Wily Defense

"Isn't that the Tianxia Association's turtle shell? Who is he fighting?"

"It's Mr. Yun, Lu Jin's disciple. He practices the path of material transformation."

"Oh, then this will be interesting! A war of spear and shield!"

Discussions were happening all over the viewing stands. It seemed that after he defeated Lu Linglong with his 'Iron Turtle,' he had attracted quite a bit of attention.

As the shout of "Match start!" rang out, Yun stepped forward, Heaven Measuring Ruler slashing straight down.

"Clang~"

Clad in the Armor of Toughness, he crossed his arms and steadily blocked the probing attack.

[Strength check performed on you, check passed. You blocked the opponent's attack.]

[Tenacity triggered, Iron Wall triggered. You took 0 damage.]

His expression changed. He parried the Heaven Measuring Ruler, dodged a thrust to the side, and quickly retreated.

This attack wasn't without damage; it had merely been negated by the Armor of Toughness. He had to be careful.

But he hadn't run a few steps before he was caught up to. A foot of Qi Mang suddenly appeared above the Three-foot Green Edge.

With Qi Mang activated, the Heaven Measuring Ruler hooked downwards. With a pull and a drag, he was yanked in front of Yun, cold light flashing.

The Heaven Measuring Ruler spat Qi Mang. Yun moved with the sword, executing a close-range spinning slash with the Heaven Measuring Ruler.

[Your Health decreased by 5%.]

[Stamina check performed on you. Stamina 10. You resisted being launched.]

[Armor of Toughness Durability -10]

"Chichichi~"

After two sounds, a bloodline appeared on the Heaven Measuring Ruler, and crimson droplets fell.

He stumbled a few steps, escaping the Heaven Measuring Ruler's attack range. Several long, shocking dents appeared on his chest armor.

"What a beautiful Curved Ruler, what a swift Zhi Chi Qing Hui, what a sharp Heaven Measuring Ruler!"

He struggled to steady himself, his gaze towards Yun becoming solemn. In that instant, he hadn't even had time to activate the Golden Bell Shield.

Not only had the Armor of Toughness's defense been broken, but he had also endured triple damage reduction. Even so, he was still injured. This attack power was truly formidable.

"Your Excellency's defense is indeed strong. It's no wonder Miss Linglong lost."

Yun tightened his grip on the Heaven Measuring Ruler. Beneath the mask, his eyes darkened slightly.

He still remembered seeing Lu Linglong again after the match. Her defeated expression. That's why he hadn't held back with his attack this time.

But even though he had landed a hit, he hadn't gained much advantage.

First, the "Curved Ruler" hadn't been able to reel the opponent in. The "Zhi Chi Qing Hui" attack had landed, but it hadn't launched him. This person's body was quite heavy.

The feeling of the slash also felt wrong, as if he had cut through layer after layer of hard rubber.

On the other side, in the viewing stands.

"Xiao Hua, how's the analysis coming along?"

Xi craned his neck, watching the match. Seeing the two chasing each other in the arena, occasionally clashing, he looked worriedly at Zhi Jinhua.

"Based on the current situation, Yun's speed and reflexes are superior to the opponent's. Although his attacks are shallow, they are effective. If the opponent has no other means, Yun has an 80% chance of winning!"

Zhi Jinhua, covered in wounds, analyzed calmly and accurately. After speaking, she raised her eyes slightly.

Meanwhile, Feng Xingtong on the other side looked somewhat awkwardly at Feng Shayan.

He didn't know why his older sister was watching such an unusually boring match, and for the entire duration.

While Mr. Ode's artifact forging was good, the combat itself was rather lackluster. Anyone with eyes could see that Mr. Ode was going to lose!

Feng Shayan, however, stared intently at the arena, her gaze locked onto the figure being beaten and scrambling for cover.

"Clang, clang, clang~"

Yun suddenly lunged with 'Xian Yun Chu Xiu,' thrusting several times in rapid succession, forcing Wang Changle to retreat repeatedly. Bloodstains dotted the Qi Mang of his thrusts.

While airborne, a flash of blood suddenly appeared, and his figure vanished. The situation changed abruptly.

For a moment, only Yun remained alone in the arena.

Yun pushed off the ground, targeting the spot where he had disappeared, and unleashed a crescent slash. The blade swept through, creating ripples in the air, but there was nothing there.

Yun then looked up at Master Xingye, but saw no reaction from him.

That meant this person was still on the field!

"Sis, where's Brother Ode? How did he disappear into thin air? Is it some kind of illusion?"

Feng Xingtong's pupils contracted as he witnessed the sudden change on the field. Yun was the only one left in the arena, and the atmosphere was eerie.

"He's still on the field. Hold your breath and listen carefully; you should be able to hear him."

