Gu Yue turned to look at him.
At some point, her eyes had become vertical pupils, a cold light swirling in their purple irises.
She was slender, soaked through by the rain.
Yet the force in her gaze hadn't diminished at all. If anything, it faintly surpassed Wu Zhangkong's oppressive aura.
"I can't beat him."
Her voice was crisp and certain.
"You haven't even tried."
"I don't need to."
There wasn't the slightest wavering in Gu Yue's tone.
She tilted her head and glanced at Lin An, standing dry as a bone on the platform, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly.
A trace of warmth suddenly flowed into those cold, vertical pupils.
"Because—I can't beat fate."
The atmosphere on the training field froze.
Rain pattered down, but no one made another sound.
Nearly a hundred gazes stabbed into Gu Yue.
"If fate insists that I choose between him and me—"
"I'd rather die."
"I'd rather die than hurt him. So how could I possibly fight him?"
After saying that, Gu Yue fell silent.
Her expression turned cool again.
Everyone below the platform looked as if their faces had cracked.
Xie Xie's mouth hung so wide open you could've stuffed an egg into it. His head buzzed.
It was just a training match. Was all this really necessary?
Why make it seem like a life-or-death farewell? Was that really necessary?
Tang Wulin stood at the edge of the crowd.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat choked as if something had blocked it tight.
He'd lost.
He'd lost completely.
Whether it was resolve or anything else, he'd been utterly trounced.
Wu Zhangkong stared at Gu Yue for a long time.
He didn't ask anything else.
He'd seen sincerity in her eyes, and a resolve that admitted no doubt.
"Get down."
Wu Zhangkong said only those three words in the end.
Gu Yue nodded and turned to walk off the platform.
Her steps were light, her back straight, and she looked no different from when she'd climbed up.
Lin An stood on the platform, his face full of confusion.
He'd won.
He'd won again.
He lowered his head and looked at his hands.
Suddenly, he felt as if he stood alone at the summit, where the cold was unbearable, and invincibility was a lonely thing.
Of course, he knew it was an illusion.
At his core, he was still a little nobody.
No matter how powerful Rainbow Dragon was, it was still an auxiliary type, and his constitution was as frail as tofu.
Any halfway decent Power Attack System fighter could punch him to tears.
He knew his own limits.
But...
Couldn't they just let him have a proper fight?
Lin An sighed.
He jumped off the platform, his feet landing on the drenched training field and splashing up a little spray.
Gu Yue stood below the platform, watching the bewildered look on his face. She was over the moon.
Her darling had to be completely captivated by her now.
Who could withstand a declaration of love like that—a resolve she'd forged with her very life?
Truthfully, she knew she could win if she really fought him.
Lin An's fortune was powerful, but hers was no slouch either. If they fought for real, she might not lose.
But how could she ever bring herself to attack her darling?
She didn't want to risk hurting him, not even by the slightest bit.
But—Dragon Queen's bewildered little expression was just too adorable.
If there weren't so many people watching, she would've rushed over to hug and kiss him senseless.
As for the fine?
Then let them fine her.
She just wouldn't pay.
She refused to believe the Federation would barge into the Spirit Pagoda to arrest someone.
She was the Spirit Pagoda's deputy master and the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo's personal disciple. Surely the Federation wouldn't take her away just because she owed money?
The dismissal bell rang, and the rain stopped just then.
A gap split the clouds, and sunlight spilled through, gilding the wet training field with a pale gold sheen.
The students headed toward the classroom building in twos and threes, their uniforms soaked and clinging to them as they shivered with cold.
Lin An headed toward Tang Wulin.
Tang Wulin was leaning against a tree, his injuries not yet fully healed.
When he saw Lin An coming toward him, he lowered his head instinctively.
Then a hand blocked Lin An's way.
Gu Yue stepped between Lin An and Tang Wulin, her purple eyes full of vigilance.
"An'an, don't get close to him."
Her voice was low, laced with undisguised disgust and wariness.
"Tang Wulin has designs on you. He's dangerous."
Designs on him?
Lin An grumbled to himself.
