The chase in the forest continued.
Yu Lang led them on a gamely chase, going as fast as he could while ignoring his wounds. But there were too many of them. They were overtaking him and closing the surround.
All of their strongest fighters were on him.
But they were still afraid of Yu Lang’s dual resonances, and also of what he might do if he got desperate when they surrounded him. Moreover, Yu Lang’s speed was indeed his forte. The combination of these factors allowed him to prolong the chase.
But as time dragged on, Liu Xiao and the others were getting impatient.
This was going on too long.
Enough was enough.
“Enough! Close in on him!” Liu Xiao shouted.
He led the way, white energy glowing on his palms and falling off as snowflakes. He fashioned a snow python a few meters long, then sent it spiraling through the air at the fleeing Yu Lang.
Yu Lang saw this attack coming, and he put on a desperate burst of speed in response. Even so, half of him ended up trussed up in the snake’s coils.
POOM!
There was a sickening crunch as the snake tightened around him, and Yu Lang retched a mouthful of blood as he tumbled helplessly across the ground.
Liu Xiao and the others looked exultant.
“Something’s wrong,” one leader said doubtfully.
“He’s… really weak,” another leader agreed.
Liu Xiao was looking more uncertain now as well. Perhaps Yu Lang had faked it the first time, but pretending at this time seemed idiotic. When he had snared Yu Lang in his snake, he had sensed that his resonant power wasn’t very strong.
Perhaps even at the Pattern Genesis Tier.
Dual resonances at the Pattern Genesis Tier?
Impossible!
“Liu Xiao, your information is wrong,” one leader said flatly. Yu Lang was completely different from the description. And there was no sign of his fabled dual resonances.
“Liu Xiao, you wouldn’t be trying to snag the anima cumulonimbus for yourself, would you?”
More of them were glowering at him now. “I didn’t lie to you.” Liu Xiao hastily defended himself. “Our senior told me that personally! A guy in the Astral Sage College called Yu Lang is a dual resonance user and a real killer.”
“Does this fool look like a killer to you?” another guy jeered.
Liu Xiao had no response. He burned with shame and confusion.
“Stay on track. Let’s get the location of the anima cumulonimbus out of this guy,” one person said.
The others nodded, then they turned away from Liu Xiao back to Yu Lang.
Yu Lang was aching all over. He wiped the blood from his mouth with one shaking hand, then he turned on them furiously. “Which bloody school are you bloody assholes from, eh?! What kind of madness is this?”
“What are you playing at, Yu Lang?” Liu Xiao eyed him coldly.
Yu Lang was as furious as he was confused. These ten musketeers had ganged up on him, and three of them were even at the Evolving Resonance Tier. The others were higher Pattern Genesis cultivators compared to him. An outclass on all fronts. And they wanted to know what HE was playing at??
“Show us your true strength. That would be respectful to us,” Liu Xiao demanded.
He was still looking at Yu Lang with some expectancy. He was hoping that Yu Lang had some awesome power—anything to help him win back his credit. They had the numbers advantage on him, so even if he revealed dual resonances, they were not afraid.
If Yu Lang was truly as weak as he seemed, then Liu Xiao would have lost all face and credibility.
Yu Lang stayed quiet.
He suddenly felt very tired. Tired of dealing with these lunatics. So he wasn’t as strong as them, fine. But just end it here. Why humiliate him?
“I don’t even have enough strength left to suckle on my mother’s breast. What power am I supposed to demonstrate?”
And that was how the strange praise-and-denial stalemate began.
Liu Xiao said, “You’re very strong!”
Yu Lang rebutted, “You’re very wrong!”
Liu Xiao yelled, “Stop pretending!”
Yu Lang yelled back, “I’m not pretending!”
In the end, Yu Lang gave up. He lay down on the ground and gave up all resistance.
Seeing Yu Lang like this made Liu Xiao extremely angry. This guy was a real pain in the ass. He would rather go peacefully than help Liu Xiao win back his reputation? What a poisonous, little shit!
The Astral Sage College’s pedagogies were slippery as hell!
“Since you’re being so stubborn, don’t blame me for what I do now,” Liu Xiao snapped at him. “We’re going to strip you and hang you upside down naked.”
Yu Lang had nothing to say.
Damn, this was excessive. A gentleman could die, as long as he had his dignity. These guys had no shame!
Even a cornered rabbit would bite if it was desperate!
“Alright, you want to see my skills? I’ll show you!” Yu Lang raged. He snatched up his long dagger, fury in his eyes.
The group immediately sprang back, weapons at the ready. They hurriedly cloaked themselves with resonant power defenses.
Was the hidden genius from the Astral Sage College finally going to reveal his dual resonances?
Green wind resonant power rose from Yu Lang’s body. He was only a Fourth Pattern right now. Although he was nothing like the Evolving Resonance Tier elites in their generation, he had managed to catch up to the ordinary level for Violet Vibrance students.
Not like it was going to help much in this situation.
But he had no other choice.
“Chaotic Tempest Slash!”
Yu Lang leaped forward with an angry shout, slashing out towards Liu Xiao.
Liu Xiao summoned up all his resonant power and sent a blast of chill air in response.
Ting, ting, ting!
The three slashes of green power from Yu Lang barely lasted a moment before they were completely broken.
Liu Xiao was incredibly furious. “Why!? Why is Yu Lang so weak?! This is impossible!”
But suddenly, a belated flash of light swept out, a crackling brightness that stood out against the gray, dreary background.
Liu Xiao felt a chill run down his spine.
Again he summoned his frost powers into an ice python that he sent out against the light.
POOM!
A huge sound.
Following the explosion, Liu Xiao’s snake disappeared in a puff as if it were powdered snow. The light attack smashed into his body.
Pssssssh!
A long arc of blood sprayed out from his mouth, and Liu Xiao flew backward, smashing into a tree.
Bizarrely, Liu Xiao was exultant. “You see? You see?! I wasn’t lying! He has dual resonances! Yes! YES!” Yu Lang was absolutely bemused. He looked down at his own dagger. Had he suddenly become strong? He could beat a First Changing elite student?
“Who am I? What am I??”
Yu Lang smiled to himself. He always knew he was a genius.
He looked at them again. They were looking fearful now, and backing away slowly. Were they scared of him?
Nope.
They were looking behind him.
Yu Lang turned around to see a large group of people strolling forward.
In the lead was a majestic, silver-haired youth, none other than their fresh prince himself, Li Luo.
Yu Lang felt tears of happiness form.
Li Luo scratched his chin and took a lazy look at the ten people surrounding Yu Lang. He immediately sensed that some of them were even at the Evolving Resonance Tier. “Yu Lang, what in the world have you done this time? Why are they all after you, hmm?” Yu Lang stared at him, almost exasperated enough to cry.
“Why?
“F*ck if I know why! These people are perverts.”
