Chapter 85: A Heart in Agony

"Lu Shijie!"

Nangong Yuchen roared in fury. He leaped into the air like a humanoid beast, channeling every ounce of his strength into his right fist, and hammered it toward Lu Shijie. For some reason, he felt that with his blood boiling, this punch had shattered the 450kg barrier.

"No!" Behind them, Mu Ningxue’s face turned pale. She rushed forward recklessly, desperate to intervene.

But Lu Shijie was faster. He shoved her back, shouted at Cheng Shiyu to "Keep an eye on Ningxue!", and then, watching the fist grow infinitely large in his vision, he dodged to the side into a nearby courtyard.

"Thud!" The attack missed, and Nangong Yuchen’s fist smashed into the ground, instantly creating a spiderweb of cracks within a three-meter radius. His right fist was left dripping with blood, but Nangong Yuchen felt nothing. Like a madman, he turned and charged at Lu Shijie once more.

"Hmph, seeking death!" This time, Lu Shijie did not dodge. He chose to meet the attack head-on, flipping into the air and raising his right leg to kick at Nangong Yuchen’s head.

Nangong Yuchen showed no fear. As their fists and feet met, they descended into close-quarters combat.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Lu Shijie was incredibly fast. Every time he dodged, he appeared from a different angle to launch a counterattack. Within moments, Nangong Yuchen had taken a dozen hits and was left battered and bruised.

Yet, Nangong Yuchen only grew more ferocious. Eventually, he abandoned all defense, willing to take any injury just to land a single blow on Lu Shijie. The intensity of their battle escalated further.

"Step!" Lu Shijie’s speed increased. Seeing Nangong Yuchen’s punch coming, he leaped up and kicked him squarely in the chest.

Nangong Yuchen’s eyes were bloodshot. With only one thought—to kill the enemy before him—he ignored the pain and threw a vicious right hook, clashing head-on with Lu Shijie!

"Bang!" Upon impact, Nangong Yuchen stood his ground, while Lu Shijie was sent reeling several steps back. In terms of raw power, while Nangong Yuchen had not yet broken through to the First Rank, he was still superior to the speed-oriented Lu Shijie.

"Hmph!" Lu Shijie steadied himself and began to rely on his speed to counterattack. Once he became serious, Nangong Yuchen’s eyes could no longer keep up; he had to rely entirely on nervous reflexes to dodge and defend.

"Heh, too slow!" Just as Nangong Yuchen blocked a front kick, Lu Shijie appeared behind him and slammed his knee into Nangong Yuchen’s back. Caught off guard, Nangong Yuchen was sent flying.

Lu Shijie followed up instantly, kicking Nangong Yuchen in the solar plexus and launching him into the air.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

After a dozen consecutive kicks, Nangong Yuchen was left defenseless, his chest soaked in the blood he coughed up.

"Too weak!" Feeling that was enough, Lu Shijie stepped on Nangong Yuchen’s chest, driving him from the air down into the ground.

"Bang!" A deep crater was smashed into the villa’s courtyard.

"Lu Shijie, stop! You promised me you wouldn't hurt Nangong Yuchen!" Mu Ningxue, already weeping, spoke her first words in over a month as she looked at the motionless figure in the crater.

A wave of malice surged in Lu Shijie’s heart. "He brought this on himself!" he said coldly.

Just as he prepared to strike again, Nangong Yuchen, whose eyes had been tightly shut, suddenly snapped them open. He grabbed Lu Shijie’s right leg with both hands and hoisted him up!

"Ah..." Nangong Yuchen didn't give him a moment to recover. He began to swing and smash Lu Shijie around. The terrifying strength erupting from his arms turned Lu Shijie into a human club, turning the entire garden into a mess of deep impact craters.

"Cousin!"

"Nangong Yuchen! If you don't want to die, let go of my cousin right now!" Cheng Shiyu shrieked.

"Nan...!" Lu Shijie was consumed by rage. As a noble young master, being treated like a weapon—smashed until his body felt like it was falling apart and covered in blood—was an unbearable humiliation! Just as he prepared to summon his mecha to finish Nangong Yuchen off, the villa door swung open. Shangguan Mulong emerged, followed by all the students.

They were stunned by the sight. "Is that Nangong Yuchen? Damn... that’s savage!"

Finally, Angel and Nangong Kexin rushed out. Seeing the scene, they were momentarily frozen. Nangong Kexin, in particular, was shocked. "Has Nangong Yuchen broken through to the First Rank?"

It was the question on everyone’s mind.

"Nangong Yuchen, you must die today!" Lu Shijie was going insane. To be injured like this by a mere ant due to his own carelessness was a total disgrace, especially with all his classmates watching.

"Hiss!" Energy condensed, coiled, and took shape.

A purple spear materialized in Lu Shijie’s hand. He slammed it into the ground to anchor himself, then spun around, aiming the jagged, lightning-crackling tip of the spear at Nangong Yuchen’s head.

"Stop!" At the critical moment, Shangguan Mulong appeared between them, gripping the shaft of the spear firmly to save Nangong Yuchen.

"Shangguan Mulong, let go! I have to kill him today!" Lu Shijie, refusing to give up, tugged at the spear, preparing to thrust again.

"I said stop!" Shangguan Mulong shouted coldly, forcing the two apart.

Only then did the other honor students see how battered they both were. Nangong Yuchen was bruised, bleeding from the chest, and looked wretched. Lu Shijie was equally bedraggled, covered in blood with his school uniform in tatters.

"A draw?" The surrounding students, unaware of the battle's progression, could only guess.

"Cheng Shiyu, Mu Ningxue, take Lu Shijie to the hospital. If it's nothing serious, go and purchase your mecha!" Shangguan Mulong ordered with a gloomy expression.

"Okay..." Cheng Shiyu’s eyes were red; she looked heartbroken by her cousin's injuries. She helped the murderous-looking Lu Shijie toward the exit.

Lu Shijie remained silent, but before leaving, he cast a chilling glance at Nangong Yuchen. In his heart, he had permanently placed him on his kill list. Mu Ningxue followed them out.

"Angel, Nangong Kexin, take Nangong Yuchen to the infirmary for a checkup!"

After giving his orders, Shangguan Mulong turned to the other students and barked, "Everyone else, get back to class!" With that, he led the remaining students into the villa.

As Yi An walked in, he turned back and complimented Nangong Yuchen, "Brother, you were savage!"

After the others had left, Nangong Kexin asked with concern, "Yuchen, are you alright?"

Nangong Yuchen just hung his head, saying nothing.

"Yuchen, what's wrong? Are you hurt too badly?" Seeing his silence, she grew even more worried and prepared to pull him toward the infirmary.

Suddenly, Nangong Yuchen felt an inexplicable wave of agitation. Impatiently, he said, "Kexin, I'm fine. You and Angel go back. I want to be alone for a while."

Without waiting for a response, he walked away from the villa.

"Yuchen..." Nangong Kexin felt dejected. She could sense his immense pain over the past few days, yet... she couldn't help him.

Angel watched his retreating figure, her pupils suddenly flashing with a strange, eerie purple light. It vanished as quickly as it appeared. She turned to Nangong Kexin and said, "Kexin, go back to the villa on your own. I have something to take care of."

She ran off, leaving Nangong Kexin behind alone.