"Good, very good indeed…"
A cold chill flashed across Gu Zhujian's face. He stared coldly at Lu Cheng, who was walking onto the stage with a leisurely gait, and Bei Bei, who was following behind with wobbly legs but still forcing himself to stand, and let out an angry snort.
Facing a battle team of their level, he actually dared to come alone… Bei Bei was considered a freebie in their eyes; after all, his combat power had been displayed on the field, just a slightly stronger soul ancestor.
"Lu Cheng, the referee hasn't announced the start yet; there is still time to complete your roster," Gu Zhujian said coldly.
"No need," Lu Cheng shook his head with a smile.
"Fine."
Gu Zhujian nodded, his face already completely darkened. Without waiting for the referee to announce, he led the entire Douling Battle Team to one side of the arena.
"Captain, he…" One of the team's three cores, the control system Xiaofeng, frowned and said.
"Do your best; do not hold back at all." With his back to Lu Cheng, Gu Zhujian strode forward, the anger on his face quietly receding, replaced by a sense of gravity.
Everyone knew how much those madmen from Shrek Academy valued this match.
They were simply a group of fanatics. In every tournament, the number of people crippled, killed, or having limbs broken by Shrek was never small. Moreover, these guys were ruthless to others and even more ruthless to themselves, which even they found breathtaking.
Therefore, sending this guy up meant there must be Shrek's confidence behind it.
In other words, at least in the eyes of everyone at Shrek Academy, Lu Cheng was almost certain to win this match. Knowing the strength of their Douling Battle Team and still daring to make such a judgment, this guy…was probably far more terrifying than they imagined.
He still had extremely strong hidden cards that had not been revealed.
"Get that Bei Bei off the stage first."
Gu Zhujian said softly, "As for this guy, we will target him afterward…"
"Five soul kings fighting one soul king, even if that guy is a monster, our win rate is extremely high."
"Yes."
Beside him, a tall and burly young man, Qian Yuan, nodded slightly. Although he was taciturn, he was obedient to Captain Gu Zhujian.
The rest of the team members all had grim expressions.
"You…"
Bei Bei looked at Lu Cheng's leisurely back, then glanced at the group of burly men opposite him. His eyelids twitched wildly. He wanted to soften his stance and ask Lu Cheng for help, but thinking of Elder Mu's entrustment and Yan Shaozhe's recent efforts, he gritted his teeth. At worst, he would just hang on; every minute he could drag out counted. This kid must have the confidence to sweep the opponent; as long as he could hold out to the end, it would be a victory!
Thinking of this, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Match…start!"
But the moment the referee shouted that the match had started, Bei Bei suddenly realized something was wrong.
Because out of the seven people on the opposite side, at least three rushed directly toward him.
And even worse, Lu Cheng flashed away, not paying attention to him at all. He held a crimson Fire Bow, and although he was an archer, he rushed straight forward to tangle with the Soul King powerhouses like Gu Zhujian in the distance.
"No, I…"
Bei Bei's pupils trembled. Before he could finish speaking, he was instantly attacked at close range by the only agility-attack system Soul King in the Douling Battle Team, Han Ling'er. The other attack system powerhouse of the opponent, also one of the three cores, was the Soul King Qian Yuan, whose martial soul was a Terrorclaw Bear.
The latter slammed a punch into Bei Bei's mouth with a boom.
Teeth shattered, blood splattered, and his entire face instantly caved in.
Immediately after, another heavy punch hit his abdomen, followed by a series of heavy punches. The agility-attack system Han Ling'er also added damage. Clearly, the entire Douling Battle Team had anger toward Shrek, and it was extremely deep. But to take it slow, Lu Cheng was a tough nut to crack, so they would first vent and release it on Bei Bei.
Poor Bei Bei was beaten until he was unrecognizable, yet no one came to support him.
And even if Yan Shaozhe was anxious and angry, he dared not call for a stop or concede.
After all, if he really called for a stop, Shrek Academy would really stop at the top sixteen.
But the match also had a death quota.
In other words, even if the Douling Battle Team beat Bei Bei to death, it would be reasonable and compliant, since Yan Shaozhe was unwilling to surrender.
"Save him! Save him!!!"
Yan Shaozhe roared from under the stage.
The only one who could save Bei Bei now was Lu Cheng.
No one else could interfere.
Lu Cheng glanced at him, showing a smile, but ignored Bei Bei, who was being beaten like a sandbag, and instead continued to walk leisurely, fighting with Gu Zhujian and the others.
"Do you concede?!!"
Qian Yuan held Bei Bei by the neck and roared in his ear.
