Hardness

Whoosh!

A ball of flame flared to life, and Jiang Yan stepped out of it. Without hesitation, he immediately assumed a defensive stance.

He hadn't forgotten that though arriving here had been his own intention, it had also been part of his opponent's design.

The poker-faced man hadn't truly retreated in defeat.

In other words, there was a good chance that the poker-faced man had allies here who could help him deal with his enemy.

But as the snowflakes scattered and sunlight shone down once more, Jiang Yan wasn't met with the attack he'd expected.

It seemed his judgment had been wrong.

Jiang Yan didn't let his guard down. He looked around, studying the details of his surroundings as he tried to assess the situation.

There were three other people here besides him.

Standing with the poker-faced man was a gloomy-looking man with a long scar beneath his left eye. He was wrapped in a dark-red robe, and icy-blue air swirled around him.

With one glance, Jiang Yan recognized him.

He was an old acquaintance: the Talisman Realm martial artist who had attacked Green Wood Hall in the desert. Back then, he'd been with the poker-faced man too.

"What a coincidence. I never thought I'd run into you while handling something as trivial as the Wan Hua Association..."

His thoughts raced. Jiang Yan didn't rush to act. Instead, he turned his head slightly and fixed an indifferent gaze on the last martial artist.

Just moments ago, when he and the poker-faced man had teleported here and Jiang Yan was still figuring out the situation, they'd come under attack.

This was the one who'd struck.

He looked to be in his fifties or sixties. His hair was streaked black and white, and he had a low nose bridge and thick lips.