261-266

Chapter 261: Wu Jiong's Calculation!

Translator: DRZ Editor: H2dH2mr

After taking the stage, Wu Jiong and Chang Le had their guards up. Wu Jiong shouldered the huge pressure of having to win, while Chang Le hoped to end this battle in his turn and become the great hero of Leiting.

In contrast to Lin Zhidong's and Boss Huo's uncertainty, Chang Le was extremely confident of himself as he had already reached mid-level early stage Qi-Jin, and believed that Wu Jiong was around the same level as those two new cadets who had come out earlier on, who had just entered first-level early stage Qi-Jin. He was not convinced that there would be new cadets stronger than him, and Qi Long, the one who came out during the third match, was probably the rumoured aberrant as he was extremely strong.

Chang Le had overlooked Ling Lan's existence at this moment. He was under the impression that Ling Lan could severely injure Nie Feng-ming in one strike only because Nie Feng-ming and Qi Long had been in a situation where both sides had suffered serious injuries, so Nie Feng-ming had been defenceless It had to be said that having a huge discrepancy between their strength made one unable to see the actual facts, and Chang Le was currently in such a state.

When Chang Le saw Wu Jiong doing a high-level military physical defensive hand gesture when he took the stage, he was instantly delighted.

There were numerous top-class combat arts in the military academy, one of which was the top-class combat art used by the military. When Chang Le had advanced into Qi-Jin, the physical skill he had selected to match his upgrade was that one. As such, seeing that Wu Jiong was also using that same set of military physical skills, he was overjoyed. When using the same series of physical skill, the higher levels countered the lower levels. With that, Chang Le was even more convinced that victory was in his grasp.

He who was extremely confident did not think of probing his opponent, instead using a powerful finishing blow from the military physical skill right off the bat.

Witnessing the situation, Wu Jiong's eyes gleamed. Perhaps the opponent's attack speed was extremely fast and he could not dodge, as Wu Jiong merely braced himself by making a cross with his arms to defend and intercept the opponent's attack!

"Bang!" A loud sound resounded and Wu Jiong was knocked back hard, his feet sliding across the ground, marking it with two streaks. Meanwhile, Chang Le's body simply shook before he steadied himself.

Solely based on this encounter, it seemed like Wu Jiong's strength was a notch lower compared to his, and Chang Le was heartened by this. He did not even think it through before he continued attacking, his foot kicking out forcefully.

Wu Jiong did not choose to receive the attack but instead dodged it with a slide.

This action reaffirmed Chang Le's belief that the other party was weaker, thus not daring to receive his attack directly. Before he went up on stage, Boss Huo had reminded him to exercise caution and thoroughly understand the opponent's strength before making a move. Currently, Chang Le whose whole head was filled with grand dreams of being a hero had tossed Boss Huo's warning to the back of his mind. In addition, burning up with passion, he had long forgotten the need to retain thirty percent of his strength for defence as he unleashed all of his strength into his attacks against the opponent.

He did not notice that, despite the fact that Wu Jiong had been sidestepping from the beginning and seemed like a small boat struggling amidst a surging gale, his face was abnormally calm. Every dodge of his was extremely efficient without being sloppy, and those with keen eyesight could see that Wu Jiong seemed to have a well-thought-out plan with every dodge and clearly understood his opponent's path of attack.

"No good, Chang Le's too impulsive, and I'm afraid he's fallen into the opponent's stratagem." Boss Huo who was seated below and observing the match furrowed his brow, involuntarily looking towards Ling Lan seated in the New Cadet Regiment's area with his hands crossed, his expression calm, seemingly having a card up his sleeve.

Apparently sensing Boss Huo's line of sight, Ling Lan coldly met his gaze, and then, the corner of her mouth raised slightly, as if saying victory belonged to them...

Boss Huo felt stifled. Although he had had a premonition of Chang Le having a difficult fight, Boss Huo did not wish to lose...

"You're stronger than your opponent and as long as you remember to go steady and strike hard without advancing prematurely, we can win this match." Wu Jiong who was dodging on the stage suddenly recalled the words Ling Lan had told him before he took the stage, and endless admiration welled up in his heart.

After receiving an attack from the opponent, Wu Jiong was aware that the opponent was inferior to him by a notch. Initially, he could have chosen to attack head-on and fight a fierce battle, and defeat his opponent that way, but Wu Jiong did not wish to do so.

After three consecutive bitter and desperate battles, Wu Jiong wanted to gain a complete and overwhelming victory to prove the might of their New Cadet Regiment. Therefore, he had revealed weakness on purpose, so that the opponent would have the mistaken impression that his strength was weaker, and abandon defence to focus fully on offence …

Of course, there was another reason why Wu Jiong had set this up. — he knew the opponent had also learned the top-class military use combat arts. If it had been any other combat move, he would not have done so. After all, deliberately showing weakness might very well lead to shooting oneself in the foot, allowing the opponent to seize the flow of the match and put him in a passive position. Just like during the first battle Luo Lang fought, it was the opponent's mocking that allowed Luo Lang to seize the opportunity and gain upper hand.

However, it just so happened that the opponent had learned the top-class military combat move, and who was Wu Jiong? He was a direct descendant of a military elite family, the Wu family, a genuine N-generation military family descendant. In addition, the inherited martial arts in the family was the physical skill used by the military, and when he had advanced in Qi-Jin levels it had caused a sensation in Wu family because he was the youngest descendant in the family who had advanced. Even the family head was alerted, who then directly instructed him in the Wu family's exclusive secret moves.

These combat moves had been researched and tempered through N-generations of Wu family masters, assimilating the best traits of the top-class military combat moves while harmonizing them with other top combat moves. It was inevitable to be extremely familiar with various types of military physical skills while learning their family's secret moves, and there were even many moves that specifically countered those of the military physical skill set, including the top-class military combat moves.

This was also the reason Wu Jiong had fearlessly devised this plan. He was familiar with the opponent's moves and even during the first few attacks, killing moves aimed to counter them had directly surfaced in Wu Jiong's mind. However, Wu Jiong believed that the opportune timing had yet to arrive, so he had endured silently until now...

But now, Wu Jiong considered that timing to have arrived. The opponent had once again struck out with both fists — this was a military top-class combat move called the Twin Dragon Strike. The scary part of this attack was that as long as both hands were to simultaneously make contact with the opponent's body, a Qi-Jin loop would appear between the fists, directly destroying the opponent's internal organs, which made this one of the most powerful killing moves of the military top-level combat arts.

Yet, there was a fatal weakness in this attack, and that was the user's chest would be completely exposed, and when both fists struck out, the move had to be completely executed without any leeway for retreat. Thus, as long as he pinpointed a weak spot, the opponent would not have time to change moves even if he wanted to save himself. Therefore, Wu Jiong believed that his opportunity had arrived...

Wu Jiong suddenly came to a stop and no longer dodging, his hands abruptly came together, while both his arms thrust forwards to place him between Chang Le's fists. With a loud shout, his originally joined hands suddenly separated, while his arms spread open to push out forcefully against the opponent's forearms …

Only after both of the opponent's fists had brushed past his body, did Wu Jiong retract his arms and used both fists to strike fiercely at the opponent's chest —— Twin Dragon Strike Remake! This was the Wu family's secret move, a revised first-rate combat move of Twin Dragon Strike. This secret move allowed offence and defence in one move, counteracting the weak point of the original Twin Dragon Strike of being unable to defend!

Chang Le received a direct blow from Wu Jiong and crashed heavily to the ground with a thud, sliding out several meters before spitting out a jet of blood...

This unexpected scene shocked everyone, because Chang Le had held the upper hand all along, so they had not expected the situation to suddenly change, for Wu Jiong to actually knock down the opponent with one move.

Chang Le collapsed onto the ground, covering his chest, but was unable to contain the fresh blood in this mouth. He then asked painfully, "Why do you know this move…?" Familiar with the military combat art, he naturally understood that the move the opponent had executed was from the same series.

