Chapter 258: A Bowl of Water Must Be Kept Level

In the open Xunlianchang, only the dull thuds of fists and feet colliding echoed, occasionally interspersed with Qi Hengyu's increasingly heavy breathing.

The Qi brothers fight without holding back, both charging straight at each other's faces.

Qi Junyi's movements are concise; each strike, honed through countless trials, firmly suppresses Qi Hengyu into a disadvantage.

Meanwhile, Qi Hengyu is like a trapped beast forced into a corner, in utter disarray.

His combat skills are not lacking; they could even be said to be utterly crushing among peers.

But before an opponent like Qi Junyi, who has experienced real life‑or‑death battles and whose level far exceeds his, those techniques appear pale and feeble.

He can only barely dodge and block Qi Junyi's attacks, occasionally seizing a sliver of opening to counter, yet cannot disturb Qi Junyi's offensive rhythm at all.

Sweat soaks Qi Hengyu's forehead and hair, dripping down his chin onto the ground, while the sky has already begun to lighten.

Blood begins to seep from his mouth corner again, a few bruises appear on his body, yet the stubbornness in his eyes does not diminish, instead burning brighter from Qi Junyi's one‑sided suppression.

Only the flame deep within gradually stains with restlessness and... self‑doubt.

Ying Duo sits on the bench at the side of the arena, hands still neatly placed on his knees, golden pupils turning with the two's movements, like the most indifferent spectator.

"Is that all?"

Qi Junyi blocks a side kick from Qi Hengyu, then follows with a shoulder ram that topples him backward, his voice cold and hard.

"You've been in the Slum so long, and all you learned is how to take hits more efficiently?"

"Bang!"

Qi Junyi delivers another side kick; the massive force makes Qi Hengyu stagger back several steps, his arm tingling with numbness.

"Is that all you've got?" Qi Junyi retracts his leg, standing firm, his disappointment unmistakable.

"Where's your bloodlust? Your counter? Or are you still afraid of your 'useless' Aberrant Arts?"

Qi Hengyu breathes heavily, his chest heaving violently.

Ying Duo, seated at the side, hears Qi Junyi mention Aberrant Arts again and calmly speaks:

"Is his Aberrant Arts useless?".

Qi Junyi glances at Ying Duo upon hearing it, humming.

"It's not useless; this kid just doesn't know how to use it! It's a sheer waste!"

Qi Hengyu, as if a nerve was pierced by those words, whirls his head and growls low at Ying Duo.

"Shut up, what do you know?!"

Ying Duo, though shouted at, does not get angry, merely blinking innocently.

"I don't know, but your brother said your Aberrant Arts are powerful, you yourself called them useless, so what exactly are your Aberrant Arts?"

His words sound like an objective analysis of the brothers' conflict, yet paired with Ying Duo's expressionless face and matter‑of‑fact tone, they oddly add fuel to the fire.

Qi Hengyu chokes, feeling his chest tighten further.

He glares at Ying Duo, then glances at the ill‑tempered Qi Junyi, a surge of wicked fire shooting toward his crown.

"W-where exactly are you from?!" he blurts out.

Ying Duo thinks for a moment, then answers seriously:

"Of course, I'm on the Mercenary Corps side."

He points at Qi Hengyu, then at himself, "We're in the same team."

Even though I'm on your side, whatever question he asks is his freedom.

Qi Hengyu: "........"

For a moment he doesn't know whether to be angry or to laugh.

"A Mercenary Corps member?"

"So he's just making snide remarks on the side, echoing the enemy to force him to use Aberrant Arts?"

"You really are my good teammate... 【gritting teeth. jpg】"

Qi Junyi listens to their exchange, the anger on his face fading, replaced by a complex and strange expression of sentiment.

He looks at Qi Hengyu, who, provoked by Ying Duo's words, has become even more volatile yet has nowhere to vent, then at the innocent‑looking Ying Guang Lu youth.

He suddenly realizes something.

My younger brother, from childhood to now, has a foul, stubborn temper that ignites at the slightest spark, like a firecracker; as his older brother, I've spent countless effort and methods yet couldn't fully correct that bad habit.

But now... Ying Duo has achieved what I couldn't for years.

Facing a guy like Ying Duo, whose logic forms its own school, his raging anger is like a punch on cotton, only making himself choke.

If I can't teach my brother to control his emotions within limited time, perhaps letting this Ying Guang Lu little monster "grind" him for a while would have a strange effect?

"Heh...." Qi Junyi suddenly lets out a low laugh, the chuckle tinged with self‑mockery and a hint of... sympathy for his brother?

He gives Qi Hengyu a complex look, as if saying: With a teammate like this, you'll bear the consequences later.

Qi Hengyu feels a chill from that gaze, his goosebumps nearly rising.

"What are you laughing at!" he snaps, "If you have the skill, keep fighting! Stop giving me that disgusting look!"

"Fight?" Qi Junyi flexes his wrist, "Fight a coward who won't even face his own Aberrant Arts? I consider it a waste of effort."

"Who do you call a coward?!" Qi Hengyu's fist clenches instantly.

"I'm talking about you!" Qi Junyi says bluntly.

"Can't even control your own Aberrant Arts, what else but a coward? You think it's fine to ignore it?"

"Aberrant Arts are part of you; the more you evade, the more they will bite back when you lose control! Was last lesson not enough?"

Qi Hengyu's body jolts, his face turning pale, evidently recalling a bad memory.

At that moment, Ying Duo's voice interjects aptly, looking at Qi Junyi, his tone flat yet hitting the Core:

"You're bullying him."

Qi Junyi: "........?"

Ying Duo pointed at Qi Junyi, then pointed at Qi Hengyu.

"Your level is higher than his, yet you specifically target his weak spots, forcing him to use things he doesn't want to use— isn't that just bullying a kid?"

Qi Junyi felt his blood pressure rise a bit.

He took a deep breath, telling himself he couldn't spar intellectually with this kid whose mind was wired differently.

"I'm teaching him!" he tried to explain.

"He doesn't use Aberrant Arts, so he'll always be a half‑baked fool! What will he do when real danger comes? Rely on his meager three‑legged‑cat skill and wait for death?"

Ying Duo tilted his head, "But he just doesn't want to use it. Forcing someone to do something they don't want is also bullying."

Qi Junyi: "......."

He suddenly felt the futility of playing a lute to a cow.

Talking to Ying Duo about "responsibility," "growth," "the cruelty of reality" is no different from explaining calculus to a rock.

Ying Duo this time balanced everything evenly, simply cutting and pasting the news that had just been delayed because the two had started fighting again, and looking at Qi Hengyu, he added.

"His gaze at you before wasn't disgusting; it was more like the look a dying fool who hasn't repented yet gives."

Qi Hengyu: "........." He felt his chest grow even tighter.