More than twenty minutes had passed. The teams stood facing each other. The American academy's team was complete, while the Chinese academy's team was missing only one person — Xing.
Sai and Leo exchanged glances and nodded. Then Sai broke the silence.
"Hello, everyone!" he said with a smile.
The opposing team tensed.
Sai went on:
"Tell me, is your team strong because you work together as one… or because you've got that gorilla with you?"
Lao Wei frowned.
"Why do you care so much?"
Zhi Lan shot Sai a hostile glare.
"Do you really think we can't beat you without him? I don't care if he comes or not!"
Sai waved his hand dismissively.
"Easy, easy. I was just asking. Sorry if I offended you."
Bo Hai stepped in.
"Enough, everyone. Calm down."
The room fell silent. Then Xing finally walked in. David noticed his cap worn backward, flashy accessories, and a doll shaped like a girl in his hands.
With a wide grin, Xing said:
"Sorry I'm late! I was at Aurelia Freya's concert—what a beauty!"
David looked at him but said nothing, though deep inside he wanted to speak his mind.
Xing continued:
"So, this is Emma?"
His eyes dimmed with disappointment.
"I thought she'd be my type... but no. I'm disappointed." Tears welled up in his eyes.
Emma gave him a cold, expressionless look.
"Good."
Li Kun spoke up:
"One of the strongest people in China will be here soon."
"Really?" asked Zhi Lan.
"Yes," Li Kun confirmed.
David thought to himself:
"I wonder what he looks like…"
As he pondered, Chul and Vincent entered the room.
Seeing them, Noi thought:
"How sweet... they're always bickering over nothing. It makes me want to die of happiness!"
Once inside, Vincent said:
"Alright, everyone. Gather up. We're heading to the central training hall—someone's already waiting there."
The group followed. Along the way, tension filled the air.
After about five minutes, they arrived. The doors began to open, and a massive wave of energy surged out. The students instantly felt…
Death.
Everyone dropped to their knees.
David's mind raced in terror:
"I'm going to die… I can't think straight… Why? What is this? Who is he? WHO IS HE?!"
Sweat poured down their faces. The crushing energy slowly faded, and they were finally able to stand. Vincent and Chul had managed to shield themselves, but it had drained more than half their power.
As the door fully opened, they saw two figures staring each other down. One was a long-haired young man with black hair, about 187 cm tall. The other was taller—around 193 cm—with black hair and piercing blue eyes.
The long-haired man spoke first:
"Arthur… why the hell did you come to my country?" His voice dripped with disdain.
Arthur smirked.
"Hey, hey, relax! What's so wrong about wanting to see my best friend? I'm just protecting our friendship, aren't I, Yu Lan?"
"Stop spouting nonsense! I'm sick of this farce!" Yu Lan snapped.
Arthur sighed.
"Ah… what a shame."
Leo looked at Vincent.
"Master Vincent… who are they?"
Vincent answered:
"The one on the left is Master Yu Lan, one of the three strongest people in China. And the one on the right is Arthur—one of the strongest people in America. Both are title holders. Right now, you're looking at two of the most powerful people in the entire world."
He frowned.
"But I don't understand… why is Master Arthur here?"
David's heart trembled.
"Even Master Vincent speaks to them with respect… they must truly be monsters of power!"