Ever since they were put under the tutelage of Bayonet, Wang Duo and the others' daily routine was something straight out of a horror movie. Apart from eating and entering the game at night, they spent all their time following the hellish training regime of Bayonet and the occasional sparring. This was something completely unimaginable to ordinary people.
Wang Duo, Lin Yi, and the others were always at their physical and mental limits. Without even getting any time to rest, they had no idea what the state of their body was like. There were quite a few times they even thought they were going to die. A lot of them even heard a little voice in their head suggesting them to give up. However, after receiving Bayonet's mocking taunts, they gritted their teeth and persevered. They had their pride! If they withdrew, they would live the rest of their lives with their heads down in shame.
The days went by like a blur.
After a 30-minute break, Wang Duo, Lin Yi, and the others recovered quite a bit of their stamina.
Nie Yan watched over their spars with Bayonet. These guys probably hadn't noticed it, but he could tell they had improved a lot.
If Mo Yuntian were to see this scene, he would probably be extremely happy. The real question was whether this was enough for them to get into the 12th Mech Armoured Corps.
The selection exams for the 12th Mech Armoured Corps was a complete mystery to Nie Yan. He had no idea what sort of level Wang Duo and the others had to reach.
Nie Yan could only try his best. He had already taught them all the Master-class techniques he knew. The master only showed the way, as the disciple improved with their own efforts. As for how much they would comprehend, what sort of achievements they would attain, that would all depend on themselves.
If Wang Duo, Lin Yi, and the others managed to get into the 12th Mech Armoured Corps, Mo Yuntian would owe Nie Yan a huge favour. With him as a backer, World Bloc's rise would be unstoppable.
Nie Yan felt confident leaving Wang Duo and the others in the hands of Bayonet. He bid farewell to Bayonet and returned to his own villa.
The next morning, Nie Yan and Xie Yao ate breakfast, then left for school.
Xie Yao looked especially lovely in the pink sundress she was wearing today. While they were walking down the tree shaded paths in the school grounds, the passing students would all turn to stare after them. Some of them who knew the two would even come over to say hello. The male students couldn't help but feel envious of Nie Yan. If only they could find a beautiful girlfriend like Xie Yao!
According to rumours, Nie Yan was the most hated person among the male students in the management class, the reason being he snatched away their class flower.
However, no one dared to look for trouble with Nie Yan. By now, pretty much everyone in the school knew he was the new leader of Azure Windchime. Provoking him was suicidal. Plus, he had another name that made people shudder in fear-Nirvana Flame.
"Nie Yan, I heard there's a school wide fighting tournament in a few days. First will be the individual years. Then, the top three of each year will enter the school wide competition. Are you going to join?" Xie Yao wrapped herself around Nie Yan's arm a little awkwardly. She still wasn't used to doing this kind of affectionate action. Sensing the gazes of those around them, her cheeks blushed red.
"Nah, I'm not interested." Nie Yan shook his head. He had long since grown past the stage where he cared for things like awards and accolades. He would leave all that to Lei Su.
"I heard that if you win first prize, you fulfill the requirements to complete certain courses early," Xie Yao said. Even though she knew Nie Yan didn't care for these kinds of things, she still wanted to see him compete.
"Alright, alright. I'll think about it." Nie Yan faintly smiled, gazing warmly at Xie Yao. She was like an enchanting lily, attracting the admiration of all those around her.
Nie Yan and Xie Yao chatted about the happenings in Huahai. As they passed by the gymnasium and onto a small path, he spotted a familiar face.
Qin Han!
About 200 meters away, Qin Han also noticed Nie Yan. He glanced over.
The two met gazes. Nie Yan's expression remained calm and unperturbed. Qin Han couldn't conceal the hatred in his eyes.
The Monet Financial Group had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Asskickers United in Conviction. All the money he invested had gone down the drain while he had been hunted down by the guards of the Viridian Empire and killed back to Level 0, leaving himself with no choice but to delete his account. In the end, he sold what little was still in their possession and withdrew the Monet Financial Group from Conviction. He had failed to get into Heavenly Kings, and his foray into Conviction was also a failure. His prestige in the Monet Financial Group took a huge hit. Even though his position as heir remained unchanged, his future days wouldn't be as easy and carefree as before.
Only then did Nie Yan notice the other person standing next to Qin Han. He wore a blazer, accentuating his already handsome appearance, and looked to be somewhere in his mid twenties. Standing a bit taller than Qin Han, he had a unique air about him.
The mystery person looked over in Nie Yan's direction. Qin Han whispered something into his ear.
Qin Han treated this person with great respect.
Nie Yan curiously swept his eyes over this mystery person. He felt his face was somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Just where did he meet this guy before?
Qin Han and the mystery man approached Nie Yan.
