Chapter 381: Why Compete with No Money (Thanks to 'Angry Kitty')

Chapter 381: No Money, No Competition (Thanks to 'Angry Kitty' for the Guild Leader donation)

Ma Xuan’s mind raced, his thoughts coalescing into a swift decision.

"Very well. Let us seize this moment to crush Zhang Yu and force him out of the arena."

He immediately issued an order through the competition group: "Move! Use the method we discussed—force him to forfeit!"

After the first half concluded, Ma Xuan and his team had analyzed their combat experience, specifically focusing on their encounters with Zhang Yu, and had updated their tactical approach.

At this moment, relevant reflections flashed through Ma Xuan’s mind like lightning.

"Compared to his performance during his first training session six months ago, Zhang Yu has made leaps and bounds."

"Whether it is his base physical strength, mana capacity, combat technique, or the level of his Nine Heavens Cloud Void Force... everything far exceeds the past."

"The previous plans of knocking him away from a distance or suppressing him individually have proven ill-suited for this battle."

"Especially that level 20 Nine Heavens Cloud Void Force, capable of borrowing power for twenty strikes..."

Following the first half, Ma Xuan and his team had learned to treat Zhang Yu with absolute gravity.

Under these circumstances, Ma Xuan’s chosen strategy was, first and foremost, to reduce the power of each strike while increasing the sheer volume of attacks.

"No heavy blows; instead, unleash a barrage of rapid-fire strikes within a single unit of time."

"This way, the power of each individual hit is diminished, rendering his ability to borrow force ineffective."

"A relentless, torrential downpour of attacks will also drain Zhang Yu rapidly."

"Furthermore, long-range attacks are preferred to minimize the risk of being countered."

To facilitate this new strategy, Ma Xuan and the others had ordered deliveries before the second half began, replacing or augmenting their equipment.

"Also, the medium of the attack is crucial."

Ma Xuan opened his mouth, and streams of silver particles surged out, drenching the earth beneath his feet.

It was the 'Sand-Silver' he had ordered during the break.

Once mixed with soil, this material could vastly enhance the strength and resilience of the ground. Combined with his 'Small Tri-Unity' and 'Point Earth to Steel' techniques, it would significantly amplify the destructive power against Zhang Yu’s aura.

Though potent, the cost was far from trivial.

Ma Xuan had never intended to use such resources against Shi Huaiyu’s team.

He muttered to himself, "I wonder how much I can recover after this match ends."

Even as he thought, he activated the recording function of his ocular prosthesis, determined to salvage the Sand-Silver post-battle.

As the Sand-Silver infused the ground, a silver hue spread rapidly from the spot where Ma Xuan stood.

The next moment, Ma Xuan channeled his mana, and silver arms erupted from the earth beneath him.

The Small Tri-Unity controlled the soil and shaped it, Point Earth to Steel added rigidity, and the Sand-Silver further bolstered its strength and toughness.

The silver arms rose like branches, growing violently before lashing out at Zhang Yu with savage force.

Amidst the thunderous roar of displaced air, each palm struck like a siege hammer.

What began as a dozen limbs quickly swelled to dozens... then hundreds of silver arms—fists, palms, and fingers—descending upon Zhang Yu like a tempest.

This was the level 20 martial art 'Formless Thousand Hands,' powered by Ma Xuan’s Point Earth to Steel, Small Tri-Unity, and the Sand-Silver.

Facing this overwhelming assault, Zhang Yu let out a low grunt, immediately unfurling his Formless Cloud Aura in defense.

Accompanied by a series of rhythmic explosions, Zhang Yu’s aura surged and rippled like a stormy sea.

Feeling the relentless pressure of the onslaught, Zhang Yu thought, "Hmph... so you’ve found a tactic to counter the Nine Heavens Cloud Void Force?"

As Ma Xuan initiated his attack, the other three joined in.

During the break, Yang Yan had equipped a newly rented heart-type dharma prosthesis and hand-type dharma prosthesis.

As the heart prosthesis pulsed violently, mana flooded into it, transforming into surges of electric charge that instantly saturated his entire circulatory system.

Simultaneously, he tapped his fingertips, and the blood flow, accelerated by the electromagnetic force of his hand prosthesis, triggered the built-in level 20 martial art 'Flick of the Blood-Shock.'

In the next instant, blood-shadows crackling with electricity erupted from his body, raining down upon Zhang Yu like a torrential downpour.

Each blood-thunder consumed mana, reinforced and accelerated by the heart and hand prostheses, and propelled by the level 20 Flick of the Blood-Shock.

However, because the prostheses were rented, each blood-thunder cost 0.02 spirit coins.

Watching the bill climb on his ocular display, Yang Yan’s fighting spirit soared. He roared internally, "Zhang Yu! Get the hell out of here already!"

Driven by this fervor, Yang Yan felt his heart prosthesis beat faster, the bill on his display rising in tandem, which in turn fueled his fighting spirit through his internal cultivation method.

This was all within Yang Yan’s expectations; he had always relied on rented prostheses.

It was a way to flaunt his wealth while simultaneously using the mounting bill to ignite his combat drive.

For when using rented equipment, one must operate them with maximum efficiency to save on rent.

And to complete the same task while paying less rent—was that not a form of profit in itself?

