247-253

Chapter 247: Wager!

Translator: ryuxenji Editor: H2dH2mr

Right at that moment, a human figure slowly walked onto the stage. That person was about 30 years old and was dressed in the alternating blue-white military uniform of the Federation. He had a handsome face and a stately build — by simply standing on the stage, he drew everyone's eye.

"Ah, the referee is here." The person's age and military uniform which differed from the cadets clearly marked him as the referee sent by the academy.

"Heavens, the referee the school sent is actually Colonel Tang Yu 1 !" When an eagle-eyed student noticed who the referee on the stage was, he could not help but yell out in shock.

"What?! Colonel Tang Yu, that ace instructor who cultivated the Thunder King, the number one in the school?" As the news spread among the students, even those who had not known Colonel Tang Yu before this also began exclaiming in awe.

Mind you, Colonel Tang Yu was the strongest among the instructors of mecha piloting — it was rumoured that he was already an ace operator. Besides that, in one of the teams he led, which had 6 students in total, the Thunder King was just a half-step away from advancing to ace status, while the other five in the team had all successfully advanced to special-class operator. Undoubtedly, he was the superstar ace instructor of the military academy — rumour had it that after he was done mentoring this batch of students till their 4th year, he would be able to mentor a new batch of 2nd years starting next year.

Perhaps Colonel Tang Yu had willingly taken on the role of referee just so he could take a look at the abilities of this year's intake? After all, these people could be his students of tomorrow ... of course, it was even more likely that he had already begun taking in students, so perhaps this wagered fight was also an assessment of Colonel Tang Yu's for the new cadets?

All of the senior students stared enviously at the five freshmen standing on the stage. Even if these students were defeated in this fight, as long as they performed decently and caught Colonel Tang Yu's eye, their futures would be immeasurable. It had to be said that this year's freshmen were just too lucky.

The mecha instructors of the military academy did not mentor their personal students up till the 6th year, typically only mentoring them till their 3rd year. As the freshmen were focused on their physical conditioning for the first year, busy building up the proper foundations, the mecha instructors would only take in students beginning from the second year. After mentoring them to the 4th year, their focused mentorship would end. Since the 5th and 6th year students were basically in the process of prepping for graduation, they typically had two options. One, was to go join some adventuring groups on some intergalactic adventuring mission to increase their own real-world battle experience; the other, was to enter the armed forces directly and begin an internship. Of course, those who chose the second option were all the best the school had to offer, typically already being noticed in their 4th year for their exceptional performance. By their 5th year, the military division which had its eye on them would issue them an internship offer letter and take them away ...

Of course, those 4th year students who performed well this year were pretty much all aiming for the newly established 23rd Division — not because they would have more opportunity to shine in a new division, but because the commander of the 23rd Division was one of the twelve god-class operators of the Federation, General Ling Xiao. He was the idol of all the cadets — the Thunder King was rushing so much to advance to ace operator this year precisely because he wanted General Ling Xiao to know of his existence. With that, he would have a chance to be noticed by the other and obtain that precious internship offer letter.

An internship offer letter did not mean that one would be able to remain at that division at the end of the 2-year internship, but as long as one performed within acceptable standards, one would normally not be dismissed by the division.

At this time, seeing the appearance of Colonel Tang Yu, those within the boxes frowned. Anyone with a brain could tell that the academy's arrangements this time seemed to hint at some deeper intent.

Only Yun Xiu in Li Shiyu's box continued to fret obliviously, "With Colonel Tang Yu as referee, won't he be biased towards Leiting? After all, the Thunder King Qiao Ting is his favoured disciple."

Li Shiyu instantly rolled his eyes at his friend at these words, having no desire at all to even respond.

However, this somewhat moronic question of Yun Xiu's had pulled him out of his memories. Even though his mood remained solemn and heavy, he was no longer caught up in the past. As a result of these few years of research, Li Shiyu was increasingly confident that he would be able to take over his eldest cousin brother's medical expenses before his rite of passage to adulthood.

These past few years, the research studies Li Shiyu had participated in had all yielded tremendous results — besides one forbidden medicine that was restricted for military use, the yields of the other studies could be generalised for public use. As such, to reward him, the academy had given Li Shiyu many awards, which included a large sum of credits.

Back then, Li Shiyu had already told his instructors of his personal situation back home, so these credits were currently stored within the accounts of those instructors.

Of course, the greatest profit was not the school's reward, but the sale of his patent rights. After learning of Li Shiyu's situation, during the forging of the contract with the manufacturer, his instructor had specially requested for the main researcher Li Shiyu to not be directly reimbursed with credits, instead asking for company shares of equivalent value. The interest gained from those shares every year was clearly stipulated to be transferred into Li Shiyu's account once he became an adult. Li Shiyu was overjoyed by this outcome; he was filled with gratitude towards that instructor. This would undoubtedly give him a long-term steady source of income, helping him eliminate future worries.

Seeing Li Shiyu's face recover from its pained expression, Yun Xiu let out an internal sigh of relief. He had not expected that his thoughtless question on why Li Shiyu had changed his mind to study military medicine would cause his good friend so much pain.

His twisted expression had let Yun Xiu know without words that Li Shiyu must have encountered some painful event back then. Yun Xiu could not help but regret his rashness and try to do something to fix things. When he saw Colonel Tang Yu step onto the stage, an idea sparked and he had immediately blurted an extremely stupid question to draw Li Shiyu's attention. Now, it looked like his ploy had been quite effective — Li Shiyu had really returned from his memories, and his expression was now much more natural.

As a cadet, Yun Xiu naturally knew that all the instructors of the military academy were righteous military men. They would never do such an obviously biased thing, and Colonel Tang Yu, who was especially widely lauded for being upstanding, was even more unlikely to do such a thing.

********

Within the Wuji box 2 , seeing Colonel Tang Yu step onto the stage, Li Lanfeng and the others also made sounds of shock and surprise. Who would have expected this great god to appear on such a small arena stage ...?

Li Lanfeng's hand which was holding his drink jerked. He could not help but look towards the five representatives of the New Cadet Regiment, a trace of pensiveness in his gaze. Among these people of the New Cadet Regiment, which one was it that had such formidable backing, able to affect the typical style of the military academy? Even the top elite family, the Li family, did not have the capability. Even if the Li family could influence the decision of the president of the Federation, they would not be able to budge the Federation military. And since the military academy was part of the military system, even the president would not be able to order the military academy around ...

A small smile appeared on Li Lanfeng's lips as he thought: How interesting, looks like this fight of Leiting's won't be as easy as they thought!

********

The moment Colonel Tang Yu was on the stage, he coughed loudly, and the initial furore caused by the colonel's appearance instantly died down. Colonel Tang Yu smiled faintly and then said, "Today, I will be the referee for this fight between the New Cadet Regiment and Leiting. I will judge fairly according to the rules. If there is any dissatisfaction with the results, or any complaints on my decisions as referee, you may request an arbitration with the arbitration committee of the academy ..."

That said, Tang Yu glanced at the five representatives of both sides. Seeing the steady expressions on both sides, he nodded slightly, approving at the quality of the representatives chosen.

He continued to say, "This fight is best three of five, to be fought by five representatives from each side. To ensure fairness, the five participating representatives are not announced beforehand. One minute before the fight begins, the leader of each team is to submit the name list 3 of the representatives participating in the fight to me. Remember — once the name list is in my hands, no more changes are allowed, or else the side which makes any changes will be immediately considered to forfeit."

Seeing both sides nod in understanding, Tang Yu continued, "One more thing. There is a wager on this fight as agreed by both sides. Before the fighting begins, the wager needs to be stated clearly. The school rules dictate that the contents of the wager shall not go against anything expressly forbidden by the military academy ..."

At this point of his speech, Tang Yu paused, his cold gaze slashing like a knife across the faction members of both sides seated on the spectating platform, causing those people to feel a shiver in their hearts. Those students who were slightly weaker actually felt cold sweat break out all over their bodies.

"As Leiting is the challenger, please enter your wager into the military academy mainframe." Tang Yu indicated for the Leiting Mecha Clan to submit their wager into the mainframe.

Very quickly, on the large screen behind the arena stage, the contents of the wager was displayed. It was very simple, only one sentence. The contents of the wager read: If Leiting wins, all members of the New Cadet Regiment shall collectively join Leiting!

The appearance of this wager made all the spectators break out into a commotion once more. Even the audience within the boxes could no longer keep their composure, overwhelmed with surprise.

"Why this wager? Isn't Leiting very particular about the quality of their members? Why do they want to take the entire group? Could it be that there's some secret about the New Cadet Regiment that we do not know?"

All the leading people of the various factions began to cry out — they could not believe what they were seeing. They had initially believed that Leiting would request for the New Cadet Regiment to disband, and then aim to absorb a portion of the more talented new cadets into Leiting. They would then be able to take advantage of the chaos while the members of the New Cadet Regiment were still filled with anger and hate at Leiting to snatch away a portion of the talented new cadets.

However, this wager of Leiting's threw all their ideal calculations out of the window. Leiting's method of taking the whole pot for themselves without sharing a single errant drop made them extremely dissatisfied.

In the Wuji box, Han Yu and the others were similarly shocked beyond belief. He and Wei Ji shared baffled glances, the confusion evident on their faces.

They reflexively looked towards Li Lanfeng, hoping he would be able to give them an answer. Although they were extremely apprehensive of Li Lanfeng, they still believed fully in Li Lanfeng's analytical abilities. Many times when they were unable to figure things out, Li Lanfeng could strike right at the heart of the matter 4 .

Li Lanfeng met their gazes and opened his mouth to say, "I too do not know why Leiting would do this. But I'm certain that the New Cadet Regiment must have something that Leiting values." Han Yu and Wei Ji nodded; they knew enough to figure this out for themselves.

