169: Chapter 169 Don't Rush
Lin Fan handed Ye Wushuang over to Qian Duoduo, then turned and walked toward the arena.
As he stepped onto the edge of the stage, he stopped and looked up at the sky.
The sun had completely sunk below the horizon, and the last traces of twilight were fading away.
"Almost time."
Lin Fan whispered softly, then stepped onto the arena.
Lin Mobai stood in the center of the arena, his six broken tentacles slowly retracting into his spine as he looked down to check the wounds on his body.
His school uniform was slashed in several places by ice crystals, and there were shallow bloodstains on his arms and face, but his breathing was steady and his spiritual energy remained abundant.
He looked up at Lin Fan, took off his glasses to wipe them with a cloth, and put them back on.
"You're only Rank 47; you're no match for me."
Lin Fan didn't respond, merely bending his knees slightly as he lowered his center of gravity.
The referee raised his hand.
“Fourth match: Lin Fan of Dongyun City First High School versus Lin Mobai of Qingcheng City First High School. Begin!”
Lin Fan moved first.
Instead of a frontal charge, he kicked off with his left foot and merged into the shadows at the edge of the arena—Moon Hide.
His figure, presence, and spiritual energy fluctuations vanished instantly, as if he had never existed.
Lin Mobai stood his ground, unmoving.
His right eye, the Bright Mist Phantom Pupil, lit up as he activated Truth-Seeing Vision.
Lin Fan's Moon Hide could fool the eyes of ordinary people, but it couldn't fool the Bright Mist Phantom Pupil.
His trajectory as he moved through the shadows was clearly visible to Lin Mobai.
"Your concealment is useless against me."
Lin Mobai's left arm, the Green Wind Scale Lynx, unleashed a Wind Spirit Slash. A massive green blade-light accurately cleaved toward the shadow where Lin Fan was hiding.
Lin Fan was forced to reveal himself, bursting into a Light Travel Step to dodge to the side.
The blade-light grazed his shoulder and carved a deep trench into the arena floor.
Just as he regained his footing, the Moon-Gloom Octopus tentacles from Lin Mobai's spine shot out, two of them thrusting at him from left and right.
Lin Fan's left eye predicted the trajectory, and he used consecutive bursts of Light Travel Step to weave through the gaps between the tentacles.
One tentacle grazed his arm, slashing his uniform and leaving a trail of blood.
Another tentacle lashed his back, making him stumble forward, nearly falling.
He gritted his teeth to steady himself and waved his right hand, firing three Taiyin Piercers.
Lin Mobai swung his left arm's Wind Spirit Slash, shattering the dark stings. The corrosive poison mist left scorched black marks on his left arm's scales, but the Green Wind Scale Lynx's defense was extremely high, preventing the toxin from penetrating.
"Your poison is useless against me."
Lin Mobai's right eye, the Bright Mist Phantom Pupil, lit up once more—Extreme Phantom Light.
A dazzling beam of seven-colored light shot toward Lin Fan.
The Eye of Phantom Dream in Lin Fan's left eye, belonging to Tongtong, operated at full capacity, its golden crystals refracting the rainbow light.
However, due to the gap in Rank, the Mental Shock of the Extreme Phantom Light still pierced through his defenses.
A sharp pain stabbed through Lin Fan's mind, causing his movements to lag for a beat.
Lin Mobai seized that moment. Three tentacles lunged simultaneously, entangling Lin Fan's right leg and left arm, hoisting him into the air.
The spiritual energy siphon on the tentacles activated, and Lin Fan's spiritual energy began to be drained, his face turning pale.
"Surrender. You're no match for me."
Lin Mobai's voice was calm.
Lin Fan didn't struggle or panic.
He looked up at the sky; in the deep blue firmament, a crescent moon had just peeked out.
He looked down at Lin Mobai, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.
"No rush."
Exerting force with his left arm, he fired a Taiyin Piercer at point-blank range, the dark purple needle hitting the tentacle binding his arm. The tentacle was corroded and loosened its grip.
Immediately after, Lin Fan activated the Azure Moon Venomous Dragon Bite.
