"Mr. Mu!"
"Mr. Mu, you don't have to pay attention to these traitors!"
"Mr. Mu, don't go outside..."
The noisy students parted to make way as a middle-aged man in a gray-and-white military uniform slowly walked out. Several students tried to stop him, but he moved forward like a steamroller at constant speed; no matter how they tugged or blocked, nothing could slow him down, and the students attempting to intercept him were all pushed aside.
The Star Engraving Military Academy maintained a strict military education system, where students and teachers both wore uniforms during classes. Students wore gray-black uniforms, while teachers wore gray-white—the former durable, the latter a display of ability. "Whether you could keep the white uniform spotless and proper in daily life, that was a fundamental skill for teachers at the academy."
This middle-aged man was clearly a model teacher. "His white cuffs were spotless as new, the clothes on him neat and without a wrinkle, hands clasped behind his back, walking with a commanding gait, his presence as steady as mountains and rivers, temples streaked with gray, beard well groomed—he radiated authority even in silence."
He stopped five paces from Le Yuxin and said calmly, "Qian Yuliu."
"Student pays respect to Mr. Mu," Le Yuxin said, clasping his fist in salute.
"Not at all. I wonder what great crime I, Mu, have committed, that I should trouble Captain Qian of the Statistical Department to come arrest me in person," Mu Feihong said with a quick glance at the hand-cannon in Le Yuxin's grasp, "Or is it that you'd like me to end up like Lin Jinyao?"
Chen Fu produced an arrest warrant, "Lin Jinyao is suspected of colluding with the Light Reversal, plotting to rebel against the Imperial Court. We found intimate correspondence between you and him at his home. You are now under suspicion of similar collusion, and the Statistical Department will take you in for questioning."
Le Yuxin nodded, "If Mr. Mu is innocent, the Statistical Department will never wrong a good man."
"Hah! The Statistical Department never wrongs good men..." Mu Feihong could not help but laugh aloud, his face full of mockery, "I'm afraid the Statistical Department's definition of 'good' isn't quite the same as that of us ordinary folks."
"Disputes over definitions are the seed of chaos," Le Yuxin shook his head, "It seems we'll never reach consensus, but the Statistical Department exists so people will stop arguing altogether, Mr. Mu—please."
"After a day to settle in, Le Yuxin could now perfectly play Qian Yuliu, particularly when it came to embodying his villain persona: calm, cold, impersonal, utterly inhuman."
"He had hesitated a bit before, but after doing it, Le Yuxin actually found it pretty thrilling."
"Maybe everyone has fantasized about playing a charming villain themselves."
"Mr. Mu, you can't!"
"Mr. Mu, the Statistical Department is a wolf's den—a tiger's maw! You'll be doomed if you go!"
"Mr. Mu..."
"Everyone," Mu Feihong said in a sonorous voice, "Let's save the small talk and scatter here. Go back and study hard, so you can serve our country and build an ideal world in the future."
"But..." Some students were still indignant.
Mu Feihong barked, "All of you—attention!"
Click!
The synchronized sound of heels snapped against the floor like a resounding anthem. The chattering students fell silent, standing rigid at attention, all eyes fixed on the Statistical Department and Mu Feihong.
Le Yuxin gently exhaled. "Compared to the rowdy, rebellious students from earlier, the disciplined, regulation-abiding cadets now sent a chill down his spine."
Mu Feihong, you made the right call.
"Watch carefully and don't act on impulse. You are the future." Mu Feihong gave a relieved smile, "This is the last lesson I can teach you: don't fear the torch's extinction, for all of you will become light yourselves."
He looked at Le Yuxin, revealing a coil of rope held behind his back, "Come, Captain Qian, I've even prepared the tools for you."
Chen Fu sucked in a cold breath, "Boss Qian, need me to help?"
"Help?" Zhou Guangshi was confused. "Didn't that guy already surrender? What's there left to help with?"
"Didn't you read the report? Mu Feihong teaches Biting Battle Technique of the Eight Rice Stream at the military academy—he's a master of close-quarters grappling and fighting!" Ailili, hand-cannon rising again, said, "He still wants to resist arrest with violence after all!"
