Wealth Points -1, Wealth Points -1, Wealth Points -1...
Her crystal-white palm closed and opened again, and Li Fei, as though performing a magic trick, conjured one crimson little flower after another.
At the cost of expending a small amount of Wealth Points, she was honing her 'rapid equipment-purchasing technique.'
Only after her Wealth Points had dropped by 7 did Li Fei stop, quite satisfied with the speed — so long as she memorized in advance what she meant to buy, and had ample Wealth Points, then however fast her thoughts ran, that was how fast the purchasing went; at the very least, at her thinking speed she couldn't feel the slightest delay. And it could be delivered straight into her hand, unlike certain logistics companies that dump all their parcels at the courier station and wait for customers to come fetch them themselves.
Stare——
Miss Poker-Face watched Li Fei's hand without blinking, like a cat fixated on a ball of yarn.
It wasn't that she'd never seen street performers do similar 'magic tricks,' but with a Transcendent's keen eyesight, no matter how consummate the performer's skill, Grace could always catch the fleeting flaw.
Yet at this moment, observing Li Fei's simple, casual movements up close, she couldn't for the life of her figure out where these flowers were popping out from.
Snap!
Lilith was far more direct — she grabbed Li Fei's wrist outright, flipped open the cuff, looked left and looked right, then revealed an utterly baffled expression.
No magic-power fluctuation, no spatial equipment, no mechanism of any kind…
How was she doing it?
Li Fei smiled breezily, plucked up a flower in each of her left and right hands, and held them out before the two of them:
"Want to learn? I'll teach you."
"Don't go giving me weird stuff!"
Lilith said, flushing with annoyance.
Even the cheapest thing in the System Panel cost 1 gold coin, and Li Fei had picked, from among the motley assortment of cheap goods, something that was at least a little useful.
[Oriole's Cry]
[Description: Also known as Infant's Cry. When swallowed, it aids arousal, increases the conception rate of cuddling, and assists in childbirth.]
This thing was much like Serpent-woman scales — in Loxibrook it was also a household-name bestseller; there was even a custom here where any wife-and-wife couple of reasonably good means, on the morning of their wedding day, would, before a hall full of relatives and friends, drink in a crossed-arm pose a bowl of sweet broth sprinkled with Oriole's Cry petals.
Having flipped through Lady Annie's wedding album, Li Fei knew full well that this thing really worked — otherwise her own stepdaughter might have been born a while later, hehe.
"I just think they're pretty."
Li Fei shrugged innocently, and casually tossed the Oriole's Cry she'd been handing to Lilith onto the bench: "If you don't want it, never mind."
"Are you really sure you want to switch tactics?"
Lilith glanced sidelong at that flower, then suddenly asked.
"Mm."
Li Fei nodded earnestly: "I had a flash of insight yesterday; my cultivation rose another level, so there are a few more tactics I can choose from."
As the spiritual pillar of the team, although Li Fei always talked tough and had never once shown weakness, bringing her teammates ample confidence, after witnessing Kova's and Alex's strength with her own eyes, Li Fei had actually been under quite a lot of pressure this whole time.
Those two from the War Academy were too strong — at the low Sequences they were nearly invincible. Originally, Li Fei had racked her brains and only managed to come up with a single tactic:
Sacrifice her teammates to buy time, let herself bottle up one blast of Dragon's Strength, and then bull through by brute force.
Of course, this tactic had a major drawback.
For instance, if the opponent's rush were resolute enough — willing to pay a certain price, even take combat losses, to take Li Fei down first — then Grace simply couldn't hold them off.
Used for the first time, it might catch the opponent off guard; but if used a second time, that was hard to say.
Not only that, the cost of this tactic was very high as well.
Practice had proven that the Silence Earrings were the finest Crescent Moon-grade equipment Li Fei had ever used, bar none — their effect of masking mana fluctuations could be called a divine artifact in actual combat. Yet in the end they were merely Crescent Moon-grade.
Although back in Viranean the Silence Earrings had helped Li Fei slip past that mid-Sequence spearman, successfully unleash Dragon's Strength and open the teamfight first; in the recent training camp the Silence Earrings had failed time and again — not just before high-Sequence beings, but even an outstanding mid-Sequence mage-girl like Melodia could see through the silence effect, causing Li Fei's Fireball ambush to fail — thankfully she hadn't activated Dragon's Strength, or the consequences would have been hard to predict.