Wu Jiong coldly replied, "As a student of the military combat arts, you should know which family has the strongest military combat arts."

Chang Le recalled something, and his complexion turned deathly pale. "The Wu family. So you're from that Wu family… I am too unlucky." That said, he fainted and was thoroughly unconscious. Wu Jiong had pulled his punches and only injured his heart instead of completely destroying it. Otherwise, Chang Le would not even have had the opportunity to speak with him….

Unlucky? Was it truly just bad luck? A hint of disdain was revealed on Wu Jiong's lips and he felt ashamed for actually losing confidence earlier on. Luckily, Boss Lan had made him realize in time that he was strong enough ...

At this moment, Colonel Tang Yu had gone up to examine Chang Le's condition, and discovering that the youth's injuries were severe, he hastily called out for staff members to send Chang Le to the treatment centre. Subsequently, he announced the New Cadet Regiment the victor for this match, bringing the overall score to 2-2, with both teams back at the starting line once again.

Everyone's attention was now on the last match. They were all looking forward to whether Boss Huo, the number one in combat arts, would truly appear on stage...

Wu Jiong coolly walked off the stage. Out of the four matches, he was the only representative who was uninjured. His performance was sufficient to prove that he was absolutely suitable to be the public regiment commander of the New Cadet Regiment.

"You've done well." Spotting Wu Jiong walking over, Ling Lan was generous with her praise.

A hint of a smile appeared on Wu Jiong's originally stony face at the praise. He recovered his senses very quickly, however, and mentally shook his head. He had not expected to be so happy with just one sentence from Ling Lan — he was even happier than when he had received his father's acknowledgment...

This time, Little Four immediately submitted Ling Lan's name without waiting for the opponent to publish their list, as regardless of who came out, Boss was going to fight the last battle anyway.

The five-minute intermission finally elapsed, and Tang Yu loudly announced on the platform, "New Cadet Regiment Vs Leiting Mecha Clan, 1st year Ling Lan against 5th year Huo Zhenyu."

Following the announcement, enthusiastic shouts sounded from the audience. Reason being, Huo Zhenyu was the Military Academy's number one in physical skill combat, as well as being the Leiting Mecha Clan's previous leader. His reputation was not inferior to Thunder King Qiao Ting's, and it was only during the fourth year, after passing the position to Qiao Ting, that his prestige had declined. Even so, witnessing Huo Zhenyu actually standing up on the stage, the older students who had been looking forward to seeing him fight could no longer contain their excitement as they cheered loudly.

"He's really going to fight. Damn, seems like Leiting is determined to win against the New Cadet Regiment." The various leaders of the major forces sighed.

After witnessing Huo Zhenyu emerge on the stage previously, they had had a premonition that he might be fighting. However, they had still held on to a trace of hope, wishing that he would consider his status as the top rank in combat skills and not rashly take the stage.

Chapter 262: The Reactions of the Various Factions!

Translator: DRZ Editor: H2dH2mr

Yet, reality crushed the hopes of the various faction leaders. This indicated that they were unlikely to obtain even the slightest share of this big fish, which was the New Cadet Regiment. They could not help but secretly sigh in regret. If they had known that the new cadets this year were so outstanding, they would have long taken action instead of watching from the sidelines, allowing Leiting to take possession of this decisive opportunity right now.

The various leaders could already envision the future. After Leiting swallowed the entire New Cadet Regiment, their influence would definitely expand once again. With that, the position of the number one faction in the Military Academy would not be changing in the slightest for several years, firmly belonging to the Leiting Mecha Clan.

Not mentioning the agony and regret of various factions, the senior students observing the fight believed that the Leiting Mecha Clan would inevitably obtain victory in this last match without any suspense. While everyone was in shock and excitement due to Huo Zhenyu's appearance, the new cadets' reactions caused the surrounding people to raise their eyebrows, to the extent that those senior students believed that the new cadets had limited outlook and experience, not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth.

It turned out that, after beholding Ling Lan, the powerhouse of their hearts, ascending the stage, the new cadets were unable to restrain their excitement as they stood up in succession, raising their arms and shouting, "Boss Lan will certainly win!"

That's right, in the hearts of every member of the New Cadet Regiment, especially students from Central Scout Academy, Boss Lan who had guided them in winning the grand armed melee and taking control of the spacecraft would never be defeated.

This display of the New Cadet Regiment caused the others to be secretly shocked at the position Boss Lan held in the members' hearts. Previously having considered them to already be in their grasp, Lin Zhidong's expression changed subtly upon witnessing this scene as he recalled Boss Huo's warning. He began having misgivings towards Ling Lan while pondering on methods to diminish Ling Lan's prestige among the new cadets after taking in the New Cadet Regiment.

At this moment, no matter how slow-witted the various leaders of each faction were, they were now clear about the devil who had caused Zhang Jing-an to be so apprehensive.

In Wuji's cabin, Han Yu's face suddenly darkened after hearing the fanatic shouts from the new cadets. "Apparently, the aberrant Zhang Jing-an mentioned should be this person." Besides him, there should be no one else who could achieve this.

Han Yu's gaze was shadowed as he looked at that stern, lean youth on the stage, and he felt a complicated emotion silently emerge within him. Thinking back on the time when they themselves had entered the Academy, even though they were proud and arrogant, they had had no option but to join the Wuji faction which belonged to their galaxy as they were under pressure from all sides.

Even so, as 1st-year cadets, they had always been ordered about and lectured by the older cadets with seniority and no one would help them. They could only clamp down their tails and endure the toughest first year, and then work their utmost hardest to increase their strength later on. After that, he had expended great effort to climb up the hierarchy, fighting and scheming, to finally become one of the leaders of Wuji Mecha Clan.

Han Yu was simply unwilling to recall how much hardship he had endured during that time. He had originally thought that this was an inevitable route every cadet had to walk without exception, as even the formidable Thunder King, Qiao Ting, had walked that same path.

Yet against everyone's expectations, the new cadets this year had taken an unprecedented path. To avoid being bullied and enslaved, they had established a faction belonging to them alone that was not weaker than the other influential powers almost immediately after entering the military academy. Then, soon after, they had accepted Leiting's challenge in a high profile manner, causing the new cadets to become the focus of the entire academy. And at present, they were tied against Leiting, proving their strength.

Despite all this, Han Yu did not believe the new cadets would be the final victors. Still, based on their performance on the stage, the senior members of Leiting would certainly refrain from provoking them even if they joined the Leiting Mecha Clan. It was apt to say that, in the military academy, the strong were respected, and honour was obtained through strength.

Wei Ji heard Han Yu's words and quietly sighed. "Seems like we've belittled this aberrant. It's no wonder Zhang Jing-an regarded him with importance while simultaneously avoiding him."

Since the third contestant from the New Cadet Regiment was already at mid-level intermediate stage Qi-Jin, it was reckoned that Ling Lan should be at mid-level advanced stage Qi-Jin at worst. Even he had to look up to this realm as his physical skills had only entered the early stages of Qi-Jin, because they had concentrated on mecha piloting all these years …

Wei Ji felt lingering fear just thinking about it — the strength of new cadets this year had exceeded his expectations. Fortunately, he had not provoked them on impulse from the start, as Wuji did not have a solid foundation like Leiting. If they were to have fought on the stage, the outcome of the battle would have been hard to say.

Zhao Jun heard them, but he was unconvinced. He sneered and said, "Being good at physical combat doesn't mean he'll also be outstanding as a mecha operator…" That dismissive look of his caused Han Yu and Wei Ji to involuntarily purse their lips. However, they were aware that Zhao Jun was a frank and outspoken person, so they did not refute his words.

Having heard what was said, Li Lanfeng smiled. "Zhao Jun, you shouldn't speak this way. A person who performs well in battles won't be too inferior as a mecha operator." A person with robust physique would often possess a slight advantage in mecha piloting. This was also the reason why the military academy had emphasized training up their physiques as it was unlikely for the majority of experts to have bad physiques.

