Chapter 59: Dragon Blood
Chapter 59: Dragon Blood
The light dazzled in the sky, captivating the eyes of the crowd!
One curtain after another was lifted, like withering black petals, revealing the stunning true forms of the puppets.
At the same time, behind the puppets, simple illusory magic arrays lit up, transforming into soaring pillars of light that displayed the names of each puppet.
Arcane Energy rippled everywhere, churning, colliding, and pressing against each other, distorting the light and causing sparks to burst in the air like endless fireworks, blinding to the eyes.
At this moment, exclamations of amazement rose and fell one after another!
Li Yi stood among them, feeling a bit dizzy, secretly thinking, “Isn’t this just… a car show?”
Among the many puppets, two giant figures were particularly eye-catching and instantly caught everyone’s attention!
The first was a Flesh Puppet, named “Dragon-Blooded Type One.” Its appearance was fierce and savage, covered in black scales. The moment the curtain was lifted, the puppet raised its head, and an invisible dragon-like form roared and soared into the air!
Though faint, it was genuine Dragon’s Aura!
This puppet must have been made from the flesh and blood of a sub-dragon beast, and that sub-dragon beast was certainly no ordinary creature.
Beside the puppet stood He Yue, Yan He, Luo Yun, and others, their expressions holding a faint trace of pride.
The other puppet was actually a Steel Puppet!
Clearly, among this group, there was someone with outstanding mental strength who could also control a Steel Puppet.
The puppet resembled a suit of ghostly armor, its heavy plates covered in sharp barbs, with scales curling up and bizarre patterns exuding endless ferocity. Between the armor’s grooves, pale lightning flowed, and at several barbed hooks, the lightning glowed brilliantly, faintly condensing into spheres of thunder, brimming with killing intent.
Its name was “Thunder-Grasper Type One.”
Standing beside it was Qin Yun, who appeared much more reserved and steady, and Cao Guihai, whose eyes couldn’t conceal his disdainful arrogance.
These two puppets were so striking that all the other puppets paled in comparison.
“Darn it, I miscalculated. There’s actually another Steel Puppet?” Zhao Xu slapped his forehead, suppressing the urge to shout.
He had thought his “Reverse Halberd” was one of a kind, destined to receive all the attention, but he never expected there would be an even more dazzling one!
“Isn’t it just good looks? What does looks matter? There are plenty of pretty but useless things…” Zhao Qin half-sighed, softly comforting him.
Li Yi shook his head. A puppet was a whole package, and its appearance was part of that—a very important part.
Could it be that Gundams didn’t suit this world’s taste?
Since the battle hadn’t started yet and no one could see the deeper intricacies, the young Mages simply judged the puppets based on their looks.
“This Dragon-Blooded is fierce and overbearing, with a sky-shaking Dragon’s Aura. At a glance, it’s clearly extraordinary!”
“No, that Thunder-Grasper is the truly ferocious one! Surrounded by electric light, it’s like the Thunder God descended!”
“You’re wrong. In my opinion…”
…
Two factions argued fiercely over which of the two was superior, neither willing to concede.
“Both puppets are excellent, but if I had to choose, I’d pick ‘Reverse Halberd’!”
In the midst of the heated debate, a timid voice abruptly broke in, sounding very out of place.
“Reverse Halberd? Hah, I’ve looked left and right, and it seems very ordinary…”
“Exactly. If I had to give a fair evaluation, it’s just two words—’mediocre.'”
The two factions cast cold glances and saw it was a pretty female Mage with glasses, so they didn’t dare speak too harshly, instead replying indifferently.
However, this criticism wasn’t effective. After hearing the female Mage’s words, more people noticed that puppet, and quite a few changed sides to join her.
Before long, support for “Reverse Halberd” grew, quietly forming a third faction that rivaled the other two.
“Indeed, it’s not flashy, but how should I put it? It feels very comfortable…”
“Right, plain, natural, harmonious.”
…
Yet, its supporters couldn’t explain why, going back and forth as if it were just a strange intuition.
Finally, someone gave a more precise evaluation.
“Harmony! This puppet feels like a product of nature—harmonious, simple, without any sense of stiffness or abruptness. Gentle as clouds, mountains, wind, and rain.”
Supporters nodded in agreement one after another.
The situation took a turn, and Zhao Xu, his sister, Yuan Ang, Lü Xun, and others all showed joy on their faces.
“Gold will always shine.” Li Yi appeared calm on the surface, but his raised eyebrows gave him away.
Several senior Puppeteers naturally saw things clearly, and their expressions all changed slightly.
The young Puppeteer Chen Deng spoke gently, but his words hit the mark.
