The news that Xiahou Shaoxuan was going to PK against Lian Qiguang seemed like a small storm that instantly swept through the entire base, exploding like fireworks everywhere.
One after another, everyone rushed over, surrounding the training grounds in three layers inside and three layers outside until not even water could pass through.
Those who could not leave their posts all opened their optical brains, connected to the surveillance system, and watched the live broadcast.
Xiahou Shaoxuan coldly swept his eyes over the densely packed crowd surrounding them. Surprisingly, he did not lose his temper and chase them away.
Lian Qiguang looked at Xiahou Shaoxuan opposite him, unprecedented seriousness and solemnity in his eyes.
Although the difference of one rank was already like the difference between heaven and earth, not to mention the gap of two ranks between them, he was certain to lose, but that did not mean he would be instantly killed the moment he entered the fight.
Both he and Xiahou Shaoxuan possessed three types of abilities. However, compared with himself, all of Xiahou Shaoxuan’s abilities were offensive, and their destructive power was extremely great. In this aspect, he absolutely had no advantage.
The only things he could rely on were his pseudo-wood-type ability and the decades of experience he had accumulated in the apocalypse.
Although Xiahou Shaoxuan had experienced countless battles, the future could never compare with the darkness of the apocalypse.
“The arena is the battlefield. There are no affections on the battlefield.” Lian Qiguang extended his fist toward Xiahou Shaoxuan, his voice clear and cold as ice.
“Physical combat or abilities?” The gentleness in Xiahou Shaoxuan’s eyes disappeared as he asked.
“As long as I can beat you, anything goes.”
“Begin!” Xuan Lang, who was acting as the referee, suddenly shouted.
Lian Qiguang’s eyes darkened. He spread both hands, and countless green vines shot out from behind him, twisting and clawing toward Xiahou Shaoxuan.
Xiahou Shaoxuan’s eyes sharpened. He retreated two steps and extended one hand. Golden ability swirled around him, forming a metal shield that blocked Lian Qiguang’s attack.
Gasps rang out around them. Everyone stared at Lian Qiguang in fear.
A wood-type ability?
Could it be that he was a dual-type ability user?
But when had wood-type abilities ever possessed such terrifying offensive power?
Looking at the shield surrounding Xiahou Shaoxuan, Lian Qiguang’s eyes darkened.
He flicked his finger, and brown seeds scattered with the wind.
Countless stone thorns burst from the ground, shooting toward Xiahou Shaoxuan with cracking sounds.
Xiahou Shaoxuan lowered his left hand. Purple lightning gathered in his palm, forming a dazzling purple web that spread in all directions.
The originally indestructible stone thorns were as fragile as tofu before this lightning. In an instant, they shattered into pieces.
Lian Qiguang’s body sank. He staggered backward two steps, biting the tip of his tongue and suppressing the turbulent sensation in his chest.
Damn it! Is the difference in ranks really impossible to overcome?
In front of Xiahou Shaoxuan, he had absolutely no room to resist. Xiahou Shaoxuan only needed to move his fingers slightly to suppress him completely.
And Xiahou Shaoxuan clearly had not used his full strength—not even half of it.
Xiahou Shaoxuan looked at Lian Qiguang’s somewhat pale face. His heart ached, but there was nothing he could do.
Although Lian Qiguang often appeared completely indifferent, he was more stubborn than anyone else.
The soldiers watching around them were first shocked by Lian Qiguang’s strength, then their attention shifted to Xiahou Shaoxuan, their faces filled with astonishment.
The boss broke through again, right?
After this breakthrough, just how high has he reached?
“Wifey, let’s stop fighting.” Xiahou Shaoxuan frowned.
“Shaoxuan.” Lian Qiguang raised his head, fierce battle intent surging in his eyes. “Do you really think my wood-type ability is only this? If so, then you’re greatly mistaken!”
Fighting against an expert, although suffering some physical pain was unavoidable, it was also the fastest shortcut to improving oneself.
Back then, when he had first awakened his ability, the suffering he endured had been far more than this.
There had also been the humiliation of being trampled ruthlessly beneath someone’s feet.
“What!?” Xiahou Shaoxuan froze.
A thunderous explosion erupted.
Centered around Xiahou Shaoxuan, vines surged from the ground in all directions, covering the area like a vast sea.
Xiahou Shaoxuan’s expression tightened. His lightning ability began gathering in his hand.
But would Lian Qiguang give him such an opportunity?
Lian Qiguang leaped onto a vine, raising hundreds and thousands of ice spikes several meters long in his hands. They shot toward Xiahou Shaoxuan simultaneously.
The surrounding crowd erupted in cries of alarm.
Just how deep is their grudge?
This is ridiculously brutal! Is he trying to kill someone?!
Xiahou Shaoxuan released his lightning ability. The ice spikes all turned into ice fragments.
But by then, the surrounding vines had already formed a complete enclosure.
Inside the enclosure, a dense mass of shoots suddenly surged from the ground and rapidly grew.
One by one, delicate flower buds emerged from the branches. At a speed visible to the naked eye, they blossomed into enormous crimson-red roses.
A sweet, intoxicating fragrance filled the training grounds.
The soldiers watching immediately became intoxicated.
Even Xiahou Shaoxuan was dazed for a moment.
But he quickly reacted. His expression changed, and he immediately held his breath.
“Be careful! There’s something wrong with the smell!”
Xiahou Shaoxuan’s furious shout, infused with his ability, instantly awakened the soldiers who had already begun sinking into unconsciousness and were swaying unsteadily.
Their faces turned pale as they quickly used their abilities to seal their nasal breathing.
