Chapter 331: Continuing the Challenge
Zhong Cai blinked.
This girl was much more polite than the one who had mocked him for being weak.
Indeed, upon seeing Zhong Cai, the woman knew that the two were about to fight, so she drew her sword and performed a sword salute.
Since his opponent was polite, Zhong Cai was naturally polite as well, so he clasped his hands in greeting.
That was enough for the two of them to greet each other.
Then, they both took a step back, which was the signal that they were about to engage in battle.
Without a word, the woman flicked her wrist, and the icy mist on her longsword dissipated, freezing everything in its path.
Zhong Cai: "..."
The ground was icy, and it looked very slippery.
Zhong Cai acted swiftly as well. While complaining about the slippery road, he still slammed the hammer into the ground. In an instant, a powerful force, as if carrying countless flames, spread out and melted all the frost it encountered.
Yes, he started using secret techniques.
In fact, he had been using secret techniques ever since the previous battle.
·
Ever since Zhong Cai chose to cultivate the Five Elements Secret Techniques and obtained treasures that corresponded to the Five Elements and contained the power of stars, he has truly integrated the star treasures into each secret technique, greatly enhancing the strength of various secret techniques and raising their potential, allowing him to continue cultivating for a very long time.
So, when Zhong Cai swung the hammer before, it looked like nothing special, just swinging it around aimlessly, but in reality, he incorporated earth-attribute mountain techniques. Every time he swung the hammer, it was like a mountain collapsing!
At the same time, his spikes were infused with metal-based secret techniques. Each spike contained an indestructible sharpness, which, in turn, collided with the mountain, causing the heavy sword and shield to shatter. Even strong men with tough bodies were cut down.
At this moment, Zhong Cai was using a fire-attribute secret technique.
Because the secret technique incorporates starfire, the temperature of the burning flame is countless times higher than that of ordinary flames. Therefore, even if the opponent also uses an ice-attribute secret technique, the level of resources used is not as high as Zhong Cai's starfire. In just one move, Zhong Cai has completely destroyed the advantageous environment created by the opponent.
·
The woman's expression hardened slightly, and she flipped her wrist again.
A flash of cold light!
A streak of snow rushed in with incredible speed, reaching Zhong Cai's face in an instant.
Zhong Cai swung his hammer backhand, immediately colliding with the longsword.
In an instant, the longsword emitted a buzzing sound and was knocked away.
The woman frowned, her expression becoming even more serious. She thought to herself, "What immense strength! Judging from this person's appearance, there's no indication that he possesses such divine power. He's really not someone to be trifled with."
But since a direct confrontation is impossible, then we must rely on skill.
The woman twisted her waist and retreated three feet, barely dodging the meteor hammer that Zhong used to swing with his other hand.
However, although she was very fast, the sharp spikes on the hammer were still extremely sharp. As they cut through the air, they also cut off the cuffs of her snow-white dress, like several white butterflies, which then fluttered away.
The woman didn't dare to stop for a moment and immediately turned away again, dodging in another direction.
At the same time, the longsword flashed in succession, and in just one breath, it had already thrust out dozens of swords. The sound of the sword blade colliding with the meteor hammer was continuous. These sword moves collided with the same spot in a very short time. All the power was combined and finally able to clash head-on with the meteor hammer, giving the woman a chance to find a weakness in Zhong Cai's moves.
However, Zhong Cai was also very fast.
Although the woman had a good plan in mind, it did not work completely when she actually put it into practice.
Because while her sword was indeed fast, Zhong Cai's speed was also extremely fast. Only the first time she combined her strength and clashed head-on with the hammer, when the woman tried to continue, Zhong Cai's rapidly swung hammer cut her off midway, preventing her from fully executing her sword move.
Thus, the woman continued to fight with her sword, her movements as graceful as a willow branch, but she could never break through Zhong Cai's double hammer defense, nor could she get close to him.
As time went on, the woman's swordplay gradually slowed down, while Zhong Cai's speed increased, and her hammer blows became more and more ferocious.
Finally, the woman was caught off guard and failed to dodge in time, and the meteor hammer struck her body hard!
The next moment, the woman followed in the footsteps of the burly man who had come before her.
The manner of their deaths is generally the same.
Although the girl's expression remained largely unchanged, she did show a rare look of horror when she was finally hammered to death.
Then, she turned into blue light and disappeared from the arena.
·
Zhong Cai raised her eyebrows, put away the hammer, and went back to the lounge to recover her energy.
He still remembers it; the next game is crucial.
The key question is whether he will receive one reward or two.
If he can win five or ten games in a row... that would be even better!
When he got back, he was determined to brag to Lao Wu!