Mu Feihong swung the rope, his mild smile showing a trace of disdain, "Captain Qian, why don't you come here."
Chen Fu produced handcuffs, "Boss Qian, should I just go ahead and cuff Mr. Mu..."
"No need." Le Yuxin pressed a hand to Chen Fu's shoulder, "Mr. Mu wants to test my skills—how could I refuse this kindness? My mastery of Combat Technique is all thanks to his teaching."
"Back at graduation, you were number one of our cohort in Combat Technique—no one could surpass you in Biting Battle Technique," Mu Feihong said coolly, "No need to credit me for it. I treated you just as I did every other student—fairly and without bias. All you've accomplished is the result of your own hard work, so please, never bring up my name. I couldn't bear it, and neither could the Star Engraving Military Academy."
Le Yuxin's face remained calm as ever. Not even Mu Feihong's veiled barbs could rattle him; his mind was too busy recalling Qian Yuliu's combat experience.
"Accepting Mu Feihong's challenge wasn't a whim. Le Yuxin wanted to quickly absorb Qian Yuliu's fighting skill. The battle with Kui Zhao, Lan Yan, and Shi Jie last night had shattered his worldview and made him realize that in this world, true experts surpassed even hot weapons."
"Whether to follow Qian Yuliu's path or to survive, Le Yuxin needed to quickly transform from a shut-in weakling into a bloodless, ruthless fighter—making Qian Yuliu's skills his own."
The best way to change, was to fight.
"The only trouble was finding the right opponent. If he fought someone weaker than Qian Yuliu and lost, wouldn't that expose Qian Yuliu as all bark and no bite? But if he fought someone stronger, all he knew so far was that Kui Zhao and Lan Yan were stronger—and if they realized Qian Yuliu's moves were sloppy, wouldn't they look down on him?"
At that moment, Mu Feihong's challenge was honestly the perfect opportunity.
In terms of fighting skill, Mu Feihong was Qian Yuliu's teacher, so if Le Yuxin lost it wouldn't be shameful;
In terms of risk, Statistical Department agents were behind him for backup, so even if Mu Feihong beat him to a pulp, they'd intervene in time.
"A fight with no consequences to winning or losing. Of course, Le Yuxin wasn't going to miss this!"
Le Yuxin stepped forward three paces, leaving two meters between him and Mu Feihong, then crossed both hands—claws at the ready, forming a stance, "Please instruct me."
Mu Feihong gripped both ends of the rope, looking utterly defenseless as he stretched out toward Le Yuxin, "Go ahead."
Sunlight was just right, a light breeze rustled through the woods. "Somehow, Le Yuxin felt the light at his hands grow tangible, his limbs extending, his body's weight lightened by the light that circled him, and the world before his eyes grew sharper—he felt as if he had become light itself."
"Wherever the light reached, that was his domain!"
At the same moment, Mu Feihong seemed to turn into a massive ball of light. "Both of them were light, yet repelled each other—the surrounding rays splitting into opposing 'armies,' clinging to their bodies in a standoff!"
"For Awakeners, battle was a contest of light manipulation!"
To bystanders, all they could see was the way the light warped around Mu Feihong and Qian Yuliu, their forms turning hazy, and suddenly the explosion of blinding light as the light twisted itself into a tiger's maw, surging with repeated shockwaves!
The cadets and agents, all versed in the characteristics of various combat techniques, recognized the move instantly:
Opening Move of Biting Battle Technique—the Desolate Bite!
"All the mysteries of Biting Battle Technique were in the word 'bite,' but Desolate Bite was the foundation of all moves—it was the root of the system. Many Eight Rice Stream martial artists competed by this move alone; anyone who saw your Desolate Bite could judge your level then and there."
"But the vast majority of Eight Rice Stream fighters could only strike 'Tooth Light'—bending rays into teeth shapes. As for this kind of tiger-shaped 'Tiger Light,' it meant the combatant's mastery had surpassed ninety percent of his peers. 'Tiger Light' meant the Desolate Bite's gathered energy had piled up to overflowing, and once unleashed, could split mountains!"
