51: Chapter 51

51

The number of Fifth-Order powerhouses in Dragon City who were known to the public could be counted on one's fingers, and he was among them.

The other three were Peng Tian, Kong Wenguang, and finally, the Mayor's inseparable Shadow Guard.

Inviting these individuals to guard X? It was nothing short of a pipe dream.

"Fine, Fourth-Order it is then."

Jiang Haojie sighed softly, a hint of helplessness in his tone.

He had originally hoped to use the reputation of a Fifth-Order powerhouse to create a deterrent, but now it seemed the plan had fallen through.

"I'll arrange it immediately."

Liu Jinglong didn't say much; he hung up the communication and began to make arrangements.

He knew better than anyone what X meant to Dragon City.

Even if something happened to him, X must not suffer any mishap.

...

Deep within Zuixin Tower, the newly reopened underground boxing arena was brightly lit.

Figures were Sparring on the stage. In the stands, a middle-aged man sat leisurely, with more than ten black-clad guards standing solemnly on either side.

Bai Wenluo and Xu Jing stood before him with their heads bowed.

"Hall Master Lin,"

Bai Wenluo lowered his voice, "If that X doesn't come... do we need to make other arrangements?"

"He will come."

A confident curve curled at the corner of Lin Zimo's mouth.

From the accounts of Bai Wenluo and Xu Jing, he had already figured out X's temperament—a person who valued loyalty and sentiment very highly.

Threatening him with the safety of those around him was the most effective bait.

"As long as he steps foot in this place, he can forget about ever leaving."

Xu Jing echoed softly, leaning over to fill Lin Zimo's teacup.

"Come here."

Lin Zimo beckoned to Xu Jing.

Xu Jing subconsciously glanced at Bai Wenluo; the latter's face was ashen, his lips twitching as if he wanted to speak.

Before he could say anything, Lin Zimo had already reached out and pulled her into his arms.

Xu Jing let out a low cry and fell onto his lap.

"Hall Master Lin!"

Bai Wenluo squeezed out those words through his teeth, his fists clenched so hard they turned white.

Clatter—

The bodyguards on both sides stepped forward half a pace in unison, their gazes like knives locking onto Bai Wenluo, waiting to pounce if he made even the slightest move.

"What's the rush?"

Lin Zimo waved his hand lazily, signaling the guards to back down. "We're all family, there's no need for such tension."

As he spoke,

"Hall Master..."

Xu Jing's face suddenly turned pale, and she hurriedly pressed down on his wrist.

Lin Zimo said nothing, only raised his eyes and gazed at her indifferently.

That gaze was like an ice pick piercing through the skin.

Xu Jing's spine stiffened, and she eventually loosened her grip slowly.

The man before her was not only a Hall Master of the Black Dragon Society but also a true Fifth-Order Awakened.

Resist? They shouldn't even have the thought.

She closed her eyes,

...

Outside Zuixin Tower, the night was thick.

Just as Jiang Haojie pulled out his communicator, he saw a familiar middle-aged figure stroll out from the door with a playful smile on his face.

"Mr. X, I hope you've been well?"

Kamo tilted his head. "Please, the Hall Master has been waiting for quite some time."

The elevator doors at the back of Zuixin Tower slid open silently, and Kamo led Jiang Haojie inside.

The moment the metal doors closed, Kamo turned his head, a mocking curve pulling at the corner of his mouth. "You certainly are calm. Have you never considered that this is a door easy to enter but hard to leave?"

"A defeated general,"

Jiang Haojie's gaze was fixed straight ahead at the polished elevator doors, his voice devoid of any emotion, "is worthy of questioning me?"

Kamo's face suddenly turned cold, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he finally squeezed out a whisper through his teeth: "Speak while you still can. I'm afraid after today, it will be hard for you to even open your mouth."

Jiang Haojie no longer responded.

However, the calculations in his heart were moving rapidly.

While he had established a connection with Liu Jinglong, at this moment, distant water could not quench a nearby fire.

The other party had clearly investigated his background—since they dared to invite the tiger into the trap, they must have prepared plenty of backup plans.

He took a silent breath, tuning his entire mind to the most alert state.

The elevator descended, the numbers silently jumping to '-5'.

.

When the doors opened, a vast training ground came into view.

Several figures who had been fighting on the stage jumped down at the sound, their gazes like hooks, all locking onto Jiang Haojie.

In the center of the area, Lin Zimo leaned back in a large sofa, with a woman curled in his arms whose face was flushed and eyes were vacant—it was Xu Jing.