If a Sequence 8 mage-girl unleashed an eighth-tier spell, the moment it got leaked out, the grandmasters of the entire continent would likely move at the news, stirring up monstrous waves; she rather doubted that even if she hid herself away in the White Manor, Tingbao would necessarily be able to hold up against it.
This meant that Li Fei would have to buy more expensive items to mask her power-output fluctuations.
[Innate Talent Specialty Trial Card — Stillness]
[Description: Using the trial card, your next round of spellcasting can carry the corresponding Innate Talent Specialty effect.]
[Stillness: Completely eliminates the mana fluctuation during spellcasting; casting speed -30%.]
[Price: 10,000]
All in all, the original battle plan was high-cost and high-risk. Li Fei had been forcing herself to keep her spirits up these past days, and was honestly a little mentally worn out; and it was precisely for this reason that, after the charity Gambling King generously opened his purse and shouldered a large portion of that pressure, Li Fei had been so excited last night.
"Alright, it's about time."
Having finished laying out the tactics, Li Fei swept one last glance over the System Panel, firmly memorizing the several items she planned to use shortly, then threw on her mage robe and pushed open the door out of the lounge.
She seemed not to notice Lilith's gaze, which kept sneaking peeks at that little red flower on the bench.
The finals were about to begin, and the spectator stands were livelier than the previous two days. Not only did the upper-year students of the two great academies — War and Magic — come of their own accord to watch, but the figures of many teachers also appeared within the teeming, head-to-head ring-shaped stands.
"Please."
On the topmost tier of the stands, Nicole lightly stroked the braid at her shoulder, and four cups of black tea floated up, their fragrance brimming over.
To her right still sat Melodia, but between her and Chloe was an interposing, tall and imposing figure.
It was a bald, muscle-knotted giant of a man, his bronze skin looking as though cast from molten steel; from the contours of his muscles alone one could feel an explosive sense of power.
His build was even taller than an angel's; merely sitting there, he was like an iron tower blotting out the sun. His carrot-thick thumb and forefinger pinched up a cup handle that an ordinary person would lift with one whole hand, tipped back his neck and downed the black tea in a sip, then closed his eyes in a savoring pose:
"Marvelous..."
The teachers and students in the distance glanced back from time to time, secretly sizing up this fierce-yet-dopey-looking burly man.
"Never thought our Dean, His Excellency Barrett, would come too…"
The War Academy students were muttering under their breath.
"Well, his own son is fighting in the finals, after all…"
"Speaking of which, I've always had a doubt — in a one-on-one between His Excellency Nicole and His Excellency Barrett, who'd win?"
"That'd of course be..."
"Shut your pig-mouths! Discussing this — you tired of living? Watch the match, watch the match."
The students' words obviously couldn't be hidden from these few people, and the bald Dean Barrett shifted his body uncomfortably.
Anywhere else, he could reign supreme and dominate ten thousand li of mountains and rivers — but he couldn't help that this was Loxibrook, one of the most flourishing cities of the Nature camp, its importance no less than that of the Dwarven Imperial Court within the Order camp; the density of high-Sequence powerhouses here was far beyond what ordinary cities could reach, and it was extremely female-dominated, with the women flourishing and the men withering.
When he'd first come over from the Main Academy, he hadn't believed in such jinxes, and had once taken the initiative to challenge Nicole to a friendly bout… The result? Afterward, the moment Nicole revealed that kindly smile of hers, Barrett would feel as if thorns were pricking his back, unable to sit or stand at ease.
The Vice-Dean Chloe beside her bore this out as well. Although the angel young lady was not yet his match, he couldn't help that her elder sister had succeeded in a coup within the angel race, crowning herself the new monarch while the old king was not yet dead — and had a real shot at storming one of the Seven Supremacies' seats, a point the she-devil of the White Manor had surely settled too.
All of them people one couldn't afford to provoke.
Barrett gave an awkward laugh and took the initiative to strike up conversation:
"Which team does His Excellency Nicole favor to win? Alex, or Kova?"
"The answer revealed at the very last moment is the one that delights people, isn't it?"
Nicole gave no answer, yet her gaze swept past Li Fei, who was idly blowing a red little flower toward the stands, drawing cheers and scrambling from the front-row girls.
"Morning."
Li Fei greeted her six opponents generously and gracefully, her smile clearer and brighter than the sunshine.
"Peerless in elegance and beauty."
An aged voice murmured in Klein's heart, speaking the unspoken thought of everyone present.
The courteous greetings finished, the three teams — each cherishing a champion's dream — stood quietly together, awaiting the drawing of lots.
