Chapter 321 Real Skills
“Eh, these pairings…..”
Wan Er crossed her arms in front of her chest, lazily leaned against the window and smiled, saying, “I honestly don’t have the heart to kill that Buddhist Monk Goodbye Tears. I heard he was one of [Vanguard]’s Big Three…..”
(Editor Note: Buddhist Monk is used in a mocking way and literally means Bald Donkey)
I nodded, “It wasn’t easy for him to enter the top 128, so do show him some mercy……”
Yue Qing Qian said, “Brother Xiao Yao, your opponent isn’t that weak either. Jian Tan is one of [Hero’s Mound]’s top sword experts. I heard that he’s mastered controlling the flow of the battle…..”
“Jian Tan…..”
I looked up at the big screen and said, “I’ve met this person before in real life. He’s a very honorable man, but relies too much on brute force and doesn’t understand the importance of flexibility. Such an opponent won’t be hard to deal with.”
“How do you plan on fighting him?” Dong Cheng Yue asked with a smile.
I thought for a moment before replying. “First, I’ll lower his guard by showing him a bit of weakness. Then I’ll use my [Binding Chains] to disable him. I should be able to make it out alive; my 6500 health gives me a high chance of surviving so there’s no need to fight so hard.”
“Yup.” Wan Er said, “Qing Qian, your opponent is Tornado, Ba Huang City’s second strongest Mage. He’s also pretty hard to deal with, so you should be careful. The first attack is most important, since you need bring down his [Mana Shield]’s durability to at least 50%. After that, you need to find the opportunity to insta-kill him, while staying alive yourself. [Sneak] and [Hide] must be used.”
Yue Qing Qian chuckled, “Don’t worry, sister Cang Tong. I can deal with this!”
“Ok, that’s good then. Everyone, let’s get into the top 64!”
……
“Shua!”
I was teleported to a giant martial arts arena. Jian Tan stood there with an imposing aura like an immovable mountain. Arms crossed with his sword against his chest, he was clad in a bright suit of armor with his battle robes flowing in the wind. It was exactly this stern uncle who had guarded the doors of [Hero’s Mound], allowing Q-Sword to command [Hero’s Mound]’s legion of players without any worries.
“Little Xiao Yao, we meet again!” Jian Tan smiled, “I didn’t think I would meet you in the top 128. Even though I know I may not have even a 30% chance of winning against you, I won’t give up. You’d better not underestimate me; I can kill you easily if you let down your guard, and that wouldn’t be any fun……”
I smoothed out my expression and chuckled, “No problem. I won’t underestimate you. Uncle Jian Tan also doesn’t need to hold back; let’s fight with everything we’ve got! I also want to learn exactly what the fighting strength of an elder from [Hero’s Mound] is like. Let’s see if it’s really as formidable as the legends say….”
Jian Tan unsheathed his sharp sword. With a wave of his blade, he indifferently said, “Prepare to battle!”
“3！”
“2！”
“1！”
Battle start! This was the battle that decided the top 64; victory was the only option!
But before I could get on the offensive, Jian Tan attacked first – just as I expected. Lowering the tip of his sword, he activated [Haste] and rushed over, sticking close to the ground. Suddenly, he roared and his longsword became a streak of light, aimed right at me!
I shifted my stance and unsheathed my Emperor Qin’s Sword in order to withstand the violent attack. Before I could shake off his sword, Jian Tan unexpectedly withdrew. Suddenly, his left leg swept out with a fierce power. With a “Keng”, I blocked the incoming strike with my leg, and slid backward several meters from the force of the attack. The tip of my sword cut into the ground as I slid.
“Li Xiao Yao, why aren’t you retaliating?”
Jian Tan fiercely slashed his sword forward again, forcing me to further retreat a few more steps. His face was full of rage, “Are you looking down on me? Is that why you won’t fight? Alright then, I won’t let you have the chance to retaliate. You will taste the bitterness of defeat here!”