"In the previous period of time, the major factions were all working on deciphering the data of the entrance evaluations of the new cadets. I wonder if Leiting has obtained that info." Li Lanfeng did not draw things out, plainly stating his thoughts to the two.

It was not that Li Lanfeng did not want to keep things to himself, but he knew that, even if he said nothing, Han Yu and Wei Ji would still have been able to think of this after a few days at the latest. In that case, he might as well be frank, to better give the other two the impression that he really had nothing to hide from the two of them. Moreover, the most important secret was still in his hands. This little bit of trivial news — Li Lanfeng truly did not consider it anything of real worth.

Chapter 248: Luo Lang Fights!

Translator: ryuxenji Editor: H2dH2mr

"Could it be that the results of this batch of students are all pretty good? Even if there are some who are a bit weaker, in order not to waste anything, they decided to take in everyone?" mused Han Yu, following the logical flow of Li Lanfeng's comment.

Wei Ji said in agreement, "This New Cadet Regiment is from Doha, with most of the students from Doha's Central Scout Academy. Their abilities won't be too far off the mark. Taking all of them in, Leiting would not lose anything. But I suspect this matter will not be that simple ... could it be some scheme of Leiting's? His objective may not be the entire New Cadet Regiment, but a particular person within the New Cadet Regiment. However, in consideration that that person may be proud and unruly, he decided he might as well take in the whole lot?" Wei Ji raised another possibility.

"That aberrant Zhang Jing-an mentioned?" exclaimed Han Yu, as if coming to some realisation, his eyes shining.

That aberrant, who Zhang Jing-an was afraid of, would most certainly not be someone easy to bring to heel. Perhaps Leiting was afraid that if they targeted him alone, the aberrant might not have any reservations, thus ending up like that 4th year genius mecha modifier, stubborn to the end, still unwilling to submit even now. Perhaps after that experience, Leiting had chosen to change their methods. By taking in the entire group, that aberrant would have no choice but to consider his companions beside him, and thus lower his head and submit.

"A feint! Certainly a great strategy!" sighed Han Yu, a trace of admiration in his gaze, "Even if Qiao Ting isn't around, the vice regiment commander Lin Zhidong is not someone to cross."

A faction could not last for long by relying on one person's strength alone. Leiting had been able to remain as the top faction in the military academy for so many consecutive years due to the exceptional vice regiment commanders it had, especially the adviser Lin Zhidong. Although this first vice regiment commander was not from the strategy specialization, he was no less capable than those of the specialization.

Li Lanfeng did not refute the two's suppositions, merely nodding in agreement as he smiled softly. However, the gazes of the four were then drawn once more by the stage, for the representative of the New Cadet Regiment had emerged. It was the public regiment commander Wu Jiong. He had been the one to step up and accept the wager with Leiting, as well as raise their own conditions for the wager. If by any chance the Leiting Mecha Clan lost, then they would have to be responsible for the safety of the New Cadet Regiment for the next two years. This meant that, in those two years' time, if some other faction challenged the New Cadet Regiment, all the fights would be the Leiting Mecha Clan's responsibility.

This wager would in fact indirectly make the entire Leiting Mecha Clan into the fighters and protectors of the New Cadet Regiment, but in comparison with Leiting's wager, the New Cadet Regiment's wager was not that unreasonable. Since Leiting wanted to consume the entire New Cadet Regiment, the New Cadet Regiment naturally could also request Leiting to become their helpers. Besides, the New Cadet Regiment did not have ill intentions — they only stated a period of two years, leaving Leiting no way to refuse.

As expected, the vice regiment commanders of Leiting very quickly agreed to the terms after a brief discussion. After all, Leiting too did not want the other factions to covet the promising New Cadet Regiment. If Leiting lost by any chance, this would ensure the cadets would not be taken in by any other faction in the upcoming two years. And two years later, Leiting would have another chance to consume the New Cadet Regiment. Therefore, this wager had no downsides from Leiting's perspective.

When Colonel Tang Yu declared that the wager was established, the upper ranks of all the factions could not help but sigh. With this, even if the New Cadet Regiment won by a fluke, they could do nothing within the next two years. No matter how tempting the regiment was, they could only watch without doing anything, because they still did not have the guts to go up against the Leiting Mecha Clan ...

At this time, they could not help but exclaim in admiration at the strategic thinking of the New Cadet Regiment, coming up with a wager that Leiting could not refuse. Whether they won or lost, the New Cadet Regiment would still obtain the protection of the large tree of Leiting — it was all just a matter of duration.

After the wager was agreed upon, all the representatives of the Leiting Mecha Clan and the New Cadet Regiment walked off the stage, to await the start of the first match. Colonel Tang Yu had already mentioned the rules of the fight. For each match, both sides would have five minutes' time to arrange things. Within those five minutes, each side must decide the candidate for their team. If they did not submit a name within the given time, the referee would give the victory to the opposing side.

Walking off the stage, Ling Lan looked pensively at the people on Leiting's side. Earlier on the stage, she had secretly evaluated those people's skill level, and had a rough idea of their capabilities in her mind. However, other than herself who could beat anyone handily, it would be a little risky for Qi Long and the others ... Ling Lan furrowed her brow slightly, beginning to consider the order they would use for the arena fights.

This time, Ling Lan had chosen Qi Long, Wu Jiong, Luo Lang, Li Yingjie, and herself to be the fighting representatives. Originally, she had wanted to see how the opponent would send out their candidates before making her final arrangements. However, Colonel Tang Yu's speech threw her plans out. Concealing the name list before announcing it at the final moment made Ling Lan lose all direction.

"Boss, have you forgotten that you still have me?" Just when Ling Lan was fretting, Little Four began making a ruckus moodily inside the mindspace. Of course he was moody — why did Boss always forget his existence during these critical moments? It should be known that he was the best cheating device!

"Fie fie fie, what was that random thought just now? I, Little Four, am a youth of five virtues 1 — I would never do such a tasteless thing as cheating," said Little Four, happily justifying his own actions and twisting words, "We are fighting a great battle of information! Taking the initiative by procuring information on the opponent is the bedrock of success — all of this is just the means in service to this ultimate end! History shall be written by the victors!" Little Four had recently become addicted to military stories; who knew where he had stolen this particular block of text from ...

Little Four was still throwing words around to extol the virtues of his behaviour, while Ling Lan's eyes had lit up at Little Four's timely interruption. That's right! How had she forgotten that Little Four was a god of the virtual world? If she wanted to know the name list the opponent had set, wasn't it just a simple matter? Her only hope was that the opponent would not choose to key in their selection at the last second. Otherwise, even if Little Four could obtain the information, she still would not have the time to enter her own selection.

Little Four had finally re-established his own self-image, soothing his soul, and he immediately sensed Ling Lan's concerns. In response, he said disdainfully, "With me, Little Four, around, would you still need to enter it manually? You only need to think of the name in your head, and I, Little Four, will be able to instantaneously send it over ..." Such a simple matter — why did his boss have to worry so much? Wasn't this just making light of his, Little Four's, abilities? Little Four could not help but pout in silent protest of Ling Lan's lack of faith in him.

Seeing this demeanour of Little Four's, Ling Lan's heart settled. In a great mood, she kneaded Little Four's face inside the mindspace, laughing loudly as she said, "Good. Little Four, I leave this matter to you." Only within the mindspace would Ling Lan laugh so unreservedly. The smile behind the laugh made Little Four lose focus ... Boo hoo hoo, why did the charm of Boss's smile seem to have increased limitlessly once more?

Thinking of this, Little Four once again reaffirmed that it was safer for Boss to remain slackfaced. Otherwise, even though he was a god in the virtual world, he would be reduced to a puddle of goo by his Boss's smile ... Little Four abruptly recalled that he seemed to have very low resistance against Daddy Ling Xiao's smile too — could it be that smiles were his fatal weakness?

At this thought, Little Four suddenly felt a sense of danger invade his heart. This was because he remembered that intelligent bio-entities could not be found to have any obvious weaknesses, otherwise they would be recalled for repurposing. Little Four shiftily looked around, and finding no other intelligent bio-entities in the area, only then did he relax. He pounded his chest — luckily he was not in the Mandora star system right now, so no other intelligent bio-entity had observed his abnormality.

Little Four had barely settled from his fright when Ling Lan came up with another question. Even though she may know the skill levels of those people, she had no way to match the person to the name on the opponent's name list.

Little Four became absorbed by Ling Lan's question instantly, forgetting his earlier fright. When he figured out what his boss was worried about this time, he could not help but roll his eyes contemptuously at his boss. D*mmit, and he had thought what kind of difficult problem his boss had now ... it turned out to be such a small matter!

Very swiftly, the named datasheets of the Leiting representatives appeared in Ling Lan's mindspace, along with a 3D rendition of their appearance. Ling Lan quickly matched the people to their names — now, the moment the opponent entered the names, Ling Lan would be able to tell which level their physical skills were at, and make the appropriate counter.

With this, Ling Lan's mind was greatly eased. Ling Lan was prepared once more to mimic Tianji's horse racing — sending out the fighters on her side strategically according to the strength level of the opponent. As long as they won three matches in the end, the New Cadet Regiment would have the right to their own freedom!

"Boss, the opponent's name list is out!" Little Four yelled out in the mindspace, and then the opponent's fighting order and corresponding image were displayed in Ling Lan's mindspace.

"D*mmit, actually starting off with the third strongest. Looks like the opponent is also guarding against this strategy of mine, actively working to win this competition." Ling Lan could not help but frown as she read over the other's name list; the opponent had indeed dealt a good hand.

Ling Lan turned to look at her companions beside her, and her gaze finally landed on Luo Lang. "Luo Lang, get ready to fight!"

"Yes, Boss!" Luo Lang's pretty face lighted up — he had not expected Boss to send him up for the very first match.

Meanwhile, seeing that Ling Lan had chosen Luo Lang, without waiting for her to give the order, Little Four instantly sent Luo Lang's name to the referee Tang Yu.

