Chapter 72: The Mask Is Unveiled

How truly intriguing! Many people saw it this way—everyone knew, more or less, why the Dark Sovereign Duan Shaofeng had provoked the new junior. Yet Duan Shaofeng’s demeanor didn’t suggest mere posturing, which made the situation all the more thought-provoking.

“Hey, newcomer, this is your last chance—take off that mask!” Duan Shaofeng’s gaze toward Long Yin grew increasingly wicked and sly. Inwardly, Long Yin sighed, realizing that the higher one stood, the more their mind seemed warped.

With a flick of his right hand, he tossed out a golden card. Long Yin’s five elemental spiritual power seemed to take on a hue, and suddenly, colorful petals began drifting down from the sky—ethereal, dreamlike, and exquisitely beautiful. Yet this feast for the eyes was more a harbinger of doom: as the petals landed silently on Duan Shaofeng, the skin on his body split open inch by inch as if sliced by invisible blades. Blood sprayed forth in silence; just like that, the reigning Dark Sovereign was ambushed without a sound.

Those who had been waiting to enjoy the spectacle were now truly terrified. What kind of card was that? The opponent displayed no trace of elemental energy—so how could he use a card? And what a terrifying tool card it was!

Duan Shaofeng was now a figure bathed in blood, but Long Yin knew that the wounds were more appearance than substance. He had never expected a single tool card to truly harm his opponent, but the card, whimsically named “Heavenly Maidens Scattering Flowers,” had fulfilled its purpose by making Duan Shaofeng lose face.

Duan Shaofeng looked down at his sorry state, his gaze growing dark and profound; then, suddenly, a thunderous laugh burst from his lips. Long Yin frowned—in that laughter, he heard fury. If a moment earlier Duan Shaofeng had still entertained a mocking attitude, now he was truly murderous.

“Excellent, just excellent! You’re the first to have wounded me like this—even if only superficially. But you’ve truly infuriated me!” With a sudden stomp of his right foot, Duan Shaofeng lunged forward, his right hand attacking. Long Yin’s expression changed, but inwardly he still lamented his opponent’s arrogance. Card cultivators should fight with cards; no matter how sturdy the body, it was still mortal flesh. Overcoming an opponent fighting at full strength might be difficult, but breaking free from the ambush of someone so arrogant was not a challenge for Long Yin.

He leapt backward, a shield of spiritual power already in place. Yet to his shock, he found himself unable to dodge the attack. How could this be? His opponent hadn’t used a card—or had he? Long Yin’s keen eyes noticed a card missing from Duan Shaofeng’s hand. Damn it—he had underestimated him; the card had already been played without him noticing. This kind of subterfuge sent a chill through Long Yin. He’d grown complacent during his years in Texas, always protected, rarely in danger. He had forgotten the peril of the outside world—forgotten that this was the Federal Academy of Integrated Cards, and that no one became the Dark Sovereign here without real skill.

A fist like iron slammed into Long Yin’s chest, forcing a mouthful of blood from him. The wound wasn’t serious, but looked severe enough; Duan Shaofeng had returned the insult, making him suffer in kind. Rubbing his chest, Long Yin retreated a few steps and looked up at Duan Shaofeng, their gazes locking. In those coldly amused eyes, Long Yin felt a sudden chill.

“Arrogant fool!” Long Yin couldn’t help but say.

“Arrogance and confidence are separated by a thin line, just as genius and madness are but a step apart. Will you still refuse to remove your mask?” Duan Shaofeng released his own intimidating aura.

Feeling the onslaught of a murderous intent as vast as mountains of corpses and seas of blood, Long Yin stared at him in shock. This was no pretense—how many had he killed to possess such a presence? Long Yin’s expression grew solemn. Stopping him would not be difficult, but doing so would expose his own abilities.

Gazing into Duan Shaofeng’s predatory eyes, Long Yin couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you so insistent that I remove my mask?”

Duan Shaofeng hadn’t expected this question, but seeing his opponent’s slightly softened attitude, his lips curled up. “They say you haven’t taken off your mask since arriving. Wearing it, you dominated Dexin Academy in Texas—quite impressive. I’m just curious, that’s all.”

A perfunctory excuse. Long Yin, unwilling to expose his abilities on his first day, had no choice but to search for another avenue. “You’re not the sort to be so idle. But if you can offer such a trivial reason, I’ll accept it. Still, do you really think that’s enough to make me comply?”

Trying to provoke him? Duan Shaofeng shook his head. “You should know who I am. I despise your status. If you want to pass into the First Academy without trouble, you’ll have to get through me. What do you think?”

“My status?” Long Yin raised an eyebrow. “I thought I was just an ordinary new student.”

“Ordinary? You really dare say that? You single-handedly delayed the opening of the First Academy for three years—you’re the first in history. Before you even arrived, the Young Emperor declared you his, and that anyone who touched you would die. If someone like you is ordinary, the rest of us might as well hang ourselves!”

The Young Emperor? That brat again—Long Yin’s mood soured instantly. Once more, it was that guy. During his years in Texas, that fellow had ceaselessly sent people to trouble him, always claiming that he had shielded Long Yin from various messes in the past and was thus owed repayment. Outwardly, they appeared to have little contact, but behind the scenes, they had crossed swords several times and knew each other well. Now, on the Young Emperor’s turf, of course the trouble would not cease. Yet what was the meaning behind his words? For years, he’d insisted that all past misunderstandings were just that—that they should each go their own way. Clearly, the Young Emperor hadn’t taken his own advice to heart.