At this moment, Lian Qiguang had already appeared behind Xiahou Shaoxuan and threw a punch at him.
Xiahou Shaoxuan’s face darkened as he turned sideways and dodged.
The two exchanged punches and kicks among the flowers and vines, coming and going, neither giving the other an inch.
Unconcealed surprise appeared in Xiahou Shaoxuan’s eyes.
Although Lian Qiguang’s abilities could not compare with his own, he possessed extremely strong combat experience. He could quickly formulate strategies and issue commands in all kinds of unexpected situations.
Such rich and seasoned combat experience was even comparable to his own.
This gave Lian Qiguang a certain amount of fighting power against him.
But now that they were exchanging physical blows, Xiahou Shaoxuan knew that Lian Qiguang’s physical skills were not weak, but he had never expected them to be so vicious and ruthless.
Every move and every technique targeted his weak points.
If it were someone else fighting him, even if Lian Qiguang did not kill them, he would certainly cripple them.
Lian Qiguang’s movements were light and agile, his footwork strange and unpredictable. Every time, he managed to dodge Xiahou Shaoxuan’s attacks before striking back.
This version of Lian Qiguang made Xiahou Shaoxuan feel as though the person standing before him was not a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old youth living in District Three who knew nothing of the world.
Rather, he was a vengeful ghost that had experienced separation and death, mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and crawled out of a terrifying hell.
It was not only Xiahou Shaoxuan.
Even the soldiers watching were stunned by Lian Qiguang’s ruthlessness.
Was this really their gentle and considerate little wife?
He was practically fiercer than the mutated creatures in the quarantine zone.
Lian Qiguang pressed Xiahou Shaoxuan step by step, excitement and hot blood filling his heart—feelings he had forgotten for who knew how many years.
It had been so many years since he had encountered someone who could fight him this satisfyingly.
Not even that Zombie King had given him such a feeling.
“Shaoxuan, I told you, don’t underestimate my ability.” Lian Qiguang’s voice was cold.
Xiahou Shaoxuan frowned.
It was not that he had failed to notice it.
If he had ignored that extremely subtle abnormality in his body earlier, he could now clearly sense his ability slowly draining away.
What exactly is going on?
It was not only Xiahou Shaoxuan.
Although everyone present was relatively far away and separated by a protective barrier, they could still more or less feel the abilities within their bodies beginning to weaken.
For a moment, everyone became somewhat panicked.
Actually, this was similar to when Lian Qiguang had crippled Qi Ying’s ability before.
It was Lian Qiguang’s wood-type ability.
But there was a difference.
Qi Ying’s ability had been directly crippled and could never return.
Xiahou Shaoxuan’s ability was merely being drained normally.
Lian Qiguang could not bear to truly cripple Xiahou Shaoxuan.
This was his man.
No one was allowed to bully him—including himself.
As for Xiahou Shaoxuan’s ability, after eating a good meal and getting a proper night’s sleep, it would recover the next day, and he would be back to his lively self as usual.
“Shaoxuan, are you going to admit defeat?”
Looking at Lian Qiguang’s face, a dark light flashed through Xiahou Shaoxuan’s eyes.
“Wifey, you’ve already reached the critical point of collapse, haven’t you?”
“No, I haven’t.”
Lian Qiguang swung his leg out, bringing a blade of ice with it. It left a bloody mark on the side of Xiahou Shaoxuan’s face.
“Wifey, stop. Otherwise, I’ll use force to make you stop.” Anger surged in Xiahou Shaoxuan’s eyes, and his expression darkened.
“No! Bite me!”
“……” Xiahou Shaoxuan.
“Wifey, let’s end this.”
Xiahou Shaoxuan’s metal-type ability shook Lian Qiguang’s attack away. Lightning crackled and jumped around his body.
Lian Qiguang’s heart jolted.
He spread his arms, and the surrounding twisting vines rapidly closed toward the two of them, burying them within.
The soldiers watching fell completely silent.
They stared without blinking at the several-meter-high, twisting enormous green cocoon in the center of the training area.
Their hearts were hanging high, and no one dared even breathe loudly.
No one knew how much time had passed.
Just as everyone was beginning to feel uncertain, a deafening explosion suddenly rang out.
The enormous cocoon exploded.
The tremendous force caused waves to ripple through the surrounding protective barrier, and the soldiers all retreated two steps.
Xiahou Shaoxuan stood in place, holding the unconscious Lian Qiguang in his arms.
Bright-red blood slowly dripped from Xiahou Shaoxuan’s sleeve onto the ground.
“Boss!” Xuan Lang rushed over and cried out in alarm. “Quick, notify the medical room!”
“Yes…”
“No need.” Xiahou Shaoxuan’s face was cold as he glanced at Lian Qiguang in his arms. “He’s asleep.”
“Then you…” Xuan Lang looked at the blood on Xiahou Shaoxuan’s sleeve.
“Just a superficial injury. A medical robot will be enough.”
With that, Xiahou Shaoxuan carried Lian Qiguang toward their quarters, leaving behind a group of stunned and incredulous people.
“The boss is injured? He really got injured, right?”
“Sister-in-law actually managed to hurt the boss! Sister-in-law is mighty!”
“A dual-type ability! The boss has three types. As expected, people who aren’t family don’t enter the same family!”
“With Sister-in-law this powerful, who exactly is he?”
“That skill, that combat experience… Sister-in-law can’t possibly just be an ordinary first-year student, right?”
“Ahhhhh! We already had one monster, and now another freakishly talented one has appeared! Are you going to let us live or not?!”
………………