522 - 527

Chapter 522 - Why are you scared?

"Ah… Captain is actually a loyalist." Everyone yelped in surprise. A few of them had come from large families and understood what it meant to be a loyalist—they were individuals born to serve and die for their master. Their entire life would be enveloped in darkness, never to see the light.

"Aren't loyalists only allowed to stay in the family and not be allowed to apply for military academies?" Yi Tiange asked what everyone else was confused about.

"It's because I received permission from Young Master Lan and was allowed to attend military school." Ling Yi cool expression showed a grateful smile, instantly making him seem to have a warmer personality.

"Permission? Could it be that your Young Master Lan asked your family head for you?" Yi Tiange involuntarily frowned. He understood clearly the importance of loyalists for a family; they were the most secretive existence in a family. Normally, families wouldn't even allow loyalists to come into contact with the outside world, fearing that they may have a change of heart. If the family head nonchalantly agreed to their child's requests and didn't care for the family's rules, then that family would become closer to ceasing to exist.

"No, Young Master Lan is the family head of the Ling family." Ling Yi's response surprised everyone. Ling Yi had come up from the scout academy and didn't join in the middle, which meant that Ling Yi was given permission to attend before he was 6 years old. In other words, Ling Lan had to have been the family head at that time, or even earlier than that. This meant that Ling Lan had become the family head when he was six or seven years old? He was probably the youngest family head in history.

It should be known that the family head that families chose nowadays required that they be direct descendants that were 30 years old. If the direct descendants did not meet this requirement, they would choose indirect descendants who were at the right age to temporarily be the family head. When the direct descendants became 30 years old, they would then reselect the real family head. This made sure that the family head wouldn't be controlled and cheated by servants due to young age, creating problems for the family and threatening the legacy of the family.

"He's not a puppet?" Yi Tiange made a worried gesture with his hand.

Ling Yi stared at him angrily and replied, "Of course not. Young Master Lan is the official family head. He was very strong when he was young. No one would dare to go against Young Master Lan's orders."

Hearing this, Yi Tiange looked at Ling Yi with a serious look, patted Ling Yi on the shoulder and said, "Ling Yi, now I can finally safely put my life in your hands. To be able to respect such a young family head and not think of taking power, everyone in your family deserves to be trusted."

"F**k off!" Ling Yi brushed off Yi Tiange's hand. Those of the Ling family were all loyal, morally sound and courageous people. Otherwise, how could they nurture someone like General Ling Xiao?

Ling Yi thought about this fact proudly. However, he knew very well that he couldn't say anything about Ling Xiao. Whenever Ling Qin had contacted him during all these years, he had always reminded him that in order to protect Young Master Lan, he definitely could not allow anyone to know that Young Master Lan was Ling Xiao's son.

Ling Yi looked at the team members beside him with regret but returned to being calm the next second. He was Young Master Lan's loyalist. Even if he betrayed his brothers, he would take this secret to his grave.

"However, loyalists that are exposed are no longer considered loyalist. Can you still return to his side?" Yi Tiange finally asked a cruel question. He didn't believe that Ling Yi didn't know about this fact.

Ling Yi's expression showed hesitation, but he quickly firmed himself and said, "Young Master Lan said that when I become stronger, he will let me return." He felt as if this promise had been made yesterday. He had said that he would take over Uncle Yu's position and become Young Master Lan's loyalist captain, becoming Young Master Lan's most devoted loyalist. He would do what he promised! Ling Yi lowered his hands and clenched them even tighter, as though this could increase his confidence.

Yi Tiange sighed internally. He, Rong Ziruo and Yan Wuyou exchanged glances and an understanding came to be formed from their eyes. Seeing how Ling Yi still dreamt of returning to Ling Lan's side, they didn't say anything to deter his dream.

Loyalists were not allowed to be exposed. They were not allowed to have contact with the outside world and were even more so not allowed to have a battle team, friends and comrades like Ling Yi. They only lived for their masters. Ling Yi's current condition didn't even meet the lowest requirements for a loyalist. Yi Tiange believed that the young Ling Yi had definitely been deceived by his Young Master Lan.

Ling Yi's mood slowly calmed and returned to the cool young man from before. He looked at the comrades who had grown up with him and instantly felt full of confidence and courage. He yelled, "Let's go. We're going to sign up."

Ling Yi was the first to take a huge step towards the hover car station that was closest to them. Yi Tiange and the others looked at each other with faces full of smiles. This Ling Yi that was full of energy was definitely their captain. They happily followed.

"Young Master Lan, I, Ling Yi, am coming to you!"

At the first faction of the Lingtian Mecha Clan's headquarters, Ye Xu led a few members and walked into the atrium. Once Ye Xu walked it, he felt that the atrium felt different from usual after walking only a few steps. Before he could think deeply, he heard the people behind him shout out, "Senior Ye, wait a moment."

Ye Xu turned around to take a look; it was a second-year junior who was part of the atrium's reception services. The junior was briskly walking towards him with a face full of pleasant surprise.

"Something wrong?" Ye Xu asked curiously.

The second-year junior said while blushing, "Senior Ye, are you going to where Captain Wu is?"

"Yes." Ye Xu normally wouldn't go to the headquarters. If he went to the headquarters, he would always look for his own captain to discuss some things about the battle team. Ever since Wu Jiong became responsible for everything in the headquarters, the training arrangements of the battle team were given to this vice-captain, Ye Xu, and this had made him become really busy.

"Could I ask Senior Ye to help me give this to Captain Wu?" The junior suddenly bowed at a 90-degree angle and handed him a small memory card.

Ye Xu was utterly surprised by the person's respectful posture. He unconsciously took a step back and said, "Stand up and speak normally. Why are you doing this?" After saying that, he pointed at the item in his hands and asked, "And what's in here?"

"This contains this year's new cadet applications who are applying for our clan. Please give this to Captain Wu, Senior Ye." The second-year cadet didn't stand up but instead lowered his head even more.

"I'll give it to him on the way there. However, did something happen for you to be this diligent?" Ye Xu saw that the other person's head was almost hitting the ground and felt sorry for him; thus, he took the memory card and asked him this question confusedly.

The second-year junior breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Ye Xu accept the item and showed an expression of rejoice that seemed like the amount of joy he will feel throughout the rest of his life. Upon hearing Ye Xu's question, he looked around before drawing closer to Ye Xu and softly saying, "The boss came today." After saying that, he pointed up to show that the boss was at where captain Wu was.

It had been a while since the clan members no longer regarded Ling Lan as captain but as the boss.

Ye Xu gasped at his reply. He subconsciously took a look at the memory card in his hand, but right when he wanted to give it back to the junior…

"Where did he go?" Ye Xu stared ahead, stunned. The second-year cadet, who had been standing in front of him respectfully, had now vanished without a trace. Ye Xu actually didn't see when he had run away.

Ye Xu then wanted to find someone else to give the memory card to, but discovered that the atrium that was supposed to be crowded and loud was now empty without a single person in sight. No wonder he had felt something was off when he walked into the atrium—it had been too silent.

"These punks. Why didn't I see them run this fast during training? Now they ran away faster than anyone," Ye Xu said to himself as he clenched the memory card.

Ye Xu turned around and looked at his team members. His team members met his gaze and all of them took a huge step back. One of them held onto his stomach and said with a pained expression, "Vice-captain, my stomach hurts. I'm going to the washroom." He didn't want to go see the boss.

Ye Xu dragged him close and then shot a warning gaze at the other members who were moving about. He said, "Whoever dares to run away, I will definitely ask Boss to train them for seven days."

This kind of threat was really terrifying and made the members stop in their tracks. They all cried out in agony. One member pleaded, "Vice-captain, please let us go this time. Even if we go, we wouldn't be of any help to you…"

"Right, right. Vice-captain, just let us go please."

"You guys want me to face Boss by myself? No way. If we die, we die together." Ye Xu didn't let them off. He believed that having more people to take the pressure of the boss was a great idea. In addition, even if it had no effect, he would feel it fair if there were other people who were punished alongside him.

Just like that, Ye Xu, who didn't want to be the only one punished, heartlessly dragged his teammates into the elevator.

After coming to the door of Wu Jiong's office, the members all huddled behind Ye Xu and pushed him forward. If it were possible, they really didn't want to come here.

Ye Xu hesitated for a long while, but in the end, bit his lip and pressed down the doorbell on the door frame. The earlier he died, the quicker he'd be able to get into heaven.

"Come in!" Wu Jiong's voice came out from the doorbell's little speaker. As his voice faded, the door suddenly opened from the side.

Ye Xu took a deep breath and walked into the door as though he wasn't going to come back alive.

Wu Jiong's office was very big. The first thing that came into sight was the living room, where there were many sofas surrounding a large coffee table. The glass of the coffee table was actually a large screen. When they needed to discuss something and needed to go into the virtual world to look for information or watch certain videos, they would turn on the screen and use it. Usually, the coffee table's function was a coffee table and had tea sets on top.

Behind the living room was Wu Jiong large office desk. At that moment, Wu Jiong wasn't sitting at his desk but was sitting on a sofa facing the door. He saw that Ye Xu had walked in and smiled, saying, "Ye Xu, you've come?"

Ye Xu took a quick look around and didn't see Ling Lan's presence. He instantly let out a sigh of relief. "So Boss isn't here."

Wu Jiong frowned and asked, "You're looking for Boss?"

