The Onlooker

When Shen Fei entered the academy gates, the bell for class had yet to ring. He followed the main path toward the classroom building and spotted a ring of people beside the training field in the distance, considerably more than usually gathered between classes.

He slowed and walked over, peering through the crowd. Two people stood in the field: Nie Li and, opposite him, Ye Han, a tall young man dressed in a dark red combat outfit.

A golden halo of Spiritual Power surrounded Ye Han, his aura deep and heavy. His gold peak cultivation seemed to weigh down even the air around him. A summoning array lay beneath his feet, and a Ground Dragon covered in golden scales crouched beside him.

The Ground Dragon was not particularly enormous, but its scales gleamed like metal in the sunlight. Its limbs were thick and powerful, and when its tail swept across the ground, it scraped a shallow white mark into the flagstones.

A black gold peak aura radiated from the beast, a full level above Ye Han himself.

The surrounding students kept their distance. Some whispered that Ye Han was taking this seriously. The Golden-Armored Ground Dragon was one of the finest varieties of black gold Demon Beast, rarely deployed even by the City Lord's Mansion. Bringing it out straightaway today clearly meant he intended to fight for real.

Nie Li stood on the other side of the field, his hands tucked into his sleeves and his expression impassive. A round, black-and-white Demon Beast squatted beside him. It was not very large and looked like a bear that had grown fat from overeating. Two tufts of black fur stood upright on its ears as it slowly scratched its belly with a paw.

Laughter rippled through the crowd. Someone recognized it as a Tiger-Fanged Panda and called it one of the most useless varieties of Demon Beast, normally good for nothing but rough work like plowing fields and pulling carts. It did not even have bronze rank combat strength.

Shen Fei stood at the edge of the crowd, his gaze passing over the two men in the field before shifting to the side. Xiao Ning'er stood on the steps beside the training field, holding a Cultivation Manual. Judging by the cover, it was Fundamentals of Inscription Theory.

She had not pushed her way to the front, instead choosing a spot with a good view, and was watching the field. Shen Fei walked over and stopped beside her.

"You're here." Xiao Ning'er did not turn her head, and her voice was very low. "I thought you weren't coming to the academy today."

"I had something to take care of. I made it just in time." Shen Fei followed her gaze toward the field. "How strong is Ye Han?"

Xiao Ning'er fell silent for two seconds, as though weighing her words.

"Gold peak, with solid Spiritual Power and no obvious weaknesses. His Golden-Armored Ground Dragon is a black gold peak Demon Beast, a whole tier stronger than he is. In a real fight, that Ground Dragon alone could suppress most gold rank opponents."

"And compared with Nie Li?"

"There's quite a gap." Xiao Ning'er's tone was calm, as though she were stating a fact that needed no debate.

"Ye Han is strong, but his approach is too orthodox. Every move he makes was trained strictly by the book. His fighting style is conservative, and he doesn't adapt quickly enough. Nie Li is different. You never know what angle his next move will come from. Shen Hao lost so decisively at the Genius Tournament because he couldn't make heads or tails of Nie Li's approach. Ye Han's cultivation is much higher than Shen Hao's, but he has the same problem."

Shen Fei nodded. Xiao Ning'er's assessment was much the same as what he had worked out at the Genius Tournament. Ye Han's raw strength was indeed formidable, and the appearance of the Golden-Armored Ground Dragon gave him an edge over Nie Li on paper.

But an actual fight was not a contest of numbers. Nie Li's movement techniques and ability to turn an opponent's strength against them were the perfect counter to such a methodical fighting style. The more Ye Han relied on moves he had practiced hundreds of times, the easier it would be for Nie Li to lead him by the nose.

While they spoke, the fight in the field had already begun. Ye Han made the first move. The Golden-Armored Ground Dragon let out a low roar, and its tail swept across with a rush of wind, moving with tremendous speed and force. It carved a deep furrow through the flagstones in its path.

Nie Li slid half a step to the side, just enough for the dragon's tail to brush past in front of him without even touching the hem of his clothes.

He tapped the ground with his toes and used the momentum of his dodge to close another step toward Ye Han. With a flick of his wrist, a gray-white streak of Spiritual Power shot from his fingers toward Ye Han's face.