The latter was bruised and swollen, curled up like a shrimp because of the severe pain in his abdomen. He wanted to speak, but his whole body was in pain, and his mouth was full of blood; half of his teeth had been knocked out.
Actually, he had conceded after the first punch, but unfortunately, it hit his mouth. These guys were just too ruthless, like they were hacking away at a sworn enemy.
"Forget it, Qian Yuan." The agility-attack system soul master to the side frowned slightly, glancing at Yan Shaozhe, who was already red with fury under the stage, and then at Lu Cheng, who was calm in front, fighting with Gu Zhujian.
"Why do I suspect we are being used as a knife to kill someone?"
Qian Yuan snorted angrily: "It doesn't matter. These Shrek guys are all arrogant. Let him taste the might of my Douling Battle Team. Remember, lower your head and behave next time you see me!"
He patted the other's swollen face, lifted him by the neck, and threw him straight down. In the distance, Teacher Wang Yan and the others hurriedly and clumsily caught him and carried him away on a stretcher.
The audience under the stage had strange expressions, not knowing what this meant.
The atmosphere in the Shrek rest area was terrifyingly weird. Yan Shaozhe stared coldly at Lu Cheng on the stage without saying a word.
But at this moment, the center of the field was a bit strange.
"Mystery Orb!" Xiaofeng shouted softly, condensing a purple orb in his palm. Thick purple mist surged from it, shrouding half of the arena. At the same time, his eyes emitted purple light, and a pitch-black soul ring rose from under his feet, trying his best to cast a mental control skill, throwing it all at Lu Cheng.
But after only a few seconds, Lu Cheng's expression remained calm.
But Xiaofeng let out a "wah" and suddenly knelt on the ground, blood gushing from his mouth and nose, black and purple.
For a moment, his eyes were a bit dazed.
"What a terrifying mental force…"
"Protect Xiaofeng, retreat! Form up!" Gu Zhujian didn't waste any words, leading the team to converge in the direction of Qian Yuan, leaving Lu Cheng's surroundings empty.
And at this moment, the positions of both sides were swapped.
"Form up!"
Gu Zhujian's face was slightly stern.
The next moment, a Soul King, a Soul Ancestor, and two defense system soul masters, one earth-type, cut half of the arena completely from the center. A huge ruler, like a giant shield, lay in the center of the arena, and the support system Soul Ancestor, Tang Niuniu, also transformed into a raccoon, boosting Gu Zhujian and the others who were at the core of the team.
Lu Cheng held a crimson arrow, pulling the bowstring to the full.
Three crimson arrows shot out, like three golden crows, hitting the huge ruler directly.
Boom!!!
The explosions were continuous.
At the same time, the fifth Soul Skill, Vajra Barrier, cast by Chi Hengyu, instantly collapsed. The barrier that had looked solid before was now covered with cracks.
"Pfft…"
Chi Hengyu spat blood from his mouth: "Captain, I can't hold on much longer!"
"All right."
Gu Zhujian was not anxious. He held a metal disc-like object and inserted it into a giant light blue cannon that the group had just assembled together. The latter instantly lit up, as if the last piece of the map had been completed.
"Level 7 spirit tool, Thunder Giant Cannon!!"
Gu Zhujian raised the corner of his mouth in a smile.
Even if they encountered a Soul Saint-level powerhouse, they could fight it with this Thunder Giant Cannon. What could you use to win?
Their Douling Battle Team definitely had their own hidden cards.
Although this Thunder Giant Cannon was quite a bit behind the genuine one from Mingde Hall, at least…it was assembled, and the power was not much different from the genuine one.
"Thunder Giant Cannon, these guys actually…" Xiao Hongchen was dumbfounded.
"Hehe, quite innovative." Ma Rulong crossed his arms over his chest and said with a smile.
"Mingde Hall's technology is leaking seriously. Those guys are simply a bunch of madmen for gold coins. If more time passes, will the core formation of the most core spirit tool mecha also be leaked?" Elder Ma narrowed his eyes and thought to himself.
As the chief of Mingde Hall, after returning from this trip, he must clarify this with the hall master.
If it continues like this, Mingde Hall will be eaten clean by those borers.
"A level 7 spirit tool, how will that guy deal with it?"
Lin Yu clicked his tongue.
Meng Hongchen had silver-white hair draped over her shoulders; her beautiful eyes were full of worry, and her palms were clenched unconsciously. A level 7 spirit tool cannon could really kill people…
"Thunder Giant Cannon?"
The Sun-Shooting Bow in Lu Cheng's hand slowly dissipated, but his eyes remained calm.