Observing Luo Lang's excited expression, Ling Lan had no choice but to be a wet blanket and calm him down a little. With a stern expression, she said, "The opponent is a master at the peak of early stage Qi-Jin, while you have just entered Qi-Jin. The Qi-Jin in your body has not settled yet, and so is unsuitable for a hard confrontation. Draw things out to start, and then figure something out after you've gotten used to the pace."

Ling Lan had chosen Luo Lang because Luo Lang currently needed a tough fight to help him stabilise his realm of first level early stage Qi-Jin. This was also why Ling Lan had not gone up first to just win the match. Even as she ensured the final victory would be theirs, Ling Lan hoped for her companions to improve through the fights.

Ling Lan knew her arrangement might cause Luo Lang to suffer a tough fight, perhaps even being beaten very badly; however, for the sake of her companions' growth, she needed to harden her heart. Sometimes, losing was not a disgrace, but a type of progress.

"Understood, Boss!" Luo Lang nodded his pretty head seriously, showing that he had heard her advice.

Right at this moment, the five minutes ran out. Colonel Tang Yu shouted from the stage, "Leiting Mecha Clan vs New Cadet Regiment — first round matchup: 5th year Qi Ya against 1st year Luo Lang."

Chapter 249: Still a Little Ways Off!

Translator: ryuxenji Editor: H2dH2mr

Luo Lang took in a deep breath. Although he knew the opponent was stronger than him, Luo Lang did not want to give up just like that — he wanted to help Boss out. Even if he knew it would be very difficult to achieve the outcome he wanted, he still wanted to try.

When Luo Lang walked onto the stage, a commotion broke out among the people watching below. "What's this? The New Cadet Regiment is actually sending out such a skinny weakling? Could it be the New Cadet Regiment is prepared to throw this match?"

"Look, is that fellow really a guy? He looks even prettier than a girl!" Who knows who yelled this out, causing the crowd's attention to swiftly turn away from Luo Lang's thin and slender frame to his lovely face.

"F*ck, it can't be a girl dressed up as a guy, right?" Some random lecher was in raptures at the sight, beginning to indulge in wild fantasy.

Of course, his fanciful delusions received the contempt of the students beside him — did he really think this was those olden times? Able to impersonate a man just by putting on some guy clothes? Upon entrance to the military academy, the first thing they had to go through was a physical check-up. That had been conducted before everyone else, where they had all been naked ... well, alright, the examining teachers were very reasonable, and would allow you to use your hands to cover your willy.

Of course, these scornful cadets looking disdainfully at that lecher would never ever imagine that there truly was someone who had blatantly enrolled into the First Men's Military Academy as a girl to study. During that physical check-up, this person had naturally been exempted via special privilege by a particular national idol general who loved his daughter deeply ...

In one of the boxes on the second floor, Luo Lang's beautiful face and his delicate and seemingly easy to overpower figure made a person's eyes shine. A covetous smile grew on that person's lips as he mumbled to himself, "Who could have expected that there would be such a stunner among this year's freshmen ..." He licked his lips, deciding that he would obtain the other by any means necessary 1 .

********

Leiting's candidate, Qi Ya, was a 5th year cadet, currently still at the academy for his last few courses. As his physical skills combat ability was extremely outstanding, in order to ensure victory, Lin Zhidong had personally invited him to represent them. Sending Qi Ya out as vanguard was a calculated move on Lin Zhidong's part.

Ling Lan was not the only one who had thought of Tianji's horse racing; Lin Zhidong too had thought of the same principle. He was afraid that the New Cadet Regiment would send out their third strongest to fight against the weakest in his party, catching him off guard and thus causing Leiting to lose the first match. Lin Zhidong knew well that the first match was key — morale would lean towards the side who won. Lin Zhidong did not want to let the New Cadet Regiment obtain that advantage, and so had chosen the third strongest in Leiting's party, Qi Ya, to fight first, guaranteeing the final outcome.

Lin Zhidong's thought process was, even if the opponent planned to fight in the order of their strength levels, he would not lose out by sending out the third strongest now. As long as they won this match, he would still have the two strongest at hand — no matter what, victory would be theirs. Although Lin Zhidong was somewhat wary of that mysterious 'aberrant', he still had more faith in those two strongest combatants below the Thunder King.

Qi Ya saw how delicate his opponent was, just like a girl, and was instantly filled with displeasure. The gaze he directed at Luo Lang carried a clear trace of contempt. Instead of becoming angered by the opponent's attitude, Luo Lang was pleased. The more the opponent looked down on him, the better his chances to achieve an upset.

Of course, Luo Lang had not forgotten Ling Lan's earlier instructions. So, the moment he got onto the stage, even though Colonel Tang Yu had not given the signal to start, Luo Lang's entire body was keyed up in readiness. Despite looking no different from his usual standing posture, anyone with a keen eye would be able to tell from his low-hanging arms and slightly bent waist that Luo Lang would be able to unleash his strength in an explosive burst to handle any sudden shifts in the situation.

Colonel Tang Yu was an ace mecha operator, but he was also a combat expert. Otherwise, the academy would not have sent him to be the referee of this fight. Seeing Luo Lang's stance, a gleam of light no one else could see flashed through his eyes. However, when he glanced towards Qi Ya, his brow creased almost imperceptibly ...

Tang Yu raised his right hand expressionlessly, and with a sharp wave, he shouted, "Begin!"

Luo Lang had initially thought to stay on the defensive, drawing out the fight with the other for a bit. Unexpectedly, the opponent did not put up any defence at all. He stood sluggishly, his entire person slouched and seemingly unprepared. Seeing this, a thought sparked through Luo Lang's mind and with a spring off his right foot, his entire body pounced from one side of the stage to the other like a cannonball, striking hard and fast towards the opponent.

Seeing this attack of Luo Lang's, Tang Yu's eyebrows rose slightly, somewhat surprised. He had determined that Luo Lang's original stance had been largely defensive; however, Luo Lang had been able to switch from that stance instantly into offence. Moreover, he had done so without any interruption in his movements, the transition smooth and flawless. It was clear to see that Luo Lang's control over his muscles had reached an extremely high realm.

Even though Luo Lang's body may lean towards the delicate side, not as buff, and with slightly weaker resilience compared to the average boy, this control over his muscles allowed him to compensate for his body's weakness. It could be said that Luo Lang had already developed a combat style appropriate for his body type. This was most definitely a youth who possessed extremely great talent in combat.

Right then, Tang Yu could not help but be pleased by this discovery of talent. This type of ability would undoubtedly be a great help to mecha piloting. As long as Luo Lang's physical condition could pass the 1st year's evaluation, Tang Yu believed he would be unable to refrain from taking in such a talented student.

Luo Lang's attack was undoubtedly sudden. The unprepared Qi Ya took fright, but he was after all a 5th year — in terms of combat, he was very experienced. He would not become flustered like those newbies, choosing to lash out thoughtlessly in his panic. Instead, he retreated calmly and rapidly, trying to put some distance between him and his opponent so he would have enough space to gather his strength and counterattack.

Although Luo Lang was a 1st year military academy cadet, his battle experience was not weak either. Mind you, his companion Qi Long was a battle maniac, dragging his friends off to spar whenever he had the time. Luo Lang was undoubtedly the one who had been dragged off the most 2 — though Xie Yi had joined in after that, the frequency still had not dropped by much. The natural result of all this fighting was a wealth of experience.

Luo Lang saw his opponent retreating and instantly knew what the other was plotting. Having the initiative, how could he let go of this advantage? Thus, on the arena stage, two figures could be seen dancing around the stage, one in constant close pursuit of the other. Due to the extremely high speed, the spectating students actually saw the action as a streak of shadow moving across the stage.

Watching this scene, Lin Zhidong could not help but harrumph and say, "I was surprisingly right. The opponent really had been planning to use the principle of Tianji's horse racing ... luckily I had taken measures to counter this, or else the opponent might really have taken the first match." If he had sent out the weakest in his team, whose skills were not much stronger than the other, at that time, it would have been hard to determine for certain which side would win. But now, victory was sure to be theirs ... Although Lin Zhidong's combat ability was not that strong, he firmly believed that with Qi Ya's strength, he would never lose to a 1st year freshman.

On the stage, Qi Ya saw that no matter how he hard he tried to retreat, the other was sticking like sticky-candy to him — he could not pull away no matter what. He felt that this performance of his was really too disgraceful, and rage surged in his heart. He began to hate Luo Lang who he had initially looked down upon ... he would definitely teach this detestable fellow before him a brutal lesson.

Even though he was currently at a total disadvantage, with his capabilities, he would still be able to defeat the other.

Having full confidence in himself, Qi Ya did not want to retreat any longer. He abruptly halted his steps, and with a loud bellow, the Qi-Jin in his body gathered rapidly to surge into his right hand, where he then thrust out his right palm in a fierce strike towards Luo Lang.

"Alright!" shouted Luo Lang, seeing the other stop running and choosing instead to circulate his Qi to fight him head on. His long ready right fist punched out powerfully at the opponent.

This move of Luo Lang's seemed to go against Ling Lan's instructions at the start, but Luo Lang did not think he was doing anything wrong. He had managed to take the initiative and take control of the flow of the fight from the start due to the opponent's underestimation of him. Plus, the other had attacked from an emergency stop, so the power he could put into his blow would definitely not be as substantial as his own. Thus, Luo Lang felt that even if he met this blow of the opponent's head on, he would not lose, and may even have an overwhelming advantage.

And so, a fist and a palm crashed into each other, sending a muffled whump ringing out across the stage. With Luo Lang and Qi Ya at its centre, a powerful swirl of wind swept out over the surrounding audience.

However, there were Qi-Jin absorbing facilities around the edges of the stage, hence the students sitting below could not feel any of this invisible force. Still, even so, everyone knew that this strike was certainly not as simple or casual as it appeared to be.

