Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Brother Haoge, this... this kind of technique is like a female ghost, way too creepy." The fat guy shrunk his neck, goosebumps rising all over his body. Little Wu and A Xu nervously swallowed their saliva, momentarily speechless as they looked at each other.

Jing Yuan looked at Su Heng and demanded sharply, "Logically, your techniques shouldn't work on us. So how did she hide behind Youyou?"

Su Heng sighed lightly and explained, "There's a shadow behind her too. She was hiding within the shadow, not directly behind Miss Youyou. Moreover, she could have killed directly through the shadows. It's precisely because of your special constitution that Miss Youyou is unharmed."

Xiao Ai's body trembled involuntarily. She asked curiously, "This technique is just too bizarre. Isn't she basically invincible among your people?"

Su Heng laughed upon hearing this. "It's not that extreme. Not to mention her technique has limitations regarding light and shadow, the abilities of the others are not to be underestimated either. How could they be killed by her so easily!"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, quietly thinking that mutual restraint at least made things somewhat normal, even though the people and things they had encountered so far were bizarre enough.

After understanding this matter, everyone's attention returned to the match. Yue Xian's tricks had been mostly seen through by Youyou. Repeating her old moves a few times proved useless, and the physical difference wasn't as great as the one between Jia Fengluo and Xiao Ai. Soon, Yue Xian was at a disadvantage and subdued by Youyou.

This victory also boosted the morale of the remaining five.

The third match was Xu Haoyue versus Yi Xuan. Xiao Ai had been practically drooling over Yi Xian for a while now. She watched eagerly as he rose and stepped onto the stage; even his demeanor and movements were so elegant and noble. Xiao Ai looked entranced, clapping and cheering.

"Sis, this Yi Xuan is just too handsome."

Xu Haoyue, who hadn't even left the arena yet, heard Xiao Ai clapping and cheering for his opponent. His face turned green with anger, and he pointed at her, speechless for a long moment. Only after Jing Yuan's gentle persuasion did he finally flick his sleeve and leave.

Xu Haoyue wore a white martial arts uniform. He had delicate features, a slender build, and long legs that stood shoulder-width apart, presenting the very image of a noble young master. Standing opposite Yi Xuan, he wasn't lacking either.

"Brother Haoge is still handsome," Little Wu couldn't help but praise, earning unanimous agreement from the others. Xiao Ai, however, was still conflicted.

"We don't know what abilities that Yi Xian has yet. Pay close attention," Youyou reminded the others who still had matches, urging them to observe carefully.

Soon, their duel began. Xu Haoyue cupped his fists and adopted a defensive stance. Who knew that Yi Xuan would actually pull out a stool from somewhere and sit down.

Then, with a flick of his hand, a brown guqin appeared before him. He plucked the strings lightly twice, producing a very pleasant sound.

The fat guy had always done extensive research on fantasy worlds. Seeing this scene, he immediately sensed trouble.

"Damn, Brother Yuan, doesn't this count as a ranged attack? We're melee fighters; this puts us at a huge disadvantage!"

Jing Yuan also frowned with worry. Everyone held their breath, waiting. Then, they heard a clear *zheng* from the opposite side. A white wave of light curved into an arc and flashed toward Xu Haoyue, its speed catching them completely off guard.

Even though they all knew the magical attacks of this world were useless against them, their hearts still tightened.

Xu Haoyue hadn't planned to face it head-on, but it was too late to dodge now. In his haste, he only had time to turn his back. The wave of light struck his back, but he felt nothing.

With this first experience, Xu Haoyue's confidence soared. He turned back, clenched his fist, and before his opponent could react, took several large leaps, aiming a punch straight at that handsome face.

"No!" Seeing this, Xiao Ai's heart clenched in distress.

However, the fist did not land on Yi Xuan's face as everyone expected. Just as Xu Haoyue leaped toward him, the man dropped to the ground with his guqin, spun around, and dodged cleanly.

Xu Haoyue hit the ground, rolled, and immediately gave chase, but Yi Xuan and his qin dissolved like mist before his eyes.

"Damn." With the previous two rounds in mind, Xu Haoyue feared a sneak attack from behind. He lay flat on his back, checked both sides, and only then dared to roll over and get up.

Yi Xuan materialized again in front of him. This time, instead of playing, he braced his guqin and shoved it straight at Xu Haoyue. The qin's body swelled, its pressure overwhelming.

Xu Haoyue was forced back several steps and had to tumble over and over before he could jump out of the qin's striking range.

With a loud crash, a huge hole was blasted into the ground. Xiao Ai and Youyou, holding each other's hands, both swallowed nervously. They exchanged glances, their eyes full of shock and disbelief.

