Ma Xuan’s mind whirred at lightning speed, and he quickly ca to a decision.
"Very well. Let’s use this chance to smash Zhang Yu and knock him out of the match."
He imdiately gave the order in the tournant group chat: "Go! Use the strategy we discussed earlier—force him to withdraw!"
After the first half of the match, Ma Xuan and his team had thoroughly reviewed their combat experience, especially the insights gained from fighting Zhang Yu, and developed a new strategy.
In his mind, thoughts surged like lightning.
"Compared to his first training half a year ago, Zhang Yu’s progress has been astronomical."
"Whether it’s his physical strength, mana capacity, combat technique, or the level of his Nine Heavens Cloudstride Force… all of it has surpassed his previous limits."
"The earlier tactics—blasting him from afar or suppressing him one-on-one—have proven completely ineffective."
"Especially that Level 20 Nine Heavens Cloudstride Force, which lets him redirect up to twenty attacks..."
Having fought him once already, Ma Xuan now regarded Zhang Yu as a genuine threat.
So, his strategy was twofold: first, reduce the power of each strike while increasing the number of attacks.
"No heavy blows. Just a barrage of rapid-fire strikes within a short tifra."
"This way, even if he counters with force redirection, the individual attacks are weak, minimizing risk."
"And a relentless, downpour-like assault will wear him down quickly."
"Second, long-range attacks are best—they reduce the chance of a counterstrike."
To execute this plan, Ma Xuan and the others had already placed delivery orders during the halfti break, either upgrading or adding to their equipnt.
"And the attack dium is crucial too."
He opened his mouth and spewed a torrent of silvery grains that drenched the earth beneath him.
It was Silver Sand—sothing he’d ordered during the break.
Once mixed with soil and mud, Silver Sand significantly increased their density and resilience. When paired with his Small Threefold Harmony and Ground-Hardening techniques, it massively amplified his ability to pierce through Zhang Yu’s Formless Cloud Qi.
The effect was potent, but so was the price.
Originally, Ma Xuan hadn’t intended to use such expensive resources in a match against Shi Huaiyu’s team.
He silently muttered, "Wonder how much I can recover after this is over."
At the sa ti, he activated the recording function in his ocular Law Husk, planning to retrieve the Silver Sand after the match.
As the sand poured in, the earth beneath him began to shimr with silver, spreading rapidly from where he stood.
Then, with a surge of mana, silver arms erupted from the ground.
Small Threefold Harmony shaped the soil; Ground-Hardening added strength; and the Silver Sand boosted toughness even further.
These arms, now dense and tallic, stretched and split like tree branches—then ca down hard toward Zhang Yu.
With roaring bursts of air, each strike landed like a siege hamr.
At first, there were only a dozen or so arms. But their numbers quickly surged—dozens, then over a hundred—fists, palms, fingers, all raining down like a storm.
This was Ma Xuan’s Level 20 Technique, Formless Thousand Hands, powered by Ground-Hardening, Small Threefold Harmony, and the Silver Sand.
Faced with the onslaught, Zhang Yu let out a low shout and summoned his Formless Cloud Qi to defend.
Amid the explosive sounds, his protective aura surged and rippled like stormy seas.
Feeling the unending barrage, Zhang Yu thought grimly, "So they’ve finally figured out a counter to Nine Heavens Cloudstride Force?"
Just as Ma Xuan attacked, the other three joined in.
Yang Yan had used the break to rent a new heart Law Husk and a new pair of hand Law Husks.
As the heart Law Husk thumped violently, mana poured in and transford into surging electric charges that raced through his bloodstream.
He tapped his fingers, channeling the current through his hand Law Husk, which perford electromagnetic acceleration, launching his Level 20 Technique—Blood-Bursting Finger Shot.
In an instant, crackling blood shadows shot forth, raining down on Zhang Yu like lightning-laced petals.
Each Blood Bolt drained mana, but thanks to the rental Law Husks enhancing and accelerating them, the attack hit hard and fast.
But since these Law Husks were rented, they were billed per Blood Bolt—0.02 spirit coins each.
Watching the bill tally rise in his ocular feed, Yang Yan’s fighting spirit surged. He roared in his heart, "Zhang Yu! Just lose already, damn it!"
The stronger his emotions, the more violently his heart Law Husk pulsed, and the faster the costs mounted—feeding into his battle fervor.
This, after all, was how Yang Yan had always fought—through leasing.
It flaunted his wealth while turning his rising expenses into fuel for his fighting spirit.