"Hmph, that might not be true. Isn't Zhang Jing-an a mecha cripple?" When Zhang Jing-an had entered the military academy, he was the only new cadet who reached Qi-Jin stage and was top-ranked among the new cadets. Unfortunately, after starting to learn Mecha Piloting from the second year, the other cadets had caught up with him, and he was currently on the verge of being lost in the vast sea of cadets. His figure was nowhere to be seen in the top fifty, and he had become a laughingstock between the upper echelons of the various large factions ...

If not for the fact that the Doha Central Academy faction that Zhang Jing-an belonged to had a strong foundation, just based on his strength, they might not have been able to maintain the ranking of being the military academy's number four faction.

Hearing Zhao Jun mention Zhang Jing-an, everyone was silent as this was a fact that could not be refuted. In reality, there were many cases similar to Zhang Jing-an's, of students having powerful physical skills but not excelling in mecha piloting.

At this moment, seated in a certain area among the New Cadet Regiment, Gao Jinyun spoke to a few people seated beside him. "Boss Lan is about to appear on stage. You all had better watch attentively."

One of the people he was speaking to asked nervously, "I heard that the opponent is the top-rank in combat skills. No matter how powerful is Boss Lan, he won't be able to win against the opponent, right?"

"Yeah! Although Boss Lan has capability and charisma, Leiting is ultimately the number one faction. Is it really appropriate to go against them so early?" Another person voiced this question. In reality, he was not optimistic about how the New Cadet Regiment's battle would turn out this time; if Gao Jinyun had not warned him in advance not to try anything, he might have already followed the other team leaders and considered alternative options.

Hearing what they had to say, Gao Jinyun sneered. "I specially reminded you all because of our relationship. Don't be short-sighted like the others and collude with outsiders when the outcome has yet to be revealed. Furthermore, even if Boss Lan were to lose, I'd still advise you all to follow Boss Lan… Don't foolishly think you would become a true member of Leiting after joining them."

Gao Jinyun's words caused the others to become wordless and silent. If they truly joined Leiting, could Boss Lan keep the New Cadet Regiment from disbanding? Leiting would never allow such a situation to happen, and the first person to be suppressed was most likely to be Boss Lan.

"Do you think anyone can suppress a person like Boss Lan?" Gao Jinyun's question caused everyone to shiver. Would that chilly and domineering Boss Lan acknowledge allegiance to another? Oh my god, please forgive their inability to imagine that.

Gao Jinyun sneered, "Leiting wants to devour the entire New Cadet Regiment but that would depend on whether they have the ability."

Ever since the spaceship incident, Gao Jinyun had had an inexplicable trust towards Ling Lan. While many hearts wavered, he resolutely believed that Ling Lan would never become a subordinate to another faction. In his heart, no one could become boss of Boss Lan.

"Besides, would Boss Lan lose?" Gao Jinyun concealed this sentence deep in his heart and did not say it out loud.

He was not convinced that the Boss Lan who could calmly confront the captain of the spaceship and not be at a disadvantage would lose to a mere academy cadet. Even if that cadet was in their 5th year or was about to enter the military as a combat expert. Compared to the captain who had climbed out from a sea of blood, the force of presence of a cadet was obviously weaker and completely incomparable.

These leaders had been roped in by him into the New Cadet Regiment, and thus, he had to live up to his responsibility towards Boss Lan and prevent the others from betraying him.

Perhaps Gao Jinyun's words had proved effective, for a few of the originally hesitant leaders became determined. Regardless of the result, they decided they would follow alongside Boss Lan. In any case, Boss Lan was similar to them — as new cadets of the same enrolment year, it was more likely that he would look after them. Without a doubt, this was a better choice compared to the other factions.

Hearing them say that they would not turn traitor, Gao Jinyun immediately relaxed and settled down quietly to watch Boss Lan's match. Currently, he was unaware that Ling Lan already had intentions to seize this chance to clear out those opportunistic cadets who were clearly only trying to benefit from the regiment.

Of course, these actions of his were not meaningless, because he settled the hearts of these small team members so they did not betray the New Cadet Regiment, which led the Central Academy students to truly acknowledge those students who came from the other Doha scout academies. This built a great foundation for Ling Lan to genuinely become the king of the new cadets, and it could truly be said to be an unintended side benefit ...

By this time, Ling Lan and Huo Zhenyu had moved onto the elevated stage. The two of them did not make any preparations for battle, merely standing casually on their respective sides. It was as if they were not participating in the final decisive match, but instead taking a stroll.

However, as the referee, Colonel Tang Yu nodded mentally in approval at the situation. Although both fighters seemed relaxed, their casual stances were, in fact, without any openings. Tang Yu believed that, as long as there was the slightest sign of movement, they could instantly enter a battle state. This was the result of assimilating combat into their basic instincts, and it could be seen that their combat realm had already exceeded that of every cadet here.

Right then, no matter how unperturbed Tang Yu was, he could not help but shoot a glance at Ling Lan while wondering to himself, where exactly had this aberrant come from …?

Colonel Tang Yu quickly sorted out his thoughts, and without asking if the two fighters were prepared, he waved his hands and announced loudly, "The match begins!" With their capabilities, it did not matter if they were prepared or not, so Tang Yu would not ask unnecessary questions.

Following Tang Yu's declaration, silence fell around the stage as everyone's attention became focused on the two combatants.

Chapter 263: Oppressive Aura!

Translator: DRZ Editor: H2dH2mr

Although Colonel Tang Yu had announced the commencement of the match, Ling Lan and Huo Zhenyu seemed not to have heard it, not moving in the slightest.

Ling Lan's bearing was grave and stern, her gaze cold with both hands behind her back while she stood to one side. Huo Zhenyu's eyes were half-lidded as he quietly stood on the other side with a calm expression, seemingly not minding who his opponent was, as if the confrontation during the third match had not happened …

Just like that, one cold and the other calm, they stood without moving as they allowed time to pass. One minute elapsed, two minutes elapsed, three minutes elapsed … Along with the passing of time, some noise could be heard in the combat hall. In particular, some of the older students were baffled as to why Huo Zhenyu had not chosen to attack after such a long time.

They believed that, as the number one combatant of the Military Academy, Huo Zhenyu could certainly dispose of the opponent with no difficulty, so they were puzzled by his inactivity for such a long period of time.

They were unaware that it was not Huo Zhenyu who did not want to take action, but rather, he did not have the chance to do so. During these three minutes, he had been constantly searching for an opening in the opponent, but regardless of how hard he searched, he couldn't find a window of opportunity. Even though there had been a few faintly discernible chances, they had been rejected by him as they had made him feel an indescribable sense of danger.

Huo Zhenyu was not a rash person, so he had chosen to continue waiting, and with this wait, the time had exceeded three minutes...

/'To not have the slightest opening …' Huo Zhenyu could not help but smile bitterly. At this moment, he was secretly guarded against Ling Lan, the reason being that an opponent whom he could not find an opening in could not be weak.

However, should he continue waiting? Huo Zhenyu immediately rejected this thought. According to the opponent's ability, he would not reveal any fatal opening even if he waited. Therefore, Huo Zhenyu changed his mind and decided to take the initiative to force an opening.

Hence, Huo Zhenyu's aura burst out from his body and bore down on Ling Lan like a wave.

In reality, whether a combatant had reached late-stage Qi-Jin or not would depend on whether he had grasped control over his own aura. That was to say, a combatant of late stage Qi-Jin could release their own aura to oppress the opponent, causing the opponent to be unable to display a hundred percent of their fighting capability. After reaching late stage Qi-Jin, there was no possibility of losing when facing an opponent of weaker strength.

Of course, there was another reason Huo Zhenyu had activated his oppressive aura, and that was to find out the opponent's true strength, for using his oppressive aura was a good method for probing.

