Ultimate Fighting

TL: GoldenLung

Bai Xiuxiu let out a startled cry. A flash of light shimmered across her body, and countless ice blossoms suddenly crystallized in the air around her. The temperature dropped sharply.

Lan Xuanyu was speechless. "What are you doing?"

Bai Xiuxiu ducked behind the sofa, a hint of smugness in her voice. "Helping you cool off."

Lan Xuanyu sat down on the sofa. "Do I need to cool off? No, I'm very calm—calmly in love with you." As he spoke, he waved his left hand, and all the ice blossoms instantly vanished without a trace.

"Come here, I'll help dry your hair," Lan Xuanyu beckoned to Bai Xiuxiu.

"No need," Bai Xiuxiu replied.

Lan Xuanyu suddenly put on a mischievous expression. "No can do. You dared to use ice flowers on your boyfriend, so you need to be punished."

The next instant, Lan Xuanyu, who had just been sitting on the sofa across from Bai Xiuxiu, suddenly disappeared. Then Bai Xiuxiu felt a tightness around her waist.

"That was… a spatial-type ability?" Bai Xiuxiu asked in amazement.

Lan Xuanyu gently ran his left hand through Bai Xiuxiu's damp hair, faint blue and red lights flickering in his palm.

Bai Xiuxiu immediately felt a warm current flow through her hair, silently evaporating the moisture.

Very soon, her deep blue hair was almost completely dry—soft and only slightly damp.

"You combined wind and fire elements to dry my hair?" Bai Xiuxiu said with a chuckle.

"It's called making full use of my abilities. Feels good, right?" Lan Xuanyu said with a grin.

"Mhm." Bai Xiuxiu nodded softly. The warm sensation was indeed very comfortable—much better than simply extracting the water element.

Lan Xuanyu said, "Let's talk business first."

Bai Xiuxiu immediately responded, "Just business, no nonsense."

"…" Lan Xuanyu paused, slightly choked. "What do you mean, when I am talking nonsense?"

"Behave yourself!" Bai Xiuxiu said, elbowing him playfully.

Lan Xuanyu grew serious. "We'll be returning to Dragon Horse Planet very soon. The captain just told me that the military has specially approved me as an Eighth-Rank Sky Fighter. It's a high clearance. They want us to continue our undercover mission on Dragon Horse Planet—to gather intel and resources for the Federation."

"Mhm." Bai Xiuxiu reined in her smile and nodded. "That's what you've wanted to do from the start, isn't it?"

Lan Xuanyu nodded. "Exactly. Dragon Horse Planet is extremely important to us. We can gain enormous benefits from it—it's our chance to rise. If we want to grow fast, we have to act both bravely and wisely. Now that the royal family in Fenglong City has acknowledged your identity, they'll likely begin training you as a Dragon Knight candidate. What worries me most is that Huang Yuanlang might have improper intentions toward you."

Bai Xiuxiu turned to look at him, her big eyes blinking.

"Huang Yuanlang is the young city lord of Fenglong City, and his father must be a god-level powerhouse. If we're only posing as your servants, we won't be able to stay by your side forever. If anything happens, you'll be in danger. Especially if Huang Yuanlang tries to get close to you—it won't be easy to deal with. So, I'm planning to take things one step further."

"Pfft—" Bai Xiuxiu suddenly burst out laughing.

Lan Xuanyu was puzzled. "What are you laughing at?"

Bai Xiuxiu giggled, "I just love seeing you act all serious while you're clearly jealous."

Lan Xuanyu growled, "Iamjealous—so what!"

Bai Xiuxiu ignored him and said, "Go on, what's your plan for 'one step further'?"

Lan Xuanyu grinned. "You need a boyfriend."

Bai Xiuxiu blinked. "You're going to pretend to be my boyfriend? Isn't that too risky?"

Lan Xuanyu shook his head. "No, I've got a way. Do you remember that joke we made a while back?"

"Which one?" Bai Xiuxiu asked, confused.

"You being my mount," Lan Xuanyu said with a mischievous smile.

Bai Xiuxiu rolled her eyes. "Pfft! I knew you were up to no good."

Lan Xuanyu said seriously, "I'm not joking. But how could I ever let you be my mount? Instead, as a Dragon Knight, isn't it completely normal for you to have a mount? Since my Dragon God Transformation now has a second form after the breakthrough, I can transform into a multicolored dragon. I'll be your mount."

Bai Xiuxiu was stunned. "You'll bemymount? But even if you can turn into a dragon, your Dragon God Transformation doesn't last long. What if it wears off and exposes us?"

Lan Xuanyu shook his head. "It won't. My breakthrough brought a huge increase in strength—I should now be on par with a Titled Douluo-level powerhouse. My dragon core is more stable. As long as I'm not constantly fighting and just maintaining the second form, I should be able to last a long time. There's little risk of exposure. If we both go undercover, we can ensure you won't be harassed by Huang Yuanlang. Even if he tries something, he'll come at me first—not you."

Bai Xiuxiu looked at him, then gently stroked his cheek. She laughed softly, "You're kinda cute when you're jealous. Just go ahead and plan it all out. If you think it won't blow our cover, I'm fine with it. Oh, right—I bought a few things earlier. They should have been delivered already. I was in the shower and told them to leave the packages at the door. Can you grab them for me?"

"Mhm," Lan Xuanyu replied, walking to the door.

When he opened it, there was nothing outside. He instantly realized he had been tricked—and the door slammed shut behind him.

"Okay, you can go rest now," Bai Xiuxiu's smug voice came from inside.

Unfortunately, the next moment, she was caught in an embrace.

Her eyes widened in shock as Lan Xuanyu suddenly appeared in front of her. She immediately felt silly for forgetting—he had just awakened spatial abilities. What good would shutting the door do?

Lan Xuanyu released her, flashed out again with a sly chuckle, and vanished.

"Lan! Xuanyu!" Bai Xiuxiu cried out in a mix of embarrassment and fury.

The room had excellent soundproofing—nothing could be heard from the next door…

Lan Xuanyu, still in a great mood, answered a call from the mothership.

Admiral Bai Ling's voice came through: "Xuanyu, welcome back. Come see me."

"Yes, I'm on my way."

Lan Xuanyu took his personal transport ship from the Dragon Three warship to the mothership, where a shuttle was already waiting. But when he arrived at the 7th Fleet Command Center, he was stunned.

The command center was dazzling with ranks. Admiral Bai Ling stood in the center, flanked by seven or eight generals—six of them full generals. The rest were all lieutenant generals—not a single major general in sight.

No doubt about it—at this very moment, all the top brass of the 7th Fleet had gathered.