The air inside the testing grounds was thick with tension, a stark contrast to the peaceful skies outside. The winds swirled gently around barren rocks, brushing across the jagged landscape, carrying with them a whisper of ancient power. The battlefield was vast, a natural arena formed by time itself, and the distant mountains loomed like silent spectators to the coming battle.
Suddenly, there was movement—a blur of speed followed by the sharp clang of metal against stone. Yang Feng appeared first, his body bouncing back across the rocky terrain with an easy grace, his long black hair fluttering behind him in the wind. His expression was calm, almost amused, as he blocked another incoming strike from Xiao Mei. Her sword gleamed in the sunlight, the silver blade cutting through the air with a lethal precision.
Xiao Mei's pink hair shimmered like silk in the light, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she pursued him. The fiery determination in her brown eyes mirrored the intensity of the battle, and with a sharp swing of her sword, she aimed for Yang Feng's side, her speed rivaling the wind itself.
But Yang Feng only smiled.
He hopped lightly onto a small rock, his balance perfect despite the uneven surface. For a moment, he stood still, as though daring her to strike again. Xiao Mei's sword sliced through the air, her movements swift and deadly, but as she closed the distance between them, Yang Feng vanished.
With blinding speed, he moved toward her, his fist clenched, ready to strike. Time seemed to slow as he closed the gap between them, his eyes locked onto hers, the thrill of the fight evident in his gaze. He could see the flicker of surprise in her eyes as he neared her. Just as his fist was about to connect, Xiao Mei dissolved into a flurry of sakura petals, scattering into the wind like a delicate flower caught in a storm.
Yang Feng's punch struck nothing but air.
He landed gracefully on the ground, his fist still extended, the petals floating around him like a soft rain. Straightening, he glanced up and saw Xiao Mei standing atop a nearby cliff, her silhouette framed against the bright blue sky. Her pink hair blew gently in the breeze, and for a moment, Yang Feng allowed himself to admire her. Despite the fierce competition, there was an undeniable beauty in her strength, in the way she stood so confidently above him.
His moment of admiration was brief.
Xiao Mei's eyes suddenly glowed bright pink, and Yang Feng felt a sudden shift in the air. The pressure around him increased tenfold as she activated her gravity powers. The ground beneath him cracked, small rocks lifting off the earth as if defying gravity, and a crushing weight descended upon Yang Feng. His muscles tensed, his body seemingly pinned to the ground by an unseen force.
But Yang Feng merely smirked, pretending to struggle under the pressure. He lowered his stance, his knees bending slightly as if to brace himself, but the twinkle in his eyes betrayed the truth—he was holding back, only pretending to be affected by her power.
"Impressive," he murmured to himself.
Without warning, several identical copies of Xiao Mei appeared, each one as lifelike as the original. They leaped from the shadows, their swords flashing as they converged on Yang Feng, surrounding him from all sides. These were her **sakura clones**, an ability she had perfected over the years—each clone capable of dealing as much damage as she could.
Yang Feng's smile widened. "So, it's like that, huh?"
Ling Bing on the other hand, having wandered away from the main battlefield, was grumbling under his breath. He hopped from rock to rock, his mood sour as he cursed Yang Feng's name. "Damn you, Yang Feng," he muttered. "He left without saying a word. I'm supposed to be his partner, not his sidekick."
He kicked a small rock off a nearby cliff, watching it tumble down into the abyss below. "And now I'm stuck wandering around like an idiot. This is so typical."
As he continued his frustrated muttering, a sudden, earth-shaking roar echoed through the air. Ling Bing froze, his heart skipping a beat. The roar was deafening, a sound so powerful that it seemed to shake the very ground beneath him.
"What the hell was that?" he whispered to himself, his eyes wide with shock. His instincts took over, and without wasting another second, he darted off in the direction of the sound.
He leaped from cliff to cliff with ease, his agility unmatched as he navigated the rocky terrain. The roar echoed again, louder this time, and Ling Bing's heart raced with excitement. Whatever was making that sound—it was big.
After a few moments of searching, Ling Bing finally arrived at the source of the noise. His eyes widened in awe as he stood at the edge of a massive, fiery volcano. The air was thick with heat, the ground around him glowing red with molten lava. And inside the heart of the volcano, he saw it—a creature of unimaginable power, its body glowing with the same fiery intensity as the lava that surrounded it.
Ling Bing's lips curled into a mischievous grin. "Jackpot," he whispered, his eyes gleaming with excitement. Without hesitation, he leaped into the volcano, eager to claim whatever prize awaited him inside.
