39. VIP Seats
“Young Master Xuli, what are you doing here?”
Just as Gong Yiling was contemplating how to further her scamming career, Shangguan Qingyun’s voice interrupted their conversation.
Young Master Xuli’s expression immediately turned serious, and he glared at Gong Yiling. “I haven’t settled the score with you yet, bitch. Watch your step, and don’t let me catch you.”
This guy’s face-changing skills were truly impressive.
Gong Yiling shrugged and watched him leave, then walked towards the two girls.
“What did Young Master Xuli say?”
“He gave me a warning that even a playboy wouldn’t understand.” Gong Yiling flicked their foreheads. “More importantly, are you two ready to deal with our landlord?”
“Yes!” “Yes.”
Seeing their confidence, Gong Yiling smiled. “I’m looking forward to it.”
—
—
The matches outside had occasional highlights, but most were disappointing.
Watching the competition required an entrance fee.
Yes, a fee.
Although it wasn’t much, the audience expected exciting battles.
However, since survival time determined their scores, most participants adopted the same strategy:
Avoidance, stalling, running. Lasting as long as possible.
Only a few teams directly confronted Shangguan Yaochang, and most of them were quickly defeated. Only a handful lasted longer.
But besides the First Prince and Young Master Xuli, who lasted seventeen minutes (possibly due to Shangguan Yaochang going easy on them), those who fought head-on didn’t score as well as those who ran and dodged.
Gong Yiling and her team entered the arena when the audience was already losing interest.
No one had high expectations for them.
Qiu Shui’s control abilities were well-known. Others simply ran around aimlessly, but she was strategic.
And then…
“Boom—!”
A series of explosions and giant vines erupting from the ground immediately caught everyone’s attention.
Although ordinary flames couldn’t harm Shangguan Lingyue, Lu Xinyao’s fire contained the power of her demonic bloodline.
Bathed in firelight, the girl was surrounded by blazing flames. Even without fully unleashing it, the third-level Phoenix fire essence was enough to force Shangguan Lingyue to use her true essence shield.
“She forced the general to use her shield right from the start?”
The audience murmured in surprise.
Even the First Prince and Young Master Xuli, the strongest team so far, had to test her a few times before Shangguan Lingyue got serious.
For her to be so cautious against these seemingly weaker opponents was surprising.
And Qiu Shui’s vine technique was even more astonishing.
Compared to her fight against the First Prince, the vines were now as thick as several people, and there were dozens of them.
And the vines were covered in illusionary flowers that blurred vision, restricting Shangguan Lingyue’s movements.
Their powerful and wide-ranging techniques were on a completely different level, so impressive that everyone forgot…
There was a third member in this team.
As for that third member…
Ahem, she was slacking off.
“Yes, that’s it! Go, go, go!”
Gong Yiling, holding two candied hawthorn sticks (yes, she had somehow finished two skewers during the competition!) like cheering batons, did nothing but yell encouragement.
It looked like she had bought a VIP ticket to cheer for her idols.
With Qiu Shui and Lu Xinyao’s cooperation, their wood and fire techniques, normally incompatible, managed to trap the much stronger Shangguan Lingyue.
Blazing flames amidst the vines, a truly memorable scene.
However…
This was all based on the premise that Shangguan Lingyue wasn’t using any martial skills.
“Whoosh—”
With a loud bang, a gust of wind erupted, scattering the flames and snapping the vines. The two girls were thrown back ten meters, almost falling off the arena.
“Hoo—”
At the center of the windstorm, Shangguan Lingyue opened her eyes.
She was no longer calm and restrained.
Her eyes burned with a fierce battle spirit, and she let out a series of hearty laughs, her aura exploding like thunder.
“Although I knew that person’s disciples would be strong, I never expected you two to force me to use my martial skills.”
The previous matches weren’t worth the ticket price because—they were all Shangguan Lingyue’s loyal fans.
Paying to see their idol display her battlefield prowess was a treat, but if they couldn’t even see her martial skills, it would be a disappointment.
And now…
A crimson aura enveloped Shangguan Lingyue, like a shield of true essence, but different.
This was the signature technique of the Shangguan family.
Martial Skill: Bloodthirst Aura.
It drastically increased her speed and the power of her attacks and techniques. The amplification was so significant that a single punch cleared all obstacles.
This drew cheers from the crowd.
“Let me see what you, as that person’s disciples, are truly capable of!”
With a series of sonic booms, Shangguan Lingyue appeared before Qiu Shui in a flash.
Then, a rumbling sound came from the ground.
“Spiritual Art: Earth Bind!”
A giant wooden hand emerged from the ground, attempting to drag Shangguan Lingyue down.
However, her blood-infused true essence formed a tough shield, shattering the wooden hand upon impact.
Of course, this was all within the girls’ expectations.
Lu Xinyao took a deep breath and chanted softly, “Spiritual Art: Embrace of a Hundred Flames!”
The wooden fragments were infused with Lu Xinyao’s fire essence. As they scattered, dozens of miniature explosions erupted, amplified by the dense wood energy, their combined power several times greater than a single explosion.
Boom—!
The fiery explosions created a shockwave, filling the arena with dust, obscuring everything.
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