Ye Xu instantly shook his head. "No, no, I just heard someone from below say that Boss came here and was in your office." No longer feeling pressured, Ye Xu began to make random guesses. "Did Boss go to his own captain's quarters? Or did he go to the silent room for Closed Door Meditation? Or maybe he went to beat up Qi Long and the others…"

Wu Jiong's expression showed a hint of strangeness. He quickly cut off Ye Xu and asked, "If you're not looking for Boss, then why are you here?"

Ye Xu raised the memory card in his hand and begrudgingly said, "It's those punks from downstairs. They thought Boss was here and gave me this list of new cadets applying for the clan. Before I could react, they all ran away without a trace. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to find you at this time. They're afraid of Boss and I am as well."

As Ye Xu spoke, he looked down and began to look through the memory card he had in his hand. He wanted to know what kind of outstanding cadets were available that was worth their attention this year.

"What are you afraid of?" A clear and cold voice suddenly rang out.

Ye Xu, who was looking at the information, thought it was Wu Jiong who had asked him. He raised his head in surprise and said, "Huh? Captain, you're joking, right? Don't tell me you're not afraid. I don't believe that. The Boss' cold glare is the sight of death and could freeze someone to death instantly. Besides that, the aura on Boss is domineering enough to make someone suffocate. Standing beside Boss is actually the same as going against the reaper." Ye Xu patted his own chest with fear for his life and finished, "I don't want to die young."

Wu Jiong's smile grew increasingly bitter, and the expression he wore as he looked at Ye Xu became more and more sympathetic. Was this guy this slow? Those who wanted to die didn't die like this.

"Ye Xu, looks like your training wasn't enough. I don't see Qi Long and the others feel uncomfortable being around me." That cold voice rang out once again.

Ye Xu's expression changed instantly—he straightaway lowered his head, peeked up at Wu Jiong and accused him, "Captain, you've made a fool of me!"

Wu Jiong shrugged and mouthed silently, "Idiot." Not being able to differentiate Boss' voice? What was he if not an idiot?

Ye Xu laughed bitterly as he turned his head towards the direction where the voice had come from, and he saw Ling Lan sitting in one of the sofas with its back faced towards the door. Ling Lan had her arms crossed together and was watching him coldly.

"Boss, Boss, seeing you really makes me happy." Ye Xu suddenly pounced towards Ling Lan and made a hugging motion.

Ling Lan stopped Ye Xu by bringing up her right leg and placing it against his chest. "Don't give that sh*t. In any case, to train your nerves, you'll be training with me for seven days next week. If you still can't get it right, then we'll train more until your nerves are gone."

"No, Boss!" Ye Xu began to cry in agony. He turned around and looked at Wu Jiong with an expression full of entreaty, asking for him to save his life!

Wu Jiong thought it was funny and immediately helped his own vice-captain get out of the situation. "Boss, Ye Xu's nerves definitely needs training, but the mecha clan still needs him as a laborer. Aren't there new cadets that want to join? We're short on assessment officers. When we're done with this, I will send him to you and let you train him."

"Captain, you really are the captain!" thought Ye Xu. Ye Xu was so moved that he was crying and sobbing. He had definitely made a smart choice when he had joined Wu Jiong's battle team. As long as he made it past this period of time, Boss would be very busy. After a long time passed, he would automatically escape from this nightmare.

Ling Lan huffed. She exerted a bit of strength into her right leg and kicked Ye Xu onto one of the sofas on the side, saying, "Since your own captain says so, then I'll let you go for now."

Ling Lan looked towards Wu Jiong and continued, "Since you're short on assessment officers, I'll let Qi Long and the others come help you."

Wu Jiong's eyes flickered as he replied, "That would be great. With Qi Long and the others joining, we will be able to handle this year's new cadet evaluations."

Although he hadn't received the detailed list of applicants, Wu Jiong already knew that almost half the new cadets had applied for the Lingtian Mecha Clan after receiving information from the application department. It seemed that the glory that Ling Lan had obtained through leading the First Men's Military Academy in last year's Grand Mecha Tournament had made a huge influence on these new cadets; otherwise, a newly formed mecha clan that was founded by a second-year cadet would never have been swarmed by new cadets.

Chapter 523 - Evaluation!

Ye Xu heard that he had temporarily gotten away from trouble, so he immediately crawled up from the sofa. He saw Ling Lan shoot a glare at him, so he quickly held out the memory card in his hand. He obsequiously said, "Boss, this is the list of new cadets that have applied to join our mecha clan this year. Please take a look."

Ling Lan looked at Ye Xu speechlessly. Wasn't this Wu Jiong's job? Why was he the one giving it to her?

It turned out that Ye Xu was so scared of Ling Lan's cold glare that he reflexively gave her the memory card. After he said this sentence, his face was full of frustration. "How could I make another mistake?"

Wu Jiong put his hand on his forehead. Recently, Ye Xu would always become clumsy when seeing the boss. He wasn't this clumsy before. Seeing that Ye Xu's sideburns had already become wet with sweat, Wu Jiong couldn't help but care and help him out of the situation. He said, "Boss, you're the regiment commander of the Lingtian Mecha Clan. Shouldn't you care about future members of our clan?"

Following that he looked to Ye Xu and said, "Ye Xu, it's alright. You can screw off now."

To Ye Xu, this sentence was a life saver. He didn't care if Ling Lan wanted to see it or not and immediately put the memory card on the coffee table in front her. He gave Wu Jiong a grateful look and then ran like hell as though there was a monster chasing him.

In the next second, he had arrived at the door. He saw his members who were peeking their heads in to see what was happening on the inside. Ye Xu glared at them. These guys had no honor. In the end, they had actually still let him face Boss all by himself.

"Vice-captain, was Boss there?" one team member asked softly upon seeing that Ye Xu's expression was complicated.

Ye Xu's expression instantly tensed up. He reflexively turned around to look inside and didn't see the threatening and cold face of the boss. He instantly let out a sigh of relief. However, he didn't want to stay in this dangerous place and quickly said, "The enemy's defenses are strong. Get out of here."

This had already become Lingtian Mecha Clan's catchphrase. If they were faced with danger, they would say this to get out quick. This was also Lingtian's own characteristic.

The team members heard this and knew what they had to do. They didn't even think and followed Ye Xu and got the f**k out of there.

Hearing the movement at door, Ling Lan felt irritated. She asked with irritation, "Am I that scary?"

"I just don't smile right? But I don't insult people or hurt people. I'm a good regiment commander that cared for my subordinates right? Did they really have to so scared of me?"

This question made Wu Jiong's expression freeze. His eyes looked around the room as he said, "Actually… that… how should I say it…"

"You don't need to say anything. I understand!" Ling Lan said coldly. "The look on your face means that I actually really am scary right? It seems that my white angelic face is useless."

Ling Lan picked up the memory card on the coffee table depressedly. She used the wireless transmission function to display the data it contained on the large screen of the coffee table.

"There's a lot." After seeing the countless names and their information, Ling Lan was a bit surprised. There was so much.

"The application center tells me that they have already deleted a large portion of people who didn't meet the minimum requirements." Wu Jiong had already walked beside Ling Lan and chosen a sofa closest to her to sit down on.

"This amount is around 400 to 500 people right?" The words that were cramped onto the screen made Ling Lan's head spin.

Wu Jiong pointed on the screen lightly. "If you look at it like this, it'll be clearer." Very quickly, the image changed. The originally cramped folders had now been categorized into a few larger categories and looked clearer instantly.

"The list for those who have the most potential (Captain Level)." Ling Lan saw the category that was at the very top and tapped on it to open it.

Immediately, around 20 names showed up. The first name, Ling Yi, made Ling Lan feel a huge sense of familiarity.

Wu Jiong also saw this and asked in surprise, "This new cadet also has a surname of 'Ling'?" He opened Ling Yi's file. Just like that, a cool-looking young man appeared on the big screen along with his details set to the side.

"Ling Yi, commoner, comes from the Puyi Scout Academy (Level 3 Planet Puyi). Physical skills: Beginner level Qi-Jin; Mecha operating level: Advanced!" Wu Jiong shouted out loud and lost his voice. When they first entered the advanced level it was because Qi Long and the others had beaten themselves up and managed to somehow advance successfully. This Ling Yi, however, was a commoner from Planet Puyi, yet he had actually reached that level. Was it because Ling Yi's talents were insane or was he also beaten up like the rest of them?

Ling Yi… Ling Lan was thinking about why this name felt familiar. Could it be because he also had a surname of 'Ling'?

"Bam!" Suddenly, two foggy images appeared in her mindscape.

"I want to inherit my father's position. I will become Young Master Lan's most trusted loyalist," five-year-old Ling Yi said firmly.

"Brother Yu, I'll let you take care of Young Master Lan for now. When I get stronger, I will take over your position." Ling Yi respectfully bowed to Ling Lan to say goodbye and then left the Ling family…

As the images disappeared, Ling Lan heard Little Four's complacent voice say, "Boss, it's that same Ling Yi."

Ling Lan smiled softly. Little Four was really playful. She looked again at the image of the cool young man and thought to herself, "I didn't think that child from then had already grown to this age. No wonder his father, Ling Hua, did not hesitate to betray the Ling family for his child's future."

"Could it be that everyone who has the surname 'Ling' are all monsters?" Wu Jiong mumbled as he looked at Ling Lan. He discovered that Ling Lan was thinking deeply about something. He instantly thought of something and asked, "Boss, do you know him?"

Ling nodded. "Yes, he's kind of family."

Kind of family? Could he be a bastard son? Right when Wu Jiong thought of this question, he immediately shook his head to get rid of that thought. How could General Ling Xiao do something like that? He really was thinking too much. It was possible that he was an indirect descendant of the family. Wu Jiong felt that he found out the truth already.

