Genius Jiang Ye Strikes Again

When Pei Long noticed the greedy eyes of Jiang Ye, who was staring at his Spatial Ring, he frowned. "Hey! Don't even think about robbing me."

"Damn, how did you know?"

"This bastard!" Pei Long's mouth fell open as he stared at Jiang Ye in disbelief. He couldn't quite understand what was going through Jiang Ye's mind, but he was certain it involved something reckless. "You're insane!"

"I am a madman!" Jiang Ye laughed before pulling something from his sleeve. It was a knife—a kitchen knife! He threw it at Pei Long with incredible force and at such a precise angle.

Pei Long immediately grinned when he saw this and easily parried the knife using his sword. However, just after he blocked the knife, Jiang Ye was already in front of him, flying through the air, sending a kick. Pei Long evaded the attack and formed a counterattack, slashing his sword at Jiang Ye.

Jiang Ye frowned for a moment before taking a step back. Then, he charged in again, like an angry bull.

"You really want to do this?" Pei Long asked as he parried Jiang Ye's attacks and brandished his sword whenever he saw an opening. "I mean, we're enemies, but there's no need to be this serious."

"Hehe," Jiang Ye chuckled as he executed the Blood Condensation Martial Art, causing his entire arm to swell as he felt his blood surging through it. He felt incredibly powerful at that moment, and he sent a forceful punch that could demolish an entire brick wall with a single blow.

Pei Long was extremely shocked when he saw this. This was not mentioned in Jiang Ye's profile—there was no indication whatsoever that he knew a Martial Art. When and where did he learn that!?

Pei Long couldn't dodge in time, so he blocked the punch using the surface of his sword.

Crack!

Pei Long's eyes widened as Jiang Ye's almighty fist snapped his sword in two, the fist still continuing forward to strike his stomach.

Thud!

At that moment, Pei Long felt what was probably the most painful punch of his life. He spat out blood as he was sent flying into a wall, crashing through it and landing directly on the street!

"Kyaa!"

Jiang Ye could hear screams of terror outside as he approached the broken wall, looking at Pei Long, who was lying on a destroyed vendor. The vendor's owner, who was standing nearby, looked extremely terrified.

Jiang Ye leaped from the third floor, landing effortlessly on the ground, feeling incredibly energized and refreshed. He slowly walked toward Pei Long, sneering as he said, "Just give me your Spatial Ring, and I won't beat you up."

Pei Long, still lying down, suddenly chuckled. He struggled to stand, using whatever remained of the rubble for support. Looking at Jiang Ye, he burst into laughter. "HAHAHAHA!"

"What in the world is so funny?" Jiang Ye asked, staring at him in disbelief. "You think getting beat up is amusing?"

"You've got a good sense of humor," Pei Long replied, still laughing. "'Just give me your Spatial Ring, and I won't beat you up,' like, are you seriously that confident?"

"What?" Jiang Ye frowned, not understanding what was so funny about the situation. "Why do you keep talking so much?"

"Because you talk too much!" Pei Long sneered. Then, he took a deep breath, and suddenly, something strange happened.

A crimson lotus, incredibly beautiful, materialized out of thin air, floating in Pei Long's right hand. He mumbled something, but Jiang Ye didn't care. He fixated on the lotus, his instincts screaming at him to run and never look back.

"What the hell?" Jiang Ye muttered, visibly terrified. He couldn't identify the lotus, but its color and the dangerous energy it emitted made his skin crawl. "Hey, stop that!"

"No," Pei Long sneered as the lotus grew larger, expanding until it was the size of a human head.

"Single Lotus Annihilation!" Pei Long shouted as the lotus shot toward Jiang Ye.

Already on high alert, Jiang Ye tried to dodge by sidestepping, but to his horror, the lotus changed direction and followed him. "What the hell is this!?"

At that moment, he had only one objective in mind: Run!

And so he did, sprinting at full speed, even climbing onto structures and racing across rooftops. When he glanced back, the lotus was still following him. He cursed and channeled spiritual energy into his legs, increasing his speed. His heart pounded wildly in his chest as fear gripped him—he had no idea where to go. If that cursed lotus kept following him, would he have any choice but to face it head-on?