Ling Lan and Huo Zhenyu were at a deadlock for three minutes, each side only executing a few baiting moves during that period. However, Huo Zhenyu had not been tempted and Ling Lan could not help but silently acknowledge that the opponent was truly an experienced, expert fighter, able to see through her intentions.

That's right, the reason why Ling Lan did not take the initiative was that she could not find an opening in the opponent's defence, and even if she had attacked, it would have been useless as it would be easily dodged. However, she wanted to defeat the opponent in one move and show the might of the New Cadet Regiment, preventing others from daring to provoke them rashly ...

Ling Lan wanted to kill the chicken to warn the monkey, and sadly, Huo Zhenyu had become the chicken. Although this chicken might be a terrifying fighting chicken, it would not change the initial intention Ling Lan had when she accepted the fight from the start.

Of course, based on Ling Lan's strength, she could directly activate her ability and temporarily lockdown the opponent's movements for an extremely short time, accomplishing a one-strike defeat. However, as someone who liked to hold back, Ling Lan was unwilling to reveal all her cards, which was why Ling Lan wanted to accomplish this magnificent feat while concealing her strength.

Ling Lan had been pondering her next move, when she suddenly sensed the opponent's oppressive aura pressing towards her. Ling Lan's heart thumped. /'As expected, he's at peak level late stage Qi-Jin … If it was me three years ago, it would definitely have been a hard battle. However, right now …'

Thanks to instructor Number Five borrowing Ling Lan's body, she had been able to directly breakthrough from peak level late stage Qi-Jin to optimal peak. In addition, her body had memories of Domain, allowing her to get a glimpse of the mystery of Domain.

Although she was unable to officially advance to Domain stage due to various reasons, she had indeed entered the legendary half-step to Domain stage!

With the ability to activate her domain, although the period of time was absurdly short, this allowed Ling Lan to become an unequalled ultra-expert below the Domain stage.

The moment the opponent used his oppressive aura, Ling Lan knew his intentions. The corner of her lips curled up slightly, but she revealed a grim expression, and her stance which had been without any openings slowly broke down ...

"A chance!" Huo Zhenyu's expression brightened and his figure flashed, appearing before Ling Lan in the blink of an eye. Raising his right hand he had prepared beforehand, he immediately thrust out a strong and powerful fist.

"It's here, Boss Huo has attacked." The situation on the stage could be seen clearly and when Huo Zhenyu moved, everyone who was awaiting a fight shouted. Nonetheless, both the combatants' fists had already collided against each other on stage by the time the spectators shouted.

"Good move!" Ling Lan had made a fist and faced his attack directly without fear. She had long waited for this attack and with her strength, she had nothing to fear.

In fact, Ling Lan had progressed in this type of powerful and overbearing style which, according to Instructor Number Nine, was not a route a female should take. Unfortunately, the majority of the instructors who instructed her were males and in particular, the overbearing instructor Number One.

Even if Number Nine was discontented, she dared not express her objections outright, only choosing instead to instruct Ling Lan in as many techniques that trained her flexibility as she could, hoping Ling Lan would not end up becoming a rough, masculine female brute.

"Bang", a muffled sound echoed! Ling Lan's and Huo Zhenyu's fist accurately counterbalanced each other, and even though the resulting sound seemed as if they had not exerted a great amount of strength, the edge of the elevated stage produced a brilliant light. This indicated that the entire stage had been completely saturated with the Qi-Jin released by the both of them, and was infinitely close to its critical point.

On the ground surface of the arena, with their position as the centre, countless cracks expanded outward. From there, the force both of them endured could be seen.

After remaining in a deadlock for several seconds, both of them suddenly sprang apart. Ling Lan retreated seven to eight steps before standing firm and it was the same for Huo Zhenyu. Both of them seemed to be evenly matched but there was still some difference between them — Ling Lan wore a cold expression as before, whereas Huo Zhenyu's expression was fluctuating between red then white. And then, a trace of blood could be seen trickling down from the corner of his mouth.

This scene caused all the spectators to go into an uproar and in the Leiting area, everyone's expression changed, especially Lin Zhidong's. His face had collapsed entirely on itself into an unsightly expression.

"How could this be?!" Not only were the senior cadets who were spectating the match from below the arena in disbelief, even the leaders of various factions in each cabin had reacted in unison as if by a non-existent prior agreement, crying out in surprise, unable to believe the scene they had witnessed.

Regardless of how shocked those senior cadets were, the cadets of the New Cadet Regiment leapt up and cheered upon witnessing this scene. As expected, no one can defeat Boss Lan!

Looking at the New Cadet Regiment clapping in celebration, the people from Leiting seemed somewhat depressed and silent. Many of them could only do their best in comforting themselves that their Boss Huo might have underestimated the enemy and did not use his full strength in that attack, and thus, the opponent had grasped the opportunity… They could only secretly cheer for their Boss Huo, hoping his next move would teach the opponent a lesson and prove Boss Huo's strength, diminishing the morale of these new cadets while he was at it.

Regardless of what others thought, on the stage, Huo Zhenyu was currently astounded. He originally had ample confidence in his strength and believed that even the teachers in the academy might not be stronger than him in terms of physical combat. However, at this moment, a new cadet had caused him to feel inferior — a punch he exerted all his strength to throw had been easily received by the opponent. It was to the extent that during the previous contest between their Qi-Jin, he had been at a disadvantage. Could it be that the opponent's realm was higher than his?

"Hey, do you still want to fight?" Ling Lan's chilly voice echoed in Huo Zhenyu's ears, causing cold sweat to emerge on his body. He had been so shocked by that last encounter that he had actually forgotten he was currently in a battle. If the opponent had not reminded him and had instead chosen to mount a surprise attack, he might have already fallen victim. If he had been injured as a result, then this battle would truly become hard to fight.

Tang Yu looked at Ling Lan in astonishment. That had been a good opportunity for a surprise attack and he had assumed Ling Lan would not have let this chance slip by. But contrary to his expectations, Ling Lan had shaken his opponent out of his stupor. Was he abiding by the martial arts' principles of fairness? Tang Yu could not help but furrow his brow, because this was not a desirable mindset on a battlefield.

Nevertheless, Tang Yu relaxed his frown very soon and broke into laughter. All in all, Ling Lan was only a new cadet who had just entered the Military Academy and had never been on a battlefield, so naturally, he did not know that there was no so-called principle of fairness there. Only those who survived were the true victors, and perhaps he would understand the correct way of handling matters after going out on a battlefield.

Ling Lan had thought of mounting a surprise attack, but if she were to defeat the opponent this way, the people from Leiting would have believed that she was merely lucky and had not defeated her opponent by true ability. This outcome was not what she wanted, so she had spoken up to alert Huo Zhenyu with seemingly with good intentions.

"Are you prepared? I'll be attacking next," Ling Lan spoke seriously.

Huo Zhenyu smiled wryly and nodded. Since he had received the opponent's favour of warning him beforehand, he had no choice but to receive the opponent's attack. As the opponent was willing to face him with fair-mindedness, he did not want to be belittled by him.

Seeing his reaction, Ling Lan's expression brightened faintly and she continued, "This attack is my strongest killing move. Be prepared!"

These words caused both Tang Yu and Huo Zhenyu who were on stage to be at a loss. Should they criticize the other's straightforwardness or remind him not to be too frank?

Currently, both of them did not expect that Ling Lan's intentions of saying these words were in hopes of Huo Zhenyu not evading her attack. Her seemingly overly frank sentences were actually a trap intended to leave Huo Zhenyu with no room to back off, yet still making him believe it was his own choice.

At this moment, Ling Lan could not help but smirk. Her reminder had actually obtained her her opponent's appreciation, resulting in the opponent having no choice but to receive her attack head-on. This was absolutely a pleasant surprise that had saved her a lot of trouble.

Ling Lan took a deep breath, and took a slight step forward as her right fist punched out softly.

This punch looked as light as a feather, but Ling Lan knew she had used One-Inch Punch with it. However, the opponent's bearing had made Ling Lan reluctant to be too extreme, so she had only used three bands of One-Inch Punch.