"Then during the evaluation…?" Wu Jiong asked carefully.

Ling Lan glared at Wu Jiong making Wu Jiong's heart tremble. He couldn't help but reply, "Boss, I understand."

In the end, this Ling Yi would still be treated like any other person and his entry into Lingtian would be decided upon his capabilities and performance. At that moment, Wu Jiong couldn't help but smile. How could he think that Boss had selfish gains? He was definitely affected somehow by that idiot Ye Xu.

Ling Lan looked at the files of the other applicants disinterestedly. She stood up and said to Wu Jiong, "You keep doing what you're doing, I'm going to leave first. Oh, and no matter how busy you are, you guys have to report to me two days every week. Notify Li Yingjie as well."

Wu Jiong's smile fell to the floor. How could he consider that training with Qi Long and the others was a good thing? However, how could he dare to say no to that cold face of Ling Lan? He could only nod agonizingly, showing that he understood. Luckily, he wasn't the only one who was going to endure hardships. He had Li Yingjie go with him together. Wu Jiong felt comforted.

After walking out of Wu Jiong's office, Ling Lan began a discussion with Little Four. "Little Four, do you think this Ling Yi person is trustworthy?"

"So far, he is," Little Four replied. "Actually, I've been monitoring him all this time ever since Ling Yi left the Ling family."

Ling Lan was stunned. "Why did you monitor him?"

"I was checking to see if those people who wanted to harm you went to find him again to try and draw out even the slightest amount of information," Little Four replied with regret. "Unfortunately, there weren't any who tried. Maybe it was because your people had hidden Ling Yi's family really well and those who wanted to harm you didn't find them."

"Perhaps they felt that such young child wouldn't have any value to be exploited." Ling Lan didn't believe that those people couldn't find Ling Yi. It was possible that they thought a 5-year-old child that was sent far away wouldn't be able to do anything. If they bribed him, it wouldn't have any effect.

"Yes, Boss, what you said is right. However, with Ling Yi's current abilities, he will definitely be discovered by someone." Ling Yi also thought Ling Yi's talents was top notch. His future was boundless as long as he was given time.

"Isn't that great though? Whether Ling Yi will be used or not will depend on the choices he will make." When Ling Yi shows himself, those other family members would always be able to find him. Although she had already wiped away all traces of Ling Hua's betrayal, those other family members might still have proof of Ling Hua's betrayal of the Ling family.

"I don't understand why you wanted to keep him, Boss." Little Four was feeling very conflicted since Ling Yi, like his father, might betray the Ling family again. She should have either removed the the source of trouble and gotten rid of Ling Yi, or made it so that Ling Hua had no more connections with the Ling family. Wasn't having the possibility of betrayal lingering like this inviting possible trouble for the future?

"Didn't I say that he is a good chess piece?" Ling Lan's eyes were cold but deep in thought. She and her father's enemies had hidden themselves very deep into the world. Her father had used all his resources to investigate but didn't get anything out of it. Although they clearly knew that those people were of high ranks and stood at the highest peak of hierarchical power, they still couldn't find a way to find out who that person really was.

"No matter if Ling Yi is loyal to me or not, he is still a trap I've set for the enemy." Ling Lan's eyes flashed with a bitter coldness. Back then, she might have been somewhat merciful but now, after having gone through the cruelty of the learning space, she could be merciless.

"What trap?" Little Four asked curiously.

Ling Lan didn't answer him. In the next second, Little Four was shut into the little black room. Little Four was in tears. He had only just asked a little thing out of curiosity. Did she really have to treat him so coldly?

Ling Lan's mecha clan's first round of applicants were 100 new cadets, and the six members of Ling Yi's team were all in the first batch; this made them very happy. Logically, the first batch of applicants was the most looked upon by the mecha clan.

Ling Yi's team of six came to the Lingtian Mecha Clan's headquarters for the first time, and they were stunned by the presence of the huge majestic building in front of them.

"Wow. This a headquarters of the first faction. It's so big and tall." Tao Xiaotao opened his big mouth and couldn't close it.

Ling Yi was also stunned. He took a deep breath and his eyes became filled with respect. As expected, Young Master Lan was the strongest.

They walked into the headquarters with floating steps. Following the staff members' lead, they arrived at building's basement level 2. Basement level 1 was the leisure space for members to have fun and relax. Basement level 2 was a large training dojo.

Once they entered the training dojo, Ling Yi and his team had more of an understanding of why this place had become the first faction's headquarters; this training dojo alone was enough of a reason, as it was big enough to hold thousands of people to come here to do any activity.

They walked to the center of the training dojo where there was a large arena. Just this arena was big enough to hold 200 to 300 people. This large arena was used for competitions between the clan members. They could fight one-on-one or in teams. Now, however, this arena was where they were going to be evaluated.

Chapter 524 - Evolution!

The staff member led them to the bottom of the arena, and there they discovered that there were eight A.I. computers installed on all sides.

The staff member pointed towards the A.I. computer beside him and began to explain. "The A.I. has entered the list of seniors who are evaluating you. Whoever is ready can freely choose the senior that they would like to fight. Once you have chosen, the virtual screen at the top of the screen will show the time of the fight." As he said all this, the staff member smiled and patted the A.I. computer beside him. "Of course, these A.I. computers will also show the time. The preparation time for each evaluation is 3 minutes. If you still haven't gone up to the arena after 3 minutes, then that means you've failed the evaluation. Remember, don't go over the time limit. Our boss will definitely not give you guys a second chance."

Hearing that, the new cadets all began to focus. They looked at the staff member in hopes of getting more information about the evaluation out of him, but the staff member was very careful and only said what he could say. After he informed them of all the things that they should be cautious about for the evaluation, he left the stage.

In the commander's quarters, Qi Long and the others were all on the sofas, slouching, lying down, sitting, etc. They had just crawled out from the training room, feeling like that their entire body had been sucked dry. They only wanted to find a bed and go to sleep, but unfortunately, Boss notified them especially for today for them to report to this place after training. They could only come here in great pain. Everyone decided that after they heard Boss' orders, they would all stay at Boss' place and rest up well.

Ling Lan and Wu Jiong walked in. She saw everyone sprawled all over the place and immediately frowned. She said, "What, no more energy?"

Luo Lang looked at Boss with a face full of sorrow. Wasn't he asking when he already knew the reason? When did training not make them tired and out of energy? And also, Boss had added even more training today. This overload made their limbs shake. They might not even have the energy to pick up a single chopstick.

Disregarding the angry glares of the others, Ling Lan looked at Wu Jiong regrettably and said, "Looks like these new cadets have pretty good luck this time. Their examiners don't have the energy to fight. Whoever chooses them, it'll probably end up with the examiners losing without even fighting."

Wu Jiong expression showed a hint of surprise. He didn't think that Boss actually hadn't notified Qi Long and the others first. Knowing that there were evaluations today, she had still increased the training load… However, Wu Jiong believed that Boss wasn't doing this randomly. This kind of arrangement definitely had its own deeper meaning.

"Evaluation? Losing before even battling?" Everyone yelled angrily. If they lost without even fighting, how could they face the new cadets?

"Boss, you actually tricked us!" Han Jijyun almost spat out blood. Whose captain would help outsiders and trick his own members? They had really lost to him. Did Boss really not care if he lost his dignity? After all, he was their captain, right?

"Tricked?" Ling Lan glared coldly, making everyone's anger dissipate into nothingness. "The amount today I gave you guys, I could handle when I was 13 years old and I wouldn't be so miserable like you guys. In the end, it's just that you guys aren't strong enough."

"If you don't want to lose your dignity, then stand up!" Ling Lan ordered coldly.

Qi Long and the others quickly stood up from the sofas. Ling Lan walked in front of them and calmly said, "If anyone loses to their opponent, I will let you guys try the training mode that I am currently doing."

"Boss, that'll end up killing someone," Qi Long yelped. Their current training was enough to take half of his life. If he really did try out Boss' mode of training, Qi Long believed that the same day next year would be the anniversary of his death.

Everyone else had a pale white face. They had witnessed Boss' mode of training before, and it was the real kind of training to the death; one mistake would result in death.

Luo Lang's small physique began to softly tremble. Wuwu, he thought of the two Senior Li's. One could have said something to help them and the other could have used his mystical medicinal agents to save their lives. Alright, he wouldn't be jealous of them anymore for taking Boss' attention away from him.

Unfortunately, no matter how much Luo Lang repented, the two Senior Li's had already gone to the army division and no one could help them.

"If you don't want to die then don't lose," Ling Lan said coldly. Everyone suddenly stood up straight and uniformly shouted, "Understood, Boss!"

They definitely would not lose. In order to survive, in order to keep their dignity as seniors, in order to continue to triumph… Ugh, they should take away the last one. However, for the future, they would definitely not lose.

Their spirits that were originally sapped dry by the hellish training instantly soared and their eyes filled with the desire to fight.

Ling Lan was now satisfied. She said to Wu Jiong, "Wu Jiong, let's go down."

"Yes, Boss!" Wu Jiong replied, unconsciously standing up straight. After Ling Lan walked out of the commander's room, Wu Jiong realized the feeling. Before he knew it, he had already been considering himself as Ling Lan's subordinate…

Wu Jiong smiled bitterly. The longer he was with Ling Lan, the more he got used the identity of being a subordinate. The courage and ambition he had before to compete with Ling Lan had now been tossed to some corner of his mind. He was not the only one like this, however, as Li Yingjie was also like this and they accepted it wholeheartedly, without any displeasure.

