Chapter 139: chanism Puppet Grand Battle
“Victory decided! Guo Si wins!”
As the elder’s voice announcing the result rang out, an enormous cheer erupted from the sidelines.
Most people had not expected that the battle would stage such a breathtaking reversal at the very last mont.
On the martial arena, as the sound-isolation formation was lifted, the roaring cheers from outside left the two who had just finished fighting sowhat unaccustod.
Enduring the pain throughout his body, Li Jue forced himself to stand and asked,
“You planned to do that from the very beginning? That was too much of a gamble.”
Having already exhausted his strength, Guo Si also straightened up with effort and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
“I had no choice. That tactic was originally ant for the finals or semifinals. But when I saw that my opponent in the first round was Senior Brother, I knew I couldn’t hold anything back. I’m well aware of the gap in our strength.”
“Master always said I had lingered too long in the realm of sword and man as one. I had planned that if I still lost this ti, I’d consider changing paths… I didn’t expect… to be kicked out in the first round by Junior Brother Guo.”
The two sword cultivators exchanged smiles.
The previous tension between drawn swords vanished instantly.
They were then escorted back to their respective seats by fellow disciples to receive treatnt for their injuries.
For the audience, however, the first match ending in such a dramatic fashion left everyone filled with anticipation for what was to co.
……
Yet the five matches that followed left the spectators—whose appetites had been whetted by the opener—slightly disappointed.
Although the disciples who stepped onto the stage possessed respectable cultivation and strength, none could recreate the brilliance of the first match.
In so bouts, the disparity in strength was too great.
From the very beginning, it was a one-sided suppression.
The suppressed party struggled valiantly but could never find an opportunity to counterattack, and ultimately had no choice but to concede defeat.
In other matches, both sides fought rather conservatively.
The exchanges of moves lacked flair.
To ordinary spectators, they inevitably felt dull and tedious, missing that distinctive “cultivator’s flavor,” resembling more a fight between wandering martial artists of the Jianghu.
However, under the comntary of Long Tao and Fang Wuqi, the intricacies and strategic highlights of these matches were thoroughly explained.
As a result, the audience did not feel too bored.
It could only be said that the first match had set the bar too high, making what followed seem sowhat lackluster.
By now, most people had realized that the comntary of these two was not rely icing on the cake for the Grand Competition.
Even many Golden Core cultivators present felt that their emotional engagent while watching had subtly changed.
Disciples of shallow cultivation and mortals alike felt that Long Tao voiced exactly what they themselves were thinking.
Whenever sothing confusing or incomprehensible occurred during a match, he would almost imdiately raise the question, and Fang Wuqi would promptly provide an explanation.
For many—especially low-level disciples without a master’s guidance and independent cultivators—listening to these few sessions of comntary was worth more than years of shut-door, self-taught bitter cultivation.
At this mont, at the highest northern section of the stands, within the seats of the Guanghan Sacred Land, a Golden Core cultivator with an aloof temperant took advantage of the interval between matches to softly ask the Saintess seated at the center,
“Saintess, in your view, if you were to comnt on those previous matches, how would you compare to that Fang Wuqi?”
“Our insights would largely align,” she replied after a brief pause, “but in grasping the finer details, I fall slightly short. Those seemingly insignificant differences in judgnt ultimately proved his perspective more precise.”
Hearing this, the Golden Core cultivator who served as the Saintess’s Dao Protector let out a soft sigh.
“This child is indeed a rare genius. It’s just a pity he chose the wrong cultivation thod. Otherwise… we should have discussed a marriage alliance six years ago.”
At these words, a faint blush surfaced on the Saintess’s originally cold and detached face.
Though the Guanghan Sacred Land primarily cultivated ice and snow techniques, it did not an they were truly emotionless blocks of ice.
In fact, precisely because they resided in the bitterly cold far north, they placed even greater importance on marriage alliances with outside sects.
Not only the Guanghan Sacred Land—at this mont, nearly all the visiting elders of other forces were using Fang Wuqi’s performance to test their own juniors.
