Boss Huo stood up abruptly, yelling in shock, "Feng-ming, stop!"
On the stage, Tang Yu's expression changed drastically. With a shift, his body sprung into motion, prepared to stop this highly destructive ultimate move of Nie Feng-ming. If some major casualty occurred in these fights he was refereeing, it would be a great dereliction of duty ...
There was a 'thwack', clearly distinct from the dull thumps of fists hitting flesh. This sound was obviously much crisper. Everyone found to their shock that, heaven knows when, another person had appeared on the stage.
He stood between Nie Feng-ming and Qi Long, easily holding Nie Feng-ming's fist with one hand. The fluttering of his sleeve proved that this person had just rushed onto the scene.
His fist in the other's palm, Nie Feng-ming's first feeling was that the other's strength was like a bottomless ocean. When the explosive power contained in his fists charged at the other, it was like a stone dropping into a tranquil sea, with nary a splash nor ripple. It was truly as if his strength had been swallowed whole by the boundless depths of the ocean.This feeling lasted for only a brief instant, and then Nie Feng-ming perceived the opponent's strength as a large mountain — he was only standing there without counterattacking, but Nie Feng-ming could not budge an inch.
What frightened Nie Feng-ming even more was the extremely cold air the other was currently emitting. Nie Feng-ming accidentally made eye contact with the other, and saw endless blood-soaked killing intent. Nie Feng-ming's spirit and body were both already at their limits to begin with, his mental resistance at its lowest — this surge of bloody killing intent struck deep into his inner mind, inciting endless terror, and his body actually began to tremble uncontrollably.
Colonel Tang Yu had finally rushed to Nie Feng-ming's side by this time, but he was a step too late. When he saw that Nie Feng-ming's attack had been intercepted by a passing stranger 1 , he instantly let out a sigh of relief.
However, he soon calmed down and was shocked by a realisation. He had in fact been the person closest to Nie Feng-ming, but the other had arrived a step ahead of him. Didn't this prove that the other was stronger than him?
Tang Yu stared in stupefied wonder at the other. The person was dressed in the regular green military academy uniform, was neither tall nor short, and his figure was somewhat on the slender side, but without the sense of fragile delicacy Luo Lang exuded. His straight-backed figure seemed to contain boundless energy — otherwise, he would not have been able to stop Nie Feng-ming's attack so easily without any harm to himself.
Most surprising was the fact that though he looked extremely cold-hearted and ruthless, this still could not conceal his young and immature face. That unfamiliar face and that extremely common freshman uniform instantly allowed Colonel Tang Yu to know the other's identity.
Tang Yu was not planning to berate the other. After all, Nie Feng-ming's last attack had indeed been too vicious. As teammates from the same group, wanting to save a comrade was perfectly justified — Tang Yu approved of it.However, before Tang Yu could ask any questions, the students below the stage had already begun to exclaim:
"Who is that?"
"How did he suddenly appear on the stage?"
"Yeah, when did he go up?"
As the newcomer had moved too fast, many students whose realm was not high enough yet had only managed to see that a person had appeared on the stage out of thin air. They could not see how the other had gotten there, which was why they were so baffled.
"That person's speed has almost reached the limits of the human body!" Those people with adequate vision within the boxes all acknowledged this point, stunned to the depths of their heart. Although they did not know the other's background, without discussing it beforehand, they all mutually noted his appearance, determined to investigate once they went back to find out who he was ...
Tang Yu's complexion very quickly returned to normal, and he said to the person, "Cadet, thank you very much for your assistance. However, the fight is still in progress. Please leave the stage."
"That's unnecessary. This round, we, the New Cadet Regiment, have lost," announced Ling Lan dispassionately.
Tang Yu was taken aback, unsure whether the other could speak on behalf of the New Cadet Regiment, when from below the stage, the New Cadet Regiment representative Wu Jiong could be heard to call out, "That's right, we, the New Cadet Regiment, admit defeat for this round!"
Since the representative of the New Cadet Regiment had acknowledged the loss, Tang Yu did not raise any questions, instantly declaring, "The 3rd round, 5th year Nie Feng-ming wins! The overall score is 2-1, Leiting Mecha Clan in the lead over the New Cadet Regiment."
