BMG: Chapter 8: The Gap Between Contractors and Professionals!
Jiang Chen hadn't expected Li Yanran to put him next door to herself. Had she taken a liking to him?
He was still turning the thought over in his head when a group of slightly older young men came walking over from the other side of the villa complex. The one at the front had two katanas strapped to his back, and the Chakra radiating off him was unmistakably strong.
"Yanran, you're back. I heard you contracted a Jonin this time — congratulations."
He greeted Li Yanran first, then immediately shifted his gaze to Jiang Chen, a smirk creeping onto his face. "Well, well. If it isn't Jinghai City's very own genius, Jiang Chen. What's the matter — after getting thrown out by the Chen family, you've come to freeload off the City Lord's Mansion?"
Li Yanran's expression hardened. "Captain Liu Lei, enough. Jiang Chen is a member of the City Lord's Mansion now. I brought him here to get settled."
Captain Liu Lei's eyes drifted to the villa behind Jiang Chen, and his face darkened instantly. "Yanran, you're not seriously putting him up here, are you?"
"And if I am?"
He clenched his jaw. "I've applied to live in this block more times than I can count. You never once agreed. This guy shows up today and just walks straight in?"
Li Yanran gave him a withering look. "You're insufferable. Jiang Chen is better looking than you — isn't that reason enough?"
The words landed like a slap. Liu Lei's expression twisted.
He had been pursuing Li Yanran for an entire year without so much as a glimmer of a response. And now she had brought another man home on her very first day back. The sight of it made his blood boil.
He turned the full force of his glare on Jiang Chen. "So you couldn't cut it at the Chen family, and now you're here looking for a handout. There's no place for trash like you in the City Lord's Mansion. If you know what's good for you, turn around and leave — otherwise I'll make every day here a misery for you."
Li Yanran stepped in front of Jiang Chen, eyes blazing. "Captain Liu Lei, watch your mouth. Jiang Chen is my guest, and my father has already approved his place on the Secret Realm team. In one week, he'll be representing the City Lord's Mansion in the ownership competition for the Beginner Secret Realm."
Liu Lei didn't even glance at her. His eyes stayed fixed on Jiang Chen. "What's wrong? Gotten so used to hiding behind women that you can't help yourself?"
The provocation was deliberate and transparent. Jiang Chen had already sized Liu Lei up — another one of Li Yanran's admirers, and clearly not a graceful loser. Li Yanran, for her part, looked like she'd rather be anywhere else.
Jiang Chen had no interest in getting tangled up in someone else's romantic drama.
But Captain Liu Lei had already gone this far. If Jiang Chen backed down now, he'd look like a coward.
"So, what do you want?" Jiang Chen met Captain Liu Lei's gaze without flinching.
Captain Liu Lei smirked. "Simple. There's only one way men settle things — we fight, and the loser walks away."
Li Yanran leaned toward Jiang Chen and lowered her voice. "Captain Liu Lei participated in last year's contract ceremony. He's already level 57. Don't agree to this."
Jiang Chen let out a short laugh. "Only level 57 after a whole year?"
Li Yanran stiffened.
What is he doing? Captain Liu Lei was standing right in front of them. Saying something like that was practically throwing fuel on the fire.
Sure enough, Liu Lei's expression darkened instantly. He reached back and drew the katana from his shoulder. "Kid, if you've got the guts, stop hiding behind that mouth of yours and come out here. Don't worry — I won't bully you over the level gap. No Ninjutsu, less than full strength, and I won't beat you to death. You have my word."
He didn't wait for a reply. He was already charging forward, blade raised.
Li Yanran moved to step between them — but Jiang Chen drew his own blade first and rushed to meet Liu Lei head-on.
Captain Liu Lei's contracted Ninja was Gekkō Hayate, a Konoha Tokubetsu Jonin. The man wasn't known for Ninjutsu, but his swordsmanship was masterful and his movements razor-sharp. What Liu Lei hadn't accounted for, however, was that Uchiha Sasuke was also a blade master of the highest order — and Jiang Chen had inherited every bit of that skill.
Steel rang against steel in front of the villa. Dozens of exchanges flashed by in mere seconds. Not only did Liu Lei fail to suppress Jiang Chen, he was being steadily pushed back, forced into one dangerous position after another.
Li Yanran and the men Liu Lei had brought with him all stood rooted to the spot, mouths open. A fresh graduate, straight out of the contract ceremony, holding his own against a level 57 captain — and not just holding his own, but gaining the upper hand? It was simply beyond belief.
"Not bad, kid. Looks like those two Genin of yours know their way around a blade." Liu Lei's jaw tightened. He couldn't let this drag on — not in front of Li Yanran. "But a Genin is still a Genin. Let me show you the difference between a Genin and a Jonin."
He released the full force of his Chakra at once. In the next instant, a spectral figure materialized around him, overlapping with his body like a second skin — an avatar taking possession of its host. The surge of Chakra that followed was immense, forcing Li Yanran and the onlookers to stumble back several steps just from the pressure alone.
The figure wore a Ninja headband, a black bodysuit, and a green flak vest, a long blade in its hand. It was unmistakable — Gekkō Hayate, Konoha's sickly phantom, now fused with his Contractor.
Once a Contractor reached level 50, they could initiate a fusion with their contracted character, adding 50% of that character's full power directly to their own. The boost was comprehensive — physical ability, Chakra reserves, Ninjutsu proficiency, all of it. And as the Contractor's level climbed, so did the fusion's potency: 60% at level 60, 80% at level 80, and a full 100% at the pinnacle of level 100. It was the single greatest advantage a Contractor held over those who had never formed a contract — and the reason the gap between the two grew more insurmountable with every passing level.
Li Yanran's stomach dropped. Liu Lei had gone all-in. Jiang Chen was only level 20. How was he supposed to survive this?
"Captain Liu Lei — stand down!"
A voice rang out from above, carrying a Chakra pressure so dense it stopped Liu Lei in his tracks the moment it landed on him.
City Lord Li Hongfei materialized out of thin air behind Li Yanran, his gaze fixed coldly on Liu Lei. "Private dueling is prohibited within the City Lord's residence. You know the rules."
The arrogance drained from Liu Lei's face instantly. "City Lord — we were just exchanging pointers. Nothing more."
Li Hongfei knew a lie when he heard one. What possible reason would a level 57 Jonin Contractor have to spar with a fresh graduate? But the Mansion needed its people right now, and making an enemy of Liu Lei in front of his men served no one. He kept his voice even. "If you want to spar, use the training grounds. This is a residential area."
"Understood." Liu Lei sheathed his katana, then turned to look at Jiang Chen with a thin smile. "Brother Jiang Chen, we'll call it here for today. Next time—"
Pfft!
The words died in his throat.
A sharp crack split the air. A katana wreathed in crackling lightning launched itself from the branches of a nearby tree and drove straight toward Captain Liu Lei.