"A rare ocular ability, and one I've never seen before," An Lan said, clearly intrigued.
"Kid, let me test your ability myself."
As he spoke, blue arcs of electricity sparked across his body. Then he warned Baili An,
"Watch out!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the space where An Lan had stood was gone, leaving only a few lingering streaks of electricity.
So fast!
Baili An's eyes narrowed, and he immediately twisted his body with lightning speed.
Lowering his head to avoid a strike, he gripped his sword with his left hand, then swung it violently from the left side of his body toward An Lan.
Clang!
The metallic clash rang sharply as the two Tang Dao collided with tremendous force.
Incredible reflexes! He actually saw my move! An Lan's thoughts raced as he met Baili An's crimson eyes.
He had intended to grab Baili An's shoulder, but Baili An not only evaded the attack in advance, he countered instantly while still dodging.
As an experienced ability user, An Lan could read a lot from Baili An's movements alone.
"Amazing reflexes and body control," he murmured in admiration. "Unbelievable for someone who only started training two and a half years ago."
Baili An stayed silent, his Sharingan fixed on An Lan.
He felt a pressure that words couldn't describe.
That single exchange had already revealed much about his opponent, confirming An Lan's near-impossible strength.
Ever since awakening his Sharingan, Baili An had never felt such mountainous pressure.
It was… strangely nostalgic. A small smile appeared on his lips.
Baili An stepped back, breaking the standoff, then lunged forward again, swinging his sword at An Lan.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The spacious training room echoed with the crisp sounds of metal striking metal.
Their bodies blurred as they crossed each other, their Tang Dao clashing rapidly.
If the swords were sharpened, the repeated impact would have likely damaged them.
The commotion drew other students' attention immediately.
"What the hell is going on here?"
"I can't even see the moves clearly!"
"Who's that sparring with Teacher An? Didn't all the Rocket Class students go on Spirit Realm missions?"
"How can someone without Mysterious Realm-level psychic power reach this level? Is he some kind of special heir?"
From their perspective, the swords seemed to vanish entirely, leaving only the harsh sound of collisions.
"This feels weird…" said a rare C-rank mentalist student.
Unlike the others, who could barely hear the clashing, he could make out some of the action.
"What do you mean weird?"
"It looks like… just pure swordsmanship and martial arts, but Teacher An can't match him. He's only able to keep up because of speed and strength."
"No way! That's just wild swinging, where's the sword skill?"
"Don't talk nonsense if you can't see clearly."
An Lan felt frustrated.
In terms of raw swordsmanship and martial arts, Baili An had the upper hand.
And as time passed, Baili An seemed to anticipate his moves more accurately.
The sense of being controlled in combat was becoming obvious.
Since An Lan was testing Baili An's strength, he was intentionally restraining his power to match the boy's level, maybe slightly above.
Otherwise, he couldn't just swing and send him flying, right?
That wouldn't be a test at all.
As for speed…
If he tried to match Baili An's level fully, he could end up losing his hair to a single sword strike.
Baili An's Sharingan always found his weak points instantly.
It conceived the moves most uncomfortable for him and executed them flawlessly.
Baili An's attacks had no obvious pattern. His swordplay was simple yet efficient; the straightforward motions connected so seamlessly they overwhelmed An Lan.
It was like fighting a precise, high-efficiency combat machine.
An Lan's own skill was average. Had he known Baili An could wield the Tang Dao this well, he would have chosen a longer weapon.
This was frustrating if this continued, he could lose face in front of the students.
Speaking of which, Old He was watching nearby!
Realizing this, An Lan decided to change tactics.
Lightning sparked around him, and his body vanished from sight, leaving Baili An swinging at empty air.
Using his absolute speed advantage, An Lan flashed around Baili An, striking from different angles.
This made him relax a little.
It's a bit of showboating, but this feels easy enough.
Testing a student's strength didn't require him to exhaust himself completely.
He's getting faster…
Baili An's Sharingan tracked An Lan's every move to counter his attacks.
But An Lan struck with only one blade at a time. Baili An would block, then An Lan would instantly distance himself and accelerate his next strike.
At first, Baili An handled it easily.
Gradually, it became harder to keep up.
The Sharingan allowed him to see the moves, but his body couldn't match the speed.
Bang! Another blocked strike. An Lan vanished from sight again.
Left side this time… but too late, Baili An calculated.
Yet he still had a counter.
Like slow motion, Baili An locked eyes with An Lan, activating the ocular power within the Sharingan.
An Lan, about to adjust his strength, suddenly felt a sharp distortion in his vision.
Instinctively, he responded, pouring psychic energy to break the illusion.
But the brief hesitation allowed Baili An to block the Tang Dao.
"An illusion?" An Lan's eyes widened in disbelief.
"How is this possible? Your psychic power hasn't even reached the Mysterious Realm how can it affect me?"
Normally, psychic attacks below Mysterious Realm are ineffective against Mysterious Realm-level users.
"Wait, wait," An Lan said, tossing his sword aside. He waved at Baili An, then called Old He over.
"Old He, come here!"
Old He, already excited from watching, quickly approached.
He looked at Baili An in admiration.
"Unbelievable. You actually forced Old An back."
"What do you mean?" An Lan countered, "Anyway, forget that for now."
He briefly explained what had just occurred. Old He stared at Baili An in astonishment.
Then he looked back at An Lan. "Really?"
"Really," An Lan admitted.
"No way?"
"Absolutely."
"Are you sure?"
"Completely certain!" An Lan gritted his teeth.
"Then do you think it's possible that Baili An's eyes… could be rated as the first S-rank mental ability in history?" Old He asked eagerly.
"Unlikely," An Lan shook his head. "But A-rank is guaranteed."
"And that's not even the point… Let's go back to the office. I'll explain everything slowly."