Humiliation Rice Bowl (2-in-1)
King meets king.
Bai Xiaowen and Bao Yiming stood facing each other on the ring.
Although the bell had rung, neither of them was in a hurry to make a move—their Life Value, Divine Might, stamina, skill cooldowns, etc., were all in perfect condition, so there was no question of who would gain an advantage by stalling for time.
"Junior Bai... I heard you once defeated five students from Jiangnan University by yourself. You must be very strong in one-on-one combat." Bao Yiming said slowly.
What was the fat man trying to say? Bai Xiaowen nodded slightly in response. For some reason, she felt a little uncomfortable seeing Bao Yiming's serious expression.
"So, if I beat you, I'll be stronger than the entire Jiangnan University team?" Bao Yiming suddenly grinned. "That's interesting! I feel really motivated! Hahaha!"
Bao Yiming rubbed his hands together, cracked his neck, and clenched his fists, making a series of popping sounds as his momentum grew. However, at the same time, his goofy side returned...
"Senior Bao, may I ask you a question?" Bai Xiaowen asked.
"Go ahead and ask," Bao Yiming said readily.
"What do you hate the most?" Bai Xiaowen asked a seemingly irrelevant question.
Most people might question Bai Xiaowen's motives. But Bao Yiming didn't. He stroked his chin and thought for a moment, "Hmm, what I hate most... is being bombarded with PDA, right? I hate it when people show off their love in front of me. Junior Bai, you've done it to me more than once! You've reignited my anger, hahahaha..."
Bao Yiming's momentum surged once again!
"Oh, I see..."
Bai Xiaowen nodded thoughtfully.
"Stop dawdling, let's start! I'm so excited I can't contain myself!" Bao Yiming roared.
"Good."
Bai Xiaowen nodded, and with a rustling sound, she opened a magic book with comical faces drawn on it in her left hand.
At the same time, Bai Xiaowen spoke clearly and deliberately, enunciating each word:
"The dog food is so delicious!"
The three illusory dice rolled with a clatter, revealing Er-Er, and four—a total of eight. The Whispering Grimoire's Whispering skill activated, casting a random spell—a two-star, Greater Flame Tongue!
A thick tongue of fire shot out, suddenly engulfing Bao Yiming. But that wasn't the main point; the main point was...
Bao Yiming: "Ouch, hiss... the dog food is so delicious!"
--Note that the groaning and hissing sounds are natural reactions to being burned by fire...
After Bao Yiming said those words, he felt completely devastated... His previously accumulated momentum and fighting spirit melted away completely, like snow hitting boiling water.
He felt like he had eaten a huge bowl of humiliating rice!
On the other side, Bai Xiaowen, who had used the Whispering Grimoire to mess with Bao Yiming, was in a good mood. He raised his hand and summoned Butcher and Rageclaw, who surrounded Bao Yiming from the front and back. Butcher swung his cleaver, Rageclaw thrust out his Claw, causing blood to splatter all over Bao Yiming.
"Ughhhhh!"
Finally emerging from the shadow of humiliation, Bao Yiming roared to the sky, "Junior Brother Bai, you're courting death!"
Savage Charge activated!
The Butcher staggered and was knocked back, while Rageclaw nimbly leaped to dodge—blocking was useless, he would definitely be knocked back or sent flying.
Bao Yiming launched this Savage Charge primarily to force Bai Xiaowen to Talisman Switching. If Bai Xiaowen uses Intimidation, with a priority of 6, Bao Yiming will not be affected.
It's worth mentioning that the Savage Charge skill itself is a two-star skill with an additional priority of 2 points. Bao Yiming, as Hero Class, has a base priority of 4, so the level of immunity to control is increased to 6 or below, making it more powerful compared to Li Shuyi's Savage Charge, which is Elite Class.
Bai Xiaowen himself doesn't have any movement skills—it's obvious that the Tether skill requires a teammate to activate. Therefore, Bao Yiming is certain that Bai Xiaowen will use the Talisman Switching!
However... Bao Yiming's plan failed once again.
Just as Bao Yiming was about to crash into him, a chain flew out from the side with a clang, wrapped around Bai Xiaowen twice, and dragged him into the air! It was the Butcher, who had activated his Meat Hook!
Step, step, step...
Bao Yiming rushed forward for thirty or forty meters before stopping, his chubby face flushed red.
The Butcher's hook is less effective than the squad's Tether ability when used to rescue allies, because the Meat Hook's projectile speed isn't particularly fast, requiring lead time calculation, and the range is relatively short.
The Tether skill, once activated, allows the target teammate to "fly across the battlefield," and the range is quite large!
Of course, the Butcher's hook is mainly used as an offensive skill to deal with enemies, making it a well-rounded weapon for both offense and defense.
Bao Yiming's Charge attack missed, and his frustration was palpable. He turned around and accelerated again, rushing towards Bai Xiaowen like a Wuling Hongguang minivan at its maximum capacity, leaving clear footprints on the arena floor.