Looking at the silhouettes of those in Ling Lan's battle team, Wu Jiong uncontrollably smiled. He said to himself, "This is the charm of strong people! And I'm still thousands of miles away from achieving that." Luckily, he was only going to the 15th Division in the future. That place was the home of the descendants of the Wu family… While he rejoiced at this, Wu Jiong also felt regret. Sometimes he thought that it might be more stimulating if he followed Ling Lan to the 23rd Division and have a life that was more stimulating.

Unfortunately… everyone had their own responsibilities! Since Wu Jiong was a descendant of the Wu family, then he definitely needed to take on the responsibility of the family.

"Commander Wu, come quick!" Xie Yi moved his body out of the elevator door and waved to him. It turned out that Wu Jiong was behind them by quite a lot. Wu Jiong smiled, quickly increased his pace and walked into the elevator.

The elevator went straight down to the basement level 2. When they arrived at the door to the training dojo, they discovered that the other vice-captains who were examiners were already waiting at the door.

Ye Xu was originally very excited to see Wu Jiong, Qi Long and the others. Right when he was about to greet them, however, he saw Ling Lan appear behind them. He immediately swallowed back his greeting, which almost made him choke. But even if it choked him, he couldn't afford to yell; Ye Xu didn't forget that he had offended Boss Ling Lan a few days ago. Having temporarily escaped from a catastrophe, he couldn't let his existence be known to Boss and make him remember the stupid things he did.

"Boss!" Everyone immediately cried out as they saw Ling Lan arrive. The relaxed atmosphere suddenly grew tense. Ling Lan's presence gave them so much pressure that they didn't dare to make any random movement, fearing that they might make a mistake.

Ling Lan looked around her and then said, "Let's go in."

They all clustered around Ling Lan and walked into the training dojo. At that moment, inside Ling Lan's mindspace, Little Four was holding up his face and squatting. He curiously asked Ling Lan, "Boss, your aura has already been integrated into your body completely recently and can be taken out and put back in with ease. Why do you still release your aura to terrorize them when you face them?"

"My aura has always been strong, cold and dominant. If it suddenly disappeared and I became completely in control, it would make people suspicious," Ling Lan replied. "And with this aura, they won't dare to look at me. This allows me to not have to think about how to cover up anything." Ling Lan had seen what she looked like when her aura vanished. This face of hers… was a real problem.

Little Four understood what Ling Lan meant. He said with regret, "So you mean that you don't want to hold back this aura in the outside world." Little Four recalled that warm smiling face of hers he had glimpsed the other day… then he suddenly clutched at his chest and instantly disappeared from the mindspace.

Ling Lan looked at the empty mindspace and shook her head. This Little Four was still running away and not steady enough. However, she thought that he was still only about 4 to 5 years old, and so she felt that she could understand why he was like that…

After such a long time, Ling Lan had forgotten that Little Four had been with her for more than a decade and that he had always retained the same appearance. In fact, Little Four wasn't that young.

Little Four, who had already returned to the learning space, appeared in the space of Instructor Number One in the next second.

"Cool me down, Number One." Little Four had two tear bubbles form in his eyes—he was panicking.

"Hmph!" Instructor Number One coldly snorted. He transported the both of them straight into an ice world and froze Little Four in it, making a transparent ice coffin.

At that moment, several spatial tears opened up beside Instructor Number One and the faces of other the instructors appeared.

"Number One, we felt Majesty Four's energy fluctuating and came to where you were. Is he alright?" Although Instructor Number Nine was expressionless, her eyes still showed a hint of concern.

"Don't worry, Sister Nine. As long as Number One is here, there definitely won't be any problems." Number Five smiled, a sense of unseen bootlicking hidden under his smiling face.

"It's good there's no problem. I'm leaving." The Number Two, who was speaking in the darkness, had closed his spatial tear first.

"It's not going to slow down his processing speed iif he's frozen like this right?" Instructor Number Three asked concernedly. If Little Four slowed down his processing, they would all be greatly affected here.

"Our spaces are very peaceful. How could Majesty Four have any issues," Instructor Number Four replied enchantingly with a raised brow, showing an expression full of charm to Number Three.

"It's okay, I'm leaving!" It was as though Instructor Number Three had seen something terrifying; he immediately closed the spatial tear he had entered through and disappeared without a trace.

"Man, so boring. By the way, Number One, is it alright for you deal with Majesty Four so barbarically?" Number Four asked with a half-smile. Her eyes turned to Number One, a hint of flirting appearing in them .

The aura around Instructor Number One was cold. Right at that moment, the ice coffin that was sealing Little Four exploded. Little Four jumped out from it and with a laugh, said, "It's alright, the microchip's temperature returned to normal!

"Huh, you guys are all here? Are you guys having a meeting? Then I'm not going to bother you guys. Bye guys." Little Four saw the number of people in the room and waved to them without a care in the world. In the next second, he had disappeared without a trace.

"Number One, is his Majesty Four really alright?" Instructor Number Four's expression had become deeply tense and serious. This time, her enchanting aura was completely gone; only, when she frowned, she would show a hint of charm that she couldn't hide.

"His Majesty Four's emotions have become more and more abundant. Maybe he's reached the time for his next evolution," Instructor Number One replied.

Chapter 525 - Purpose!

Number One's words caused the expressions of the others still present to change. Number Four was talking to himself, saying, "How could it be this fast…" Was he entering the maturation stage?

"I can't determine the direction Majesty Four is evolving towards. He probably still hasn't reached the period of maturation, but for some reason he has the possibility of evolving." Instructor Number One's eyes showed worry and confusion for the first time. It should be said that ever since Ling Lan had decided to walk her own path, no matter if it was the learning space or Little Four, both appeared to have some changes; only, Instructor Number One didn't know whether the change was a good or bad thing.

"Since it's already become reality, then we can only watch and see." Instructor Number Five was looking forward to the change very much. Compared to cases of normal evolution, he was more interested in this type of unpredictable evolution. In his own words, he would say that it added a feeling of novelty.

Moving away from the instructors' concerns and worries about Little Four's evolution, after Ling Lan and the others walked into the training dojo, they didn't go to the center of the arena. Instead, they walked into the spacious observation room which directly faced the arena.

In the observation room, there was a transparent glass window on the side with the arena, which allowed for a clear view of any movement inside the training dojo. Of course, if someone looked from the other side, it would only appear to be a wall and they wouldn't be able to see what was inside.

This transparent glass window simultaneously acted as a large screen. In front of the screen, there were rows of sofas that were set up in a shape of handheld fan. The room could hold up to a maximum of 500 audience members that could sit and watch.

Beside each sofa seat, there was also a miniature optical supercomputer. The audience could freely choose the angles and spots they wanted to watch from. This optical supercomputer would also send information from the arena to the seat. For example, once a new cadet chose their opponent, these optical supercomputers would immediately receive the information and show it.

The observation room was around 400 to 500 meters away from the arena. It seemed far, but for these captains whose physical skills had reached the level of Qi-Jin, they only need 2 to 3 seconds to close that distance. It didn't hinder them from reaching the arena to act as an examiner.

Knowing that today was the day of evaluations for freshmen, many members of the Lingtian Mecha Clan had already come inside the training dojo. Very soon, the dojo became lively. Many of the older members were calling out to their friends to gather in front of the arena and quietly wait for the evaluations to begin.

Finally, it was the time for the evaluations, but not one person appeared in the arena—it turned out that none among the freshmen were rushing out to choose their opponent. Those who could manage to get admitted to the First Men's Military Academy were not blindly impulsive people. Being clever, they all wanted to watch two rounds of evaluations before making their decisions.

"Boss, this group of freshmen are all very cautious," Wu Jiong quietly said to Ling Lan upon seeing this scene.

Li Yingjie snorted coldly at that and said, "They're all gutless. If it were me, I would definitely have gone up at the very beginning to take the examiner down a notch."

Taking an examiner down a notch? Everyone looked towards Li Yingjie with surprise and they saw that his head was propped up. He was being so cocky that he made a few people around him instantly feel their hands itch. Sh*t, they were examiners right now. Did Li Yingjie mean that he regretted that no one was coming out to take himself down a notch?

It should be known that Li Yingjie was a huge fool; he always ended up drawing a great deal of hatred towards himself. Even if those around him were friends from the same clan who had known him for at least three years and knew of his personality, that still couldn't help Li Yingjie prevent everyone from hating him.

Seeing this, Ling Lan couldn't help but shake her head silently. Even now, this Li Yingjie's words were still rubbish. As expected, he was definitely an antagonist.

Right then, there was finally some movement among the freshman who had been silently waiting for three minutes, which saved Li Yingjie in the nick of time. One captain discovered the information that the A.I. had sent over and said, "Coming."

His voice diverted everyone's focus towards the optical supercomputer in front of them; no one was paying attention to the second-rate captain Li Yingjie. At the same time, Li Yingjie didn't realize that he was almost about to have been beaten up by a large mob. He too looked at the optical supercomputer, curious as to who among them was the one chosen to go out.

"Wang Ke from Doha Central Scout Academy, graduated as valedictorian. Physical Skills: Qi-Jin Beginner Level; Mecha World Mecha Piloting Level: Advanced!" The optical supercomputer displayed these data points, which astonished many of the captains; they themselves hadn't managed to reach this standard when they had entered the First Men's Military Academy.

"As expected of Boss' junior. He's very strong." Many of the captains looked towards Ling Lan, all of them giving compliments. Ling Lan smiled for good measure. Could it be that they thought all the geniuses that came out from Doha Central Scout Academy was her doing?