“That bastard!” Long Yin cursed inwardly.

Looking at Duan Shaofeng, Long Yin sneered, “So I’m just your testing pawn. Careful, or you’ll break your teeth on this piece!”

Duan Shaofeng burst out laughing again. “Don’t worry—my teeth are just fine, and my appetite’s even better. Well, if you decide to throw yourself into my arms, I might even let you go!”

Throw himself into his arms? This guy was courting death. If not for the need to conceal the powers lurking in the shadows, that single remark would have been enough to provoke Uncle Long Yi into a deadly rage. Forget it—better to expose himself than to risk revealing Long Yi’s secret strength. Long Yin’s gaze toward Duan Shaofeng changed.

“Whether it’s you, the Dark Sovereign, or him, the Young Emperor, I’ll choose neither. Fight your battles; I’ll walk my own path. But if you insist on provoking me, you will regret it!”

In that instant, Duan Shaofeng sensed a shift in his opponent’s aura—it became unfathomable, deeper than he had expected. He had thought he was already overestimating Long Yin, but now he realized the man was hiding even more. When masters face off, one can sense the outcome by the aura alone. At this moment, unless Duan Shaofeng unleashed his ultimate move, he wouldn’t even be able to touch Long Yin, let alone defeat him.

First came surprise, then laughter. The Young Emperor’s chosen were never ordinary. If, before, Duan Shaofeng had simply been curious about Long Yin’s appearance, now he was determined to see his face at any cost.

Suddenly, Duan Shaofeng let out a long howl, his aura surging higher. The onlookers were left dumbfounded—the Dark Sovereign was about to use his trump card! He was taking this seriously. Long Yin’s expression grew even graver; his spiritual power became more active. With a sweep of his right hand at his belt, ten cards appeared between his fingers, fanned out in a semicircle. Each was a single-use tool card, each with its own power, but together their might was far more than the sum of their parts—enough to astonish anyone. As Duan Shaofeng’s power soared, Long Yin gave him no chance to escalate further. With a toss, his spiritual energy detonated the cards.

“Boom boom boom…” Duan Shaofeng, prepared for this, thrust both hands forward, sending out waves of energy that clashed with Long Yin’s. The struggle was perfectly matched. Again, Long Yin swept out ten more cards, unleashing another barrage. Duan Shaofeng responded with another wave. The explosions thundered on—neither could gain the upper hand. Only those ranked near the top of the battle power list could see the truth: the Dark Sovereign was indeed formidable, but for the new student to fight him to a standstill was astonishing.

He must be at least in the top five—another monster.

The spectators watched, hearts pounding, while the two combatants were equally shocked at each other’s strength. Failing to subdue his opponent, Duan Shaofeng’s face darkened. Did he really need to reveal his ultimate move?

Amid the smoke and fire, Duan Shaofeng fixed his gaze on Long Yin, desperate to pierce through the mask and see what manner of person hid behind it. His expression flickered with various emotions, but at last, he resolved that, no matter what, he would see Long Yin’s face.

“Hey, has the Young Emperor ever seen your face?” he suddenly called out to Long Yin in the midst of their fierce confrontation.

Long Yin shook his head without thinking.

“Is that so?” A broad, delighted grin spread across Duan Shaofeng’s face. He repeated his satisfaction several times.

His mood changed so abruptly that Long Yin could not grasp his intentions. He thought that, although he was on the backfoot, his opponent could not defeat him either. Yet Duan Shaofeng’s laughter left him uneasy. In the next instant, Long Yin’s eyes widened in shock—a strange power seemed to freeze his body, rendering him immobile. Duan Shaofeng darted forward and, in a flash, tore off Long Yin’s mask. Knowing he had seen Long Yin’s face before the Young Emperor did, Duan Shaofeng instinctively shielded Long Yin from the crowd’s view—a reflex that, inadvertently, spared Long Yin much future trouble and disaster.

“You…” Words like “stunning” were wholly inadequate for Duan Shaofeng’s shock. That such beauty could exist in the world—if someone told him this was a celestial being, he would believe it. All those he had previously considered beauties now seemed utterly lacking by comparison. Peerless and transcendent—now he understood the meaning.

Long Yin had not expected such a bizarre ability, nor that his mask would be removed on his very first day. His heart skipped several beats. Then he realized that Duan Shaofeng had deliberately shielded his face from the others. Although Duan Shaofeng had seen him, at least no one else had. Long Yin was both alarmed and furious. As Duan Shaofeng stood dazed, Long Yin tried to snatch his mask back, but Duan Shaofeng, though dazed, still dodged him. Long Yin, unwilling to make a scene and risk exposure, could only glare angrily. “Give it back!”

Duan Shaofeng looked into Long Yin’s luminous eyes, and his own heart beat wildly. Unthinkingly, he blurted out, “Be mine!”

“Get lost!” A hand darted in from the side, deftly snatching the mask away. In the next moment, Long Yin felt a strong arm wrap around him; unwilling to be exposed, he could only bury his face in the other’s chest. After several swift spins, Long Yin realized he was being held tightly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the man holding his mask, and quickly reclaimed and donned it. Yet even with the mask back on, he found that the man showed no intention of letting him go.

What kind of mess was this! Long Yin seethed inwardly.

Author’s note: Fine, I absolutely refuse to leave a message. Absolutely won’t. Not leaving a message.