Chapter 175 | The Otherworld Journey That Starts From a Slime

The crowd below the stage watched in stunned silence.

This was the arena where Zhang Ye and Lina were fighting, and at this moment, the stage was covered with afterimages of the two.

Countless starlights lit up across the arena. With every flash of starlight, an afterimage materialized, only to slowly fade away a moment later.

Every second, hundreds of flashes of starlight and afterimages appeared on the stage!

A blue light and a golden light chased each other in a wild pursuit.

Countless spells and Mana Balls flew back and forth, leaving the onlookers completely dazzled.

Copico's jaw dropped. “Th-this... this is too intense...”

Renomon also nodded. “So strong... Brother Ye and Lina are both incredibly strong!”

Watching the flashing figures on the stage, Samanra slowly remarked, “Ye is very strong, but Lina... she was trained by Ye.”

Hearing this, everyone sighed with emotion.

Zhang Ye was truly... too monstrous...

On the stage, Lina blinked frantically. Fine beads of sweat had already formed on her forehead, but a beautiful smile bloomed on her face.

This feeling of fighting with absolute freedom was simply amazing!

When fighting others, they would often fall before she could even display her true skills, but against Zhang Ye, she had to go all out. It was incredibly liberating!

However, such an intense battle consumed her mana at an extreme rate. Finally, a moment later, she came to a stop, panting heavily.

“Brother Ye, I can't go on... My mana is completely depleted...”

Zhang Ye also stopped and nodded. “Not bad. Your combat techniques and Blink speed have improved tremendously compared to a month ago. However, you still need to pay attention to the curve of your Arc Blink. Practice more to make the curve wider; that will give you more room to maneuver.”

“Mhm, I understand!” Lina nodded, then turned to the referee mentor and said, “I concede.”

Just like that, Zhang Ye won.

Meanwhile, on the other stage, a sudden explosion of lightning lit up the entire arena. Terrifying bolts of lightning crashed against the protective barrier, sending ripples surging across it.

In the next instant, a figure flew backward, his entire body charred black.

It was Gajeel.

Gajeel was currently electrocuted to a crisp, his body twitching as his eyes rolled back, heavily injured.

Watching Gajeel fly out of the arena, Nan smiled coldly.

This was the result of his deliberate control.

If the attack had been fatal, it would have triggered the protective power within Gajeel.

Members of the royal family, nobility, or core disciples of great families typically possessed the protective power of their family's powerhouses inside them. This protective power would only be triggered when the protected individual faced a fatal threat.

So, Nan kept the damage he inflicted on Gajeel just under the fatal threshold, ensuring it wouldn't trigger the protective power while still dealing the maximum amount of damage!

Thus, Gajeel was severely injured!

Gajeel was carried away by a mentor for treatment. Seeing this, Zhang Ye couldn't help but burst into laughter. Slinging an arm over Nan's shoulder, he ruffled his hair. “Beautifully done, A-Nan!”

Zhang Ye's enthusiastic gesture made Nan feel uncomfortable. If this had been the past, he would have slashed him with his blade already, but now, he merely said flatly, “Let go.”

Zhang Ye gave an embarrassed chuckle and let go, then said, “Next up is you and me, A-Nan. Go easy on me, okay?”

Nan glanced at him and said, “Don't worry, I promise I won't slash you to death.”

Zhang Ye: “...”

After recovering their mana, they stepped onto the stage, standing face-to-face.

Zhang Ye had a solemn expression. Seeing this, Nan assumed Zhang Ye was about to show his true capabilities and began to gather his own aura.

In the next instant, Zhang Ye said in a deep voice, “A-Nan...”

Nan: “Mhm?”

Zhang Ye: “Can I... just concede?”

Nan: “...”

This guy!

Nan gripped the hilt of his blade and said flatly, “If you dare concede, I'll slash you to death when we get back!”

Zhang Ye pouted. “(๑´•ε•`๑) Fine, if you say so...”