Seeing Jiang Haojie approach, he lazily tilted his chin. "So you've come."

His hand didn't stop stroking Xu Jing's hair. "Lin Zimo, Hall Master of the Black Dragon Society. Pleased to meet you."

Jiang Haojie walked straight across from him, pulled out a chair, and sat down, his posture as relaxed as if he were in his own living room. "Let's be direct. You didn't go through all this trouble to invite me here just for tea."

He seemed completely oblivious to Xu Jing's dazed state.

"Simple,"

Lin Zimo smiled, "I'm asking if you're interested in working for the Black Dragon Society."

Jiang Haojie's brow twitched slightly. "If I say I'm not interested, will I have to stay here today?"

From the moment he stepped onto this floor, his eyes had already scanned the entire area.

Aside from the energy field faintly floating around Lin Zimo that signaled the strength of a Fifth-Order Awakened, the others were merely Third or Fourth-Order.

Bai Wenluo shrinking in the corner and Xu Jing in Lin Zimo's arms had even more meager First-Order auras.

"You can try and see."

Lin Zimo shrugged, his tone as light as if he were talking about the weather.

He had, of course, heard the rumors about 'X'—defeating a Fourth-Order while only being a Second-Order was indeed a bit uncanny.

But between Fifth-Order and Second-Order, there lay an insurmountable chasm.

He was absolutely confident he could make this boy, who didn't know the height of the heavens, shut up forever.

Jiang Haojie raised his eyes, his gaze meeting Lin Zimo's.

Fifth-Order was indeed strong.

In a direct confrontation, he had no chance of winning.

But if the goal was just to trap him... it might not be that easy.

The 'Eye of Truth' he had quietly activated earlier had already reflected the details of the newcomer's abilities in his heart, which actually allowed his tensed nerves to relax slightly.

"Then there's nothing to talk about."

Jiang Haojie stood up.

The surrounding black-clad bodyguards immediately closed in, blocking the exit like an iron barrel.

"You all are certainly dutiful."

Jiang Haojie chuckled and shook his head, his gaze falling back onto Lin Zimo's face. "I've come, and you've asked your questions. If that's all, then I won't be staying."

He paused, his voice dropping a few notches. "Additionally, a word of advice: don't use your words to pressure me. I hate being threatened."

After saying that, he turned to leave, but the wall of people in front of him didn't budge an inch.

Lin Zimo's unhurried voice came from behind him, carrying the flat tone of someone reciting ancient history: "X, perhaps you're not yet clear on the weight of the Black Dragon Society."

"This name was established through blood fifty years ago."

"After overcoming so many obstacles and waves, we finally reached our position today."

"And?"

Jiang Haojie didn't stop his pace, only slightly turning his head.

Lin Zimo finally let go of Xu Jing, casually wiping the sweat from his palm onto her lapel. "The Black Dragon Society has been able to survive to this day because we stop at nothing."

His voice was very soft, yet it was like an ice pick piercing the air. "When clearing obstacles, we never show mercy."

"You're a sensible person."

He stood up, unhurriedly smoothing the wrinkles on his cuffs, and strolled toward Jiang Haojie. "You should know the consequences of crossing the Black Dragon Society."

Jiang Haojie's muscles tightened silently.

Qi flowed quietly through his meridians, like a dark river surging underground.

Lin Zimo stopped five paces away, as if there were an invisible boundary there.

"Our paths differ."

Jiang Haojie only said three words.

It was absolutely impossible for him to bow his head and join the Black Dragon Society.

Lin Zimo smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

He raised his hand and gave a light wave.

The figures lurking in the shadows suddenly erupted.

Beastial bodies brought a foul wind, claws and fangs tearing through the air; further away, beams of deep blue or dark purple energy drew fatal arcs, flanking him from all directions.

Such a coordinated attack was enough to turn an ordinary person into dust in an instant.

But they were facing Jiang Haojie.

He lowered his shoulders and dropped his elbows, a low, muffled sound rolling from his throat.

The air above his head suddenly distorted and condensed, manifesting the translucent outline of a male lion's head, its mane fluttering in the void like flames.

"Cover your ears!"

Xu Jing's scream was drowned out by the roar that erupted in the next instant.

It was the Lions Roar.

The sound was no longer just a sound, but had transformed into a physical wave, exploding outward with Jiang Haojie at the center, sweeping through the entire space with destructive force.

