With those words, he didn't even bother consulting with Bai Feifei and simply seized control.
Bai Feifei's pupils trembled slightly; the occupant had changed.
—Xu Mo had logged in.
Li Yan's eyes were bloodshot, and the veins on his neck bulged like writhing snakes.
After his roar, the humiliation and fear in his heart seemed to dissipate slightly.
Quickly backing away a few steps, he stomped his foot heavily and activated his Word Soul ability once more.
The phantasmal clones condensed behind him again, more numerous and dense than before, filling the arena with the cold glint of spears.
This immense power made him feel omnipotent, restoring his confidence once again.
"I'll kill you! I'm going to kill you!"
The audience below was silent.
The reporters stared blankly, seemingly caught off guard by this turn of events.
Even the academy referee was bewildered, unsure of what to do next.
Why was there suddenly such deep-seated hatred? Besides, Bai Feifei was a teacher.
The students of Qingping Academy clenched their fists, watching Bai Feifei's back on the stage.
Ye Yu struggled to her feet, biting her lip so hard her teeth sank in as she tried to say something.
After a moment's thought, she reached out, wanting to pull "Bai Feifei" back.
"Teacher Bai..."
She wanted to stop "Bai Feifei" from acting—not because she thought her teacher would lose, but because she knew all too well that fighting now would bring "Bai Feifei" no benefit.
She had already lost; she couldn't let her teacher get into trouble on her account.
"Don't, fighting here will..."
She didn't get to finish.
A pitch-black ruler extended from the side, pressing firmly against her throat.
The movement was so fast that Ye Yu didn't even see how the hand had been raised.
"Trying to sneak attack me now?" Xu Mo glanced back at her. "You're a crafty one, aren't you? Looking for an opening."
The tip of the ruler pressed against Ye Yu's windpipe, choking back her words.
"Get lost!"
With a flick of his wrist, Xu Mo struck Ye Yu's shoulder with the ruler, the force perfectly measured.
Ye Yu felt her balance vanish as she was sent flying off the arena, crashing into the crowd of Qingping Academy students.
"Sister Ye!"
Several students scrambled to help her up.
Stumbling to her feet, Ye Yu looked up to see "Bai Feifei" watching her with a strangely sinister glint in her eyes.
Ye Yu's legs suddenly went weak.
Oh no, she recognized it.
In this state, "Bai Feifei" was clearly in a foul mood!
On the arena, Li Yan's dozens of clones moved.
The tips of their spears were all aimed at the center of the stage.
The sound of rushing wind suddenly exploded!
Spears poured down like a torrential rain as the phantoms charged frantically, their tips tearing through the air with ear-piercing shrieks.
Xu Mo stood with his hands in his pockets, watching the spears rapidly enlarge in his field of vision.
A skull bracelet appeared on his wrist, glowing with a faint purple light as Gaze of the Ancient One silently activated.
Purple ripples shimmered almost imperceptibly to the naked eye, enveloping Li Yan.
All of Li Yan's clones froze simultaneously, and an uncontrollable terror instantly made his knees buckle.
"That's it?"
Xu Mo took a step through the densest thicket of spear tips.
His movements were casual; with a slight tilt of his shoulder, he pulled his right hand from his pocket and flicked a nearby spear shaft with his finger.
Ding!
A crisp metallic ring echoed as the clone and its spear shattered into fragments.
He continued walking forward.
One step, two steps, three steps—each one landing perfectly in the gaps between the clones' attacks.
He leaned a foot to the left to dodge one strike, arched his back half an inch to evade another, and slid his foot forward half a step to shatter yet another clone.
It was like a leisurely stroll.
The reporters below widened their eyes.
"How is she doing that?"
"Is this the gap between a teacher and a student?"
"Wait, isn't Bai Feifei also a Rank 4 Scavenger? This difference is too massive. Why?"
On the arena, Xu Mo fought as he walked.
He was in no rush, simply observing the game panel to see if Li Yan showed signs of aberration.
He hadn't even turned up the power on Gaze of the Ancient One, content to slowly wear the other man down.
Li Yan stood at the other end of the arena, his legs shaking violently.
His legs wouldn't obey him, yet he wanted to charge, to roar, to avenge "certain things he had lost"...
"Didn't you say you weren't the same anymore? Where's the difference? Come on, move!" Xu Mo taunted with mock politeness.
Li Yan's face turned a bruised purple-black.
The drugs burned in his veins, fear and rage mixing to incinerate the last of his sanity.
The whites of his eyes became bloodshot, and an abnormal fluorescence shimmered at the edges of his pupils.
"I... I'm going to kill you!"
As if pushing past his limits, his rank spiked again. Forcing himself through the violent tremors in his heart, he plunged back into his madness.
His numerous clones resumed their assault, shouting a chaotic jumble of insane words.
"Hahaha... This is it... This is power! Can you feel it?!"
"I'm not who I used to be."
He opened his mouth, his eyes glowing with purple and green light.
"Kill you, kill you!"
"You bitch."
As he spoke, the skin on his face suddenly began to crack.
Fine fissures spread from the corners of his eyes, crawling down his cheekbones.
Then, his body began to swell, as if his muscles were undergoing a second growth spurt.
While the reporters watched in awe of his surging power, Zheng Ziyun was starting to get restless.
His expression shifted as he watched Li Yan, clearly sensing that something was wrong!
What... what was happening to him?
"%￥#@@%!"
"%N%￥@!"
On the stage, Li Yan spewed a torrent of vile obscenities, both to vent his madness and to bolster his courage.
Suddenly...
Slap!
Xu Mo raised the ruler and cleanly slapped Li Yan's true body across the face.
The force was staggering, knocking Li Yan's head and entire body half a step to the right.
"You just won't stop, will you?" Xu Mo flicked the ruler. "Getting a bit ahead of yourself, aren't you?"
He twisted the skull bracelet on his wrist.
The purple glow deepened abruptly, reflecting the cold, ruthless light in Xu Mo's eyes.
"That's about enough. Maybe you'll actually contribute something after all," he muttered cryptically to himself, leaving everyone baffled.
Then, he took a slow step forward, appearing instantly in front of Li Yan's true body.
The corners of his mouth curled upward.
"It's been... five days since I last killed someone, I think."
"Or was it four? I can't quite remember."
For a fleeting moment, a spark of clarity flickered in Li Yan's maddened eyes!
But there was no time to beg for mercy. Xu Mo delivered a blow that acted as a catalyst for his potential aberration.
Crunch!
With a bone-chilling sound, the ruler—an unsharpened object—traced a streak of black light through the air and slammed directly into the man's chest!
"It really has been too long since I've killed... so long that it seems you've forgotten exactly who I am!"
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