Chapter 380: Fierce Battle in the Second Half

Chapter 380: The Second Half’s Fierce Struggle

"To think a mere sophomore could stir the situation into such a chaotic mess."

Watching the scene spiral out of control, Ma Xuan knew they had arrived at the worst-case scenario.

The presence of Xiao Qingxuan and Zhang Yu alone was enough to turn the construction site upside down.

If he moved to stop them, Shi Huaiyu, no longer held back by his interference, would quickly lead her team to breach the perimeter.

Once an all-out melee erupted in the open space of the site, the bunker would surely never be completed.

"But there is no other choice..."

Ma Xuan recalled the "Small Triad" that had been suppressing Shi Huaiyu, then pushed his palms forward. Beneath his feet, sand and silt surged into the sky like a flash flood, roaring toward Zhang Yu and Xiao Qingxuan, instantly blasting them backward.

Simultaneously, Shi Huaiyu seized the opening, leading her teammates as they rode the crest of the tidal wave of earth.

Cong Na and Yang Yan retreated, positioning themselves to guard the front of the bunker.

In an instant, the entire site was cleaved in two by the opposing forces.

The two sides stood face-to-face, their eyes colliding with enough hostility to ignite the air.

Ma Xuan sighed, his voice flat: "Bu Ziran, come out and join us in full defense."

"Ji Susu, focus all your efforts on construction. Build as much as you can."

He pressed his palms together, and waves of earth transformed into a solid barrier, sealing the entire bunker behind him.

The next moment, the battle exploded before the bunker’s walls.

Che Yufei and Shi Yunxiang charged to the front, colliding with Cong Na and Bu Ziran, unleashing waves of surging pressure.

Shi Huaiyu manipulated the swirling sand to strike at the bunker, but a sound like metal clashing against iron echoed through the air.

Shi Huaiyu explained: "The 'Finger-to-Steel' technique from the Seven Absolutes. It is a technique Ma Xuan learned that I did not."

"By using it, he sacrifices the earth's fluidity for rigid, impenetrable protection."

Ma Xuan stepped lightly, and pillars of rock erupted from the ground like steel spears, shooting toward the attackers.

From afar, Ji Yuanxu unleashed bursts of thunder-fire energy.

Zhang Yu shifted his intent, and several formless warriors manifested, intercepting the incoming blasts.

He threw a punch, his surging energy slamming into the barrier before the bunker.

Bu Ziran spat out a lung-gold sword aura to intercept, only for Tian Yang to descend, shrouded in a storm of wind and sand.

On the other side, Xiao Qingxuan’s body roared with dragon-shaped energy, crashing frantically against the barrier Ma Xuan had erected.

Amidst the continuous clash, the entire site trembled as if struck by a succession of earthquakes.

Though Ma Xuan and his team defended with all their might, the battlefield was too close to the structure; they dared not unleash their full power.

Conversely, Zhang Yu’s side fought without restraint, pressing Ma Xuan’s group into a corner.

The barrier Ma Xuan had established began to fracture, and through repeated repairs and reconstructions, the bunker behind it was increasingly exposed.

"Fighting on the construction site—this is the worst possible outcome."

Though Ma Xuan thought this, he knew there was no changing the situation now. He could only hold on and try to salvage the score.

When the round ended, the completion rate of their bunker was rated at 42%.

Seeing this result, Bu Ziran glared at Ji Susu with irritation: "What happened? We blocked so many attacks, and you only managed 42%?"

Ji Susu replied coldly: "The foundation was being shaken to pieces. 42% is a miracle."

Ji Yuanxu added: "It’s because we let them break through. I don’t understand—you had so many people, how were you pushed into such a state by Zhang Yu?"

Bu Ziran frowned, glancing sideways at Ji Yuanxu: "What is your department ranking? Do you even understand how this competition works?"

Ji Yuanxu opened his mouth, but found nothing to say.

Ma Xuan sighed from the side: "The offensive side naturally holds the advantage. There is nothing to be done about that."

"The next round will be our home turf."

"As the attackers, our advantage in overall strength will be magnified."

Ma Xuan looked toward where Zhang Yu and the others stood, his voice icy: "Next round, I will crush their completion rate to 0%."

"I won't leave them with a single brick."

...

On the other side, Shi Huaiyu laughed: "That was a beautiful round."

She looked at Zhang Yu: "Especially you, Zhang Yu. If you hadn't disrupted their formation, our attack wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

Zhang Yu smiled faintly: "On my own, I can only harass them. I have to thank you all for the support from behind."

Che Yufei looked at Shi Yunxiang and asked: "How are you?"

Shi Yunxiang looked with heartache at his brand-new mechanical arm, now covered in dents and scars.

Shi Yunxiang: "That guy Yang Yan, he targeted my new arm on purpose, didn't he?"

Che Yufei sighed: "Of course it was on purpose. He wanted to make sure you couldn't take it."

"That’s why I never participated in the competition when I was an underclassman. It’s expensive and you never get a ranking."

Xiao Qingxuan interrupted them: "Defending against Ma Xuan’s offensive in the next round won't be easy."

Shi Huaiyu nodded: "We must keep them outside the construction site."

