In a split second, Zhen Yue suddenly lunged forward—
His heavy fist slammed into Tianlan's abdomen!
"—Thud!!"
Tianlan's body folded like a shrimp as if struck by an iron mallet. He was blasted off his feet, rolling nearly ten meters across the ground before finally stopping.
Zhen Yue paused, scratching his head.
"Ah? Uh… did I hit him a bit too hard?"
He strolled over casually and continued,
"That kind of attack—you should've blocked it with your bracers. Remember, the bracers are for stopping strong, potentially lethal blows. And—learn to take control of a fight."
Tianlan clutched his abdomen, steadied his breath, and once again charged at him.
Zhen Yue brushed aside each punch with ease, as if he were out for a walk.
Seizing a single opening, Zhen Yue swept a sharp roundhouse kick at Tianlan's waist.
This time, Tianlan remembered the lesson—he crossed his bracers in front of himself.
"Bang—!"
He was still sent flying, but he wasn't seriously hurt.
Zhen Yue nodded. "Not bad. At least you know how to block."
Then he asked casually, "If you had to fight someone clearly stronger than you—how would you win?"
Tianlan thought for a moment. "Um… become stronger than them during the fight?"
Zhen Yue snorted. "Not a bad mindset, but far too unrealistic. The real solution is simple—though it only works if the gap isn't too big. One tier at most."
Before Tianlan could process that, Zhen Yue's leg shot out—
He launched a flurry of kicks.
At first, the strikes were normal; Tianlan barely blocked them.
But the next moment—
The air pressure shifted violently.
Zhen Yue's speed and power spiked tenfold—
Tianlan couldn't react at all. A devastating strike smashed into his abdomen, slamming him into the ground and sending him sliding several meters.
Zhen Yue walked up and said calmly,
"Like this—don't let others see your true power from the start. Don't show all your cards. Wait until they get used to your rhythm, get careless, misjudge you—then… finish it in one blow."
The moment he finished, he stomped down toward Tianlan's stomach.
"Boom!"
Tianlan yelped and rolled aside desperately, forcing himself back up into a stance.
Zhen Yue advanced slowly.
"The less your opponent understands you, the higher your chances of winning. Especially someone like you—a newcomer. Most contestants know nothing about you."
"But the direct bloodline is different," Zhen Yue added. "At least Kuang Yan knows you a little. You've fought him—and that technique of yours? He's already marked it as a threat. Unless you can overpower him with one absolute strike, that move… is basically useless against him."
Tianlan's brows tightened.
Zhen Yue glanced toward Qing Luo and muttered,
"Mm… should be about time."
In the next instant, he vanished—
And reappeared in front of Tianlan, slamming a palm strike toward his chest.
Tianlan brought his arms together to block, but the force still passed through the bracers, jolting his chest and forcing a sharp breath from him.
He tried to jump back—
But Zhen Yue had already grabbed his right wrist at some point.
"What the—?!"
Zhen Yue yanked him forward, throwing him off balance.
A punch struck his abdomen—
Then Zhen Yue crouched low—
And unleashed a powerful rising uppercut.
"Bam!!"
Tianlan was sent flying, spinning several times in the air before crashing heavily onto the ground. He lost consciousness instantly.
Not far away, Qing Luo approached with knitted brows.
"Don't you think… this is a bit much for a young kid?"
Zhen Yue waved a hand. "Relax, he just fainted. If it were Kuang Yan… he'd probably be torn in half already."
Qing Luo crouched beside Tianlan to heal him. As she worked, she asked,
"Why are you training him? You don't actually think he can beat Kuang Yan, right? What are you two even planning? And just now—were you… worried about him?"
Zhen Yue let out an awkward chuckle.
"I plan to recruit him later. Also curious how far he can get in the tournament. If he had more time… he might even reach the direct bloodline's level.
As for the old man's intentions—I'm not sure. Doesn't seem like he wants to recruit Tianlan though."
Qing Luo blinked. "You two expect that much from him?"
Zhen Yue shrugged. "Too bad—if he runs into Kuang Yan in the tournament, it's over. That guy never lets a target go."
He slapped his thigh. "Alright, wake him up."
Qing Luo slapped Tianlan's face hard—
"Pa! Pa! Pa!"
Tianlan jolted awake.
Zhen Yue immediately waved cheerfully. "Awake? Good! Round two! This time using magic. You need to learn how to fire that technique faster!"
Tianlan inhaled deeply, raising his right hand to gather magic—
But before half of it could form, Zhen Yue had already rushed in and punched him away.
Zhen Yue barked, "Your enemy won't wait for you to charge! Either seize the timing—or be so fast they can't stop you!"
One attempt.
Two attempts.
Three attempts…
Tianlan kept trying, and Zhen Yue kept interrupting.
"Too slow!"
"Bad timing!"
"Still too slow!"
Then suddenly—Zhen Yue's eyes lit up.
He shifted his stance into the exact same claw posture Kuang Yan had used.
Magic surged over his fingers.
In the next instant—
A Kuang Yan–style claw strike lunged straight at Tianlan.
And at that moment, Tianlan's mind flashed back to that night—
The fear.
The blood.
The tearing pain.
His body reacted faster than his thoughts—
Magic erupted.
"—Sky-Breaker Slash!!"
The sharp wind-edge collided with Zhen Yue's claw, sending ripples across the ground.
Zhen Yue burst into loud laughter.
"See? You can do it! Remember that feeling—again!!"
And so, they trained for the rest of the day.
The Next Morning
Cang Song returned to the training grounds.
"How was yesterday? Have you decided what kind of magic you want to try?"
Tianlan nodded eagerly.
Cang Song smiled. "Good. Let's see what that little head of yours can imagine."
Over the following days—
Tianlan trained in three areas simultaneously:
Attribute Magic Training (with Cang Song)
Learning faster casting, stronger attribute output, and better magic control. Combat Sparring (with Zhen Yue)
Zhen Yue used a magic-suppression device to lower himself to Tianlan's level for real combat practice. Simulated Battles Against Kuang Yan
Tianlan repeatedly practiced how to survive—and counter—that monster of a fighter.
During this time, Zhen Yue replaced Tianlan's gravity rings with heavier ones each day.
Tianlan grew faster, steadier, and sharper with every move.
His magic reactions became quicker and more refined.
Soon—
The day of the third phase arrived.
Tianlan stood before the "Phantom Reality Barrier."
Cang Song counted loudly:
"—5, 4, 3, 2, 1—"
(To be continued)