But Ling Lan didn't expect her playful thought was actually a reality. Ling Lan's legacy had always remained a legend in the Central Scout Academy. The uncrowned king of the Central Scout Academy was the boss of the valedictorian. Wang Ke had also led his year's cadets and successfully jump-started the grand armed melee, and became the idol of the entire Central Scout Academy. This was why Wang Ke had such amazing grades upon entering the First Men's Military Academy. With gems like Ling Lan, Qi Long and Wu Jiong before them, these younger cadets didn't dare to loosen up and be lazy. They had had no choice but to train as hard as they could to follow in the footsteps of their seniors.

"The opponent he chose is… Commander Qi, Qi Long." The observation room became rowdy. Although the four big commanders were in the list of the examiners that could be chosen, most people wouldn't choose the 4 Bosses of Lingtian to be their examiner. For one, they wouldn't be able to win because those who could become commanders were very capable. Two, everyone feared that choosing the Bosses would leave a bad impression on them and end up getting themselves be mercilessly failed.

Qi Long saw this notification and was also stunned for a moment. He didn't expect his turn to come right off the bat. The amount of time given to him to rest wasn't enough, as the energy that he had fully depleted during their activities had not recovered yet; his arms and legs were still limp and didn't have any strength.

Qi Long laughed bitterly in his mind. This Wang Ke was really lucky; if he had acted just a bit slower, with his capabilities, Qi Long wouldn't have even seen him as a threat. Now, however, the outcome was unpredictable. Qi Long thought back to Boss' words back in the commander's room and his expression instantly tensed up—he knew that it was time to put his life on the line.

"Boss, I'm going," Qi Long turned around and told Ling Lan. His eyes showed calmness.

Seeing this, Ling Lan's eyes quickly showed a hint of splendor and she nodded lightly in response. In the next second, Qi Long had already disappeared from the observation room.

The freshmen saw the opponent that Wang Ke, who was from the Doha Central Academy, had chosen and they weren't surprised. In their minds, it was logical that this valedictorian of the Doha Central Academy was the first to go into the arena. This was also the reason why they had been waiting for almost three minutes.

"Captain, I thought you were going to be the first one to go up," Tao Xiaotao said to Ling Yi upon seeing that Wang Ke had gone into the arena.

"We're from a third-rate planet, so it's not appropriate for us to go in first. No matter if our performance is good or not, we would still make the others feel annoyed," Yi Tiange quietly explained to Tao Xiaotao.

Tao Xiaotao only half understood what he meant. The others, however, all showed that they understood with a gleam in their eyes. There were many cadets who had come from first and second-rate planets, and there were also many cadets who had come from the Federation's Planet Doha. If they let a third-rate planet's cadet go up first, it would be a disgrace for the Federation and would make the other high-class cadets feel disgraced as well. Even if Ling Yi successfully joined Lingtian Mecha Clan, he would still probably suffer from discrimination by the first and second-rate cadets in the beginning.

At that moment, a person suddenly appeared in the arena. The virtual screen in front of the optical supercomputer clearly showed the freshmen a close-up of the face of the person who had just appeared.

"Oh, it's Qi Long, Commander Qi!" The freshmen all let out an exclamation at the sight of that individual; they didn't expect Wang Ke to be this gutsy. He had actually chosen to fight against the second most powerful member of Lingtian, Qi Long.

"This Wang Ke really is something. The opponent that he chose is actually this guy," Rong Ziruo mused to himself as he looked at the arena.

"When Commander Qi Long graduated, he was the valedictorian of Doha Central. Wang Ke, the new graduate, is also the same. The battle between the old and new valedictorian… it'll be interesting as I thought. Using his status to challenge Commander Qi Long will not only not irritate Commander Qi Long, but it could even make him appreciate Wang Ke more. This Wang Ke isn't just a simple person," Yi Tiange analyzed. He and Rong Ziruo smiled at each other. In their team, their IQs were higher and they would usually think similarly.

Ling Yi's expression grew tense as he looked at Wang Ke. Originally, Ling Yi believed that he was the best of the best, but now it seemed that he had underestimated the geniuses of the Federation. The First Men's Military Academy was, as expected, the cradle for the most talented people of the entire Federation; a mere small mecha clan tryout had drawn out a rival on par with him.

"Weird, it looks like Commander Qi Long isn't feeling well," Yan Wuyou remarked with a frown. He was the main fighter of the team. Since his capabilities were very close to Ling Yi, he was able to quickly see through Qi Long's odd condition.

His words made the others focus on Qi Long as well. Hua Qingxin frowned beautifully and said, "It seems there's some problem with his energy." Hua Qingxin's heart was closer to that of a female, but his strength was ranked third in the team, very close to Ling Yi and Yan Wuyou; he was the secondary fighter of the team. Yan Wuyou's indication allowed him to immediately see through where Qi Long's issue lay.

"Haha, could it be that Captain Qi Long did something to deplete his energy just now?" It seemed Tao Xiaotao had thought of something. He had a sleazy smile on his face.

Seeing this, Yan Wuyou slapped Tao Xiaotao's head and scoldingly said, "Dumbass, what are you thinking about?" They really got to hand it to this brat; he dared to think of anything. Although it seemed as if Commander Qi Long's condition was the result of him doing 'that', Yan Wuyou believed that he would definitely not do such a thing. Even if he wanted to, he didn't have anyone one to do it with, right?

Yi Tiange put his hand under his chin and began to think… and his expression quickly changed. He guessed, "Perhaps this is the Lingtian Mecha Clan trying to take us down a notch."

"Taking us down a notch?" Everyone looked at Yi Tiange. Rong Ziruo was also in deep thought.

"They don't even care about us. Before our evaluations, they even went through brutal physical training and depleted all of their energy," Yi Tiange replied with a tense expression.

After hearing those words, Ling Yi and the others all had difficult expressions on their faces. They were originally full of confidence, but a heavy blow was dealt to their hearts because of how Lingtian was underestimating them.

"Oh!" Rong Ziruo suddenly exclaimed with a smile. Unfortunately, his eyes didn't show that he was smiling. "Since it's like that this, then we should behave well. If they really do get defeated by us, then I want to see how they'll be able to still stand proud as seniors." Lingtian's move had made him mad…

Rong Ziruo's words had also evoked the anger of the rest of Ling Yi's team at the same time. Their eyes became filled with rage and they desired to go up to the arena that very instant to fight those examiners; they wanted to use their strength to prove that they weren't just weaklings that would be defeated easily.

Ling Yi's expression showed he was in deep thought. "Young Master Lan, are you really looking down on us? Or perhaps it was Ling Lan's subordinates' acting on their own will?" Ling Yi was thinking towards the latter. Perhaps he didn't want to think Young Master Lan, whom he respected, didn't respect him. In short, his intuition had told him that it was the latter.

Ling Yi's intuition was correct. That Ling Lan exhausted Qi Long and the others of their energy wasn't because she was underestimating them as Yi Tiange had thought. In reality, Ling Lan thought well of them, which was why she had arranged things like this. She hoped that they would be able to give Qi Long a good fight.

In the next moment, Wang Ke had already walked up onto the arena.

"Senior Qi Long! Please go easy!" Wang Ke respectfully bowed towards Qi Long.

Qi Long nodded towards Wang Ke before taking a defensive stance with his hands. Even such a simple movement made Qi Long use up all of his energy; the energy that he had managed to recover earlier was completely depleted when he had ran from the observation room.

Wang Ke frowned. Qi Long's expression didn't change, but his movements were odd; Wang Ke saw through this. He didn't think that Qi Long was underestimating him, but he was curious what had actually happened to Qi Long's body to make his condition this terrible.

"Bam!" Wang Ke used all his might to attack. Seeing this, Qi Long didn't dodge and took the blow.

The hidden strength of the beginner level of Qi-Jin from both of them collided fiercely, and the resultant shockwave knocked back Wang Ke by a few steps. His blood began to boil. Wang Ke took a deep breath and held down the feeling of pain. His eyes showed a hint of caution but also a hint of pleasant surprise.

Wang Ke didn't think that Qi Long's condition was so poor. The original information known to the public about Qi Long was that he was at the intermediate level of Qi-Jin. Wang Ke's Qi-Jin definitely didn't have a chance of going against Qi Long. Wang Ke had already thought about this problem. He knew that once they clashed, he would become wounded internally, but right now, other than the feeling of his blood boiling, he hadn't suffered any internal wounds; this proved that Qi Long's current strength was on par with his at best.

On his side, Qi Long felt the same blood boiling feeling after clashing with Wang Ke. He uncontrollably took a large step back and his expression changed slightly. As expected, he was totally exhausted and could no longer continue to use his internal energy. His capabilities had fallen to the beginner level of Qi-Jin. Because of this, Wang Ke's evaluation fight would trap Qi Long in a drawn-out fight, and for him, a drawn-out fight in his current condition was very disadvantageous.

Qi Long exhaled profusely, releasing a bit of the pressurized air in his body, and at the same time he shook his right hand slightly; the shockwave from the clash had made his right hand feel numb.

Wang Ke stopped his footsteps. He didn't hesitate—he pounced and attacked Qi Long again. He knew that he couldn't let Qi Long have time to recover. If he did, the situation would be disadvantageous for him.

"Bang, bang, bang…" What followed was the collision of countless punches. In the arena, Wang Ke was like the wind, he was there one second and over there for another, attacking Qi Long with swift movements. Qi Long, on the other hand, was like an unmoving old oak tree, standing firmly in the center of the arena. He only used his two hands to block Wang Ke's continuous attacks.