Feng Shayan's eyes darted around, as if she could perceive the movement of some object. Feng Xingtong listened intently and indeed detected faint sounds.

Feng Shayan's expression was a little strange. This person wasn't just talking nonsense earlier; he really had other tricks up his sleeve. But why did the commotion sound so weird?

Off the stage, he had consumed 15% of his Health to conceal his presence. He was indeed moving at a uniform speed on the stage, a movement called strolling.

Although he had no speed boost, as long as he didn't attack, wasn't attacked, or made too much noise, he would be fine.

Remaining still in one spot was too easy to detect; small movements could reduce the possibility of exposure.

With his perception, it wouldn't be easy for Yun to find him.

After watching the fight between Tie Maliu and Wang Ye, he knew that a pure head-on confrontation was not feasible. Even if the opponent couldn't break his defense in one hit, it would accumulate internal injuries.

Therefore, a war of attrition through hit-and-run tactics was most suitable for him, especially since his Stamina attribute was decent.

"Hua, where's that armored man? What kind of technique is this? Is it a Taoist illusion spell?"

Bai Shi Xue was also unsure. How did this person disappear into thin air? His Qi seemed to have vanished too.

"He's still on the stage, moving at a uniform speed with very small movements. Yun's breathing became heavier after fighting too fiercely, which is why he couldn't detect him."

Zhi Jinhua's lenses glinted as he stared at a spot on the stage, his tone becoming serious.

"This guy is quite clever. He focused on defense first, forcing Yun to expend his Stamina, then suddenly disappeared. He's recovering his Stamina while waiting for an opportunity to strike."

Liu Ergou walked over elegantly, propped up his chin, and raised an eyebrow after speaking.

"You call this clever?!"

Xi, the burly man from Shandong, was anxious due to his concern.

Yun, who had swung his weapon to no avail, stopped. He held his breath and concentrated, then dashed out with a tap of his toe.

"Sky Splitter~"

The Qi Mang on the Heaven Measuring Ruler blazed, and the three-foot green edge elongated to ten feet, its sharp blade stirring up wind and clouds.

"Fire Style - Great Fireball Jutsu"

A ball of orange-red flame erupted in the air with a "whoosh," charging towards the Qi blade.

The edge of the Heaven Measuring Ruler recoiled, the flame was sliced and scattered by the sword, and the Qi blade slashed across, hitting the wall with a "bang." The earthen wall shattered.

[Performing a Strength Check, check failed. Your Strength is temporarily reduced by 3 for 1 hour.]

[Performing a Stamina Check. Stamina exceeds 10 points. You are immune to being knocked airborne, but you suffer a knockback effect.]

[Health -20%]

[Armor of Toughness Durability -20]

[You have received secondary damage. Health reduced by 5%.]

He coughed and stood up, his hands trembling slightly and unable to exert force. Clear cracks ran across the armor on his arms.

It was evident that Mr. Yun's "Sky Splitter" attack was delivered with deadly intent.

Feng Shayan suddenly stood up, glanced at the somewhat disheveled figure, and abruptly turned to leave. This person was still holding back; it was truly boring!

"Sister, is this the skill of Brother Ode you were talking about? Hey, Sister, why are you leaving? Aren't you going to watch anymore? Wait for me..."

Feng Xingtong chased after his sister as she walked away. He glanced back one last time.

He saw that only Mr. Yun was on the stage again, and this time there was no sound.

He couldn't help but stop. He saw Mr. Yun, exhausted from the previous exertion, panting and constantly swinging the Heaven Measuring Ruler on the stage, but only the air rippled, achieving nothing.

Finally, Mr. Yun dejectedly conceded the match. Feng Xingtong suddenly noticed that the person was sitting motionless in a corner where he had started.

"The winner is Tianxia Association's Mal'Ganis Ode!"

Xingye, with drooping eyelids, glanced over and announced the match result.

[Side Quest: President's Investment, completed. Rewards have been issued.]

[Main Quest (2) Luotian Grand Ceremony Stage - 2. You have entered the top 16. Your ranking has improved, and your rewards have been increased.]

As Master Xingye announced, he also received a notification from Paradise and stumbled out of the arena.

"My god, this guy is too much of a coward! He just hid in the corner and didn't move."

"We had 'Shameless' Zhang Chulan before, and now we have 'Wily Defense' Mal'Ganis."

"I actually think this person is quite formidable. Combat isn't just about physical strength; what's wrong with being clever? It's just too sneaky."

"I heard he's even an executive of the Tianxia Association. The Tianxia Association is certainly making a name for itself now."

Feng Xingtong watched Wang Changle walk leisurely out of the stadium. Brother Ode's thick skin was truly comparable to Zhang Chulan's!

Amidst the discussions, his face couldn't help but fall. Now he understood why his sister left early. Such a reputation was better off without!