40. Do You Want to Win?
While everyone held their breath, only one person continued cheering.
Yes.
Gong Yiling, apparently bored, had tied a red cloth to her chopsticks and was waving them like cheering sticks.
“Qiu Ming, go! Xinyao, go!”
Her lone voice echoed through the arena, making her stand out.
Someone even questioned her, “Are you a contestant or a spectator?”
“Contestant.”
“Then why aren’t you fighting with them? What are you doing?”
Gong Yiling replied confidently, “I’m helping them! Cheering for them!”
“Cheering?” The person was dumbfounded. “That’s all you’re doing?”
Gong Yiling smiled and countered, “What else should I be doing?”
Her nonchalant attitude stunned everyone.
“They can handle the general. Me joining would only hinder them.”
Her words, although seemingly reasonable, made everyone think, *I could do that too!*
However…
The dust and flames were quickly dispersed by Shangguan Lingyue’s powerful aura.
The general stood there, unscathed, her aura unchanged. The previous attacks seemed to have barely scratched her.
“This general is truly something else.”
Gong Yiling smiled wryly, but her eyes gleamed with confidence.
How to stall Shangguan Lingyue to earn more points? The answer was simple.
Qiu Shui alone could handle it, while the other two protected her.
However, during dinner the previous night, Gong Yiling had asked them a question.
“Do you want to advance, or do you want to win?”
To most, there was no difference.
Winning and advancing meant lasting longer, right?
But Lu Xinyao understood her meaning.
“Big Sister, do you mean… we can defeat Auntie?”
How was that possible…?
The two of them, plus Gong Yiling, whose true strength was unknown (actually negligible, as Miss Gong only wanted to watch from the sidelines)…
How could they possibly defeat Shangguan Lingyue?
“This is a sparring match, not a deathmatch. Anything is possible.” Gong Yiling poked at the fish on the table with her chopsticks. “I’ll tell you why you can win, but not how.”
“Figure out the method yourselves.”
So…
From the moment they stepped onto the arena, their goal was to defeat Shangguan Lingyue, not just stall for time.
And now…
Gong Yiling looked at the two girls and waved her red flags. “Go! Go! Go! Go!”
Shangguan Lingyue ignored her and focused on Qiu Shui.
In the general’s eyes, the fire-wielding Lu Xinyao wasn’t the threat. The more versatile Qiu Shui was the one to watch.
Before attacking, Shangguan Lingyue used a similar tactic as Shangguan Qingyun, shattering the ground around Qiu Shui with a powerful gust of wind.
Debris flew, flames erupted, creating a chaotic scene.
However, as she stepped forward, dispelling an illusion with a punch, she paused.
“This is…”
She looked around, then chuckled softly and said calmly, “I lose.”
Her words stunned everyone.
This was supposed to be a battle of attrition. No one expected anyone to win against such a powerful opponent.
And Shangguan Lingyue was clearly unharmed. Why did she suddenly surrender?
“So… you two had this in mind all along.” Shangguan Lingyue deactivated her technique, jumped onto the debris-covered arena, and praised them. “Was this the Immortal Master’s idea?”
Then, finally, someone realized.
The arena had boundaries!
Although the area where Shangguan Lingyue stood was now a mess, making it difficult to distinguish from the rest of the arena, there was a clear difference in elevation.
Shangguan Lingyue had stepped out of bounds.
“Master told us we could defeat you this way, but Xinyao came up with the specific method.” Qiu Shui, reappearing from the dust cloud, was panting, covered in minor cuts from the debris.
“Oh?” Shangguan Lingyue glanced at Lu Xinyao, who seemed relatively unharmed, a look of surprise in her eyes.
How did they do it?
As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Lu Xinyao knew Shangguan Lingyue’s abilities well.
When Gong Yiling suggested making her fall off the arena, Lu Xinyao devised a plan.
With their strength, they couldn’t damage the special tiles of the arena.
These tiles had self-repairing abilities, both incredibly durable and capable of quickly recovering from any damage.
However… that was only for them.
If a powerful martial cultivator were to destroy the arena, creating chaos…
Undoubtedly, that person would be Shangguan Lingyue, empowered by her Bloodthirst Aura.
So, everything before was a setup.
Their initial barrage of attacks was to pressure Shangguan Lingyue into activating her technique, accelerating the destruction of the arena.
And Lu Xinyao’s subsequent attacks were meant to disorient her, making her lose track of her position.
Finally, Qiu Shui used her illusion to lure Shangguan Lingyue to the edge.
What a flawless plan, perfectly executed.
“Hahahaha.” After understanding their strategy, Shangguan Lingyue laughed heartily. “This was quite entertaining. Now I’m even more eager to witness your master’s strength, but she has refused me several times.”
“Sob…”
“For defeating me with a perfect score, I’ll give you both 100 points.”
“Wait!” Gong Yiling suddenly raised her hand weakly. “There’s a third person in our team.”
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