The Law Fragment of Space floated in midair, its golden light brightening Lin Yue and Su Qingyan's faces. They moved almost simultaneously. Flames surged from Su Qingyan's fingertips, forming a giant flaming hand that reached for the fragment first. Lin Yue, meanwhile, activated Spatial Perception and condensed Chaos Energy into an invisible thread, trying to pull the fragment toward himself.
The flaming hand had barely touched the Law Fragment of Space when the spatial laws around it repelled it, and the flames vanished in an instant. Su Qingyan's expression shifted. She hadn't expected the fragment's defenses to be so formidable.
Lin Yue seized the opportunity. The energy thread wrapped precisely around the Law Fragment of Space, and with a gentle tug, he drew it toward himself.
"Don't even think about it!" Su Qingyan refused to back down. Another flaming spear formed at her fingertips and shot toward Lin Yue's wrist. She knew that if she forced him to let go, she'd have a chance to claim the fragment.
Lin Yue was ready. He sidestepped the flaming spear and increased the pull of his energy thread, trying to draw the fragment to him faster. But Su Qingyan's attacks came one after another, flames raining down on him and making it difficult to focus on controlling the thread.
"Su Qingyan, don't push it!" Lin Yue was getting angry. He hadn't expected her to stop at nothing for the fragment.
"Push it? In the Chaos, strength is everything. If you want the fragment, take it by force!" Su Qingyan gave a cold snort. Her flames surged again, forming a fiery cage that trapped Lin Yue and the Law Fragment of Space together.
Trapped in the fiery cage, Lin Yue felt the temperature around him soar. Even circulating Chaos Energy became difficult. He knew he couldn't let this continue. He had to break out of the cage and claim the fragment as soon as possible.
He took a deep breath and merged the energy of the Metal Law Fragment into his Chaos Energy, condensing it into a small Chaos Light Orb imbued with the Metal Law. He hurled it at the cage's weakest point.
"Bang!"
The orb struck the cage, and the Metal Law tore a hole through it. Lin Yue dashed through the opening and grabbed the Law Fragment of Space.
The instant his fingers closed around the fragment, Su Qingyan suddenly appeared behind him. Flames coalesced into a long sword pointed at his back. "Hand over the fragment, or don't blame me for what happens!"
Lin Yue didn't turn around. He held the fragment tightly and said coldly, "Go ahead and try. Let's see which of us gets the fragment!"
Neither of them would yield. As they fought over the Law Fragment of Space, it kept releasing energy, destabilizing the surrounding space and opening one tiny Spatial Rift after another.
Lin Yue's heart tightened. He realized that if they kept fighting, they might cause space to collapse—and attract other beings as well. By then, not only would they fail to claim the fragment, but both of them could end up in danger.
"Su Qingyan, there's no point in fighting like this," Lin Yue said slowly, his tone softening. "Why don't we work together to secure the fragment, then divide it according to our strength? What do you think?"
Su Qingyan looked at the Spatial Rifts widening around them, hesitation flickering in her eyes. She knew Lin Yue was right. If they kept fighting, neither of them would benefit.
"Fine! I accept your proposal." Su Qingyan put away her flaming sword. "But if you try anything funny, I won't let you off!"
Lin Yue nodded and loosened his grip on the fragment. "Let's work together to pull it free of the Spatial Rift, then decide how to divide it."
Su Qingyan agreed. They stood side by side before the Law Fragment of Space and simultaneously circulated the law energy within them. Su Qingyan invoked the Fire Attribute Law, sending flames swirling around the fragment to stabilize the space around it. Lin Yue, meanwhile, called upon Spatial Perception and the Law of Stability from the Dao Rhyme Fragment, gradually severing the fragment's connection to the Spatial Rift.
Time passed. After half an hour, they finally pulled the Law Fragment of Space free of the Spatial Rift. The moment it left the rift, it split in two on its own, becoming two streaks of golden light that drifted toward Lin Yue and Su Qingyan.
Lin Yue caught the fragment drifting toward him and could clearly sense the Law of Space Folding within it. The fragment Su Qingyan caught contained the Law of Space Acceleration, which complemented her Law of Time perfectly.
Both of them were surprised. They hadn't expected the Law Fragment to choose its owners on its own. Clearly, it had sensed that they both had some foundation in the laws and had made its choice accordingly.
"Looks like these fragments were meant to be shared between us." Lin Yue smiled and put his fragment into his storage bag. "But comprehending it will take time. Let's agree to spend the next three months studying our fragments, then show what we've learned at our next contest. Whoever understands theirs more deeply gets first pick of the next Law Fragment we find."
A competitive spark lit in Su Qingyan's eyes. She nodded. "Fine! I agree. Three months from now, we'll meet in the rocky valley where we fought over the spirit herbs and see whose understanding is deeper."
After making their agreement, the two prepared to leave. Lin Yue suddenly noticed several Chaos Ice Crystals hidden beneath the Energy Barrier. The crystals were transparent and gave off a faint chill. They could temper the frenzy of the Flame Law and would greatly aid Su Qingyan's cultivation.
He bent down, picked up the Chaos Ice Crystals, and handed them to Su Qingyan. "These Chaos Ice Crystals will help with your cultivation. You can have them."
Su Qingyan froze for a moment, clearly not expecting Lin Yue to offer her a treasure. After a brief hesitation, she took a piece of high-purity Innate Mysterious Iron Essence from her storage bag and offered it to Lin Yue. "I collected this Mysterious Iron Essence earlier. It should be useful for crafting spirit treasures, so take it as a return gift."
Lin Yue accepted the Mysterious Iron Essence, his heart stirring slightly. He could sense that their relationship had softened a little after they exchanged gifts.
They said nothing more and walked side by side toward the secret realm's exit. They knew the next three months would be crucial to improving their strength. They had to make the most of their time comprehending the Law Fragments and prepare for their next contest.
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