The End

Moonlight flowed like water, cascading from the Milky Way. The interwoven, clashing flashes of blades disturbed the bright moon, brimming with two indomitable wills.

Sparks struck from colliding blade tips reflected in their bright eyes. As their blades met again, the two God's Agents stared at each other.

"Lin Qiye, aren't you tired?"

"No!" Lin Qiye took a breath, determination shining in his eyes.

"You've already done incredibly well!" Wang Mian's admiration for his fellow agent grew. "At your age, I might not have done this well!"

"I just want to give it everything I've got, just this once!" Lin Qiye answered with his razor-sharp blade.

"All right!"

Understanding his resolve, Wang Mian slashed faster, and Lin Qiye matched his pace.

The invisible net woven from countless flashes of blades drove the battle to its climax.

Wang Mian's body trembled slightly. Tempestuous waves surged through his once-calm eyes, and a majestic radiance outshone the moon. Ring after ring of invisible ripples spread from beneath the mask bearing the character for "king."

Divine majesty flooded Lin Qiye's mind. This was his first taste of the crushing pressure of a god's might.

Only a god could oppose a god!

Lin Qiye's pupils contracted, unleashing dazzling golden light. His blazing Golden Eyes and burning divine might erupted like a volcano that had slumbered for millennia.

In an instant, a violent Astral Wind swept outward from the two of them.

"Holy shit!"

"How did one glare from those two kick up a wind?!" Baili Pangpang shot to his feet in shock.

"It's not them. It's..."

Azure light shone from beneath Wang Quan's sunglasses as his fiery fighting spirit erupted. He bit out a single word,

"Gods!"

Following that azure gaze, two towering figures could be seen beneath the heavens, staring at each other. Their rolling divine might was as subtle as water, yet as heavy as mountains.

The God of Time, Kronos!

The King of the Gods, Michael!

Their divine might collided fiercely, and bloodshot veins crept into Lin Qiye's and Wang Mian's eyes. Now it was a contest of the gods' underlying power.

The next instant, an irrepressible, blazing fighting spirit stirred both torrents of divine might. Kronos and Michael turned to look at the same time.

Wang Quan stood up, his hands in his pockets, his spirits soaring.

Even facing two gods at once, he remained confident and proud, as though a great dragon coiled within his eyes.

Lin Qiye and Wang Mian were stunned. Neither had ever imagined that the gods behind them would turn their attention to an ordinary person.

"This guy's a real freak!"

"He sure is!"

After that brief exchange of looks, the clash between the gods reached its end.

With a muffled boom, Wang Mian shuddered, let out a grunt, and staggered backward.

At the same time, the Time Divine Ruins surrounding him crumbled inch by inch.

Lin Qiye tightened his grip on his Straight Saber and launched himself forward like a cannonball...

A pale blue crescent was etched beneath the silver moon.

Time froze at that moment.

Crack-!

The blade swept across the mask, splitting the character for "king" in two!

The match was over.

Mask had lost!

Beneath the mask was a refined, composed face, as calm as ever, with a hint of admiration in its eyes.

The spectators sprang to their feet. Only Wang Quan remained utterly unruffled.

The instructors sitting in front of the monitors were the most rattled of all. They had never expected the recruits to actually win.

Wang Mian looked at Lin Qiye and said quietly, "Sorry!"

As soon as he spoke, his eyes lit up, radiating a faint glow.

The Time Divine Ruins unfolded once more!

The mask, just about to hit the ground, returned to Wang Mian's face. Lin Qiye was still in the middle of his slash, while the spectators who had stood up returned to their seats, their minds blank.

Was that time flowing backward?

Lin Qiye's face was full of suspicion. Was that really an ability someone in the Lamp Realm could use?

Of course, Lin Qiye wasn't the only one who remembered. The instructors remembered, and so did Wang Quan.

"Holy shit!"

"Lin Qiye won!"

"That was awesome!"

The underground surveillance room erupted. Every instructor was dumbfounded.

Some breathed a sigh of relief. "Good thing Wang Mian can use Time Reversal."

"But he wasn't in the Lamp Realm just now, was he?"

"He still lost, didn't he?" one honest instructor said.

"Do you want Wang Mian to lose so we can send all the recruits onto the battlefield to die?" another instructor asked, rolling his eyes at the idiot.

"Well?"

"Wasn't that a thrill?"

Wang Quan's gloating voice rang out. "Looks like we lost!"

"No!"

"His mask didn't fall off, so we didn't lose!" Yuan Gang answered shamelessly.

"Fair enough!"

"We can't send these rookies off to die!" Wang Quan said with a wicked grin. "They haven't even experienced my hellish training yet!"

"Winning or losing doesn't matter. These kids' futures do!" Yuan Gang said slowly, his expression solemn and free of any selfish motives.

"Mm!"

Wang Quan switched off his headset and strode forward, giving Wang Mian an obnoxious look.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk!"

"You lost, little bro!"

His voice was so low that only Lin Qiye and Wang Mian could hear him.

"How come you weren't affected?" Lin Qiye asked, a little surprised. Everyone else nearby had clearly been affected.

"You have your Divine Ruins, and I have my domain. They canceled each other out!" Wang Quan explained.

"Oh!"

"Then your domain's pretty ridiculous!"

With that, Lin Qiye turned to Wang Mian and said seriously, "You cheated!"

Wang Mian pressed his index finger to his lips and whispered, "Shh!"

"I did lose, but training still has to continue!"

"Exactly!" Wang Quan nodded, then changed tack. "But, little Qiye, you can really fleece the instructors. Make them cough up some gold, Forbidden Items, things like that."

Lin Qiye: "???"

Bro, if I remember correctly, you're one of the instructors too!

"I'm a man of principle!"

"How about a cash gift of one million?" Wang Quan suggested.

Seeing Lin Qiye hesitate, he immediately added, "And a Forbidden Item!"

"Ahem, ahem!"

"Well..."

Lin Qiye coughed lightly a few times. He was already ready to agree: first, he couldn't be too greedy, and second, he ought to show Wang Quan some respect.

"You, you, you-show a little generosity!" Wang Quan gave Wang Mian a meaningful look, then emphasized, "He's my disciple, you know!"

Lin Qiye finally caught on. For the first time, he didn't contradict Wang Quan, but instead declared, "That's right!"

"He's my master!"

The corner of Wang Mian's mouth twitched. Swearing under his breath, he said, "Why don't I just give you my damn [Yiyuan]?!"

"Can you?!" Lin Qiye asked without a shred of restraint.

"No!"

"But you can come to me if you need anything in the future. As long as it doesn't violate my principles, I owe you a favor... ugh... three, all right?!"

"These are favors [Mask] owes you!"

"Holy shit!"

"Three favors from a Special Squad! What more do you want?!"

Seeing the pair still staring straight at him, Wang Mian was on the verge of losing it.

"That works!"

"That absolutely works!"

"We'll be counting on you from now on, Captain Wang Mian!" Lin Qiye said with a grin.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing!"

Wang Quan's expression was utterly serious as he stared eagerly at Wang Mian.