So responded humbly with the truth, while others showed obvious dissatisfaction.
Just then, Long Tao’s clear voice once again rang throughout the arena:
“Everyone, the seventh match will be entirely different!” His tone carried unmistakable excitent.
“Both sides are masters of chanism puppet arts. We are about to witness a completely different style of combat! First to enter is Senior Sister Si Ling, the outstanding disciple under Elder Liu of the Tiangong Pavilion!”
As his words fell, a woman in a fitted green outfit gracefully entered the arena.
“Her opponent is… Senior Brother Xu Mingyuan, from Elder Qin’s lineage!”
A tall, slender man leapt down from the very front of the audience seating into the field.
In his hands he held an exquisite chanism box, from which faint sounds of gears turning could be heard.
……
Monts later, everyone present finally understood just how different this match truly was.
The two chanism puppet masters transford what should have been a one-on-one duel into a miniature battlefield.
Large numbers of flying chanisms and dium-to-small puppets collided and fought across the arena.
The explosions of detonation talismans and gunpowder filled the field with drifting smoke.
The dium-to-large puppets known as Colossi could even draw upon spirit stones and the cultivators’ own spiritual power to fire small True Essence cannons.
What had originally been a spacious arena for just two people now felt sowhat cramped.
But the surrounding spectators were thoroughly thrilled.
Whether cultivators or mortals, nearly all were exhilarated.
As for disciples from other forces who were not skilled in chanism Arts, they were left utterly dumbfounded.
They had truly never seen such a spectacle.
……
Inside the arena, the roaring of chanism puppets was deafening.
Long Tao stared intently at the battlefield, his voice trembling slightly with excitent.
“Senior Sister Si Ling has the advantage! She has one more Colossus than her opponent! Now’s the ti to press the attack! Re-form all the puppets and charge in one wave—she can take him out in one go! Senior Sister! What are you hesitating for?!”
Since Long Tao was also an apprentice under Elder Liu, he naturally favored this Senior Sister with whom he had considerable acquaintance.
What he did not know was that this usually straightforward Senior Sister would beco so hesitant on the competition stage.
Fang Wuqi analyzed calmly, “Junior Sister Si Ling has always been cautious.
In daily matters, that is a strength. But on a rapidly changing battlefield, it may cause her to miss opportunities. Although she has a slight edge in chanism Arts, the outco is still uncertain.”
“No way she can lose!” Long Tao retorted excitedly.
“Senior Brother Fang, when it cos to chanism puppets, I still have so say. Right now Senior Sister Si Ling clearly holds the upper hand. The batch of spider puppets that were damaged earlier have already been repaired. There’s no way!”
At that very mont, the situation on the field changed abruptly.
Si Ling, who had been observing conservatively, finally could no longer endure.
“Alright! Senior Sister Si Ling is moving! She’s moving! She has three Colossi! She’s stable! She’s going to win!” Long Tao’s voice suddenly rose sharply.
“Oh no! She dragged it out too long! The opponent’s third Colossus has finished assembling! Senior Sister! What were you dawdling for?! But luckily, that Colossus was hastily put together. Its True Essence cannon isn’t very stable—the firing speed and range are inferior. Senior Sister Si Ling still has the range advantage! Range advantage!”
Amid the smoke-filled battlefield, Si Ling’s Colossus puppets lined up in formation, the muzzles of their True Essence cannons flashing with dangerous light.
Xu Mingyuan’s puppet legion, though slightly fewer in number, maintained a tight and orderly formation.
“Senior Sister, why did you only charge into the decisive battle now?!” Long Tao stamped his feet anxiously.
“Alright! Senior Sister Si Ling used a slowing talisman! Both sides’ Colossi are exchanging True Essence cannon fire at this position! They’re also throwing detonation talismans at each other! Senior Brother Xu’s spider puppets have been blown to pieces, but his Colossus has completed its adjustnts—the firing rate of its True Essence cannon is now even faster than Senior Sister Si Ling’s! Oh no! You delayed for so long, Senior Sister, and ended up turning your advantage into a disadvantage!”
User Comments
0 comments from readers