The situation in the arena made the freshmen, who hadn't see that Qi Long's behavior was odd in the beginning, realize that there was something wrong. "Ah, that Commander Qi Long. It looks like there's a problem with his body's energy."

"This is a way of fighting to save to energy. Commander Qi Long definitely doesn't have enough energy." Although they were freshmen, they were all outstanding individuals since they were able to participate in the first round of assessments; all of them were physical skills experts and they all clearly knew why Qi Long was using that way to fight.

"Sh*t, Qi Long's too weak. The freshman is actually getting the better of him," Li Yingjie said, expecting better from Qi Long after watching until this point. Only, his brows showed a hint of anxiousness and his eyes flashed with a hint of concern. Whether it be the fact that he was worried about Qi Long, or worried that Qi Long losing would mean losing pride for Lingtian, both proved that Li Yingjie really did care about the Lingtian Mecha Clan.

The other captains that were watching all wore expressions of worry and concern. They looked towards Ling Lan, thinking that Boss would be able to give a proper explanation. They knew clearly that Commander Qi Long was in such a troubled state because of Boss. It was just that they didn't understand why Boss had beaten up Qi Long and then entrusted him with the role of an examiner for the evaluations this time.

"Boss, Qi Long will be okay, right?" Wu Jiong looked to Ling Lan for some comfort. Ever since the Lingtian Mecha Clan was formed, Wu Jiong had kept in contact with Qi Long the most. After countless meetings, their friendship had gradually deepened. At that moment, Wu Jiong was sincerely worried that something might happen to Qi Long.

In response to his question, Ling Lan, who was originally touching her right hand's index finger, instantly paused and then calmly replied, "I don't know."

Ling Lan's answer stunned Wu Jiong. It also made Luo Lang, Han Jijyun and the others turn around to look towards Ling Lan. Their eyes filled with a hint of worry.

"Boss…" Wu Jiong swallowed the rest of his sentence. "You're too much. Since you don't even know what kind of outcome was waiting for Qi Long, then why would you arrange it like this?" Wu Jiong thought to himself.

"Qi Long's Qi-Jin limit has been stuck for quite some time. Although he has been doing limit training, he still hasn't found any possibility of a breakthrough." Ling Lan glanced at Luo and the others. "But as luck would have it, these freshmans couldn't be ruthless against a fully exhausted Qi Long and is unable to force out Qi Long's final limit."

The criticism in Ling Lan's eyes made the others in her team touch their noses in embarrassment. They were all friends that had grown up together and furthermore, they weren't Boss. Even if Boss ordered that they had to be be ruthless, they still couldn't help but feel compassion at the sight of Qi Long getting beaten to a pulp.

Luo Lang was unwilling to submit to her criticism and said, "Boss, there's still you, isn't there?"

Ling Lan glared at Luo Lang and plainly responded, "If I could do it, then would I need to order you guys to do it? At my current level, even Qi Long at his peak form wouldn't be able to block one hit from me. Is it possible for me to slowly force Qi Long to his limit?" Ling Lan actually also had a headache. After entering the Domain level, her aura, no matter how much she lowered it, would be just over the level with which she could help Qi Long reach his limit.

Luo Lang and the others were actually the most suitable. Unfortunately, the friendship between them made them unable to force Qi Long into a corner and drive him to the brink of death. As such, Ling had had no choice but to look for other methods.

Han Jijyun's eyes suddenly lit up. He knew clearly that Qi Long was always troubled by the fact that his physical skills were stuck at its current level and didn't move at all. No matter what method he used, he couldn't see any sign of the barrier to advanced level budging. Although Qi Long's performance was stable, Han Jijyun, who was very familiar with Qi Long, had still managed to become of aware of Qi Long's small impatience.

He didn't that think Qi Long's anxiousness was also discovered by Boss. He thought back to the last few days. Not only did Boss beat up Qi Long himself, but he also called upon them to do the same. In the beginning, Han Jijyun had felt that Qi Long's situation was tragic, but he didn't expect that there was a deeper meaning to Boss' decision in the matter. Unfortunately, they had failed to understand his deeper meaning and failed to help Qi Long reach his actual limit.

Han Jijyun thought back to that time again. Even if they had known, they wouldn't have been able to be so heartless as to actually drive Qi Long to the verge of death. None of them was Boss. When Boss was ruthless, they could truly feel his thick killing intent aura; it was as if he really wanted to kill them.

"Now, he can really enter that limit." Han Jijyun looked at Ling Lan wishfully. He, of course, hoped that Qi Long could become stronger.

Ling Lan's frown tensed up further as she said, "I don't know…" Some luck and coincidence was necessary in order to be driven to a near-death state. Ling Lan really didn't know whether Qi Long could get there or not. The only thing she could do was to use any way possible to let Qi Long get closer to that moment.

"This Wang Ke really can force Qi Long to his limit," Wu Jiong said slyly. Even if Qi Long's current energy was close to zero, the beginner level of Qi-Jin alone wasn't enough to force him to the edge of death.

"One naturally isn't enough, but there are a hundred people waiting for their evaluations. That should be enough," Ling Lan said indifferently.

Everyone looked at Ling Lan dumbfounded. Did Ling Lan know from the very beginning that Qi Long would be trapped in a round-robin battle?

"Compared to the other examiners whose strength are unknown, do you really think these freshmen would give up on this examiner who is clearly at his breaking point?" Ling Lan continued plainly.

Everyone shook their heads. If it was them, they would also have continued to choose Qi Long.

"In the beginning, if no one chose Qi Long but someone else instead, for example, me or Luo Lang or another, then the one trapped in a round-robin battle would have been one of us," Han Jijyun said, pointing at himself, Luo Lang and the others. They were all people who had their energy exhausted.

"Do you guys not need to advance as well?" Ling Lan raised her brow.

Han Jijyun was shaken. He didn't think that it wasn't only Qi Long who had fallen into a bottleneck for his physical skills. They had all entered different degrees of a bottleneck state. It turned out that Boss' target wasn't only set on Qi Long—they were targets too. Boss was clearly throwing down his fishing net and seeing which unlucky fish was going to get caught.

"Actually, you guys are considered secondary. It's mainly for Qi Long this time. Only, I wasn't sure which battle Qi Long would appear in." Ling Lan pointed at Wang Ke, who had fallen into a drawn-out fight with Qi Long. "This guy, he would have definitely chosen Qi Long either way." As a valedictorian, he definitely had his own pride. He wouldn't choose a normal captain as his opponent, but he most likely didn't have the courage to go against her. This being the case, then Qi Long, as a valedictorian himself, was Wang Ke's best opponent. Ling Lan had already arranged everything ever since she had taken a look at the list of applicants.

"I didn't know that that the effect of this fight would be this good. Wang Ke is the first to have entered the arena, which resulted in not giving Qi Long any time to rest. This also exposed Qi Long's condition to everyone right at the beginning. I believe that many of the freshmen will start to act rashly," Ling Lan explained, looking around the freshmen below the arena. The excitement in their eyes showed everything clearly. It seemed that Ling Lan's arrangement had had some effect.

Ling Lan's gaze passed over Ling Yi, who was frowning as though he was thinking of something…

Chapter 526 - Defeated!

Ling Lan subconsciously tapped the armrest of her sofa with her fingers on her right hand, her expression slightly tense. "I hope this punk won't ruin my plans."

Inside the arena, although Wang Ke wanted to take advantage of Qi Long's lack of energy to defeat him, the latter was used when he was being beaten up by Ling Lan. He was always whipped until he was at the brink of collapse. The type of attacks that Wang Ke had come at him with didn't pressure him too much. In addition to Qi Long's fighting experience, he was also more experienced in other ways as well; he had become adjusted to his opponent's attacks before long.

However, Wang Ke was still one of Doha Central Scout Academy's top cadets. His mentality was amazingly in check. Even though he had held the upper hand the entire time and was only a step away from defeating Qi Long, he was still able to remain calm and collected, holding down his impatience in order to achieve victory, and this made those who were in the observation room all nod in approval. They all believed that this person was a talent that could be used and was a candidate for nurturing to become a captain in Lingtian.

"What do you guys think of this Wang Ke's performance?" Ling Lan suddenly asked those around her.

Luo Lang was the first to respond. "Not bad. His fighting style is calm, and neither impulsive nor impatient. He thinks before he acts."

Luo Lang's words made the others all nodded in agreement. Xie Yi added, "Although Qi Long's condition isn't very good, the level of his physical skills is still higher than Wang Ke's by at least one level. Wang Ke isn't afraid. His mentality is very good."

Hearing Luo Lang and Xie Yi's answers, Ling Lan gave Han Jijyun a look that said she didn't want to express her own opinions.

Han Jijyun felt the glare coming from his boss and knew he needed to answer; thus, he answered seriously, "My level of physical skills is weaker than everyone. The things that I can see through, everyone else will definitely be able to see through. I just think that if Wang Ke really wants to win, this type of slightly defensive way of fighting may have not be very effective."

His words made Luo Lang and Xie Yi's show a hint of a smile on their lips. Although they approved of Wang Ke's performance, they still didn't believe that Wang Ke could defeat Qi Long. Han Jijyun words were actually what they wanted to say as well.

At that moment, Han Jijyun had set his eyes up on the screen and looked at the two fighting in the arena. He continued, "Qi Long isn't someone that would lose in a drawn-out fight." Trust gleamed in his eyes; he believed that his comrade would not be defeated that easily.

