No Chance to Pull That Trick (Continued)

Yu Shuying urged, "No need, the result is the same anyway, let's finish quickly and call it a day."

Si Ming, "Yes, yes. Even if the result is the same, the process is also very important. We can't just focus on winning or losing; we also need to value the spirit of the game. Anyway, it won't make a difference if we lose a little more time."

Si Ming would never fall into the trap of having the protagonist expend a lot of energy (at least it seems that way) to defeat a powerful enemy, which would embolden other villains who initially thought they had no chance of winning, making them think they might be able to step in and win, only to be proven wrong in the end.

Never try to take advantage of your opponent, strive for fairness as much as possible, and even play the victim to avoid giving them the satisfaction of a humiliating defeat. This is the only way to avoid being tricked.

Yu Shuying glanced at her sideways and said disdainfully, "Are you scared?"

A hot-blooded young man might not have been able to handle it, but Si Ming was also skilled in sarcasm, so how could he be easily provoked? He decisively backed down.

"Just consider it me being scared. Anyway, as a guy, I would never take advantage of a girl. There's no use in you urging me anymore. Get some rest. If you really have to go home urgently, we can always fight again tomorrow."

Yu Shuying stared at Si Ming with an Anomalies look for a while before giving up the idea of urging him to hurry up. She then came down from the arena and went to rest to the side.

"Junior Brother Ming, are you deliberately stalling for time? Is there some tactic you're using?"

Ke Chajing suspended the team's training and specially allowed the players to watch the game, hoping for a quick victory and no wasting time.

There's no particular tactic; we just don't want to take advantage of others.

"Don't be ridiculous. Although the battle was intense, neither of them used their ultimate moves. They were restrained in their attacks, so their internal True Qi consumption was minimal, and no one was injured. Plus, the entire battle only lasted seven minutes, so the physical exertion was negligible." Ke Chajing didn't believe it at all.

Si Ming thought for a moment and decided that he should survey the audience's opinions to estimate his chances of winning, so he asked, "Senior Sister, who do you think has a better chance of winning if I go on stage?"

Ke Chajing pondered, "Although this transfer student defeated Murong, she wasn't the strongest, and was even slightly weaker. She only managed to turn the tide at the last moment with a clever idea, so you could say she won by sheer luck. As long as you play steadily and cautiously, and don't rush things, you shouldn't have a hard time winning."

Hu Jixian slowly approached and said, "I asked Junior Sister Murong, and she was ultimately defeated because the opponent's True Qi attribute happened to conflict with her Internal Cultivation, causing her to be unable to recover her energy in time and thus being forced back from the arena. Based on this, I estimate that the opponent's True Qi should be fire-attribute, and it won't have any effect on you."

Tao Chengsi, who was not far away, also came over and agreed, saying, "Judging from the battle just now, this girl also uses a variety of techniques, but she doesn't have a way to break through defenses. Her whip technique is never known for its strength. With your external martial arts skills, you don't need to worry about getting injured at all. You can just close your eyes and fight wildly. Just be careful not to step off the stage."

Si Ming thought to himself, "Damn it, do you guys have a grudge against me? You're all jumping out to jinx me. It's going to be hard for me not to lose now."

"... Is this the general opinion?"

Tao Chengsi thought for a moment and said, "Although some people think that girl still has a trump card, the vast majority of people are more optimistic about you. After all, everyone has seen your external martial arts skills and can't think of any reason why you would lose. Someone over there has opened a betting pool, and the odds of you winning are one-sixth of your opponent's."

"... You're making me want to bet money on them to win." Si Ming was on the verge of tears.

Ke Chajing asked curiously, "What, you don't want everyone to have high hopes for you? You want to be the other way around and have everyone doubt you before you're satisfied?"

"Where there is oppression, there is resistance. The more popular something is, the lower its chances of success. Playing dumb to outmaneuver others is the only way to win in the long run."

"That's ridiculous! You're just pretending to be weak to fool everyone. According to you, all the famous masters are weak, and the nobody is the strongest?" Ke Chajing couldn't understand this logic. "How about we arrange a venue that doesn't allow you to perform well, or you can just wear weights to the fight? That way, no one will be optimistic about you."

"Uh... then I'd better not."

