Earlier, hidden within the dense canopy far from the epicenter of the battle, Yu sat perched on a thick branch. A faint, satisfied smile touched his lips. "Good thing I didn't listen to those two and decided to trace the sound of the fight instead. I would have missed this entire spectacle." He peered through the leaves, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic clearing. "I guess that's the Chi Clan. And that's definitely Xie Lang and his crew. But who is that guy?" His eyes settled on the young man with bluish hair, his movements a controlled storm of lightning.
He focused, activating a subtle sound-gathering technique that stretched his hearing toward the fray. The clash of metal and the roar of techniques became clearer. Then he caught a voice, sharp with alarm.
"Han Lei, watch out!"
It was Han Yi's voice. Yu's eyes snapped to where Han Lei was deftly avoiding Lin Shu's grasping hand, only for Xie Lang to surge forward, forcing Lin Shu to disengage. For a moment, Yu just watched, a thoughtful frown etching itself onto his face. The calculus was rapid. Beating Li was the one of his goals here. But the scene below presented a far richer, more volatile opportunity. "Actually," he murmured to himself, the decision crystallizing, "beating Li can wait for a little longer."
Below, the dance of violence continued. Lin Shu dodged a crushing punch from Xie Lang, sidestepped the follow-up, and drove a punishing knee into the brawler's stomach. As Xie Lang grunted, Han Lei was there, his sword a streak of lightning aimed to cleave through both of them. Lin Shu used the moment to flow backward, creating space, while Xie Lang, as the closest target, was forced to turn and clash with the attack, the impact sending him skidding a few steps.
Han Lei straightened, his breathing slightly elevated. In the brief, tense pause as the two powerhouses sized each other up, Lin Shu's mind was a cold ledger. "50% of my Infernal Force storage is full. I only need 30% more, and my lightning charge is completely replenished. I'm close. I'm close to being able to unleash exactly what I used against that fallen Rank 2 cultivator."
He used these precious seconds to assess the wider field. His gaze flicked to Han Yi, who was locked in a desperate skirmish with Zeng Shiyang. The axe-wielder's raw strength and surprising speed were effectively keeping her pinned, preventing her from supporting her brother.
The internal inventory was grim. "I've taken too many peak-tier techniques, especially from Xie Lang. Repairing the steel coating before it shattered completely drained my a good portion of my remaining Qi. I'm at a crossroads: continue powering the chameleon technique to maintain my altered appearance, or divert that energy to repair the armor. If I stop the chameleon, I could reinforce the steel shell, hiding the ivory beneath. But would Han Yi even remember me? I was pathetically weak back then. I only 'won' because Ren Hao and Yan Qing were there, and I was burning a Berserker's Pill. It's unlikely she'd remember a face from that mess."
A spark of cold pride flickered. "I wonder how I'd fare against her now. If her older brother, with all his advantages, hasn't been able to put me down when my Infernal Force was low, then I'm sure I could beat her easily. But I can't get arrogant. If I could rise this far in three years, what's to stop a prodigy who probably joined major sect and has access to it's unending resources from doing the same?"
The risk, however, was unacceptable. "Still... if she does recognize me, the Empire's inquisitors will most likely come after me. They labeled me a demonic cultivator before because what lu Heng did. As for whether Yanqi would protect me ha I'll believe that a rock can smile before I'll believe that man would help me for free infact he'll discard me in a heartbeat to avoid any association with me. So safer to keep the chameleon active. Even if I am overestimating myself my survival depends on anonymity and enough paranoia to never make mistakes."
Across from him, Han Lei's thoughts were also reaching a conclusion. "I should try and end this now."
Xie Lang, meanwhile, was beaming, his love for the chaos radiant. "This is fun, don't you all think?"
Han Lei couldn't help but return a brief, adrenaline-fueled smile. Lin Shu did not share in the sentiment. He remained a statue of dark, battered armor, waiting, letting the tension build, refusing to make the first move and reveal his hand.
It was Xie Lang whose patience broke first. With a roar that was half-laugh, he charged Lin Shu, the ground fracturing under his heated steps. Lin Shu flowed backward, and Han Lei, seizing the synchronized moment, streaked in from the side. The two converged on him.