·
In a faction on another lower continent, a beautiful woman who had been sleeping with her sword in her arms suddenly opened her eyes.
...Was it a dream?
She walked to the mirror and looked at herself.
It's still intact, not torn to pieces.
But the fine beads of sweat on his forehead and his pale face seemed to be foreshadowing something.
She wondered if there really was such a place in the world.
Immediately, the woman recalled the battle in her dream and decided to begin body tempering.
In the past, although she knew that body tempering was important, she did not spend too much time improving her strength because of her love for light swords. This led to her being unable to cope when facing an opponent who was stronger than her and whose movements were faster.
She needs to make up for this weakness.
The woman then pushed open the door and quickly headed to a small secret realm within the sect.
She won't leave the seclusion unless she increases her strength to more than three times!
otherwise……
The thought that she might suffer the same fate as in her dream in some future battle sent chills down her spine.
·
After resting, Zhong Cai faced her third opponent.
The appearance of this person brought Zhong Cai twice as much pressure as the previous two.
Like that burly man, he wasn't very polite either.
Zhong Cai sighed.
There were only three games, and two of them were rude.
It's clear that among the world's geniuses, very few are as likable as his father, Mr. Wu.
·
The one currently in question is a short, stocky man who is also quite ugly.
His rude behavior mainly stemmed from... he didn't say a word before swinging his giant hammer at us!
Yes, they also used a hammer.
Zhong Cai often has distracting thoughts, but that doesn't affect his ability to fight with others at all.
This time, every hammer blow landed squarely.
Zhong Cai was much taller than the short man, but the short man was very good at jumping, and with the momentum of his jump, he could increase the force of his double hammers.
Both of them were using giant hammers, and both were using two hammers.
When they clash head-on like this, each one is truly more ferocious than the last.
Zhong Cai keenly noticed that the short man's hammer technique incorporated some kind of secret method. With each strike, a layer of seemingly imperceptible gravity appeared around him, and as the gravity increased, it affected Zhong Cai himself, trapping him within this gravity and slowing down his movements.
However, Zhong Cai cultivated the Five Elements.
The short man's secret skill creates a gravitational deterrent, but Zhong Cai can also use secret skills of the metal and earth attributes to combine and generate a terrifying attraction, breaking the gravity created by the short man.
The forces of gravity clashed, and neither side was able to create a new combat environment.
No one has an advantage.
You can only see the most advanced skills.
Zhong Cai maintained a steady rhythm as she clashed with the shorter man, and in the end, whoever had a more solid foundation would be able to fight longer and ultimately win.
When he met an opponent who also used a hammer, Zhong Cai was happy to practice with him slowly and gained a lot of experience from it.
Zhong Cai's aptitude for combat was indeed inferior to Wu Shaogan's, and even less so than many other prodigies, as his greatest talent lay in alchemy. However, his combat talent was still quite good, and coupled with his willingness to invest resources in himself, the short man had virtually no weaknesses and was adept at using heavy hammers. Yet, in the end, he still couldn't defeat this seemingly frail, pale, handsome young man.
This battle ended with Zhong Cai bombarding the short man with her hammer, turning him into a meat pie.
·
Zhong Cai's progress through the challenges follows a very regular pattern.
Rest, play one more game, rest, then play another game...
In the fourth round, he faced a whip-wielder. Although the whip's trajectory was unpredictable and difficult to deal with, Zhong Cai grabbed a hammer in one hand and swung out a chain with the other, directly binding the whip. He could also use a single hammer to create dozens of hammer shadows, so no matter which direction the whip tried to attack Zhong Cai from, the chain could bind it.
The fifth opponent was even more terrifying, wielding a Crimson Serpent Spear. The spear's dappled patterns were unpredictable, and its tip gleamed with a dark light, indicating it was poisonous. Fighting against it required considerable caution to avoid injury—otherwise, it would surely be fatal! To avoid being pierced by the Crimson Serpent Spear at close range, Zhong Cai simply gripped the chain in one hand and threw the hammer on the other end to attack relentlessly. In the end, he still managed to wear down his opponent to death.
The sixth match... the seventh match...
By the tenth round, Zhong Cai slowly exhaled.
He was somewhat confident when clearing the levels, but not so much in terms of actual combat.
Unexpectedly, just one more level and he would have achieved a ten-game winning streak!
Such a record is something to be encouraged for him.
However……
The opponent in the tenth match was much stronger than the previous nine.
In fact, its strength is at least ten times that of the others!
Moreover, what this person was holding was a hard bow.
He possessed a powerful aura, handsome features, and an air of aloofness. His face carried a faint smile, which added a unique kind of beauty.
