Chen Dabiao!

At that moment, with the lesson having fallen apart and the atmosphere turning strange and awkward,

"Xiaowan! Xiaowan, what's wrong?!"

an urgent, booming male voice laced with anger rang out nearby like a thunderclap.

A tall, burly young man in a finely tailored, expensive Warrior uniform came charging over in long strides, his thick brows and large eyes set above a rather rugged face. His expression was full of anxiety and fury. Several followers with formidable auras trailed behind him.

The young man was named Chen Dabiao, the direct heir of the Chen Household's current generation.

Once Warriors reached the later stages, their lifespans increased dramatically. This was what had given rise to the martial clans!

For example, South River Base City had several such clans!

The Chen Household easily ranked among the top three. It even had a Fifth Tier expert within its ranks!

The Chen Household was a prominent family in South River Base City. Although it was slightly inferior to the Su Household, it was still well-matched with them.

Chen Dabiao had known Su Yunwan since childhood and had always regarded her as the goddess in his heart, pursuing her tirelessly. Unfortunately, Su Yunwan had always been lukewarm toward him.

He had heard that Su Yunwan had recently been going to the dangerous Seventh Entrance frequently. Unable to put his mind at ease, he had come over especially to check on her—and also to make his presence felt in front of her before the tournament.

He had not expected that, the moment he found the place, he would see the goddess of his dreams crouching on the ground, her shoulders trembling as though she were crying.

And standing before her was a brat in a tattered, bloodstained training uniform, carrying a silver spear and wearing an indifferent expression!

How could he tolerate that?!

"Xiaowan, did this brat bully you?!" Chen Dabiao rushed to Su Yunwan's side in a single stride. He wanted to help her up but did not dare touch her recklessly, so he could only glare furiously at Lin Ming, his eyes practically spitting fire.

"Who are you?! How dare you bully Xiaowan! Are you tired of living?!"

Lin Ming glanced at him without saying anything. He turned his gaze toward Su Yunwan, and his eyes clearly said: Who's this? Your friend? He doesn't seem too bright.

Su Yunwan was also startled when she saw Chen Dabiao. She quickly wiped her face and stood up, forcing down her anger and grievance toward Lin Ming before frowning and saying, "Chen Dabiao? What are you doing here? I wasn't crying, and no one bullied me. We were... exchanging martial techniques."

"Exchanging martial techniques?" Chen Dabiao looked at Su Yunwan's slightly reddened eyes, then at Lin Ming's cold, unapproachable expression, and finally at the dilapidated, bloody surroundings. His face was filled with disbelief.

"Xiaowan, don't be afraid! With me here, no one can bully you! Was this brat relying on his strength to force you to teach him martial techniques? Or was he coveting your..."

"What nonsense are you spouting?!" Su Yunwan interrupted him impatiently. Her mood was already terrible from being angered into tears by Lin Ming.

Chen Dabiao's blustering, self-righteous concern only made her more irritated. "Lin Ming is teaching me! Teaching me martial techniques! Do you understand?"

"He's teaching you?" Chen Dabiao looked as if he had heard the greatest joke in the world and sized Lin Ming up from head to toe.

Young—far too young. He was probably barely an adult. His clothes made him look like cannon fodder, and his aura... Huh? Second Realm? And seemingly not weak, either.

But so what if he was in the Second Realm? Chen Dabiao had reached the Fourth Layer of the Second Realm at the age of twenty-three!

He possessed the B-grade talent Fury! With his full combat power unleashed, he could match experts at the Sixth or Seventh Layer of the Second Realm! He was also a renowned figure among South River's younger generation!

"Xiaowan, stop joking around. Him? Teaching you martial techniques?"

Chen Dabiao sneered and looked at Lin Ming with disdain and hostility.

"Brat, I don't care who you are or what sweet lies you used to trick Xiaowan. Now, leave. Immediately. Stay away from Xiaowan in the future! Otherwise..."

He clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking sharply. The threat in his voice was unmistakable.

Lin Ming finally turned his full attention to Chen Dabiao. After looking at him for two seconds, he tilted his head and asked Su Yunwan calmly, "Who's this? Your pursuer? The clingy kind?"

Su Yunwan nodded instinctively. "Mm, more or less..."

Lin Ming understood. He nodded and uttered a concise term:

"Oh. So he's a simp."

His voice was not loud, but everyone present was a Warrior and heard him perfectly clearly.

