It seems it's time to show my true strength.
An Yi grinned, revealing a smile.
Ranked 57th on the Hidden Dragon List, yet accused of running away?
This was an insult to him! When had An Yi ever fled?
Seeing An Yi's eerie smile, Qingqing felt a surge of fear rising from within.
She had never experienced such overwhelming pressure before.
"Your life is mine!"
Blood Chef Wang Jietao struck first.
Gripping his cleaver, he dashed toward An Yi like lightning.
An Yi smirked disdainfully, a combat knife appearing in his hand as he slashed forward.
Wang Jietao raised his blade to block—
"Ahh!"
A scream tore from Wang Jietao’s throat.
An Yi hadn’t swung the knife—instead, he had thrown it like a projectile, piercing straight through Wang Jietao’s foot!
Agony surged through him as Wang Jietao clutched his bleeding foot, howling in pain.
Rip!
Wang Jietao yanked the knife from his foot and flung it aside, glaring at An Yi with gritted teeth. "You sneaky bastard!"
The knife suddenly twitched.
Whoosh!
It spun back into An Yi’s hand effortlessly.
The move was so slick it left the onlookers stunned.
"All of you ganging up on a 19-year-old like me, and I’m the sneaky one?"
Holding Shen Muxuan’s hand, An Yi raised the knife again.
Slash!
A blade of compressed air shot toward Wang Jietao!
Wang Jietao barely managed to block with his cleaver, but the force still sent him skidding back five or six meters before he steadied himself.
His face darkened.
His opponent was fighting him one-handed while holding a girl’s hand—and still making it look effortless.
The difference in their strength was painfully clear.
An Yi scoffed. "Pathetic."
"Let’s see what you’re really made of!"
Luo Xuan finally stopped obsessing over the broken glass.
Moving like a rabid jackal, he sprinted along the wall, his short staff whipping through the air.
Shen Muxuan tightened her grip on An Yi’s hand, her ice-blue eyes glowing faintly.
She wouldn’t let him get hurt—not on her watch.
An Yi remained unfazed, grinning as he called out, "Old Bai!"
Whoosh!
A short spear shot through the air like a bolt of lightning!
Clang!
Luo Xuan swung his staff to deflect it, sparks flying as he was forced back two steps.
Bai Xiu yawned lazily, glancing at An Yi. "Why do I keep running into you everywhere?"
An Yi grinned. "Old Bai, I’m counting on you!"
Qingqing stared at Bai Xiu in disbelief.
She had thought he was just a skilled fighter, but that move proved he was no ordinary martial artist.
"Who are you?" Luo Xuan demanded warily.
Bai Xiu smirked. "I’m from the Asura Sect."
Right then—
Crash!
The window shattered.
A cold wind rushed in, fluttering the curtains.
Everyone froze.
An Yi and Shen Muxuan were gone—had they jumped out the window?
"Son of a—"
Bai Xiu’s eye twitched violently.
He’d been sold out just like that?!
As the others closed in on him, Bai Xiu deadpanned, "Look, I barely know that guy. We’ve only met a few times."
No one responded, their hostile gazes locked onto him.
"...Fine."
Bai Xiu sighed, his usual lifeless eyes suddenly sharpening with a bring-it-on intensity.
The two short spears in his hands merged into one—
A long spear, crackling with faint blue-purple lightning.
"You want a fight? Bai Xiu’s happy to oblige!"
The Hillmore Buffet was on the seventh floor.
For someone like An Yi, who was used to jumping off buildings, it was no big deal.
Holding Shen Muxuan tightly, he plummeted toward the ground.
Shen Muxuan clung to his neck, trembling.
Thud!
The pavement cracked under the impact, but An Yi landed smoothly, still cradling her.
"An Yi… what about your friend?" Shen Muxuan asked softly after stepping out of his arms.
An Yi looked at her solemnly. "Muxuan, do you know what’s most important between friends?"
She shook her head.
"Trust!"
An Yi declared righteously. "Why did I leave my back to Old Bai? Because I trust him! I believe he can handle those losers alone. If we don’t even have that basic trust, how can we call ourselves brothers?"
"Oh…"
Shen Muxuan’s eyes shimmered with admiration.
The bond between true men was just that simple yet profound.
An Yi glanced up at the seventh floor and sighed.
What else could he do?
With Shen Muxuan by his side, he couldn’t fight freely.
Her power fluctuated unpredictably—keeping her in a battlefield was too dangerous.
Besides, those clowns were no match for Bai Xiu anyway.
Boom!
Lightning-clad spear strikes tore through the air!
Wang Jietao staggered back, clutching his bleeding shoulder, his expression venomous.
Luo Xuan wasn’t faring much better—his arm was scorched black.
As for Shao Jiao, the electric currents had left her charred, her hair standing on end as she collapsed, unconscious.
No one had expected this unassuming guy to be so ruthless.
Bai Xiu yawned. "Still want more?"
"Let’s end this!"
Wang Jietao hurled his cleaver in a spinning arc!
Bai Xiu deflected it with a flick of his spear.
Luo Xuan bared his teeth in a deranged grin. "You little shit, let’s see how tough you really are!"
Multiple blood-edged daggers shot toward Bai Xiu!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Steel needles intercepted every single one.
Tang Qingqing, who had been silent until now, finally made her move.
"Tang Qingqing, you—?!" Wang Jietao snarled.
She smiled sweetly. "Oops. Did I ever say we were allies?"
Bai Xiu studied her, sensing something off about this woman.
"Two-faced traitor!"
Tang Qingqing shrugged. "Don’t mind me. Carry on."
Wang Jietao raised his cleaver, laughing maniacally. "Some nobody thinks he can face me? Go ahead—try to kill me!"
The next day, the headlines on the Martial Arts App’s hotlist read:
Blood Chef Wang Jietao slain! Shao Jiao critically injured! Spider Luo Xuan escapes with severe wounds! Bai Xiu skyrockets to Rank 45 on the Hidden Dragon List!
But that was tomorrow’s news.
Inside a taxi:
An Yi texted one-handed.
[1.81m Handsome Lad]: Old Bai, you okay? Hold on, I’m coming to save you!
[Night Kicker]: ...
[Night Kicker]: AN YI, BRING ME YOUR HEAD!!!!
Even through the screen, Bai Xiu’s fury was palpable.
Tossing his phone aside, An Yi smiled. "All settled. Let’s go."
"Your friend must be really strong," Shen Muxuan murmured nervously. "Where are we going?"
"You wanted to go shopping, right? Let’s do it."
"Still? Maybe we should just go home..."
"Relax. Once we’re marked, hiding won’t help."
---
Jiangbei City, Yida Plaza.
A woman in a simple dress stood frozen amidst the bustling crowd, her eyes lost as she took in the unfamiliar world around her.
This place was nothing like her immortal sect’s realm.
After a long hesitation, she stopped a passerby.
"Excuse me… do you know a girl named Shen Muxuan?"