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Not just Xing Yan—even the whole training ground had fallen dead silent. Every single disciple of the Heavenly Dragon Sect was staring in shock, completely dumbfounded. The Earth Dragon Sect disciples who'd followed them, along with Nan Shuishui and Luan Yu, also looked stunned.
Yu Tianlong struggled to get back on his feet. His arms were numb, and a dull pain throbbed from where he'd been hit. When he looked up at Liu Ying, all the arrogance in his eyes had completely disappeared.
Riiip—
With a tearing sound, the sleeve on Yu Tianlong's right arm split apart as his arm swelled. It grew half a foot longer, thick and powerful, covered in deep blue-violet scales. His hand morphed into a claw, just as scaly, and each joint swelled up visibly. Blue-violet arcs of lightning snaked around his body, crackling with sharp pzzzt sounds.
At the same time, a yellow soul ring coiled tightly around his now dragon-like right arm, buzzing with lightning.
"This is—partial dragon transformation? He's getting serious!"Xing Yan's pupils shrank. During their usual spars, Yu Tianlong rarely used his dragon transformation. If he did, it meant he wasn't playing around anymore.
With a stomp of his right foot, Yu Tianlong shattered the ground beneath him, electricity surging all around him as he charged at Liu Ying like a bolt of lightning. Liu Ying's expression stayed blank, her pupils reflecting the oncoming electric light. Just before the dragon claw struck, she dodged to the side and kicked Yu Tianlong square in the gut.
Boom!
Yu Tianlong flew backward again. Other than Nan Shuishui and Luan Yu, no one else even saw what happened clearly—he turned into a blur of lightning charging at Liu Ying, only to bounce back like he'd hit a spring.
Liu Xing twitched at the corner of his eye. If he still had his weak body from his past life, just that one kick from Liu Ying would've had her begging him not to die on the spot.
Kids on Douluo Continent really do mature fast. Their bodies are way more developed than kids his age in his old world—otherwise, that one kick would've wrecked him.
Yu Tianlong clutched his stomach, face twisted in pain, and dropped to his knees. Sure, his body was far beyond ordinary kids, but he was still only seven years old. Getting hit with that powerful punch and kick combo from Liu Ying left him struggling to recover.
"TIANLONG!"Xing Yan cried out and rushed forward to help him up. With his support, Yu Tianlong staggered to his feet. He looked at Liu Ying and said in a deep voice, "I lost."
He wasn't someone who couldn't handle defeat. Even though the exchange had been short, he'd clearly realized the gap between himself and Liu Ying. He didn't know why a little girl who hadn't even awakened her martial spirit was so freakishly strong—but he wasn't going to fly into a rage just because he lost to a girl.
Yes, Yu Tianlong was proud, but he never thought of himself as unbeatable. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit wasn't the #1 beast spirit in the world anymore like it was thousands of years ago. Losing to a peer didn't mean the end of the world.
But still… losing to a little girl who clearly hadn't awakened her spirit and wasn't even six yet? That stung.
Still, frustration was frustration. A loss was a loss, and he accepted it without complaint.
Nan Shuishui nodded to herself. The Heavenly Dragon Sect really had a good successor here. With Yu Tianlong's talent and mindset, there'd be no problem with him inheriting the sect one day and becoming the next Heavenly Dragon Douluo.
Then Liu Ying pointed at Xing Yan. Her voice was calm: "You're next."
"Huh?!"Xing Yan pointed at himself in disbelief. Wait, what? Me? I have to fight too?
Liu Ying nodded. She hadn't forgotten what Liu Xing told her—he wanted her to give Xing Yan a good beating.
Xing Yan, still clueless about how his big mouth had gotten him into this mess, twitched at the corner of his mouth. Fight her? He couldn't even beat Yu Tianlong on a good day—and Liu Ying just knocked Tianlong down with a punch and a kick. Wasn't this just asking to be humiliated?
But all the other sect kids were watching. If he backed down from a challenge by a little girl who hadn't even awakened her martial spirit, his reputation as the second prodigy of the sect would be toast.
"…Alright. Let's fight."
He gritted his teeth, smoothed his fiery red hair—fighting was one thing, but the hair still had to look good.
Yu Tianlong didn't try to stop him. He figured Liu Ying had held back a little—he looked bad, but it was mostly superficial injuries, nothing internal. Plus, Aunt Nan was here; she wouldn't let anything serious happen to Xing Yan.
He also guessed that Liu Ying was probably here to stand up for Nan Qiuqiu. Since they hadn't gone hard on Nan Qiuqiu and her group, Liu Ying probably wouldn't go all out either.
Xing Yan didn't dare hold back. The moment he stepped up, he activated his spirit. A yellow spirit ring rose beneath him. His arms turned into crimson dragon claws, two scarlet horns grew from his forehead, and flames erupted all over his body.
The heat distorted the air around him. He still remembered clearly how Liu Ying had knocked Yu Tianlong flying with just one punch—he didn't dare risk close combat. A fireball formed in one of his claws, compressed tightly. Then he flung it like a grenade, sending a series of flaming orbs flying at Liu Ying from over ten meters away.
Nan Shuishui shook her head. A top-tier beast spirit master with great physical strength, but he didn't even have the courage for melee combat? No way he'd win.
But then again, they were still kids. It was normal for them to not have the right mindset yet. Even her own daughter, that little troublemaker, was the same.
Liu Ying didn't even flinch. She dashed forward straight into the fireball barrage. Her movements were light and graceful, her steps nimble as she wove through the flaming projectiles like they were nothing. She closed the ten-meter distance in a flash—none of the fireballs hit her.
She was way too fast. Xing Yan couldn't even match Yu Tianlong's reaction speed. When she suddenly closed in, Tianlong had at least been able to raise his arms on instinct. Xing Yan? Not so lucky—Liu Ying's punch landed right on his face.
"Wait—no! Not the face! I give up! I surrender!"
Punches and kicks rained down, the sounds of flesh meeting flesh echoing through the training ground. The Heavenly Dragon Sect disciples couldn't bear to watch—many turned away, and a few of the girls even shut their eyes.
"Yes! That's it, Liu Ying! Keep going, beat him up!"
Nan Qiuqiu was off to the side, waving her little fists and cheering with a red, excited face. Xu Shenshu and the others didn't go as overboard, but they were still thrilled. They clenched their fists and stared at Liu Ying in admiration as she pounded Xing Yan into the ground.
After ten or so seconds, Liu Ying calmly dusted off her hands and walked back to Liu Xing like it was nothing.
Xing Yan lay on the ground, arms and legs spread out like a dead starfish. His bruised, swollen face made the girls who used to swoon over him feel nothing but pity. Lying there, staring up at the sky, his panda-like eyes cracked open just a bit—and a single, sparkling tear slid down his cheek.
Liu Xing shook his head slightly.
This… is what happens when you run your mouth.
"....."