Obviously, he had long known what medicine these guys were selling in their gourds, but since he didn't intend to play in the finals, he didn't want to hide his strength anymore, so…
"Snow Empress."
Lu Cheng called out secretly in his heart.
"I am here…" A gentle female voice sounded from the spiritual ocean, turning into a phantom, condensing behind Lu Cheng. The slightly tall figure slowly leaned over to hug Lu Cheng, and the fair, jade-like palms gently held Lu Cheng's hand.
"Emperor Sword!"
Following the shout mixed by a man and a woman.
A crystal-clear, translucent longsword, as if forged from frost, slowly condensed in his hand. At the same time, the world changed color. The originally clear sky suddenly began to snow, and a terrifying aura gradually awakened from Lu Cheng's body.
"This is…a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast?!"
On the city wall, Emperor Xu Jiawei stood up abruptly, his pupils trembling, and he exclaimed in shock.
General Dai Hao beside him was equally stunned, his face grim, but he didn't speak, because in his eyes as a Titled Douluo, this guy was indeed no different from a spirit beast with hundreds of thousands of years of cultivation.
"Fire!"
While Gu Zhujian was shocked, the arrow was on the string and had to be fired. If they were cowardly and retreated, they would have to hand this match over to Shrek Academy.
Although at this moment, he understood where Shrek Academy's confidence lay…they had truly cultivated a peerless monster…but now…the Douling Battle Team had to win.
Boom!
Thunder circled on the Thunder Giant Cannon like a small dragon, making a crackling sound, and then condensed into a thunder beam, blasting toward Lu Cheng's position. In an instant, the world seemed to have its color stolen.
But at the same time, Lu Cheng, under the "hand-in-hand" teaching of the Snow Empress, slashed down with the Emperor Sword in his hand.
A blood-colored soul ring flickered faintly.
Then the Emperor Sword also slashed out completely.
Ultimate Ice collided with the power of thunder, but it only lasted for a few seconds. The Emperor Sword qi, carrying heavy killing intent, slashed open the thunder beam, splitting it in two, and slashed toward Gu Zhujian and the others with a boom.
"We surrender!!!" Gu Zhujian didn't hesitate and spoke decisively.
The referee was obviously a step slow and was also stunned by this scene. But another figure slowly emerged, and the might of a titled Douluo dissipated. Two tiger claws closed, forcibly catching this sword qi. After the latter gradually dissipated, General Dai Hao looked at the young figure off the stage with complicated eyes.
Then he announced the long-awaited result.
"Lu Cheng…wins."
"Oh oh oh oh!!!"
"Lu Cheng!"
"Lu Cheng!"
Countless people were shouting Lu Cheng's name. In such an arena, a place where competition is king, extreme individualism is as popular as team battle and even more enthusiastic.
When Lu Cheng defeated an entire Douling Battle Team by himself, it pushed this emotion to a climax.
"What a monster…"
Xiao Hongchen's face was complicated: "Shrek Academy is really full of monsters. If they are allowed to hold on to the top four, those main team members should be coming out. At that time, the powerhouses at the Soul Saint realm, we…"
"Do your best and leave the rest to fate." Elder Ma patted the young man's shoulder.
"We lose to Shrek every tournament. It's fine to do our best this time. Even if we lose, don't mind it. After all, you have seen it; what you have to face are such monsters."
"Lu Cheng!"
"Lu Cheng!"
Just as several people had bitter expressions and the atmosphere was silent, a young girl's cheering voice sounded, which was quite inconsistent with the atmosphere.
Xiao Hongchen looked at the source of the sound, and the corner of his mouth twitched: "Sister, whose side are you on?"
"Ahem, just kidding." Meng Hongchen finally noticed the weird atmosphere in the team and put away the banner she had prepared early with some embarrassment.
Xiao Hongchen covered his face.
"Congratulations, Lu Cheng, you won."
Yan Shaozhe's eyes held both surprise and fear, as well as a bit of hidden viciousness.
Lu Cheng let Bei Bei be attacked by the opponent on the stage without any intention of intervening, resulting in Bei Bei being crippled and severely injured, returning to the hotel to recuperate, and at least unable to participate in the subsequent matches. This had completely angered him.
This kid…was too dangerous and extremely uncontrollable.
In the future, Bei Bei would definitely be played by him in the palm of his hand. After returning to the academy, he must report to Elder Mu to contain this kid.
And based on his hidden strength, this kid also concealed things from Shrek Academy, obviously not trusting Shrek Academy.
This was quite serious, meaning Shrek Academy's consistent PUA method didn't work.
If that elder disagrees… He would have to think of other ways.
Notes:
Bonus for Cumulative Milestone (400 PS)
(1/2)