An Arrow from the Gods (Continued)

Mei Yan wielded a whip in her right hand like a raging python, blocking Liu Qingqing's space to dodge and gradually forcing her into a desperate situation. With her left hand, she conjured an ice whip to block the counterattack arrows. Her offense and defense were well-organized, and she could advance and retreat freely.

"It's useless. Although your ability to conceal your presence is superb, it's only effective at the beginning. Once locked onto by my aura, you can forget about disappearing from my sight!"

Liu Qingqing's low profile makes her easy to overlook. This talent works extremely well in a crowd. Whenever an opponent is distracted, they will find that they have lost sight of Liu Qingqing. However, in a one-on-one situation, the effect becomes much weaker. After all, her talent is to avoid being noticed, not to weaken others' attention. Being unnoticed is the prerequisite. Once the prerequisite is broken, she becomes useless.

Fortunately, Liu Qingqing did not intend to rely solely on her talent, or rather, she never took her talent into consideration.

"As you can see, the situation in the battle is quite clear. In terms of overall strength, Liu Qingqing is a notch below Mei Yan. Her evasion is passive, not active, so she is losing the initiative. Previously, she would counterattack three out of every ten moves, but now she can hardly see any counterattacks. Obviously, she is forced to focus all her energy on dodging, leaving no time to counterattack, and her space for dodging is constantly being compressed."

Lulu's lips moved like a machine as she rapidly provided commentary on the match, her tone remarkably serious, devoid of her usual cutesy manner, showcasing her professionalism as a host. This impressed her assistant, Mantou, who remarked that Lulu's status as a top host was clearly not solely based on feigned cuteness.

The pace of martial arts competitions is extremely fast, even faster than a 100-meter sprint. Sometimes, the speed of speaking can't keep up with the changes in the battle. Every commentator who talks about martial arts competitions practices having a fast tongue, which is a basic skill. Otherwise, you might say that the first player hit the second player with the Hundred-Rending Fist, but in the actual match, the second player might hit the first player with the Big Dipper Adamant Palm Wave.

Undeterred by defeat, Mantou immediately sprang into action, keeping up with the commentator's pace. "Liu Qingqing's speed is slowing down, apparently affected by the cold. Mei Yan's ice whip isn't just for defense; she's also using it to release cold energy, subtly influencing her opponent. This is a tactic she often uses, unless the opponent also cultivates cold-attribute internal Internal Cultivation. But judging from Liu Qingqing's performance, she's clearly not one of them. Now, her only hope for a comeback lies in that arrow shot into the sky earlier. Was it a feint or a preemptive strike? Lulu, what do you think?"

"Neither method will work. Based on my understanding of Mei Yan, she's the kind of person who's rough on the outside but shrewd on the inside. She'll definitely be on guard. The advantage of 'hidden attacks' lies in the opponent's ignorance, but when Liu Qingqing's arrow was seen by her opponent, she already lost that advantage. Now her chances are slim, and there's no way to turn the tide... Here it comes! Everyone, don't blink, the decisive moment has arrived!"

A sudden whooshing sound came from above the arena; it was the arrow that Liu Qingqing had shot into the sky earlier, now spiraling downwards, its target Mei Yan, perfectly timed and unbiased.

"A guaranteed hit Divine Arts, right? I knew it!"

Mei Yan didn't look up. Relying on her hearing to pinpoint the location, she switched between offense and defense with her left and right hands. Her left hand used an ice whip to strike Liu Qingqing, while her right hand used a leather strap that soared into the air like a dragon, striking the arrow falling from above with perfect precision.

Bang!

The arrows exploded the moment they were struck by the whip, as if they were filled with gunpowder, sending out gusts of fierce wind.

Mei Yan's heart skipped a beat as she realized she had fallen into a trap. She immediately withdrew her double whips and swirled them around her body like two snakes coiling together. The True Qi gathered on the whips surged continuously, forming a unique protective aura. The wind that struck the whips made a clanging sound.

"As long as we can weather this storm..."

