"You could say that," Wu Han calmly responded to Yan Fei's anger. He looked like he was toying with a temperamental child, keeping candy just out of reach, within arm's length.
"Since you're new here, follow me. Let's fight somewhere you'll be held responsible!" Yan Fei pointed his spear and scowled, leading them all toward one of the open arenas. Many disciples looked on curiously, whispers rising from the abnormal sight.
"That's Yan Fei, the great son of the Yan family. I heard he climbed from a mid-level clan to become a direct disciple through sheer skill!"
"And isn't that guy's face familiar? I saw him drunk and sleeping on the street a few times."
"Yeah, I wonder who he is. He's not even wearing the clan uniform. What happened?"
Rumors and theories flew around, but none landed on the truth. Seeing an outsider inside was rarer than seeing a spirit beast occasionally flying past in the sky. They looked at Wu Han like he was an escaped animal, a mix of concern and curiosity growing among them. Naturally, the crowd began to form.
And in return, Wu Han also looked at them, just as interested and concerned as they were.
'All these disciples are strong!'
No matter which platform they were dueling on, every single disciple was much stronger than Meiyi. Some even surpassed Ming, who was already a full-grown warrior, and a few were even younger than Wu Han! The difference wasn't just the clan's environment, the gap between their members was much wider than he had originally thought between them and the Wu Clan.
Once they reached a platform that wasn't occupied yet, Yan Fei jumped onto it, followed closely by Wu Han.
"I'll be the referee for this. Any objections?" The tall, composed woman who had been following Yan Fei around suddenly jumped onto the stage as well, volunteering herself to be the judge of the battle so that no one went overboard with their fury.
While occasional harm could happen, grave injury was strictly forbidden.
"No need! I'm going to beat this trash in just three moves!" Yan Fei pointed out three fingers confidently, showing his boastful and powerful intent, the strength of which almost reached the level of arrogance.
"I'm not concerned about him, I'm worried about you," the woman sighed, scolding Yan Fei. "If my fiancé gets hurt or kills someone before our marriage, what will others think of my clan?" She sounded cold and pragmatic, but beneath her words hid a quiet care and affection.
"Oh, you are?" Seeing that both of them had some situation going on, Wu Han immediately pried, trying to fish for more information.
"Hong Qing! The greatest swordwoman of this generation!" the little boy who had been following them around shouted with confidence and pride, feeling proud of his sister.
"Hong Qing of the Hong family?" Wu Han immediately remembered her name. As shameful as it was, the previous Wu Han remembered all the beauties in town, and Hong Qing was among the top candidates he thought he might have a chance to marry, that was before her talent as a warrior awakened.
The Hong family was a larger household than both the Wu and the Yan, but still only a few steps above them, nothing compared to the Luo, which were like sky and earth.
But with her talent and background, finding a more suitable husband shouldn't have been difficult.
So that begged the question, why?
Wu Han noted it in his mind.
He never passed up an opportunity to get a good undead under his command. If they proved worth his time, he could find a way to turn them into corpses, and then it was smooth sailing from there.
But right now, he had to focus on the chance of even beating them, because in truth, Wu Han wasn't confident he could win against any of them.
He only wanted to know how he measured up to a Luo Clan disciple in general, so he could learn how much risk he could take while staying with them.
Wu Han needed some ladder steps before he could do anything with Luo Chen and especially Luo Lan.
To get Luo Lan, if it meant killing everyone in this town for him to take her, he would do it.
That girl was far more valuable than anyone knew; her beauty was the least of her worth.
"Hey! What the hell are you looking at? She's my future wife!" Yan Fei shouted at Wu Han.
He had noticed Wu Han staring at Hong Qing for quite a while, long enough to be rude. But in truth, Wu Han wasn't looking at her at all, his eyes were fixed on the distant horizon, lost in thought. While Hong Qing was beautiful in her own right, when compared to Luo Lan's level, she simply couldn't compete.
"Let's do this then. You said three moves, right? I agree." Wu Han snapped back and accepted the duel.
He summoned a spear instead of his clan's sword, that weapon would only draw attention when news spread. Even though the sword could boost his combat power immensely, it was better to avoid suspicion. Besides, he was more comfortable with a spear anyway.
"I'll give you the first move, but make it count, it'll be your last!" Yan Fei mocked him, unleashing his true power.