The faster and more efficiently he operated his rented Law Husks, the more he could stretch his spirit coin—and what was that, if not profit?
Each ti he thought of this, his battle intent surged, his heart Technique spun faster, his strength swelled, and his mind sharpened…
…
anwhile, Ji Susu had also joined the fray.
To counter Zhang Yu more effectively, she had no choice but to switch up her tactics.
But as a fourth-year student, Ji Susu had already spent her savings over the last month prepping for this match.
Watching Ma Xuan and Yang Yan casually placing lavish equipnt orders, she gritted her teeth and took out a spirit coin loan, renting a new pair of hand Law Husks to replace her old ones.
These were the Void Roar Blades. Once infused with mana, they compressed ambient air into explosive pressure bolts.
She wrapped each air bomb with her fiery Martial Qi, then launched them as detonating fla blades.
But because the Law Husks were temporary rentals—and she’d declared tournant use—they were rejected for insurance, and the rent was steep.
Since the match began, Ji Susu had been obsessively watching the Husk’s auto-check display for durability.
From 95% at the start, it had dropped to 94%.
Durability was an aggregate estimate based on wear to each component.
Once it dropped below 20%, major malfunctions beca likely. Below 10%, they stopped functioning entirely. At 0%—scrapped.
And Ji Susu knew: with this Void Roar Blade, each 10% loss in durability ca with a steep increase in maintenance fees.
She made up her mind. "I have to finish this before durability hits 85%."
Now, she activated her mana and poured her Level 15 Red Fla Martial Qi into the Husk, launching a series of explosive fla blades at Zhang Yu.
With crackling bursts, Zhang Yu’s summoned Formless Golems surged forward to intercept, detonating in fiery collisions.
As heat waves and gales tore through the battlefield, Bu Ziran finally released the sword energy he’d been holding back.
During the break, he’d brooded over the beatdown he’d taken in the first half—and it gnawed at him.
So, he made so key changes: swapping his usual Lungtal Sword Aura for Oxhair Sword Aura and equipping a high-speed sword Law Husk called Swiftblade.
But because Swiftblade was a backup Husk he rarely used, it had barely been maintained. Self-diagnostics showed only 33% durability remaining.
Bu Ziran frowned. "No matter. It shouldn’t take too much wear this round. I’ll fix it after."
Now, he channeled the Oxhair Sword Aura from his lung Law Husk into his right hand’s Swiftblade, unleashing the Level 15 Technique—Heaven-Falling Sword.
Golden sword light poured forth like a river from the sky, interwoven with gleaming threads, all crashing down upon Zhang Yu.
In this mont, Zhang Yu faced his greatest crisis of the match.
Ma Xuan’s Formless Thousand Hands, Yang Yan’s Blood-Bursting Finger Shot, Ji Susu’s Fla Burst Blade, and Bu Ziran’s Heaven-Falling Sword… all had been amplified with materials, Law Husks, and Techniques—each pushing their power far beyond their base versions.
Worse yet, Zhang Yu’s Nine Heavens Cloudstride Force, so effective against singular heavy strikes, now faltered against this sheer volu.
His Formless Cloud Qi shook under the relentless bombardnt. One after another, sword aura, fla, blood bolts, and silver palms pierced through his defenses and slamd into him.
In seconds, his body was covered with dozens of wounds, blood soaking through.
"If only I had Xiao Qingxuan’s Nine-Dragon Heavenforce Palm right now..."
But he knew—even though his Nine Heavens Cloudstride Force could redirect attacks, the borrowed force could only be briefly stored in his apertures. And right now, he had none of that palm Technique stored.
Still, Zhang Yu remained calm, his Three-Eyed Divine Sight scanning the battlefield.
He thought, "I can’t just keep taking hits. I need a breakthrough."
"Haah!"
With a roar, his Formless Cloud Qi suddenly surged outward, flooding in all directions.
From the stormy clouds, dozens of golem figures erged, charging toward the enemy.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Each one exploded under the coordinated barrage.
But amid the chaos, Zhang Yu’s true body darted toward the nearest foe—Bu Ziran.
"Sure, long-range attacks counter my style..."
"But long-range has a flaw—if I rush one of you, your team’s attacks will either weaken, or risk hitting your own guy."
"If I’ve got to take a beating, I’ll make soone else share it."
Zhang Yu grinned viciously as he charged at the retreating Bu Ziran.
And as for why this target?
Well, he still rembered how smug Bu Ziran had looked flaunting his wealth in the tournant group chat.
Fu Ji muttered, "This Zhang Yu kid’s always had a bit of a grudge against rich folk."
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