Cunning Outsider

After running half the distance, Jiang Liu glanced at the time remaining. There were eighteen minutes left, which meant he had a three-minute cushion.

He had plenty of time, but he didn't relax at all. If anything, his nerves grew even more taut.

The closer he got to the finish line, the more traps he encountered along the way.

He'd often be running along when he stepped on a land mine, leaving his feet numb from the blast.

Other times, a ball of fire would rush at him, or a basin of ice water would pour over him. Even with his Thousand Hammer Golden Body protecting him, his health bar was still slowly being worn down. It was now at just eighty-five percent.

He wanted to dodge, but there was nothing he could do.

Everywhere Jiang Liu looked, he could see seven or eight mechanical traps within his field of vision. Their trigger buttons were out in the open. They weren't even trying to hide them anymore.

Either he took the traps head-on and lost health,

or he dodged them and wasted time.

Heh.

There were more traps, and the finish line was closer, but he hadn't encountered many players.

Jiang Liu had charged all this way, barreling through traps without slowing down. No one could keep up with him. He'd left the other players far behind.

Ten thousand meters.

Eleven thousand meters.

Twelve thousand meters.

Jiang Liu had thought that, with his speed, there was no way he'd run into any other players.

But it turned out that few players who made it to the third round were ordinary. No matter how fast or strong he was, someone could still keep up with him.

"Footsteps!"

Jiang Liu heard the sound of hurried footsteps again. His heart gave a slight jolt, and a hint of wariness flashed in his eyes. I'm moving this fast, and I still ran into another player?

Who was it?

Whoever it was, they were the biggest obstacle between him and the title of Parkour King!

He didn't slow down. His eyes remained fixed on the mouth of another alley, ready to draw his Sunrise Sword at any moment.

Two seconds later, a lock of blond hair appeared in his field of vision. A figure wreathed in lightning, sparks flying with every step, suddenly shot out of the alley.

They came face-to-face, just three meters apart, and both stopped in their tracks, staring at each other with astonishment and wariness.

"Edward?!"

The moment Jiang Liu saw the blond guy stepping on lightning, the name came to mind, and he blurted it out.

On this enormous map, he'd actually run into First Middle School's star player!

What luck! Just you wait, Second Grandpa!

Once he recognized Edward, he immediately understood how the other man had managed to keep pace with him.

An innate top-grade Lightning Spirit Root, with lightning beneath his feet. It was obviously a lightning-type movement technique. What kind of crazy luck did you need to get your hands on one of those?

When Edward heard Jiang Liu call his name, he paused in surprise. Then, as if he'd suddenly realized something, his expression brightened and the hostility vanished from his face. He gave Jiang Liu a radiant smile. "Hello."

As he spoke, he took out a pen and notebook, scribbled a few strokes, then tore off the page and handed it to Jiang Liu. "Here. Thanks for your support."

Jiang Liu: "?????"

Jiang Liu took it without thinking and looked down. The page read "Love." His face was blank with confusion. "What do you mean?"

"An autograph."

Edward ran a hand through his hair, looking as if it were only natural. "I don't know you, but you know me. Obviously, you're a fan."

"Hey, what class are you in? How come I've never seen you at school?"

Jiang Liu: "..."

Jiang Liu crushed the scrap of paper in his fist, his face darkening. "I'm from Third Middle School."

"Third Middle School?"

Edward looked even more surprised. "I have fans at Third Middle School, too?"

"Sorry, man. The only person from Third Middle School I know is Su Weiyang."

Heh.

Interesting.

Jiang Liu took a deep breath and said, his face dark, "My name's Jiang Liu. Remember it!"

"Okay, Jiang Liu. My fan. I'll remember you."

Edward nodded, then pointed ahead and smiled amiably. "You take the left, I'll take the right. We stay out of each other's way and compete peacefully for speed. How's that?"

"Agreed."

Jiang Liu gave a slight nod and returned Edward's friendly smile, then turned toward the other side of the street.

He turned.

One step.

Then he turned back.

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Liu spun around. As he turned back, the Sunrise Sword appeared in his hand, and a crafty glint flashed in his eyes. He thrust the sword at Edward's chest!

Compete peacefully?

Race against a top-grade Lightning Spirit Root and a lightning-type movement technique?

What a joke!

Of course, you had to deal with a threat before it became a problem!

His sudden thrust met with a crisp metallic clang. The crafty smile on Jiang Liu's face froze. What was that sound?

He looked down. The tip of his Sunrise Sword hadn't pierced Edward. Instead, it had met the tip of a white longsword.

His gaze traveled along the white blade to Edward's hand, then up to Edward's stiff expression.

Their eyes met. Both saw a hint of awkwardness in the other's.

"Fuck!"

Jiang Liu froze for a second, then erupted in anger. "You're actually ambushing your fan? You're despicable!"

This blond guy had the same idea as me!

Edward was furious, too, when he heard Jiang Liu's accusation. "Fuck! You were going to eliminate me, too. You shameless bastard!"

He'd sensed a huge threat from Jiang Liu. He had a top-grade Lightning Spirit Root and a lightning-type movement technique, which was how he'd managed to surge ahead of the pack and make it this far. He'd never imagined someone else could match his speed.

To win the Parkour King title, he had to eliminate the threat as soon as possible!

The moment Jiang Liu turned around, Edward had drawn his magical sword. But Jiang Liu's turn, pivot, and thrust had all flowed together so smoothly that the tips of their swords had met head-on.

What should he do?

He didn't want to waste any health here!

Jiang Liu didn't want to waste health either. He still had nearly half the course ahead of him, and there was no telling what traps awaited him up ahead.

Besides, Edward was at Qi Refining Layer 6 and had a top-grade Lightning Spirit Root, making him an exceptionally strong attacker. If they started fighting, even with the damage reduction from his Thousand Hammer Golden Body, Jiang Liu would lose a huge chunk of his health bar.

Both of them had their own schemes. After they'd been locked in a standoff for several seconds, Jiang Liu suggested, "Let's not waste time. We'll sheathe our swords together after counting down from three. Stay out of each other's way and compete peacefully for speed. How about it?"

"I agree."

Edward didn't want to waste time here and let someone else reap the benefits.

"Three, two, one, sheathe!"

Neither of them moved. Instead, they pushed even harder!

The moment the word "sheathe" left Jiang Liu's mouth, water spiritual energy surged through him and clung to the Sunrise Sword. He thrust it straight at Edward!

At the same time, a flash of dazzling lightning burst from the tip of the white sword in Edward's hand.

Water and lightning spiritual energy collided and intertwined. The resulting shock wave forced both of them back several steps, opening up some distance between them.

We'd even thought alike again!

"Heh. People from the West Coast sure are cunning."

Jiang Liu steadied himself with a mocking laugh. Heart Piercing Drop formed in his palm, and he struck toward Edward's chest from a distance!