After breaking through to the Deformation Stage, he thought he had finally caught up in rank.

But he never expected the guy to quietly break through again. Now Jun Yao was a whole rank higher, and while Si Xie felt a sting of jealousy, he was more envious than anything.

He wasn’t the only one. Even Ming Ye and Fu Yuan were both surprised and envious.

They had no idea when Jun Yao had broken through to the Second Rank of the Deformation Stage. If he hadn’t revealed it himself today, who knew when they would have found out.

"That’s right! Jun Yao, when did you break through? How come I had no idea?"

With a flick of her finger, Jiang Yunnuan retracted the Divine Artifact Experience Card and looked at him, overjoyed.

’This is great! Absolutely great!’

’Jun Yao broke through again!’

’Now he’s at the Second Rank of the Deformation Stage, too. He might be able to stop Ling Ze. I’ll watch for now and only reveal the Experience Card if I have no other choice.’

"I broke through that night."

Jun Yao waved his hand, and a surge of immense Energy formed a transparent Barrier, completely separating the two sides. Then, he turned to face her, his gaze profound.

Jiang Yunnuan: "???"

’That night? Which night?’

She blinked, an absurd thought suddenly surfacing in her mind.

’Could it be... the night he went berserk?’

’He broke through while we were... doing that?’

’Is that even possible?’

’No, no, no, I must have it wrong...’

Seeing her face suddenly flush red, Si Xie felt a pang of rage, his heart twisting with jealousy.

’That damned woman, she’s relishing the memory of that night again. Damn her!!!!’ 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

’I want to smash her head open and rip out every memory of that night.’

RUMBLE...

Suddenly, a sharp hum filled the air, and the ground began to shake violently. Everyone swayed, struggling to stay on their feet like small boats on the crest of a wave.

"Watch out!"

Si Xie quickly channeled his Energy to protect Jiang Yunnuan, while Jiang Wang did the same for Jiang Tang.

Looking up, they saw Ling Ze, his eyes red, frantically striking Jun Yao’s Barrier. His hands had transformed into bestial claws, surging with powerful Energy.

Jiang Yunnuan shook her head and sighed, her voice laced with feigned innocence.

"Sigh, he’s so easily provoked. I barely said anything. How did he get driven into such a frenzy?"

Everyone: "..."

’Barely said anything?’

’She’d just dragged his name through the mud so thoroughly that he could never wash the stain away. Who wouldn’t go berserk?’

’In their opinion, you couldn’t really blame Ling Ze. If they were in his shoes, they probably would have lost it even more spectacularly.’

"Jun Yao, can your Barrier hold against him?"

As the man continued his frantic assault, Jiang Yunnuan felt the Barrier was on the verge of collapse and looked at Jun Yao with worry.

Jun Yao’s expression was grim, his lips pressed into a thin line. Before he could even speak, the Barrier shattered with a CRACK, and a metallic sweetness instantly welled up in his throat.

"Are you okay?"

Jiang Yunnuan rushed forward to steady him. From an angle no one else could see, she activated her Healing ability, instantly soothing the turbulent energy in Jun Yao’s body.

Jun Yao shook his head. "I’m fine now. Don’t worry."

"You needed help to break a simple Barrier? Ling Ze, are you that useless?"

As Si Xie’s mocking voice rang out, everyone’s gaze fell in unison on the man with green hair and emerald eyes standing beside Ling Ze.

The Peacock Beastman, Shen Yi.

It was his intervention that had allowed Ling Ze to shatter Jun Yao’s Barrier in an instant.

Ling Ze let out a cold sneer, paying the taunt no mind. With a wave of his hand, he sent a massive surge of Energy straight at Jiang Yunnuan.

Seeing this, Jun Yao’s eyes narrowed. He quickly shoved Jiang Yunnuan toward Ming Ye, then his figure blurred as he lunged at Ling Ze.

The air vibrated with Energy and the roar of a tiger thundered. A numbing sensation prickled Ling Ze’s scalp, and he subconsciously threw up a hand to defend himself.

In the blink of an eye, the two were locked in a fierce struggle.

Two afterimages collided in mid-air, sending out wave after wave of Energy that forced the onlookers to shield their eyes.

Shoved with such force, Jiang Yunnuan stumbled sideways until an arm caught her around the waist, allowing her to regain her footing.

She looked at Ming Ye in surprise.

’I thought for sure he’d just shove me away. I can’t believe he actually caught me. Is he having an attack of conscience or something?’

"Sister, your Contractors can’t beat Ah Ze and his friends. Why don’t you just apologize to Ah Ze? Admit you slandered him because your love turned to hate, and we can call this whole thing even. What do you say?"

Just then, Jiang Wanwan’s gentle voice reached everyone’s ears. She stood beside Shen Yi, her gaze fixed on Jiang Yunnuan with what looked like heartfelt sincerity.

’System, are you sure? As long as Jiang Yunnuan publicly admits she was wrong and apologizes, I can steal another sliver of her fortune?’