Tang Yu had barely finished his announcement when Ling Lan turned to look at the stubbornly upright Qi Long behind her. A surge of sour pain coursed through her heart. Although she had wanted Qi Long to break through, she had never intended for Qi Long to end up in such a terrible state, becoming so gravely injured. If she had not managed to intercept Nie Feng-ming's blow in time, the force of it would have shattered most of Qi Long's bones. Even if he managed to recover, Qi Long's initially amazingly sturdy body would be downgraded by several levels, perhaps even choking off Qi Long's boundless potential.
At this thought, the rage in Ling Lan's heart flared. She hated the other's viciousness, and cursed her own carelessness at taking things for granted. Fortunately, nothing truly regrettable had happened, otherwise she would have regretted it for life.
Ling Lan took in a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the burning rage in her heart. She said lightly to Qi Long, "The match is over. You can rest now."
The initially standing Qi Long heard this, and as if receiving some command, he collapsed. Tang Yu reacted swiftly, nimbly catching Qi Long and checking on his injuries. His complexion paled slightly, and he yelled out, "Staff, send him to the treatment centre, quickly!" He had not expected Qi Long's internal injuries to be so severe, and the boy had still fought on for so long, unwilling to fall till the very end ... what kind of mental support did this youth have?
Tang Yu could not help but think back to the previous fighters, Luo Lang and Li Yingjie. They too were the same — withstanding almost unbearable injuries to execute horrifying counterattacks ... he could not help but look at this cold-faced youth before him. Even if the other had not made it clear, he could tell that the true leader of the New Cadet Regiment was likely him.
Very soon, Qi Long had been sent to the treatment centre. As his sworn brother, Han Jijyun naturally could not sit still any longer. Without waiting for Ling Lan's orders, he took the initiative to accompany Qi Long ...
At this time, Nie Feng-ming, who had been lost in the haze of bloodlust, finally overcame his inner demon by relying on his excellent mental fortitude, becoming aware once more.
"You've woken up?" Ling Lan's expression was still cold and emotionless, but the suppressed rage in her eyes burned brightly once more following Nie Feng-ming's awakening.
"This match is over. Cadet, please let go of the representative." Although Nie Feng-ming's final Pneumatic Punch had been somewhat vicious and uncalled for, nothing unsalvageable had happened after all, so Tang Yu was hoping to minimise the fuss. After all, the match involving Nie Feng-ming was already over — the New Cadet Regiment would not gain anything from chasing the issue.
Hearing Tang Yu's words, Nie Feng-ming began to struggle, trying to wrest free of Ling Lan's grasp. For some reason, he just felt that this cold youth before him was way too dangerous. His instinctive reaction was to get away from the other.
"We admit defeat because our skills are no match for our opponent. However, those who intend to harm my brothers will have to pay the due price!" Ling Lan's icy voice reverberated throughout the entire combat hall. This was Ling Lan's declaration to the entire military academy — towards anyone who would harm her brothers, she would not show any mercy.
Yes, Ling Lan was truly angry now. She wanted everyone in the military academy to know that she, Ling Lan, was no cowardly limp-egg that would willingly shrink away quietly and just take what others dished out 2 .
Her words had barely faded when Ling Lan's hand on the other's fist abruptly lifted, and Nie Feng-ming was thrown bodily into the air. When he was about 2 metres away from the ground, Nie Feng-ming felt a cold and powerful hand press on the back of his skull, which then pushed forwards forcefully ...
This sudden action of Ling Lan's made the expressions of both Tang Yu on the stage and Boss Huo below the stage pale drastically. They thought that Ling Lan was about to commit murder. Without prior agreement, they both leapt at Ling Lan, trying to stop the other's rampage.
Tang Yu was only one step away from Ling Lan, but he had only just thought of approaching when an invisible surge of Qi-Jin stopped him. Meanwhile, Boss Huo was too far away — the duration of that blink of time was not enough for him to get there in time.
A loud "boom" rang out! The entire stage shone with a radiant light and emitted an ear-splitting alarm. The majority of people could not tell what this represented, but as the referee, Tang Yu knew that this meant the force the stage had received was already close to its maximum capacity. If a little bit more force was added, the stage may collapse entirely.