As the mystery person walked over, Nie Yan finally got a good look at his face. That fake smile plastered on his lips, those derisive eyes looking down on anyone and everyone. Old memories resurfaced in his mind. Little by little they became clear. His heart trembled. He knew who this was! He'd never forget this face! It was directly linked to one of his most painful memories.
A memory of the previous timeline. That fateful night when Tang Yao got into a bar fight over a girl. It was none other than this guy and his goons who had killed his best friend. By the time Nie Yan arrived, it was already too late. All he saw was this detestable face. A mocking smile on his face, showing complete indifference as he was taken away by the police. At that time, Nie Yan restrained himself from rushing over and killing him. He firmly believed the just hammer of the law would come down on this person harshly. However, that bastard got off scot-free. After which there were no more traces of him, almost as if he'd vanished off the face of the world.
Tang Yao's father had used the bit of power and influence he had for the sake of getting justice for his son. But in the end he lost his entire fortune to some mysterious person. He had no choice but to return to Ninjiang, penniless and defeated.
Back then, Nie Yan was filled with self-loathing, convinced he should've killed that bastard with his gun. Even up until his own death, he never got a chance to avenge Tang Yao.
After seeing him again in this life, Nie Yan clenched his fist. He forcefully suppressed the killing intent about to erupt from his heart. He had to repeatedly remind himself that this wasn't his past life and that Tang Yao was still alive in this timeline. However, he couldn't suppress his rage from bubbling out. Even though he had reincarnated, the experiences of his past life were still etched deeply into his mind.
Nie Yan and Tang Yao had grown up together. They were as close as real brothers. When the going got tough in the previous timeline, Tang Yao was always there to help him, allowing him to feel the warmth of a brother. Seeing Tang Yao laying dead on the ground, his lifeless eyes still wide open in grievance, as the perpetrator strutted past him, all the while being powerless to do anything, no ordinary person could understand that sort of pain. For many years after that incident, in the dead of night, he would drown his sorrows with alcohol while crying in front of a portrait of Tang Yao.
Even though it was a memory of his past life, it was still vivid in his mind.
Nie Yan clenched his fist until the veins on his arm bulged out.
Sensing Nie Yan's rage, Xie Yao asked in a concerned tone, "Nie Yan, what's wrong?"
Nie Yan took several deep breaths, calming his agitated mind. Tang Yao was still alive. This knowledge alone pacified quite a bit of his hatred. He gradually settled down. Shaking his head, he said, "It's nothing." After cooling his head, he started examining the current situation rationally. In the previous timeline, for this bastard to get away scot-free after killing Tang Yao and even cause Father Tang to lose everything in the subsequent lawsuit meant his background wasn't ordinary. Unlike in his past life, Nie Yan was no longer a loner. He had many people he needed to protect. He couldn't act as recklessly as in his past life and let emotions dictate his actions, or else he would end up implicating those close to him. He couldn't throw his own life away and resort to extreme methods like assassination just to get revenge.
Xie Yao looked at Nie Yan with concerned eyes. Seeing him calm down, only then did she relax. With Qin Han walking over, she guessed it probably had something to do with him. No matter what kind of conflict he got into with Qin Han or what happened in the future, she vowed to herself to always be there to face it together with him.
Nie Yan's eyes only briefly flashed with killing intent. He would find out this guy's background first. If he could be provoked, Nie Yan wouldn't mind teaching him a lesson, one he wouldn't forget.
The mystery person and Qin Han stopped in front of Nie Yan. As he swept his gaze over Xie Yao, his eyes lit up. Her beauty left him breathless. However, it was only a brief moment of absent-mindedness. He withdrew his gaze, then turned to Nie Yan. "Hello, I'm Liu Tianshi, but everyone calls me Third Bro. The command faculty's Nie Yan-or should I say Nirvana Flame, I've been looking forward to meeting you for quite some time." His tone didn't match his words. Rather, it sounded like he was sizing up Nie Yan.
His arrogant gaze really rubbed Nie Yan the wrong way. He recalled the mocking smile Liu Tianshi showed after killing Tang Yao in the previous timeline.
"This beautiful lady, hello," Liu Tianshi turned to Xie Yao and greeted with a charming smile.
"Hello," Xie Yao curtly replied. She was still hugging tightly on Nie Yan's arm, not paying Liu Tianshi any heed.
Liu Tianshi felt a bit angry and resentful.
"Do you need something?" Nie Yan asked, glancing down at Liu Tianshi's hands. They were pale and slim like a woman's.
"No. We just saw you and came to say hello," Qin Han interjected with a vapid tone.
"If you don't need anything, we'll be taking our leave first." Nie Yan had nothing to talk to Qin Han about.
"If you don't mind, we can talk about a transaction." Liu Tianshi narrowed his eyes as he gazed at Nie Yan.
"What kind?"
"I've recently gained some interest in Conviction. Sell Asskickers United to me. Just name a price."