"Uh..."

  Ling Xiao stood there with his mouth agape. The refined speech he had prepared was effectively stuck in his throat.

  "Ling Xiao, that's just the Boss's personality. Just speak to him normally," Ying Xue added, suppressing a giggle as she offered a bit of friendly advice.

  "Very well. Manager Kael, to be honest, I saw Ying Feng's Knight Sword, and..." Ling Xiao only got half a sentence out.

  "Oh, you're here for weapons? They're next door. There's a door at the end of the aisle," Kael interrupted again, pointing toward the back.

  "Manager Kael..." Ling Xiao stared at him with a look of pure, resentful grievance.

  Ying Xue’s face was practically contorted from the effort of not laughing out loud. She patted Ling Xiao on the shoulder and said, "Forget it. I'll take you over there and you can see for yourself."

  "Ask if you have questions," Kael added from behind them.

  "Got it, Boss! By the way, with a new store open, I assume you have new pills in stock?" Ying Xue asked as she walked.

  "Mmh. Plenty of new stuff. You'll see," Kael nodded.

  Ling Xiao gave Kael one last lingering look before following Ying Xue into the adjoining shop.

  Meanwhile, in the corner of the Training Room, Ying Feng was leaning over the back of a booth with great interest. He watched as the red-eyed Blood Wolf stared intensely into the crystal ball.

  "Hey, brother! What are you up to? What's the deal with the crystal ball?" Ying Feng asked with his usual, overly-familiar friendliness.

  Just as he spoke, Blood Wolf’s avatar collapsed on the arena stage once again.

  Taking advantage of the brief intermission, Blood Wolf let out a long, weary sigh. He looked back at the newcomer and asked, "Kid, you new here?"

  "I’ve been to the shop before, but yeah, it’s been a while since my last visit," Ying Feng answered honestly.

  "That explains it," Blood Wolf said, staring at the crystal ball with a melancholic gaze. "This thing is called the Combat Strength Arena. It lets you project your consciousness inside to fight, specifically to hone your combat techniques."

  "The goal is simple: defeat those four figures standing below the stage." Blood Wolf pointed to the shadowy NPCs.

  "Ooh! Then play a round, let me watch!" Ying Feng’s eyes widened with excitement as he waited for a show.

  Blood Wolf’s expression instantly turned awkward.

  He had been playing for nearly two days, yet he still couldn't survive more than ten moves. If he admitted that out loud, it would be a massive blow to his reputation.

  "What's wrong?" Ying Feng asked, sensing the hesitation.

  "Kid, this kind of thing... you have to experience it firsthand for it to actually improve your skills," Blood Wolf said, patting Ying Feng on the shoulder with a heavy, "elder-statesman" tone.

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  "I still want to watch you play once," Ying Feng insisted, refusing to let it go.

  Blood Wolf knew then that his dignity was about to be shredded.

  "Fine. I'll show you one round." Blood Wolf gritted his teeth and placed his hands back onto the crystal base.

  "Select Swordmaster!"

  This was the opponent he had been grinding for two days, and the one he was most familiar with.

  [Battle Start!]

  The synthesized voice sounded like the whisper of a Reaper.

  The Swordmaster blurred, reappearing at Blood Wolf’s flank. The rapier moved like a falling star, piercing through the air with a whistling hum!

  "Block!" Blood Wolf’s waist twisted violently, pushing himself into his peak state. At the absolute last second, he managed to intercept the Swordmaster’s thrust.

  Clang—!

  A long, crisp ringing echoed across the arena.

  The Swordmaster’s silhouette vanished along with the sound.

  "This time... from behind!" Blood Wolf’s reaction was so practiced it was almost pitiful. He swung his round shield behind his back for a blind block while simultaneously thrusting his shortsword forward.

  He wasn't trying to land a hit; he was just trying to disrupt the opponent's rhythm.

  However, the Swordmaster in this Arena was not so easily disrupted.

  As the shortsword lunged out, the rapier was already pressed against its edge, sliding down the blade toward Blood Wolf’s wrist. With a light flick, both the shortsword and a spray of blood flew through the air.

  The sensation of pain traveled through the crystal back to Blood Wolf’s physical body.

  In that split second of shock, the Swordmaster shifted positions again. The cold edge of the rapier was already pressed against Blood Wolf’s throat.

  Three moves. Every single one had been lethal. There was zero opening for a counter-attack.

  [Battle Ended. You Lose!]

  "I KNOW! STOP SAYING IT!" Blood Wolf nearly roared. He took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.

  "Whoa, brother! You're way too weak! You lost in only three moves!" Ying Feng barked with exaggerated shock before bursting into laughter.

  "Alright, alright. I’m going to open a booth and try it myself."

  "Boss, give me two hours! I have to accompany my sister to the forest later." Ying Feng fished four Spirit Crystals out of his pocket.

  "Pick a seat," Kael said, pocketing the crystals with a blank face.

  Ying Feng grinned and sat in the booth next to Blood Wolf, separated only by an aisle. He could easily see the other’s screen by just standing up.

  "Brother, watch closely. Let me show you what real combat looks like." Mimicking Blood Wolf, Ying Feng placed his hands on the base. The rules of the Arena flooded his mind.

  "Rules are simple enough. This must be a top-tier alchemical artifact."

  Ying Feng studied the crystal ball curiously before plunging his consciousness inside.

  Swordmaster. Spearman. Archmage. Protection Knight.

  Four indifferent gazes fell upon the arena, watching the newcomer’s avatar condense.

  "I'll go with the Swordmaster too. Watch and learn, brother. I'm about to show you how a real pro fights," Ying Feng said with supreme confidence.

  He reached out, and a Knight's Sword materialized in his hand—the standard weapon for a Sword-Knight.

  Blood Wolf, his face stiff with annoyance, leaned over. He wanted to see just how "pro" this overly-familiar guy actually was.

  "Boss, can you come here for a second? You have a ton of new stuff over here!" Ying Xue’s voice suddenly rang out from the general store next door.

  Kael let out a yawn and slowly drifted toward the adjoining shop.

  At that exact moment, inside Ying Feng’s crystal ball, the Swordmaster leapt onto the stage.

  The synthesized voice boomed.

  [Battle Start!]

  "Where’d he go?" Ying Feng had barely heard the word "Start" when the Swordmaster vanished from his sight.

  The next thing he felt was a sharp, icy chill across his neck.

  [Battle Ended. You Lose!]

  "HA! HAHA! HAHAHA!" Blood Wolf, who had been watching from behind, exploded into a fit of thunderous laughter. "YOU have the nerve to talk about ME?!"

  Ying Feng’s face instantly turned a deep, burning crimson. The blush spread all the way down his neck.

  He had just mocked someone for only lasting three moves, only to fail to survive even one.

  My god... are these opponents really that terrifying?

  "Two total scrubs. Six of one, half a dozen of the other. What's so funny?"

  Kael drifted by, glancing at Blood Wolf’s crystal ball in passing. It was just as blood-stained as Ying Feng’s. It was obvious the mercenary captain had only gone to watch after being slaughtered himself.

  "Black-hearted Boss! Whose side are you on?!" Both men instantly formed a temporary alliance, glaring at Kael in unison.