Chapter 45: THE EXAMINATION(19)

"Is that all?" Li Yan chuckled, and the sound was like ice breaking. "You have to do better than that if you wish to intimidate me; otherwise, you are wasting my time..."

"You good-for-nothing bastard! Admit you cheated on the written examination; someone as dull as you could never be number one..."

Mo Lang’s Qi surged around his body as he stepped forward, and the examinees nearby immediately moved aside when they felt the pressure coming from him.

Li Yan watched him without changing his expression, and when Mo Lang raised his hand, Li Yan shifted his weight and prepared himself for the attack.

Mo Lang’s palm shot forward with enough force to tear through the air, but

Li Yan moved sideways and allowed the attack to pass before him. The palm struck the stone path instead, sending several pieces of broken rock flying into the air.

Li Yan glanced at the damaged ground before looking back at Mo Lang.

His cultivation was indeed higher.

However, Mo Lang’s movements were too straightforward.

Mo Lang turned around and attacked again, his palm carrying even more Qi than before, but Li Yan avoided the strike and moved closer instead of retreating.

He struck Mo Lang in the chest with his palm. The impact forced Mo Lang back several steps, and the young master’s expression changed as he steadied himself.

The surrounding examinees looked at the scene with surprise. Li Yan had not expected the difference in cultivation to disappear completely, but Mo Lang’s reliance on brute force made the fight far easier to read than it should have been.

Mo Lang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and stared at Li Yan.

"You actually dare to hurt me."

Li Yan looked at him calmly. "You attacked first."

Mo Lang’s expression darkened as the Qi around his body surged once more.

"Do not think one successful attack means you can defeat me."

He rushed forward, and this time his movements were considerably faster.

Li Yan avoided the first strike, but Mo Lang immediately followed with another attack, forcing him to retreat several steps as the young master continued pressing forward.

The other members of Mo Lang’s clique moved with him, preventing Li Yan from finding an easy route around them. Li Yan noticed their movement and understood that they had no intention of allowing him to escape the confrontation.

Mo Lang attacked again.

Li Yan blocked the strike with his arm and felt the force travel through his body, but instead of resisting it directly, he redirected the force and moved with the attack before countering with another palm.

Mo Lang’s body staggered. Li Yan did not give him enough time to recover and followed with another strike, forcing Mo Lang to retreat until his back nearly reached the edge of the path.

The young master caught himself and looked at Li Yan with disbelief. "How are you this strong?"

Li Yan did not answer. He had no reason to explain himself to someone who had deliberately come looking for trouble.

Mo Lang’s face became increasingly ugly as he realized that his advantage in cultivation was not enough to suppress Li Yan.

Su Lianhua noticed the change and stepped closer. "Brother Mo, perhaps we should—"

"Stay back." Mo Lang’s voice stopped her.

He had already lost face in front of his clique, and backing down now would make the humiliation even worse.

Bi Chen watched the exchange from the side without interfering because he had already realized that Li Yan was not someone Mo Lang could easily handle.

Mo Lang took a deep breath and gathered his Qi again.

"This time, I will not hold back." Li Yan looked at him.

"You should have done that from the beginning."

The remark made Mo Lang’s expression twist with anger.

He rushed forward. This time, the Qi surrounding his body was far denser, and the force behind his movement caused the stone beneath his feet to crack.

Li Yan’s eyes sharpened as he watched the incoming attack. He waited until Mo Lang was close enough before moving.

Mo Lang’s fist passed beside his face. Li Yan stepped inside his guard and struck his abdomen.

Mo Lang’s body bent forward from the impact, and Li Yan followed by striking his shoulder before pushing him away.

The young master stumbled backward and nearly fell. The surrounding examinees began whispering among themselves.

Mo Lang had clearly intended to teach Li Yan a lesson, yet the situation had already turned against him. His face burned with humiliation. "You..."

Li Yan looked at him. "You are wasting time."

Mo Lang stared at him as though he had never heard anything more insulting.

Li Yan turned his attention toward the summit. "I have no interest in fighting you."

Mo Lang’s hands tightened. "You think you can simply walk away after humiliating me?"

Li Yan looked back at him. "You were the one who attacked me."

Mo Lang’s expression became vicious. "I will make sure you cannot leave this place on your own feet."

He raised his hand again. Before he could attack, however, a voice sounded from farther down the mountain.

"Mo Lang! If you do not wish to lose your hand, I suggest you stop whatever it is you plan to do, or I, Gu Jun, will not hesitate to strike you..."

Despite his ordinary appearance, Gu Jun’s cultivation far exceeded that of Mo Lang and Li Yan’s.

He was basically the fight breaker.

Gu Jun appeared by Li Yan’s side in a flash; it would have been quite disastrous if he had not shown up on time.

"Have you lost your mind? Do not forget this is an examination and there are examination bodies guiding it."

Mo Lang sneered; now that Gu Jun had appeared, there was nothing he could do. He could not attack Li Yan as he pleased.

"There was no rule that forbade us from fighting. I was merely settling a score."

Gu Jun scoffed. Wasn’t it wise to settle the score outside the examination?

"Worry about your examination first; you have not made it to the summit, yet you have the time to fight..."