Si Ming thought about it carefully for a while and reluctantly rejected the tempting offer. Although according to the usual strategy, the less favored one is, the better one's chances of winning, there was no reason to deliberately increase the difficulty. Doing so would be too foolish.

Besides, it was just a friendly match between classmates. Losing wasn't a big deal. He wasn't the kind of invincible, undefeated big shot who couldn't afford to lose.

A short while later, Yu Shuying stepped onto the arena, looked at Si Ming, "I'm rested enough, can we begin now?"

You don't use weapons?

"You're empty-handed too, I won't take advantage of you."

"I'd love for you to take advantage of me more."

Si Ming stepped onto the stage, stood opposite Yu Shuying, and asked, "Do you really want to sit in that position?"

In front of everyone, he couldn't directly say the word "Grandmaster," so he had to use a metaphor instead.

"I'd rather have a mediocre person sit in that position than let an incompetent one."

So, you yourself didn't actually want to sit there that much?

"... Enough with the nonsense, let's get started."

Yu Shuying struck the gong with a palm strike from a distance, producing a metallic ringing sound. Then, she drew her fingers together like a sword and swiftly stabbed towards Si Ming's throat, while the referee beside the gong remained completely bewildered.

Si Ming stood still, circulating his True Qi in both palms, but not releasing it.

He knew very well that if he threw this punch, his opponent would definitely dodge in advance. Rather than that, it would be better to wait until Yu Shuying's sword finger touched his throat and his Movement Method was affected by the recoil before counterattacking. In this way, the chances of hitting him would be higher.

However, just as he had this thought, he saw Yu Shuying change her move midway, turning her fingers into a palm and her footwork also changing, as if an antelope had turned into a flying eagle. She stretched out her palm and slapped his chest, without exerting any force, but instead borrowed the force from him, and her whole body soared up. In mid-air, she suddenly raised her knee and slammed it straight into his face.

The human face is densely covered with nerves and is extremely sensitive, especially the nose, which is particularly vulnerable. Although Si Ming's Jade-Clad Dharma Body has no blind spots, it is not indestructible all over. When his face was hit by a knee, he immediately felt a soreness spreading along his nerves. Even though he was not seriously injured, his body instinctively retreated.

While in mid-air, Yu Shuying used a move called "Heaven and Earth Spin," her body spinning wildly as she plummeted from the sky. At the same time, her palms moved like drifting catkins, her demeanor graceful, striking Si Ming one move after another with the speed of the wind and the sharpness of an axe.

Si Ming's Jade-Clad Dharma Body is immune to external attacks. Even if he stands still and doesn't understand, Yu Shuying's cultivation level wouldn't be able to truly harm him.

But at this moment, Si Ming was surprised to find that the opponent's palm technique was quite strange. It was clearly not very lethal, but it had a kind of yin force that pushed forward. The Jade Jade-Clad Dharma Body was both soft and hard, and it was unable to neutralize it. Its body was involuntarily pushed backward.

"Auspicious Snow Abundant Spirit Palm!"

Hu Jixian, sitting in the audience, instantly recognized the palm technique Yu Shuying used and guessed her tactic. "The Auspicious Snow Abundant Spirit Palm, like the Frost-Defying Plum Fist, is a martial art for health preservation. It has little offensive power and is useless in a life-or-death duel. However, in a ring match, as long as you force your opponent back off the ring, you win. This is the same tactic as the last round."

In the previous round, Murong Qing was not seriously injured, but was forced off the stage and lost.

Si Ming felt as if he were trapped in thick snow. Although he was not injured, his movements were restricted and he was not free. He was helplessly wrapped by the soft palm force and was forced to retreat. He was about to leave the edge of the arena.

He suddenly raised his leg and stomped on the ground, one foot sinking into the ground like an old tree taking root, forcibly stopping his retreat. Then, his Blazing Sun True Qi surged forth, transforming into a Drought God Palm strike to meet him head-on.

The Drought God Palm is inspired by the drought Nüba, also known as the Drought Demon. The Drought Demon is said to be tyrannical and burning, and its imagery is just right to counter the Auspicious Snow Auspicious Snow Abundant Spirit Palm. The dry and fiery energy of the drought demon can instantly melt the accumulated snow and break through the palm force.

Yu Shuying dodged backward, her feet sliding to Si Ming's left side. Her soft palm pressed down again, but this time she knew Si Ming's foot was stuck in the ground and couldn't keep up with her movements.