"Once they enter and are allowed to fight freely, I fear we won't even reach 10% completion."

...

A moment later, as the rest period ended, the second half of the battle officially began. Ma Xuan looked toward the site and said calmly: "Wipe them out."

Relying on the numerical and overall strength advantage of the offensive side, wiping out the opponents one by one and grinding their building materials into dust—this was the tactic Ma Xuan had chosen.

In his view, when one’s strength surpasses the opponent’s, this was the safest, most convenient, and most foolproof strategy.

"Follow me and crush them."

Moments later, on the battlefield, walls of sand rose on both sides like tsunamis crashing against each other.

Amidst the swirling dust, the members of both sides clashed in a fierce struggle.

Through the visual feeds shared by his team’s ocular implants, Ma Xuan monitored the entire field.

He could see Zhang Yu, shrouded in cloud-like energy, charging toward Cong Na.

He could see Xiao Qingxuan manipulating nine dragon-shaped auras, tearing through the sand as he lunged toward him.

He could see Shi Huaiyu activating her "Small Triad," competing with him while supporting her teammates.

But his final gaze locked onto Che Yufei.

"Setting aside Shi Yunxiang who is still building, you are the weakest among them."

"Let’s start with you."

Under Ma Xuan’s command, Cong Na and the others began to focus their fire on Che Yufei, aiming to eliminate him first.

Shi Huaiyu and his companions reacted to this shift with immediate precision.

Ma Xuan observed their movements, murmuring, "Trying to reinforce Che Yufei?"

"It is futile; given the disparity in strength and numbers, such reinforcements will only lead to you being picked off one by one."

Yet, as Ma Xuan watched their formation pivot, he raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Moving to surround Cong Na?"

"Are you attempting to strike where we must defend, turning passivity into initiative?"

"Do you believe that if we drive back Che Yufei, you can drive back Cong Na, forcing us to retreat in defense?"

Watching Shi Huaiyu’s maneuvers, Ma Xuan let out a cold laugh, unhurriedly churning the swirling dust as he directed his team to continue stretching the front lines.

As the two sides grappled and clashed, the battlefield elongating, Ma Xuan’s gaze suddenly sharpened: "This is the moment."

He abruptly whipped up a massive wall of earth, casting it downward like an inverted bowl, then invoked the art of hardening the ground to solidify and reinforce the dome.

Trapped within this earthen vessel, alongside Che Yufei, were Ma Xuan, Yang Yan, Bu Ziran, and Ji Susu.

Throughout the shifting skirmish, Ma Xuan had been hunting for this exact opening—a chance to isolate an opponent by severing the battlefield with his hardened earth.

Now, within the barrier, he and his three allies surrounded Che Yufei.

Outside the wall, Ji Yuanshu would lead Cong Na in a high-speed retreat, denying Shi Huaiyu’s quartet any chance to surround them.

As for breaking the barrier...

"Even if the four of them strike with all their might, it will take at least twenty seconds to shatter the wall I have fortified."

"And twenty seconds..."

Looking at Che Yufei before him, Ma Xuan thought, "Is more than enough to defeat this pauper a thousand times over."

Yet, Ma Xuan knew that in this competition, killing was forbidden.

Thus, he simply commanded, "Crush his hands and feet."

Simultaneously, he addressed Che Yufei, "If you do not wish to be pulverized, surrender now."

If the opponent yielded, they could save both time and spiritual energy.

But faced with the threat, Che Yufei merely offered a faint smile and charged forward.

Seeing this, Bu Ziran snorted, lunging ahead and spitting out a torrent of lung-metal sword qi.

"A pauper on the brink of death dares to enter this competition?"

The other three followed suit, launching a coordinated assault upon Che Yufei.

Yet, as their sword qi and aura collided, Bu Ziran felt a strange, chilling familiarity in the opponent’s energy.

"It’s you!"

Under the weight of their combined assault, Che Yufei’s body twisted and warped under the immense pressure, shedding its disguise to reveal the face of Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu looked at the four of them and said calmly, "With such obvious maneuvering, did you think we wouldn't see through it?"

Ma Xuan’s brow furrowed. "Did Shi Huaiyu realize my intent and deliberately position 'Che Yufei' to lure us into this trap?"

"They must have used the dust to mask the forms of Zhang Yu and Che Yufei, allowing Zhang Yu to take on his appearance..."

Elsewhere, the moment the barrier rose and severed the two worlds, the "Zhang Yu" standing outside felt his Formless Cloud Aura dissipate, revealing the true Che Yufei.

As for their rankings and Foundation Establishment domains, both sides had long since deactivated them to hide their tracks.

His thoughts racing, Ma Xuan stared at Zhang Yu, ideas flashing like lightning.

"During the first half, I had to maintain the distant Small Triad, making it difficult to strike Zhang Yu with full force."

"But now, I control the earth beneath my feet with the Small Triad; I can maintain the barrier while unleashing my full power upon Zhang Yu without restraint."

"And Zhang Yu is certainly not at his peak; given the limited rest, how much of his spiritual energy and physical damage could he have recovered?"

"So... should we press our advantage, strike with everything we have, and see if we can crush Zhang Yu once and for all?"