As he was talking, Jian Tan raised his longsword again, and finally activated a skill. [Skyshaker Slash]!
I raised my arm and blocked his attack!
Bang!
1729！
What an intense strike! However, it wasn’t over; Jian Tan lowered his body again and activated [Blade Rush]. His entire body was bathed in light as he sped forward 5 meters, his sword piercing my body!
987！
Unfortunately for him, my defense remained st.u.r.dy, and as before, it protected me from most of the damage dealt. I felt a chill from behind as my heart dropped. This feeling was too familiar: it was a [Combo]! To think that Jian Tan also had a [Combo]. As expected, he really did live up to his reputation as an expert!
I quickly turned around and raised my Emperor Qin Sword in front of my chest, supporting the sword’s blade with my left hand. At the same time, I used a [Heal] to raise my health by another 1200! However, Jian Tan’s pet flew right at me as well. I summoned my Flaming Tiger G.o.d, and it quickly attacked with a [Flame Claw]. The little tiger instantly tackled the giant wolf and they both began fighting each other.
“Ha! [Combo]!”
Jian Tan roared again as air began to gather around his feet. An A-ranked [Combo] began to activate, dealing three consecutive attacks. “Pa Pa Pa” it penetrated my defense. Three more attacks came, one after another, adding up to a total of 6 strikes! I only felt pain coursing through my body. Motherf*cker! Jian Tan’s power and angle of attack can truly be considered first rate!
427！
414！
478！
521！
525！
740！
After he instantly inflicted 3100+ damage on me, he finally stopped attacking. He had already exhausted his best possible moves in order to burst me down, but I still had 2500 health remaining!
After downing a Lv 10 potion to recover 5500 health, I spread my palm, and with a “Pa” sound, slammed it into Jian Tan’s chest. He froze for a moment, before iron chains broke through the stones underneath his feet, instantly immobilizing him. At the same time, I shouted, “[Strength of a Thousand Men]!”
The concentrated attacks surged forth, bombarding Jian Tan’s chest without any obstruction. Damage numbers burst forth one after another——
1127！
1231！
1312！
1234！
2236！
The final [Wind Blade] attack had practically sliced Jian Tan’s body in half. He abruptly fell to his knees, and stared at me, his eyes wide open?. He hadn’t imagined that he’d be insta-killed by a single [Combo].
After getting rid of Jian Tan’s pet as well, I received a notice:
System Notification: Congratulations, you have defeated Player 【Jian Tan】, and have successfully advanced to the next round of the tournament!”
……
“Shua!”
I was delivered back to the waiting room. There, I discovered that only the previously eliminated players like Matcha, Dancing Forest, and Dong Cheng Lei were present. I was the first victor!
Dancing Forest said, “Guild Master, congratulations on your win!”
I nodded, “But of course, winning is one of my many talents!”
I hastily looked up to check how the battles were progressing, only to notice that General Li Mu was using the combo [Absolute Authority] to overpower his opponent. w.a.n.g Jian and Wolf all came out victorious as well. Yue Qing Qian was still in the midst of battle, as Tornado was casting one [Pillar of Fire and Ice] after another, taking control of Yue Qing Qian’s possible attack routes. Our beautiful Vice Guild Master tried to break through the magic many times, she could only continue to dodge, narrowly escaping instant death!
“It’s almost time….” Yue Wei Liang clasped her hands tightly together as she anxiously watched the screen.
“Time for what?” I asked.
Yue Wei Liang pursed her red lips, “[Absolute Step]’s cooldown. Once it ends, it’ll be time for Sister’s next attack, and Tornado will be kicked out…..”
I stared at the screen. Tornado’s [Mana Shield] still had 7% durability left. With Yue Qing Qian’s perfect control, it wouldn’t be surprising for a normal attack to be able to break the shield. As long as her attack went smoothly, Tornado would be pretty much finished!