Chapter 264: The Final Victors!

Translator: DRZ Editor: H2dH2mr

Huo Zhenyu did not let his guard down just because Ling Lan's punch seemed feather-light as he had already suffered a loss from the previous attack, so he was even more cautious this time. In addition, Ling Lan's warning had given him sufficient time for preparation, so instead of considering it as Ling Lan taking the initiative to attack, it would be better called a mutual attack.

Reason being, Huo Zhenyu, who had prepared in advance, had chosen to attack to defend and directly used his strongest attack to confront Ling Lan's punch.

When experts exchanged blows, they did not require hundreds or even over thousands of blows like those in the lower realms — very often, one or two moves could determine the victor. Huo Zhenyu understood this and believed the opponent did too. Therefore, this move of the opponent was definitely not as simple as it seemed and was instead an earth-shaking punch.

Huo Zhenyu naturally would not hold back anymore — letting his Qi sink into his dantian 1 , he shouted: "Ultimate Overlord Punch!"

Following his shout, Huo Zhenyu's right hand clenched into a fist and moved fiercely to clash against Ling Lan's.

This move completely reflected Huo Zhenyu's style — vigorous, bold and powerful. Before his fist met with Ling Lan's, the explosive sound of his punch tearing through the air caused the expressions of the many spectators to change. Even though they were not directly facing this attack, they could feel the terrifying power it contained.

Ling Lan's countenance changed faintly and she suddenly increased the strength in her punch from 70 to 90 percent. Only such a terrifying and overbearing punch was befitting of someone who had the identity of the military academy's number one combatant. A hint of seriousness emerged in Ling Lan's thoughts as she did not dare to belittle the opponent.

With a bang, the two powerful fists collided and Ling Lan could sense that the opponent's strength was very solid, and he was absolutely not someone she could defeat by using one or two bands of One-Inch Punch.

The moment Huo Zhenyu came into contact with Ling Lan's fist, he felt a force similar to roaring waves transmitted through his fist. Although it was powerful, it was still within the scope he could withstand. However, before he was able to relax, he sensed another new force overlaying on the original attack surging towards him once again.

Huo Zhenyu's expression subtly changed as he groaned and frantically circulated his inner Qi-Jin to withstand the immense overlaying force once again. The strong point of this Ultimate Overlord Punch was that, before exceeding his limits, he could resist the opponent's attack no matter how powerful it was.

At this moment, Huo Zhenyu rejoiced at his initial decision to use his most powerful move instead of another finishing blow. Otherwise, the sudden addition of this overlaying power would have injured him.

However, Huo Zhenyu was only at ease for a few breaths' time, as very soon, he felt another new force emerging, which was once again overlaid on the original force, nearly overcoming him. Could it be that he was about to lose?

"No!" Unwilling to be defeated, Huo Zhenyu looked up to the skies and howled wildly. His eyes were wide open and filled with fury, his face thoroughly red. At the same time, his entire right hand suddenly bulged...

With a tearing sound, Huo Zhenyu's right sleeve became torn as pieces of cloth fell onto the ground one by one, revealing a sturdy arm with bulging muscles and veins that swelled up.

In order to resist Ling Lan's third band of One-Inch Punch, Huo Zhenyu had utilized the extreme limit of his Ultimate Overlord Punch. He sincerely hoped that this was the opponent's last attack, or else he would be meeting his defeat.

A light flickered in Ling Lan's eyes and her originally fair complexion flushed red. She let out a grunt and, using the third band of One-Inch Punch which was about to disappear as a foundation, another, fourth layer of force emerged out of nowhere...

The force behind this attack was too powerful, encompassing the accumulated force of the previous three strikes. When Huo Zhenyu sensed the fourth strike incoming, his complexion suddenly paled because the energy in his body was already being used to the extreme limit and he did not have any excess energy to withstand this fourth strike...

Several squelching pops rang out, and the skin on Huo Zhenyu's arms suddenly split open like a sieve with countless holes, and the sounds of bones cracking could also be heard as blood spurted out from various sections of his arm.

Huo Zhenyu's arm had been crippled because of this fourth strike, but the attack did not stop here; shortly afterwards, Huo Zhenyu was sent flying into the air as a mouthful of fresh blood sprayed out from his mouth with a spitting sound.

Seeing this, Ling Lan withdrew her fist and her brows furrowed as the red flush on her face faded and turned pale in an instant. Apparently, she had lacked the capacity for a fourth One-Inch Punch but had forcefully executed it anyway and caused a backlash, thus suffering from a slight internal injury.

This time around, Ling Lan had learnt a lesson, that she should not belittle any opponent when duelling and should go all-out regardless of who the opponent was. Otherwise, it would be very easy for the opponent to overturn the match.

"Since when have I become so conceited and complacent?" Ling Lan could not help but scorn herself. Her originally prudent personality had been progressively disappearing ever since she found out that her father Ling Xiao was not dead — this was not an ideal situation.

Seems like it was not a good thing to have a solid backing! Ling Lan decided to go on as before and act as if Ling Xiao had been "sacrificed" as this would be more beneficial for her growth.

On her end, Ling Lan was self-analysing her own mentality, deciding to rely on herself to continue growing in the future. Meanwhile, Huo Zhenyu had spat out a mouthful of blood in mid-air, allowing him to breathe easier. He then flipped over and landed on the ground, but as his inner Qi-Jin had been depleted completely, he did not manage stand firm after landing and retreated three to four steps in succession before stabilizing himself.

All the cadets watching the match surged to their feet in a stupefied uproar. They had not expected that the powerful Boss Huo could not even withstand a punch from the opponent. Everyone felt that their worldview had been overturned, thinking, who the hell was this mysterious young man? To actually be able to defeat the number one combatant of the military academy when he had just entered the academy?

Huo Zhenyu raised his head with great difficulty and looked at the slender young man who had a calm expression as before. If not for his firm will, he most likely would not have been able to remain standing.

Seeing Ling Lan retract his right hand, Huo Zhenyu noticed that the opponent's arms appeared to be trembling uncontrollably. It could be seen that the opponent using such a powerful finishing blow was not without any repercussions, and this comforted him a little. At the very least, the opponent was not completely invulnerable.

If the opponent had not been injured in the slightest … Huo Zhenyu could not help but smile bitterly on the inside. He believed that his confidence would have been directly shattered by the opponent, and then he would have become doubtful of himself, wondering whether the five years of bitter training he had spent had been a mere joke...

Even so, his confidence had still suffered a blow and was on the verge of crumbling apart. Huo Zhenyu was aware that in order to build up his confidence once again and forget the traumatic experience the opponent had brought him, he would perhaps have to spend a very long period of time recuperating.

At this moment, Colonel Tang Yu looked towards Huo Zhenyu and asked loudly, "Huo Zhenyu, can you continue fighting?" Perhaps the spectators were unable to clearly tell Huo Zhenyu's condition, but as the closest observer, Colonel Tang Yu was clear that Huo Zhenyu was already reaching his limits and would not be able to continue battling for long.

Having heard what was said, Huo Zhenyu smiled bitterly. He straightforwardly raised his hands and said, "Referee, I admit my loss for this match." His strongest move had been defeated and his body was near to falling apart, so he did not know what he could use to continue fighting.

In a serious tone, Ling Lan said, "Many thanks!"

What Ling Lan said was not a conventional greeting or words just for show. She was genuinely thankful that Huo Zhenyu's full-strength attack had allowed her to realize the problem with her mentality, and this was more important than winning the match. If she had not discovered this and waited until the day she arrived on the battlefield, this sort of mentality could have caused her death no matter how strong she was.

Huo Zhenyu's reply did not go against Colonel Tang Yu's expectations. He looked at Ling Lan as if thinking of something, and announced loudly, "New Cadet Regiment vs Leiting Mecha Clan, the fifth match, New Cadet Regiment 1st-year Ling Lan wins. The match score is 3-2. The New Cadet Regiment are the final victors of this fight!"

