Yao Yao obviously couldn’t sway Yuan Shisan’s determination.
She watched helplessly as Yuan Shisan walked towards Wang Zhan and the others, unable to do anything.
"Heh, a few mere Martial Artists, do they think they can escape?" Yuan Shisan sneered, his body instantly transformed into an afterimage as he charged towards Wang Zhan, who was kneeling on the ground.
Wang Zhan’s pupils contracted. Facing this Martial Artist of unknown level, he didn’t even have the ability to fight back.
But at that moment, a strong aura suddenly emerged from behind Wang Zhan. This aura clearly came from afar, yet it enveloped an extremely wide range.
For a moment, all the surrounding plants were flattened, the ground began to shake, and dust began to fly.
At this moment, Yuan Shisan had already reached Wang Zhan. His hand was clearly lifted, and with one strike, he could kill Wang Zhan.
However, when this aura of intimidation appeared, a trace of horror finally touched his perpetually smiling face.
"How did they arrive so quickly?!" Yuan Shisan exclaimed. Ignoring Wang Zhan, he attempted to retreat immediately.
Yet, at the same time, a black shadow appeared in the distant sky. It covered hundreds of meters in an instant and landed behind Wang Zhan, abruptly taking action!
With one punch, the mere sonic boom caused Wang Zhan, who was in close proximity, to bleed from all seven orifices. And this wasn’t even the force specifically targeting him! Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel-fire.net
As the power of this immense fist approached, Yuan Shisan’s eyes widened. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, watching as the fist rapidly descended.
The roaring sounds echoed, and Yuan Shisan was sent flying.
This isn’t just the power of a punch; even a massive bomb explosion wouldn’t be this powerful.
Wang Zhan’s vision was completely obscured by the swirling dust, but he could vaguely see the figure before him wearing the Academy’s battle suit.
Once the dust settled, Wang Zhan finally recognized the person in front of him.
"Dean Lv." Wang Zhan gave a wry smile. The person was none other than Vice President Lv Zhenglong of the Martial Arts Academy.
"I held back with that punch just now. You only took a bit of the impact; you’ll be fine," Lv Zhenglong said without turning his head. "Step aside. Don’t get in the way."
Wang Zhan nodded slightly, his gaze then shifting towards Yao Yao on the other side.
Yao Yao... What on earth happened to you? Wang Zhan’s heart was filled with complex emotions, but he understood that staying here now would only make him a burden. Therefore, he swiftly retreated to Wang Qi and the others.
After Wang Zhan had moved to a safe distance, Lv Zhenglong turned his attention to Yuan Shisan, who had already steadied himself not far away.
First, he observed Yuan Shisan intently for a moment, then his gaze fell upon Yao Yao.
"So this young girl is your only successful experimental subject this time?" Lv Zhenglong asked casually.
Yuan Shisan’s expression became extremely unsightly; his face grew even darker after hearing Lv Zhenglong’s words.
"It seems you’ve investigated thoroughly!"
"If you want to keep things secret, you shouldn’t have done them in the first place. The original organization is truly audacious! Since you dared to extend your reach into the Martial Arts Academy’s territory, don’t blame us for uprooting you completely."
Lv Zhenglong clenched his fists and squinted slightly. "Are you preparing to fight to the death, or will you surrender straightforwardly?"
"Heh, fight to the death? If I wanted to leave, you couldn’t stop me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yuan Shisan showed no intention of leaving. Instead, he leaped into the air, launching an attack towards Lv Zhenglong.
"No wonder you’re so confident and not running. So, even you have broken through to Grandmaster," Lv Zhenglong remarked, somewhat surprised. Nevertheless, his expression remained relaxed.
He also ascended, quickly moving to intercept. High in the sky, he began to battle Yuan Shisan.
On the other side, Yue Xinyue had already bandaged Wang Zhan’s abdominal wound.
"Yue Yue, is Wang Zhan alright?" Wang Qi looked anxiously at Wang Zhan, who was lying on the ground, his face pale.
"He’s fine. Little Brother Wang’s body is very tough. Because he pushed past his limits through high-intensity training, his internal organs are only slightly injured, and his recovery rate is quite fast. This injury won’t be fatal," Yue Xinyue said, her voice tinged with astonishment.
If she hadn’t verified it herself, she couldn’t have imagined that the physical constitution of a Level 5 Martial Artist could actually reach the same level as a typical Level 8 Martial Artist. What kind of limits must one break to achieve such a feat? Wang Qi is already quite strong, but I didn’t expect her younger brother to be even more formidable.
Wang Qi visibly sighed in relief after hearing Yue Xinyue’s words. Her gaze towards Wang Zhan shifted from worry to a mixture of complaint and lingering fear.
"Why were you so impulsive? Do you know how scared I was just now?" Wang Qi’s voice quavered; it was hard to imagine that such a strong woman would reveal such a fragile side.
Wang Qi only ever showed such vulnerability when facing her family.
"That woman... was my deskmate in high school," Wang Zhan managed to sit up, leaning against a large tree, his gaze fixed on Yao Yao in the distance.
"She originally lacked Talent, so she chose the Martial Arts School. The last time I saw her, she was still a Level 1 Martial Artist," Wang Zhan quickly explained.
"In just a few days, she has grown this strong and even joined the original organization... I can’t just ignore her," Wang Zhan said with a bitter smile.
