Chapter 27: Snap
Chapter 27: Snap
Lottery drawing.
The long line snaked like a centipede as people took their numbered tags one by one in order.
“Yu One?”
Li Yi stared blankly at the number in his hand, his expression turning sour.
There were eight Dragon Gate Platforms, named Heaven, Earth, Mystery, Yellow, Yu, Zhou, Flood, and Desolation respectively.
The first character on the number tag indicated the Dragon Gate Platform’s designation, and the second character represented the order of appearance.
Originally, he had wanted to watch a few matches first, to plan his moves after observing others. It seemed that scheme wouldn’t work now.
He shook his head and rejoined Yan Zhao and Zhangsun Shenji. The three huddled together and each reported their numbers.
“Yu One.”
“Heaven Ten,” Zhangsun Shenji said calmly.
“Flood Six,” Yan Zhao said with his usual carefree tone, waving his tag.
All three let out a long sigh of relief at the same time, looking relaxed. They wouldn’t encounter each other until the quarterfinals, no, the semifinals at the earliest.
Li Yi scanned his surroundings, glancing at the backs of several figures, a thoughtful look on his face.
Su Xuan’er was in “Earth,” Yu Qian was in “Mystery,” Xun Ye was in “Yellow,” Gao Huanzhang was in “Yu.” There were also a few others who had shown some promise, like Yan Zhao, mostly in “Zhou,” “Flood,” and “Desolation.”
“There’s definitely something fishy going on! This cheating is way too obvious!” Li Yi shot a sidelong glance up at the Star Radiance Tower, thinking to himself. “Martial Display? Sounds nice, but let’s be honest, it’s just a stage for a few Heaven’s Pride talents. The rest are just there for decoration!”
“But who says the supporting act can’t steal the show?”
Once that thought took hold, a surge of heroic spirit rose within him, and Li Yi’s eyes gleamed sharply.
“Zhangsun, see you in the semifinals!”
“Yan Zhao, if you face Yu Qian in the quarterfinals, beat him up good for me!”
“Li Yi, you little rascal, be smart about it. Don’t be careless…”
The eight Dragon Gate Platforms were independent of each other. After exchanging a few words of encouragement, the three went their separate ways toward their respective Martial Arts Platforms.
“Yu One, Li Yi, step onto the platform!”
“Yu Sixteen, Liu Zong, step onto the platform!”
“Yes!”
Taking a step forward, the light dimmed before his eyes as Li Yi cautiously surveyed his surroundings.
From the outside, it wasn’t apparent, but once inside, he could see a crimson light barrier enveloping the Dragon Gate Platform.
“Huh?”
Li Yi’s face changed slightly. A hint of battle fervor and ferocity seemed to be stirred by some force lying dormant here. His eyes gradually reddened, and a surge of killing intent rushed through his heart.
“Incredible!” Taking several deep breaths to suppress the violent thoughts, he started to grasp the underlying flavor. “This Magic Array is definitely not just ‘Bloody Will.’ Multiple additional restrictions have been layered on it, sealing the blood energy and killing intent nurtured over the years on the Dragon Gate Platform, breeding them like insects in a jar, making them increasingly fierce!”
Realizing this, Li Yi immediately wondered if the other Magic Arrays weren’t as simple as they appeared on the surface either.
Like a tiger patrolling its territory, he walked a circuit along the edge of the Dragon Gate Platform. His eyes held a bit more understanding.
“Indeed, ‘Elemental Rebound,’ ‘Energy Barrier,’ they’re just the surface! This composite Magic Array here is extremely similar to a Magic Array called ‘Echo’! Once a spell is cast here and strikes the barrier, it will just keep rebounding, growing more and more intense! Could it be to force the Heaven’s Pride talents into a desperate situation, to stimulate their potential in a fight to the death?”
Taking advantage of his opponent’s prolonged absence, Li Yi kept rubbing his chin—his trademark gesture when thinking.
“Actually, I might be able to use this… My Mana control isn’t all that great, but my control over mental power is decent enough!”
Snapping his fingers, a wisp of mental power shot out, striking the blood-colored barrier and instantly bouncing back.
“For example, like this!”
“Yu Sixteen, Liu Zong, get on the platform now! If you don’t respond, you’ll be considered absent and disqualified!”
Repeating it for the third time, the presiding Mage couldn’t hold back any longer and issued a threat.
It worked immediately.
“I’m coming, I’m coming! Senior brother, I was just meditating and didn’t hear…”
The excuse was incredibly lame, and naturally, no one believed it. The presiding Mage glanced at him but, for some reason, didn’t press the issue.
All eight Dragon Gate Platforms started their matches simultaneously. He was the last to appear. Forget his cultivation level; his ability to put on airs was impressive.
“You’re Li Yi? You’re really pathetically weak…” Liu Zong half-crouched, looking sidelong at his prey with an expression of smugness and contempt.
