“Come on, Senior Qin Wu!” Shan Heng clenched his fists nervously.
Su Yuehe leaned lightly against An Changqing. Her lashes fluttered as she whispered, “He’ll win.”
An Changqing looked at the back of his senior’s head and nodded.
Chen Guan’s gaze swept over Bai Huanran before settling on Qin Wu.
He could clearly sense the desperate, all-or-nothing determination surging within Bai Huanran. He could no longer afford to lose.
Another defeat would be no different from having his dignity pressed into the dirt and rubbed against it.
Qin Wu’s aura, however, was steadier than ever. He was like an immovable mountain—massive, profound, and impossible to fathom.
Unlike Bai Huanran, he was no longer carrying such a heavy burden.
Whether he won or lost, Qin Wu believed he could accept the result calmly.
“Begin!”
The referee’s arm came crashing down.
Bai Huanran moved without the slightest hesitation, his hands instantly forming several complex seals.
“Thousand Illusory Water Mirrors!”
In an instant, the moisture throughout the arena was forcibly drawn out and condensed into dozens of crystal-clear water mirrors before him. Each mirror reflected his figure, spinning rapidly according to his will and creating a dazzling blur that made it impossible to identify his true body.
“That’s Bai Huanran’s signature technique. He wants to use illusions and speed to wear Qin Wu down completely.”
Several spectators familiar with Bai Huanran immediately saw through his intentions.
The next moment, dozens of Bai Huanrans burst out of the water mirrors simultaneously. Each one wielded a long blade condensed from high-pressure water, sealing off every possible escape route around Qin Wu.
Before the blades even arrived, an icy chill and the shriek of air being sliced apart had already rushed toward him.
Yet Qin Wu’s reaction to the overwhelming assault left everyone dumbfounded.
He neither dodged nor retreated. Instead, a thick, earth-yellow wave of energy, so dense it seemed capable of solidifying the air, erupted from his body and spread violently in every direction.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
A string of popping sounds rang out.
The imposing “Bai Huanrans” crumbled the instant they came into contact with the earth-yellow wave. One after another, they vanished like bubbles beneath the sun, dissolving into a sky full of water vapor.
The earth-yellow wave transformed into a tangible sandstorm, washing away the illusion Bai Huanran had always been so proud of.
Only Bai Huanran’s solitary true body remained in the arena.
His chest heaved as he forcibly suppressed the surging blood in his veins. He then slammed his hands together.
The scattered water vapor was forcibly drawn back and compressed between his palms into a three-foot-long water blade. It was crystal clear, yet radiated an intensely dangerous aura.
“If illusions won’t work, then I’ll use pure strength to cut apart a block of stone like you!”
Bai Huanran shot forward like an arrow released from the bow. The water blade in his hand dragged a white trail behind it as he thrust it straight toward Qin Wu’s heart.
Faced with this strike containing all of Bai Huanran’s strength, Qin Wu did not meet it head-on.
He stomped heavily with his right foot. The alloy floor rang with a dull boom, and his body shifted half a step to the side.
That half-step, taken at an unbelievable angle, allowed the edge of the water blade to skim past his chest.
At the same time, his right hand, wrapped in earth-yellow energy, struck the side of the blade with the precision of an iron-forged bear’s paw.
Bang!
A thunderous impact erupted.
Bai Huanran felt a tyrannical, surging force explode from the blade, splitting the web between his thumb and forefinger and sending him staggering uncontrollably to the side.
Qin Wu pressed his advantage.
He took a single step forward, cracking the ground beneath his feet. His fists swung with the force of a thousand weights, and although every punch was plain and unadorned, they completely sealed off every avenue Bai Huanran might use to maneuver or evade, forcing him to block desperately with the water blade in his hand.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The collisions between fists and water blade came as thick and rapid as a rainstorm, sparks flying with every impact.
Across the arena, the spectators could see only a white blur struggling within the earth-yellow fist wind. With each block, the water blade in Bai Huanran’s hand grew dimmer, while cracks spread across its surface.
“This… Qin Wu is that strong?”
In the North City Academy’s rest area, the team members exchanged astonished whispers.
In their memories, Qin Wu had been a wide-swinging, violently aggressive enhancement-type fighter. Yet now, he was as steady as a living battle manual, controlling his strength with terrifying precision down to the smallest detail.
“He’s gotten stronger.”
In the Huaqing rest area, An Changqing watched the mountain-like figure on the arena and spoke softly.
Chen Guan’s gaze moved between the two fighters. He could see everything clearly.
Every one of Qin Wu’s punches was eroding Bai Huanran’s will to fight and draining his stamina, while Qin Wu’s own aura remained as calm as the earth beneath their feet—deep and bottomless.
This was the smartest way to fight.
It was also the most torturous.
“That’s enough!”
Bai Huanran abruptly retreated and opened up some distance. The cracked water blade in his hand suddenly blazed with light before exploding into dozens of water arrows that sealed off every inch of space around Qin Wu.
Qin Wu remained unmoved. He drew a circle with both arms before his chest, and his earth-yellow energy instantly condensed into a heavy, round shield engraved with patterns of mountain ranges.
The water arrows struck the shield, raising only rings of ripples before being swallowed and worn away by the mountain-like force.
“It’s useless, Bai Huanran.” Qin Wu’s steady voice came from behind the shield. “Your attacks can’t break through my defense.”
Having known each other for years, Qin Wu was thoroughly familiar with Bai Huanran’s techniques.
“Is that so?”
A smile appeared on Bai Huanran’s face.
Those who improved were never the only ones.
Qin Wu, you’ve fallen into my trap!
The moment his words fell, he brought his hands together before his chest and formed a strange seal shaped like a lotus.
“Water and sky become one. Nothing can escape. Explode!”
A warning exploded in Qin Wu’s heart, but it was already too late.
The water vapor scattered through the air by his round shield—seemingly harmless—now appeared to have received an emperor’s command.
It completely ignored the seemingly impregnable earth-yellow shield. From Qin Wu’s mouth and nose, from every pore of his skin, it frenziedly poured into his body.
“Pff!”
A mouthful of blood burst from Qin Wu without warning, splattering the earth-yellow shield in front of him with a streak of red.
He could clearly feel countless streams of water, thinner than strands of hair yet sharp as steel needles, stabbing wildly through his meridians and internal organs.
Because the energy within his body had fallen into chaos, the sturdy earth-yellow shield instantly dimmed.
This technique… When did he…
“What?”
“Senior Qin Wu!”
In the Huaqing rest area, worry appeared in An Changqing’s furrowed brows. He understood what had happened.
From the very beginning, Bai Huanran’s goal had never been a direct assault. The water arrows had merely been a feint. His true killing move was the water vapor that had seeped into the air, infiltrating everything without leaving a trace.
In the North City Academy’s rest area, a deathly silence was followed by an eruption of joy, like survivors celebrating their escape from disaster.
“We’ve won! The captain is going to win!”
“Nicely done! This is the chief of North City Academy!”
On the arena, Bai Huanran’s smile grew wider when he saw Qin Wu vomit blood.
I prepared this move especially for you.
He stepped forward, raising both hands high.
More water vapor gathered from every direction, forming an enormous dark cloud above his head.
Lightning flickered within the clouds, and the terrifying pressure made the entire arena tremble.
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