"Th-this... seems kind of powerful!"

Jing Yuan, worried, stepped onto the platform closest to the arena. Little Wu and the fat guy were also shocked and didn't know how to comfort him.

Xu Haoyue rolled on the ground, his body covered in yellow dust. He spat several times to get the dirt out of his mouth. Before he could brush himself off, Yi Xuan attacked again.

In his haste, he could only roll aside to dodge, then scrambled to his feet in a sorry state. Now Xu Haoyue's expression darkened. This time, he was genuinely angry.

Standing his ground, Xu Haoyue faced the charging Yi Xuan head-on and caught the enormous guqin bare-handed. While Yi Xuan could use magic to enlarge the instrument, the only thing that could truly oppose Xu Haoyue was his own physical strength—after all, none of this world's magic worked on outsiders like them.

Yi Xuan was a frail musician, no match for someone like Xu Haoyue who trained in martial arts year-round. Soon, Xu Haoyue wrestled the guqin away from him. The instrument shrank back to its original size, and he tossed it aside.

Rolling up his sleeves, Xu Haoyue lunged straight at Yi Xuan, all traces of his earlier grace gone. The two tangled—or rather, Xu Haoyue grabbed Yi Xuan by the collar, flashed a sinister grin, and slammed him hard onto the ground.

In an instant, his legs pinned the opponent's back, leaving him completely immobilized.

Even from a distance, one could see Yi Xuan's face ground into the dirt, filthy and miserable. Xiao Ai's heart ached. Leaning over the railing, she shouted, "Brother Hao, go easy! Don't hurt his face!"

Xu Haoyue's anger flared at her words. He couldn't help but drive his elbow hard into Yi Xuan's back. Under the heavy blow, Yi Xuan nearly threw up his breakfast.

Xiao Ai, fuming, grabbed Youyou's sleeve and stomped her foot. "Ah, Youyou, look at him! He's going too far!"

Xu Haoyue had won this round beautifully, which boosted the confidence of those who hadn't fought yet.

The fourth match began quickly. The fat guy was reluctantly shoved into the arena, and his opponent's entrance was truly earth-shaking—every step he took made the ground tremble.

The fat guy's legs went weak the moment he saw him. He half-crouched, scrambled to the wall, and shouted toward Xu Haoyue in despair.

"H-Haozi, how the hell am I supposed to win against this?"

"Hiss—" Xu Haoyue bit his nail and hesitated before replying, "Fatty, how about we just concede?"

Jing Yuan, unhappy, pulled his hand away and yelled directly at the fat guy, "Concede what? Run! Just run for your damn life!"

Xiao Ai, Little Wu, and the others clutched the railing in worry, not even having the heart to cheer. Though they also thought Jing Yuan's demand was harsh, Changwen Martial Arts Hall had a rule since its first match: they could be defeated, but never forfeit without a fight. So there was nothing they could do.

Seeing Jing Yuan say that, the fat guy scrambled to his feet. The burly man opposite him was already less than ten meters away.

"Waaahhh—" The fat guy didn't care about anything else now and started running like crazy. Su Heng, however, remained calm, explaining this Liangzhou A De's abilities to the others.

"Brother A De specializes in body refinement. He's incredibly strong and tough, but his one flaw is his difficulty cultivating magic techniques. He's usually at a disadvantage in regular fights..." Before he could finish, he noticed everyone staring at him in unison.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Su Heng grew flustered under their gaze. Xu Haoyue slapped a big hand on his shoulder. "Young Master Su Heng, why the hell didn't you say so earlier?"

"Yeah, isn't he our perfect counter?" Little Wu and A Xu chimed in together, while Xiao Ai even rolled up his sleeves.

It was Youyou and Jing Yuan who stayed calmer. They pushed the others aside and asked, "Forget that for now. Just tell us, does this A De have any weaknesses?"

Faced with Jing Yuan's question, Su Heng was momentarily speechless. "Well, the fact that he can't cultivate magic is..."

"Pfft—" Xiao Ai spat out—no, not old blood, just spit.

Everyone's attention returned to the arena. The fat guy kept running forward, but his short legs were no match for A De's speed. A De looked at him as if he were an insect to be toyed with. He took leisurely, relaxed strides, quickly closing the distance. With a simple lift of his foot, he could crush his opponent beneath it in the next instant.

"Fatty!" The six from the martial arts hall shouted in worry. Seeing the danger, the fat guy slammed on the brakes and performed a backflip. Clearly, A De hadn't anticipated this evasion. His descending foot couldn't be retracted in time, allowing the fat guy to cleverly dodge it.