Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Miracle of Xiayan

Xia Yan’s goal was singular: to cripple Levin and extract the information from him. Gu Yue’er’s disappearance was almost certainly their doing, but with no concrete intelligence, there was no way to locate her. Xia Yan’s only option, then, was to win this battle.

If Levin refused to speak, then he would kill him, and then the director of the AIU, one after another, until Gu Yue’er was found.

Now, fully armed, Xia Yan’s strength had soared to a whole new level. At least in the institution’s ranking competitions, he was forbidden to use firearms directly against opponents, but in this duel, no such restrictions existed.

The match began.

With a mechanical electronic prompt, Xia Yan and Levin sprang into action. This was a fight to the death—only one could survive.

No longer concealing his power, Xia Yan wielded the Protean Blade, a surge of flame enveloping its edge, dazzling and formidable.

Unexpectedly, Levin, a demon by heritage, did not activate his bloodline; he remained outwardly unchanged. He stepped forward—and in an instant, vanished without a trace.

Xia Yan immediately sensed something was wrong.

Despite the dozens of meters between them, in the blink of an eye, they were face to face.

Levin’s black sword slashed toward Xia Yan—a seemingly ordinary strike, but one masterfully restrained.

The attack was blindingly fast, the teleportation ability unfathomable, and his physical strength surpassed any human Xia Yan had faced before, including Tang Yun.

“Spatial displacement—instantaneous movement! His physical development far exceeds ten percent, though the exact number is uncertain,” Chang Duosu observed, silently gauging Levin’s power.

Levin had grown even stronger—his cerebral development was likely approaching thirty percent, or else his body could not have become so powerful.

“It’s a spatial-type movement ability, though I’m not sure which class it belongs to.”

“It must be teleportation, though there are subtle differences among various spatial abilities.”

“Incredible—a terrifying power, a monstrous physique, overwhelming combat strength.”

“Poor Xia Yan, facing such a monster.”

Even several instructors were astounded; most were weaker than Levin and would stand no chance against him. Though a student, Levin’s abilities easily eclipsed the majority present.

A true elite—one could not help but admire him.

Yet Xia Yan remained calm, parrying the sudden blow with a sweep of his blade.

Levin’s face was full of disdain; a moment later, he vanished and reappeared behind Xia Yan for another strike.

So swift, faster than a blink.

Block!

Xia Yan raised his flaming Protean Blade and blocked the attack.

The exchanges were relentless—blow after blow, dozens of clashes in the blink of an eye. Xia Yan was forced into a purely defensive stance, unable to counterattack.

He was cautious, holding back his trump card, never exerting his full strength—his usual combat approach, allowing him to adjust his state as needed. But he had to admit, Levin’s power was formidable.

With his spatial movement, Levin was virtually invincible and entirely in control—the battle was dictated by him, and Xia Yan found no way to turn the tide.

“Xia Yan’s hurt,” Tao Lu’s eyes tightened as she saw Levin’s sword land on Xia Yan, unable to dodge. His defensive suit and fire element withstood the blow.

Though his defense was formidable, Levin was no ordinary foe. The strike left blood at Xia Yan’s lips. If this continued, defeat was inevitable.

“In terms of physical development, Xia Yan is stronger than Levin. But Levin’s spatial ability gives him absolute advantage… He doesn’t even need to awaken his bloodline to control the fight,” Gong Kui observed, understanding the disparity between them.

Xia Yan retreated; Levin struck again at his right shoulder, but the fire element shielded him.

The crowd was already stunned—no one expected Xia Yan to hold out so long. More than a minute had passed with no obvious injury. Chang Duosu was most surprised; she had agreed with Tan Jing that lasting even ten seconds would be impressive, never imagining Xia Yan could persist this long.

But it was meaningless—Xia Yan was being battered passively, defeat all but certain, with no hope of reversal.

Yet Xia Yan was waiting. Waiting for an opening.