He had spent quite a few Magic Crystals bribing several presiding Mages to get this number.
First to appear, and his opponent was a speculator who had been rejected by the “Morning Duck,” the Lord of Dawn!
He knew very well that with his own aptitude, becoming a Heaven’s Pride was out of the question. But if he could leave even a slight impression on a few of the elders, the long-term benefits would surely be significant! Dragging his feet and appearing last was, in essence, a performance to attract attention.
“Your name is Li Yi? You’re unlucky…” Liu Zong bared his teeth in a fierce grin, speaking with a menacing tone. “I’m going to dismember you piece by piece in front of the elders, using the slow knife method! Consider yourself the first stepping stone on my path to advancement!”
“Unfortunately, I’m in a hurry!” Li Yi gave a faint smile. In his eyes, arcs of lightning seemed to crash together.
“Big talk… you coward, die!”
Liu Zong roared in anger. A Rune in his abdomen blazed with light, like a brand of light—it was the Rune: “Mana Surge.”
This Rune from Morning Duck had an exceptionally potent effect: for a Half-Step Mage, it increased Mana by forty percent!
Saying no more, Liu Zong raised his hand. A circular ripple spread out from his body, transforming into an air barrier that defended his surroundings.
Air Shield Technique!
Across from him, Li Yi also raised his hand, but only to… snap his fingers?
“How foolish! Kid, you’re already finished!” Confusion flashed briefly, replaced by a gleam of delight in Liu Zong’s eyes. With the Mana Surge effect, he was confident he could grind this person before him to death, bit by bit!
“That’s exactly what I wanted to say,” Li Yi said with a leisurely smile, flicking his sleeve as he turned his back to him. “You’re already finished.”
“Kid, have you lost your mind?”
Liu Zong laughed wildly, his fingers twitching as he prepared to cast an offensive spell. Suddenly, a series of deafening booms exploded in his ears!
Like a clap of thunder upon thunder, yet also containing the roars of a thousand beasts, it was deafening, piercing his eardrums, and surging ferociously toward his soul!
If viewed from above, that invisible sound had already distorted space, creating a hazy blur.
As if struck by a heavy hammer, Liu Zong’s gaze turned vacant. His hands dropped limply, and he stood straight, unmoving.
The onlookers couldn’t figure out what had happened. After a moment of silence, they were about to start jeering when they saw blood trickling from Liu Zong’s seven orifices. His body pitched forward and collapsed.
Thud!
Along with that dull sound, a wave of uproar swept through the area.
“Dark magic, this must be dark magic! Heretical methods!”
“Right! What kind of spell can defeat an enemy instantly without a trace? Nine times out of ten, it’s some forbidden witchcraft!”
“I remember, this person was rejected by ‘Eternal Dawn Radiance.’ Maybe that’s the reason!”
“Disqualify him, yes, disqualify him!”
“He must be disqualified!”
The voices grew louder. After all, if Li Yi had defeated his opponent with a spectacular display, it might have been acceptable. But this invisible, traceless method inevitably stirred fear of the unknown.
Amidst the panicked voices, the presiding Mage frowned and said coldly, “What’s all this noise? The winner is Li Yi! The competition continues!”
In his heart, he was also somewhat moved.
Psychic Blast? If that really was a Psychic Blast, could I even resist it with my own mental power?
After turning the thought over several times, he arrived at an unpleasant conclusion. Naturally, he couldn’t be bothered to explain it for him.
However, this just made Li Yi’s reputation even worse.
Not only did it cause a great uproar below, but even up in the Star Radiance Tower, it created a minor stir, eliciting a rustle of whispers.
Because this match ended far too quickly!
On the other Dragon Gate Platforms, battles were still raging fiercely, intense and heated. Yet this one, which started last, ended first. How could it not attract attention?
“Just a clever trick…” After a pause, You Qiushui’s slightly sour voice rang out. She was clearly disdainful.
“This is called adapting to the circumstances!” A smile appeared at the corner of Gu Yanran’s lips. Even she didn’t understand why her mood suddenly felt so light and buoyant.
“Indeed. This technique simulates a sonic blast spell, forging a unique path with its own distinct flavor!” Gu Yan saw it clearly. “His understanding of spells is quite remarkable. This technique achieves a very high Conceptual Realm. Perhaps it could evolve into a powerful spell in the future! This youngster possesses great wisdom!”
He saw clearly: with that simple snap of his fingers, Li Yi actually split his mental power into three streams. They rebounded from three different points and simultaneously converged at his opponent’s ears. Threefold Psychic Blast—the power multiplied drastically!
“Should we test his bloodline again?” Gu Yanran suggested. “I feel this young man is quite unusual!”
“What’s the point of testing something as worthless as mud that can’t even hold up a wall?” You Qiushui dismissed the idea.
“I think he’s far from simple…” Gu Yanran hesitated before speaking again.