The battle of yang feng and xiao mei was raging on.
Yang feng was stuck and several Xiao mei's were about to attack but if anything yang feng was smiling.
He dodged the first clone's attack with ease, sidestepping the blade as it cut through the air where his neck had been just moments before. Another clone appeared behind him, its sword aiming for his back. Yang Feng spun, deflecting the strike with his forearm, his body moving fluidly as he avoided the onslaught of attacks.
The real Xiao Mei watched from above, her focus unrelenting. She maintained the gravitational pressure, keeping Yang Feng under constant strain, while her clones did the dirty work of wearing him down. Her eyes glimmered with satisfaction as she saw him begin to slow under the weight of her power.
But Yang Feng wasn't about to give her the satisfaction.
With a sudden burst of energy, his blue eyes began to glow, and in an instant, he vanished. The clones froze, their swords poised for the next strike, but Yang Feng was gone. The real Xiao Mei's eyes widened slightly in surprise as she scanned the field below, but before she could react, she felt a presence behind her.
"Try again," Yang Feng's voice whispered in her ear, his breath warm against her neck.
Xiao Mei gasped, her heart skipping a beat. She whipped around, her sword flashing as she prepared to strike—but there was no one there. She was alone on the cliff, the empty wind her only companion.
Her grip tightened on her sword, her brow furrowing in confusion. When she turned back to the battlefield, she was met with a sight that left her momentarily stunned. There, scattered across the rocky terrain, were multiple Yang Fengs, each one engaged in battle with her clones. Every punch, every strike, mirrored his speed and precision. It was as though she were watching a battalion of Yang Fengs fight against her army of sakura clones.
Xiao Mei's eyes narrowed. He was using some kind of illusion technique, one that even she hadn't anticipated.
Yang Feng, standing on another small cliff opposite hers, crossed his arms over his chest and watched the chaos unfold with a satisfied grin. "Why don't we let the clones settle it out?" he called out to her, his voice carrying easily across the distance. "It's only fair if the real ones fight one-on-one."
Xiao Mei didn't respond. Her expression remained serious, her eyes glowing pink once more as she prepared herself for the next move. Her sakura clones continued their relentless assault on the field below, each one trying to break through the ranks of Yang Feng's illusions. But despite the chaotic scene, her focus remained on him—the real Yang Feng, standing across from her with that ever-present smirk on his face.
Yang Feng's heart raced with excitement, the adrenaline coursing through his veins. It had been so long since he'd faced someone like Xiao Mei, someone who could truly challenge him. He hadn't felt this alive in over a hundred years.
"This is fun," he muttered to himself, his grin widening.
Xiao mei's sakura clones launched themselves at his illusions, each side battling with relentless ferocity. But neither the clones nor the illusions could make a difference in the outcome of this fight. This battle was between the real Yang Feng and Xiao Mei.
One of Xiao Mei's clones lunged at a Yang Feng clone, only for the clone to sidestep and deliver a swift punch to its core, sending it flying back into a rock, where it split into sakura petals.Immediately the Sakura petals reformed themselves and split into two.
Another clone of Xiao Mei's appeared from behind a boulder, its sword flashing toward a Yang Feng clone's neck. The Yang Feng clone parried the strike with his arm, deflecting the blade just in time. With a quick movement, he delivered a roundhouse kick that shattered the sakura clone into petals, which scattered into the wind and again the Sakura petals reformed and raged on.
Yet another Yang Feng clone ducked under a series of rapid strikes from two of Xiao Mei's clones, his body twisting and turning like a shadow. He blocked one strike, then another, before flipping backward, landing gracefully atop a nearby boulder. From there, he launched himself back into the fray, his body a blur of motion as he countered and parried with ease.
The battlefield was a storm of petals and energy, the clash of swords ringing through the air. Both sides fought with relentless determination, each clone giving everything it had to overpower the other. But despite the intensity of the fight, Yang Feng's clones remained calm, their movements effortless, as though they were merely toying with Xiao Mei's warriors
As the real Xiao mei prepared to make her next strike, Yang Feng's voice echoed across the battlefield once more. "I haven't had this much fun in a hundred years," he said with a grin, his voice carrying easily on the wind.
Xiao Mei's expression remained serious, but there was a flicker of something else in her eyes—excitement, perhaps? She gripped her sword tighter and took a deep breath. The real fight was just beginning.
And neither of them intended to lose.