At the second-floor stairwell.
Chen Yu was trembling uncontrollably. It wasn't fear, but the overwhelming shock and excitement of blood rushing to his head.
In a word, he was getting goosebumps.
His phone screen was still frozen on the final moment of Lin Yi dragging his bloodied staff back into Hongfu Tower. In the background, the Abyssal Wolves were retreating in terror at the edge of the plaza.
"Holy shit... Holy shit... Holy shit!"
Chen Yu whipped his head toward Zhou Jianjun. "Uncle, did you see that? Did you see?! Seven of them! Seven! In less than a minute, Brother Yi took them all down by himself! That was like going full musou mode!"
Zhou Jianjun didn't answer right away.
The veteran, who had endured border clashes and witnessed real combat, was breathing hard too. His lips were pressed tightly together, and his expression was complicated.
He was stunned by his nephew's almost inhuman fighting ability, but he also felt a twinge of fear in hindsight.
Zhou Jianjun gripped the edge of the crude wooden shield in his hand. The rough splinters dug painfully into his palm, and only that pain helped quell the turmoil in his heart.
Heavy footsteps, accompanied by the faint clink of armor, were already approaching the stairwell.
Soon, Lin Yi reappeared on the spiral staircase.
More dark-red blood and gray-black powder clung to his imposing Qitian Battle Armor. Several savage claw marks across his breastplate and greaves stood out starkly in the dim light.
He climbed the steps one by one, his pace still steady. But when he reached the second-floor landing, he stopped.
"A Yu..."
Lin Yi's voice was hoarse. He paused at the stairwell entrance and didn't move again, instead asking urgently, "You got it all, right? Did you turn it off?"
"Yep, turned it off! As soon as the fight ended. Gotta save battery, you know. But, Brother Yi, I got everything from the moment you went downstairs to when you came back in! The footage is crystal clear!"
Chen Yu snapped out of it and hurriedly held up his phone to show him. He was still babbling, "That was so damn cool! Even better than a game cutscene—"
"Good..."
Only after hearing that the recording had stopped did Lin Yi finally relax.
As he spoke, he braced himself against the wall and leaned the heavy Black Iron Staff beside it. Then he planted both hands on his knees, bent over, and panted heavily. Sweat mingled with blood and ran down his temples, dripping onto the cold tiles.
Chen Yu paused, then quickly caught on. A smile appeared on his face as he thought, You're exhausted, but you're still trying to act tough.
He was just about to step over and help when Zhou Jianjun darted to Lin Yi's side. He looked as if he wanted to support him but was afraid of putting too much pressure on him. "Xiaoyi! How do you feel? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Zhou Jianjun's anxious gaze swept over Lin Yi, lingering especially on the torn sections of his armor.
Lin Yi took a deep breath and slowly let it out before straightening up. "I'm... I'm fine, Uncle. My source energy just got drained pretty badly in a short time."
Zhou Jianjun felt a weight lift from his heart. Then a touch of the reproach typical of an elder crept into his voice.
"You... You were way too reckless! Why did you have to kill the last one? Let it run if it wants to. You'd have another chance next time... Those beasts outside are all watching us!"
"If they got angry and charged us all at once, you..." A hint of lingering fear colored his voice. "Two fists can't fight four hands! No matter how good you are, you can't take on that many attacking at once!"
Lin Yi looked at his uncle's worried face, then wiped the sweat and blood from his own. He grinned, his smile a little sly, and explained, "Uncle, don't worry. I knew what I was doing. I killed that beast and went out to pick up the crystals and my staff on purpose. For one thing, I couldn't leave my weapon behind. And for another... I wanted to test something."
He paused to catch his breath, then looked from Chen Yu to Zhou Jianjun.
"After those two fights, I realized these monsters... aren't just wolves in appearance." Lin Yi's expression turned serious. "They use tactics. They probe us and call for their companions. The last two were clearly scared and wanted to run. They... have the cunning and instincts of wolves."
"So..." Zhou Jianjun murmured thoughtfully.
"So I wanted to test them. If I could confirm my guess, I could tell everyone about it in the video later."
