◇ 【056】 Knockout Round
Gu Juan glanced around at the people in the hall, his expression changing slightly. If his mind hadn't been improving along with his cultivation, he would have jumped to his feet in shock. Because four people in the hall possessed the same energy as Xia Zhili. The imperial capital was filled with so many talented individuals!
At that moment, he was incredibly thankful for his earlier caution. He hadn't applied to a university in the imperial capital because he considered that, with him being the only cultivator in the world, there might be another. Now, a second cultivator hadn't appeared, but after Gu Haojie, so many "specialized individuals" had appeared. His current cultivation level wasn't high, and prolonged exposure to these skilled individuals would be extremely dangerous. However, Xia Zhili and the other four hadn't noticed his special abilities, which secretly relieved him. Perhaps his suspicions were correct, and the true energy attribute was superior to the energy within their bodies.
Gu Juan asked Xi Lang softly, "Old man, do you know who the person standing behind the sofa and the four people over there are?"
Xi Lang took a quick look and whispered, "They must all be from the military. Look at their posture, their eyes, and their aura. They're the kind of things that can only be honed in the military."
"Xia Zhili has also been in the army?" Gu Juan asked again.
Xi Lang said, "No." He once again looked at the four people standing together and Xia Zhili, who had just arrived in the hall. Why did Xiao Juan suddenly ask this? Could it be that these five people had something in common? His eyes narrowed at the sight. The four people walked towards Xia Zhili at the same time, obviously knowing him, perhaps having come with him.
To prevent others from overhearing, Gu Juan simply put his arm around Xi Lang's shoulders and whispered in his ear, "If you want to investigate Xia Zhili's secrets, you can start with his relationships with the troops. You might find unexpected gains." Xia Zhili was in the open, while he was in the dark, and the situation favored him. As the saying goes, knowing yourself and your enemy ensures victory in every battle. He was eager to know the true nature of the energy within Xia Zhili. Furthermore, he still cared about Luo Qingyou. Xi Lang cared about his family, and he, too, cared about Xi Lang's family. He didn't want Luo Qingyou to disrupt the warmth and peace of the Xi family.
Too close. Xi Lang's ears felt a faint warmth from the gentle caress of the warm air. He was momentarily distracted, not hearing Gu Juan's first words clearly, but fortunately, he didn't miss the point and nodded slightly to Gu Juan.
Xia Zhili noticed Zhang Muheng not far away, raised the corners of his lips deeply, then noticed the two people almost hugging each other, and strode over.
The four people with unique temperaments followed him.
"Mr. Zhang, what a coincidence."
Zhang Muheng had actually seen Xia Zhili a long time ago, but he feigned surprise. "It's you? This club really lives up to its claim of being 'inclusive'; they let everyone in."
Xia Zhili didn't seem angry at all; instead, he chuckled, as if he and Zhang Muheng were very close friends. "Young Master Zhang has a point. Third Young Master Xi, Fourth Young Master Xi, Young Master Han, and Second Young Master Li are here too. Let me introduce you to my brothers: Ma Gang, Wang Yu, Chen Jian, and Xu Feipeng. I heard today's event was very interesting, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to learn a thing or two from you." He looked at Gu Juan and asked Xi Lang, "Who is this person I haven't asked you about yet?"
Xi Lang said, "A friend of mine, Gu Juan. Xiao Juan, this is the famous Master Xia."
"Nice to meet you." Xia Zhili said to Gu Juan, looking at Xi Lang inscrutable. Everyone said that among the four brothers of the Xi family, Xi Long was good at planning, Xi Cong was good at calculating, and Xi Zhuo was scheming, all of them were dangerous people, but Xi Lang was mature and steady, and the least noticeable. But Xia Zhili felt that Xi Lang was the most unpredictable. Just like now, he saw the intimate behavior of Xi Lang and Gu Juan, and naturally suspected that Gu Juan was a very important person to Xi Lang, so he asked tentatively. If Xi Lang really cared about Gu Juan, he should have found ways to hide Gu Juan's information, but he said it openly, as if he had no defense against him, Xia Zhili.
"Nice to meet you." Gu Juan showed a faint smile out of courtesy on his face.
In Xia Zhili's eyes, he was just an ordinary, somewhat reserved young man. Xia Zhili no longer paid attention to him, and looked at Zhang Muheng with a smile, not hiding the provocation and hostility in his eyes.
Li Ruicheng felt very sympathetic towards Zhang Muheng, but thinking that Xia Zhili's neurotic gaze might fall on him if he interrupted, he hid behind Xi Zhuo disloyally.
The news that Xia Zhili attacked Zhang Muheng for a woman and thus affected the Xi, Han and Li families had already spread throughout the imperial capital, and many people's eyes were vaguely glancing over here.
The people in the spotlight were all very calm, talking and laughing as they pleased, waiting for the club's owner to show up.
