Time passed quietly.
While Zhao Xuan was deep in cultivation, he suddenly felt a disturbance.
He opened his eyes and exited his training state.
"Ding! You have diligently developed your Azure Dragon Fruit ability for a short time. Proficiency +5!"
As the system notification faded, Zhao Xuan lifted his gaze—
and was immediately greeted by a flushed, monkey-red face looming far too close.
It was none other than Li Jiangchang, the so-called "lucky genius."
"Zhao Xuan, guess what kind of Devil Fruit I got from the Demon Realm?" Li Jiangchang asked, his tone smug and full of self-satisfaction.
He was clearly here to show off.
Before Zhao Xuan could even respond, Li Jiangchang puffed out his chest proudly.
"It's a Logia-type—the Snow-Snow Fruit!"
His face practically radiated arrogance and delight.
"Oh," Zhao Xuan replied flatly, his voice calm and emotionless.
That single indifferent syllable made Li Jiangchang's smile freeze—
then twist into irritation.
To him, Zhao Xuan's reaction was unforgivable.
Right now, Zhao Xuan should have been jealous, in awe, and full of admiration, just like everyone else had been when they learned Zhao Xuan's spiritual power once reached 37 points.
Instead, Zhao Xuan was looking at him like he didn't even care.
"What's with that attitude, Zhao Xuan!?"
"Yeah!" another classmate chimed in, eager to side with Li Jiangchang. "He's lucky enough to get a Logia fruit and you can't even congratulate him properly?"
Zhao Xuan gave them a single glance, then replied faintly,
"Congratulations, Li Jiangchang."
His tone was so casual it felt like an afterthought.
Fake!
Li Jiangchang's mind screamed.
He's faking it!
He's totally pretending not to care!
Inside, he's eating himself alive with regret!
He's jealous—he has to be!
Even as he tried to convince himself of this, the calm look on Zhao Xuan's face only made him angrier.
"Zhao Xuan, you remember our little agreement, don't you?"
Zhao Xuan frowned slightly and gave him a look.
"Of course I do. Don't tell me you want to fight right now?"
"What, are you scared already?" Li Jiangchang sneered.
Zhao Xuan shook his head slowly.
"You sure you want to do this now? You haven't even learned to fully control your Snow-Snow Fruit yet."
"No need," Li Jiangchang said, smirking arrogantly. "I don't need to master it—to deal with you, this is more than enough."
He had reason to be proud.
Li Jiangchang's grades were near the top of the class, and now, with a Logia fruit, he thought himself untouchable.
"Fine then," Zhao Xuan said simply, his tone calm as still water. "Let's do it."
"Good! Then let's go to the dueling ground!"
"No need," Zhao Xuan replied, shaking his head. "We can fight right here. It won't take long—and walking to the arena would just waste time."
"…Fine by me."
Within minutes, news of the fight between two Devil Fruit users—Zhao Xuan and Li Jiangchang—spread like wildfire through the training hall.
Dozens of students rushed over, forming a wide circle around them.
The crowd fell silent, anticipation thick in the air.
"Zhao Xuan," Li Jiangchang said with a smirk, "don't disappoint me."
Then—
Tap! Tap! Tap!
He kicked off the ground several times, building up momentum before launching himself forward with blinding speed.
Zhao Xuan remained motionless, eyes calm.
At the last instant, he shifted his body ever so slightly—
his movement fluid and weightless, like a drifting leaf—
and Li Jiangchang's punch missed completely.
In the same breath, Zhao Xuan countered with a lightning-fast roundhouse kick.
"Iron Body!"
Li Jiangchang's muscles tensed instantly, his skin hardening like steel as he braced for impact.
But—
The sheer force behind Zhao Xuan's kick, backed by a physique over 100, was overwhelming.
Thud!
Li Jiangchang let out a muffled grunt as the kick slammed into his chest, sending him flying backward.
He crashed onto the floor, skidding several meters before regaining his balance—
a large, dark footprint now stamped across his shirt.
"Whoa…"
"Did he just… knock Li Jiangchang back?"
"No way!"
"When did Zhao Xuan get this strong!?"
"It's probably because of the Zoan fruit! Zoan fruits directly boost physical stats—so of course he's strong at close range."
"Still, there's no way Li Jiangchang loses. He's a Logia user! Once he turns into snow, Zhao Xuan's attacks won't even touch him."
"Yeah, just wait. The fight isn't over yet."
Amid the chatter, Li Jiangchang's expression darkened.
He stared down at the footprint on his chest, his pride burning.
"Zhao Xuan, you short-sighted fool," he growled.
"I'll show you what a Logia fruit really is!"
He lunged forward again.
Zhao Xuan sidestepped using Paper Art, avoiding the blow easily, then swung another kick toward him—
But this time—
A strange, shimmering energy pulsed through Li Jiangchang's body.
His form dissolved into swirling snow.
Zhao Xuan's kick passed straight through him.
"Elementalization, huh?" Zhao Xuan murmured, eyes narrowing slightly.
He kicked again, testing.
Li Jiangchang didn't even flinch this time.
"Haha! It's useless! Completely useless!" he laughed arrogantly.
"This is the power of a Logia fruit! You can't hurt me! Even if you fight all day, you won't land a single blow!"
He lifted his chin, reveling in his own invincibility.
"With elementalization, no physical attack can harm me! That's why Logia fruits are—"
"—Urgh!!"
Li Jiangchang's words were cut short—
his eyes went wide—
as a massive force slammed into his stomach.
He staggered, disbelief flooding his face.
"Wha… what!? How is that possible!?"
The crowd froze, eyes widening.
The "invincible" Logia user—
had just been hit.
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