Was Zhang Ping angry?
Of course he was!
But he ordered himself not to be angry.→
Every Infinite-Tier Ability User tended to have one ability at the heart of their powers. Zhang Ping's was naturally the Contract Gem, but Liu Tiefeng's remained unknown.
There was no doubt Liu Tiefeng was trying to provoke him.
Whether Liu Tiefeng wanted anger to rob him of reason, or had an ability like Nether Mist that could absorb anger—or even one that worked specifically on it—Zhang Ping could not let him have his way.
In truth, the shifting clouds and mist around them did not block their sight.
Neither had closed in because neither knew whether the other had a lethal close-range ability.
And on the surface, both the Nether Mist Zhang Ping controlled and the clouds Liu Tiefeng used to generate lightning looked like powers that could command storm clouds. Neither could be sure what would happen upon entering the other's range.
Some abilities, especially when combined, were unimaginably powerful. All the more reason to be cautious.
"Looks like provocation won't work on him."
Liu Tiefeng waited a moment. When Zhang Ping's emotions showed no change, he raised his assessment of Zhang Ping's threat level several notches.
A battle between humans had never been a pure contest of strength.→
When opponents were evenly matched, intelligence mattered greatly. Some Awakened thought themselves so powerful that they disliked using their heads in a fight. They might get away with it once or twice, but one defeat could plunge them into an abyss from which there was no return.
If Zhang Ping had grown angry, Liu Tiefeng would have been pleased. Unfortunately, Zhang Ping was too calm. His emotions did not waver at all; Liu Tiefeng could neither sense what he felt nor see through his