Following this announcement, all the members of the New Cadet Regiment leapt up and cheered enthusiastically. Evidently, everyone was cheering for Boss Lan as Ling Lan had used this match's victory to establish the New Cadet Regiment's unparalleled position so that no one could contend against them.

Wu Jiong, who was seated below, did not feel regret upon hearing the cheers, but instead waved his arms and shouted for joy along with the other members. Multiple past experiences had made him understand that though he might be able to lead an extremely powerful team, he was incapable of making them into a winning team that would triumph in every battle. Reason being, he lacked Ling Lan's boldness and aggressiveness, and even in terms of mentality, he was unable to be like Ling Lan who could always remain unperturbed regardless of any difficulty he encountered.

"Haha, we've truly won…" Several of the team leaders beside Gao Jinyun revealed dazed, silly smiles after witnessing the result. Even though they had been convinced by Gao Jinyun to continue following Boss Lan, they were nevertheless stunned after witnessing Boss Lan defeat the military academy's number one combatant and emerge victorious in this wagered fight; the shock of this outcome was too huge.

Gao Jinyun laughed proudly to his heart's content. "Hahaha, I'm sure you're all aware now of Boss Lan's prowess … Leiting wanting to absorb the New Cadet Regiment is a dream as long as Boss Lan is here!"

One of the leaders took a deep breath and finally calmed down. Then, in admiration, he said, "Leader Gao, you're right. We shall follow you unquestioningly in the future."

Currently, these leaders were secretly rejoicing that they had been convinced by Gao Jinyun because of their close relationship with him and had patiently waited for the result. This moment proved they had made the right move; they could not help but feel sorry for those few leaders who had not had the resolve to stay and had sought out alternative options. As Gao Jinyun mentioned, there was only one opportunity — grabbing it meant grabbing it, while missing it meant that you had truly missed the opportunity.

"Let's go, we shall go and welcome Boss Lan!" Gao Jinyun looked at the members of the New Cadet Regiment rushing forth to the stage and suggested excitedly.

"Alright!" The several leaders answered loudly one by one. At this moment, they indeed wanted to enjoy this hard-earned joyous occasion with everyone in the New Cadet Regiment. This was a victory belonging to them, and represented that the New Cadet Regiment had truly established themselves in the military academy.

Chapter 265: A Hypocritical Person

Translator: DRZ Editor: H2dH2mr

The New Cadet Regiment's joy was set off in contrast with Leiting's gloomy expressions as they were still in disbelief, unconvinced that Leiting would ultimately lose this battle… Heaven knows how long it had been since Leiting last tasted defeat. However, the battle this time had given them a taste of it and this feeling was absolutely unpleasant.

Lin Zhidong looked at the elevated stage, which was almost totally surrounded by the New Cadet Regiment, with an unsightly expression. He knew that the ensuing period of time belonged to the victor's celebration and there was no longer any place for Leiting to stay. In any case, he did not wish remain and continue to see Leiting losing face.

Another matter which he had to consider thoroughly was how to give Regiment Commander Qiao an explanation … The defeat this time would definitely deal an unprecedented blow on Leiting's prestige as the opponent they had lost to were the new cadets who had just enrolled in the military academy.

Lin Zhidong could already imagine the Thunder King's rocketing fury and his body could not help but tremble. Soon after, Lin Zhidong calmed down and gnashed his teeth in frustration as he said, "Let's go!"

Following his words, the members of the Leiting Mecha Clan who felt ashamed to continue staying here soon left the battle hall. Of course, while they were leaving, they heard numerous cadets making loud booing sounds, among them the cadets from the New Cadet Regiment and also cadets from other factions. Also among them were supporters who were fond of Leiting but were currently disappointed in them.

Many senior cadets of the various influential factions were incapable of accepting the fact that Leiting had lost to the New Cadet Regiment; their feelings were directly reflected in their booing.

The deeper the love, the more profound the hate when love turns into hate. This sort of feeling was present within them and no matter what, Leiting losing this match had indeed disappointed many cadets.

Before Lin Zhidong left the battle stadium, he could not help but turn around and look at the stern, young man standing in the middle of the elevated stage accepting the New Cadet Regiment members' enthusiastic cheers. His dignified appearance resembled that of a general returning in victory and even more like a king who had opened up a new territory and was enjoying the supportive cheers of his subjects …

Actually, Lin Zhidong had misunderstood. Ling Lan's default was an ice-cold expression [T/C (ryu): Yep, it's her trademark face by now.]; she would still maintain this look even when being cursed at. In short, Ling Lan's cool and aloof expression in this situation was indeed extremely aggravating …

"Don't be too complacent … Leiting will definitely return this grudge!" Lin Zhidong's expression was chilly as he sniffed one last time before he turned and left this combat hall that had embarrassed him so.

********

As the members of the New Cadet Regiment rushed towards the elevated stage, Huo Zhenyu, as one of the participants of the fight, left the stage in loneliness. Other than a few of his team members, no one paid any attention to his actions as the former king of combat.

At present, everyone's attention was gathered on Ling Lan who was in the middle of the elevated stage. He was the leading role in this battle, and the newly emerged king of combat in the military academy!

Of course, Huo Zhenyu saw the people from Leiting leaving with their tail between their legs and also heard the sounds of booing which had spread throughout the battle stadium. Sadness shrouded his heart; it was his lack of strength that caused this result.

At this moment, one of his team members saw his state and hastily said, "Boss Huo, let's head to the treatment centre. Your injuries are very severe …"

Hearing the other's words, Huo Zhenyu gently patted his own right arm which had gone totally numb and said indifferently, "It's just a small injury and is of no importance. Unfortunately, I've lost and caused Leiting to lose this wagered fight …"

"How is this a small injury? Boss Huo, you still have to participate in the division assessments in a month's time." That team member was anxious, as this was related to Boss Huo's future growth.

"That's right, Boss Huo, you had best head to the treatment centre for treatment!" The other team members urged.

Huo Zhenyu no longer refused; he headed towards the treatment centre with a few team members.

On the way, one of the team members spoke with dissatisfaction. "Boss Huo, those leaders of the current Leiting are going too far, to think that not even one came to see you … If we had known earlier, Boss Huo shouldn't have agreed to participate in this fight."

"Forget it, in any case, I am still Leiting's former leader and I can't reject a request of theirs when they come looking for me." Huo Zhenyu smiled bitterly. Even if he had passed Leiting to Qiao Ting, he was still unable to reject them when Leiting was in need of help.

"Merely, it's unfortunate for Nie Feng-ming as he will definitely have to be absent for the examination a month later. He had always been anxiously longing to enlist for the 23rd Division," said another team member with regret on his face. According to the news sent over by the team members who had accompanied him to the treatment centre, Nie Feng-ming had to receive treatment for ten months before he could completely recover. That was to say, he would definitely miss this year's examination.

Huo Zhenyu went silent for a moment before saying with a heavy heart, "I've let down Feng-ming."

"No, it was Ling Lan. His attack was too ruthless," one of the members spoke as his face revealed hatred.

The few of them had formed a small mecha team in the military academy and had grown up together during these five years, and had long become brothers of different surnames with bonds no inferior to biological brothers. With Nie Feng-ming's current situation, they could not help but hate Ling Lan who had heavily injured him.

"Rest assured, I will not forget about this grudge," said Huo Zhenyu coldly.

Even though they were aware that Nie Feng-ming was partly to blame for receiving such a serious injury, but in terms of feelings, Huo Zhenyu was unable to accept his own brother landing in such a miserable condition ...

Regarding how they treated their brothers and comrades, Huo Zhenyu's and Ling Lan's mentality were more or less the same. Even if the fault was on their side, they were intolerant of outsiders taking actions!

"I've decided to apply for enlistment to the 23rd Division in a month's time and wait for Nie Feng-ming's return. Inevitably, there will be a day when we'll run into Ling Lan, and at that time, it'll be time for us to pay back what we received today."

