Chapter Forty-Five: Captain Zhang, the Protector

"[Dreamwalker Association Jiangling Branch][Competition Reminder] You have successfully registered for this year's New Dreamwalker Invitational. Please remember to bring your Dreamwalker ID and check in at the Jiangling City Sports Arena the day after tomorrow, between 9:00 and 10:00 AM."

A gentle chime sounded.

Du Fang's dreamwalker phone vibrated with a notification.

He glanced at the screen—a text message.

Not far away, Chen Xi, dripping with sweat from her training, received the same message and instinctively looked over at Du Fang.

"Brother Du, you got the message too, didn't you?" Chen Xi asked, mopping her brow with a white towel.

Du Fang nodded. He too was drenched in sweat, despite the help from Luoluo and his wife.

Still, Du Fang trained diligently, striving to improve himself.

After all, as the head of his household, he felt it would be embarrassing if he didn’t possess at least some skill.

Especially since...

The last time, he’d had that shameful dream—a beautiful fantasy of striding alone among the stars, ruling over all creation from above.

That intoxicating sense of power pushed him to work even harder.

He knew perfectly well that he was just an ordinary intern dreamwalker—how could he really be that formidable?

"The day after tomorrow, the New Dreamwalker Invitational finally begins. I’m really a little excited," Chen Xi said, unable to hide her enthusiasm.

"I used to only watch the invitational on TV, envying those dreamwalkers as they displayed their extraordinary powers. I always longed to be there. Now it’s my turn, and honestly, I’m a bit nervous." Her still-youthful face was full of emotion.

Du Fang, on the other hand, felt little of that. Since arriving in this world, he hadn’t been in the mood to watch such tournaments.

Though he’d heard that the New Dreamwalker Invitational drew massive nationwide attention.

"Brother Du, let’s do our best the day after tomorrow!" Chen Xi grinned brightly.

She knew, as the captain had said, that for her this was all about participation.

But she didn’t mind—being able to compete at all was already a stroke of luck.

She was well aware of her own abilities.

Instead, she placed great hopes in Du Fang.

She believed that with his strength, Du Fang would surely make a name for himself at the invitational!

Whether it was Du Fang, or Luoluo...

"You too—do your best," Du Fang replied with an equally brilliant smile.

...

...

Zhang Changlin had a cigarette dangling from his lips, dressed in a black trench coat with a broken blade at his waist.

The elevator doors slid open.

Zhang Changlin stepped in. Inside were three figures, all clad in black coats with golden badges gleaming on their chests.

"Hey, Old Zhang, you on your way to see the chairman too?" came a somewhat flippant voice.

Zhang Changlin glanced at the speaker.

He was a fashionable man—black coat barely concealing the flashy clothing underneath.

Sun Yaohai, captain of Jiangling’s elite squad "Silver Wolf."

The other two were also captains of Jiangling’s top teams; all four of them were well-acquainted.

Together with Zhang Changlin, these four were the leading figures among Jiangling’s dreamwalkers.

"I’m talking to you," Sun Yaohai said, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Zhang Changlin flicked the ash from his cigarette, giving Sun Yaohai a cold glance. "What are you yapping about?"

Sun Yaohai grinned at the response. "I see—conquering that double dream disaster solo must have put the swagger back in you."

"Last year, you crashed out at the top thirty-two in the national dreamwalker tournament. You think you’re back in the game now?"

There was no love lost between Sun Yaohai and Zhang Changlin.

After all, Silver Wolf and Wildfire were rival teams.

A city could only have three elite squads. If one rose, another fell.

Silver Wolf’s strength was no match for the other two, and with Wildfire threatening their spot, Sun Yaohai had every reason to dislike Zhang Changlin.

"My Wildfire squad lost to the champions, at least. Your Silver Wolf lost to a team that barely made top sixteen. You proud of that?" Zhang Changlin sneered.

Sun Yaohai’s expression darkened.

"I heard your Wildfire squad picked two rookies this year—neither one impressive. One, even though he has an infinite dream spirit, doesn’t seem to have awakened any special abilities and is just an intern dreamwalker. Is this the kind of rookie you want? Are you just giving up on this year’s New Dreamwalker Invitational?"

"Other teams strengthen themselves; you seem to specialize in picking weaklings," Sun Yaohai taunted, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Any chance to put Zhang Changlin down, he seized without hesitation.

Zhang Changlin was done talking.

With Sun Yaohai clinging like a stubborn leech, the more you argued, the more he latched on.

Zhang Changlin had never considered himself particularly patient.

He bit down on his cigarette again.

His hand drifted to the hilt of his broken blade.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the elevator shifted.

The other two elite captains exchanged knowing grins, edging back into the corners.

Sun Yaohai’s eyes narrowed.

"Tell me—am I wrong? An intern dreamwalker without special abilities, plus another rookie who, rumor has it, fainted from fright the first time she entered a dream disaster. What chance do you think they have in this invitational? They’ll probably be eliminated in the very first round."

"Relying on that intern with the infinite dream spirit? Without special abilities, just wielding a forbidden artifact, even if by some fluke he makes it to round two, he’s destined to be cannon fodder!"

Sun Yaohai’s tone was icy, his mockery relentless. He had nothing but contempt for Zhang Changlin and anyone from Wildfire.

He wanted them to fail.

Boom!

Within the elevator, two dream spirits clashed, stirring a tempest.

The hem of Zhang Changlin’s black coat flared as he drew the broken blade. A shadow slipped forth from the blade, furtive and sly.

After confirming there were no terrifying presences as before,

The shadow seemed to roar in fury.

Zhang Changlin, you bastard—can’t you give it a rest?

But this time, with no fearsome entities appearing, the shadow swelled with confidence.

Finally, it could vent its pent-up rage.

Twice before, it had been suppressed. Now, at last, it could let loose.

As Zhang Changlin drew his blade, Sun Yaohai also conjured a mirror, biting his finger and letting a drop of blood fall onto its surface. Instantly, a shadow appeared in the glass.

Yet, the shadow in the mirror had barely emerged when the shadow from the broken blade let out a furious roar and sent it cowering.

Bang!

Zhang Changlin slammed Sun Yaohai against the elevator wall. The lift shuddered violently.

The broken blade pressed to Sun Yaohai’s throat, nicking the skin and drawing a bead of blood.

Sun Yaohai was utterly stunned.

How was this possible?!

How had he been defeated so swiftly?

His forbidden artifact wasn’t a sequence piece, but it was still of high quality. Yet, Zhang Changlin’s broken blade had overwhelmed him in an instant.

Had Zhang Changlin grown this strong?

At that moment,

Zhang Changlin felt a rush of exhilaration that made his scalp tingle.

Damn! After all those humiliations, his broken-blade shadow finally stood its ground.

This was the presence a sequence forbidden artifact deserved!

This was the dominance he, Zhang Changlin, was meant to have!

Get beaten up? Never again—not in this lifetime!

He puffed out a cloud of smoke, letting it drift over Sun Yaohai’s face.

"Say what you want about me, but who gave you the right to talk about my teammates?"

Zhang Changlin’s voice was cold.

He was fiercely protective of his own.

He could criticize his team,

But outsiders could not.

Sweat beaded on Sun Yaohai’s forehead.

Zhang Changlin tapped the icy blade against Sun Yaohai’s face.

"Do you believe that rookie of mine could beat the crap out of your Silver Wolf rookie in this invitational?"

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