Lin Yi tilted his head toward the entrance downstairs. "I deliberately walked out in plain sight to see how they'd react if I picked up the spoils right under their noses. Would they get so angry that they'd charge us without a thought? Or... would they be intimidated?"
"The result's clear, Uncle. You saw it too. They just watched and growled. They even seemed to edge backward a little. What does that tell us? That deep down, they still bully the weak and fear the strong. And it shows that the beating I gave them just now... scared them! They know there's a tough opponent here, so they won't come back lightly."
"That's their nature!"
Lin Yi caught his breath and continued, "Besides, going out wasn't reckless. I still had one more Blue Radiance I could use. If things went wrong and the beasts outside really charged, I could retreat immediately. They weren't that close, so we'd still have time to get back to Fujin Hall."
Zhou Jianjun listened to Lin Yi's clear, methodical explanation, which even carried a hint of battlefield analysis. His feelings were complicated.
He stared at the exhausted boy before him, whose armor was battered, as if he were seeing his nephew for the first time.
How could this be the same boy who'd secretly practiced Staff Techniques and tried to look cool after finishing the Gaokao?
He was clearly a warrior tempered by blood and fire!
Having fought on the border himself, Zhou Jianjun wasn't surprised that his nephew had changed so much. Plenty of soldiers seemed like different people after a battle.
He only felt rueful that his nephew had just turned eighteen and was already being forced to fight for his life. The intelligence that should have been used for his studies was now being used to carefully analyze the enemy's habits.
"You..." Zhou Jianjun fell silent for a moment. In the end, he only sighed heavily and patted Lin Yi's shoulder. "You kid... You think things through even more carefully than this old soldier. But... next time, at least give us a heads-up."
Chen Yu had been listening for a while. At last, he couldn't help but chime in. "Brother Yi! How does your brain work? You can figure out a monster's habits while fighting it? You're incredible! Seriously incredible! That video—"
"Let's go back. We'll talk when we're back."
Lin Yi waved him off, cutting him short.
Although everything had been under control, holding back on purpose during the fight had still worn him out. And with his physical fitness and total source energy where they were, he really was nearing his limit.
After bracing himself on his knees and resting for a while, Lin Yi finally called to the other two.
"Come on. Let's get back to the hall."
The side door of Fujin Hall was carefully pushed open from within, first just a crack, then wider.
When Lin Yi, Zhou Jianjun, and Chen Yu appeared in the doorway, the tense, oppressive atmosphere in the hall broke at once.
"Xiao Yi!"
"Son!"
Lin Ruiming and Zhou Jinghua rushed over at almost the same time.
When Zhou Jinghua saw the fresh bloodstains and damage on her son's armor, tears welled up in her eyes. Her hands trembled as she reached out, not daring to touch him.
Lin Ruiming grabbed Lin Yi by the arm, his voice tight. "How are you? You didn't get hurt this time, did you? Quick... Take off the armor so we can check!"
"Dad, Mom, I'm really fine. This armor is sturdy; it just looks scary." Lin Yi hurried to reassure them. "It kept everything from getting through, so I'm not hurt underneath. But I'll need to take it off and clean it up after I finish recording the video."
"Big Brother!"
The moment Zhou Mengmeng saw Lin Yi return, she broke free of her aunt's embrace and raced over like a little cannonball, clinging tightly to his arm, her face full of admiration.
His uncle's family, Zhou Yuxuan, Ye Qingyu, Zhao Xiaowen, Li Jie... Almost everyone crowded around to ask after Lin Yi.
Ye Qingyu stood a little farther back in the crowd, her clear eyes fixed on Lin Yi. Only when she saw that he was tired but still bright-eyed did she quietly let out a breath of relief.
"Xiaoyi, what about the monsters guarding the place downstairs?"
Once he saw that Lin Yi was all right, Lin Ruiheng asked the question at just the right moment. His voice wasn't loud, but everyone's attention instantly focused on him.
Lin Yi didn't say anything. He simply raised his left hand, which he'd been holding tightly clenched, and slowly opened it.
Seven Spirit Shine Crystals, each giving off a faint gray glow, lay quietly in his palm.
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