Every time he thought of this, his internal cultivation accelerated, stimulating even greater fighting spirit, raw power, and sharper cognition... Meanwhile, on the other side, Ji Susu also made her move.

To better deal with Zhang Yu, a change in tactics was required.

But for this competition, the senior student Ji Susu had already exhausted her savings over the past month to bolster her strength.

Seeing Ma Xuan and Yang Yan ordering equipment without hesitation, Ji Susu had no choice but to take out a loan to rent a hand prosthesis, replacing her original one.

The hand prosthesis, known as the 'Empty Roar Sword,' absorbed and compressed air into bolts of air-thunder upon mana infusion.

These were then wrapped in aura to fire off 'Air-Blast Sword' beams.

Because it was a temporary rental, the cost was exorbitant, and knowing it was for the competition, she was denied any insurance.

Since the start of the battle, Ji Susu had been meticulously protecting her hand prosthesis, checking the durability display from time to time.

The durability had already dropped from 95% at the start to 94%.

Durability was an estimated value based on the cumulative wear and tear of the prosthesis.

Generally, once durability fell below 20%, severe malfunctions occurred; below 10%, it would cease to function, and at 0%, it was a total loss.

Ji Susu knew well that for this rented Empty Roar Sword, every 10% drop in durability triggered a sharp increase in maintenance fees.

She resolved in her heart: "I must end this battle before the durability drops to 85%."

At that moment, Ji Susu channeled her mana, invoking her hard-cultivated level 15 'Crimson Fire Aura,' and poured it into the prosthesis, firing a barrage of flaming Air-Blast Swords at Zhang Yu.

Amidst the booming explosions, a series of Formless Warriors charged out, intercepting the Air-Blast Swords and triggering violent detonations.

Amidst the surging heatwaves and gales, Bu Ziran finally unleashed the sword energy he had been hoarding.

During the break, every time Bu Ziran recalled the humiliation he suffered at Zhang Yu’s hands in the first half, a wave of stifled rage would rise in his chest.

To better restrain Zhang Yu in the second half, he had first switched the output mode of his lung-type dharma prosthesis from the standard 'Lung-Metal Sword Energy' to the 'Geng-Metal Ox-Hair Sword Energy.'

He had also replaced his hand prosthesis with one capable of high-speed sword techniques, known as 'Swift Sword.'

But because Swift Sword was a backup he rarely used and had never properly maintained, its self-diagnosed durability was only 33%.

Noticing this, Bu Ziran frowned slightly, thinking, "It doesn't matter. This battle shouldn't wear it down too much; I’ll find time to repair it afterward."

At this very moment, Bu Ziran used his lung prosthesis to propel the Geng-Metal Ox-Hair Sword Energy into his right-hand Swift Sword, unleashing the level 15 martial art 'Heavenly Waterfall Sword.'

In a fleeting heartbeat, golden sword auras cascaded like a celestial river turned upside down, weaving a tapestry of intersecting filaments that poured relentlessly toward Zhang Yu.

In this singular moment, Zhang Yu faced the gravest peril of the entire day’s battle.

Whether it was Ma Xuan’s Thousand Faceless Hands, Yang Yan’s Blood-Startling Flick, Ji Susu’s Explosive Air Sword, or Bu Ziran’s Heavenly Waterfall Sword—each had been augmented by diverse materials, dharma remains, and secret arts, pushing their power far beyond the limits of their original forms.

Worse still, against this continuous, overwhelming deluge of attacks, his Nine Heavens Void Force seemed suddenly rendered useless.

As his protective aura shuddered and withered under the strain, sword beams, tongues of flame, blood-red lightning, and silver palms tore through his formless clouds, slamming violently into his body.

In the blink of an eye, a dozen gashes marred his flesh, leaving him drenched in his own blood.

If only I had Xiao Qingxuan’s Twenty-Strike Nine-Dragon Heavenly Aura Palm in this state, he thought.

But Zhang Yu knew that while his Nine Heavens Void Force could redirect borrowed strength, that energy could only be held briefly within his void apertures, and at this moment, they contained no trace of the Nine-Dragon Palm.

Yet, observing the battlefield with his Three-Eyed Divine Sight, Zhang Yu remained preternaturally calm.

He whispered to himself, This passive defense cannot last; I must find a way to break through.

"Hah!"

With a thunderous roar, the formless clouds within him surged, expanding violently in every direction.

Simultaneously, phantom figures emerged from the sea of mist, charging outward in a desperate frenzy.

Bang, bang, bang, bang—one after another, the illusions were shattered under the combined assault of his four foes.

But Zhang Yu, hidden among them, seized the momentary distraction to lunge toward the nearest opponent, Bu Ziran.

Long-range attacks truly counter my style.

But they possess a fatal flaw: when I engage one of you in close quarters, your barrage must inevitably falter—or risk striking your own comrade.

If I am to suffer, then someone shall suffer alongside me.

Watching Bu Ziran scramble backward, Zhang Yu lunged forward with a savage grin.

As for why he chose this specific target, it was simply because Zhang Yu still remembered the way the man had flaunted his wealth in the competition group.

Fu Ji mused to herself, That boy Zhang Yu has always held a grudge against the rich.