The two fighters were frozen in place for several seconds — three perhaps, or maybe just one — and then the two of them were abruptly sent flying back from their stalled state. Luo Lang had been on top to begin with, so when he was sent flying, he immediately flipped into a somersault to dissipate the rest of the force, and then landed soundly on the ground.

Meanwhile, Qi Ya retreated a whole three steps before finding stable footing again, though his face flushed deeply. His complexion quickly returned to normal, but from the perspective of those keen of eye, Qi Ya most likely lost out by a hair in this collision.

The spectating students looked at one another — they had not expected what they believed would be a one-sided fight to be such a close fight instead. It was to the extent that in that last strike, the 1st year Luo Lang had vaguely gained the upper hand, while the 5th year Qi Ya seemed to have lost out in comparison.

Some new cadets became exhilarated watching the proceedings. Even though they had hoped in their hearts that the new cadets would be able to achieve something in the fights, upholding their pride, they knew reality would not be that easy. Furthermore, Luo Lang had seemed unbelievably scrawny, making them lose all hope from the start. Who could have expected that that youth who was as pretty as a picture on the stage could actually fight so well, going at it so fiercely from the beginning, and then even suppressing the opponent in this last encounter ... Could it be that the New Cadet Regiment's arrogance in accepting the wagered fight was not purely out of stubborn pride, but because they truly had the strength to back them up?

Tentative hope rose in these new cadets' hearts. If the New Cadet Regiment really won ... they, as freshmen, would undoubtedly have a better refuge. Compared to those pre-existing factions, the New Cadet Regiment which was made up of freshmen like them was certainly much more acceptable in their minds.

Thus thought the spectating students — and even on Leiting's side, quite a few faces had shifted slightly. After all, Qi Ya was their third strongest fighter; if he lost ... the situation would not look good for Leiting.

Seeing the disquiet of his companions, one of the strongest fighters in Leiting quietly explained some things to the people around him. Consequently, those people relaxed and began to smile in relief.

"Luo Lang, is still a little ways off 3 ," Ling Lan sighed as she shook her head lightly.

Chapter 250: Innate Talent Activated!

Translator: ryuxenji Editor: H2dH2mr

Luo Lang may have had the upper hand for the entire fight so far, but the difference in their skill levels made this blow of Luo Lang's utterly ineffective. In contrast, although the opponent may appear to have taken a blow, Luo Lang's stride was broken, causing the two fighters to once again return to the equal ground they were in at the start.

Ling Lan could see that Luo Lang himself, within the fight, had come to understand that his advantage had been lost after that strike, which was why he had not chosen to press his attack. Instead, he cautiously chose to defend, and the two fighters once again faced each other in a standoff.

Standing to one side, Tang Yu saw Luo Lang's actions and nodded silently. This 1st year student did not become reckless and overconfident due to his advantageous position at the start. He could clearly sense the change in the flow of the situation, quickly shifting to defence when he saw his advantage disappear. It was clear to see that he was level-headed and rational — he was definitely a good seedling to be a mecha warrior.

The more Tang Yu observed Luo Lang, the more he liked him. Right now, the only thing holding Luo Lang back from becoming an excellent mecha operator, was his scrawny frame. Tang Yu could not help but wonder whether he should go to his old friend who specialized in medicine, and take several tubes of their newly developed gene agent S-modification ... he had heard that its effects were even better than the special-class gene agents ...

As the referee Tang Yu's thoughts went off on a tangent, Qi Ya, who was across from Luo Lang, had rallied himself mentally to attack despite looking as insouciant as before. If Luo Lang impulsively chose to attack again by force, he might very well get an opportunity to injure him in one blow. Unfortunately, Luo Lang was extremely cautious — he did not act like Qi Ya expected. Qi Ya could not help but curse internally, frustrated at the overly cautious nature of this 1st year cadet.

Luo Lang's manner and actions let Qi Ya know that waiting for Luo Lang to attack first would be fruitless. There were only two paths before Qi Ya — battle Luo Lang in patience, where the one who lost patience first would attack; or Qi Ya himself could launch an attack now.

Of these two paths, Qi Ya almost unhesitatingly chose the second. This was because he did not want to continue dragging things out with Luo Lang, believing that this way of fighting was an insult to his skills. He believed that finishing off the other cleanly with a KO would reflect his true capabilities better, truly highlighting the dominance of Leiting.

Of course, choosing to initiate the attack was also because that previous clash had given him a clear understanding of the true level of Luo Lang's physical skills. In comparison to him, Luo Lang was obviously much weaker — he should have just entered the early stage of Qi-Jin. For Qi Ya, who exceeded his opponent by three minor levels, defeating the other should be a sure thing. Qi-Jin stage was unlike the stages before it, where the difference between every small level was not that significant, so an upset in those stages was indeed possible. However, at Qi-Jin stage, just the difference of one small level would be enough to completely overpower an opponent.

With this understanding as his support, Qi Ya leapt forward fearlessly, coming right up to Luo Lang in the blink of an eye. A powerful right fist flew at Luo Lang.

Luo Lang saw Qi Ya's attack and heard the sound it made as it cut through the air, and knew that he could not take this attack by force. At this moment, his thin and lanky body displayed a completely different combat style from that of someone with a stouter body. Luo Lang deftly shifted a step, lightly twisting his waist to one side, and the opponent's fist sailed by the left side of his body ...

This distance was controlled skilfully, almost calculating the other's attack range with pinpoint precision, resulting in the punch missing him by the barest of distances. Of course, the only thing Luo Lang could not control was that when he had avoided the punch, several strands of hair had not been able to swing away in time, and had actually been sliced off by the power of the wind-force behind the punch. They reluctantly bid farewell to their owner, drifting away wistfully in the air.

A loud 'BOOM' — Qi Ya's punch was heavy, forceful and unstoppable. It crashed into the floor of the stage, emitting a loud sound.

The floor of the stage actually began to crack due to this great force, the cracks spreading out like a web to the outer edges of the stage. Meanwhile, at the point where the fist had landed, a shallow ditch of about 30 centimetres had appeared.

Taking advantage of the lull, before the opponent could make another move, Luo Lang dashed to the other side of the stage with a quick spring of his feet, once again pulling away from Qi Ya. However, his expression was much more solemn than it had been before. Because he had sensed the power of the opponent's fists at close range, he knew even better now that if he were to be hit accidentally, his body would definitely be unable to take it — he would instantly be injured severely and be forced to withdraw. This was the difference between levels in Qi-Jin. Although the levels did not seem to be that far apart, the disparity in vigour and richness of one's Qi-Jin was like heaven and earth.

The damage to the stage made the freshmen spectating below the stage cry out in shock — was the match about to be stopped here? One strike had caused the stage to be damaged to this degree — how many more blows would this stage be able to take?

The older cadets saw the restlessness of the new cadets, and could not help but sweep disdainful glances at them. At that moment, they had forgotten how they had reacted the exact same way to a similar scene back when they themselves were younger.

Not only were the spectating freshmen stunned, even Qi Long and the others were astounded by this development. They had not imagined the arena stage of the combat hall of the military academy to be so fragile, actually unable to withstand one blow from an early stage peak level Qi-Jin. Li Yingjie was still relatively unbothered, but Wu Jiong and Qi Long began musing to themselves, wondering whether they should hold back some of their strength when it was their turn to prevent the entire stage from crumbling ...

Ling Lan saw the stupefied expressions of her companions, and sighed internally. She spoke up to explain, "This is highly advanced simulation technology, able to physically display the strength of a candidate on the stage. Everything will return to normal after 30 seconds."

She had barely finished speaking when the cracks on the stage began to slowly knit back together, becoming whole again in the end. This scene made the new cadets exclaim in wonder once more — who knew the military academy had actually combined simulation technology with the arena stage, allowing a fighter's strength and power to be manifested in this way, providing such visceral stimulus for the spectators.

Seeing this, Qi Long, Wu Jiong, and the others turned their heads to look admiringly at Ling Lan, silently thinking, 'Boss sure enough is Boss. So knowledgeable — nothing can escape his eyes.'

Ling Lan accepted the idolisation of her companions with a placid face, but internally, she was sweatdropping. Luckily Little Four had given her a heads up in time, otherwise she too would have been one of the clueless horde! Of course, Ling Lan was also grateful for her ice-cube face, unmoving as a rock mountain. It had prevented this fact from being exposed, allowing her to maintain her grand image in her companion's hearts ...

Even as Ling Lan was interacting with her group, the fight on the stage continued. Qi Ya tenaciously launched attack after attack at Luo Lang, but they were all dodged by the other. At this moment, Luo Lang was steadfastly obeying Boss Ling Lan's instructions — he did not meet the opponent with force, choosing to weave and dodge and drag things out. Just like this, several exchanges went by ... one side erratic like the wind, the other a centred well of power. One light, one heavy, they twisted and turned around the stage, leaving the audience gaping. The one-sided fight they had imagined at the start had never occurred; this fighting style of Luo Lang's would be able to sustain him for very long before he tired.

There began to be some unrest on Leiting's side. Some of the other fighting representatives had expressions of annoyance on their faces, thinking that Qi Ya was performing very shamefully, losing the faces of them seniors.

Qi Ya naturally knew about the commotion below the stage; he was angry and frustrated, but he had no good way of dealing with Luo Lang whose speed was clearly faster than his. The skinny Luo Lang's agility was obviously better than that of the average person. To catch hold of the other, either he had to tire the opponent out, or he had had to make him lose his cool ...

Seeing the easy way the other was breathing, Qi Ya knew Luo Lang's energy level was very sufficient. In fact, Qi Ya suspected that this irritable flea would still be jumping around even after he himself ran out of energy. Moreover, Qi Ya had no intentions of waiting any further — he wanted to defeat the other quickly to defend his honour. In that case, he could only make the other lose his composure ...

An evil grin turned up the corners of Qi Ya's lips. As he brushed by Luo Lang again, he mocked, "You trash who only knows how to dodge, did you use your body to trade for the right to be a candidate for this fight?"