Before long, thick characters formed of light appeared in the center of the arena.
Match One: Li Fei, Grace, Lilith VS Kova, Klein, Emma. Arena: Bloomington Street.
Match Two: Li Fei, Grace, Lilith VS Alex, Daniel, Zach. Arena: Rainy Night.
Match Three: Alex, Daniel, Zach VS Kova, Klein, Emma. Arena: Snowfield.
The moment the result came out, an uproar swept the spectator stands, the clamor rising and falling one after another.
"It's over, it's over, the mage-girl team is totally done for."
"Why?"
"Those three teams are all holding a few trump cards more or less; whoever goes first will definitely expose their real strength, and whoever goes last can take that chance to study counter-tactics. When the strength gap isn't large, intelligence can bring at least a ten-percent win rate."
"So you're saying we can just go ahead and congratulate the Cleaver Squad on their victory…"
Pop.
Lannister once again popped open the champagne, raising a cup to the empty air, as if smilingly thanking Inspector Kaname Madoka for the eleven thousand two hundred gold coins she'd sent over.
Facing this result, the nine vigorous young people displayed slightly differing attitudes.
——Thank you so much. (Houlixie.)
The smile on Li Fei's face stayed undiminished as she nodded a greeting to Klein and the other two she was about to fight, yet inwardly a piece of fine American 'national essence' popped up.
She put her hands behind her back, made gestures to her teammates indicating the tactical choices for the two matches, then turned her gaze to the arena, awaiting the moment battle began.
Klein and his assassin-girl teammate Emma, for their part, sighed without bothering to hide it.
In their view, the most ideal order of appearance would of course be for the Three Mage-Girls Squad and the Cleaver Squad to fight the opening match of the finals, so they could get a clear read on the intelligence; then they'd go straight up against the Cleaver Squad, deploy their core tactics against them, and do their utmost to chase the championship.
Only Alex, from start to finish, basked in the sunlight, his smile never wavering for a moment, as though victory were already his for the taking.
A few minutes later, Li Fei found herself within 'Bloomington Street,' and took a look around at the surrounding environment.
It was a long, narrow alley, only six or seven meters wide, its end out of sight; the buildings on either side were of uneven height too, some single-story shops, some three-story wooden houses, full of the breath of daily life — only, the alley was utterly empty of people.
"A bit of a hindrance…"
Li Fei narrowed her eyes, murmuring to herself.
If there were people on the walkway, then Li Fei could, by virtue of her flexibility on the Morality Value front, gain an enormous advantage in this kind of environment, easily defeating opponents who didn't want to harm the innocent and so fought with their hands tied — the only drawback being that silencing witnesses afterward was a bit of a hassle.
Pity, there was no one on the street.
And the densely packed buildings on both sides would, to some degree, hinder Li Fei's tactics, making it hard to skirt around Kova and cut to the backline.
Li Fei exhaled a breath of turbid air, her gaze settling into calm.
All she could do now was fight with her back to the river.
As the point of light burst apart, Li Fei abruptly turned into a blurred shadow, sprinting toward the front-right. Treading the Cloud Dragon Fold footwork, her form seemed wrapped in cloud and mist, even gravity erased, effortlessly scaling the right-hand building, racing along eaves and walls all the way, closing in on her opponents of her own initiative.
Planning to cut to the backline?
Kova twisted up the corner of her mouth, a thread of wildness in her smile. As the battle-qi vortex roared within her body, she charged straight at Grace like a leopardess, her unruly short hair whipping wildly with her swift, fierce movements.
I cut faster than you do!
In short, powerful strides, she effortlessly sprinted up to Grace's face, and with the strong momentum gave her ankle a twist.
Whoosh—
As her muscles exerted their force, Kova's clothing was stretched out into the contours of firm, tightly packed abs, while one leg swept out horizontally, the pitch-black tall boot like a battle-axe, smashing viciously toward Grace, the wind-rending sound enough to make one shudder.
"Thought Acceleration."
Two-thirds of the blue patterns on Grace's combat suit lit up, running in orderly fashion.
Facing Kova's onslaught, the slender body wrapped in combat power displayed unbelievable agility and suppleness; her waist folded backward, dodging this strike by a hair's breadth, the brimming blue light in her eyes trailing afterimages through the air.
What she had to do was buy time for Li Fei.
At the other end of the alley, Klein's tentacles also danced wildly with dazzling speed.
