Jiang Feng had barely risen when he heard Lin Xin call out, "I forfe-"
Before he could finish, Jiang Feng stepped forward and clapped a hand over his mouth. His gaze was deadly serious as he said, "If you're my brother, fight me."
"Fight you? There's no way I can beat you. Why waste the effort?" Lin Xin knew perfectly well how far his strength fell short of Jiang Feng's.
Besides, even if he were stronger than Jiang Feng, he knew no offensive magic. How the hell was he supposed to fight?
A draw was the best possible outcome, but he lacked even the strength for that. He might as well concede outright and do Jiang Feng a favor.
"It's fine. I want to get a sense of your strength. Since you're a mage who can't attack, I need to test your defensive abilities for your future teammates," Jiang Feng said.
"I really can't do offense, but when it comes to defense, if I ranked second among mages or Shield Warriors at my level, no one would dare claim first," Lin Xin said proudly.
"What about Wang Ming?" Jiang Feng asked.
"I lost the last match, but if we're comparing defense, I don't think I'd lose to him," Lin Xin said.
"Then fight me and let me be the judge," Jiang Feng said with a smile.
Neither of them had entered the arena yet, and the referee was growing impatient. He urged them bluntly, "Both contestants, enter the Trial Arena. Anyone who fails to enter within ten breaths will forfeit."
At that, the others turned their attention to Jiang Feng and Lin Xin. Seeing the two whispering with their arms around each other's shoulders left everyone puzzled.
"Coming, coming!" Jiang Feng said hurriedly, then dragged Lin Xin into the Trial Arena.
"Fine, let's fight. I refuse to believe my defense is worse than Wang Ming's," Lin Xin huffed.
The two took their places on opposite sides, and the referee announced loudly, "Begin!"
The instant the words left his mouth, Lin Xin took out his Fire Cloud Crystal Staff and began chanting, casting one defensive spell after another.
He had been extremely reluctant to face Jiang Feng because victory was simply impossible. Rather than embarrass himself in the arena, he would have preferred to concede outright and spare himself a beating.
But now that he was already in the arena, his refusal to admit defeat had kicked in. He did not want Wang Ming to outshine him, so he could only give the match his full attention.
With Wang Ming and Lin Xin fighting Jiang Feng in turn, Jiang Feng would certainly be able to judge which of them was stronger.
Jiang Feng breathed a sigh of relief as well. He had nearly lost out on 500 system coins.
He could accept a Fourth Order combatant surrendering, since that was only worth 100 system coins anyway. But he could not let this Fifth Order combatant, Jiang Feng, surrender. He was worth 500 system coins—a substantial amount.
Jiang Feng drew his two Fine Iron Heavy Swords and charged toward Lin Xin.
Only a few seconds had passed since the match began, yet Lin Xin had already stacked three Elemental Fire Shields in front of himself.
Seeing Jiang Feng's wind-swift figure about to reach him, Lin Xin hurriedly waved his Fire Cloud Crystal Staff, unleashing a huge ring of fire that swept toward Jiang Feng.
Repulsion Flame Ring.
Lin Xin aimed to slow Jiang Feng down as much as possible so he could stack a few more layers of defensive magic to withstand his attacks.
Both Lin Xin and Wang Ming excelled at defense. They could not compete directly against each other, so the only comparison was how long each could endure Jiang Feng's attacks.
Whoever lasted longer would surely have the better defensive ability. It was the simplest, most direct method.
A Repulsion Flame Ring three meters in diameter swept into Jiang Feng's path. Utterly fearless, he blazed with brilliant golden light. In the next instant, a golden dragon surged skyward and barreled straight into the ring of fire.
With a crack, the Repulsion Flame Ring shattered almost instantly. The golden dragon raised its head and charged toward Lin Xin.
Lin Xin's pupils contracted slightly. Only by actually facing Jiang Feng in the Trial Arena could he understand how terrifying he was.
Under Jiang Feng's attacks, almost every defense was as good as useless, unable to effectively halt his advance.
The golden dragon slammed into the Elemental Fire Shields in front of Lin Xin, unleashing a burst of searing flames.
The first three Elemental Fire Shields shattered one after another, dissolving into dense fire element that vanished within the Trial Arena.
Lin Xin's expression shifted slightly, but he was not particularly alarmed. In that brief interval, he had already cast three more Elemental Fire Shields.
Each Elemental Fire Shield was somewhat larger than those cast by ordinary fire mages, a testament to his exceptional innate talent.
The golden dragon Jiang Feng had transformed into dissipated, revealing his figure once more. A lustrous white glow lit up the Fine Iron Heavy Swords in his hands.
Pure White Blade.
Jiang Feng had not used this Second Order knight skill in a long time, as it was far too weak for his current level.
Pure White Blade was a Second Order knight skill that imbued a sword with the Holy Light attribute, slightly increasing its toughness and sharpness.
With that enchantment and Jiang Feng's Spiritual Power wrapped around them, the Fine Iron Heavy Swords could just barely hold up in a battle like this.
Wielding both swords, he slashed fiercely at an Elemental Fire Shield. With a crack, another shield shattered.
During the fight, Jiang Feng gave Lin Xin a meaningful look, then leaped behind him, intending to bypass the two remaining Elemental Fire Shields and strike directly at him.
Lin Xin reacted immediately. Fire element gathered frantically, forming two Elemental Fire Shields behind him.
The battle continued for a long time. With Jiang Feng deliberately controlling his attacks, Lin Xin was able to cast shields in time to block him, no matter which direction he attacked from.
Though he was a mage who could not use offensive magic, the defensive talent he displayed now far surpassed that of an ordinary Shield Warrior.
He could defend in every direction and cast an Elemental Fire Shield in almost a single second. Combined with his cultivation at the second level of the Fifth Order and his substantial reserves of Spiritual Power, he could essentially handle a team's basic defensive needs.
For those familiar with Jiang Feng's strength, this battle seemed unusually long, though they could not understand why.
Every one of Jiang Feng's attacks was unpredictable and blindingly fast, yet Lin Xin accurately anticipated them all, casting shields ahead of time to block them.
That keen perception and control over fire element gave the contestants in the stands a new understanding of Lin Xin's strength.
A thought suddenly arose in their minds: Aside from his inability to use offensive magic, Lin Xin seemed to be truly outstanding in every other respect.
Lin Xin was also a rare Potion Master.
He had been able to keep fighting Jiang Feng for so long partly because he kept using pills to replenish his Spiritual Power.
As a result, in the eyes of all the contestants and the prominent figures on the dais, Lin Xin was no longer a weakness in a future Demon Hunt Squad, but someone with many valuable qualities.
Perhaps within a team, Lin Xin could serve a unique purpose. He might even become an excellent Shield Warrior.
Before you continue