Chapter 171: Obsessive! Absolute!

The wind generated by the clash of qi surged through the empty training ground, stirring up dust.

The superhuman martial artists formed a crescent formation, standing against the gale, their robes flapping like battle flags—but not a single fighter among them paid any heed, not even blinking.

"Shin, aren't we friends? Why are you doing this?!"

A roar sent visible shockwaves rippling through the air; the boy clenched his fist, stomped forward a step, and the muscles along his back stretched into a terrifying, bow-like arc.

He didn't know why this had happened, but he was already furious.

The boy, wearing a red tank top and blue leather jacket, with short black hair and a signature lock of bangs fluttering in the wind, his sharp gaze and stern, cold brow twisted in anger, confronted his friend… or perhaps calling him a boy was no longer appropriate.

His physique was robust, his back straight, his height at least one meter eighty-three, his exposed arms thicker than those of many adult men, every muscle on his body exceptionally developed and powerful, like stacked boulders.

Had it not been for the faint trace of youth still lingering on his face, no one would mistake him for a boy—he looked more like a young man forged of iron strength.

"Damn, how fast did this kid grow? In two more days, won't he be taller than me?"

A faint ripple surfaced in the shadow beneath the wall.

Jia Ji, having just returned and stumbled upon this spectacle, compressed his spiritual power into a thin film enveloping his entire body, then used the same stealth technique he'd employed when assassinating the Red World Demon King, crouching beside the wall and holding his breath, terrified his presence might interrupt the scene.

Jia Ji, fully absorbed as an audience member, inwardly gasped.

His emotions were unusually complex—like returning home for the New Year and seeing his little brother, whom he hadn't seen in ages, about to tower over him, a strange ache of melancholy and the crushing sense of time's merciless passage.

Considering the time, Ken Shi Lang must be about fifteen now; such height is perfectly normal…

Jia Ji had long since realized, during his time at North High, that his height had frozen at one meter eighty-three point eight, never changing again.

Compared to ordinary people, he wasn't short at all—in the two-dimensional world, he was downright tall, often exploiting his height advantage to bully his short-statured online friends.

But now, returning home, he saw how pitiful he looked beside his three senior brothers in the Beidou Dojo: Duo Qi stood one meter ninety-three, Luo Wang two meters fifteen, and even the small, slender Ken Shi Lang now towered over him.

And that old dragon-fist master, even after shrinking with age, still stood one meter ninety-five—did everyone secretly eat a few Jack Ultramen behind my back?

Ugh, is the Beidou clan's bloodline really that special? So tall, you'll never find a girlfriend!

After his musings, Jia Ji kept watching.

"Heh, this is just sparring! You're not afraid, are you…?"

The one receiving Ken Shi Lang's furious glare was a young man with dazzling golden hair, clad in a tight martial arts uniform, tall and slender, with handsome features; his neatly groomed golden locks cascaded from his back down to his waist, perhaps one or two years older than Ken Shi Lang, but not by much.

Nan Dou's Lone Eagle Fist, the Man Who Dies for Love, burdened with the fate of dying for love—Shin, nicknamed 【The Method Actor】.

In Jia Ji's memory, Shin and Ken Shi Lang should have been close friends; without Shin's instigation, they might never have turned against each other after the nuclear war, never descended into betrayal.

This kind of direct confrontation, on the verge of violent combat, had never occurred before… So what the hell happened at home while I was away?!

After listening a while longer, Jia Ji gradually pieced together what had transpired.

In short, it was still about a woman.

In this world, martial artists clashed either for dominion over the world—or for a woman.

Several months ago, Shin traveled to the Nan Dou lineage village to prove himself the rightful heir of the Six Saints' Lone Eagle Fist, where he met a girl.

The girl was none other than Nan Dou's Star of Compassion, Yulia.

One glance at Yulia, and his life was sealed.

Ever since returning from the Nan Dou settlement, Shin's mind was filled with the girl's every smile and frown, her image haunting his dreams day and night without pause.

Dreams are the product of the subconscious, the clearest proof that humans cannot control their own minds, the ceaseless whisper of desire's demon at the ear.

Dreaming signifies emotional immaturity and incomplete mastery over the body.

For Shin, who had spent years living in the dojo, training in martial arts, and wielding immense power, he hadn't dreamed—or even entertained idle thoughts—in many years.

But after meeting Yulia, he began to dream.

He dreamed while resting, while eating, while cultivating, even while speaking with his master, Senior Brother Feng Yan…!

It was driving him mad, insane.

What you think of by day, you dream of by night.

He had never loved anyone before, didn't know what this feeling was called—but when he returned to Beidou with his master, he saw Yulia again.

…The thing I've been thinking of all this time has appeared.

This emotion… is called 【Love】.

He expressed his love without restraint, willing to pay any price to win Yulia's heart—but no matter what he did, he received only blunt rejection.

"Why?"

He asked.

"I already love someone."

Yulia replied.

And he learned that the one she loved was none other than his only friend from his past days here—Beidou's Fourth, Ken Shi Lang!

Shin, consumed by jealousy, would become "Mad Shin."

He lost control, forcibly embraced the girl—and just as luck would have it, Ken Shi Lang returned and witnessed it.

"I got here first!"

The two glared at each other.

"Beidou and Nan Dou are two sides of the same coin; united, we achieve greatness; divided, we bring disaster."

Feng Yan had tried to reason with them, but Shin dismissed such nonsense entirely.

"Ken Shi Lang, let's see who deserves Yulia's heart more!"

"Nonsense! You don't understand at all—Yulia is with me not because of strength!"

But the utterly insane Shin clearly refused to listen to any counsel; finally, the two stepped into the center of the dojo for their duel.

Seeing his former friend strike at him, Ken Shi Lang, no matter how much pain he felt, had no choice but to assume his stance.

…

"What a classic Beidou 8 PM soap opera—complete with tyrant, saintess, golden-haired rival, and the wronged party."

Jia Ji was thoroughly entertained, eagerly anticipating the martial clash: "So thrilling! So thrilling! Watching Ken Shi Lang fight this newcomer is worth losing another arm!"

(End of Chapter)