At this moment, Tang Yu could no longer maintain his composure. His face was extremely pale — it should be known that the sturdiness of this stage in the combat hall was enough to withstand all damage below Domain stage. Since the stage was sounding its warning, could it be that this new cadet was already infinitely close to Domain? Or perhaps he had already arrived at that rumoured half step into Domain?
Only after the light from the stage had faded and the warning alarms had died down, could all the spectating students see the situation on the stage clearly, whereby they were all flabbergasted.
Nie Feng-ming's entire body was laid flat on the stage, his front plastered to the ground. On his face which was turned slightly to one side, both of his eyes were rolled up so the whites were showing — it could not be determined from appearance whether he was dead or alive. With his body at its centre, countless large gaping cracks had spread across the entire stage, causing the stage to seem broken and dilapidated. It really led people to worry whether the three people still standing on the stage would collapse the stage entirely if they moved.
Boss Huo, who had already rushed onto the stage, saw Nie Feng-ming's terrible condition, and his eyes turned red. He pointed at Ling Lan angrily and questioned, "Why did you kill him?"
Ling Lan flicked her sleeves, as if brushing off some dust, and replied emotionlessly, "Don't worry, he isn't dead!"
"Not dead?" These words made Boss Huo calm down instantly from his towering rage. He quickly turned to look at Colonel Tang Yu.
At this time, Tang Yu had already rushed forwards to check on Nie Feng-ming. He probed the side of Nie Feng-ming's neck, and his initially troubled expression eased. Luckily the boy was only severely injured and not dead. Otherwise, even if he had wanted to help the New Cadet Regiment, things would not have been so easily settled.
"He's still breathing, but the bones of his entire body have been broken. He must be sent to the treatment centre immediately. It looks like Nie Feng-ming won't be able to recover fully without spending about a year and a half's worth of time." Tang Yu let Boss Huo know Nie Feng-ming's condition, and then swiftly instructed the staff to send Nie Feng-ming to the treatment centre.
Right then, Tang Yu really did not know what to say anymore. In three consecutive rounds, all six participants were sent to the treatment centre. Was this really a combat showdown or was it actually a death match? Never had any wagered fight been so brutal — at the bottom of it, it was all because these freshmen, each and every one of them, were such tough nuts to crack, unwilling to admit defeat ...
During the new cadet admission assessment, didn't those unholy terrors 3 break these new cadets' proud bones and teach them a good lesson? Colonel Tang Yu could already sense that the pride of this batch of freshmen were extraordinarily robust, not at all like students who had been tormented and shamed ...
Hearing that Nie Feng-ming was ultimately fine, Boss Huo finally let out a sigh of relief. He suppressed the rage in his heart as he asked in a measured tone, "Why did you harm our team member without any reason?"
"Without any reason? I was only giving him a taste of his own medicine." Ling Lan's cool gaze was locked onto Boss Huo, "Could you not tell what your team member was doing just now? If that move of his had landed, my brother would be in his current condition."
"Didn't you manage to save him? Since your brother is fine, why would you be so cruel?"
"And if I had not managed to save him?" Ling Lan shot back, "I will not forgive anyone who harms my brothers. No matter how powerful the other's faction is, or how formidable the other is personally."
At this point of her speech, Ling Lan's icy gaze swept out to encompass everyone watching the fights. She bit out word by word, "Right here, I want to remind everyone in the military academy, including all the major factions. If anyone dares to trouble my brothers for no reason, or harm them, I will definitely never let it rest. No matter how long it will take, I will make sure they pay for it."
Using her spiritual power, Ling Lan made her voice ring out by everyone's ear, including those within the boxes. Quite a few weaker students actually found themselves trembling, their entire bodies feeling cold ...
Only Li Lanfeng's expression shifted at these words, a subdued spark flashing through his eyes. What familiar energy! Could the other be a kindred type 4 ? Li Lanfeng, who had initially held very little interest in Ling Lan, instantly slotted Ling Lan into his mind. When he found an opportunity later on, he would be prepared to test the other. If they were alike, perhaps there was the possibility of a collaboration ...