Lin Zhong-qing also agreed and said, "I'm in agreement with Jijyun's analysis. Qi Long's physical constitution is the most monstrous out of what I've seen before. Normally you would think that he would be done in the next second, but as long as the pressure doesn't go past his limit, no matter how you attack him, he won't be defeated." Lin Zhong-qing looked at Ling Lan with respect and continued, "Only Boss' terrifying attack power can instantly smash through the limit that Qi Long can take. I still haven't met a second person that can actually defeat him in terms of physical skills. At most, it will be both sides taking lots of damage like during the freshman arena fight they had when they joined the academy. Qi Long's ability to take pressure is seriously too strong and monstrous."

The answers given by the four of them caused Ling Lan to show a hint of approval in her eyes. She was very happy that everyone had managed to see through these facts. Being calm and collected wasn't a bad thing, but it depended on the situation. There was no problem in Wang Ke fighting in a calm and collected way, but it was that he had missed a crucial point; Qi Long was someone that, if not given enough pressure, would not lose in a dragged-out fight. It was simply impossible. When going against Qi Long, the opponent had to use powerful, continuous attacks to exhaust his energy, rendering him unable to recover, and only then could they be able to defeat him.

When Wang Ke had chosen to defend and attack in a calm and controlled manner, he had actually already lost the chance to defeat Qi Long.

"So that means you guys don't think Wang Ke is any good?" Ling Lan's lips perked up a bit.

This question made Luo Lang and the others shout in unison, "Of course!" It wasn't possible that this Wang Ke alone was enough to defeat Qi Long.

As expected, after their shouts, there was a turn of the tide in the arena. Qi Long, who was originally at a disadvantage, had made his move.

"Qi Long made a move," Han Jijyun shouted excitedly. It should be known that out of everyone else, Han Jijyun cared for Qi Long the most. Even though he had believed Qi Long would win, he still couldn't help but worry. Seeing that Qi Long had finally counterattacked, he jumped up happily.

After becoming excited, he saw Luo Lang and the others look at him in surprise. He felt that he went a bit out of line and immediately controlled his expression. He sat down with a serious face and gave Luo Lang and the others an explanation, "We have to let the freshmen know that even with our energy exhausted, a commander of Lingtian isn't someone so easily defeated."

"Ohhh!" The three of them responded with a drawn out and odd sound, making Han Jijyun blush. He glanced at Ling Lan in dismay. It was all because of Boss. He was the one who had drained them of their energy. There was originally supposed to be no issues during the evaluations, yet Boss had managed to make it full of worry and fear. Even going against someone as weak as Wang Ke had made him lose his cool.

Ling Lan sawHan Jijyun's slight expression of resentment and her lips perked up a bit. Ever since the fifth-year seniors, who were at the advanced level for physical skills, had left the school, other than her, Qi Long had become the one with the highest level in physical skills in the entire military academy. Although he was pressured by her, Qi Long was still eager in training. However, compared to last year, he was clearly slowing down. This was the reason why Ling Lan had been ruthless and exhausted their energy before the evaluations. If this could push Qi Long to the edge of death, then that would be for the best. But if it didn't work, then it would make the rest remember the hardships they went through after losing all their energy. This would make them understand that levels were not absolute. If there were external factors, those who were weaker could also defeat them.

It was just as Han Jijyun had said; Qi Long had made a move. Having endured for many minutes, he finally used his awakened talent, Animal Instinct, and discovered a fatal weakness in Wang Ke's attacks.

Qi Long was very confident in his intuition. He didn't even stop to think and used the small amount of Qi-Jin that he managed to accumulate in that amount of time; he ruthlessly tossed out a punch towards the direction he wanted to hit.

It had seemed as though Wang Ke didn't have a weak point, but right as Qi Long's punch was reaching him, his originally heavily guarded chest became unprotected. This was because his left hand that was protecting his chest had moved downwards due to his next attack.

A loud "Boom!" followed.

Qi Long's fist accurately struck Wang Ke's chest. Although the power of his punch wasn't very great, the resultant shockwave cut off Wang Ke's blood flow from his heart; his chest suddenly felt clogged and the Qi-Jin that was originally flowing through his body was cut off—Wang Ke was uncontrollably sent flying backwards.

Before he could have a chance to control his body in mid-air, Qi Long flew towards him. Another strong punch struck Wang Ke's shoulder and instantly sent him flying out of the arena.

Wang Ke did a somersault in mid-air and landed firmly on the ground. Qi Long had controlled his power very well and had only sent Wang Ke flying without wounding him, which was why the latter was able to neutralize that force in mid-air and land with no injuries. Qi Long showing mercy made Wang Ke feel embarrassed since he had used all his strength and didn't hold back in the arena.

Wang Ke looked towards the arena above him, his expression showing a hint of admiration. He bowed from below the arena and said gratefully, "I lost. Thank you for your time, Senior Qi Long."

As expected of the person who was valedictorian for two years in a row; even if Qi Long's condition was at its worst, he wasn't someone he could defeat. Wang Ke thought to himself, "If Commander Qi Long's physical condition was at its best, how many hits could I had taken from him?" At that moment, Wang Ke truly hoped that he could join the Lingtian Mecha Clan. If he could do so, then in the future, he would have a chance to fight Commander Qi Long once again.

Qi Long stood on the arena and nodded towards Wang Ke. As the examiner of this match, he was very satisfied with Wang Ke's performance. He believed that Wang Ke didn't lose any dignity for the Doha Central Scout Academy. This valedictorian behaved just as expected.

Qi Long wanted to drag his exhausted footsteps off the arena. At that moment, if someone were to look closely at Qi Long, they would be able to see that his clothes were soaked in sweat. Although he had defeated Wang Ke, Qi Long himself had made a Herculean effort. He felt that his body had become tired to its limit; his hands and feet were feeling numb and slow. At that moment, even if a three-year-old was to come by, that three-year-old would be able to push him down.

The freshmen below the arena all looked at each other. They all knew that this was the best time to defeat Captain Qi Long and were all thinking of doing so. However, everyone was also worried. If they went up, would they give the examiners a bad impression if they used any means necessary to finish their objective? It was, after all. not a competition and heroes weren't determined by victory or defeat. Whether they could join the mecha clan depended on the examiner's acknowledgment.

While they were hesitating, a cold voice suddenly rang through the entire training dojo. "Anyone who defeats Qi Long will not only be allowed to join the Lingtian Mecha Clan, but also receive other rewards. The battle team that the winner belongs to will instantly join a battle team from one of Lingtian's frontline battle teams."

These words made the hesitating freshmen suddenly gain resolve. The freshmen knew that the cold voice must have been the voice of Ling Lan, the first commander of Lingtian. Only Ling Lan could make a promise of still being acknowledged after defeating the second commander. Since the Lingtian Mecha Clan's highest order of command had given this order, what did they have to worry about?

Those who managed to get admitted to the First Men's Military Academy were all actually people with ambitions; they all wanted to climb higher up the ladder. Regardless of whether they had a battle team or not, they all hoped that their starting point, as well as their future progress, could be better than the others.

After the people in the observation room saw that Ling Lan had pushed down the communication button to the outside and mercilessly made that announcement, they all involuntarily pitied Qi Long. Qi Long was really sad since he had such a cold, heartless Boss who liked to play around with his subordinates.

Of course, there were a few that envied Qi Long, such as Gao Jinyun. Knowing Boss Ling Lan, he knew that this was definitely a way Ling Lan was using to train Commander Qi Long. Gao Jinyun felt a little bit of regret. Although he tried his best to perform and had made Boss remember him, that was all. If someone wanted to receive pointers from Boss himself, only those who had been beside him from the very beginning could have that chance…

Gao Jinyun felt a bit crestfallen but quickly braced himself. While he had joined later than those old members, it wasn't too late. He was confident that as long as he followed Boss, he would definitely, definitely have a chance… Gao Jinyun thought back to that matter which Lin Zhong-qing had unintentionally disclosed to him and he clenched his fists hard. He told himself to continue to work hard and absolutely enter the 23rd Division in his fifth year! That was his only chance to follow after Boss Lan.

Ling Lan's words had made Qi Long freeze in place, and then he looked towards the observation room with resentment. "Boss, do you really like seeing me get defeated that much?"

Chapter 527 - Choke to Death!

Ling Lan's words made Han Jijyun, Luo Lang and others tremble. They knew why Boss was doing this, and now they only hoped that Qi Long wouldn't lose too badly in the round-robin fights.

Everyone knew clearly that the freshmen, who were rid of their worries, would definitely not give up on the chance to reach the top. The round-robin fights had become a reality.

As expected, after a few seconds, a freshman jumped up to the stage. His face showed a hint of shame, but he still spoke out his objective; the freshman respectfully bowed to Qi Long and said, "I am Wang Ruoxu from Planet Qinhuang. Please go easy on me, Commander Qi!"

"Go ahead!" Qi Long replied, taking a deep breath. Wearing the color of determination on his face, he gestured him to start. This decision of Ling Lan's wouldn't make Qi Long actually resent her; he believed that there was definitely a deeper meaning to Boss' decision. He just had to work hard and finish the mission that Boss had given him.

This Wang Ruoxu attacked crazily right from the beginning. Unfortunately, having only reached the peak of the late stages of Qi-Jin, the pressure he gave Qi Long wasn't as much as compared to Wang Ke. After carefully defending for around 3 minutes, Qi Long had accumulated a certain amount of Qi-Jin, found the opponent's weak spot and struck him off the arena.

