"I'm going to show you the power of my whip,"
Hu Jia, seeing her attacks evaded by Xu Ran time after time, finally felt her defenses crumble.
With so many people watching, she seemed unable to match Xu Ran, which was something her usually strong sense of pride could hardly bear.
In the outer courtyard, she was one of the few with the strongest talent and abilities.
Even the well-renowned prodigies of the outer courtyard like Bai Shan and Wu Hao could only tie with her.
However, she didn't think she was inferior to Xu Ran. She had never practiced the kind of Dou Techniques that focused on hand-to-hand combat. Those weren't her strengths, so it was only natural for her to be able to do nothing against Xu Ran without using weapons for the time being.
"This guy is very strong," the white-clothed Bai Shan commented as he joined Wu Hao, his expression serious.
Laymen watch the excitement, connoisseurs appreciate the technique.
They both recognized that Xu Ran was strong, certainly not much weaker than Hu Jia, if at all.
It was clear that Xu Ran wasn't taking Hu Jia seriously; he was toying with her.
"Indeed, he's quite interesting, no wonder Xun Er and the others are so hung up on him. If he were just with Xiao Yu and Xiao Mei, that might be fine, but he shouldn't have involved himself with so many outstanding girls at the same time. His strength isn't worthy of that!" Bai Shan's face turned cold with a hint of jealousy.
The Xiao sisters were each breathtakingly beautiful, capable of toppling states and cities.
It would be quite a feat for an ordinary person to win over even one of them.
But Xu Ran...
Ever since Xun Er entered Canaan Academy, he has been relentlessly pursuing her. If Wu Hao's admiration for Xun Er was simple, then Bai Shan had many other ideas.
"His strength is stronger than I imagined," Wu Hao nodded in agreement.
He was keenly aware and had sensed Xu Ran's formidable strength.
"If Hu Jia shows signs of fatigue later, we could..."
"Isn't that a bit improper?" Wu Hao hesitated.
"Don't you want to help Xun Er escape his clutches? She's not suitable for him at all."
"Fine,"
Seeing Wu Hao agree, Bai Shan revealed a smile of relief and his gaze towards Xu Ran took on a playful turn.
He didn't think Xu Ran could possibly be a match for the three of them together.
...
Hu Jia was skilled with the whip, quickly drawing the long whip coiled around her waist.
"Darkwood Poisonous Serpent Vine!"
With a shout, Hu Jia's whip moved like a poisonous snake, agile yet with a venomous and biting momentum.
The sharp whip lashed through the air, making a series of whizzing sounds.
If the whip were to land on a normal person, it would definitely lash the flesh off their bones, with no hope for a quick recovery.
"Why is it that those capricious young ladies all like to use whips? Do they enjoy the feeling of lashing someone?" Xu Ran reflected for a moment, noting that those who favored long whips tended to have fiery temperaments, much like Hu Jia in front of him.
"What's it to you?"
"Watch how I lash you until you're torn and bloody today!"
Exerting her strength, Hu Jia's Wood-affiliated Dou Qi energy became exceptionally fierce as she lashed towards Xu Ran's face.
"Too slow. Tell me, Miss Hu Jia, with such slowness, by the time your whip lashes out, your enemies would have already fled. What good is that?"
"I've heard you're a genius in the outer courtyard, which wouldn't be just because others let you win, right? With your fiery temper, I doubt they'd dare defeat you," said Xu Ran, dodging casually and appearing directly behind Hu Jia. The long whip missed and violently struck the ground, shattering the sturdy stone tiles.
"You, you, what nonsense are you talking about? My strength is naturally strong, no one has ever let me win!" Hu Jia was so furious she was huffing and glaring. Xu Ran made it sound as if her fame in the outer courtyard was because others had let her win.
But her strength was naturally strong.
In the outer courtyard, aside from people like Bai Shan and Wu Hao, no one else is a match for her.
"Really? But I can't see anything about you that looks strong. Could it be you're deliberately holding back against me?" Xu Ran teased.
This girl, why does she seem like she can't afford to lose?
Teasing girls like her occasionally is actually quite entertaining.
"No way!"
"I haven't used my full strength; I just wasn't serious. Now I'm going to get serious. You're waiting for your death."
Hu Jia was initially stunned, staring at Xu Ran with a somewhat airheaded expression.
Yes.
Why, when she had used her signature Dou Technique, the Darkwood Poisonous Serpent Vine, Xu Ran still managed to dodge with ease?
Could it be that she was inferior to Xu Ran?
No, that's impossible, how could she be unable to defeat this annoying guy?
She must have been careless.
That guy Xu Ran, he kept talking and distracting her, causing her to lose her composure, and then she couldn't even perform at her normal level.
Yes, it must be that!
"Xu Ran, I've seen through your cunning plan. Are you trying to defeat me while I'm in disarray? I've seen right through you," Hu Jia declared triumphantly, feeling much better all of a sudden.
If Xu Ran were trying to defeat her this way, wouldn't it mean that Xu Ran's strength was inferior to hers, making him resort to such underhanded tactics? She was much stronger than Xu Ran.
She definitely wouldn't lose to someone like Xu Ran!
"Hmm, you really are ordinary and confident," Xu Ran retorted, somewhat taken aback.
Xu Ran was momentarily stunned.
It seemed that Hu Jia, this girl, hadn't experienced the harshness of society, which was why she had developed such a personality.
In any case, unless it was an obviously foregone conclusion, she would absolutely not admit that her strength was lesser than Xu Ran's.
"You're the one who's ordinary and confident!" Hu Jia got angry again.
For all these years, it was the first time she had been so enraged in such a short span.
She couldn't understand how Xun Er and the others had taken a liking to Xu Ran. He was so good at infuriating people. If she were to be with Xu Ran, wouldn't she be angered to death sooner or later?
The more she thought about it, the more she felt it was her duty to rescue Xun Er and the others from Xu Ran's evil clutches.
"It seems that only by giving you a big, tough fight can you see the real you," Xu Ran said helplessly.
"You dare?"
Hu Jia stopped the pointless chatter and swung her long whip forcefully, creating countless whip shadows in the air.
"Let's see how you dodge this time?" Hu Jia watched Xu Ran with a smug look.
Previously, her attacks had missed, making her increasingly irritated.
But now, with this move, there was no way Xu Ran could dodge.
"Who said I was going to dodge?"
Xu Ran stood there, and before the whip shadows even reached him, they dissipated. With a phantom-like speed, he reached out and firmly caught the long whip in his hand.
"This..." Hu Jia's eyes widened, somewhat in disbelief.
Xu Ran had actually dared to catch her whip with his bare hands, and he had indeed caught it.
The power of this whip was enough to leave a Great Fighter's skin split and flesh cracked, yet Xu Ran's hand remained unscathed, holding her whip tightly; she couldn't even pull it free.