binnovel Chapter 355 Intra-team Competition (1)
Chapter 355 Intra-team Competition (1)
After finishing the honey grapefruit tea, Li Xue and Yun Lan brought out two large platters of fresh fruit that they had washed, so that everyone could have a little something to eat before the meal was ready.
Everyone thanked him repeatedly. After giving an apple to his mother, Liu Xuehua, Liu Zhigang smiled and said to Li Chenglong, "I propose that during the peace talks, Lord Li Chenglong be the captain of our team participating in the martial arts tournament. Does anyone have any objections?" Everyone nodded in agreement.
Ding Hai then said, "Captain Li, I just carefully reviewed the rules of the martial arts tournament proposed by the zombies. It's a final battle of survival. We and they will each send one member to participate. The loser will be eliminated, and the winner can stay on the field to face an opponent. In the end, whichever side has all 12 members eliminated will lose. How do we arrange the order of our members' participation?"
Li Chenglong said seriously, "This is indeed a problem. Everyone must not be careless. Although the weakest among us 12 people is a Level 11 Awakened, and there are 7 Level 12 Ability Users and Awakened, I can say with certainty that the zombies are very strong." Then he explained to everyone present the information he knew about the high-ranking zombies, the previous battle with the Eight Guardians, and the various abilities of the Eight Guardians.
Upon learning that the weakest of the eight zombie guardians was a level 12 early-stage three-elemental ability zombie, everyone was shocked. Xu Chu said, "Moreover, since the martial arts tournament was proposed by the zombies, they must be very well prepared. I don't think all the participants will be these eight zombie guardians. The left and right prime ministers and the four marshals of the zombie empire may also participate. Their strength is unimaginable."
Speaking of Xu Chu, Li Chenglong felt that he was really lucky. You know, he was just a dual-elemental ability user of both lightning and wood elements, yet he was able to level up to level 12. As far as Li Chenglong knew, it was extremely difficult for a dual-elemental ability user to reach level 12.
Li Chenglong had met the four marshals once before, but due to the emergency, he hadn't had a chance to observe their attributes closely. However, judging from the energy they unleashed, the four marshals were definitely at the mid-to-late stage of level 12. Xu Qingming, half-reclining on the comfortable sofa, said casually, "If that's really the case, then it won't be fun."
Yan Song then suggested, "Why don't we have an internal team competition sometime? That way, Captain Li can assess our strength and we'll be prepared on when to send out whom." Ding Hai and Liu Zhigang nodded in agreement. Li Chenglong invited the six women out and explained Yan Song's suggestion to everyone, who also agreed. After discussion, they unanimously decided that after lunch and an hour's rest, the internal team competition would begin.
To ensure fairness, Li Chenglong will not participate in this team competition. This is because neither Shangguan Jingyun, the S-rank Awakened who has reached level 12, nor the other level 12 ability users like Liu Zhigang, Yan Song, Ding Hai, Xu Chu, and Zhou Siyun, believe they are no match for him. Wang Ruyan, on the other hand, voluntarily withdrew from the competition. Firstly, she felt she was no match for these individuals; secondly, she was currently menstruating, and although it was already the fifth day and almost over, she still didn't feel like fighting.
The other 10 participants were chosen by drawing lots for one-on-one matches. Li Chenglong would carefully observe the battles to ensure he could handle future matches against zombie competitors with ease. The drawing of lots was conducted by the artificial intelligence on the command vehicle, guaranteeing absolute fairness.
Ten seconds later, the draw results were announced: Li Xue vs. Zhou Siyun, Xu Qingming vs. Xu Chu, Ding Hai vs. Zhao Liying, Liu Zhigang vs. Yan Song, and Shangguan Jingyun vs. Yun Lan. After the draw, Li Chenglong smiled and stroked his slightly stubbled chin: "This matchup is interesting."
Liu Xuehua, smiling, asked, "Lord Li, would you like to predict the results of these five matches?" Li Chenglong looked at her and said, "Sure, I'm not afraid of offending anyone. Three of the matches are relatively easy to predict. First, the match between Li Xue and Zhou Siyun—I feel Li Xue's chances of winning aren't very high. As for Xu Qingming and Xu Chu, I think Xu Qingming has a higher chance of winning. Between Ding Hai and Zhao Liying, I favor Zhao Liying. The other two matches are harder to predict."
After lunch, Li Chenglong told everyone to rest and asked the guard company to clear a space. Hearing that the martial arts tournament participants would first have an internal team competition, the guards were excited and began cleaning. Seventy percent of the guard company consisted of ability users, though their levels weren't particularly high, generally around level 8. But witnessing a battle between level 11 and 12 powerhouses was already very exciting for them; after all, battles of that level were not easily witnessed.
More than an hour later, the first battle began in front of more than two hundred spectators. Because these were all powerful superhumans or awakened individuals, the spectators stood at a considerable distance, about one hundred meters away. Some ordinary people even took out binoculars, hoping to see more clearly.