Mei Yan had this thought, she suddenly sensed a surge of power from the person opposite her, and a chilling Sword Intent erupted from them.

"Illusory Moth Sword Tribulation!"

Liu Qingqing drew her fingers together like a sword, gathering a point of Sword-Ray at her fingertips. Her figure appeared in an instant, striking the protective aura. The Sword Qi broke through the defense the moment it touched the protective aura, ignoring all obstacles, and flew past Mei Yan's cheek.

At this moment, if Mei Yan had a thicker skin, she could have pretended that the opponent's attack was deflected by her own defense, and then launched a counterattack. With the two of them less than two meters apart, as long as she swung her double whips, Liu Qingqing would have no way to avoid it.

However, she wasn't that kind of person after all. She lowered her whips and sighed, "I've lost."

Liu Qingqing said, "Thank you for your kind offer."

"There's no question of giving way or not; if you're simply less skilled, there's nothing more to say."

Mei Yan snorted and turned to the referee, who was still confused, yelling, "What are you staring at? Announce the verdict now!"

"Huh? Oh," the referee exclaimed, as if waking from a dream, and quickly walked to the center of the ring, announcing loudly, "The winner of the first match is Liu Qingqing!"

Upon hearing the result, the audience erupted in uproar. Some were surprised by the dramatic turn of events, some were overjoyed at winning their bets, and others cursed those who lost.

Mantou, sitting in front of the camera, felt awkward. He had just said he didn't think Liu Qingqing would win, but he was proven wrong in the blink of an eye. He didn't know what to say for a moment.

"An unexpected result! Liu Qingqing's incredible comeback! Everyone saw it, right? Liu Qingqing's amazing move turned the tide of the battle!" Lulu exclaimed in shock, "I wonder how many viewers in front of the TV felt the same way as me, but that's the nature of martial arts. It's always full of unpredictable variables. It's not always the stronger side that wins, which is why it's so captivating and mesmerizing."

Mantou glanced at him sideways. Just now, you were the one who misled everyone into thinking that Liu Qingqing was going to lose. How come you're now the one who was misled, standing on the same side as the audience? Your shamelessness is truly... something I should learn from.

"Sister Lulu, I have a question. I just saw contestant Liu Qingqing use Divine Arts to enhance her arrows. Is that against the rules?"

"It's prohibited in Martial Dao League for those under sixteen, but it doesn't matter for those over sixteen. This is because Divine Arts have little advantage in arena matches, especially in one-on-one situations. The arena is limited, making it impossible to create distance and release the spell slowly. For adults, unless they have particularly poor agility, they can completely interrupt their opponent's powerful Divine Arts before they can unleash them. If it's a weaker, quick-cast Divine Arts, they can use their True Qi to counteract it. You saw in the fight just now that Liu Qingqing first used maple leaves to block Mei Yan's vision, buying herself time to cast her Divine Arts. If she had cast it while facing Mei Yan head-on, she probably wouldn't have had time."

Divine Arts are different from Law Technique. Law Technique can be cast in a shorter time as one's cultivation level increases, sometimes even becoming instantaneous. However, the casting time of Divine Arts is always fixed. The more powerful the Divine Arts, the longer it takes to cast, and it has nothing to do with the caster's cultivation level.

Mantou nodded, as if accepting instruction, and said, "I understand. In the youth group under the age of sixteen, because everyone's physical fitness is not strong enough, neither their speed nor their Internal Cultivation has reached its peak. When facing Divine Arts that can strike from a distance, they will inevitably fall into a disadvantage. As for adults, they can quickly cross the distance and enter close combat, so the long-range advantage of Divine Arts does not exist, and the casting time becomes a disadvantage. This is why we rarely see anyone using Divine Arts in the Martial Dao League."

He already knew these principles, but it was the break between the two games, so he had to find something to chat about to pass the time. Otherwise, if the two hosts just stood there dumbly in front of the camera without saying a word, the audience would have complaints.