Xie Lang punched not at Lin Shu, but at the air in front of him. The compressed air shot forward in a concussive blast, forcing Lin Shu to divert his dodge. As he did, Han Lei's blade licked out, a strike meant to drive him into Xie Lang's path. Lin Shu twisted, avoiding the worst of the sword, but took a heavy kick from Xie Lang to the ribs that sent him staggering. Han Lei capitalized, a sweeping, empowered strike aimed to batter both Lin Shu and the off-balance Xie Lang away.
Xie Lang, a creature of instinct, twisted in mid-air, landed on one hand, and used the momentum to flip himself back to his feet with acrobatic grace. Lin Shu had no such flair. He hit the dirt hard and pushed himself up slowly, deliberately. As he rose, a new, jagged crack in his Dark Ivory chest plate remained unmended. He did not heal it.
Both Han Lei and Xie Lang noticed instantly. Their eyes met over the clearing, a silent communication passing between them. "He didn't heal it."
The conclusion was obvious: "He's run out of qi."
Lin Shu saw the shift in their posture, the new predatory focus settling on him like a weight. He understood. "They think I'm all out of Qi. Good. Let them think that." His internal reserve told a different story. "I have 60% of my Infernal Force. I'm not far from being able to kill them both."
As if choreographed, Han Lei and Xie Lang, their temporary rivalry shelved in the face of a weakened prize, stormed toward Lin Shu in unison.
This time, Lin Shu didn't retreat. He met the charge. He ducked under Han Lei's low slash, swept a leg at the swordsman's ankles, and disrupted his footing. As Han lei stumbled, Lin Shu pivoted to finish him, but Xie Lang was already there, his leg sheathed in that familiar, glowing black magma-material. The kick connected with Lin Shu's side in a shower of sparks, sending him tumbling across the ground.
Han Lei used the distraction to regain his balance, but Xie Lang, ever unpredictable, immediately turned his ferocity on the recovering swordsman, only to eat a point-blank blast of lightning to the face for his trouble.
Seeing Lin Shu as the easier, qi-depleted target, Han Lei broke from Xie Lang and shot toward him. Lin Shu, instead of backing down, attacked forward, forcing Han Lei to leap high to avoid a grapple. Han Lei descended like a thunderbolt, his sword aimed to impale the earth where Lin Shu stood. Lin Shu dodged at the last second, the impact cratering the ground, but Xie Lang was already there, attacking from the side, forcing Lin Shu into a frantic, defensive shell.
Pinned between them, his steel armor finally gave way under the concentrated assault. Plates shattered and fell away, revealing the smooth, bone-white ivory beneath, now scored with fresh scratches. He was forced into a relentless, battered retreat, both opponents targeting him exclusively, believing him to be the weakest at the moment.
"Damnit. At this rate, I'll have to use my Infernal Force prematurely. I only have 60% now. I just need twenty more percent, and I need them to clash with each other, not just with me."
The opportunity came from Xie Lang's unfettered aggression. The brawler lunged, not with a wide haymaker, but a piston-straight thrust, his fist a glowing orb of condensed magma aimed to cave in Lin Shu's armored side. Lin Shu jumped straight up, a vertical dodge to clear the searing heat.
It was a trap.
Xie Lang's other hand, which had seemed merely poised for balance, shot out with viper speed. It was not wreathed in magma, leaving it free for precise grappling. It clamped around Lin Shu's armored ankle while he was still mid-air, arresting his ascent. A triumphant grin split Xie Lang's face. The plan was simple yet effective: yank his prey back down, slam him into the unyielding earth to stun him, and then drive the magma fist straight through his chest.
Lin Shu felt the vise-like grip, the sudden halt in momentum. He was completely exposed, a pendulum at the end of Xie Lang's arm. In that suspended fraction of a second, calculation overrode all else. He couldn't afford the impact. He couldn't afford the follow-up. The white flame was his only currency here.
He made the choice.
Without a visible gesture, without a shouted technique name, white fire erupted from the entire surface of the armored boot and greave Xie Lang held. It was desperate blast, The infernal force used is equivalent to a peak-tier technique, discharged directly into Xie Lang's bare hand and forearm.
