Only Human Here 11

"Such a grand setup…"

Wei Huan, feeling a bit nervous, let out an awkward laugh as he raised his foot and then set it down uneasily.

Yun Yongzhou frowned at him. 

"Are you forfeiting?"

"No, no, no, I'm not forfeiting," Wei Huan quickly reassured, putting on a deliberate foolish act. "I'm just a bit nervous. I've never seen such powerful magic. You're truly remarkable, beautiful, um, handsome, and kind. I'll be your number-one fan from now on!"

"Go on, hurry up," teased Yang Sheng, who stood nearby. "It's the first time I've seen Yongzhou use the Light Manipulation Technique to create steps for someone. You're quite fortunate."

Wei Huan chuckled awkwardly. 

"Exactly, that's how I feel." 

He had never witnessed Yun Yongzhou being so kind-hearted before, leaving him somewhat overwhelmed. Had something changed in Yun Yongzhou during the years he was away? Wei Huan couldn't help but wonder about this shift in personality.

As he pondered this, his eyes met Yun Yongzhou's gaze inadvertently. Yun Yongzhou was squinting at him, sending shivers down Wei Huan's spine.

No, Wei Huan thought to himself. He was the reigning champion of the entire Demon Realm in step battles. Now, Yun Yongzhou had placed these small steps in front of him. If he didn't hurry up and climb them, he might end up with a light blade at his temple.

With his resolve firm, Wei Huan hurriedly ascended the chessboard. Once he stood steady, he blinked at Yun Yongzhou. 

"Thank you, Referee Big Brother. You're truly kind. You're my savior!"

Yun Yongzhou withdrew his gaze, and his fingers at his side twitched slightly. The light steps beneath the chessboard vanished without a trace. He gazed intently at the center of the chessboard and said, 

"Communication with the referee is prohibited on the chessboard."

You were the one who initiated contact, Wei Huan thought, pursing his lips and turning his head. 

Somehow, he caught sight of something small bouncing on one end of the chessboard, only to disappear moments later.

Must be my imagination, Wei Huan shook his head a few times, and when the countdown for the battle on the screen began, he finally turned his attention to his opponent for this round.

At the opposite end of the chessboard stood a petite girl with long, curly brown hair tied into twin ponytails. Dangling from her ears were a pair of red and blue feathers that swayed gently in the wind. Her eyes bore two upward-tilted purple marks at the corners, and she wore a lace sky-blue dress adorned with white ribbons, her shoes tied to her calves, giving her an adorable appearance.

Wei Huan, who usually wasn't very serious, found it challenging to give his all against such a young girl. Moreover, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had encountered her somewhere before.

The more he looked, the stranger it felt. Wei Huan glanced at the opponent's name on the screen—Yang Ling.

Yang Ling…

He shuddered and looked down at the observation area below, where Yang Sheng was standing with his hands behind his back, watching the match.

Yang Ling is Yang Sheng's little sister, isn't she? Wei Huan's scalp tingled; his opponent for this round turned out to be his buddy's sister!

No wonder… no wonder that kid, Yang Sheng, also showed up.

"The match is about to begin," Yun Yongzhou's voice resounded once more, neither cold nor warm, 

"Candidates, focus your attention."

Hearing this, Wei Huan felt like he had been caught off guard. He immediately averted his gaze and didn't look at Yang Sheng anymore. When he had last seen her, Yang Ling had been just a little kid, and now she had grown so tall.

Wei Huan glanced at Yun Yongzhou, who was on the referee's stand and then thought about Yang Sheng, who was below, and he couldn't help but feel anxious.

The referee was his old rival from before, and his buddy and rival's older brother was standing below. Both of them knew his moves and tactics better than anyone else. If he wasn't careful, they might notice something was off. That was already bad enough, and now he had to face his buddy's little sister. He couldn't go all out.

Lost in his dilemma, Wei Huan ignored the countdown until he heard Yun Yongzhou say, 

"The match begins." 

In just a few seconds, his "cute" opponent had already leaped towards him, her delicate white hands aiming for his throat.

