Shawn Young turned around at the sound, only to see a burly young man with a square face and a camouflage vest walking toward him. He glanced around curiously and realized that the gymnasium was now empty—everyone who had been working out had already left. The only other person nearby was a long-haired girl in a white dress, her beauty and poise utterly captivating, watching him with keen interest.
"Uh... was it you calling me just now?" Shawn asked curiously as the young man walked up to him. Only then did he realize how huge this guy was—he had to be at least 1.95 meters tall, his muscles forming a perfect V-shape beneath the camouflage vest. With his buzz cut and piercing eyes, he radiated an intense, almost militant energy.
"That's right! I was calling you!" the young man replied in a gruff, booming voice.
"Oh, hi... But I don't know you. Is there something you need from me?" Shawn noticed the young man's hostile stare—a look of utter contempt.
"Heh... Nothing much! I just want to test you out!" The young man spread his feet, raised his right hand slightly, and struck a pose—a clear military boxing stance. His eyes instantly burned with fighting spirit!
"Test me? What's there to test? I don't even know you! You're seriously weird..." Shawn muttered, sensing trouble. He quickly pulled Joanna Gong aside, out of harm's way.
"Huh? Shawn, are you... are you going to fight him?!" Joanna finally realized what was happening.
"I'm the one who wants to fight him! Here goes..." The young man snorted, raised his massive fist, and—without warning—swung his right fist straight at Shawn's chest, the blow packed with fierce energy.
Shawn didn't expect the guy to attack so suddenly, but he reacted just in time. Before the fist could land on his chest, he dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the surprise strike. He shouted, "Damn! What's your deal? I don't even have a grudge against you, so why are you attacking me?"
The young man completely ignored Shawn's protest. With a muffled roar, he launched his left fist at Shawn's chest—his power was relentless!
Shawn didn't have time to ask any more questions. He knew that if this guy landed a hit, it would be no joke. His pupils narrowed as he instantly tracked the path of the young man's incoming left fist. The Celestial Essence within him surged forth, flooding his body. A powerful energy rushed along his right arm, and, acting on instinct, Shawn clenched his right fist and met the attack head-on.
Bang...
A dull, thunderous crash rang out. Shawn felt a powerful shockwave numb his body, forcing him to stagger back several steps. But the young man fared even worse—he stumbled back more than ten steps and finally collapsed onto the floor, unable to steady himself.
"Ugh... Damn! That really was Celestial Force! Again!" the young man cursed, climbing up from the floor. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, tensed his back, and his arm muscles bulged grotesquely. With a tiger-like stride, he charged toward Shawn.
Seeing how fierce he looked, Shawn realized the guy was serious and panicked. He quickly backed away to put some distance between them, then interlocked his hands, thumbs hooked around his index fingers, forming the Diamond Seal, ready to unleash a Thunder Spell against his opponent.
Just then, a pleasant female voice rang out: "That's enough, Little Tiger, stop fighting! This isn't the army!"
The young man froze at her words, stopping less than three meters from Shawn. He shook his hands toward the ground, dispersing his energy, and the ferocious aura around him vanished. His ability to control his power so precisely showed he had trained hard.
Shawn eyed him warily, still unsure what this guy was up to. The young man glared back at Shawn, his eyes still burning with fighting spirit.
At that moment, the stunning girl in white walked over and stood between them. Her cheeks flushed as she offered Shawn an apologetic smile, then she frowned and scolded the young man: "Tyson Wang, I told you to test him, not go all out! This is Southern University, not a military training ground. When are you ever going to fix that temper of yours? Seriously... If you keep this up, I'll replace you!"
"Uh... No, please! Leader Tang—no, Miss Tang, don't fire me! I'll change, I swear!" Tyson Wang's face changed instantly as he pleaded.
"Hmph, we'll see how you behave! What are you standing around for? Hurry up and apologize to this student!" The stunning girl shot him a reproachful glare.
"Oh! Sorry, man, I was just joking around earlier. My bad..." The young man said to Shawn, though his eyes showed not a hint of real apology.
"Bro, that was one hell of a joke! If it were someone else, you would've flattened them!" Shawn muttered, knowing full well this guy wasn't really backing down.
"So what do you want, then?" The young man's thick brows shot up and his voice grew louder again.
"Tyson Wang! Are you being dense again? Do you need me to set you straight?" The beautiful girl beside them snapped, her voice icy cold.
The young man shivered, lowered his head, and stuck out his right hand to Shawn, muttering, "Sorry, man. My name's Tyson Wang. Sorry if I offended you just now."
Seeing Tyson Wang acting submissive, Shawn didn't want any more trouble. He reached out to shake his hand. "Alright, it's fine. I'm Shawn Young... uh, you—"
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Suddenly, Tyson Wang's grip tightened, his strength increasing rapidly. Shawn's right hand felt like it was caught in an iron clamp. Shawn realized this guy was the type who never admits defeat until he's truly beaten.
This annoyed Shawn greatly. Tyson Wang really was a stubborn brute—he kept pushing, as if Shawn was some weakling. Shawn decided he wasn't going to play nice anymore. With a thought, Celestial Essence surged through his right hand, filling his palm with fierce power. He gripped hard—"Crack..." The sound of bones grinding echoed from Tyson Wang's hand.
Tyson Wang felt like his right hand was being clamped by a red-hot iron. The pain was excruciating, and he gritted his teeth, trying his best to break free—but he couldn't. Sweat beaded on his forehead as his face grew paler and paler...
"Heh... Shawn, you and Little Tiger hit it off right away, huh? I'm Fiona Tang—it's a pleasure to meet you." The gorgeous girl in white smiled and gracefully extended her delicate hand, taking the initiative to shake Shawn's left hand.
A gentle yet powerful energy flowed from Fiona Tang's hand into Shawn's body, instantly intertwining with his Celestial Essence. Shawn had to withdraw the force suppressing Tyson Wang to defend himself, finally neutralizing the strange energy coming from Fiona's hand.
Tyson Wang took the chance to yank back his swollen right hand, looking deeply embarrassed. Now only Shawn and Fiona Tang's hands remained clasped, the two of them locked in a contest of energy. The tension was obvious only to them, but to Joanna Gong watching nearby, it looked like an intimate, passionate handshake!
"Hey... um, Fiona Tang, right? Shawn and I still have a lunch date, so you two can get acquainted later! We're in a hurry!" Joanna Gong said, her voice dripping with jealousy as she eyed Fiona.
"Oh... Shawn, you're quite something! Heh... Since you have a date, we won't keep you. Hope we meet again soon!" Fiona Tang blushed and quickly let go of Shawn's hand.
Shawn pulled his left hand back and let out a breath, staring at Fiona Tang in amazement. He hadn't expected her to be such a hidden master—her energy was so strong she could easily neutralize his Celestial Essence. She was definitely no ordinary person!
"Heh... Have fun, you two! Bye-bye..." Fiona Tang smiled, waved at Shawn and Joanna Gong, then quickly dragged the grim-faced Tyson Wang away.