Zhong Cai's lips twitched slightly.
This guy looks... kind of old-fashioned, huh?
However, a closer look reveals that he is far inferior to Lao Wu!
Old Wu is so handsome!
Thinking this, Zhong Cai did not let her guard down. Instead, she held the hammer with both hands, her whole body on high alert.
The archer opposite Zhong Cai glanced at him and said in a deep voice, "Please."
Zhong Cai raised her eyebrows.
Polite people are few and far between, and now there's one more.
Zhong Cai also politely said, "Please."
The next instant, Zhong Cai felt a terrifying sense of crisis rushing towards him, heading straight for his brow. It felt as if an attack was about to strike and pierce through his head!
...This feeling is all too familiar.
To prevent Zhong Cai from lacking a sense of crisis and being insensitive to any external attacks, Wu Shaogan would often take out a longbow and aim it at any potentially fatal part of Zhong Cai's body when accompanying him in his training. This would allow Zhong Cai to fully perceive what kind of instinctive reaction his body would naturally produce if he were targeted by such a mysterious weapon.
In many instances, to make Zhong Cai react more quickly, Zhong Cai was still naked when Wu Shaogan "attacked" him. However, whenever that happened, stimulated by a sense of crisis that was not actually dangerous, the atmosphere between the two would quickly become heated, and then they would inevitably roll onto the bed...
By practicing like this frequently, Zhong Cai naturally memorized the technique. When faced with such an arrow threat, no matter how fast the opponent drew their bow, he could detect it in an instant!
·
Zhong Cai instinctively flipped and jumped!
The moment he regained his footing, he saw an arrow pierce the spot on the arena where he had been standing.
With a "whoosh," it was already firmly inserted.
The sound was very soft, but the sound of it cutting through the air was very noticeable.
At least to Zhong Cai's ears, the trajectory was so clear that he had enough time to react.
The archer did not stop moving.
For archers like them, the attacks are never-ending.
Zhong Cai was also fully aware of this.
So after dodging the first time, Zhong Cai immediately turned around, and an arrow whizzed past his waist; he leaped again to dodge, and several arrows were fired simultaneously, striking the ground in a "品" shape; he immediately grabbed the chain and spun the hammer head rapidly above his head, causing all the arrows falling from above to hit the hammer head. None of them could surpass the power of the spinning meteor hammer; they were all blocked and bounced in all directions...
It's familiar, all too familiar.
Zhong Cai seemed to have a precognitive ability, ensuring that none of the incoming arrows could harm him. He could always predict the opponent's next move the instant they intended to attack.
Undoubtedly, this is because he is too familiar with Wu Shaogan.
Wu Shaogan's archery skills were exceptionally proficient.
Zhong Cai had witnessed Wu Shaogan's various fancy archery techniques. No matter what kind of attack an archer could launch, no matter how skillful the archery was, as long as it wasn't Wu Shaogan who used it, Zhong Cai could see through it all.
Moreover, this applies not only to archery but also to bow techniques.
The archer kept trying to close the distance with Zhong Cai, wanting to use the bowstring and the bow itself for close combat.
But Zhong Cai's speed was also developed by working with Wu Shaogan.
Wu Shaogan's identity always allows him to reach the limit of his level, and he can even be a few steps faster. His method of training Zhong Cai is one of chasing and one of fleeing. Because Wu Shaogan will constantly use interference methods, he requires Zhong Cai to find a gap to escape in the midst of the chaos.
Once caught...
Zhong Cai would then be subject to some "punishment".
For the two of them, rolling around in bed dozens or hundreds of times was hardly a punishment, and playing around was something they both wanted to do. So, as Zhong Cai's former best friend and now loving partner, Wu Shaogan decisively changed the punishment to something that would actually make Zhong Cai feel a little bit ashamed... a spanking.
Once the punishment was announced, Zhong Cai could only scream and desperately try to escape from Wu Shaogan's grasp.
The speed just kept getting faster and faster...
Because of this speed, whenever an archer gets close to Zhong Cai by several dozen feet, Zhong Cai can pull back several dozen feet from this direction, preventing the archer from ever truly getting close to Zhong Cai and making it impossible for him to use many close combat techniques.
And so the two sides fought fiercely for several hours.
Zhong Cai could feel the prestige of the Star Arena. Each opponent was stronger than the last, and the more effective their moves were at countering him, the more energy he had to expend.
Especially with the archer, the more Zhong Cai fought, the more familiar he felt with many of the opponent's moves.
According to Zhong Cai's own judgment, if he hadn't been training under Lao Wu all along, he probably wouldn't have been a match for this "low-tier Lao Wu".
Unlike now, because Zhong Cai was too difficult to deal with, the archer's face also fell a bit.