Luo Lang's pretty face flushed red as he dodged once more. He controlled the fires of rage in his heart — he knew the other was only saying this to rile him and make him lose his cool. He must not fall for it ...

Qi Ya advanced once more, his two fists attacking in an endless stream. Luo Lang weaved left and right, narrowly avoiding getting hit several times by the cutting winds of the opponent's punches. Still, even so, several gashes appeared on Luo Lang's uniform, revealing his exquisite ivory skin.

"As expected, you really have excellent attributes. No wonder your regiment commander was beguiled by you, promoting you without concern for anything else." Qi Ya swept a suggestive glance at the revealed skin.

"Shut up!" Luo Lang screamed. He could tolerate an insult to himself, but he would not allow anyone to insult his Boss Lan!

"Shut up? Why should I? If he can do it, then he should not be afraid of others speaking of it!" From Luo Lang's reaction, Qi Ya could tell what Luo Lang's weakness was. He laughed even more wildly as he said, "I want to tell everyone that your regiment commander is gay, that is, a brokeback 1 ..."

Luo Lang's face flushed crimson, his eyes beginning to turn bloodshot in his anger. He continued to dodge, but his body began shaking uncontrollably ...

"Haha, I've hit the nail on the head, right?" Qi Ya added venomously, and then his long-prepared right leg whipped out in a side kick ...

Everyone thought Luo Lang would dodge when, right at that moment, Luo Lang suddenly froze, his head bowed. Just as Qi Ya's savage side kick was about to strike Luo Lang's body, Luo Lang's left hand reached out and actually grabbed hold of Qi Ya's right ankle.

The spectating Qi Long abruptly stood up, his face paling as he said, "Not good!"

This sudden action made Wu Jiong and Li Yingjie look over in bafflement, but the exclamations of the rest of the audience quickly pulled their attention back to the stage. They assumed Qi Long had reacted that way due to his concern for his companion; only Ling Lan knew what that was about. She tugged at Qi Long and warned him quietly, "Keep it down!"

Realising where he was at, Qi Long quickly sat down again, but his complexion remained pale and wan. He leaned towards Ling Lan's ear and said softly, "Boss, Luo Lang activated his innate talent." He had not expected Luo Lang to throw caution to the wind and activate his innate talent on the stage. What in the world had the opponent said to anger him so?

Although Qi Ya had spoken very softly, so the spectators had not been able to make out what was said, from the constant movement of his lips, and Luo Lang's increasingly troubled expression, it was certain that he had said something which had provoked Luo Lang. Otherwise, Luo Lang would not have disobeyed Ling Lan's orders and choose to activate his innate talent.

Ling Lan replied levelly, "I know!"

With that statement, Ling Lan's aura became unbelievably cold and forbidding, with even a trace of killing intent seeping out. Fortunately, this air of Ling Lan's came and went in the blink of an eye, so other than the few people near her, no one else sensed anything. On the stage, Tang Yu cast a dubious glance in her direction, but he quickly turned back in bewilderment to the fight on the arena stage.

Chapter 251: The 4th Form of One-Inch Punch!

Translator: ryuxenji Editor: H2dH2mr

Qi Long sensed the shift in Ling Lan's aura, and could not help but worry for Luo Lang — could it be that Boss had truly become furious because of Luo Lang's disobedience?

Right then, Ling Lan asked Qi Long in a low voice, "Can you tell what personality he managed to activate?"

Ling Lan hoped the personality Luo Lang activated was not one which was brutal, bloodthirsty, and uncontrollable. Otherwise, she would have to forfeit to protect Luo Lang — the military academy would never permit an uncontrollable loose cannon who could not differentiate friend from foe to continue studying at the school and eventually enter an army division.

Qi Long peered closely at Luo Lang and then shook his head, puzzled. "Strange. This personality has never appeared before. I cannot sense any intense malicious intent, but my innate talent is warning me that I must be careful."

Ling Lan frowned at his words. She carefully studied Luo Lang's expression — there was no sign of bloodthirst, nor was there any sort of extreme ruthlessness. The current Luo Lang just seemed endlessly cold, but this coldness did not encompass everyone, merely directed solely at his opponent.

Weighing things in her mind, Ling Lan decided and said, "Let's continue watching."

Ling Lan too wanted to know what personality this was that Luo Lang had activated. As long as Luo Lang did not lose control, Ling Lan did not want to cut the match short. This was because she knew that, since Luo Lang had thrown caution to the wind to activate his innate talent, he must really not want to lose to this opponent who had insulted him. As their boss, Ling Lan wanted to help Luo Lang achieve what he wanted to do.

Seated beside them, Wu Jiong and Li Yingjie did not know the struggles of Qi Long and Ling Lan. Right now, their attention was fully absorbed by the stage. They had even stood up in their excitement, as Luo Lang had currently taken full control of the scene.

With one hand, Luo Lang gripped Qi Ya's ankle. All the spectators knew that the power behind that kick was extremely formidable — handling it with one hand must definitely be challenging. However, Luo Lang seemed to do so easily — he did not even take a single step back due to the opponent's strength, appearing cool and unruffled.

Luo Lang could be seen to slowly lift his head. The red flush on his face from before was gone and his complexion had already regained its usual fairness, becoming unbelievably cool. Both his irises were a deep black, like pools of dead water, so deep and unfathomable that Qi Ya, being pinned by them in close range, felt a chill permeate his heart.

"I've told you before, to shut up," said Luo Lang calmly, "What a shame you would not listen ..." As he spoke, Luo Lang raised his right hand and swept it in a fierce chop down at the opponent's shank 1 gripped in his other hand. Based off the speed and force that he was applying, if the strike connected, the bones of the shank would certainly break.

Qi Ya's pupils shrunk in fear, the warning bells in his mind ringing — he shook his right leg desperately, trying to regain the freedom of his leg. But Luo Lang's left hand was like a vise; he could not struggle free anytime soon.

Qi Ya naturally would not just do nothing and resign himself to his fate — he sprang up from the ground with his other foot, and executing a half-flip in the air, he swung his left leg, which had initially been supporting his weight, out in a fierce kick towards the side of Luo Lang's neck.

In order to protect his right shank, Qi Ya was revealing the brutal side of his nature. He no longer held back, beginning to target Luo Lang's vital points.

Everyone exclaimed in shock at the sight, sucking in a cold breath. Quite a few freshmen even stood up in horror, concerned for Luo Lang on the stage. If the opponent's kick landed, Luo Lang's fragile neck area would certainly be snapped, killing him instantly. There would be no chance at all for rescue and recovery. In an arena battle within the military academy, these vital points were off-limits. Without question, Qi Ya had broken the academy rules.

Seeing this, a cold gleam flashed through Tang Yu's eyes. He was just about to take action, when he saw Luo Lang calmly change the attack trajectory of his right hand, to directly meet the other's kick. Thus, Tang Yu paused, but he still made preparations to act. However, right then, Colonel Tang Yu had drawn a huge 'X' in his heart over Qi Ya — this kind of person who would be so ruthless against a comrade, he would never give him a chance to go to those elite ace military troops ...

With an audible 'pow', Luo Lang's palm struck the opponent's other ankle, and Qi Ya felt a snap. Following that, an intense pain radiated from Qi Ya's foot to his heart, and he could not help but yell, "Argh!"

The collision of the two forces naturally produced a tremendous rebound force. Qi Ya was thrown back forcefully, and due to the intense pain he was in, he actually did not manage to land soundly. His entire body was flung out to crash heavily onto the stage, where he then slid across the ground, leaving a faint mark in his trail.

Meanwhile, Luo Lang had to take several steps back before finding his footing. However, his left hand hung limply by his side. From the swinging motion it was making, it was clear to see that Luo Lang's left hand had most likely been broken by the rebound force in meeting the other's kick earlier.

Looking at Qi Ya cradling his ankle on the ground, his expression a rictus of pain, and contrasting it with Luo Lang on the other side, who also had a broken bone, but sported a cold and unfeeling expression ... it was clear to see which was superior. The freshmen were naturally unconditionally on Luo Lang's side, while some of the seniors could not help but frown as well at this time. They looked down on Qi Ya for losing the face of the seniors, and silent admiration for Luo Lang began to grow in their minds. This delicate looking youth was actually a tough character.

Colonel Tang Yu walked over to Qi Ya's side expressionlessly and asked, "Cadet Qi Ya, can you still fight? If you cannot, I will announce the victor for this match."

Both sides were similarly injured, but it never even crossed Colonel Tang Yu's mind to ask this question of Luo Lang. This was because he believed that, as long as that fellow Luo Lang had breath left in his lungs, he would definitely continue fighting. This was how a qualified military man should behave. Compared to Luo Lang, this 5th year Qi Ya was just too much of a wimp.

Qi Ya felt as if there was a drill boring into his right ankle — the pain was truly unbearable. Without saying a word, Qi Ya knew the other must have applied some hidden move on his ankle, and the hate for Luo Lang in his heart just grew even more. Right then, hearing the referee Tang Yu ask this, how could he voluntarily admit defeat? Holding back the pain, he replied, "I can fight!"

That said, Qi Ya slowly climbed off the ground. This scene was greeted by the applause of the spectating students. Even though Qi Ya had truly performed terribly before this, at this very moment, he was undoubtedly acting as a qualified cadet should; this gained him the acknowledgement of a portion of the students.

At this scene, Qi Long could not help but snicker softly. He said quietly to Ling Lan, "Boss, looks like that punk Luo Lang has secretly used a mean move." He stroked his jaw and wondered, "Which move did he use? The 3rd form of One-Inch Punch?"

Ling Lan instantly responded, "No, it's the 4th form."

"Huh? When has there been such a move?" Qi Long was stupefied. How did he not know about this?

"The One-Inch Punch is the Luo family's ultimate arts. Of course it'll have some ace in the holes," answered Ling Lan.