Peak Qi Condensation, sixth stage!
He was also a spear user, which erased the range advantage Wu Han had held over Meiyi. One glance told Wu Han it wouldn't be long before this man broke into the seventh stage.
Unlike Hong Qing, who had already reached it. They were monsters, all of them, these Luo disciples!
Wu Zhen, whom he'd needed an elaborate plan to kill, had the same level of power, and yet this girl possessed it at such a young age. His clan was truly a disgrace in front of real strength.
"My first strike!"
Rising Python!
Wu Han's spear vanished from sight. A surge of power burst through the weapon, flinging forward like a silent viper lunging for prey. The strike was so fast that even the air around them didn't react, only a flash of light, like a snake mirage devouring its target.
"Hmph! Weak technique like that won't work on me!"
Molten Spiral Twirl!
Yan Fei's spear flared with heat, its shape bending midair before smashing into the Rising Python's path, breaking it apart. The counter forced Wu Han to misstep. But it didn't stop there, the spear erupted again, its momentum like a volcanic blast. The weapon's red-hot blade slashed forward with absurd speed, a sudden surge of molten fury.
A burning gash appeared across Wu Han's face, sizzling hot, the wound still steaming.
The attack wasn't only stronger and faster, it carried an elemental force within it...
Compared to the spear style he'd stolen from Ming's husband, the Eight Snakes Spear, Yan Fei's technique was far more advanced and much more deadly.
"You couldn't even dodge a measly counterattack! Hahaha!!" Yan Fei laughed as he saw the blood dripping from Wu Han's scorched face. "That wasn't even my first move!"
A scar on the face, for a womanizer, that was the cruelest wound of all.
Yan Fei laughed mockingly, knowing exactly where to strike.
"Now, time to die!!" he screamed as his aura surged, a wave of heat spreading from where he stood. Nearby leaves dried and crumbled into dust under the sheer heat and pressure.
"Lose. You mean lose…" Hong Qian sighed, ready to step in if things got out of hand.
Unlike her future husband, she knew Wu Han couldn't have just walked in here without reason. The man was purposely provoking Yan Fei to fight him. She didn't mind seeing her fiancé have some fun once in a while, but going too far would only bring trouble.
"Take this!" Yan Fei ignored her advice and charged forward with full power.
Volcanic Strike!
The spear lunged forward. The motion seemed simple, but in a single step the ground beneath him shattered, wind burst outward like a storm, violent, hot, destructive. Yan Fei appeared before Wu Han in an instant, his spear thrusting forward with the force of an erupting volcano.
Crouching Viper!
Wu Han countered. His spear slammed forward, but when the two attacks clashed, the recoil snapped through his arm, breaking it instantly. The force disarmed him, and Yan Fei's spear shot straight toward his heart.
At that moment, Wu Han barely managed to react, he was force to rage.
BANG!
The aftermath was brutal. Blood streaked down his palm from his desperate grip on the spear tip.
The flesh burned from the heat, the wound widened, and scars began to form.
Still, the spear's point had pierced only slightly into his chest.
The pain was almost unbearable and he could feel the heat pulsing with every beat of his heart.
"If you beg, I might let you crawl out, like a dog," Yan Fei said, voice dripping with mock mercy as he tried to drive the spear deeper.
But thanks to him, Wu Han now knew exactly how to defend.
With the energy so close, he could observe the flow, the pattern behind the technique, and he figured it out.
He had never truly learned the ways of a magic knight, but he was still a god of magic.
Channel your power into the weapon… make it move as one with your body.
Wu Han's hand slowly pushed the spearhead from his chest.
As it slid free, the wound around him began to close. His broken arm snapped back into place.
Yan Fei froze. So did the onlookers.
They had all thought Wu Han would surrender, or at least be gravely injured, yet in the blink of an eye, his wounds were gone.
Without even lowering himself, Wu Han raised his hand. His spear flew up from the ground and landed in his grasp.
He might not know any advanced spear techniques, but he had learned the Storm Slicer Sword from Wu Zhen's memories, the strongest sword technique the Wu Clan possessed. Even Meiyi had undergone countless trials to earn the chance to study it.
Of course, it was a sword technique.
Well… that was until today.
Wind gathered around Wu Han's spear, twisting and coiling in a spiraling current.
He whispered to Yan Fei, voice calm.
"Are you ready for the second strike?"