Tianlan did not run as Cang Song had instructed.
Instead, he walked toward Kuangyan step by step, glaring at him with vicious intensity.
Kuangyan, on the other hand, curled his lips into an eager grin as he watched Tianlan approach—
In his eyes, this was nothing but a moth flying into the flame, marching straight toward its death.
When Tianlan was only one meter away, he suddenly accelerated, twisting his hips to drive his entire weight forward as he punched straight at Kuangyan.
But Kuangyan casually blocked it with his black, rock-hard left hand. In the very next instant, his right claw lashed out like a striking serpent.
Tianlan sidestepped the counterattack and swung a Voidbreaker Slash with his left hand toward Kuangyan's incoming claw—the blade-like arc sliced across it, landing cleanly, yet leaving only a thin scratch on Kuangyan's right talon.
Watching this scene, Cang Song and Zhenyue both frowned.
This wasn't what they expected at all—
In fact, something about it felt… off.
Kuangyan burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! So that's all you've got. No matter how hard a bug struggles, it's still just a bug."
He lunged forward, his twin claws slashing like a violent storm.
Tianlan gritted his teeth and blocked with his arms, but Kuangyan's strength clearly outmatched his; every successful block sent numbing shockwaves up Tianlan's arms.
Suddenly, Kuangyan raised his hardened right leg and delivered a brutal kick.
Tianlan crossed his arms and braced himself with all his strength, yet he was still blasted into the air.
As Tianlan spun through the air, something seemed to fall from his feet—
Something the clan heads noticed immediately.
Cang Song and Zhenyue exchanged glances, silently speaking through their eyes.
Cang Song murmured, "Is that…?"
Zhenyue nodded. "Mm. Most likely."
Cang Song frowned deeper. "He never took them off?"
Zhenyue replied, "It seems so."
Elsewhere, Xuan Ye and Lie Lian had finished off the Brown Demon Bear and were leaving the barrier.
Watching Tianlan's screen feed, Xuan Ye gasped:
"So you really ended up running into that lunatic?"
As Tianlan hit the ground and rolled, Kuangyan had already leapt high into the air, smashing down with a hammer-like blow.
Tianlan barely rolled aside in time to avoid being crushed.
He sprang to his feet and steadied his stance, ready for the next assault.
Kuangyan came at him again, claws slashing relentlessly. Tianlan used his bracers to block every strike without fail.
Finding an opening, Tianlan attempted another Voidbreaker Slash, aiming at Kuangyan's chest—
But just before the attack landed, Kuangyan's right hand clamped down on Tianlan's left wrist.
A cruel smile spread across Kuangyan's face.
"Got you. Let's start… with your left hand."
The moment he twisted, Tianlan heard a clear, sickening crack—
His bones snapping.
But Tianlan… laughed.
"Oh? You finally caught me—Wind Blade Slash!"
At the same instant his left hand was broken, Tianlan's right leg—already fully charged—unleashed a Wind Blade Slash straight into Kuangyan's left knee.
He poured thirty percent of his magic into that strike.
The wind arc carved across Kuangyan's knee, slicing through flesh in an instant as blood burst into a misty crimson spray.
The audience fell silent—
Even the clan heads froze.
Then—
The stands erupted into thunderous cheers.
"Who is that kid?! He actually injured the arrogant Kuangyan?!"
Zhenyue suddenly threw his head back and roared with laughter.
"Ahahaha! You brat! You really had me fooled! I almost believed your act!"
Kuangyan, overwhelmed by the searing pain, collapsed onto one knee, nearly losing his balance entirely.
Tianlan clutched his broken left arm with his right hand.
His expression twisted in agony, yet he forced himself to endure it.
In truth, had he delayed that Wind Blade Slash by even a second…
Kuangyan might have torn his arm clean off.
Tingqiang frowned. "You're saying he was acting earlier? To trick Kuangyan?"
Zhenyue nodded. "Yeah. He hid his real strength the whole time. All to lower Kuangyan's guard."
Hongjin added, "But the price was steep. His left arm is broken."
Fengyu said, "But Kuangyan can barely stand now. Even with one arm, Tianlan could escape easily—Kuangyan can't chase him."
Youying added calmly, "With his endurance and mental strength, he can definitely clear the trial. Kuangyan, on the other hand… might not even be able to continue."
Meanwhile, Cang Song watched Tianlan silently, a troubling suspicion rising in his heart.
—Kid… you're not actually planning to…?
Tianlan removed the gravity ring from his broken left wrist using his right hand, then gripped the second ring in his teeth and tore it off his right wrist as well.
(What fell earlier when he was kicked flying were the rings from his feet.)
He looked down at the kneeling Kuangyan and said coldly:
"Come on. Round two starts now."
Kuangyan exploded in fury.
"You damned bug— I'll kill you right now!"
The clan heads reacted almost in unison:
"Why provoke him again?! He could just walk away and guarantee advancement!"
Cang Song muttered under his breath:
"…Did Kuangyan's taunts push him too far?"
Kuangyan's magic erupted violently, and black scales grew across his entire body—
He had fully entered his beast form.
With massive, razor-sharp claws, he charged Tianlan with terrifying force—
but his injured knee slowed him down.
Tianlan dodged swiftly and countered with several heavy punches to Kuangyan's abdomen.
Though the black scales were incredibly tough, Kuangyan's expression clearly showed he was taking damage.
Seeing that the blows weren't enough, Tianlan quickly widened the distance and switched to hit-and-run tactics.
But unexpectedly, in full beast form, Kuangyan became unnervingly calm.
More than once, Tianlan's strikes nearly led to him getting countered.
Tianlan immediately activated Gale Step.
His speed skyrocketed, and he began suppressing Kuangyan completely.
Yet despite being injured repeatedly, Kuangyan's defenses held—
he refused to fall.
Just as Tianlan circled behind Kuangyan for another strike—
Kuangyan spun around abruptly, roaring:
"DIE—!! Exploding Claws!"
His magic surged.
Two massive spectral claws blasted toward Tianlan like thunderbolts.
(To be continued)