The instructors within the learning space had already developed the One-Inch Punch up till the 9th form. Ling Lan's team had already mastered all the forms up to the 3rd form, but since the One-Inch Punch series had originated from the inherited ultimate arts of Luo Lang's family, Ling Lan had specially taught the 4th form to Luo Lang. This was to prove that the One-Inch Punch was still the Luo family's ultimate arts, so Luo Lang would forever have an extra ace in the hole than the others.

After listening to Ling Lan's explanation, Qi Long found it made sense, and so no longer concerned himself about the issue. This was Qi Long's strength — always knowing where to draw the line, never demanding things that did not belong to him.

On the stage, Qi Ya, who was back on his feet, glared hatefully at Luo Lang. He knew that his performance had disgraced him in front of everyone here, and all of this had been caused by this hateful youth before him. He was raging internally, wishing that he could kill Luo Lang to release the pent up anger and hate in his heart.

Luo Lang's eyes met Qi Ya's, and the remote disinterest in Luo Lang's gaze sent a chill through Qi Ya. His mind, which had been consumed with rage, was suddenly shocked into wakefulness — because he had sensed a kind of danger. In fact, he could even sense a slight trace of killing intent from the other ... could it be the other also wanted to kill him?

How could this be? Qi Ya shook his head emphatically, casting this thought aside. He hadn't done anything 2 , so how could the other have killing intent against him? Right then, Qi Ya had forgotten those words he had said earlier 3 . He did not know that — some things, some people, just could not be sullied.

Seeing the two face off once more, Tang Yu announced, "The match continues!"

No sooner had he finished speaking when Luo Lang moved. He dashed out like a ferocious tiger, flying over to Qi Ya's side. Since the other could not move properly, when should he attack if not now?

Just as Luo Lang expected, one foot short, Qi Ya could not dodge; he could only meet Luo Lang's attack head on. Of course, Qi Ya was not afraid — in fact, he was rather gleeful. He had wanted to fight Luo Lang head on from the start. With regards to internal energy 4 , his was undoubtedly more substantial that Luo Lang's. Fighting on that front, he had full confidence to injure Luo Lang and obtain the final victory.

However, were things really going to turn out as he expected?

When the two of them exchanged the first blow, Qi Ya's expression changed dramatically. He found that the other's attack power was no weaker than his — his original anticipated plan of using internal energy to injure the other had no way of being realised.

The second move, the third move, the fourth move ... slowly, Qi Ya realised that every time his arms blocked the other's attack, the spot he blocked with would ache in pain. This pain was extremely similar to that of where his ankle was broken, just not as intense. For the first and second move, he had not sensed much of it, but after the third and fourth moves, the pain began to intensify, and by the time they reached the seventh and eighth move, he was actually unable to raise his arms properly ...

A 'bam' rang out. Luo Lang had grasped the opening and struck Qi Ya's cheek forcefully, and Qi Ya was sent flying. Luo Lang had held back on this strike, not using the forms of One-Inch Punch, but even so, Qi Ya was knocked unconscious instantly by Luo Lang's base strength. He crashed onto the ground and did not get up again.

Colonel Tang Yu quickly rushed forwards to check on Qi Ya's condition. Seeing that the youth had no life-threatening injuries, and was indeed out for the count, he indicated for the staff in the combat hall to send Qi Ya to the treatment centre. With the present technology, as long as it was not a fatal injury, any patient who was still breathing could basically be saved.

Qi Ya was seen to be lifted off the stage, and Tang Yu then smiled and announced loudly, "The first match, 1st year Luo Lang of the New Cadet Regiment wins!"

The faces of the people from Leiting were currently a sheet of darkness. It was unexpected that Qi Ya, who they had had high hopes for, would actually be defeated in an upset by a frail-looking 1st year. The opponent had taken a match right from the start, and more frighteningly, the one they had defeated was their third strongest. Quite a few members of Leiting began to reconsider — could they really win this fight against the New Cadet Regiment? For the first time, they began to harbour doubts.

Lin Zhidong gritted his teeth and said, "It's no matter. I suppose the other side had sent one of their strongest. As long as we win the rest of the matches, losing one match won't affect the final outcome."

A man beside him said evenly, "The key is the fight order. If the opponent just happens to use their strongest few against our weakest ..."

This was not like a transparent private fight, where fights were arranged according to personal strength — a blind fight not only tested a fighter's true strength, but also tested the psychological tactics and strategy of each side. Perhaps it could be called luck, but this was the mode the official challenges used, all in hopes of seeing more diverse matchups. Compared to an open fight, a blind fight was undoubtedly much fairer — if one applied the correct strategy, and had a great burst of luck, even the weak had hopes of winning.

These words made Lin Zhidong fall into silent contemplation. His gaze wavered slightly, but quickly settled. He did not believe that their luck would be so horrible that the opponent would manage to grab hold of those two opportunities so precisely.

Luo Lang slowly walked off the stage, and he was welcomed back by the respectful gazes of the members of the New Cadet Regiment. As there were quite a few non-Central Academy freshmen within their ranks, those students had indeed been somewhat doubtful at Luo Lang's inclusion as one of the five representatives. However, this fight had proven that Luo Lang truly had the skill to be one of the five top fighters of the New Cadet Regiment. There was no longer anyone within the New Cadet Regiment who doubted his strength now.

Seeing Luo Lang's impressive performance, the man in the box who had already become interested in Luo Lang licked his lips excitedly, chuckling deeply as he said, "What a prideful and spirited little fellow. If I break those proud bones of his bit by bit, wouldn't his expression be very interesting? 5 Muahahahaha ... 6 " Gruesome laughter rang out to fill the entire box, involuntarily causing one's skin to crawl.

********

Luo Lang slowly walked to stand before Ling Lan, where he then stared coldly at her. Facing this strange situation, Wu Jiong and Li Yingjie, who had initially planned to step forward and congratulate Luo Lang, stopped moving instantly. They stared uncertainly at the two people in front of them.

Ling Lan remained seated, unmoved, as she stared back evenly at Luo Lang. The cold air around her body became much denser.

Luo Lang opened and shut his mouth, but emitted no sound. Ling Lan coldly rebuked, "Still not letting go?" That said, Ling Lan's eyes gleamed with a cold light, piercing Luo Lang with its intensity — as if receiving some heavy blow, Luo Lang's body swayed, and then his eyes closed and he began falling towards the ground.

Qi Long reacted quickly, catching Luo Lang and pulling him into his arms. At first chance, he examined Luo Lang's arms, and then, face paling, he shouted, "Boss, there are multiple breaks on the bones of Luo Lang's arms!"

"I know. Let the staff arrange for Luo Lang to go to the treatment centre, accompanied by Lin Zhong-qing," Ling Lan swiftly ordered.

This punk — using the 4th form of One-Inch Punch multiple times when he had yet to master it, forcefully increasing the level of his internal energy ... unable to fully control the form's power, of course his own arms would have been broken by the rebound force of the One-Inch Punch. Still, the tolerance level of that alter ego of his was truly off the charts, and he was tough towards himself as well, actually tolerating the pain of both broken arms until he could finally defeat Qi Ya ...

When Tang Yu found out that Luo Lang had been fighting while tolerating the pain of broken arms, waiting till he won and returned to his teammates' side before allowing himself to collapse, he was even more delighted with this strong and determined youth. He had already made up his mind that, even if Luo Lang's body did not meet expectations in the end, he would still use his own special rights to take in the other as his disciple.

Once Luo Lang had been sent off to the treatment centre, Ling Lan, noticing the confusion in Wu Jiong's and Li Yingjie's eyes, spoke up to explain, "Just now, the opponent had insulted Luo Lang, saying that he had only been chosen as a representative because he belongs to me."

The two stared blankly back, not understanding the meaning behind the words right away. Qi Long understood however, because Ling Lan had already mentioned it to him previously when she had explained why Luo Lang had become enraged enough to activate his innate talent. Thus, he pulled the two aside and quietly spelled things out for them 7 .

Chapter 252: Fatal Weakness!

Translator: ryuxenji Editor: H2dH2mr

Wu Jiong's and Li Yingjie's facial expressions soured and they turned to spit fiercely at the ground, glaring furiously at the area where the Leiting representatives were. Those words of Qi Ya's not only insulted Luo Lang and Ling Lan, they also insulted every single person in the New Cadet Regiment at the same time. This made the boys livid.

As classmates who had grown up alongside Ling Lan, Luo Lang, and the others of their team, Wu Jiong and Li Yingjie naturally knew the nature of the close relationship among the members of Ling Lan's team. It was absolutely the purest of brotherly bonds. From the 1st grade at the scout academy, Ling Lan, who had already been more mature than any of them, had watched over and cared for his team members like an elder brother, treating them like his own younger brothers. In fact, they were very envious of the rapport between Ling Lan and the other members of his team, which was so good that, at times, they could understand each other with just one look. They just could not imagine how someone could sully the pure relationship between the two by casting such aspersions.

Li Yingjie had always been a straightforward person who spoke without filtering his words. He grumbled discontentedly, "Saying Boss Lan and Luo Lang have this kind of relationship, he might as well say it's Qi Long and Luo Lang. Those two have always hung around each other since young, sparring and fighting with one another. Haven't they spent even more time together?"

These words made Qi Long hook his arm around Li Yingjie's neck in indignation, where he then pressed his fist forcefully against the other's head. This made Li Yingjie squawk in pain, but with his fighting strength being no match for Qi Long's, he had no way of escaping Qi Long's violent hands. He could only apologise repeatedly until Qi Long finally let him go. Of course Qi Long would be annoyed! How could such a big stalwart man like him like guys 1 ... In comparison, Qi Long still preferred those curvaceous bodies of pretty younger sisters 2 .

Right at that moment, Little Four once more informed Ling Lan of the submission of the opponent's candidate name. This time, they had chosen their 4th strongest fighter, Song Lianlu.