You're the one with the most designs on me.
He ignored Gu Yue and sidestepped around her.
Gu Yue froze for a moment, then alarm bells rang in her heart, and she hurried after him.
She reached out to take Lin An's hand, but without even turning his head, Lin An slapped it away.
The sharp smack rang out, crisp and decisive.
Gu Yue's hand froze in midair. Her fingers slowly curled into a fist.
She stood where she was, watching Lin An's back, lips pressed tight and eyes dark.
As far as she was concerned, Tang Wulin had to be putting on an act.
This was all a scheme laid by Sea God Tang San.
Dragon Queen had simply been deceived.
A flash of coldness passed through Gu Yue's eyes. She quickly followed Lin An and stopped three steps behind him.
Lin An walked up to Tang Wulin and looked down at him.
Tang Wulin sat leaning against the tree trunk, bandages wrapped around him. His uniform was burned to tatters, and his exposed skin was covered in burns and frost marks.
He kept his head down, not daring to look at Lin An.
"Are you still hurt?" Lin An asked.
Tang Wulin nodded, his voice muffled. "The teacher said... Gu Yue's elemental power is unusual. It'll take a while to clear it out. I need a few days to recover."
Lin An frowned.
He took a metal case out of his Soul Tool and opened it.
Twelve syringes were neatly arranged inside.
He took one out and jabbed it into Tang Wulin's arm.
The instant the needle pierced his skin, Tang Wulin instinctively sucked in a sharp breath.
Then an immense, indescribable vitality burst from the puncture.
The elemental power lingering in his meridians—
It was as fragile as paper in the face of that flood of life, swept away and scattered in all directions.
The wounds on his body healed at a visible rate.
Scabs formed and fell away, leaving smooth, new skin beneath.
The whole thing took no more than ten seconds.
The watching students sucked in sharp breaths.
"What is that? That effect is ridiculous!"
"The healing Soul Master said it'd take three days to recover, but one shot and it's all better?"
"How much does one of those cost...?"
Someone who knew their stuff swallowed hard.
He lowered his voice.
"My family's in the medicinal herb business."
"That golden sheen—if I'm not mistaken, it's Millennium Dragon Blood Grass Extract."
"It goes for at least fifty thousand Federal Credit per gram."
"There must be at least ten grams in that syringe."
Five hundred thousand.
One syringe, five hundred thousand Federal Credit.
The surroundings fell silent at once.
Everyone looked at the case of syringes in Lin An's hand, their expressions changing.
"What a waste of a treasure..."
Someone muttered under their breath.
Their voice brimmed with heartache and envy.
He could've just seen a healing-type Soul Master for an injury like that. It would only have taken a little time.
Why use such expensive medicine?
Tang Wulin felt vitality surge through his body.
He wanted to speak.
Lin An cut him off.
"Don't move."
Lin An's voice was even.
He held out his hand, palm up.
In the sunlight after the rain, his hand was almost translucent white.
His joints were clearly defined, his fingers slender.
Tang Wulin froze.
He looked at that hand, feeling awkward.
It was too clean.
His own hand was muddy, crusted with blood, and stained.
He didn't dare touch it, afraid he'd dirty it.
"Take it."
Lin An repeated calmly.
Tang Wulin clenched his teeth.
He rubbed his hand hard against his pants twice.
Then he placed it in Lin An's, carefully.
He didn't dare close his fingers around it, only resting his hand lightly against Lin An's palm.
Lin An's skin felt cool against his palm.
Just as he'd imagined.
Three steps away, Gu Yue watched them.
The jealousy surging in her chest nearly burned through her reason.
Her purple eyes were fixed on their joined hands.
Her pupils contracted into dangerous vertical slits.
But she didn't move.
She couldn't lose control.
The Dragon Queen had already grown repulsed by her closeness.
If she rushed over and separated them again, she would only drive Lin An farther away from her.
She took a deep breath and forced the savagery back down into her heart.
But the darkness in her eyes grew deeper by the moment.
Sooner or later, I'll make you disappear.
What kind of person are you, to think you can compete with me for the Dragon Queen?
Before you continue