At that moment, a woman in camouflage strode in. She was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, her long hair tied back in a bun. The tight-fitting sleeveless camouflage T-shirt and slim-fitting trousers perfectly outlined her ample breasts and slender waist. Her alluring features combined with her stylish attire exuded a unique sexiness and radiated charm. However, her piercing eyes made it impossible to look at her with any disrespect.
Xi Lang said to Gu Juan, "She is the club's owner, Ling Yihan."
Gu Juan didn't expect that the owner of such a large shooting club would be a woman.
Zhang Muheng added, "Although she looks so charming, she should not be underestimated. She once defeated five boxing masters alone. She is one of the mysterious figures in the imperial capital. Many people have tried to investigate her background, but all their efforts have been in vain."
"Welcome everyone to the Dudi Club." Ling Yihan smiled charmingly at everyone, but spoke crisply and clearly, as if doing business. "Let me first wish everyone a happy new year and great prosperity. Today's event requires tickets. I'm sure you've all seen that there are quite a few people with tickets, so in order to make the game more interesting, we need to eliminate some people first. Since we can all afford to play, I believe you won't have any objections to this. Right?"
There were nearly three hundred people present, and no one objected.
"Also to enhance the fun of the game, the rewards for those who pass the level are being kept secret for now. But I can guarantee that you won't be disappointed," Ling Yihan continued. "The elimination rounds are divided into two rounds. The first is a single-player competition, with both fixed and moving targets. Each player has three bullets for both the fixed and moving targets, and a score of seven or above is considered a pass. The second elimination round is a group competition, with five players forming teams. Each team has one bullet, and they shoot at moving targets. A total score of forty-seven or above is considered a pass. The main event will be after the second elimination round. Now, everyone can freely choose a shooting range. Our staff will be in charge of the statistics and the winners will be announced at four o'clock. Have fun everyone."
Ling Yihan finished speaking concisely, walked to the leather sofa beside him and sat down, leaning back in a relaxed manner with his legs crossed.
Two young and handsome waiters, who had been standing like telephone poles behind the sofa, leaned over to pour her a cup of tea while the other massaged her shoulders. Ling Yihan squinted her eyes in enjoyment, revealing a charming charm.
"Mr. Zhang, I hope to see you in the final round." Xia Zhili raised the corner of his mouth and smiled at Zhang Muheng.
Zhang Muheng said calmly, "No problem. I'm also curious, if you can't conquer a woman, can you conquer a few bullets? Life has to have some merits, otherwise it will just increase the carbon dioxide content in the air. Mr. Xia, don't you agree?"
Xia Zhili gave him a gloomy look and left with his men.
Li Ruicheng gave Zhang Muheng a thumbs-up. "Brother Muheng's words are so satisfying!"
Xi Zhuo reminded Zhang Muheng, "Xia Zhili is capable of murder, so he might have other plans."
"I understand." Zhang Muheng sneered, "I'm not a pushover either."
Li Ruicheng looked at the people around him, "In the second round of five-person teams, we have one more person."
Han Lin grinned, "Xi Lang's marksmanship is the best among us, we should kick him out." They had a sparring match before coming to the hall, and Xi Lang's marksmanship was so good that it surprised them.
Xi Lang raised his eyebrows, "I thought we should keep the ones with the best marksmanship, so that we have a greater chance of passing." His marksmanship was not so good before. He knew in his heart that it was related to the pills that Gu Juan asked him to take. His mental strength and attention were very focused.
"Not really." Li Ruicheng shook his finger. "People with good marksmanship are least likely to be eliminated when they team up with others. Think about it, if the person with the worst marksmanship teams up with others, if they encounter an average-level team, wouldn't they be doomed to lose?"
Zhang Muheng said, "I don't think so. Ruicheng and I are both average marksmen. If Xi Lang goes out, we may not be able to pass."
Gu Juan looked at the direction Xia Zhili left. His team had exactly five people. Was this just a coincidence?
He said, "I'm going out. You guys form groups of five."
"No." Xi Lang immediately rejected it.
Zhang Muheng also said: "The main reason I came here today is to take you out to play. How can I let you go out alone? How about this, Ruicheng, you join another team." The reason why he didn't say that he was withdrawing was because he had to enter the final round, otherwise Xia Zhili would think he was afraid of him.
Li Ruicheng understood his idea and nodded, "Okay." He had come here to play many times, so it didn't matter if he couldn't make it to the final round.
"I'll go out. When I passed the shooting range just now, I noticed the other team's shooting skills and know which team is the most reliable. I will definitely make it to the final round." Gu Juan said confidently. If the other team members were too weak, he would have a way to "cheat".
He was so sure about it that Xi Lang and the others had no choice but to agree.
Gu Juan walked towards a team that he had his eyes on but had not yet gathered enough people and recommended himself.
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