The comments said I was deeply affectionate, I just added points by using an alternate account.

Friday afternoon, practical training session.

This class was a sparring practice. Li Yan called out names one by one, designating each other's opponents. Chen Guan thought he would be facing his old rival Wang Hanyue again, but unexpectedly, a name he had never thought of before came out of his mouth.

"Group 9, Chen Guan vs. Long Ao."

As Li Yan's emotionless voice fell, all eyes in the room immediately turned to them.

Chen Guan: ? ? ?

I'm fighting Long Ao? Really?

He himself was naturally the most surprised. In order to cover up the problem of his rapid progress, Chen Guan's grades were not much different from before, and he was still at the bottom of the class. No matter how you looked at it, it was not his turn to fight against Long Ao.

"Chen Guan"

Long Ao stood in front of him with his arms crossed. His bright red hair was particularly striking under the lights of the training ground. An area around him was automatically cleared, and many students secretly looked in his direction.

He was a second-year student, and with his prominent family background, he was a well-known aloof and handsome guy on campus. However, he rarely showed any affection to others.

"Let's have a fight." Long Ao said succinctly, his eyes revealing an undisguised desire to challenge.

Since returning from Misty Manor, Long Ao's gaze towards Chen Guan has changed. The initial contempt has diminished, replaced by more recognition and even guilt.

Chen Guan put down the blunt training sickle in his hand and looked at Long Ao. Although he didn't understand why Li Yan had arranged such a battle, he had no choice but to accept it.

"Okay." Chen Guan nodded.

A murmur of discussion immediately arose from the surrounding area.

"Isn't Chen Guan the worst student? I think he was specially recruited into Tian Shu, otherwise he might not have been able to get into Tian Xuan either."

"What was Teacher Li Yan thinking? Is Chen Guan even suitable? Long Ao is the second best in the Tian Shu class..."

Amidst a chorus of pessimistic pronouncements, Wang Hanyue blushed and argued with them, insisting that Chen Guan was not at the bottom of the class.

Zhou Dun tugged at his sleeve: "Say less, Han Yue. Doubts are refuted with strength, not words."

Sun Miao agreed with Zhou Dun and whispered, "Yeah, no matter how much we argue with them, it's useless. The power to speak only comes from fists."

Li Muxue covered her mouth and chuckled: "Sister Qingyin, what do you think?"

Zhao Qingyin glanced at An Changqing, whose expression remained unchanged, concealed the emotions in her eyes, and simply said calmly, "We'll only know the outcome after the competition."

Li Muxue's smile faded slightly; Zhao Qingyin's answer was something she hadn't expected.

They had all witnessed Long Ao's strength; it should have been a foregone conclusion. But since Zhao Qingyin said that, it meant... there was something strange about the Coffin Boy.

Li Muxue stopped and watched the two people who had already gone on stage with great interest.

At this moment, the two went up on stage and stood in their positions.

Chen Guan didn't speak, but simply gripped the sickle in his hand tightly.

"start!"

Long Ao let out a low shout, his figure vanished instantly, and the next moment he appeared beside Chen Guan, throwing a punch straight at his ribs, the crimson flames bringing with them scorching wind pressure.

Wow, that was fast.

Chen Guan's pupils contracted slightly, and the effect of his Swift Boots was subconsciously activated. He slid to the side and back, while simultaneously slashing upwards with his scythe, attempting to deflect the fist.

boom!

Fist and knife clashed, producing a dull thud.

Chen Guan's arm went numb, the scythe was knocked away, and Long Ao's fist only slightly deflected, still grazing his side with its remaining force, and his clothes instantly smelled burnt.

The difference in strength is too great; in this situation, a head-on confrontation is no longer suitable.

Using the momentum, Chen Guan floated backward, while his mental energy surged, and the illusionist's abilities began to take effect.

Visual misdirection.

In Long Ao's vision, Chen Guan's retreating figure suddenly blurred for a moment, as if it split into two, one on the left and one on the right.

"Hmm?" Long Ao's attack paused slightly, a flash of red light appearing in his eyes: "A mere trick!"

He didn't bother to distinguish between them and charged directly at the coffin whose aura he sensed was stronger, his punches becoming even more ferocious.

However, the coffin shattered and vanished like a bubble the moment his fist touched it.

It's an illusion!

The real Chen Guan had already taken advantage of the moment he was attracted by the illusion to circle around to his side and rear, and the scythe swept towards his lower body with a whistling sound.

Long Ao reacted extremely quickly, stomping his left foot hard to stop his forward momentum. He then spun rapidly around his left foot, while his right leg swept backward like a steel whip, colliding with the scythe.

boom!

Chen Guan was knocked back again, his hands and feet going numb. Long Ao frowned as well. The illusion that had interfered with his judgment for a moment had indeed caused him to be delayed. Although the impact was minor, it was often fatal in a duel between experts.

"Interesting." Long Ao licked his lips, his initial guilt completely replaced by fighting spirit: "Again!"

He no longer rushed to close-range attacks, but began to consciously use the wind from his fists to create long-range suppression, while carefully observing Chen Guan's movements.

Chen Guan felt the pressure increase sharply. Long Ao's combat intuition was extremely terrifying. His rudimentary application of illusionist techniques could hardly achieve any remarkable results anymore. He could only occasionally create some interference to buy himself a chance to catch his breath.

He focused most of his energy on dodging Long Ao's storm of attacks, barely managing to hold on thanks to his improved agility and physical skills.

On the arena, crimson flames and gray figures clashed repeatedly, accompanied by the incessant clang of metal.

Chen Guan was completely on the defensive, and his occasional counterattacks were easily neutralized by Long Ao. However, he was extremely resilient. Although he was hit by the wind of the fist several times and grimaced in pain, he never fell down or admitted defeat.

"How did Chen Guan hold out for so long?"

"His movements seem much more agile than before?"

"What was that? Did Long Ao miss just now?"

"It seems Chen Guan used some kind of interference ability? His mental energy fluctuations seem a bit strange..."

More and more students gathered around, and even some older students were attracted. Chinese people love to watch the excitement, and this is no exception at Tsinghua University.

An Changqing and Su Yuehe stood by the arena watching the battle. An Changqing watched carefully, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes from time to time, while Su Yuehe cheered for Chen Guan in a low voice, completely forgetting that she and Long Ao were old acquaintances.

"His way of using his mental power is very special," An Changqing whispered to Su Yuehe. "Unlike common telekinesis or mental shocks, it's probably hallucinogenic."

Su Yuehe nodded: "I sensed it. It was a very subtle fluctuation. If I weren't sensitive to mental energy, I probably wouldn't have noticed it."

Confusion flashed across her face. What kind of superpower did Chen Guan possess?

Mythology, Enhancement, Life, Special... and now there's a new option: Spirit.

Is this even human?

On the arena, Chen Guan's breathing grew heavier and heavier, and his mental energy was rapidly depleting. He knew that if he continued to defend passively like this, defeat was only a matter of time.

Opportunities must be created.

He deliberately created an opening, slowing his movements by half a beat. This tactic of luring the enemy in was always effective, and Long Ao seized the opportunity, delivering a powerful punch straight to the center.