"You think your strength is too weak to even pay me protection money?" Xu Ran couldn't help but laugh. Zi Yan, this girl, was a bit too greedy.
After taking so much from him, she even expected him to keep paying protection money in the future?
That was simply shameful!
Did he really look like such an honest person?
"You're looking down on me?" Zi Yan glared at him furiously, staring at Xu Ran with venom. Was she actually being underestimated by Xu Ran? That made her extremely displeased; for so many years, no one had dared to speak to her in that tone.
Even if Xu Ran had cursed at her, she wouldn't have been this angry. The way Xu Ran ignored her was utterly annoying to her.
As the number one in the Inner Court's strength ranking, did she really have no presence?
Or was it that Xu Ran, from the Outer Court, simply didn't understand the importance of the strength ranking?
Zi Yan had heard from Su Qian about the many valuable things Xu Ran possessed and couldn't wait to find him, but she knew nothing about Xu Ran. Given Zi Yan's status, she should have been well-informed about many things regarding Xu Ran, but unfortunately, at Canaan Academy, other than the "delicious" things, nothing else could pique her interest.
"I did not, you said it yourself," Xu Ran shrugged his shoulders.
"You are looking down on me! I'm so angry!"
"Today, I'll let you see just how formidable I, Zi Yan, am. Once you realize the gap between our strengths, you'll understand how lucky you are to be my subordinate. To be my subordinate, you just need to give me more Elixirs..." Zi Yan muttered, stamping her foot hard, and her entire body disappeared.
Space power.
With the ability to control space, a Douwang of the same level wouldn't even qualify to clash with Zi Yan.
Zi Yan reappeared behind Xu Ran and threw a heavy punch.
Inside Canaan Academy, Zi Yan was known by the nickname "Savage King."
Zi Yan, a member of the Taixu Ancient Dragon Royal Family, possessed terrifying strength.
During the Inner Court Grand Competition at Canaan Academy, Zi Yan usually resolved her opponents with a single punch, never resorting to any flashy Dou Techniques.
No matter how sophisticated the Dou Techniques were, they weren't as useful as the raw power of one's physical body.
The so-called principle of breaking all techniques with brute force meant that Zi Yan's strength, combined with her spatial ability, could catch you off guard and deliver a punch from where you least expected it... that would feel exhilaratingly sour.
"Forget it, I don't want to kill you for real; then I wouldn't have any Elixirs to consume later," Zi Yan muttered under her breath, significantly holding back her power.
"Is that all? You should go all out. I'll fight you with the power of a Douwang," Xu Ran said, controlling his "Cultivation Level" to the level of a one-star Douwang.
As the aura of a Douwang radiated out, Zi Yan was stunned.
"You're a Douwang too? Then why are you still in the Outer Court?"
"Hmph. It looks like I've underestimated you. However, with equal "Cultivation Level," I am unbeatable. If you were a Douhuang, you might stand a chance, but as a Douwang, you don't." She had absolute confidence in her strength.
If she went all out, she could shatter a Douwang with a single punch.
Against Douwangs, she had never lost; she always ended the fights with one punch.
"Really?"
Xu Ran also threw a punch, slamming forcefully into Zi Yan's tiny fist.
Boom!
Zi Yan stumbled several steps backward, her eyes wide with astonishment as she looked at Xu Ran, filled with disbelief.
Her punch was strong enough to cripple most Douwangs. In the past, whenever she swung that heavy punch, those Douwangs would be knocked down by her single blow. It was precisely because her way of fighting was straightforward and unadorned that people called her the Savage King.
Yet now, after delivering such a punch, Xu Ran hadn't fallen.
Instead, it was she who felt a bit of pain in her fist, which seemed capable of smashing everything.
"Damn it!"
"I don't believe this. I want to see how long you can hold out against me!" Zi Yan pouted, continuously throwing punches, each one stronger than the last.
"This is almost at the level of a Douhuang, truly worthy of the most powerful Magical Beast on the Fighting Spirit Continent," Xu Ran exclaimed in admiration. On the Fighting Spirit Continent, the Taixu Ancient Dragon and the Sky Phoenix were the top Magical Beasts, though now only the Taixu Ancient Dragon remained.
On the Fighting Spirit Continent, Zi Yan's talent was no less than Xun Er's, with a limitless future ahead of her.
And being part of the Dragon Clan, Xu Ran naturally wanted to lend Zi Yan a hand.
In a certain sense, Xu Ran was now the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Dragons; even the Taixu Ancient Dragon was merely a branch of the Dragon Clan.
So, it would be strange if Zi Yan could beat Xu Ran.
"This is infuriating. Xu Ran, that's your name, right?" Zi Yan was so annoyed that she beat her chest and stomped her feet.
Since she was little, virtually everything she attempted succeeded; even coming to Canaan Academy had been smooth sailing, without any setbacks. Now that she was being manhandled by Xu Ran, it would be strange for her temperament not to explode.
The power of the Taixu Ancient Dragon's bloodline began to be unconsciously released by Zi Yan.
Each punch carried a terrifying force.
However, even so, it was to no avail.
Especially since Zi Yan always felt that there was something indescribable about Xu Ran, something that deeply suppressed her, making even her breathing feel a bit difficult.
It was not the pressure of aura that a stronger being imposed on a weaker one, but more like a bloodline-based suppression.
Zi Yan furrowed her brows deeply and looked at Xu Ran, her annoyance now mixed with a growing wariness.
It had been a long time since she had encountered someone as powerful as this. Even the Douhuangs and Douzongs of Canaan Academy did not matter to her, because she knew she would surpass them one day. But Xu Ran was different; she had lost to Xu Ran on the very quality she was most proud of—her strength.
Her fists were in so much pain, yet Xu Ran seemed completely unaffected.
Most importantly, the inexplicable feeling of oppression was causing her a sensation akin to chest tightness, instinctively making her feel weaker than Xu Ran.
"Who exactly are you? Why can you give me that feeling?" Zi Yan stopped her attacks and kept her distance from Xu Ran. She thought of Xu Ran as a monster and knew with her strength she was no match for him. Furthermore, Xu Ran's comprehension of space power was much stronger than hers. It must have been Xu Ran's doing that prevented her from leaving the room using space power earlier.
Could it be… Xu Ran had some connection to her?
Could Xu Ran know about her origins?
"Because you're weak," he said.
"Xu Ran, you must come from an extraordinary background, right? You must know a lot about the matters of the Continent," Zi Yan furrowed her brows. Although Canaan Academy was not bad, the most mysterious places on the Continent were in Zhongzhou, and Canaan Academy had only a cursory knowledge of many things about Zhongzhou.
She felt Xu Ran was no ordinary person and likely came from Zhongzhou.
And she herself likely came from Zhongzhou as well.
"Are you wanting to ask me about your origins?" He saw through Zi Yan's thoughts with just one glance and couldn't help but smile.
"You know?" Zi Yan's heart jolted, and she swallowed her saliva, her face flushing with excitement.