A horrified murmur began to ripple through the spectator stands.
The disciples who hadn't been in the Lower Realm were suddenly looking at Ji'an with dawning, terrified awe.
Yan Lie wasn't done. He placed a hand over his heart, shaking his head with a perfectly manufactured sigh of self-preservation.
"I am a man who knows his limits," Yan Lie projected loudly. "I have no desire to anger a chef who can cook a high-level beast so freely. If I fight him and earn his grudge, I fear I will wake up tomorrow to find myself being marinated in chili oil and turned into a spicy stew. I value my life too much to risk the wrath of the Class 9 Chef."
He then executed a slow, sweeping, highly theatrical bow directly toward Lin Ji'an.
As he straightened up, he met Ji'an's incredulous, horrified gaze.
He winked at her, a blatant, arrogant, completely psychotic wink that promised he was enjoying this far too much.