The Fourth-Order Awakened were hit as if by a heavy hammer, staggering back while protecting themselves with Psionic energy; the Third-Order ones bled from their noses and mouths, collapsing to the ground; those of even lower orders lost consciousness the moment the sound wave touched them.

Bai Wenluo and Xu Jing had blocked their hearing in advance due to that warning. Although their internal organs were shaken out of place, they ultimately kept their lives.

They lay on the ground, staring in horror at the figure standing tall in the center.

Lin Zimo's brow twitched imperceptibly.

He had heard reports and knew that 'X' possessed some kind of sonic attack, but he hadn't expected it to be on such a terrifying scale.

In the blink of an eye, of the more than twenty elites he had brought, only three Fourth-Order guards and Kamo, who was always as silent as a shadow, could barely remain standing.

This boy must not be allowed to live.

Once the intent to kill arose, there was not a hint of hesitation.

Lin Zimo flipped his palm, and a nearly invisible current of air was rapidly compressed and shaped, turning into a pale green wind blade like a crescent moon, silently slicing toward Jiang Haojie's back.

The moment the malicious wind struck, Jiang Haojie suddenly turned around.

The wind blade rapidly enlarged in his pupils.

He recognized this technique—back when he had used the 'Eye of Truth' to spy, he had seen through Lin Zimo's background: an A-rank talent, a Wind-system Psionic.

This actually settled his heart.

Among the three major combat systems, Mutants were treacherous, Physical Enhancers were fierce, and Psionics were most afraid of close combat.

If he were facing the former two today, it might indeed be difficult to escape; as it happened, he was facing a Psionic who manipulated wind blades.

In a flash of thought, the strange shifting power within his body was pushed to its limit.

He knew this 'Cosmic Shift' method could deflect or even reflect attacks, but facing a full-strength strike from an A-rank talent, he wasn't entirely confident.

The wind blade was already upon him.

Lin Zimo was a Fifth-Order Awakened, while Jiang Haojie was only a Second-Order. The gap in strength between the two was like a chasm.

Jiang Haojie wasn't sure if his 'Shifting Stars' move could completely intercept and reverse the opponent's incomparably sharp wind blade.

However, with the arrow on the string, he had no way back.

Under everyone's breathless gaze, that green wind blade slammed heavily into Jiang Haojie's chest.

The massive impact force threw his entire body against the wall behind him, producing a dull, heavy thud.

Jiang Haojie felt a sweetness in his throat, and blood immediately sprayed out.

But the expected scene of his body being sliced apart did not occur.

That wind blade actually hung eerily in front of Jiang Haojie, as if imprisoned by an invisible force, beginning to spin at high speed and emitting a sharp hum.

Before the onlookers could see the reason, Jiang Haojie suddenly let out a violent roar.

In the next instant, a scene that left everyone dumbfounded occurred—that wind blade actually shot back at an even faster speed, heading straight for its original master!

Lin Zimo's pupils shrank, and in his haste, he could only condense another wind blade to counter.

The two forces collided in mid-air and exploded violently; he only just managed to avoid this fatal counterattack.

Kamo and the others also came to their senses now, launching a coordinated attack on Jiang Haojie.

Jiang Haojie wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

His footwork shifted, his body sank slightly, and his palms drew a smooth, circular path in front of him.

In an instant, a low and majestic roar seemed to come from ancient times. It wasn't a real sound, yet it pounded heavily on everyone's hearts.

He thrust both palms forward violently.

"Dragons Repentance!"

A transparent burst of energy, hard to capture with the naked eye, surged out, vaguely outlining a dragon shape as it roared toward Kamo and the others.

In the midst of the muffled explosion, those Fourth-Order Awakened were actually shaken so hard they retreated repeatedly.

A flash of realization crossed Jiang Haojie's mind: the elevation of power levels indeed brought a world of difference.

"Don't give him a chance to catch his breath!"

Lin Zimo shouted sharply, green light already rapidly gathering and expanding in his palm, emitting heart-palpitating fluctuations. "He definitely can't perform moves of such power continuously!"

Jiang Haojie's gaze sharpened. He immediately abandoned Kamo and the others, his figure moving like lightning, heading straight for Lin Zimo, who was gathering power.

"Flying Dragon in the Sky!"

The dragon-shaped energy once again soared and pounced.

...

"Hidden Dragon Do Not Use!"

The offensive was continuous, each move more ruthless than the last.

Lin Zimo's eyelids twitched wildly, and he was horrified.

Jiang Haojie's fighting style was completely different from their path of relying on elemental energy; it was a more ancient, direct, and violent application of force.

"Stop him!"