Li Fei noticed that his tentacles had turned a pale green hue, like plant vines, looking tougher and exuding vibrant vitality; not only that, because her movement route had delayed things somewhat, Klein had completed his first round of casting — a layer of firelight wreathed the surface of the vines, like a branding iron heated red-hot, radiating high heat.
"Bulbasaur, is it?"
Li Fei sank her center of gravity, and without the slightest hesitation stomped a shop signboard to pieces, using the recoil to fling herself into the sky-filling whip-shadows.
Crackle-crackle-snap…
The long whips fell upon her, an onslaught like fierce wind and sudden rain landing on Li Fei's body, the force concentrated and heavy, carrying a scorching pain as well.
This did not make Li Fei flinch. She merely lowered her head, using her peripheral vision to firmly lock onto Klein, swung Flowing Silver, and slashed apart the vines trying to lash at her vital points, blood spraying out in gout after gout.
Klein seemed unable to feel the pain of his tentacles being severed; he did his utmost to block Li Fei's advance while retreating step by step, maintaining the distance between them.
Squelch….
Like a cleaver chopping through hemp rope, another tentacle was slashed apart, blood spattering down at his feet.
Not good!
Klein's heart clenched, and without hesitation he stomped both feet against the ground, trying to get away from that pool of blood — but after taking so many blows, how could Li Fei let slip such a fine opportunity?
Without the slightest hesitation she activated Flowing Silver, the silver streak of light piercing through the airtight whip-shadows, drawing right up close to Klein.
"See ya."
Li Fei flashed a radiant smile, yet her hand showed not the slightest regard for their classmate camaraderie — the red blade went in, the white blade came out.
At the instant the blade-edge pierced his abdomen, Klein glanced at Grace, lying in a pool of blood in the distance, and at Lilith, who'd been kicked over ten meters away, her light shield covered in cracks.
And at Emma, who had stealthed behind Li Fei, dagger raised.
He returned a smile, his right hand hidden behind his back at last leaving that [Touch of Weakness] scroll; using both hands, he firmly gripped Li Fei's wrist, while at the same time tentacles closed in from all directions, striking straight at the vital points all over her body.
Just as Li Fei was bottling up Dragon's Strength, Klein knew full well too that any tactic was most effective the first time it was used.
If he could, he didn't want to expose the intelligence that he'd mastered [Foundational Death Magic] before fighting Alex, but he'd also made a decisive judgment based on the battle situation.
With the other side about to lose two members, Klein, who knew his teammates' strength well, intended to go down fighting and take the enemy with him — at worst he could trade his life for a wound. He didn't believe a wounded Li Fei could take on two at once and defeat Emma and Kova by her own strength alone…
Boom!
The battle-qi vortex that had abruptly surged to sixty rotations per second let out a roar, and mighty battle-qi burst out through her body. The astonishing turn of events made Klein's face show a look of stupefaction.
——Little bro, you think I'd dare trade pieces with you guys for no reason?
Li Fei unleashed the strength she'd been painstakingly hiding, deep-red flames surging up fiercely, scorching all things, evaporating even the moisture in the air, and then more sweat oozed from the faces of Emma and Klein.
Amid a short "squelch," Li Fei twisted her wrist, churning Klein's guts to pulp, then drew the blade out; an even swifter, fiercer deep-red blade-glow churned apart the layered whip-shadows, and the assassin's attack was dodged by Li Fei twisting her body away from the vital point — it failed to stab into her heart from behind, just left her kidney area a little sore.
Bang!
Having dealt with Klein, Li Fei abruptly spun, a whip-kick lashing out viciously.
Emma guarded both arms before her chest, the consequence being a teeth-grating crack of breaking arm-bones — which counted as avenging her teammates lying unconscious on the ground.
"I'm quick, just bear with it a moment."
Li Fei comforted her gently, then drove out another kick, [Heartshatter] striking straight at the chest; the assassin young lady exited the stage amid a wretched scream. Behind her, Klein too clutched the great bloody crater punched through his abdomen, slowly toppling into a pool of blood.
In the mere few dozen seconds since the opening, four people on the field had already been eliminated, and none of them went out very peacefully.
The gazes of the remaining two women collided across the long street, bursting forth with scorching fire, neither concealing her battle intent in the slightest.
"Let's have a hand-to-hand brawl between women."
Li Fei lightly swung her arm, the blood on Flowing Silver flung off, splashing out across the ground in a semicircular arc extending outward.
"Come!"
The arc at the corner of Kova's mouth widened, and her two fists slammed together heavily before her chest, as if metal weapons were clashing, clanging and ringing.
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