Ling Lan very quickly realised the reasoning behind this arrangement of the opponent. Qi Ya, who they had had high hopes for, had been defeated; this made Leiting have no choice but to be cautious. They were afraid that if they sent out the weakest among their line-up, and he met a strong opponent, they would lose one more match. However, they also did not want to send their two strongest out, as that would leave them with no one to hold the fort. Thus, after some deliberation, they had sent out the safest option, the 4th strongest, to attempt to take this match.

Ling Lan turned her head to look at Qi Long and the others. Just as she was about to tell Qi Long to get ready, Li Yingjie stepped forward and volunteered, "Boss Lan, I'll go up for this match."

Ling Lan felt her gums ache as she held back the words she had been about to say. Like Luo Lang, Li Yingjie was also at first level early stage Qi-Jin. Against an opponent of top-level early stage Qi-Jin, he had almost no chance of winning, unless Li Yingjie also had that kind of inexplicable, mysterious, and unpredictable innate talent like Luo Lang's. Then, there might still have been the possibility of an upset.

Seeing Boss Lan staring at him with a frigid expression, Li Yingjie clenched his fists nervously. Although he knew volunteering on his own to fight was rather reckless of him, very likely to affect Boss Lan's strategic arrangements, he just did not want to lose to Luo Lang. At the same time, he also wanted to prove that he was not a coward. Earlier on the stage, his involuntary shudder had caused Luo Lang to mistake him for one, and he was still stewing over it. Thus, having seen Luo Lang win the first match after great difficulty, Li Yingjie did not want to fall behind Luo Lang by too much.

The fighting spirit in Li Yingjie's eyes made Ling Lan change her mind instantly. She nodded and said, "Alright. Don't disgrace our New Cadet Regiment."

The reason why Ling Lan had changed her mind at the last moment was that Luo Lang had unexpectedly won his match. Therefore, even if Li Yingjie lost this next match, it would not affect the bigger picture. After all, there was still the weakest fighter in the opponent's line-up who, barring any unexpected incidents, should lose whether Wu Jiong or Qi Long went up against him. And so, Ling Lan agreed to Li Yingjie's plea to fight now.

As long as it would not affect the final outcome, Ling Lan was willing to go along with these little fellows' wishes.

Obtaining Ling Lan's approval, Li Yingjie's eyes shone with a trace of pleasant surprise. He had originally thought Boss Lan did not like him very much — after all, he had indeed been rather annoying in the past. But just now, there was no dislike or apathy in Ling Lan's eyes; his demeanour had been extremely serious. In that moment, Li Yingjie fully felt the trust that Ling Lan had in him.

For some reason, he suddenly recalled his second eldest cousin brother Li Shiyu's words to him, "When you finally learn what brotherly bonds mean, then you will understand that power is not something irreplaceable."

At this moment, Li Yingjie seemed to vaguely understand what his second cousin brother had been saying. He looked towards Ling Lan — if it were Ling Lan, Li Yingjie probably would not fight with him over the position of regiment commander ...

On the stage, Colonel Tang Yu had already received the name list from both sides. The moment time was up, he announced, "The New Cadet Regiment vs Leiting Mecha Clan, 2nd round. 1st year Li Yingjie against 4th year Song Lianlu!"

********

Inside the box, Yun Xiu heard this announcement and his spirits rallied. He quickly turned to yell, "Shiyu, your younger cousin brother is up now. His opponent is Song Lianlu from our year."

Li Shiyu, who was resting with his eyes closed on the sofa, abruptly opened his eyes. Seeing Li Yingjie strut confidently onto the stage, his brow furrowed. "Song Lianlu is already a Qi-Jin master, Li Yingjie is most probably no match for him." No matter how much he said he looked down on Li Yingjie, Li Shiyu could not help but worry for him right then.

Yun Xiu had an opposing opinion. "Not necessarily. That weak-looking youth earlier managed to defeat the Qi-Jin stage Qi Ya after all. I think this year of freshmen aren't as weak as we think them to be ... perhaps your cousin is also already in Qi-Jin."

Li Shiyu was silent for a moment, and then said faintly, "I hope it turns out that way ... still, if he loses, I will let him understand the consequences of losing." Since he and his eldest cousin brother could not become the family head of the Li family, he hoped that Li Yingjie, who would become the family head in the end, would be even stronger. Even if he could not get used to the Li family's heartlessness, having been taught all this time to take pride in the Li family, Li Shiyu still did not want to see the Li family decline.

********

Seeing that both sides were ready to fight, Colonel Tang Yu waved his right hand and shouted, "Begin!"

Following this sound, the two fighters faced each other from a distance, not attacking right off the bat. Qi Ya's loss had made Song Lianlu become exceedingly cautious. He did not know whether his opponent was strong or weak, so, he was prepared to observe the situation for a bit before making a decision.

Meanwhile, Li Yingjie had received instruction from Ling Lan as well before getting onto the stage. Like with Luo Lang, because he had just entered Qi-Jin stage and his Qi-Jin had yet to settle, it was not wise for him to fight head-on with his opponent. Thus, his strategy would still focus on drawing things out. Of course, the situation on the stage would be constantly shifting, so everything would still depend on Li Yingjie's judgment.

Although Li Yingjie was an arrogant punk, he was not an impulsive one. His combat intelligence was still pretty good, otherwise he would not have remained securely within the top 5 for ten years. Therefore, he chose the same path as Song Lianlu. The two of them faced each other from a distance, circling the stage as they looked for a chance to attack.

This was distinctly different from Luo Lang and Qi Ya's direct confrontation — the two fighters in this fight circled the stage for a whole 3 minutes without acting. This dull scenario made the spectating students lose their patience, some of them even outright beginning to yawn. Quite a few people began discussing among themselves, wondering how many minutes more they would spend dancing around each other ...

Right then, the initially still circling Song Lianlu suddenly rocked on the balls of his feet, and then his entire body shot forward like an arrow. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Li Yingjie, his right fist striking out fiercely at Li Yingjie's left side. Just before, a weakness had suddenly appeared in Li Yingjie's defence.

Song Lianlu knew that this could also be a lure, but he also knew that if he did not try and attack now, even if they continued to weave around one another for half a day, he still might not find a better chance to attack. Thus, Song Lianlu decided to make his move.

However, as Song Lianlu attacked, he found that the weakness had disappeared. In its place, was Li Yingjie's long ready clawed hands. This was the Li family's ultimate arts — the strongest offensive defensive measure to handle an opponent's attacks.

Seeing this, Ling Lan's brow furrowed, knowing that Li Yingjie was likely to come to grief. This lure-and-counterattack tactic of Li Yingjie's was actually not wrong — his mistake was in underestimating his opponent's capabilities. If he had used this move against an opponent of equal level, Li Yingjie would absolutely have had the upper hand, but now, things were not so certain.

Sure enough, Li Yingjie's grasping hands locked onto the opponent's right fist, but the moment they connected, Li Yingjie felt a strong surge of energy coming from the opponent's fist, almost repelling his grab off in its intensity.

Li Yingjie knew that if the other repelled his grab, he would certainly take a heavy blow from the other in return. He would definitely be injured, and may have to declare his loss in advance ... he did not want Luo Lang to taunt him. So, gritting his teeth, he tolerated the intense pain radiating up his arm, tenaciously keeping his hold on the other's right fist ...

Song Lianlu felt that he was about to shake his opponent's palm off, but just as he was about to succeed, the other retained the hold on his right fist and then he felt a pull. He felt the strength of his entire body being pulled to an empty spot, and he careened uncontrollably to crash into the shielded area on the edges of the arena ...

The shielded area emitted a blinding light — a pattern like the shattering of glass appearing within the light. In the meantime, after drawing the opponent's strength to one side, Li Yingjie's readied right fist struck out immediately towards Song Lianlu's chest.

Defence was just a prelude to attacking — the final objective of Li Yingjie's move was here ...

However, Song Lianlu reacted equally swiftly. His left palm moved to block his chest at the critical moment, forcibly receiving this unexpected attack by Li Yingjie!

With a 'pow', fist met palm, and then, with a loud crack, the two were sent flying backwards. Song Lianlu had to take a whole 3 steps back after landing to find his footing, while Li Yingjie also had to take 3 steps back before standing firmly. From the spectating students' perspective, the two fighters had battled to a draw.

Only those with a keen eye had noticed that Li Yingjie's low-hanging left hand was trembling minutely beyond his control. That powerful attack of the opponent he had grabbed hold of previously had clearly damaged Li Yingjie's left hand severely.

Wu Jiong and Qi Long could tell, and their expressions paled. Wu Jiong said worriedly, "Li Yingjie's left hand is injured. It'll be tough from this point on."

Ling Lan said calmly, "This match, Li Yingjie was at a disadvantage from the start. That's why winning or losing isn't so important. I just wanted to see how far he could go."

Li Yingjie had a fatal weakness — when he knew he was at a disadvantage, that he was no match for his opponent, he would very easily give up on himself. His character lacked some tenacity. This was also why he had lost to Luo Lang so many times all this while, ending up in 5th place, slightly behind Luo Lang in the rankings.

This was what Ling Lan was thinking. Since Li Yingjie had sincerely acknowledged her as boss, she was inclined to help Li Yingjie solve this problem. Today was a good opportunity — it was rare for Li Yingjie to have such an intense desire to fight ...

Chapter 253: Stand Up!

Translator: ryuxenji Editor: H2dH2mr

Suppressing the intense pain coming from his left hand, Li Yingjie looked at the confident Song Lianlu across from him, and his heart sank. That last move had let him know just how wide the gap was between his strength and the opponent's. Under these circumstances, how could he beat the other? Li Yingjie's gaze began to waver with uncertainty ...

Song Lianlu had similarly sensed the power behind Li Yingjie's attack. Despite his hastiness in blocking it, he had still managed to take it. It looked like the strength of this cocky punk in front of him was indeed weaker than him by a strand. With this, he had some basis for confidence now. His initial caution and tentative approach vanished, to be replaced by a raging barrage of attacks.