"You understand correctly. As you get older, what used to be an advantage will become a disadvantage, or the advantage will be negated. For example, weapons are the same principle. In the junior group, the use of weapons is sometimes restricted. Unless the opponent agrees, you can only fight bare-handed because every inch counts. If you have a sword, even if it's just a wooden sword, it's a big advantage. But in the adult group, the difference between having a weapon and not having one is not that big. Unless you have a divine weapon, your opponent is not afraid to catch your weapon with their bare hands."

"Hey, wouldn't this be fair to those martial artists who are skilled with swords? For example, they can usually use the blade to force their opponents back, but now that their weapons have been replaced with unsharpened ironwood swords, they've lost their threat, and their opponents can simply grab the blade and force them to withdraw."

"Fool, of course you should unleash your Sword Qi at this time! If you use Sword Qi to repel the enemy, no one will think it's unfair. If you can't even unleash your Sword Qi, then you shouldn't use a sword at all, or you'll be ridiculed."

"Sigh, it seems someone like me can't use weapons then. Lulu, who do you think each side will send out for the second match?"

"It's hard to say about the Second Martial Arts Club, but the Glacier Martial Arts School will likely send the Raging Saber and Ice Sword and Ice Sword duo. Song Caishuang and Song Xiaoshuang are twin sisters who grew up together and have far better teamwork than others. It's said they have a telepathic connection. Moreover, one practices the Raging River Saber Art Technique, and the other the Fierce Ice Sword Art. These two unique skills complement each other, and when used together, they can unleash tremendous power. They are the Glacier Martial Arts School's ace duo. If the Second Martial Arts Club doesn't take them seriously, their undefeated record might be broken."

As the two chatted and joked, the second match was about to begin. The athletes from both sides started warming up and going on stage. However, instead of the Song sisters, Glacier Martial Arts School sent Song Caishuang and Captain Liang Fan.

Mantou said in surprise, "Sister Lulu, you guessed wrong. The Glacier Martial Arts School didn't send Raging Saber and Ice Sword."

After her initial surprise, Lulu quickly recovered and explained, "It seems that the Glacier Martial Arts School is planning to win by surprise. Everyone thought they would send out the Song sisters, but they did the opposite. In this way, even if their opponents thoroughly study their fighting style, they will be at a loss against this new combination. And most importantly, Liang Fan of 'Snow-Drinking Sword' also knows the Fierce Ice Sword Art, so there is no problem with coordination. Therefore, the Glacier Martial Arts School has made a brilliant move."

Mantou nodded and said, "I see. Let's take a look at the selections for the Second Martial Arts Club... Hmm, there's a newcomer. The Second Martial Arts Club has sent the Sword-Wielding Mad Hero 'Chen Shimi' and a female martial artist named Hongdou. According to the information, Hongdou has always been a substitute, and today is her first time appearing as a regular. Sending a newcomer as a substitute in such an important competition, what do you think, Sister Lulu?"

Lulu was silent for a moment, and after a brief analysis, she said in a solemn tone, "Perhaps today we will see the true strength of the Sword-Wielding Mad Hero. Viewers in front of the TV, please keep your eyes wide open and don't miss it. We might just witness a spectacular one-on-two battle."

"Oh—it seems the Second Martial Arts Club has a lot of confidence in the Sword-Wielding Mad Hero's strength, believing that even with a newcomer who's holding them back, they can still defeat the Glacier Martial Arts School's ace team. Let's wait and see what the outcome will be."

The director quickly switched the camera to the one pointed at the ring and then made a gesture to the two hosts.

Mantou let out a long sigh of relief, and his whole body relaxed. He was about to drink some water to moisten his throat when he was hit on the calf. When he turned around, he saw Lulu's hateful face filled with negative emotions.

"What did you mean just now, huh?"

"Uh... I don't understand what you mean, Lulu?"

"It was that one line, 'Sister Lulu, you guessed wrong,' huh? Do you even know how to talk? At that moment, you should have said, 'Sister Lulu, we guessed wrong.' As an assistant, you should learn to cover for the main host. What are you trying to do by specifically pointing out my mistake? Are you trying to rebel?"