“Shua!”
The power of the wind gathered around her small feet, [Absolute Step]!
Yue Qing Qian quickly rushed forward. With her extreme speed, she weaved in a series of zig-zags to dodge the [Indigo Sea Arrow] and [Pillar of Fire & Ice] that were aimed at her. Her dagger suddenly flashed, directly striking her target!
“Bang!”
Aside from the shield being broken, her target had received 700+ damage.
Yue Qing Qian’s beautiful eyes flashed, and she drifted behind her opponent. Raising both her arms, she cast [Twin Blade Harmony]. This was an extremely smart move; a strike towards one’s back could never be blocked. Moreover, the back is considered a weak point.
3047！
After that single attack, Tornado cried out miserably as he fell to his knees. Yue Qing Qian’s explosive power was indeed abnormally strong!
“Beautiful!”
One Second Hero gave her a thumbs up as he laughed, “Too graceful. That’s exactly how an a.s.sa.s.sin should attack a Mage. That was really an educational battle….”
Dong Cheng Yue shot a glance at him and smiled, “Even if you praise her like that, Gua Gua still won’t love you. The one she loves is Brother Xiao Yao…”
One Second Hero’s body shook, “I don’t want her love. Actually… the person I like is Darling Duck… F*ck, that was too blunt…”
Dong Cheng Yue grumbled, “Idiot…”
Yue Qing Qian walked over with her dagger in hand and asked, “Sister Dong Cheng, why do you call me Gua Gua?”
“Because you like eating cuc.u.mbers… and Gua Gua sounds nice. It’s both intimate and easy to say…”
(TL Note: Cuc.u.mber in Chinese is ‘Huang Gua’, so the ‘Gua Gua’ is taken from the last part of cuc.u.mber.)
Yue Qing Qian responded, “That…”
……
The only fight that had not ended was the battle between Wan Er and Goodbye Tears. Goodbye Tears stood in the arena with his staff in hand, but he was unable to detect any trace of Wan Er within the arena. He could only wait for the cooldown of his potions to end. At the same time, he firmly planted his feet into the ground and loudly yelled out, “[Golden Defense]! [Diamond Body]! Ha, Cang Tong, hurry up and get out here. I challenge you! Since I need to enter the top 64, there’s no way I’ll ever retreat. It’s time for you to display your real skills!”
“Shua!”
A blood red light flew towards Goodbye Tears’ back. The ambush had succeeded, and temporarily stunned him!
Wan Er didn’t hesitate at all. Her twin daggers danced in the air. “Pa pa pa”, she cut the opposing party’s health by nearly 2000 points. The instant the stun effect had subsided, Wan Er swung her hands in an arc in front of Goodbye Tears, beautifully stabbing him. Goodbye Tears was stunned once more, and the dagger glowed. After a piercing attack, Wan Er flashed behind her opponent, and suddenly backstabbed Goodbye Tears. She raised her snow-white arms, [Twin Blade Harmony]!
2916！
The instant the attack burst out, Goodbye Tears fell to his knees. Even Monks with 2400+ defense and 7000+ health wouldn’t be able to escape Wan Er’s deadly pursuit.
“Plop…”
Goodbye Tears was unable to stand, and was forced to stay kneeling. He gazed at Wan Er and said, “It’s as I said before, this is Cang Tong’s true skill. I’m sincerely convinced of your strength, and I’m ready to concede. Could you possibly give me your phone number?”
Wan Er indifferently looked at him and recited a phone number. With that, Goodbye Tears cheerfully died.
……
Outside, Old K shuddered. He raised his battleaxe and said with a discontented expression, “Why… why was my phone number given away again?”
Wan Er appeared back within the room, and she giggled, “I won! I’ve entered the top 64! If I win one more round tomorrow, then I can be part of the top 32! This is great…really great…”
Old K said, “Great my a.s.s… why my phone number…”