Defiant Provocation

"This guy's definitely a masochist."

Ning Rongrong crossed her arms over her chest. The cuffs of her green dress swayed slightly with her movements as her bright eyes sized Yu Tianheng up and down, filled with undisguised contempt.

"Fang Fan one-shot you with a single soul skill, and before your bandages were even fully off, you came running back for another beating—

You've taken overestimating yourself to the level of an art form."

After saying that, she even shook her head and sighed. That look of disappointment was more piercing than any mockery.

"Bullshit! Our captain can definitely beat that drunkard!"

One team member flushed bright red, the veins in his neck bulging.

His voice was shrill and loud, echoing beneath the training ground's dome.

"That's right! Our captain went back to his clan, so he must have received guidance from some expert there! He'll definitely win today!" Another

team member immediately chimed in, his fists clenched tight, as though shouting loudly enough could make it come true.

Most of the Imperial Fighting Team members stood on Yu Tianheng's side, noisily speaking up for him.

But the louder they shouted, the weaker their confidence became—the shadow of that sword strike from this morning still weighed heavily on everyone's heart.

Even if they lost, they had to stand by him. It was the last thing they could do.

Dugu Yan did not.

She stood beside a corridor pillar at the edge of the training ground, arms folded. Her dark green ponytail swayed gently in the draft, while her emerald snake eyes calmly watched everything on the field.

Her gaze lingered for a moment on Yu Tianheng's face, which was filled with blind confidence.

Then she slowly looked away and shook her head almost imperceptibly.

This guy really didn't know his limits. He had been one-shot and still wanted to turn things around. What a fool's dream.

Yu Tianheng had once been the strongest in the Imperial Fighting Team. Without anyone to compare him to, she had never seen it.

Now that someone truly strong had appeared, the gap between them was exposed as clearly as in a mirror that revealed monsters.

His arrogance, his stubbornness, and his petty instinct to run back to his clan for help instead of quietly training after being challenged—

Every single one of those things disappointed her.

Yu Tianheng stood in the middle of the training ground, feet slightly apart and arms folded, his chin lifted.

Twilight poured down through the glass windows in the dome, coating him in a thin layer of gold.

He stood there like a gladiator awaiting a duel, like a fierce tiger about to pounce on its prey.

His gaze crossed the entire training ground and landed on the white-clad youth leaning crookedly against a girl's shoulder. In an almost commanding tone, he shouted:

"Fang Fan! Come on!"

His voice echoed through the empty training ground, carrying the hot-blooded impulsiveness unique to youth, along with a hint of urgency to prove himself before the girl he loved.

He had waited far too long for this day.

Fang Fan finally lifted his head from Zhu Zhuqing's shoulder.

His movements were slow, as though he were merely stretching.

His lazy eyes opened slightly. In the twilight, they were like an ancient, still lake, reflecting Yu Tianheng's face filled with fighting spirit.

He looked for a moment, then withdrew his gaze.

"Come on."

Fang Fan's tone was as calm as if he were agreeing to something trivial. Then he tilted his head slightly, a faint curve appearing at the corner of his lips, and added words that instantly plunged the entire training ground into silence.

"But this time, if you lose—

You'll bark like a dog, then say in front of every student in the academy that your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul is a mongrel dog."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Even the few pigeons roosting atop the dome stopped cooing.

Yu Tianheng's face instantly turned liver-purple, then shifted from purple to iron blue, finally settling into a deep red that seemed ready to drip blood.

His eyes widened in fury, the veins on his forehead throbbing. He clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles creaked.

For the first time in all his years, he had encountered someone so arrogant—

Not only arrogant, but vicious. Not only vicious, but precise.

Fang Fan did not want his life, his injuries, or even to make him kneel and beg for mercy—

He wanted his dignity, the dignity of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and the pride instilled in him from childhood, carved into his very bones.

"You—"

Yu Tianheng trembled with rage, his teeth clenched so tightly that even his jawbones creaked.

An image involuntarily surfaced in his mind:

Himself stepping on Fang Fan beneath his feet, again and again, until Fang Fan begged for mercy, until he cried,

Until he knelt on the ground and swallowed back every word he had just said, one by one.

"What the hell are you so arrogant for?!"

One team member jumped up and pointed at Fang Fan's nose, his finger trembling with fury.

"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul is the strongest beast martial soul!"

Another team member flushed red as well and roared at the top of his lungs.

"The continent's universally acknowledged number one beast martial soul! Who dares deny it?"

Fang Fan did not even spare them a glance.

His gaze remained fixed on Yu Tianheng, still carrying that unruffled calm.

As though he were waiting for an answer—did Yu Tianheng dare?

"What? Too scared?"

Ning Rongrong planted her hands on her hips and raised her chin slightly. Her clear voice was like a death knell striking Yu Tianheng's heart.

"If you're too scared, then get lost. Stop barking in front of us."

She loathed Yu Tianheng to the extreme—

He overestimated himself, kept pestering them, and after getting one-shot by a sword strike, he still had the nerve to bring people here to block their path.

"Yu Tianheng."

Dugu Yan finally spoke. Her voice was cold and steady, like a basin of icy water dumped over Yu Tianheng's head amid the noisy training ground.

"Stop overestimating yourself—go back."

Go back.

Those two words were like a red-hot branding iron searing Yu Tianheng's heart.

He abruptly turned toward Dugu Yan, his eyes full of disbelief.

Who had he done all this for?

Who had he returned to his clan and stolen the True Dragon Nine Crowns for?

Who had he risked being discovered by his grandfather to stand here for?

He had done it to fight for his pride, to make her proud of him, to make her eyes fall on him once more.

But what was she saying now?

Go back?

He wanted her to watch him defeat Fang Fan, to watch him use the True Dragon Nine Crowns' power to blast Fang Fan away.

He wanted her to be infatuated with him—

That was the only reason he stood here today.

"Dugu Yan! Watch—

Watch how I defeat this drunkard!"

Flames seemed to burn in Yu Tianheng's eyes, his voice hoarse and blazing.

He no longer looked at Dugu Yan, at the teammates urging him to calm down, or even at Ning Rongrong's mocking face.

Only one thought remained in his mind, like a wildfire burning away all reason:

Defeat him, make Dugu Yan see him in a new light, make her adore him, and let the entire academy know who the strongest man of the Imperial Fighting Team was.

"Come on! If you lose—then get out of Heaven Dou Royal Academy!"

He suddenly turned back and pointed directly at Fang Fan. Every word was a blade ground out from between his teeth. He wanted to raise the stakes, to make this drunkard pay for his arrogance as well.

You want me to bark like a dog? Fine, then I'll make you get out of the academy.

"Fine."

Fang Fan said only one word.

He straightened up, took the Seven-Colored Light Sword from Zhu Zhuqing's hand, and strode toward the center of the training ground.

The final rays of the setting sun slanted through the dome's glass windows, coating his white robes in a pale golden glow.