The Illusion of Weakness

“Su Han, do you dare to accept my challenge?” Bailuan declared imperiously, his finger pointed directly at Su Han.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Su Han countered, dabbing a finger at the blood on her lip before licking it clean.

“Su Han, you can’t agree to this!” Ruolin exclaimed, surprised by Su Han’s acceptance, yet her primary concern was for Su Han’s well-being.

“Mentor Ruolin, will you trust me just this once?” Su Han asked with a calm smile.

“But you’re injured… you can’t possibly defeat him…” Ruolin trailed off, her words catching in her throat. She wanted to say more but held back, ultimately nodding at Su Han. “Yes, I trust you.”

Was Su Han arrogant? Or merely overconfident?

Su Han was no fool; she had her reasons for this course of action. As a formidable cultivator, Bailuan possessed his own pride and integrity.

Having just concluded a fierce battle and sustained serious injuries, Su Han knew that a person of Bailuan’s character would never stoop to taking advantage of her weakened state.

It wasn’t out of kindness, but rather a matter of face. In front of so many onlookers, Bailuan would never secretly resort to foul play, needing to uphold his dignity and reputation.

Thus, Su Han was gambling, confident she could win. She wagered that Bailuan would find a way to restore her to full health, as Bailuan would never exploit someone’s vulnerability in such a public manner.

Evidently, Su Han’s gamble paid off. Bailuan produced a reddish-brown pill and tossed it toward Su Han.

“Here, this is a fast-acting healing pill. Take it,” he said. “Recover quickly, lest anyone accuse me of taking advantage.”

Su Han caught the pill, yet did not immediately consume it. Instead, mimicking Bailuan’s playful tone, she asked, “How can I trust you?”

“Do you think there’s any point in me trying to harm you now?” Bailuan retorted with a smile, answering Su Han’s question with one of his own.

Indeed, how could Bailuan not know Su Han’s intentions? He simply saw through the ploy without explicitly stating it.

“True, there really isn’t any point.” Su Han then swallowed the pill.

‘I know exactly what schemes you’re concocting in your mind!’ Bailuan thought with a sinister grin, though his voice was too soft for Su Han to hear.

The pill dissolved instantly upon entering her mouth, its warm medicinal energy flowing smoothly down her throat, nourishing her heart, liver, spleen, and lungs. Her entire chest felt as if it had been ironed smooth, an indescribable comfort.

Such a tiny pill possessed such miraculous efficacy; her injuries healed completely within minutes. This forced Su Han to admire Bailuan’s exceptional alchemy skills.

Although Su Han had regained her peak strength, a vast chasm still separated her from Bailuan.

So why had Su Han agreed to Bailuan’s challenge? It wasn’t due to overconfidence, nor was it that she could no longer endure her hidden state. Rather, she sensed that Bailuan was unusually weak at this moment.

Perhaps this was a fleeting opportunity. Even if the hope was slim, it was far better than an indefinite wait, wasn’t it?

‘Strike while the iron is hot!’ Su Han thought.

Upon recovering, Su Han immediately underwent a dragonification, intending to launch a preemptive strike. Faced with Su Han’s sudden assault, Bailuan merely extended his right hand, piercing through space to grasp Su Han’s dragon maw.

Before Su Han could unleash a single breath of dragonfire, Bailuan forcefully suppressed it. The already condensed dragon breath was extinguished within Su Han’s own mouth, with grey-black smoke billowing from her massive nostrils like a train whistle, carrying an inferno of heat.

After her first attack proved ineffective, Su Han flapped her dark golden wings and raised her dark golden claws, soaring toward Bailuan’s forehead. Her resolute momentum was overwhelming, as if she wouldn’t rest until Bailuan’s skull was cleaved off.

One could almost imagine Bailuan’s brains splattering, a gruesome mix of red and white.

Yet, reality often diverges from beautiful imagination. Faced with Su Han’s direct assault, Bailuan didn’t utter a word. He swiftly reached out and seized the horn atop Su Han’s head.

With one hand gripping Su Han’s horn and the other clamped around her neck, rendering her immobile, Bailuan then twisted the horn with immense force. With a sharp ‘crack,’ the horn broke off and was casually discarded onto the ground.

Su Han wanted to scream in agony, but with her throat constricted by Bailuan, she could only emit a low whimper. Bailuan then released Su Han, only to grab her forelimb with his other hand, unleashing an unparalleled burst of strength that flung Su Han over his shoulder.

“Clap, clap.” Bailuan dusted his hands together, then effortlessly stepped through the air.

A mournful dragon’s roar escaped Su Han’s throat. How utterly powerless she was at this moment, once again experiencing fear in the face of absolute strength.

Before Bailuan, Su Han felt so minuscule, so utterly insignificant—like an ant that could be crushed at any moment.

Pulled by Bailuan’s immense force, Su Han hurtled forward, unable to brake or stop. She continued to crash forward with the momentum. Massive, inscribed stone pillars collapsed under the impact of Su Han’s dragon head, falling one after another.

Large groups of students on the pillars were terrified, their faces ashen. They tumbled down with the pillars, though fortunately, they didn’t suffer significant harm.

But it wasn’t over. Bailuan suddenly vanished, then reappeared directly in front of Su Han’s face. Before Su Han could react, long, powerful fingers gripped her dragon tail. Like Emperor Wei Wu brandishing a long whip, Bailuan swung Su Han’s dragon tail around as if cracking a whip.

Immediately, an entire row of surrounding stone pillars collapsed under the impact of Su Han’s dragon body. Large and small rubble, along with a swirling dust of stone fragments, kicked up a thick grey cloud.

Those with sense had already retreated from the battlefield, flying into the distance to clear the space for Bailuan and Su Han.

Thus, only Su Han and Bailuan remained in the center of the entire Cangnan Realm. Even Ye Qi, Michele, and Ruolin had consciously left the battleground, a gesture of respect for the fight that no one would dare to disrespect.

Stepping slowly from the dust, Bailuan’s expression remained indifferent. He casually glanced at Ruolin and Ye Qi, then, without warning, a surge of brutality suddenly welled up in his dark eyes!

At the same time, Su Han moved, abruptly transforming into a black blur. In mere instants, she generated a sharp whoosh of wind and an oppressive aura, appearing before Bailuan, causing everyone’s breath to catch.

Bailuan slightly raised his foot, intending to stomp on Su Han’s head. However, Su Han, with quick wit, used her Kaleidoscope of Holes to foresee Bailuan’s next move, narrowly dodging the utterly humiliating attack.

Bailuan ceased his direct entanglement with Su Han. Instead, he floated in mid-air, not drawing his magic staff, but chanting a magical incantation under his breath. As the final word, “Decay,” fell from his lips, a countdown for [Dragonification] appeared before Su Han’s eyes: “5…4…3…2…1…”

‘How can this be?! Dragonification for an hour, and it’s ending before even half the time is up?’ ‘Is it because of that spell?’

Su Han, still in mid-air, reverted from her dragon form back to her human shape, plummeting from the sky…

“Did you truly believe I was poisoned?” Bailuan walked toward Su Han, speaking as he advanced, a soft chuckle escaping his lips.

“You really are adorably naive and foolish, just as you were when you first consumed the Limit-Breaking Pill! What you perceived as weakness was merely an illusion I created…”