In an instant, everyone saw Ryan Ling suddenly leap into the air, spinning mid-flight like a dragon bursting from the water. Then, just as suddenly, he pulled back, landing on the ground with incredible agility.
The crowd—especially the professional dancers—burst into collective applause. None of them had ever seen moves like this: sometimes powerful, sometimes delicate, with a body as flexible as a dragon playing in water. His physical control reached a level they'd never even heard of.
The international dance judges couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up, shouting "Unbelievable!" over and over.
Sophie Su stood beside him, completely entranced. But she vaguely recognized the dance—her Su family’s dance tradition goes all the way back to the High Tang era, when dancers were incredibly gifted and created several mysterious techniques that remain unmatched even today.
But when it’s summed up for later generations, it comes down to just twelve characters: Dragon Soaring Across the Seas, Phoenix Dancing Through the Nine Heavens, Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers.
Legend has it these three masterful techniques were always performed as a male-female duet. Back then, a single dance could decide the fate of the empire in Chang’an. Even Emperor Xuanzong (Li Longji) was so impressed he invited the pair into the palace, where their performance brought the house down. He even gave them the title ‘Dance Sage’—truly a once-in-a-millennium achievement.
Right now, Drake Long’s face was pale. His so-called high-difficulty routine looked downright clumsy compared to Ryan Ling’s dazzling technique. He didn’t even dare show it off anymore.
"Sophie, come—move with me!" Ryan was completely absorbed in the dance, but it wasn’t that he’d inherited some Dance Sage legacy; it was all thanks to those Supreme Dance-King Shoes. As long as he wore them, all the skills of top dance masters seemed to flow into him—he couldn’t help but steal the spotlight.
Sophie nodded dazedly. She’d planned to use her years of training to barely ‘carry’ Ryan through the routine, but now she realized their gap was like heaven and earth. If Ryan wasn’t leading her, she probably couldn’t even dance at all.
Suddenly, Ryan grabbed Sophie’s slender waist, and with the momentum, she soared up like a lotus rising from water. In that instant, four words flashed in her mind—Phoenix Dancing Through the Nine Heavens.
For a moment, it was like Sophie had been possessed by the Dance Sage. She spread her arms like a phoenix, flying and dancing through the air, almost stepping on clouds—a dazzling, fairy-like presence.
Seeing Sophie miraculously 'dancing on clouds,' everyone was left speechless—some even forgot to clap. Even Drake Long and Jasmine were so stunned they totally blanked out, forgetting what they were supposed to do.
Then, Ryan suddenly pulled again, and Sophie, having just completed a series of miraculous moves, soared up like a celestial maiden ascending—leaping to the very peak of the dance floor. She spun through the air like the wind, and for a moment, everyone felt a mysterious fragrance drifting by, leaving them completely intoxicated.
But it wasn’t over yet. As the music hit its climax, Sophie suddenly froze mid-spin in the air, then spread her arms wide—and instantly, blossoms appeared overhead, turning the whole dance floor into a fairyland.
Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers—the most mysterious and coveted dance of the High Tang era—had reappeared in the modern world.
As the blossoms drifted down, Ryan and Sophie finally landed softly on the ground. But the crowd was still lost in the dreamlike world of their dance.
It was a full four or five minutes before thunderous applause broke out. From front to back, top to bottom, everyone went wild clapping.
By now, the outcome of this dance battle was obvious.
The rich girls who’d been egging Drake Long on were now silent—several had already shrunk into the corners.
On the outer edge, Hero Feng was so shocked he couldn’t speak. The tattoo artists—who all worked for Drake Long—were panicking. Were they really supposed to tattoo male and female dogs on their own boss’s face?
Drake Long’s face was now deathly pale, like all the blood had drained away. Stunned, he watched everything unfold, as if trapped in a dream.
"So, who won?" Ryan Ling slowly let out a breath, then looked over at the international judges.
The judges glanced at each other—the result was obvious. With all Harbor City’s elites watching, there was no way they could lie. After a quick look at Drake Long, whose eyes were wide and bloodshot, they stammered, "Ryan Ling and Sophie Su win!"
Instantly, the whole hall erupted in cheers again.
Drake Long had always been the crowd favorite, with huge prestige, but in the face of the Dance Sage’s display, everyone was completely won over.
Hearing the verdict, Drake Long collapsed onto the floor.
"Young Master Long, a bet’s a bet. Tattoo artists, get over here! Or do you want Young Master Long to be branded a cheat and a coward?" Ryan Ling shot a fierce look at the tattoo artists, and everyone else turned to stare as well.
The tattoo artists trembled and, unable to control themselves, shuffled over. Hero Feng was stomping his feet in panic, but with so many people watching, who dared back out of the bet?
If they tried to cheat, the whole province would hear about it in half an hour. But if they really did the tattoos... Hero Feng couldn’t even imagine the consequences.
Right now, he had just one thought: Who exactly was Ryan Ling? How did a nobody from the countryside pull off stunts like a reincarnated immortal? Looking back, not a single thing he’d done was something an ordinary person could manage.
"Go on, tattoo our Young Master Long. And make sure the word 'dog' looks stylish!" Ryan Ling stared at Drake Long’s delicate, rosy face, clearly not about to let the tattoo artists slack off.
"Ryan Ling, you really dare do this to me? Aren’t you afraid of the consequences?" Staring at the razor-sharp blade, Drake Long couldn’t hold back any longer, putting on his full Azure Dragon Society heir swagger.
"Consequences? Ha!" Ryan sneered. "What consequences? All I know is, a bet’s a bet!"
"If you dare touch me, the Azure Dragon Society will never let you off. You’ll die a horrible death!" Drake Long gritted his teeth.
"No problem. I’m ready—let’s see just how bad it gets!" Ryan deliberately raised his voice, and instantly, whispers spread through the crowd. People weren’t too happy with Drake Long now.
Nearby, Ryan Ling suddenly kicked one of the tattoo artists hard on the backside, then shot him a fierce glare. The artist jumped in fright and, trembling, dragged the blade straight down Drake Long’s cheek. Instantly, a blood-curdling scream echoed through the club.
Three days later, in a high-end plastic surgery clinic in Harbor City, Drake Long had just finished facial micro-surgery and opened his eyes.
"Cousin, we’ve called in everyone we can. Just give the word!" Beside him, Hero Feng gritted his teeth—the dance duel had been a total humiliation for them.
"Give the word? If we make a move now, what will all Harbor City think of me? A bet’s a bet—losing and then going after someone is just petty!" These days, Drake Long had calmed down, but his eyes were colder than ever.
"Cousin, you’re really just going to let it go? Let that brat off easy? Damn it..." Hero Feng clearly couldn’t swallow his anger.
"Why rush? Revenge will come. But next time, we’ll be fully prepared. When we strike, that punk will be ruined forever! I’ll let you in on the plan—I’ve already borrowed the Water-Fire Yin-Yang Mirror from my dad. One side is water, enough to revive the Su Group’s medicine bases and all of Harbor City. The other side is fire, to burn everything clean, and even ramp up the heat to kill off Harbor City’s riffraff. If I use it as leverage, there’s no way that brat will survive!" As Drake Long spoke, he slowly pulled out a black-and-white Yin-Yang mirror from his pocket...