"Le Yuxin was stunned by the Desolate Bite he'd just executed. 'Substitute' for Qian Yuliu was not all bad—wielding the power to command heaven and earth was exhilarating, 'every bit as exciting as piloting a Gundam!'"
"Good,"
Mu Feihong gave a low appraisal, then, facing the tiger-light Desolate Bite without flinching, he swept the rope in an arc. The rays converged into a ring, catching onto the rope, the loop cutting apart Le Yuxin's Desolate Bite, and the rope encircling Le Yuxin's right hand!
Tiger Light shattered, Light Ring locked!
Biting Battle Technique—Universe Chant!
Le Yuxin froze for a second—Universe Chant was one of the follow-up moves after Desolate Bite, but he'd wanted to use it himself. "The enemy had beaten him to it—and had perfectly countered his move. It was like squatting down only to find you'd already crapped your pants—where to even start?"
"Le Yuxin had no idea what to do, but thankfully, his body knew on its own. The instant his right hand was caught, reflexes kicked in—he struck at Mu Feihong with a left elbow and right knee while yanking on his bound right hand to pull Mu Feihong closer!"
"Flash of light, air slicing apart—the elbow and knee like fangs, the exhale stabbing out!"
Biting Battle Technique—Flood Spit!
"The Eight Rice Stream martial artist's counterattack: when any limb got bound, you could instantly take control of the situation by channeling all your power through your hardest weapons and landing a devastating blow—the kind that could kill or maim with one hit."
"Yet no matter how fierce Le Yuxin came, Mu Feihong hit back just as hard!"
Matching stance, same elbow and knee strikes—their bodies crashed together, the explosion of light pouring out like a waterfall!
"Many with insufficient Spirit cultivation found their vision growing blurry at the sight! Staring directly at these twisted rays of light, without sufficient Spirit, made you feel sick and dizzy!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The clang of steel echoed through the blasts of light, repeated crash after crash. "The harder Le Yuxin fought, the more shaken he became—Mu Feihong deflected every move he tried, countered them, even smashed straight through them."
"Both of them were using the same Combat Technique, both with similar levels of Light Energy, but somehow Mu Feihong still schooled him every time!"
"All Le Yuxin could spot were a few subtle differences in their moves, but it was those slight differences that amounted to a crushing advantage!"
"Combat proficiency at least a whole level above mine... Could he be at Intermediate?" With that thought flashing through his mind, Le Yuxin threw everything he had into the fight with Mu Feihong!
"He couldn't win, but that didn't mean Mu Feihong could take him down easily. They knew each other's moves inside out, but Le Yuxin was in the prime of youth, while Mu Feihong—despite his superior Spirit—was pushing fifty, and flagging physically. So even losing, Le Yuxin could still fight back!"
"This level of pressure was just right. Le Yuxin felt all the knowledge of Biting Battle Technique in his mind shifting into true mastery—he was just about to completely absorb Qian Yuliu's legacy!"
Suddenly, as the two once again collided in a 'Flood Spit' exchange, Mu Feihong abruptly cupped both hands, dissolving Le Yuxin's elbow strike and launching a jolt of light so strong it knocked Le Yuxin off axis by forty-five degrees. Mu Feihong swept behind him in a flash!
Biting Battle Technique—Yellow Sigh!
"But Yellow Sigh was a Burst Skill, unleashing gathered Light Energy in one direction, designed to shatter heavy targets—doors, walls—it usually needed several seconds to charge up, so it was all but useless in close combat."
"Yet Mu Feihong just landed an unformed 'Yellow Sigh' in the middle of a 'Flood Spit' clash... No, he first used Universe Chant to neutralize my elbow, then followed up seamlessly with Yellow Sigh for the jolt of light! Not enough to hurt me, but just right to throw me out of position!"
Le Yuxin realized Mu Feihong's method in an instant, but it was already too late—the battle was changing in a blink. Mu Feihong stepped behind him, yanked the rope to pin Le Yuxin's bound right arm behind his left shoulder, and wrenched his left arm behind his back!
Le Yuxin had come to arrest someone, but now the target, Mu Feihong, had turned the tables and captured him instead!