"Chief, tell me… who do you think will win between the two of them?"
Underground, over twenty instructors were gathered around a screen, watching without blinking.
Before Yuan Gang could answer, another instructor said, "Is that even a question? Although Lin Qiye is also a Divine Agent, he is a new recruit after all; he can't win."
"That's not necessarily true. Honestly, although Wang Mian's Divine Ruin is ridiculously strong, that's only after his Realm is raised. At the 'Zhan' Realm, the power he can unleash is too limited. Plus, with Yi Yuan under a Seal, his odds against Lin Qiye are truly fifty-fifty."
"That's right. If we replaced Wang Mian with that Athena Agent from the [Phoenix] Team, Lin Qiye probably wouldn't last five moves… After all, that person is a humanoid Tyrannosaurus; the gap in strength cannot be made up by speed alone."
"Looking at it this way… what if Lin Qiye actually wins?" one instructor couldn't help but mutter. "Are we really going to follow the Chief's word and let them end the training directly?"
"…If that really happens, the higher-ups will probably beat our brains out."
Yuan Gang silently watched the battlefield between the two and spoke slowly, "Let's keep watching. It's too early to say anything before these two have decided the outcome."
…
"Going all out, huh…"
Hearing Lin Qiye's words, a hint of admiration appeared in Wang Mian's eyes, and he nodded slightly.
"Very good."
Clang—!
The blades in their hands collided, and at the same time, the Time God Ruins opened once again.
Lin Qiye took a deep breath, mobilizing his mental state to its Peak. If nothing unexpected happened, their battle would soon have a result.
The blade of Yi Yuan cut through the air, emitting a faint hum. Lin Qiye instinctively raised his blade and slashed towards Yi Yuan!
Just at that moment, the eyes beneath Wang Mian's Mask suddenly rippled with invisible waves, and a tyrannical Divine Might erupted from his eyes, surging into Lin Qiye's mind.
Lin Qiye had used the Seraph's Divine Might to intimidate countless people, but being intimidated by another's Divine Might was a first. Almost the instant the Time God's Divine Might erupted, Lin Qiye's pupils likewise constricted!
Within his eyes, two piercing golden rays emerged, as if they were a pair of blazing furnaces, emitting terrifying Divine Might!
In mid-air, the two gazes collided.
A gust of wind erupted from the center of their gazes, and the rampaging Divine Might, centered on the two, suppressed the entire field!
"Holy shit, these two just glared at each other, how did a wind storm start!" Baili Pangpang exclaimed.
Libra stared at the two in the distance without blinking, muttering to himself, "Now… it is the gods behind them clashing."
The Seraph's Divine Might and the Time God's Divine Might collided fiercely for several seconds. Both of their eyes started to become bloodshot. Now, they were not competing with their own strength, but with the Divine Power stored within their bodies!
Boom—!
With a soft sound, Wang Mian suddenly groaned and took half a step back.
At the same time, the Time God Ruins around him shattered inch by inch!
A sharp glint flashed in Lin Qiye's eyes, and he stepped forward…
Suddenly swinging his blade!
This time, Wang Mian didn't have time to block with his blade.
The pale blue blade grazed Wang Mian's Mask, slicing the character "Wang" on it in two!
Crack—!
Wang Mian's Mask… shattered.
Beneath the Mask, a delicate and composed face was revealed, looking helplessly at Lin Qiye before him.
The onlookers stood up with a start, gasping in shock!Including the instructors sitting in front of the screen, their hearts skipped a beat, thinking, "Oh no!"
"Sorry…"
Wang Mian stared into Lin Qiye's eyes and said softly.
Immediately after, the ripples in his eyes spread out again.
Time God Ruins, expand!
The fragments of the Mask shattering in mid-air rapidly flowed back onto Wang Mian's face. His backward-leaning figure gradually returned to its original position, and the people around who had stood up sat back down just as they were, a look of confusion appearing in their eyes.
Lin Qiye's body uncontrollably backtracked, his straight blade returned along its original path, the cracks on the Mask began to heal, and his body returned to the position before he swung the blade...
Lin Qiye's eyes widened, filled with shock!
Time had flowed back to three seconds ago.
At that time, the duel of Divine Might between the two had not yet been decided, he had not yet swung his blade, and Wang Mian's Mask had not yet shattered.
"Y-You....!" Lin Qiye could hear Lin Xi Chen's incoherent and stuttering voice coming through the loudspeaker in her hand, her power ignoring the forbidden ruins of others.
The onlookers around seemed to have forgotten that scene just now and were still cheering for the two, only Lin Qiye and Lin Xi Chen… remembered what had just happened.
No, besides Lin Qiye, the instructors who were constantly staring at the screen also knew what had just happened.
"He… he slashed Wang Mian's Mask?!"
"Holy shit!"
"Luckily… luckily Wang Mian reversed time, otherwise we would have really messed up!"
"But, is something like time reversal something that can be used at the 'Zhan' Realm?"
"No… just now Wang Mian unsealed his Realm. In that instant, he at least reached the River Realm."
"Doesn't that mean we lost?!"
"Ahem, right now Lin Qiye has not slashed Wang Mian's Mask, so we haven't lost."
"But he unsealed his Realm! Isn't that cheating!"
"How can a scholar's business be called cheating? Do you really want this training to end right now? Would you be happy then?"
"..."
The instructors immediately started arguing noisily. Just then, Yuan Gang slowly stood up from his seat and checked the time.
"It's already nine o'clock. The battle is over."
"Chief, so the win or loss…"
Yuan Gang glanced at him and spoke calmly, "The training must continue. This is not for our reputation… This is for the future of these children."
"Yes…"
On the ground.
Lin Qiye looked down at the blade in his hand, then looked at Wang Mian in front of him. After a long while, he finally realized what had happened.
"You cheated…"
"Shh!!!"
Wang Mian put his finger to his lips, then leaned close to Lin Qiye's ear and whispered, "Lin Qiye… I admit, I just lost to you, but… this new recruit training must go on. Do you understand what I mean?"
Lin Qiye's expression instantly turned weird.
"You want me to pretend I didn't win? To act as if everything that just happened never occurred?"
"That's the idea." Wang Mian nodded, then added, "But don't worry, all the instructors have seen your performance. After this battle ends, you can, as the winner, ask them for… some compensation."
Lin Qiye raised an eyebrow. "I am a person of principle."
"I estimate that there shouldn't be a problem with them giving you a red packet of 500,000."
"…My principle…"
"Perhaps, they might even give you a Forbidden Item for self-defense."
"Ahem, my…"
"How about this, I'll owe you another favor." Wang Mian stared into Lin Qiye's eyes. "As the captain of the Masked Squad, I owe you a favor."
"Deal! Wait- Did you do a deal with Lin Xi Chen too? I see her almost take your ma-" Wang Mian immediately covered Lin Qiye's mouth and looked around to see if anyone was there.
"Ahem.... That's a secret.... But the deal is higher since she almost end the battle in an hour...."
Wang Mian chuckled sheepishly and cleared his throat, prompting Lin Qiye to raise his eyebrows and smile. So, Lin Xi Chen had nearly won... As expected, she couldn't possibly lose, given how incredibly powerful her special skill was.
When it came down to it, they had all taken bribes.