"Damn it! That bastard Pei Long!" Jiang Ye cursed under his breath.

At the same time, an idea formed in Jiang Ye's mind. What if he tried to imitate the Martial Art Pei Long had just executed, just like he did two days ago when he fought Officer Qin and effortlessly mastered the Blood Condensation Fist Art?

The more he thought about it, the more he realized it was entirely possible. He wasn't sure if copying Pei Long's Martial Art would stop the deadly lotus, but he could create his own and make it follow Pei Long! If Pei Long didn't retract his Art, then neither would he!

"I'm truly a peerless genius," Jiang Ye sighed, marveling at his own brilliance. If he had been born into a noble family or one of the Skymoon Empire's renowned Tian or Yue clans, he might already be a leader. "I guess the Almighty Creator, or whatever god made humans, lowered my background because they were scared of me."

"Whatever," Jiang Ye chuckled, turning his attention back to the ever-chasing lotus. He tried to recall how Pei Long had conjured it. As he examined the lotus closely, he began analyzing its structure, form, and the spiritual energy surrounding it.

Then, as if on cue, words suddenly flashed in his mind, like an instruction manual, but they quickly integrated themselves into every part of his body. The same thing had happened when he fought Officer Qin and copied his Martial Art. He had simply stared at Officer Qin's swollen arm, and for some reason, words had formed in his mind.

"Am I the only one who can do this?" Jiang Ye mumbled, a confident smile spreading across his face. If so, he was truly overpowered.

---

Meanwhile, on the streets, Pei Long sat cross-legged on the sidewalk, completely indifferent to the ordinary people staring at him with a mix of fear and reverence. His mind was currently focused on Jiang Ye. It had been a few minutes, yet the deadly lotus he had created hadn't exploded. If it had met its target, he would have felt it.

At the moment, he could feel the spiritual energy in his body still draining, as he was only at Tier 4 of the Flesh Refinement Stage. The lotus had consumed a significant amount of energy when he initially conjured it, and it was still drawing from him as it continued to move. This was another clear sign that the lotus was still pursuing Jiang Ye.

To be honest, Pei Long felt a certain respect for Jiang Ye. He was brave—Pei Long admired people with that kind of personality—and he had a sense of humor, even if it wasn't really Pei Long's style. Still, at least Jiang Ye could make a joke! Unlike those stern folks from the Warrior's Council, who never cracked a smile and were always so serious.

Suddenly, Pei Long sprang up from his seated position, alarmed as danger signals screamed in his mind. He scanned his surroundings as he landed, and that's when he saw it—a lotus, identical to the one he had created, but this one wasn't his.

"Wait, what!?" Pei Long's face twisted in horror. He knew how deadly Lotus Annihilation was if it made contact with a person. "Did he just copy my Art!?"

This wasn't possible! Pei Long kept screaming in his head, trying to deny the reality in front of him, but the truth was clear—Jiang Ye had copied his Art. In fact, this lotus looked even more dangerous, more powerful than the one Pei Long had conjured. Pei Long had intentionally weakened his lotus to capture Jiang Ye, not to kill him. But this lotus? It was designed to erase a person from existence!

Even though Pei Long had mastered this Art since he was a child, he didn't know of any counter for it. The only way to face it was head-on, hoping to survive.

"Damn it!" Now, Pei Long found himself being chased, running as fast as he could. He tried to think of a solution, but his mind came up blank. Then, he noticed something—the lotus was moving slower than the one he had created. What did that mean?

Suddenly, Pei Long's eyes lit up as he muttered, "Retract."

The draining of his spiritual energy stopped instantly. He had retracted the lotus! And as if by some unspoken agreement, the lotus chasing him vanished as well.

Pei Long halted and wiped the sweat from his forehead, his breathing heavy. "That was close!"

Then, his thoughts returned to Jiang Ye, and a horrified expression spread across his face. That guy had actually copied his Martial Art! He would have to report this to that boring guy, Liang Xuan.