Huo Zhenyu revealed his decision and caused the team members around him to be astonished; they knew that Boss Huo's original target was the 1st Division as his idol was the Federation's First Marshal, while the 23rd Division's commander Ling Xiao was Nie Feng-ming's idol. This was also the reason Nie Feng-ming had chosen to enter the 23rd Division's enlistment examination.

"Since Boss Huo is going to enter the 23rd Division examination, I shall follow him too!"

"I'll enter the 23rd Division too."

"Me too!"

The other team members, who were originally hesitant whether to follow Boss Huo or enter the division of their own idols, no longer had any apprehensions due to Boss Huo changing his mind and so declared their determination to follow his lead.

Huo Zhenyu did not speak but merely smiled. This was the only thing he could do for Nie Feng-ming, by setting a foundation for him before he entered the division. Once he joined them, their small team would once again gather and fight together to obtain the highest achievements. Following that, they would then find Ling Lan and return their bitter hatred of today.

********

Currently within the cabin, after Li Shiyu witnessed the result and saw the new cadets rushing towards the arena all at once, he turned towards Yun Xiu and said, "Let's go."

Upon hearing that, Yun Xiu was in shock as he said, "What? We're leaving right now?"

The number of cadets leaving the arena was the highest right now and in previous times, Li Shiyu would usually wait for an hour and a half for the majority of the crowd to leave before he left. However, why was he anxious to leave this time?

"I have to head to the treatment centre and look at that foolish little brother of mine, to see if he's still able to move …" explained Li Shiyu.

"Ah, so you were the type who would show love and respect as what good brothers should?" Yun Xiu did not believe the explanation Li Shiyu gave in the slightest.

Li Shiyu immediately shot a glare at Yun Xiu. Of course he would show love and respect as what good brothers would, but that was reserved for his older cousin.

Seeing Li Shiyu's stern gaze, Yun Xiu hastily raised his hands in surrender, indicating that he would not say anything else and obediently follow Li Shiyu to leave the cabin.

In Wuji's cabin, Zhao Jun yawned, and to those beside him he asked, "The fight has ended, are you all intending to stay here?"

Han Yu's expression was somewhat gloomy as he said, "I want to watch the replay. You can leave first if you're not interested."

The New Cadet Regiment was unexpectedly strong and caused Han Yu to feel threatened. In particular, the majority of the cadets in the New Cadet Regiment belonged to the Central Scout Academy's faction and so he could not help but be concerned whether they would join the Doha faction.

At the same time, Wei Ji nodded and said, "I would also like to watch the replay. All of you can do as you wish."

Zhao Jun and Li Lanfeng stealthily exchanged a glance before Zhao Jun spoke up to say, "I'm not interested. We'll talk about it after they become expert mecha operators. Lanfeng, what about you, are you leaving together or would you like to stay?"

Li Lanfeng shrugged his shoulders in a relaxed manner. "It's as what you said, after they become an expert in mecha piloting during their second year, perhaps I will be interested. To invest effort in thinking about them right now is somewhat not worth it."

Hearing his words, Zhao Jun smiled. "In that case, let's leave together."

Li Lanfeng stood and replied, "Alright, let's leave together." He then said to Han Yu and Wei Ji, "It's fine to attach some importance to them, but the Thunder King will certainly be the number one person who wishes to dispose of the New Cadet Regiment." His words implied that it was too early for Wuji to be apprehensive towards the New Cadet Regiment; it would be more suitable after the New Cadet Regiment had weathered Thunder King Qiao Ting's fury.

Han Yu and Wei Ji smiled in response, and only after Zhao Jun and Li Lanfeng left did Han Yu put away his smile as he snorted coldly. "Does he truly think he's Wuji's strategist?"

Li Lanfeng's attitude of being superior in all aspects caused Han Yu to be increasingly discontented with him. Unknowingly, he started disliking Li Lanfeng more and more, but in the past, he had definitely felt that Li Lanfeng was a good person. However, why does he seem so pretentious right now?

Wei Ji replied unenthusiastically, "There's nothing to be done. Two years ago, we had indeed relied on many of his schemes, so although he isn't our official strategist, everyone in Wuji considers him as one." After speaking, Wei Ji could not help but look towards Han Yu. "I don't know why you do not see eye to eye with Li Lanfeng. I feel that he doesn't have huge ambitions and has been diligent regarding Wuji's affairs …"

Han Yu furrowed his brows. "Actually, it was from last year that I started to always feel that something's slightly off with Li Lanfeng. Right now, the more I see him, the more I feel that there's a problem with him. Don't you feel that his smile is very fake?"

Wei Ji smiled bitterly and shook his head. He truly did not see anything wrong with Li Lanfeng. If not for Han Yu being extremely discontented with Li Lanfeng, he really did not wish to fall out with the other. After all, the relationship between the four of them had been very good in the past.

Han Yu looked towards Zhou Ya and Wang Hui. "What do you think?"

Wang Hui followed Wei Ji in shaking his head, expressing that he could not identify what wrong there was with Li Lanfeng.

Chapter 266: The Li Family Brothers!

Translator: ryuxenji, DRZ Editor: mjn0898, H2dH2mr

Zhou Ya was silent for a moment, before saying measuredly, "Senior Li's smile is indeed very warm and genial, but I become nervous whenever he smiles. Maybe it's because it's my first time interacting with Senior Li, so I'm unused to him ..." Zhou Ya's expression seemed somewhat conflicted.

Before Zhou Ya had finished speaking, Han Yu was already clapping his hands together and saying, "See! Zhou Ya feels the same way I do ..."

These words made Zhou Ya smile wryly. Actually, he himself could not say why he was nervous around Li Lanfeng, but it was definitely not like Han Yu was saying, that Li Lanfeng's smile was very fake. Li Lanfeng was obviously a kind and gentle senior — why was Regiment Commander Han Yu so against the other?

Of course, no matter how doubtful Zhou Ya was, he would not say anything, because the antagonism and strife within the upper ranks usually did not have much reason to it. Oftentimes, just for the sake of an extra share of power, one party would push another party into hell ... while this current situation was just a blatant dislike so far.

However, Zhou Ya did not mind this situation. Han Yu's behaviour was in large part helping him clear out a path to become Wuji's military adviser. It should be known that within Wuji, Li Lanfeng was the publicly acknowledged strategist of the mecha clan, holding extremely high esteem among its members. Without Han Yu's help, relying on himself, he might have to wait until Li Lanfeng graduates and leaves the academy before he would be able to take on the role of adviser.

As an ambitious person, Zhou Ya did not want to dawdle within the military academy for 2 to 3 years. He yearned to ascend the skies in one step, craving the chance to display his full abilities, and desired the respect and admiration of the clan members.

And so, Zhou Ya kept his silence, as if tacitly agreeing with Han Yu that he too felt something off about Li Lanfeng ...

********

Having left the Wuji box, Zhao Jun and Li Lanfeng did not know what was happening inside the box. They walked till the end of the hallway, where they happened to bump into the Li Shiyu and Yun Xiu who had also departed from their box.

When the four met, they were all startled ...

A trace of confusion appeared silently on Li Shiyu's handsome face. This masked youth before his eyes, who was radiating such a warm and gentle aura, seemed somewhat familiar ...

Li Lanfeng was the quickest to regain his bearings. He smiled and gave the other side a cadet's salute, and then said, "Li Shiyu, dux of the military medical research specialization, I've heard such great things about you 1 ."

"Erm, hello, have I met you somewhere before?" Li Shiyu's brow creased and he could not help but ask.

"Well, no, but I've seen you before!" said Li Lanfeng with a smile.

"Oh? When?" Li Shiyu pursued the question. His memory had always been good — this person across from him had such a strange sense of familiarity, he just could not believe that he really had not met him before.