“The Dragon-Blooded is somewhat flashy without substance. The Dragon’s Aura looks impressive but isn’t very useful. The Thunder-Grasper is shrouded in lightning mist; though it has a defensive effect, it’s more showy than practical. We don’t know if it has other mechanisms. As for the Reverse Halberd…”
He paused, seemingly searching for the right words.
“The overall design of this puppet is seamless, giving a feeling of utter perfection… Even though I’m a Level 4 Puppeteer, I probably couldn’t reach such heights in design and layout. Was that puppet designed by Zhao Xu? He’s a talent!”
“Zhao Xu? I’ve met him a few times. He’s by-the-book and not particularly talented,” Iron Face shook his head firmly. “I can confirm the designer isn’t him! Could this kid have broken the rules and consulted a senior Puppeteer?”
“Rest assured, this puppet wasn’t designed by a Puppeteer at all!” Qin Yue’s voice made the three of them turn their heads.
“What do you mean?” Lu Yin, being the most senior, asked.
“Lu Yin, think about it yourselves. If you hadn’t seen this puppet with your own eyes, could you have designed it out of thin air?”
Everyone was taken aback by his words.
Truth be told, after seeing this puppet, they all understood how to design it, but if they had to come up with it themselves, they definitely couldn’t have.
“It’s not that your skills are lacking; it’s just a matter of specialization… This isn’t a puppet! Looking at its structure, it’s clearly a giant Rune!” Qin Yue smiled faintly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
“A Rune?” Lu Yin stared blankly at the Reverse Halberd for a long time before sighing, “As expected of an elder, your vision is sharp and hits the nail on the head!”
Qin Yue tilted his head slightly, looking very intrigued.
This little guy seemed to come up with new tricks every time, his methods endless.
Tsk tsk, getting more and more interesting…
His gaze swept over the crowd below, where many were still arguing endlessly. Qin Yue wore a look of disdain and snorted lightly.
“Those who can see that the ‘Reverse Halberd’ is extraordinary are destined to go further on the path of Magic! As for the others… In the great tide, only gold remains.”
…
The Hundred Puppets War officially began!
On the stage, the “Tide-Severer” swung its giant ship anchor, stirring up a fierce howl like a north wind in the air, showing off its might.
Lu Tao was short and stood below the stage, grinning cruelly as he looked around, exuding an air of invincible arrogance.
“My Tide-Severer is thirsty for battle… Who wants to go first?”
He provokingly shouted.
“Then, I’ll go first!”
A slightly balding middle-aged Mage responded, manipulating his puppet as it floated up.
With just one glance, Li Yi shook his head in disgust.
This puppet was an Arcane Puppet named “Floater Type Two.”
Its body was crystal-clear and ethereal, formed from gathered Arcane Energy, shaped like a flat manta ray, floating in mid-air, appearing and disappearing.
“This puppet is just too…”
Zhao Xu wanted to give a comment but pondered for a while without finding a suitable adjective.
This puppet was too targeted, clearly designed specifically to dodge the Tide-Severer’s attacks.
In practice, this thing had no value except as a scout.
The people on the stage also looked disgusted.
“Fear before the fight means certain death!” Li Yi frowned tightly. He had no faith in these unorthodox methods.
The gap between puppets of different ranks was comprehensive; relying on such tricks was impossible!
Sure enough.
“Utterly foolish!”
With a loud bang, the Tide-Severer stomped its right foot on the ground, light bursting from its sole. Its huge figure shot out like cold lightning splitting the sky, leaving an afterimage in its place.
In the blink of an eye, the Tide-Severer’s giant anchor, carrying tidal waves, soared into the sky, pouring down from above!
One slash, cut in two!
It was a one-hit kill!
For a moment, the Puppeteers below the stage felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.
“Swift Wind Step? No, not that—it’s a unique force-exertion technique…”
Li Yi raised his hand and unconsciously stroked his chin.
The reason puppets could execute combat techniques was that the Arcane Energy inside them could simulate the circulation of Battle Aura.
Moreover, their robust physiques could even unleash ferocious combat techniques that human bodies couldn’t withstand!
That previous step involved gathering Arcane Energy at the sole of the foot and exploding it to convert into propulsion, covering a hundred feet in one step.
“This thing… thought the same as mine.” Li Yi kept rubbing his chin, thinking to himself, “How should I put it? Great minds think alike.”
Next, several more challengers stepped up, all failing.
The Tide-Severer’s majestic pose, holding its anchor, became even more unattainable in everyone’s eyes.
The people below grew even more fearful and awestruck.
“I’ll challenge!” At that moment, a slightly nervous voice slowly rang out.
The Dragon-Blooded!