The effect was instantaneous and visceral. The grin vanished, replaced by a gasp of shock and pain. The superheated magma aura around his other fist flickered and died as his concentration shattered. His grip, fueled by muscle and will, was no match for the searing, concussive agony that blasted up his nerves. His fingers sprang open reflexively.
Lin Shu dropped, landing in a crouch as Xie Lang stumbled back, shaking his smoldering, painfully numb hand. The planned slam, the killing blow—all of it was vaporized in that single, costly, defensive eruption. The exchange was a testament to Lin Shu's brutal pragmatism: sacrifice a portion of his precious Infernal Force not to attack, but to preserve the integrity of his armor and his life, buying another precarious moment in the relentless storm of battle.
"Wait, how did he do that? I thought he was out of Qi! Damn it, I just wasted a Quasi-Rank 2 setup for nothing!" He glanced at Han Lei, who had wisely backed off. "Can't even use it on this guy without using all of my Qi now."
While Xie Lang was momentarily frustrated, Lin Shu found himself in another predicament as he hand just abandothis original plan to save himself. Han Lei, seeing him vulnerable, sent a sizzling arc of lightning from the side. With no other option, Lin Shu raised his own arm. The lightning he had been storing crackled to life along his forearm and met Han Lei's attack in mid-air. The two bolts collided with a deafening crack, dissipating in a shower of harmless sparks. Lin Shu saved himself again.
"Well, might as well throw the 'out-of-Qi' act out the window now," he thought grimly. "But I had to. Xie Lang's technique would have focused on pure damage. It might have broken through to the ivory completely."
Han Lei and Xie Lang both halted, reassessing once more. The dynamic had shifted again. "Was he bluffing by not fixing the armor? If so, why hasn't he fixed it now that he's revealed he has power? Or are those white flames and that lightning not from his Qi, but from artifacts?" The uncertainty made them cautious.
Xie Lang broke the silence, his grin returning, undaunted. "Still up to your tricks, Li! But they won't help you here. This is a straight fight. The strongest of us will prevail." He pounded a fist into his palm. "And it will be me, of course."
The three of them stood in a tense triangle, each waiting for another to make the first move, the air thick with the promise of a cataclysmic clash.
Then, a new set of footsteps approached from the tree line. All three turned.
A young man with bluish hair, his face a mask of placid neutrality, walked into the clearing. He looked slightly older than Han Lei, his aura restrained but thrumming with quiet potency.
Lin Shu's frown deepened behind his broken helm. "Yu. I was wondering when I'd run into him. Of course, it would be in the worst possible scenario. Now I might have to fight all three. But why reveal himself now? It would have been smarter to wait until I was truly spent. Unless... he also saw me not repairing my armor and thinks I'm completely drained."
Han Lei's eyes narrowed as he recognized the newcomer from Yanqi's briefings.
Yu walked closer, his gaze passing over Xie Lang before settling on Lin Shu. He stopped a respectful distance away. "Hello, Li."
Lin Shu said nothing, his posture coiled and ready.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Yu's lips. "I'm joining you. Don't worry. We'll leave our... discussion for later. For now, I'll be helping you."
The offer hung in the air, utterly unexpected. Lin Shu's mind raced with distrust. This was a viper offering to coil around his arm. But the immediate mathematics were brutally clear. He was the primary target of two monstrous opponents. An alliance, even with a snake, changed the equation. He gave a single, slow nod, not moving to Yu's side, but angling his body so they formed a loose, wary front against Han Lei and Xie Lang.
Han Lei watched the new development, his expression unreadable. Then he looked directly at Xie Lang. "Alright," he said, his voice cutting through the tension. "You don't have to beg. I'll team with you."
Han Lei ignored the remark, his focus absolute. He shifted his stance, lightning beginning to wreath his blade once more, his intent now aligned with the savage brawler beside him.
The battlefield had clarified once again, but into an even more deadly configuration. It was no longer a free-for-all. It was two teams, two pairs of temporary allies bound by cold necessity and hot blood, facing off over the scorched and shattered earth. Lin Shu and Yu, the tenacious monolith and his new ally, stood on one side. Han Lei and Xie Lang, the disciplined prodigy and the joyful brawler, stood on the other. The brief, fragile pause stretched thin, charged with the promise of an explosion that would rival all that had come before.