Chapter 958: The Iron Fist
Qi Xia slowly lowered his head, and after a moment, a sinisterly strange smile crept across his face.
Tianlong paused for a few seconds upon seeing that expression.
"Tianlong... thank you for telling me such wonderful news..." Qi Xia smiled. "So 'Previous Stop' and 'Next Stop' are both empty..."
His smile grew increasingly manic, his features twisting.
"Is that smile... utter madness?" Tianlong asked.
"Hahahahaha!" Qi Xia slowly covered his face, bending over on the bone-and-flesh steps. "So you're saying that even if we had a million-to-one chance of killing the Manager and seizing the 'Train'... we wouldn't have anywhere to go? Hahaha..."
Tianlong was silent for a few seconds before speaking again. "Aries, you should have long suspected this answer, shouldn't you? Is it because I said it myself... that it's driven you to complete despair?"
"...Despair?" Qi Xia laughed loudly. "Do I... need any more 'despair' right now? I just find you utterly ridiculous..."
"Me, ridiculous...?"
"It's a circle... everything is a circle..." Qi Xia slowly reached up and grabbed his own hair, his voice hoarse. "The 'Train' isn't just a circle itself... it's dragging everyone around in circles between the stations... How interesting... Tianlong..."
"What...?"
"If even you are this foolish... then I can truly rest easy..."
"I'm foolish...?" Tianlong paused. "What nonsense are you spouting?"
"Tianlong... none of us can escape... Hahaha..."
"Of course..." Tianlong said after a moment of silence. "If I could escape, why would I go to the 'New World'?"
The next second, Qi Xia suddenly stood up and grabbed Tianlong by the collar.
Tianlong found it difficult to budge Qi Xia's body, and was even pulled a step forward by the grip.
"Even you have never been!!" Qi Xia roared maniacally. "Even you don't know what's waiting ahead!! How insignificant is this 'Dragon'?!"
"What..."
Tianlong channeled his strength again and instantly shook Qi Xia's arm off.
"Aries... you've truly lost your mind..."
"Tianlong!" Qi Xia cackled. "Go ahead then! Go ahead and see your so-called 'New World'... See what's waiting for you there..."
"Go ahead...?"
"Maybe you don't even need 'Eternal Cycle'!" Qi Xia roared again. "Maybe that IS your 'Real World'!"
Just as Tianlong was about to speak, he heard a loud commotion from above. He slowly looked up and saw that something had changed among the many faceless people.
Their bodies seemed to have become tougher in that instant.
The army of expressionless beings was trying to break through the giant mountain.
They raised their hands and hammered against the mountain range, causing countless sand and soil to fall down, dyeing the streets below a new color.
"Tricks and deceit..." Tianlong lowered his head and snorted coldly. "Aries, you've lost any value you had for negotiation. Once I truly board the 'Train' and leave, you can rot in 'Peach Blossom Spring'."
Tianlong knew he shouldn't linger with Qi Xia any longer. His entire form slowly retreated through the air.
Qi Xia, at that moment, also put away his smile and slowly regained his composure.
"I won't rot here..."
He knew his state of mind was terribly wrong. If he woke up in this condition, he couldn't imagine the impact it would have on the 'Land of Finality'.
"Aries... We shall meet when our dreams end."
With those words, Tianlong's form rapidly vanished, and the giant mountain in the sky also gradually dissolved into mist.
Qi Xia took a deep breath and fully withdrew from his terrifying nightmare.
Thanks to Tianlong, he was able to test whether he could use 'Eternal Cycle' in a fight.
At least in his own dream world, he and Tianlong were on equal footing. No matter how many times Tianlong used the same technique to 'enter his dream', he should be able to find a way to counter it.
But if this sort of thing happened in the 'Land of Finality'... what would he do then?
...
Qi Xia's eyes snapped open, and he saw the classroom ceiling.
He slowly relaxed. Before he could even utter a word, he heard the whistling sound of a punch and instantly realized what was happening. He quickly opened his mouth:
"Don't..."
Before he could finish, the next second, he felt something like a sledgehammer slam violently into his abdomen.
The punch was so fierce it nearly knocked Qi Xia and the desk he was lying on over.
Qi Xia hurriedly clutched his stomach, slowly rolling off the desk. He then lowered his head, kneeling completely on the ground.
Was this really a punch from a human fist...?
This was clearly a sledgehammer. The pain was excruciating.
"Whoa... how come you woke up just before I hit you?" Qiao Jiajin looked at his own fist. "Was the wind from my punch too strong...?"
Qi Xia knelt on the ground, clutching his stomach, saying nothing. This was the first time he had clearly felt Qiao Jiajin's fist, and it felt like his soul was about to be knocked out of his body.
He never expected that after exchanging several rounds of combat with Tianlong using 'Resonance' techniques without being hurt, he would wake up and take a solid punch from Qiao Jiajin.
Could anyone withstand such a hard punch?
"Ah... Conman... you alright?"
Qiao Jiajin looked a bit embarrassed and hurriedly went to help Qi Xia, but Qi Xia, head still bowed, stretched out a trembling hand to stop him.
"Uh..." Qiao Jiajin was startled. "Conman, don't be too proud... I put all my strength into that punch... I doubt even I could take it."
"No... I'm fine..." Qi Xia said through gritted teeth, but the next second he coughed deeply. "Cough... cough, cough..."
No wonder the last time Tianlong invaded his dream, Qiao Jiajin's punch was able to wake him up.
With a punch like that, the sleeping can wake, and the waking can sleep.
It was practically a day-and-night-reversing punch.
"Hey... Conman, I'm really sorry... I really did my best to guess when you wanted me to wake you..." Qiao Jiajin said with a wry smile. "But I just couldn't get the timing right... I only started charging my punch when I saw you start laughing maniacally... Who knew you'd open your eyes just as I was about to throw it..."
"No... it's fine... I don't blame you..." Qi Xia coughed a few more times, but really couldn't stand up.
"Ah... this... this..." Qiao Jiajin scratched his head worriedly. "Conman, how about you get up and hit me back... I feel kinda bad about this..."
Qi Xia kept his head down for another minute, finally feeling the pain in his abdomen slowly subside.
Qiao Jiajin then stepped forward and helped Qi Xia up, guiding him to sit down in a nearby chair.