Flame and Wind

The crowd roared.

Among the spectators, Fatty leaned in toward Steve.

"Brother," he whispered, his voice barely containing his amusement, "doesn't this remind you of that incident from last time?"

Steve's expression darkened instantly. His glare alone was enough to shut Fatty up.

Ye Xian, meanwhile, finally straightened, his expression cooling.

He looked down at Lu Wen one last time.

"You should count yourself lucky," he said, his voice calm but sharp. "I could have done much worse."

Lu Wen, despite everything, still managed to glare up at him with pure venom.

"This… isn't over," he rasped. "I swear… I'll kill you …"

Ye Xian raised an eyebrow. Then, without warning—

BANG!

He stomped down hard on Lu Wen's already battered chest.

Lu Wen's body convulsed violently, blood spurting from his mouth as a painful gurgling sound escaped him.

The crowd gasped.

Even Ye Qianying's eyes widened slightly.

Ye Xian finally stepped back, his expression unreadable.

"You really don't learn," he murmured.

Ye Xian bent down and grabbed Lu Wen by the throat, his fingers tightening like an iron vice. With a single lift, he hoisted him into the air, his feet barely brushing against the ground.

Lu Wen's body trembled, his breath ragged as he dangled helplessly, caught in Ye Xian's merciless grip.

Ye Xian's cold, predatory gaze bore into him, sending a shiver down his spine.

"Still glaring at me?" Ye Xian sneered, his voice laced with mockery.

"Let's see how much longer you can keep that pride."

His ki was already nearing depletion, having pushed Limit Release to its brink multiple times during his brutal onslaught against Lu Wen. But even as exhaustion threatened to set in, Ye Xian forced strength to gather in his fist.

With a sharp inhale, he channeled his dwindling energy—with difficulty he hold his collar with broken hand and his muscles tensing, veins bulging. Then, with a roar, he drove his other fist straight into Lu Wen's chest with full force.

BOOM!

The impact exploded through the air like a thunderclap.

Lu Wen's body shot upward like a ragdoll, flipping wildly before he crashed onto the arena floor with a sickening thud.

He tumbled several meters, his body rolling lifelessly before finally coming to a pitiful stop. Blood pooled from his lips as he convulsed from the sheer force of the blow.

Ye Xian exhaled slowly, the rush of battle keeping him upright. He took one slow step forward, his eyes locked onto his fallen opponent. He was about to raise his leg and stomp down on the groaning Lu Wen—

—when suddenly, his spiritual perception flared in warning.

Danger!

Ye Xian's instincts screamed at him. Without hesitation, he twisted his body mid-motion, channeling Limit Release to reinforce his arm.

But it was too late.

A violent force crashed into his side—

CRACK!

An immense impact sent Ye Xian hurtling through the air like a cannonball. Blood spewed from his mouth as his body twisted uncontrollably, crashing onto the hard stone floor of the arena with bone-rattling force.

He tumbled violently, rolling across the ground like a broken doll before finally skidding to a stop dozens of meters away.

His vision blurred. His breath came in ragged gasps.

Pain.

It was unlike anything he had felt before. His ribs had shattered. His vision flickered. His breath faltered. His arm bent at an unnatural angle. It felt as if a raging bull had slammed into him at full speed, leaving his body in complete disarray.

For a moment, he couldn't even breathe.

And then he saw him.

Standing tall, clad in flowing gray robes embroidered with the symbol of the Azure Sky Academy's Law Enforcement, was a middle-aged man.

Lu Zhe.

The Head Enforcer of Azure Sky Academy.

He stood beside Lu Wen, his expression cold and authoritative. From the moment he appeared, the air in the arena seemed to freeze. His very presence exuded an overwhelming pressure, one that suffocated the surrounding students into stunned silence.

"You have violated the rules of an official duel," Lu Zhe declared, his voice carrying across the battlefield with chilling finality. "You used an artifact without prior declaration. You engaged in excessive brutality against a fellow student. You have disgraced the Azure Sky Academy."

His sharp eyes locked onto Ye Xian, his gaze filled with unwavering judgment.

"For these offenses," he continued, his tone dropping into something far more sinister, "you will be punished now."

His figure blurred—

He moved.

Ye Xian barely had time to react before Lu Zhe was already in front of him, his palm thrusting forward with terrifying speed.