In the Criminals’ Survival Tournament, Xia Yan had won through patience and endurance. If not for that critical bullet, Brooke would never have lost so easily. Had Brooke been given a chance to recover, the best outcome would have been mutual destruction.

He had to spot a flaw and deliver a fatal blow.

“Now!” Xia Yan’s eyes flashed; his left hand seized the C102 Frenzy Plasma Pistol, firing a beam at Levin’s predicted path.

At the same moment, Levin flickered to Xia Yan’s side—only to find the plasma beam flying right toward him.

It was as though his movement had guided him straight into the shot.

Levin was stunned beyond words. How could Xia Yan have predicted his move—was it coincidence or foresight?

Impossible to predict, surely coincidence!

“Dodge!” Levin gritted his teeth, his body barely evading, the plasma beam grazing his afterimage, passing through the center of his chest by a hair’s breadth.

A fraction closer and he would have been hit.

But Xia Yan pulled the trigger again, firing at another seemingly random spot.

Levin’s body reappeared directly in the plasma beam’s path. Witnessing this, Levin nearly lost his mind—disbelieving the result.

Once might be coincidence—but twice?

A sliver of fear crept into his heart.

Could it be… this was not a coincidence?

Impossible. Absolutely impossible. No one could predict his teleportation—not even a god, let alone this insignificant insect.

Levin’s will surged and his body flickered again—but this time, the plasma beam grazed his left arm, searing flesh to charcoal.

Xia Yan sighed softly; his calculations had been slightly off, but still within the danger zone.

Throughout their battle, Xia Yan had tracked Levin’s movements, analyzing his patterns and habits.

After so many exchanges, Xia Yan could estimate his likely positions, though not with perfect accuracy—else that plasma shot would have pierced Levin’s heart, not his left arm.

Awe, confusion, silence, madness—desperate shouts erupted.

“Xia Yan… not only didn’t lose, he counterattacked!”

“Levin’s left arm is scorched—practically useless!”

“My god, am I seeing things?”

“Levin, with all his power, is actually injured!”

“Hahaha, those two consecutive shots—he calculated Levin’s movement, making him walk right into the barrel.”

“What vision, what calculation!”

“To maintain such composure in the heat of battle, deducing Levin’s habits and predicting his position!”

“It’s a miracle—Xia Yan represents a human miracle!”

“Incredible—such a disparity in strength, certain defeat, and yet he found a breakthrough.”

“Xia Yan’s strength is simply overwhelming—he can win!”

“Yes, Xia Yan can win!”

“He must win—Levin’s injured, and he seems fine!”

“Go, Xia Yan!”

“Go!”

“Go!”

Such was the crowd’s reaction. These were not ordinary spectators, but members and instructors of the institution; their discerning eyes recognized the skill in Xia Yan’s counterattack.

This was no matter of luck or blind chance. With that attack, no one could deny Xia Yan’s combat prowess.

Terrifying, formidable.

Xia Yan’s popularity soared, gaining dozens of new fans in that instant. Their ecstatic cheers filled the air—excitement brimming.

It was a rare miracle, the embodiment of the underdog’s fightback: as long as one does not give up, perseveres to the end, there is always hope, blue skies, rainbows, and victory tomorrow.

The one who embodied all this was Xia Yan.

…

“Xia Yan!” Gu Yue’er lifted her face, her lively features glowing, excitement shimmering in her expression, mingled with resentment toward the AIU director and hope for Xia Yan.

In stark contrast, the director stood motionless, his face gloomy, though it soon relaxed; to him, this battle was no exception—there were none.

Levin’s true strength was not so simple.

…

Rage. Levin could scarcely recall being so angry—the burning agony in his arm drove him nearly mad.

“Xia Yan, today you will die here.”

Levin gritted his teeth, unleashing his bloodline power—at once, he transformed. Black wings erupted from his back, silver hair whipping wildly, his visage twisted and monstrous.