This protracted war is truly a battle where each attack is launched without a sound.
Finally, after spending most of the day, Zhong Cai was tempted to unleash a powerful move several times, but ultimately held back.
There will be many more matches in the future, and we will face even bigger opponents. For those matches that can be handled with simple methods, we should focus on honing our skills and gaining combat experience instead of using our ultimate abilities—that would be too energy-consuming and wouldn't provide enough training for us.
Zhong Cai was able to defeat this archer not only because it took him more time, but also because he used up most of his accumulated profound energy.
Now only 30% remains.
It's clear that the archer had accumulated a great deal of experience... I wonder which era and continent he was a genius from.
·
Zhong Cai let out a breath, undeterred, and went into the lounge again.
He could vaguely sense that with each battle, he had indeed gained a great deal of experience.
Now, recalling the scene when he first entered the Star Arena and faced his first enemy, Zhong Cai could already point out seven or eight of his own weaknesses—if he were to face that enemy again, he could end the battle even faster.
·
Starlight Arena, tenth floor.
Wu Shaogan moved through the virtual reality world expressionlessly, slaughtering them all.
No single figure could keep up with his speed. Because they couldn't, he could always kill them all with the simplest methods... Apart from adding a bit more condensed killing intent to him, they couldn't provide him with any other assistance.
The Starlight Arena was meant to hone the disciples of the Gate of All Beings, but in the current situation, Wu Shaogan's fighting is practically mechanical. Apart from always ending up bloodied and seemingly having his will slightly strengthened, he doesn't gain any real advantage.
Naturally, the Star Arena became increasingly difficult for Wu Shaogan.
Despite it being a free mode, Wu Shaogan was always matched with strong opponents of the same level, with each match consisting of at least five to at least eight opponents, and several times in a row, it was a group fight of ten people.
Wu Shaogan, however, was still able to win quite easily.
So from then on, the level of his opponents increased again, with a full roster of opponents each time, and they often came up with opponents who could somewhat limit his archery skills...
Unfortunately, it still couldn't stop Wu Shaogan's progress.
Moreover, many times, because he was more skilled in combat, Wu Shaogan was able to pass through each level faster, regardless of the consumption of Xuan energy or other factors, and because the consumption was not much, he did not need to make too many adjustments.
This saved a lot of time.
Therefore, while Zhong Cai was still spending quite some time getting to the tenth level, Wu Shaogan had already completed all thirty levels.
More precisely, he has killed thirty-three groups of freedom opponents.
The total number of actual acts of slaughter reached more than three hundred.
Such a result is truly astonishing.
·
The two honed their skills in the Star Arena, and several days passed in the blink of an eye.
Chao Hanxiao and the others, who were originally waiting outside the tower, had mixed feelings as they watched the two of them not come out.
As for "Qin Changning"... they could sense a hint of unpredictable danger emanating from him, so they admired him for being able to persist for so long, and found it not particularly surprising.
But it's different for "Qiu Sui'an".
How could an alchemist endure inside for so long?
If you choose to attempt a level, you will be teleported out if you fail.
If it were any other form of hardship, they would be sent out if they couldn't endure it.
...This is getting a bit outrageous.
Alchemist! You've been fighting/training for so long?!
It seems that this Master Qiu Sui'an is probably not a very mainstream alchemist.
At least he not only has extraordinary talent in alchemy, but also quite good talent in martial arts.
For a moment, several people whispered among themselves:
"I never expected it to be like this, Brother Qiu..."
"We underestimated the heroes of the world! Brother Qiu, you have actually achieved this! When I first entered the arena, I didn't have this ability."
"Brother Qiu may look thin, but his fighting skills are actually quite superb."
"We don't need to wait here idly. We have keys in both hands, so why don't we go in and try our luck?"
"That's exactly what I was thinking! Let's go in together!"
"Let's go! We can't lose to Brother Qiu..."
After these words were spoken, everyone present felt that they made sense.
Since it wasn't their first time in the arena, they all skillfully took out the keys and activated them.
Then they transformed into streaks of blue light and were sent to different levels of the tower.
They began their trials and tribulations.
·
Just as Zhong and Wu entered the land of sentient beings, made these friends, and continued to refine themselves, the Liu sisters outside the door also received news that new guests had arrived.
These new guests were none other than the Qin family father and daughter—Qin Leying and Qin Huayue.
Their Qin family is the same Qin family that replaced the Jiao family in Linyang City.
Through this period of investigation, both overt and covert, the Qin family discovered the identities and origins of the Liu sisters, and also found out about the existence of the Zhong and Wu couple...
So they came over with a thank-you gift.
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