"Whoa!" 

Startled, Wei Huan turned his head to the side and grabbed Yang Ling's wrist. Her feathered earring brushed against the side of Wei Huan's face, causing an itch. The unexpected alarm went off.

Wei Huan lowered his body and slipped out from under her arm, narrowly avoiding the danger zone at the edge of the chessboard. He gasped for breath, his hands on his waist. 

"Why are you in such a hurry, young lady? You didn't even warm up. This could easily lead to an injury."

Yang Ling, having seen him escape narrowly, also quickly turned around. She clenched her fists and placed them on her chest, a look of disdain on her face.

Wei Huan, noticing her intense expression and the flames behind her, raised his hand and chuckled amiably. 

"No need to be so agitated; let's take it slow…"

"Enough with the chit-chat!"

Yang Ling's voice was sharp, her tone stern.

Wei Huan was puzzled. 

"Girls these days are quite hot-tempered. With this attitude, no boys will dare to approach you."

"You look lovely in your skirt. Can't we play a more peaceful and ladylike game?" Wei Huan continued to step back. "I mean, you shouldn't have worn a skirt today. What if your movements lead to a wardrobe malfunction, and everyone sees… I…"

With a swift motion, Yang Ling reached out and tore off her skirt, tossing it aside, and revealing her blue court-style shorts underneath.

"Whoa!"

Wei Huan was taken aback. 

"Wow, that design… is really something."

Yang Ling frowned, 

"I can't stand people who talk too much. Watch how I deal with you today!" 

She was agile, and her attack speed was unexpectedly fast. In the blink of an eye, the distance between them closed again, and she lifted her right leg for a sidekick straight towards Wei Huan's chest.

Was this really Yang Sheng's little sister? She was nothing like him; she was like a short-tempered girl.

With no time to think, Wei Huan shifted his right foot and reached out to block Yang Ling's sidekick. Her leg's strength surpassed Wei Huan's expectations, causing a dull pain in his arm, making half of his body numb.

Seeing Wei Huan nonchalantly shaking his arm, Yang Ling became even more irritated. She retracted her right leg, seemingly preparing for another attack, but Wei Huan anticipated her move and preemptively aimed a hand chop at Yang Ling's neck. However, the young girl raised her hand to block it.

Oh, she's quick to react.

The hand chop failed, and Yang Ling lifted her left leg high, and there was a faint sound of wind being cut as her heel, adorned with a bow, seemed about to strike Wei Huan's shoulder!

She didn't give him any breathing room with her style of fighting.

Wei Huan retracted his right foot and sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the danger. He panted, his hands on his waist. 

"Hey, you're too ruthless! I still need to carry on the family line."

Yang Ling raised her eyebrows, her beautiful face filled with disdain. She didn't hold back at all; she was solely focused on winning and didn't even consider Wei Huan, the human, a real challenge. Right after blocking Wei Huan's right punch, she immediately launched a right side kick, hitting Wei Huan's abdomen hard.

"Just surrender now," Yang Ling raised her chin, "so I don't have to hear people say that I bullied a human."

Leaving aside other matters, this human body was indeed not up to the task of withstanding such intense pain. Wei Huan clutched his lower abdomen with his right hand and fell backward heavily, directly into the black zone of the Tai Chi diagram on the chessboard. He slid quite a distance before he managed to stand unsteadily.

The human body really couldn't take much, and maybe the effects of the Floating Fruit juice had worn off; his body didn't feel as agile as before.

Yang Ling crossed her arms, looking proud. 

"If you don't surrender, then prepare to meet your end."

That kick had been really fierce, delivered with about eighty percent of her strength. Wei Huan could taste a bloody and sweet sensation rising to his throat, and a hot flow spilled from the corner of his mouth.

"Honestly," Wei Huan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked up at the arrogant Yang Ling, 

"I'm not really afraid of death."

Yun Yongzhou, who had been silently observing the match, darkened his gaze and stared at this defiant human teenager.