Smilingly, Li Lanfeng was about to answer when Zhao Jun beside him asked with a quirked brow, "Lanfeng, so this is the so-called direct descendant of your Li family? That genius Li Shiyu you mentioned?"

Li Shiyu jolted at these words, blurting out, "You're a Li family descendant too?"

Li Lanfeng nodded and said, "Yes, but I'm just a branch descendant. However, I was previously lucky enough to be in the same school as Young Master Mulan. It's just that Young Master Mulan dropped out later due to illness, and I've not seen him since then ... I wonder how Young Master Mulan is now. Is he well?" asked Li Lanfeng with a face filled with concern.

Hearing this, Li Shiyu's mood dipped. "Cousin Brother Mulan's body is indeed not well." However, very quickly, Li Shiyu rallied and said confidently, "However, I believe Cousin Brother Mulan will definitely get better."

A strange light flashed through Li Lanfeng's eyes, and he nodded and said, "Yes, Young Master Mulan will definitely get better."

Li Lanfeng's words put Li Shiyu in a good mood instantly. Within the Li family clan, this was the first time he had heard another Li family member willing to believe that his eldest cousin brother would recover. This made Li Shiyu extremely grateful, naturally feeling a sense of kinship with Li Lanfeng.

"You're going back?" Li Lanfeng continued to ask.

Before Li Shiyu could respond, Yun Xiu had piped up from beside him, "We're going to go see Shiyu's younger brother 2 , that Li Yingjie who fought second for the New Cadet Regiment."

A trace of surprise rose on Li Lanfeng's face. "So Young Master Shiyu is also planning to go see Young Master Yingjie ... I was just prepared to go check on Young Master Yingjie's condition myself. Why don't we go together?"

Zhao Jun cast a thoughtful glance at Li Lanfeng — mind you, when they had stepped out of the box, the other had not mentioned anything of the sort. However, he had always respected Li Lanfeng's decisions, so he quietly played along.

Li Shiyu hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. Based off the other's good will towards his eldest cousin brother alone, he could not refuse the other 3 .

Just like that, the four of them hurried to the treatment centre. The moment they entered its doors, they could see that the large hall had been split into two factions, each staking out one corner, dutifully ignoring the other.

These people were very easy to tell apart. One side was all dressed in the green freshmen uniform, so it was obvious they were first years. Meanwhile, on the other side, there was green and also blue, but the age difference clearly marked them as upper year students. It went without saying that these two factions were respectively the people from the New Cadet Regiment and the Leiting Mecha Clan.

The moment Li Shiyu's group of four stepped into the treatment centre, they drew the gazes of everyone inside. After all, three of them were dressed in the blue uniform of the elite, while Li Shiyu was even dressed in the white uniform of a dux. This colour would draw attention no matter where he went.

However, the first years of the New Cadet Regiment very quickly averted their eyes. The age of the four newcomers clearly marked them as seniors; the members of the New Cadet Regiment did not think that these people were here for them. After all, they did not know such impressive seniors, so these people could only be from the Leiting Mecha Clan.

On the other hand, those from the Leiting Mecha Clan were in a state of confusion. Several sharp-eyed people had noticed Li Lanfeng and Zhao Jun, who they knew were from the Wuji faction. Moreover, Li Shiyu was also an influential figure within the school. The Leiting Mecha Clan may dare to offend everyone and anyone, but they would never dare to offend any student from the military medical research specialization. This was because, in future, those people were very likely to be the ones responsible for their lives ... no one wanted to gamble with their lives.

The treatment centre fell under the jurisdiction of the military medical research department. Seeing the dux of the department in charge of them personally here at the scene, the staff were instantly nervous. One of the leaders of the staff in the treatment centre came forwards to ask, "Dux Li, may I know what instructions you have for visiting us at this time?"

Please don't let there have been any mistakes in the treatment plans submitted by the treatment centre ... a layer of sweat formed on the forehead of the team leader. If that was truly the case, that meant that they might very likely lose their jobs here at the military academy, be dismissed from service, and be sent back to their homes ... Mind you, in the Federation, the social status and treatment of military personnel were of the highest calibre — the workers really did not want to lose the honour of being a soldier.

"I heard that in this wagered fight, many people were injured, and the injuries were very serious, so I specially came over to take a look." Li Shiyu's words let the team leader of the treatment centre instantly release a sigh of relief.

"Can you give me an overview of the patients' current conditions?" Li Shiyu continued.

The team leader of the treatment centre quickly said, "Yes, Dux Li, please come this way ..." He led Li Shiyu over to the healing pods of one of the upper years, and then continued to say, "This student's condition is especially severe. The bones of his entire body display different degrees of breakage, but strangely enough, such wide-scale traumatic impact did not deal any fatal injury to the inner organs. It's clear to see that the one who did this has extremely precise control on his application of strength. When we first saw it, we were all extremely stunned and awed by it. Even though the opponent had shown mercy, not dealing any fatal injury, for this patient to fully recover in less than ten months is impossible."

The team leader peeked carefully at Li Shiyu, then said softly, "Unless we take out the special medicinal agents the military medical research specialization has developed, then perhaps the time could be shortened."

Li Shiyu merely nodded but said nothing. He naturally knew how the other had been injured — that youth had brought it all on himself. Thus, he had no interest whatsoever in helping him. Besides, the other was also the adversary of his younger cousin's party. Regardless of how much he looked down on that jerk of a cousin of his, he would not allow others to bully a member of their Li family ...

The team leader saw Li Shiyu keeping silent, and sighed softly, but said nothing further. After all, the special medicinal agents of the military medical research department were extremely precious. He had only brought it up earlier to try his luck — if Li Shiyu had truly been moved to help, then it would have been a blessing upon this patient.

The team leader then led Li Shiyu's group of four to another healing pod. This healing pod held a first year. The surrounding youths saw them approach and all revealed stern and nervous expressions as they stared at them, as if on guard against any sign of intended harm to their companion.

Seeing this, Li Lanfeng nodded mentally. This New Cadet Regiment was more united than he had imagined — it looks like they really could not be underestimated.

The team leader pointed at the healing pod and said to Li Shiyu, "This is a first year student. Multiple wound-sites on his internal organs and meridians ... it can be said that he was pretty much half dead, but his body's regenerative ability is extraordinarily strong. In tandem with the recovery agents here, he should be back to normal in three months."

Li Shiyu approached and took a look, and found that the one lying in the healing pod was that tenacious youth who had fought after Li Yingjie. That brutal match had stirred even him ... he had initially thought that the youth's wounds would take at least half a year to heal, but surprisingly, he would be okay after just three months. It looked like this youth's physical constitution was truly exceptional.

The team leader then pointed at the healing pod next to this one and said, "That one is also a first year student. His injuries are also very severe — his left scapula 4 is shattered — he won't be recovered till 2 or 3 months later."

Li Shiyu walked closer to see, and as expected, it was Li Yingjie. He was lying in the healing pod with a tortured expression of pain, and Li Shiyu could hear some vague moaning coming from him. In contrast, the other first year student beside him who was injured much worse was able to tolerate the pain stoically without any change in his expression.

Li Shiyu was instantly in a bad mood. He sniffed coldly and said, "Just a minor injury and you're behaving so disgracefully. You're really losing the face of the Li family."

Li Yingjie heard a familiar voice coming from outside the healing pod and forced his eyes open, only to become instantly wide-eyed with shock. He stared at Li Shiyu — hells, why was his second elder cousin brother 5 here?

Back when Li Shiyu had gone against his grandfather's orders, choosing to give up on his identity as inheritor, even though Li Yingjie did not know the full story, he had heard a thing or two about it. Still, he just could not figure out why this incomprehensible second elder cousin brother of his would appear within the military academy, and wearing the white uniform he admired so much to boot. This meant that Li Shiyu was definitely the dux of one of the specializations, and this was no easy feat.

Even the proud Li Yingjie had already given up on his goal of becoming dux, because Li Yingjie knew that the dux of their year's mecha specialization would be none other than Boss Ling Lan.