"Regardless, you still need to act within your limits! Before you act so impulsively, think about me, think about Mother!" Wang Qi’s voice carried a hint of anger.
Wang Zhan nodded slightly in acknowledgment, then looked up at the sky again.
Roaring sounds continuously echoed from above. The clouds had been completely dispersed, leaving only two black shadows constantly interweaving.
Each time those two clashed, the resulting shockwaves were enough to instill a deep fear in Wang Zhan’s heart. Yes, fear.
Is this a battle between Grandmaster experts? Wang Zhan lamented internally.
Previously, his progress had been incredibly rapid. Although he hadn’t shown it, a part of him had become somewhat arrogant and complacent.
In just a short month, the Four-arm Giant Ape, which he hadn’t dared to provoke before, had died at his hands.
Less than three months into the semester, he could already handle a Level 7 beast.
Such rapid advancement had led Wang Zhan to feel that martial arts weren’t all that profound. It was precisely because his progress was too fast that he had lost his sense of awe.
But at this moment, witnessing the world of the truly powerful, he finally realized what a frog in a well he had been.
"Vice President Lu is a Superior Grandmaster. Even in the entire Federation, he’s one of the most outstanding Grandmasters," Wang Qi explained to Wang Zhan, also watching the Grandmaster battle in the sky. "That man in black must have just entered the Grandmaster Realm. Considering the characteristics of Martial Artists from the original organization, he’s at most an intermediate-level Grandmaster. He’s definitely not Vice President Lu’s match."
"Superior? Intermediate?" Wang Zhan was stunned.
"Martial Artist levels are divided into nine ranks for Martial Artist, Warrior, Martial Master, and Martial General. Beyond Grandmaster, they are classified as Low-grade, Intermediate, and Superior. Also, cultivation no longer proceeds step-by-step; a powerful individual might reach the Superior level shortly after their breakthrough... Anyway, it’s too early to tell you all this," Wang Qi said casually.
Wang Zhan silently committed this information to memory.
Just as Wang Qi had said, Lv Zhenglong was undoubtedly among the top-tier Grandmasters. Dealing with Yuan Shisan didn’t seem to put him under any pressure at all.
At this moment, the battle in the sky was nearing its conclusion.
Lv Zhenglong looked just as he did when he arrived, his clothes without a single wrinkle, not at all like a Martial Artist engaged in a fierce fight.
Yuan Shisan, on the other hand, was in a sorry state. His face was battered and bruised, his body covered in countless external and internal injuries, and his black battle suit was tattered.
"Actually, if you had chosen to run, I would have had to exert some real effort to catch you," Lv Zhenglong said with a grin, his gaze occasionally sweeping over Yao Yao below.
Due to the Superior Grandmaster’s watchful eye, Yao Yao dared not make a move. Yuan Shisan, too, was hesitant to act rashly lest Yao Yao be harmed, forcing him to grit his teeth and continue fighting.
"A dignified Superior Grandmaster using a little girl as a hostage! Lv Zhenglong, you’re really regressing with age!" Yuan Shisan said, gasping for breath.
Lv Zhenglong chuckled drily. "Your attempt at goading me is rather crude. When dealing with people from your original organization, forget about taking a hostage or two; I wouldn’t have any qualms about using even more unscrupulous means."
Hearing this, Yuan Shisan was left speechless.
On one side was a Superior Grandmaster who had beaten him to a pulp, watching him like a tiger. On the other was the test subject that the organization had expended great effort and sacrifice to obtain.
Yuan Shisan knew very well that if he abandoned Yao Yao and escaped today, a punishment far more brutal than death awaited him.
Precisely because he was a high-level member of the original organization, Yuan Shisan understood its terrifying nature even better.
"Give up. I don’t want to kill you," Lv Zhenglong’s smile faded, his tone becoming serious. "You’re a Grandmaster, after all. Even if you’ve committed heinous crimes, if you fall into my hands, you can still live."
Hearing this, Yuan Shisan scoffed, "Live? You mean be sent to the battlefield as a war prisoner, right?"
"As a human Grandmaster, going to the battlefield is your duty!" Lv Zhenglong stated. "If it weren’t for Dean Lv, that old coot, always being away, I’d have been stationed on the battlefield long ago!"
"That’s you! Don’t think everyone is like you! You’re just a bunch of pitiful fools who don’t understand the true power of the enemy. It’s a suffocating power, so immense that even Grandmasters are nothing but ants in the eyes of our real foes."
Lv Zhenglong’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Just as he was about to refute, Yuan Shisan suddenly lunged towards Yao Yao.
"Come! Escape with me!" Yuan Shisan shouted to Yao Yao, reaching her in an instant and grabbing her arm.
Seeing this, Lv Zhenglong’s eyes blazed with anger.
Taking advantage of my momentary distraction, this Yuan Shisan is as slippery as an eel—truly detestable! Am I going to let a cooked duck fly away?
Lv Zhenglong hastily pursued Yuan Shisan.
But just then, an unexpected turn of events occurred!
The moment Yuan Shisan grabbed Yao Yao’s arm, she suddenly struck out at him.
"Are you insane?!" Yuan Shisan’s expression changed drastically. But when he looked at Yao Yao’s face, his heart clenched.
Her face was etched with a look of grim resolve, as if prepared for death.