then think of another explanation.

But how exactly should we deal with this sudden special training?

Thinking about this question, I suddenly felt a little lost.

Little Four and Ruan Ruan are both at the third stage of enhancement, a whole enhancement level higher than me!

Don't let their usual well-behaved demeanor fool you; they keep calling each other "Xiao-gege" and "Brother Xiao."

But when it came to a real fight, Xiao Xiao really didn't know how many rounds he could hold out against them.

After all, it seems that the second stage of enhancement and the third stage of enhancement are only different by a number.

However, judging from the points, the level of enhancement in the third stage is more than ten times that of the second stage...

In other words, if you were to stack them by their numbers, ten of you would be equal to one of them.

And now, it's the two of them chasing after him.

How could such a gap in hard power be bridged so easily?

This is a challenge with absolutely no chance of winning...

...wrong.

Xiao Xiao quickly thought again, Yang Jia hadn't said I needed to defeat the two of them, I just needed to survive for 24 hours.

So, does that mean I could actually choose not to fight them?

How can we get through these 24 hours?

"Creak..."

Just then, the taxi suddenly stopped, and the driver's voice betrayed a hint of nervousness:

"Brother... brother..."

"Is your little partner really that temperamental?"

"..."

"Um?"

Xiao Xiao was also taken aback. He looked up suddenly, and his pupils contracted sharply in an instant.

The taxi had reached an intersection. The Mingming was green, but all the cars in front of it had stopped, creating a complete traffic jam. However, no one dared to honk or do anything. Right at the intersection, the Ruan Ruan was carrying her modified heavy motorcycle, which was at least three times her size, on her shoulder and striding towards the flow of traffic.

His teeth clenched, his steps slightly unsteady, and his eyes gleamed with a devilish light.

"Xiao-gege, you're so mean..."

"After the special training, you'll reimburse me for the tire repair, right?"

"..."

As he spoke, he quickly moved forward through the traffic, his eyes scanning rapidly into the carriages on both sides.

"They've already caused a traffic jam?"

Xiao Xiao gasped inwardly. How did she manage to get ahead of him while carrying a car?

It was hard to imagine, but Ruan Ruan was already scanning the cars on both sides and quickly approaching.

She was now only thirty or forty meters away from him, and it looked like she could reach him with just one step.

His mind exploded in an instant, and Xiao Xiao's thoughts shifted countless times in a single second.

Suddenly, he pushed open the door and got out of the car.

A calm smile appeared on his face. Leaning against the taxi, he waved to Ruan Ruan from afar and said with a smile:

"Where should we look?"

"You took so long to get here?"