Ye Xian's eyes widened.

So fast!

Before he could fully stabilize himself—

BANG!

A monstrous impact slammed into his chest.

A split second before Lu Zhe's palm connected, something within Ye Xian's consciousness stirred—

The Reverse Taiji!

It suddenly rotated at twice its usual speed, devouring the remaining ki in his reserves and absorbing the surrounding energy . A web of energy formed over his shattered ribs like an invisible protective barrier—

—just as Lu Zhe's strike landed.

BOOM!

A violent shockwave erupted from the impact.

Ye Xian's entire body convulsed as the attack sent him soaring backward again. His organs churned violently. If the Reverse Taiji hadn't activated instinctively, his heart would have ruptured on the spot.

This… this is bad.

Before he could even recover, before he could process how he had survived—

Lu Zhe was already advancing again.

Ye Xian gritted his teeth. His consciousness was fading, and only sheer willpower and the agony coursing through his body kept him awake.

But just as Lu Zhe prepared to strike again—

SWOOSH!

A blazing saber cut through the air, slashing toward Lu Zhe's neck at blistering speed.

CLANG!

Lu Zhe's expression darkened as he instinctively withdrew his attack, swiftly drawing his sword to block the incoming strike.

Flames and wind erupted outward, colliding in a dazzling explosion of power.

The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the arena, throwing both Ye Xian and Lu Wen into the air once more. Their bodies crashed into the ground outside the arena.

Ye Xian, still disoriented and drowning in pain, coughed up more blood. Just as his consciousness was about to fade, he felt himself being lifted mid-air.

A strong pair of arms caught him before he could hit the ground.

It was Riener.

Meanwhile, the arena trembled—one side scorched black by raging flames, the other cracked under the force of turbulent winds.

The two combatants jumped back.

One was Lu Zhe.

The other…

A woman in a flowing blue dress stood firm, her black hair cascading like a river, her calm eyes colder than the deepest winter.

Ye Qianying.

The entire arena fell into stunned silence.

Lu Zhe frowned. He had not expected her of all people to intervene.

Ye Qianying was one of Azure Sky Academy's prodigies. If something happened to her, even he would be in trouble. The Ye Clan would never let him live.

This was supposed to be simple.

Lu Zhe clenched his jaw. He had been given an order—from Lu Aotian, the young master of the Lu Clan and Lu Wen's younger brother. His orders were clear: ensure Lu Wen crippled Ye Xian, and if anyone tried to interfere, prevent them from stopping the duel.

But things had spiraled out of control.

Lu Wen lost.

Worse, Ye Xian had humiliated him beyond redemption.

Lu Zhe had seen an opportunity—he assumed Ye Xian had used an artifact, an offense he could punish under the Academy's laws. He had planned to accidentally crippled Ye Xian under the guise of justified punishment but seeing how awfully he humiliated Lu Wen he decided to finish him.

But Ye Xian survived.

The power behind both of his strikes was enough to kill a mid-stage Ki Refining Realm cultivator.

Yet Ye Xian is still alive.

That was only because his physique was stronger than most cultivators in the same realm. Combined with Limit Release, his defenses had reached an abnormal level. Otherwise, the first strike alone would have ruptured his heart, killing him instantly.

And now, standing before him, blocking his path—

Was Ye Qianying.

The situation had changed.

A stunned silence gripped the audience, broken only by excited murmurs as the realization set in.

"Are they really about to fight?" someone gasped.

"The goddess of Azure Sky Academy versus the head of law enforcement?"

A ripple of anticipation surged through the crowd. Some students whispered in awe, while others outright cursed Lu Zhe for daring to fight against such a beauty.

Lu Zhe's expression darkened as he narrowed his eyes at Ye Qianying. His voice, filled with authority and condemnation, echoed through the battlefield.

"Ye Qianying!"

Lu Zhe's voice was thunderous, his ki surging in response.

"You dare interfere in law enforcement matters?! You've saved a cultivator who violated the righteousness path, brutally attacked a fellow student, and broke the rules of an official duel! And now, you raise your weapon against me?"

But Ye Qianying barely acknowledged him.

Her gaze had already shifted to Ye Xian, who lay unconscious in Riener's arms who dragging him away. The sight of him, battered and bloodied, his body limp and breath faint, sent an uncontrollable rage surging through her veins.