The match began!

A moment later.

Zhang Ye's hair was standing on end from being shocked, but he still had Nan locked in a hold as he laughed heartily. “Hahaha, your Brother Ye is still your Brother Ye!”

“A-Nan, you're still too green!”

Nan gritted his teeth in anger.

Just now, Zhang Ye had taken one of his slashes head-on, spitting blood and pretending to be heavily injured. Nan had hurriedly sheathed his blade to check on him, only for this guy to suddenly jump up, flash behind him, and lock him in an Unbreakable Seven-Day Lock!

Nan was locked tightly from behind by Zhang Ye. Furthermore, mana chains surged out of Zhang Ye's body, restricting Nan's mana flow and leaving him completely unable to move.

This position was simply too embarrassing!

Looking at Nan gritting his teeth, Zhang Ye felt delighted.

Just now, he had simply wanted to see if Nan would worry about him. As it turned out, the iceberg that was Nan was melting!

In the past, Nan would never have stopped to check on his injuries. Instead, he would have delivered a few more slashes.

This made Zhang Ye incredibly happy.

“Let go of me!” Nan gritted out.

“You concede first!” Zhang Ye smirked.

“I...” Nan felt a wave of helplessness. Zhang Ye was holding him too tightly, making his chest feel constricted...

In the end, he sighed. “I... concede...”

Seeing this, the referee declared Zhang Ye the victor.

Nan's eyes flickered.

This was... the first time he had ever conceded on his own accord.

He would remember this!

Only then did Zhang Ye let him go. “A-Nan... Holy crap!”

Zhang Ye hastily flashed to dodge Nan's blade. Nan said nothing, merely drawing his blade and chasing Zhang Ye all over the arena, leaving Zhang Ye screaming in panic.

“Don't do this, A-Nan, don't... Ouch, damn it!”

“It was just a concession! I'll concede next time, okay?”

“Let's talk this out! Don't... Ow, ow, ow!”

Nan chased Zhang Ye, slashing at him repeatedly, but this kid was too slippery. Despite Nan's explosive power, he couldn't land a single hit. To make matters worse, Zhang Ye kept babbling nonsense, making Nan's teeth itch with annoyance.

“Stop!” Nan suddenly commanded.

Zhang Ye instantly snapped to attention, standing straight as a rod.

“Let me land one slash, and I'll let you off!” Nan said.

Hearing this, Zhang Ye grinned. “Deal!”

“No dodging!”

“Deal!”

“No defending!”

“Deal!”

Nan was somewhat surprised. He actually agreed?

Without any defense, he really could slash Zhang Ye to death in a single strike!

Of course, that was assuming Zhang Ye didn't have any protective power or other defensive Treasures inside him.

Looking at the smiling Zhang Ye, Nan nodded. He sheathed his blade, lowering his stance as crackling lightning dragons manifested around him. At this moment, Nan's presence was incredibly terrifying!

The crowd below the stage couldn't help but gulp at the sight.

What were they doing?

Didn't Brother Ye already win?

What on earth were these two playing at?

In the next instant, Nan suddenly drew his blade. Terrifying lightning gathered on his blade, transforming into a dozens-of-meters-long Lightning Light Blade that slashed down toward Zhang Ye.

Zhang Ye closed his eyes, but a faint smile remained on his face.

Everyone held their breath as they watched, while Leona merely curled her lip.

Were these two... flirting?

She felt a bit uncomfortable, but when she remembered that Zhang Ye didn't know Nan's true identity, she let it go.

Weng... A soft hum echoed through the arena.

Zhang Ye slowly opened his eyes and looked at Nan with a smile.

Nan's blade had stopped less than half an inch above Zhang Ye's head, the edge trembling slightly.

Then, Nan sheathed his blade, turned around, and walked off the stage.

Zhang Ye chuckled and caught up, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with him. With a smug expression, he said, “I knew you wouldn't have the heart to slash me.”