The moment his left arm broke free, Lin Fan didn't retreat. Instead, he closed the distance, his left hand spread wide as he pressed it against the base of the tentacle holding his right leg.
"Azure Moon Venomous Dragon Bite."
A phantom image of a flood dragon emerged from his arm, its body dark purple with silver-white patterns on its scales that shimmered like moonlight. The dragon's eyes were deep purple vertical slits.
The dragon phantom opened its massive maw and bit down on the base of the tentacle, unleashing the triple effects of toxin, shadow erosion, and lunar burning simultaneously.
The tentacle began to blacken, fester, and snap from the base.
Lin Fan's right leg broke free, and he dropped from the air, landing on one knee while panting heavily.
Lin Mobai took a step back, looking down at his severed tentacle.
The dark purple toxin was spreading upward from the stump. He swung his left arm's Wind Spirit Slash, severing the poisoned tentacle remnant at the root to stop the toxin from spreading further.
He looked up at Lin Fan, a look of gravity appearing in his eyes for the first time.
"Your poison is more formidable than I imagined."
Lin Fan stood up and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "I told you, no rush."
He activated Moon Hide again, vanishing into the shadows.
Lin Fan activated Moon Hide once more, disappearing into the darkness.
Lin Mobai's Truth-Seeing Vision from his Bright Mist Phantom Pupil locked onto his position again, and his left arm's Wind Spirit Slash was primed and ready.
But this time, Lin Fan didn't emerge from the shadows for a sneak attack; instead, he released a skill from within the darkness.
“Kingdom of Eternal Sleep.”
Faint golden light surged from the shadow where Lin Fan hid, spreading in all directions like a tide.
A Dream Realm Domain fifty meters in diameter suddenly expanded with Lin Fan as its center, enveloping the entire arena.
Within the Domain, the boundary between reality and dreams began to blur, the air became viscous, and time seemed to slow down.
Lin Mobai's consciousness began to drift. His body froze in place, his tentacles hung limply, and the Wind Spirit Slash on his left arm dissipated before it could fully form.
His eyelids grew heavier and heavier...
At that moment, Lin Fan raised his left hand. Xiao Zhuang rose from his arm, its silver-black dragon body coiling in the air as it looked up toward the sky.
“Moonfall Dragon Roar Charge.”
Xiao Zhuang let out a long cry as a beam of silver-white moonlight struck down from the sky, condensing into a massive moon-shadow beam above its head.
The beam took the shape of a dragon—head, body, and tail, all lifelike.
It opened its massive maw and let out a world-shaking dragon roar, diving toward Lin Mobai.
Lin Mobai struggled frantically at the edge of the Dream Realm Domain.
His right eye, the Bright Mist Phantom Pupil, felt as if it were about to crack. The rainbow light deep within his pupil spun wildly, forcibly tearing through the dream shackles of the Kingdom of Eternal Sleep.
His consciousness flickered between wakefulness and slumber. Finally, when the Moonshadow Dragon was less than three meters away, he broke free.
Lin Mobai snapped his eyes open, only to see a massive dragon maw.
“Cloud Pattern Divine Shield!”
Silver-white spiritual flames erupted from his helmet, condensing into a translucent cloud-patterned Light Shield in front of him.
Cloud patterns flowed across the surface of the shield, which possessed a warm jade-like luster, appearing like a wall forged from clouds and jade.
The Moonshadow Dragon's claws scraped against the Light Shield, producing a piercing screeching sound. The silver moonlight collided with the silver spiritual flames, exploding into a blinding ball of white light.
The dragon's maw bit into the edge of the shield, causing it to tremble violently as cracks spread from the point of impact.
The dragon's body coiled, entangling Lin Mobai within it. Its tail lashed the back of the shield, adding several more cracks.
Lin Mobai had activated the Armor Skill in haste; his spiritual energy wasn't fully channeled, so the shield's thickness and strength were not at their peak.
Although the Cloud Pattern Divine Shield blocked most of the impact, Lin Mobai was sent flying by the shockwave, crashing heavily onto the ground.