Dugu Yan Emerged from Seclusion, Yu Tianheng the Clown

"Yan Yan..." Yu Tianheng could not help speaking up, his voice somewhat dry as he tried to draw her attention again.

Dugu Yan frowned and turned to look at him, her tone carrying a trace of impatience, her brows tightly knitted.

"Yu Tianheng, we are not that close. Please do not call me Yan Yan. Just call me Dugu Yan. We have not reached the kind of relationship where you can use a nickname."

Yu Tianheng's face instantly flushed red, as if he had been viciously slapped. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but not a single word came out. It felt as though something had lodged in his throat.

Dugu Yan turned back to explain to Lin Ming, her tone tinged with urgency. "Lin Ming, do not misunderstand. I have nothing to do with Yu Tianheng. We only met a few times and exchanged a few words at the academy before. We cannot even be considered friends. He is just overly familiar with everyone, so do not take it to heart."

Those words were like a sharp blade viciously stabbed into Yu Tianheng's heart, then twisted three times.

The surrounding students watched the scene with spectacular expressions. Some covered their mouths and snickered, some shook their heads and sighed, while others openly reveled in his misfortune.

"Damn, what kind of love battlefield is this? This is way too exciting!"

"Senior Yu Tianheng likes Senior Dugu Yan, but Senior Dugu Yan likes that Lin Ming? This love triangle is such a mess!"

"This is too miserable... Getting friend-zoned in front of so many people—he has completely lost face."

"I feel like Senior Yu Tianheng is wearing a little green hat. No, it is glowing green."

"Poor Senior Yu Tianheng. It ended before it even began."

Yu Tianheng's chest heaved violently like a boiler on the verge of exploding. His fists clenched so tightly that his nails nearly dug into his flesh, blood seeping from his palms.

He looked at Lin Ming's calm face, as though everything was under control, and the fury in his heart erupted like a volcano, burning away every last shred of reason.

"Lin Ming!" Yu Tianheng roared, his voice filled with rage and humiliation, shaking leaves from the surrounding trees.

"If you are a man, fight me right now! I will show you who is worthy of Yan... Dugu Yan! I will defeat you in front of everyone!"

Lin Ming raised an eyebrow. Before he could speak, Dugu Yan spoke first.

She said casually, as if discussing what to eat that night, "Lin Ming, hurry up and finish this. I reserved a private room at the cafeteria, the one by the window on the third floor. The view is especially nice. We can go eat afterward and talk about your future arrangements at the academy. I know a few teachers and can recommend you to them."

That tone, that attitude, that indifferent look—it was as though she did not believe Yu Tianheng could win at all, as though the outcome of this battle had already been decided.

Yu Tianheng trembled with rage. His eyes reddened, and veins bulged on his forehead like writhing earthworms.

The surrounding spectators also drew sharp breaths and began whispering among themselves.

"Senior Dugu Yan does not think Senior Yu Tianheng has any chance at all... That is way too heartbreaking!"

"If I were Senior Yu Tianheng, I would want to crawl into a crack in the ground right now. This is too humiliating."

"He has already lost before they have even fought."

Seeing Yu Tianheng on the verge of exploding with anger, Lin Ming sighed helplessly and walked onto the fighting arena with his spear, taking his stance.

"Fine. Since you want to fight that badly, come on. But let me remind you of something—I hate simps the most. In the end, simps get nothing."

"What did you say?!" Yu Tianheng flew into a rage. The veins on his forehead nearly burst as dragon scales instantly covered his entire body, even his neck crawling with dense scales.

Blue-violet lightning leaped wildly around him, crackling explosively and blasting cracks into the stone tiles beneath his feet.

"Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon—Possession!"

Two yellow and one purple spirit rings rose beneath his feet, radiating dazzling light and making him look like a thunder god descended upon the world. His hands transformed into sharp dragon claws, their nails over half a foot long and gleaming coldly.

His arms were covered in dense layers of dragon scales, their astonishing defense displaying the noble bloodline of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

A violent aura spread outward from him, forcing the surrounding spectators to retreat several steps as they felt a suffocating pressure.

"Thunderclap Dragon Claw!"

"Thunderous Thousand Jun!"

"Dragon's Fury!"

Yu Tianheng unleashed three spirit skills in rapid succession from the very start, holding nothing back and pushing his strength to its limit.

Rage had already clouded his mind. He wanted only to use the fastest speed and greatest force to utterly crush the man who had made him lose all face, grinding him into pulp!

Blue-violet lightning condensed into an enormous dragon claw as large as a millstone, descending toward Lin Ming's head with overwhelming force!

The air filled with the smell of scorching. Stray bolts of lightning blasted blackened pits into the stone floor, sending rubble flying everywhere. Wherever the dragon claw passed, the air emitted a piercing shriek, as though even space itself were about to be torn apart.

"So strong!"

"Senior Yu Tianheng is serious now! He is not holding back at all!"

"Even a Soul King would not dare take that attack head-on! This is terrifying!"

The spectators cried out in alarm, their faces pale. Some even shut their eyes, unable to bear watching the coming disaster.

Yet Lin Ming stood where he was without moving. He did not even raise an eyelid, as though that overwhelming attack were nothing more than a breeze.

Only when the lightning dragon claw was about to fall upon his head, less than three feet from his scalp, did he finally move.

The Heaven-Piercing Divine Spear left its sheath.

The white-gold spear shaft bloomed with dazzling light in his hand, like a miniature sun rising from his palm. The golden patterns along the spear blade began to flow as if they had come alive, radiating an indescribable pressure.

Two purple and one black spirit rings lit up at the same time, slowly revolving around him.

When that profound black spirit ring entered everyone's sight, the entire fighting arena instantly fell silent.

Everyone's eyes widened and their mouths dropped open, as if they had witnessed something utterly unbelievable.

"A... a Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring?!"

"Am I seeing things? That is a Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring?! Black! It really is a Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring!"

"How old is he? Twelve or thirteen? His third spirit ring is ten thousand years old?! How is that possible?! It defies all reason!"

"Even the offspring of a Titled Douluo could not possibly absorb a ten-thousand-year spirit ring as their third spirit ring! How did he do it?!"

Everyone's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, their jaws dropping to the ground.

Yu Tianheng's pupils also contracted sharply. His heart gave a violent thump as intense unease and fear surged within him.

But it was already too late.

Lin Ming's second spirit ring lit up—Heaven-Piercing Battle Intent!

His eyes shone with dazzling golden light, as though two flames burned within his pupils. His muscles swelled slightly, and his speed and strength instantly more than doubled! A violent battle intent spread outward from him, making even the surrounding air feel heavy.

Immediately afterward, his first spirit ring lit up. A brilliant white-gold spear radiance condensed upon the Heaven-Piercing Divine Spear, flickering unsteadily as it exuded an incomparably sharp aura, as though it could pierce through everything.

"Shatter the Sky."

Lin Ming calmly spoke those two words.

Then, he thrust his spear.

There were no flashy techniques, no superfluous movements, no dazzling effects—only the purest, most extreme penetrating force. Returning to simplicity, the greatest path was the simplest.

That white-gold spear radiance streaked like a meteor through the night sky, tearing through the air as it collided violently with Yu Tianheng's lightning dragon claw.