But to Yang Ling, this sounded more like a veiled threat. She took a deep breath and said, 

''My upbringing taught me not to bully the weak, but you're so clueless. Don't blame me for not holding back!''

As she finished speaking, a series of flying kicks came straight at Wei Huan, who was left blocking and dodging, finding himself at a disadvantage.

It's not that he couldn't counterattack, but Yang Ling was pressing too hard. In this situation, counterattacking risked exerting too much force. Moreover, if he countered, he would have to engage in continuous close combat with Yang Ling, a master of close quarters, which might expose his strategy to Yun Yongzhou and Yang Sheng watching from below.

If he had known his little sister grew up to be this fierce, he should have given her some proper education when she was younger. Now, she acted like a spoiled brat, despite being a mythical creature.

Their exchanges became faster and faster – heavy punches, straight kicks, elbow strikes, leg sweeps. Their combat was as fast as lightning, dense and rapid. Wei Huan, who didn't want to reveal his true identity, had to give up on his previous strategy of counterattacking and reversing the offense. Instead, he opted to use his opponent's force to gently neutralize Yang Ling's moves, fighting cautiously and conservatively.

Even though he was being cautious, Yun Yongzhou, who stood at the referee's stand, couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.

To the other monsters in the audience, the human on the chessboard appeared to have received some training and was slightly stronger than his frail counterparts. However, upon closer inspection, his few defensive maneuvers subtly hinted at a deliberate intention to hold back, even to the point of covertly letting his opponent take the lead.

Throughout the match, he had relied on quick attacks to overwhelm his opponents in the first half, using a strategy of swift battles and quick decisions that indicated he intended to advance and understood his strengths.

Yun Yongzhou glanced at the hourglass suspended in the sky; time was running out in the first half of the match. His gaze returned to Wei Huan's face, his expression deep. Why was he holding back against a genuinely formidable opponent? If he continued like this, his only advantage would be lost.

Unlike Yun Yongzhou's keen observation, the audience in the stands could only see Yang Ling dominating and Wei Huan passively blocking and dodging, which aligned with their expectations.

"It's as expected; he's a human after all. We overestimated him. It seems like his previous victories were just luck."

"Of course, he doesn't even know what kind of opponents he faced before, or what kind of opponent he has now. I heard that Yang Family's youngest daughter's close combat skills are on par with her big brother's."

"Making it to this round is already quite impressive for a human. Humans are inferior in terms of both strength and endurance."

The term "inferior" struck a nerve in Wei Huan's heart. He couldn't explain why, but hearing such words made him uncomfortable. Even though he wasn't the same as other humans, hearing those words somehow didn't sit well with him.

Living in this world based on one's abilities should mean that nobody should naturally be looked down upon.

Yang Ling's attacks flowed smoothly, and according to her prediction, this human wouldn't last long before exiting the chessboard. However, she detested prolonged fights and preferred finishing things quickly. So, she leaped into the air, preparing to use a powerful kick to send Wei Huan flying out of the arena, ending this dull match.

"Sorry."

Yang Ling's heart skipped a beat as she saw Wei Huan raise his hand to block her leg. He quickly retreated and, unexpectedly, launched an attack, kicking her forcefully in the lower back. While it wasn't a full-power blow, the sudden offense caught Yang Ling off guard, causing her to fall to one knee, clutching her sore lower back.

What she didn't know was that Wei Huan, through continuous blocking and defense, had already figured out her tactics. He pretended to be retreating under her continuous assault, allowing her to chase him and took advantage of her tendency to follow up with her left leg after a right leg side kick. He deliberately blocked her, exposing her vulnerability in her lower back.

After all, compared to other vulnerable spots, an injury to the lower back wouldn't be too severe.

"I didn't want to do this," Wei Huan said as he retracted his leg, planting his foot on the ground and rotating his ankle.

A slight smirk formed at the corner of his mouth, and the wind tousled his hair. His eyes sparkled with the arrogance of youth.

"But who's willing to be considered an inferior creature?"