This seemingly casual kick contained an unimaginably terrifying power.
*Bang!*
A muffled thud echoed.
Wang Mian's body was sent flying as if struck head-on by a speeding train.
The scarlet mask on his face instantly fractured with cracks. It was a specially crafted mask, yet at this moment, it couldn't withstand a single blow.
He was launched backward at a speed even faster than his approach.
Tracing a parabolic arc through the air,
he flew right over the heads of the fiercely battling Qiangwei and Tianping. Finally, with a heavy *thud*, he smashed into a wall dozens of meters away, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
The entire field instantly fell dead silent.
Inside the command center, Chief Instructor Yuan Gang took in everything on the battlefield through the surveillance screens.
When he saw Ian's incomprehensible speed, as well as the sight of Lin Qiye remaining completely relaxed while being besieged by two elites of the Masked Squad, fine beads of cold sweat involuntarily formed on his forehead.
"These two kids..." Yuan Gang muttered to himself, his voice a bit dry.
He originally thought this batch of recruits just had a few troublemakers. Now, it seemed they weren't just troublemakers. They were clearly two fierce dragons crossing the river, here to completely crash the party!
He genuinely started to worry for the Masked Squad. Could they... really hold their ground? This was a stark contrast to his initial confidence.
Back on the battlefield, the fight between Lin Qiye, Qiangwei, and Tianping had been going on for a while.
Although Lin Qiye had maintained the upper hand, Qiangwei and Tianping were, after all, elites of the Masked Squad. With their rich combat experience, tacit teamwork, and incredible resilience, it was difficult to thoroughly defeat them in a short time.
Lin Qiye felt that his warm-up was just about done.
It was time to test out those "interesting" abilities he had just acquired.
With a mere thought from Lin Qiye,
the ferocious Netherite Armor on his back suddenly began to writhe without warning. It was as if some living creature was awakening beneath the armor, completely contradicting its hard, cold metallic texture.
*Squelch!*
*Squelch!*
*Squelch!*
A few soft sounds rang out.
Several pitch-black tentacles, gleaming with a dark metallic luster yet possessing a hint of slimy slickness, violently burst forth from the gaps in his armor plates!
These tentacles were incredibly agile, acting as if they had a life of their own. Tearing through the air with a sharp whistle, they whipped toward Tianping and Qiangwei.
This sudden shift in tone caused even the battle-hardened Tianping and Qiangwei to widen their eyes in shock, leaving them momentarily at a loss for what to do.
*What... what kind of bizarre ability is this?!*
Tianping and Qiangwei were caught completely off guard by the several pitch-black tentacles, which somehow combined a metallic texture with a slimy feel, suddenly sprouting from Lin Qiye.
"What the hell is this?" Tianping's eyes bulged as he frantically waved his hands, attempting to use his gravity manipulation to stop the eerie appendages.
However, the tentacles were as nimble as living creatures, completely ignoring the gravitational interference. Their angles of attack were outrageously tricky.
One tentacle launched a surprise attack from his left. Just as he tried to dodge, another struck from his right. Worse still, these tentacles coordinated with each other, forming an airtight web of attacks that instantly shattered the duo's original combat rhythm.
Struck by a tentacle, Tianping's expression suddenly turned strange. *Wait, something's wrong with these tentacles. Why does it feel so good? No, why is my body getting so hot? Were these tentacles laced with some kind of drug?*
Qiangwei gritted her teeth, swinging her giant hammer wildly. Every strike brought a howling gust of wind, yet she was always one step slower than the tentacles. Those damn things seemed to have eyes of their own, always managing to cleverly evade at the exact moment of her attack, only to slip through the gaps in her defense.
*Just what kind of monster is this guy? And what is this bizarre ability?* Qiangwei was horrified. She had never seen such an eerie power before. *He's obviously just a recruit, so how does he have so many weird and inexplicable tricks?*
Continuously whipped by the tentacles, Qiangwei also felt her body growing hotter and hotter. Gradually, the look she gave Lin Qiye and his tentacles turned rather peculiar. Suddenly, she seemed to recall a manga about a beautiful girl and tentacles that she had accidentally seen in the past, and in the next second, her face flushed even redder.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the training field, Wang Mian, who had been kicked flying by Ian, was slowly standing up from the ruined wall.
Chunks of concrete slid off his body, and the cracks on his scarlet mask worsened, nearly shattering it completely. He raised his head, fury burning in his eyes, his cold killing intent almost materializing into something tangible.
Ian's understated kick wasn't just a physical blow; it was a trampling of his dignity as the captain of the Masked Squad.
"Very well." Wang Mian slowly stood up straight, his voice so deep it sounded like it came from hell. "Since you want to play, I'll play with you properly."
He no longer held back.
A pair of peculiar, cicada-wing-thin mandarin duck blades appeared in his hands—the Forbidden Item, [Yiyuan]!
Wang Mian fiercely channeled his Divine Realm power. Combining it with the properties of [Yiyuan], his figure darted across the battlefield at high speed.
The mandarin duck blades carved out countless lethal trajectories. Amidst the flashing silver light, several surrounding mock buildings used for training were instantly sliced to pieces.
"Ah! Holy shit! The building is collapsing!"
"Dodge, quick!"
"Fuck me! This is cheating, right? A Lamp Realm can slice a building apart?"
"It's definitely cheating! I'm reporting this! The Masked Squad are sore losers!"
Over a dozen recruits who couldn't react in time were directly caught in the terrifying blade aura. Although the barrier's protection prevented them from taking real damage, the glowing effect of a forced "elimination" lit up on their bodies.
The entire training field instantly fell quiet. The remaining recruits huddled in the distance, trembling in fear, not daring to approach this god of death.
Having cleared the field, Wang Mian took a deep breath, his gaze locked dead onto Ian. He no longer harbored any underestimation. His muscles tensed as he entered a true combat state.
"Time Acceleration!"
The flow of time around him abruptly sped up, turning his entire person into an almost imperceptible blur in the eyes of the crowd.
Along with the acceleration of Wang Mian's personal time, the speed at which he swung [Yiyuan] reached an incomprehensible level.
Every swing brought forth a visible, incredibly dense blade aura. The intensity and range of the blade aura sharply increased alongside his rising speed.
Even the air was torn apart, emitting ear-piercing shrieks.
However, facing Wang Mian, whose imposing aura had climbed to its absolute peak, Ian maintained his breezy, unbothered demeanor. A faint smile even tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"Oh my, finally bringing out your true skills?" Ian leisurely pulled an antique pocket watch, which shimmered with a strange light, out of his pixelated inventory. "Then I suppose I'll get a tiny bit serious too."
The [Watch of Flowing Time] swayed gently in his hand, letting out a crisp ticking sound.
Wang Mian's pupils violently contracted. He sensed a familiar yet distinct aura emanating from that pocket watch.
Ian then injected energy into the pocket watch, causing the aura of the Watch of Flowing Time to spill outward.
Wang Mian's pupils shrank slightly. He realized it—that was a power of time even purer and more domineering than his own Time Divine Realm!
*What kind of Forbidden Item is this? How could it be so powerful?*