Facing this sudden attack, Li Yingjie naturally did not choose to take it forcefully. He instantly retreated to evade — it should be said that though Li Yingjie's evasion ability was not as elegant as Luo Lang's, it was still extremely remarkable, nimbly dodging all of Song Lianlu's fierce attacks. Still, even so, Li Yingjie was already disadvantaged, clearly being a passive receptor of Song Lianlu's attacks.

Just like that, one attacked fiercely without any reservations, while the other dodged narrowly again and again. Everyone could tell that the loss of the New Cadet Regiment's representative was just a matter of time. Unless this freshman managed to pull out some ultimate move and have a sudden explosion of strength like the previous freshman, the outcome of this match would not change.

Of course, they would not jump to a conclusion so quickly ... after all, before the final results were out, anything was possible. Thus, everyone watched the stage intently, waiting for the results to emerge. Either this freshman would be on the defensive right until he gets defeated, or, like in the previous round, he would suddenly explode and launch a counterattack from dire straits.

********

Below the stage, the spectating Wu Jiong and Qi Long's faces were growing darker and darker. They knew that, if things continued like this, Li Yingjie would definitely lose! It was not that they could not accept failure, but they did not want to see Li Yingjie being pummelled continuously in such a frustrating manner. In their minds, even if they lost, they must lose gloriously!

Ling Lan frowned. Li Yingjie's old problem had appeared again. The moment he met an opponent he could not beat, he would become unmotivated and defend passively, having no courage at all to risk everything in a last-ditch struggle.

Ling Lan began to think back — when had Li Yingjie begun to have this issue? As Ling Lan had not paid much attention to Li Yingjie in the past, by the time she had noticed, this fellow had already had this problem. Of course, Ling Lan was not a saintly matron. She would not go and help this irritating punk the way he was back then even when she noticed. Therefore, this problem had lasted all this while until today.

Sensing his boss's confusion, Little Four could not help but roll his eyes. Without saying a word, he pulled out out several video clips he had recorded in the early days, projecting them within Ling Lan's mindspace ...

The first video was of Ling Lan's first fight against Li Yingjie. Without even sparing the other a glance, Ling Lan had sent Li Yingjie flying with one punch ... At the end of the video, Li Yingjie's disgruntled and resentful gaze was clearly captured within the frame.

The second video was Ling Lan's second fight against Li Yingjie. Again, she had not even looked at him, sending him flying with one kick ... Li Yingjie's expression at this time was one of dejection, with even a touch of self-doubt.

The third video was similarly a fight between Ling Lan and Li Yingjie. Ling Lan once again casually sent Li Yingjie flying with one punch ... Li Yingjie's expression here now was somewhat wooden, and a light trace of self-contempt could be read from his lips.

The fourth video was still a fight between Ling Lan and Li Yingjie. This time, Ling Lan just happened to be in the period when her killing intent had been the densest. Regardless of how Little Four tried to cover it up, some had still leaked when she had fought, instantly smashing through Li Yingjie's mental defences. That time, Li Yingjie did not even manage to do anything before being sent flying off the stage by a punch from Ling Lan ... back then, his gaze was filled with terror ...

From then onwards, whenever Li Yingjie encountered someone stronger than him, he no longer had the courage to try and fight it out ...

Ling Lan rubbed her forehead wearily. "Little Four, you mean that, Li Yingjie's current condition is completely because of me?"

Little Four nodded firmly. "Of course. The first few defeats had already made that fellow's heart become unbelievably weak. That fourth time, was coincidentally when your killing intent was at its worst. His spirit received a terrible blow by that killing intent you leaked, leaving him with an inner demon."

"Tsk, why is this fellow's heart so d*mn weak? Isn't he very arrogant and proud?" Ling Lan was somewhat baffled by this. Qi Long had been constantly losing to her as well, and she did not see any openings open up in that brat's mental state to produce an inner demon. He still fought as roughly as before.

"How could it be the same? Qi Long respects you, Boss. In his heart, Boss is not only Boss, but also a Master. Losing to you is very normal for him. But it's different for Li Yingjie. He has always considered you, Boss, as a rival, desiring to beat you so much that he was almost crazed by it. But Boss just happened to be too strong and overwhelming. Losing again and again, losing until he had no more confidence, and then his already fragile heart was coincidentally invaded by Boss's killing intent, hence leading to this problem ...."

Little Four's explanation made Ling Lan somewhat depressed. She had never thought that Li Yingjie would end up following her in the end, making this problem an issue she had to handle. If she had only known earlier, she would have been more merciful back then 1 . However, it was too late for all that now — she might as well put her energy into thinking about how she could resolve the psychological problem this brat had now.

Right then, a powerful sound of fist meeting flesh rang out, "Pow!"

On the stage, Song Lianlu had finally grasped a chance to land a heavy punch onto Li Yingjie's left shoulder. Li Yingjie was sent flying to crash heavily onto the stage. He slid several metres, leaving an extremely obvious line on the stage; it was clear to see how powerful the opponent's blow had been.

Li Yingjie could not stop himself from throwing up a mouthful of blood. Although his vital points had not been hit directly, the opponent's strength had still been strong enough to cause blast injury to his internal organs. He felt a profound ache in his chest cavity, and even worse, his entire left arm had lost all sensation. Who knew if that last punch had shattered the bones of his shoulder, or if it had damaged his nervous system ...

Song Lianlu saw the opponent struck down and pleasant surprise flashed through his eyes. Just as he wanted to follow through to determine the outcome, Colonel Tang Yu suddenly stopped him and indicated for him to stand to one side. Then, Colonel Tang Yu walked up to Li Yingjie's side and asked, "Do you choose to admit defeat or continue to fight?"

When Li Yingjie heard Colonel Tang Yu's question, a voice rang out in his heart, 'Li Yingjie, admit defeat quickly! The opponent's strength is so much higher than yours. You have no way of beating him. There's no point in persisting. You might as well admit defeat and suffer less.'

Yes, why did he have to hold on so hard and fight? He was weaker than the opponent to begin with ... wasn't it normal to lose?

Li Yingjie slowly raised his hand, prepared to say the words 'I admit defeat', when a cold voice rang out from behind him, "Li Yingjie, stand up!"

Li Yingjie turned his head in bewilderment and saw Ling Lan, who had initially been seated below the stage, now standing right by the edge of the arena stage, looking at him with an icy expression.

"Li Yingjie, where have the guts you had when you were younger gone to? Godd*mmit, stand up! It's time to let them see what the real cocky Li Yingjie is like." Ling Lan's gaze was clearly frigid, but for some reason Li Yingjie could see the same firm faith in him as before in his gaze ...

'He understands me, and is also willing to believe in me, which was why he had agreed to my request ...' Li Yingjie did not forget that, before the round, Ling Lan's gaze had been on Qi Long, but he had still agreed to his volunteering in the end. Not perfunctorily, but with full faith in him, believing that he would put up a good fight.

'No, I cannot let him look down on me!' Li Yingjie was shaken. A voice in his heart was raging — yes, I'm cocky and arrogant. I was not afraid of anything at the beginning. Even if someone was stronger than me, I would dare to challenge them ... admit defeat? When had this phrase appeared in my mouth? That's definitely not me.

Li Yingjie abruptly turned his head around. His initially slightly raised right hand changed directions to slam onto the ground and support him as he slowly pushed himself off the ground. In spite of the agony, there was no change in Li Yingjie's face at this moment, as if the wounds on his body did not exist.

Seeing Li Yingjie's movements, Ling Lan turned around with satisfaction, returning to her seat. She believed that, this time, Li Yingjie was different now.

Li Yingjie stood up straight, and turning to the waiting Colonel Tang Yu, he said, "I want to continue fighting!"

A trace of approval flashed through Colonel Tang Yu's eyes, and he nodded and said, "Alright, the match continues!"

Song Lianlu silently tsked. If Colonel Tang Yu had not stopped him, he could have taken the chance to beat the other until he had no more fight in him. At the heart of it, this punk had been saved by the referee.

However, this would be the only time! A subtle smile appeared on the corners of Song Lianlu's lips. This half-crippled punk before him was completely no match for him.

********

"Who was the one who yelled earlier?" In the Leiting area below the stage, Lin Zhidong frowned as he looked at Ling Lan walking back to her seat, and asked the people around him.

"I don't know. This person is very unfamiliar." The person beside him looked closely at Ling Lan, and found her face unfamiliar, and so shook his head. As Ling Lan had always stayed within the villa without going out, other than those people from the Doha academies, most of the major factions outside really did not know about her.

"This person needs to be watched." Lin Zhidong was extremely alert. Being able to rekindle a comrade's fighting spirit with just a few words, this person could not be simple.

"Yes, Vice Regiment Commander Lin, I will arrange it," answered the person beside him respectfully, silently memorising Ling Lan's name.

"Qi Long, Li Yingjie's aura seems to have changed," said Wu Jiong to Qi Long excitedly. Li Yingjie's transformation on the stage had also been sensed by Wu Jiong.

Qi Long let out a sigh of relief as well and replied, "Yes, we don't have to worry about him anymore." He then sighed and added, "Boss Lan is truly Boss Lan, able to change Li Yingjie with just one sentence."

These words received Wu Jiong's agreement. He glanced admiringly at the calm and cold-faced Ling Lan by their sides. Only a talent such as Ling Lan, who could discern a person's nature with one look, would be able to unearth the latent talents of everyone in their team, better leading them as they advanced further. On this point, Wu Jiong was really too far away from Ling Lan's level.

Once again, Wu Jiong felt the distance between he and Ling Lan keenly. This sort of respect and admiration accumulated bit by bit in Wu Jiong's heart, until it was so substantial that it could not be overturned. He could only continue to willingly chase after the other, until the end of time!