With his bloodline awakened, the pain in his arm lessened, and his strength increased.

Xia Yan raised his plasma pistol and fired another beam at Levin.

Levin flickered out of sight.

Without pause, Xia Yan’s right hand swung the Protean Blade, a streak of flame slashing toward Levin’s predicted position—he had foreseen Levin’s movement again!

Clang!

A crisp metallic ring sounded as the flaming blade met Levin’s sword, a lick of fire coiling around the weapon.

The audience watched, their initial confusion now replaced with understanding, seeing in Xia Yan their own past struggles.

Victory was possible—certain, even. Xia Yan had seized the advantage; Levin, even in his demon form, was forced onto the defensive, dodging blindly.

No one could have imagined that teleportation could be so thoroughly countered. Yet reality was reflected in every pair of eyes—undeniable.

The situation had truly been reversed.

“Damn it!”

Levin retreated, slicing his sword through the air; a gale extinguished the lingering flame. His weapon was no Protean Metal—if the fire clung too long, it could be ruined.

Time slipped by; Levin’s demon form was limited. Once it faded, his combat power would plummet, and the duel would become hopelessly one-sided.

Armed with the plasma pistol, Xia Yan kept Levin at bay—even at his fastest, Levin could not ignore the threat of the gun.

His marksmanship surpassed his close combat skills; this was Xia Yan’s true strength.

…

“Unrivaled marksmanship!”

“Xia Yan’s sharpshooting gives Levin no chance—amazing!”

“If this drags on, Levin is certain to lose; his bloodline can’t last like his spatial power.”

“Xia Yan’s marksmanship far exceeds his melee abilities.”

“Yes. If he were allowed to use C-class firearms in the ranking matches, no one could last ten seconds against him.”

In the institution’s management seats, Chang Duosu turned to the young man beside her, brows raised in surprise. “Tan Jing, I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I thought the outcome was already decided, but…” Tan Jing smiled wryly, “I had to come see for myself, and who would have guessed things would turn out like this!”

“Xia Yan is truly a miracle. No one realized his skill with firearms was so terrifying,” Chang Duosu replied, shaking her head.

Tan Jing glanced at the arena, exclaiming, “Xia Yan’s marksmanship is so uncanny that even spatial abilities are useless?”

“More than that—Levin even demonized…” Chang Duosu sighed.

Firearms were often dismissed by the powerful; the stronger one became, the less use guns seemed. They were, after all, products of science, unable to match the limits of cerebral or physical development.

But mastering marksmanship was no easy feat. A true sharpshooter required keen vision and precise calculation—talents few possessed, and not easily gained through effort alone.

But Xia Yan was a true sharpshooter, his prowess with firearms eclipsing even his melee skills.

Countless instructors, staff, and members—all had been wrong about him.

A miraculous reversal, an incomparable victory.

…

On the battlefield.

“His demon form’s ending—this is the chance!”

Xia Yan’s eyes gleamed as he began charging his C102 Frenzy Pistol. This would channel all its energy in a single burst; though the weapon would overheat and be unusable for a while, the power was immense.

He pulled the trigger, unleashing a dazzling, multi-hued plasma beam at Levin; what was once the width of a thumb now swelled to the size of a fist, blindingly bright.

“Damn!” Levin’s features twisted in despair. His demon form had just faded—he couldn’t activate spatial movement in time and could only watch the beam approach.

He realized—there was no way to dodge.

But the battle was not over. He would now reveal his trump card—his second ability, the secret weapon that placed him in the institution’s top three.

No one knew of it, save for the director.

Levin had already awakened a second ability. With it, he was confident he could kill Xia Yan.

And yet—being forced to reveal his second power was already a miracle by Xia Yan. The price for using it was too high.

A tedious battle—let it end swiftly.

Xia Yan would die, and Gu Yue’er’s second ability would also be awakened.

Though the path was winding, this was a battle that had been decided before it began—no possibility of change.