Ye Han tilted his head to dodge the streak while commanding the Golden-Armored Ground Dragon to slam its foreclaw down. The heavy claw descended toward Nie Li's head, wrapped in golden Spiritual Power. Nie Li did not meet it head-on. He leaned back slightly and retreated two steps as though the wind had pushed him. The Golden-Armored Ground Dragon's foreclaw struck the ground, sending shattered stone flying high.

A wave of quiet gasps rose from the watching crowd.

After just two exchanges, anyone with a discerning eye could tell that Nie Li's agility far outstripped Ye Han's ability to respond. The Golden-Armored Ground Dragon had tremendous attack power, but against Nie Li's movement, as slippery as a swimming fish, it could not touch him at all.

Ye Han's expression darkened a little. He accelerated his offensive, and the Golden-Armored Ground Dragon attacked more frequently. Golden and gray-white streaks of Spiritual Power collided in succession across the field, blasting out ring after ring of shock waves.

After watching for a while, Shen Fei had a clear idea of the outcome. This was probably Ye Han's limit. If the fight continued, he would only grow more and more impatient.

Nie Li had barely used the Tiger-Fanged Panda so far, relying throughout on his movement techniques and basic control of Spiritual Power to maneuver around his opponent. If he truly revealed all his trump cards, Ye Han would not last a quarter of an hour.

"Yesterday, you said Nie Li wouldn't stay in Glory City." Xiao Ning'er suddenly spoke, her gaze still on the field. "What happens after he leaves?"

Shen Fei did not answer immediately. He leaned against the railing beside the steps, his gaze following the figure weaving across the field. "After he leaves, there will still be others."

"Who?"

"It's hard to say right now." Shen Fei's tone was even. "But a city can't rest on one person's shoulders alone. Nie Li is already doing what he can. The Formation Arrays, pills, and city defenses won't disappear just because he leaves. The rest is for other people to take up."

Xiao Ning'er was silent for a while. She turned to glance at Shen Fei, as though trying to read something more from his face. His expression was calm, his gaze resting on the field, and she could not tell what he was thinking.

At that moment, the fight in the field reached its conclusion.

Ye Han's Golden-Armored Ground Dragon lunged and missed again. As its foreclaw struck the ground, its center of gravity tipped forward half an inch. Nie Li seized that opening to dart in from the side, pressed one hand against the joint of its foreleg, and gave a gentle tug. Using the force of the Ground Dragon's own forward charge, he pulled its entire body off course.

The Golden-Armored Ground Dragon stumbled two steps, its massive body blocking Ye Han's view. Nie Li flashed out from behind its flank, and a streak of Spiritual Power struck Ye Han's protective barrier.

The barrier trembled. Although it did not break, Ye Han's expression shifted slightly; he had clearly felt the force of the Spiritual Power jolting through it. He retreated two steps to steady himself. The Golden-Armored Ground Dragon moved in front of him again, but showed no intention of continuing its attack.

The murmurs around them fell silent for a moment. Then someone whispered that Nie Li had forced Ye Han back two steps. The remark quickly spread through the crowd, quiet but perfectly clear.

Ye Han's face darkened completely. He did not attack again, instead recalling the Golden-Armored Ground Dragon and turning to leave. His back remained perfectly straight, but his clenched fists betrayed the anger he was holding down.

Nie Li stood where he was, his face expressionless, as though he had done something perfectly ordinary. He bent down and patted the head of the Tiger-Fanged Panda squatting beside him, which had been watching the show. The panda grunted, rolled over, and continued basking in the sun.

The watching students gradually dispersed, and quiet returned to the edge of the training field. Nie Li glanced toward Shen Fei and Xiao Ning'er. He did not come over, merely nodding before turning toward the classroom building.

Shen Fei withdrew his gaze and straightened. "I still have class this afternoon. I'll be going." He took two steps, then looked back at Xiao Ning'er. "It's enough that you know about what's happening with Su Ming. Don't get involved."

Xiao Ning'er paused in surprise, then nodded. As she watched Shen Fei's retreating back, an indescribable feeling stirred within her. This man always seemed to know a little about everything, yet never explained anything fully. His visit to the academy to watch this match probably had not been merely for the spectacle, either.

Sunlight shone down from overhead as the dust on the training field slowly settled. In the distance, the class bell rang from the classroom building, its sound lingering and steady.