The air instantly froze.

Su Yunwan's beautiful eyes widened as she stared at Lin Ming in disbelief. This guy... Is he always this direct? Although... he doesn't seem to be wrong.

Chen Dabiao, meanwhile, looked as if he had been struck by lightning. His face instantly turned from red to green, then from green to black, and finally swelled into the color of pig liver! A violent surge of vital energy erupted uncontrollably from his body, sending dust billowing across the ground!

"You! Said! What?!" Chen Dabiao forced the words out through clenched teeth, his expression so vicious he looked ready to devour someone. "Brat, you're courting death!"

"Dabiao! Calm down!" Su Yunwan hurriedly stepped between them and said anxiously to Lin Ming, "Lin Ming, say less!"

Then she turned toward Chen Dabiao, her tone stern. "Chen Dabiao, I'm warning you. Don't cause trouble here! Lin Ming is my friend, and also the teacher I hired..."

"Teacher? Him? He's worthy?!" Furious beyond reason, Chen Dabiao could not listen to anything she said. He pointed at Lin Ming and roared,

"If you're a man, don't hide behind a woman! Do you dare fight me in the arena? Today, I'll teach you a lesson and show you the meaning of how vast the heavens and earth are! I'll also let Xiaowan see who's truly worth relying on!"

His words sounded righteous and grand, but in reality, he simply wanted to display his strength in front of Su Yunwan and crush this brat who had appeared out of nowhere and dared to insult him.

The commotion had already attracted quite a few members of the Death Squad and Guard Army soldiers. Some of them recognized Chen Dabiao.

"Holy crap, that's the Chen Household's young master, Chen Dabiao!"

"I heard he's already at the Fourth Layer of the Second Realm! And he has the B-grade talent 'Fury'!"

"That Madman Lin seems to be only at the Third Layer of the Second Realm, right? If they fight..."

"Chen Dabiao ranks among the top twenty of South River's younger generation! Madman Lin may be fierce, but he's still an unorthodox fighter..."

"This is going to be good!"

Lin Ming listened to the surrounding comments without the slightest change in expression. He glanced at Chen Dabiao, who was trembling with rage, then at Su Yunwan, whose face was filled with anxiety and helplessness, and suddenly found it a little boring.

"Not interested." He uttered the three words flatly and turned to leave.

Fighting some spoiled heir whose brain had been addled by hormones was nothing but a waste of time. With that time, he might as well deduce a martial technique or think about how to earn more Kill Points.

"Stop! You coward! Chicken!" Seeing Lin Ming about to leave, Chen Dabiao assumed he was afraid. His momentum grew even stronger as he shouted relentlessly,

"If you don't fight me today, don't even think about leaving! Unless you kneel and kowtow three times, admit that you're trash, and swear never to approach Xiaowan again!"

Lin Ming stopped walking.

He slowly turned around and looked at Chen Dabiao. Those eyes, which had always been devoid of emotion, finally showed the slightest ripple—a chill as cold as that of someone looking at a dead man.

"You're noisy," Lin Ming said. His voice was calm, yet it seemed to lower the surrounding temperature by several degrees. "Since you insist on fighting, then hurry up. I'm in a rush."

"Good! You've got guts!" Chen Dabiao snarled with a grin and pointed toward a relatively open area nearby that had been temporarily turned into a training ground.

"Over there! If I don't beat you until you kneel and beg for mercy today, I, Chen Dabiao, will write my name backward!"

The two of them walked toward the empty area one after the other. The crowd surged after them, excitedly discussing the coming fight.

Su Yunwan wanted to stop them, but seeing Lin Ming's expression, she knew she could not. She could only stamp her foot and follow, inexplicably feeling a little worried for Chen Dabiao.

She had personally witnessed Lin Ming slay the Third Tier Blood Wolf King! Chen Dabiao was not weak, but compared to that monster, Lin Ming...

In the open area, the two stood facing each other, ten meters apart.

Chen Dabiao rolled his wrists and ankles and twisted his neck, looking completely confident of victory. He continued chattering,

"Brat, don't say I'm bullying you. I can let you have three moves, or..."

He had not finished speaking.

Lin Ming moved.

There was no warning, no buildup, and not even a starting stance.

He simply took one step forward.

The ground beneath his foot cracked silently! His figure was like a ghost, leaving a faint afterimage in everyone's vision as he crossed the ten-meter distance in an instant and appeared before Chen Dabiao!