Two more freshmen went up onto the arena in immediate succession; however, Qi Long fought with patience. With no energy left, Qi Long used his strong body to defend. Once he accumulated a small amount of Qi-Jin, he would find his opponent's weak spot and defeat them. Qi Long fought in a very calm and collected manner. The freshmen couldn't find a chance to win at that moment.

However, having to face so many people consecutively had pushed Qi Long's already exhausted body towards its limit even more. If he didn't have his spiritual power helping him endure it all, it was possible that he might not even have been able to raise his fists.

The sharper individuals had already discovered that Qi Long was now spent. Another freshman jumped up onto the arena…

"Captain, this a chance," Yi Tiange whispered to Ling Yi.

"You want me to go up and defeat Commander Qi Long?" Ling Yi asked coldly.

"Yes. Wang Ke already made Commander Qi Long show his limit. Additionally, the round-robin fights that these people made him go through has already squeezed out the last bit of energy from Commander Qi Long. If you go up now, with your capabilities, you should be able to defeat him." Yi Tiange spoke out his thoughts.

Ling Yi went silent and looked at Qi Long, who had already reached his limit yet wasn't showing a hint of it on his expression; he was still determined to face his new opponent. His calmness and composure along with his unyielding expression moved Ling Yi's heart…

"Captain, this is a good chance. If you win, Commander Ling said that he would give us the treatment of a frontline battle team. It'll be very good for the growth of our battle team." Rong Ziruo also agreed with Yi Tiange's opinion.

Yan Wuyou smiled but didn't say anything; however, his eyes showed that he also agreed. On the other side, the other person in the battle team, Tao Xiaotao, was concentrated on the fight and didn't even notice that his teammates were in the middle of deciding something that could affect the future of their battle team. Of course, his teammates hadn't intended on asking for his opinions in the first place. In the battle team, Tao Xiaotao's opinions could be ignored.

Ling Yi finally spoke, his expression holding a hint of coldness and also a hint of pride. "I know that you guys are right, but I just don't want to."

Yi Tiange showed a hint of regret on his face as he looked at Rong Ziruo and silently sighed. His captain was good in every way, except that he was simply too righteous and didn't want to do things that he thought to be unfair.

"I know that Commander Qi Long's body is at the brink of collapse and now is the best chance to defeat him. But can't you guys see that even though it's so hard for him, Commander Qi Long still hasn't shown a hint of weakness? He's still remaining calm and composed, still fighting without giving any openings. He's using his spiritual power to force himself to continue fighting in order to prove to us that he isn't someone that will be defeated by despicable methods! He's a real fighter. This type of fighter should be respected by us instead of becoming our stepping stone and being stomped on by us as we climb up the ladder. If I really did do something like this, I would feel very ashamed of myself. Even if we'd be treated like a front line battle team because of this, I wouldn't be able to raise my head when facing the other members of Lingtian," Ling Yi explained without hesitation.

Hearing Ling Yi's righteousness in his words, Yi Tiange showed smirk on his face. It was this Ling Yi that had made them submit. Even if there were enough benefits, when Ling Yi believed that it shouldn't be done, he would be able to withstand the temptation and stand his ground. Only this kind of captain would give them confidence that when they were faced with danger in the future, he wouldn't abandon his comrades and would fight alongside them.

Yi Tiange smiled and replied, "Since you've already said so much, then we'll definitely support you!"

Rong Ziruo and Yan Wuyou exchanged a look before they too nodded firmly and said, "Yes, we support you!"

Yi Tiange thought the same as they did as well. Although this kind of captain would lose their battle team many chances for promotion, the same benefits might cause them to end up in a dangerous situation. It was both a good and bad thing. Comparatively, they were more willing to accept a captain like Ling Yi. He made them feel confident with him backing them up.

In the arena, Qi Long had defeated another freshman. Tao Xiaotao's eyes had returned from watching the fight and he heard the voices of his teammates coming from beside him. He turned around in confusion and asked with a confused expression, "What were you guys agreeing about?"

Yan Wuyou wore a smile as he held out his right hand to turn Tao Xiaotao's face back towards. "Xiaotao, just watch. What we're talking about has nothing do with you."

Tao Xiaotao replied in dismay, "You guys always have things to say and never want to share it with me. I'm not going to ignore you guys and just watch. Oh, another person went up. How many does that make? I pity Commander Qi Long."

It turned out that while they were talking, another freshman had challenged Qi Long. The bait that Ling Lan had set was sufficient to draw in the freshmen and make them continuously challenge Qi Long.

Seeing this, Ling Yi walked up to stand before the optical supercomputer. He was waiting for Qi Long to defeat this challenger, after which he would input in his own name for the evaluation battle.

"Who do you guys think the captain is going to challenge?" Yi Tiange asked Rong Ziruo while gazing at Ling Yi.

Rong Ziruo replied with a smile, "You and I both know. Do you really need to ask?"

"I don't know, but I keep feeling that our captain is going to be disappointed this time," Yi Tiange said as if in deep thought.

"What kind of person do you think Commander Ling Lan is?" Rong Ziruo suddenly asked.

Yi Tiange thought carefully before replying, "I saw him once during the award ceremony in last year's Grand Mecha Tournament. He seemed to be very cold and cool at first glance. At second second glance, he seemed to be very dominant…"

"A few days ago, I caught a glimpse of Commander Ling Lan from afar." Rong Ziruo's smile had disappeared as he spoke. "He discovered me looking at him and looked me back in the eye." A layer of sweat had actually formed on his forehead by the end of his words.

Rong Ziruo's odd behavior made Yi Tiange's expression become serious. The latter asked, "How was it?"

"That look of his made me feel as though my entire body had become frozen. In that instant, I thought I died," Rong Ziruo replied with a pale face. "It was as though thousands of years had passed. By the time my consciousness returned, 10 minutes had already passed, and Commander Ling Lan was nowhere in sight."

"He is someone that I've met who is the most dominant and strong out of everyone I know. Do you still remember the captain of the ship that took us to the First Men's Military Academy? Our guess was that his level of Qi-Jin had peaked at the stage of Great Perfection. However, the feeling that the captain of that ship gave me was far weaker than that of Commander Ling Lan's."

"He's really that strong!" Yi Tiange exclaimed with a serious expression.

"He's really strong, unfathomably strong," Rong Ziruo confirmed with a bitter smile. "Even I couldn't believe my own senses, but at that time, that was how I really felt."

"Captain, if you really choose Commander Ling Lan… I hope you won't lose too badly," Rong Ziruo said to himself. He was afraid that the captain might lose his confidence after being beaten. Truly strong people could not be pursued by others.

Hearing this, Yi Tiange went silent. He now hoped that someone could be sign up faster than his captain. Then at least his captain would be beaten a bit later by Commander Ling Lan.

In the arena, Qi Long had once again defeated a freshman who had challenged him. This time, however, he had spent almost 15 minutes in taking victory. Ever since Qi Long had defeated Wang Ke, every time he defeated a challenger, the time he took in doing so increased. This also meant that he truly had almost reached his limit. It was just that they didn't know when he would completely collapse.

When the freshman jumped off the arena, Ling Yi, who was already ready, decisively pressed down on the confirm button for the evaluation.

"Ling Yi, a commoner from Puyi Scout Academy (Third-class planet, Planet Puzhe). Physical Skills: Qi-Jin Beginner Level. Mecha World Mecha Piloting Level: Advanced!" Ling Yi's information was sent to the observation room through the optical supercomputer, and his data made the captains all gasp in disbelief. Compared to Wang Ke, Ling Yi surprised them even more. After all, Ling Yi did come from a third-class planet; it was very difficult for people from there to get into the First Men's Military Academy. He had managed to get admitted to the First Men's Military Academy, and even his capabilities ranked among the top of the freshmen.

"The opponent he has chosen is… Ling Lan! Boss!" Everyone in the observation room gasped in surprise. They didn't think that someone would be so daring as to actually challenge the strongest individual in their mecha clan. Did he not know that Boss Lan's physical skills was definitely the best in the entire military academy? He had defeated the previous top-ranked physical skills expert, Huo Zhenyu, in his first year. He was deemed as the most domineering individual in terms of physical skills throughout entire First Men's Military Academy.

Ling Lan saw this notification and struck her armrest with great force. Luo Lang could clearly see that a crack had appeared in the armrest's hard metallic surface. It looked Ling Yi's accidental disruption in her plan had made Ling Lan angry. Qi Long had been about to reach his limit and could have been on the verge of death at any moment, but now it had all gone to waste.

As long as Qi Long was given time to rest, if she wanted to push him to his current state again, he would have to have many times the amount of people fight him to achieve the state. Not only that, she was afraid that once Qi Long calmed down, he would understand why she made such plans. Once he made preparations, it would be impossible to have him become unconscious and on the verge of death. In other words, the hardships that Qi Long had endured beforehand was all for naught.

At the same time, this also meant that it would be no longer possible to use fighting amongst themselves to help him reach his limit. Having prepared, if she had used the same method in the future, she would not be able to make Qi Long be on the verge of death. If Qi Long wanted to find a new way of advancing, he would need to find another shortcut. However, it was a known fact that shortcuts were discovered through luck while thinking on it day and night. To find a new way, she didn't know how long he would have to wait and didn't know whether that kind of chance would appear again.

This was why Ling Lan was angry. The hope that she saw was instantly destroyed by Ling Yi. Ling Yi interfering by making a challenge had completely messed up Ling Lan's plan.

"I should have just choked him to death back then!" Ling Lan uttered, biting her lip.