The first match was between Li Xue, an 11th-level A-grade mermaid spirit awakener, and Zhou Siyun, a 12th-level wind, ice, and lightning tri-elemental ability user. This match attracted a lot of attention. Li Chenglong took out Zhou Siyun's information and looked at it. Zhou Siyun was 35 years old this year. Before the apocalypse, she was the owner of a beauty salon. She looked very weak, but in reality, she was very brave and decisive. According to her, she and some others killed a zombie with superpowers, and then, without any information, she ate the crystal dropped by the zombie, which made her a tri-elemental ability user. She currently belongs to the Northwest Theater and serves as the deputy commander of an army.
Yun Lan, Shangguan Jingyun, Zhao Liying, and Wang Ruyan huddled together, discussing the upcoming match. Yun Lan looked at Li Xue: "Xue'er has grown more and more beautiful in the past two years. Even I, a woman, can't help but want to kiss and hug her. And as a level 11 A-type Awakened, I feel she has a chance." Shangguan Jingyun added, "Yeah, I also feel she has a chance. A three-type ability user is equivalent to A-level potential among Awakened. Although the two are one level apart, Zhou Siyun has only been upgraded for less than a month, while we ability users all have spiritual energy forms. We have a good chance."
Li Chenglong served as the referee. He walked to the middle of the temporary arena, told the two people to go to their designated positions, and immediately announced the start of the first match of the team competition!
The battle was about to erupt, and neither side even bothered with probing; they immediately unleashed their strongest attacks. Li Xue instantly summoned her psionic form, a pair of flowing, azure wings appearing behind her. Holding the Azure Staff, and radiating psionic energy, she resembled a holy angel. Zhou Siyun was no less formidable, her entire body exuding a chilling aura, accompanied by howling winds. A vortex of energy swirled in her left palm, and her right hand held a Dragon Fang dagger she had purchased from Li Chenglong.
Zhou Siyun shouted, "Ten Miles of Ice! Howling Wind!" Instantly, the temporary arena was covered by thick ice, and a fierce gale arose, blowing Li Xue's long hair wildly and making it almost impossible for her to open her eyes. Zhou Siyun had been waiting for this opportunity, and immediately used a move: "Thunderous Might!" Several bolts of lightning struck down from the sky, landing in the direction where Li Xue was standing.
The audience found it incredibly exciting, but only those with superpowers nearby could truly grasp just how terrifying this series of combos was. Even Wang Ruyan couldn't help but exclaim, "So powerful! If it were me, I would have been instantly killed by that move." Because several bolts of lightning struck simultaneously, they blasted away the thick ice on the ground, and coupled with the strong winds, it was difficult to see Li Xue's situation for a moment.
However, Zhou Siyun in the arena gave Li Xue no chance, gripping her dagger and charging into the raging wind. Aside from the advanced ability users, everyone else could only hear the clanging of weapons. As the battle intensified, the wind's power gradually diminished, and everyone could finally see the situation clearly. They saw Li Xue wielding the Azure Staff and Zhou Siyun, who held the Dragon Fang Dagger, engaged in a fierce battle.
Li Chenglong nodded slightly. It seemed that Li Xue hadn't neglected her close-combat training while in the information support unit, which put his mind at ease. Many ranged attack-type ability users in Dawn City had abandoned close-combat training due to the ongoing battles. He had recently held a large meeting to address this issue and offer criticism.
After a few minutes of close combat, Zhou Siyun was surprised to find that the beautiful girl in front of her was no weaker than her in close combat. She then flashed to a distance, preparing to use her immense level 12 ability to continue attacking Li Xue from afar. But the instant Zhou Siyun flashed away, Li Xue instantly unleashed her attack: "Hero's Song! Extreme Cold Ice Arrow! Healing Spell! Frozen Ten Miles!"
Li Xue unleashed four skills in quick succession, astonishing everyone present. Even for level 12 ability users, using three skills at a time was their limit; they hadn't expected the level 11 Li Xue to unleash four at once. Li Xue's injuries were instantly healed by her healing spell, and Hero's Song temporarily boosted her attributes. Furthermore, Li Xue's Icebound Ten Miles was clearly stronger than Zhou Siyun's; the moment Zhou Siyun landed, the solid ice froze her feet. Then, several ice arrows shot out, knocking Zhou Siyun, who had no time to retaliate, out of the arena.
Referee Li Chenglong, who was flying through the air using the Dragon Soaring Technique, immediately announced the end of the match, declaring Li Xue the winner. Li Xue quickly ran over, used a healing spell to heal Zhou Siyun's injuries, and helped her up with both hands, saying somewhat shyly, "Sister Zhou, I'm sorry." Zhou Siyun smiled, patted the dust off her clothes, and said, "It's alright, it's alright. I didn't expect you to be so amazing, little sister. I was a bit careless."
Zhou Siyun was right. With her level 12 three-elemental abilities, she shouldn't have lost like this. Li Chenglong had predicted she would win. Li Chenglong walked up to the two women and summarized, "Zhou Siyun, you lost because of two things: first, you underestimated your opponent, and second, you didn't understand your opponent. You must pay attention to that in the future. Li Xue, your performance this time surprised me. Congratulations."
Li Xue nodded slightly, feeling a little embarrassed, and everyone present applauded. Amidst the enthusiastic applause, the two women walked off together; the second match was scheduled to begin in five minutes.