"Hah." Baili An let out a light, sarcastic laugh.
"This is ridiculous."
His gaze carried unmistakable contempt. "Even blind rage has its limits, right?"
At this moment, Baili An regarded Li Yan as nothing more than a joke. Not even a brainless fool just laughable.
Hearing this, Li Yan choked back words, his face turning crimson. Baili An's remark humiliated him further.
Fury and shame boiled over.
"Bastard! I'll kill you!"
Li Yan fully activated his ability. His muscles bulged, and with a powerful stomp, he launched himself like a cannonball at Baili An.
The ground beneath him cracked from the impact. His speed was so sudden that even he could hardly track the details, relying on instinct to time his punches.
Seeing Baili An remain motionless, Li Yan snarled inwardly.
'This time you won't escape, kid!'
But he failed to notice something.
As he rushed forward, Baili An's dark eyes had quietly shifted.
Three tomoe Sharingan glowed red, calm and precise.
It was only at the last instant that Baili An acted.
What happened next completely baffled Li Yan.
It was as if his punch had missed entirely. Before he could even see Baili An's move, the world spun violently, and he crashed heavily onto the ground.
Boom! Boom! Thud!
The larger the body, the greater the inertia.
Li Yan's towering frame rolled across the ground like a human cannonball, finally slamming into a tree trunk.
"What just happened?!"
"With Li Yan's strength, how could he have been thrown like that?"
"In such a brief instant, he reacted what kind of monster reflexes are those?!"
A few of the onlookers gasped in astonishment.
Fan Jing, standing at the front, froze, eyes wide with admiration.
Beside him, Fan Ziyue's playful amusement vanished. Her sharp, clear eyes now studied Baili An closely.
"He handled that so cleverly, moved so fast… and so confident," she murmured.
"It's probably those strange eyes of his," Fan Jing said.
"He didn't simply knock Li Yan over. While dodging, he precisely disrupted Li Yan's balance and used his momentum to topple him. It gave the illusion of tremendous strength, but he merely leveraged Li Yan's own power. Most importantly he did it almost instantly."
Replaying the scene in his mind, Fan Jing's pulse quickened. He instinctively rested a hand on his sword hilt.
To accomplish something like that in real time… it was incredible.
Fan Ziyue smiled lightly. "It's like something out of a movie~"
She had spoken aloud what Fan Jing was feeling. True, most fight choreography in films is designed for spectacle. Real combat rarely allows such precision. Yet what had just occurred…
Fan Jing continued. "He's daring. One misstep, with Li Yan's speed, even a direct collision would have seriously injured him."
It was Baili An's boldness that impressed him most.
Fan Ziyue glanced at Fan Jing's hand resting on his sword, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Still the same, huh? Do you want to fight him?"
Fan Jing didn't answer, his gaze locked on Baili An.
…
"Cough… damn it!"
Li Yan struggled to his feet, wincing from the impact against the tree trunk.
He had no idea what had just happened.
Rage seared through him, but he could not vent it. He slammed his fist into the ruined tree beside him.
The massive tree, which had just protected him, shattered completely.
Li Yan's eyes locked on Baili An's, and he finally noticed the change in his opponent's eyes.
'What… is this?'
The instant their gazes met, it felt as if ice water had been poured over him. A shiver ran through him.
Then, in a burst of fury:
"You bastard! You only know cheap tricks?! If you're a man, face me head-on!"
Humiliation in front of everyone, shame before classmates it all fueled his anger.
Li Yan did not believe Baili An was stronger than him.
It was simply that some unknown ability had caught him off guard.
Though he had hit the ground hard, his thick skin and solid muscles meant he was unhurt.
His desire for revenge burned stronger than ever.
"Want more?" Baili An's Sharingan eyes stayed calm. His right hand rested lightly on the hilt of his Tang Dao at his waist.
"If you continue, it won't be as easy as before."
Earlier, he had held back only because Li Yan was a student from their school, a student of An Lan.
Li Yan ignored the warning, gritting his teeth, veins in his eyes bulging with red.
Just as he prepared to strike again, Fan Jing's cold, commanding voice cut through.
"That's enough. Stop."
Li Yan froze mid-motion, staring at Fan Jing in disbelief.
"Boss, I can't just let this go!"
He had lost face. If he didn't recover it now, how could he ever hold his head high again?
Fan Jing's gaze was calm. Li Yan shivered and slowly regained composure.
"Keep going and someone will get hurt. You're no match for him."
Li Yan didn't argue further. He lowered his head, face dark, and returned to the group. He avoided eye contact with anyone, fearing ridicule.
But in reality, no one was paying him any attention.
Fan Jing stepped forward slowly.
His eyes were sharp and burning as he asked Baili An, "What's your name?"
Facing Fan Jing's commanding presence, Baili An's interest piqued slightly. He answered with a counter:
"Shouldn't you give your name first before asking someone else?"
Fan Jing did not show annoyance. He replied slowly:
"As he said, I'm Fan Jing. I come from one of the three great ability families in the capital, the Fan family. My power is wind-based, A-rank."
A-grade natural ability, from the legendary Fan family of the capital…
Even Baili An knew that since the revival of spiritual energy, the Fan family had long enjoyed great renown.
The strongest wind users in the world. Countless powerful ability users in the family, enormous influence.
In such a world, only the Dragon Summer Empire's authorities could rival their power and in truth, the Fan family was partially part of that official structure.
"I'm Baili An, just an ordinary senior in high school."
He replied simply.