The Butcher strode forward.
Seeing the Butcher casts a shadow over Bao Yiming's mind. In the previous match, his performance was largely limited by the Butcher, resulting in a mediocre showing. In the narrow passageway, he really had no way to deal with a Butcher who was immune to throws and takedowns.
However, things are different now; the arena is more spacious. Although Bao Yiming isn't very agile, it's impossible for Bai Xiaowen to freeze his performance using the Butcher.
Just as the Butcher and Bao Yiming approached, Bai Xiaowen raised his hand again, and four Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier lined up on the left and right sides, forming an encirclement around Bao Yiming. The Bone Warlock appeared not far away, and after a brief casting animation, he Lightning Strike.
"Trying to create a narrow terrain with Skeleton Soldier and then replicate the tactics from last game to freeze me? Dream on!"
Bao Yiming snatched a Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier, raised it high, and hurled it at the Butcher in front of him. The Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier, infused with immense force, stiffened and slammed into the Butcher, knocking Butcher back four or five meters before coming to a stop.
That unfortunate Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier instantly turned into Bone Shatter and vanished.
Combat skill: Throw! Although the Butcher is immune to grappling techniques, the second-stage damage and impact of this throw are equally effective against him.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Bao Yiming suddenly activated the speed boost skill on his shoes, bypassing the Butcher and rushing towards Bai Xiaowen.
Bao Yiming had no interest in even glancing at the tough-skinned Butcher. In the previous battle, he had personally experienced the Butcher's health bar, which was abnormally thick, comparable to a tank-type Hero Class.
Bao Yiming's burst damage output is limited. To break through the encirclement, casting a throwing skill is already the limit. He knows that Bai Xiaowen and Rageclaw share Life Sharing and have equally amazing survivability, so he can't waste any more skills on the Butcher.
As long as he enters Bai Xiaowen's melee range and successfully lands the first grab, Bao Yiming is confident he can one-shot Bai Xiaowen!
Bai Xiaowen shook his head slightly, gently opened his palm, and a blue light Spell Talisman shot out, hitting Bao Yiming precisely and Imprisonment.
Bao Yiming reacted quickly, immediately using a control-removing item to instantly break free from the Imprisonment.
In that brief moment of hesitation, the Skeleton Champion had already charged forward, brandishing his greatsword, and once again blocked Bao Yiming's path. Behind him, the Butcher and four Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier quickly caught up, preparing to encircle him a second time.
"There are too many summoned creatures..."
The Skeleton Champion was a creature that had never appeared in Bai Xiaowen's original data, and it was an Elite Tier. Bao Yiming's shoulder ramming caused the Skeleton Champion to stumble, but the opponent did not lose its position. The greatsword struck Bao Yiming's shoulder, also leaving a sizable wound.
In this single exchange, Bao Yiming realized that the Skeleton Champion's strength was not to be underestimated. With fierce pursuers behind him, Bao Yiming had no time to entangle with the Skeleton Champion, so he crouched down and grabbed the Skeleton Champion's legs.
Seeing this, Bai Xiaowen was somewhat surprised. Bao Yiming was actually willing to use his ultimate move, "Spiral Piledriver," on a summoned creature?
However, Bao Yiming's subsequent actions took Bai Xiaowen by surprise. With a burst of strength, he knocked the Skeleton Champion's feet off balance, and in the ensuing jump, he lunged forward in an arc, landing precisely where Bai Xiaowen was.
It turns out that the high-altitude jump of the Spiral Piledriver is not just a simple jump in place; you can also choose the direction and landing point at the start of the jump to achieve a long-distance leap! It's like another burst of speed!
Bao Yiming's Spiral Piledriver Sprint, combining speed and power, left Bai Xiaowen with very little time to react.
Buzzing... Boom!
Bao Yiming pinned the Skeleton Champion's legs upside down, spinning him through the air before he crashed down with a bang, like a meteorite impact!
A surge of air.
Although Bai Xiaowen tried his best to dodge, the shockwave from the impact was quite large! He was still momentarily stunned. Moreover, the shockwave's area damage was over 100 points, even though he avoided the center of the impact.
The Skeleton Champion took a hit from a Spiral Piledriver, Vital Strike instantly killed him, reducing his Life Value to zero and turning him into a pile of Bone Shatter. Bao Yiming didn't stop there; the instant the shockwave from the landing hit, he rushed towards Bai Xiaowen, extending his large hands!
Bai Xiaowen was stunned, and the summoned creatures naturally lost control and suddenly froze. Bao Yiming was overjoyed; this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. His hands had already touched the gold and silver thread Daoist robe on Bai Xiaowen's body.
However, a flash of light appeared on Bai Xiaowen's body, dispelling the stun from the shockwave. Then, without any casting animation or time, he unleashed his Intimidation skill, and a circle of Overawing Presence rapidly spread out!
Bao Yiming's hand touched Bai Xiaowen's shoulder, but then froze. His eyes were filled with resentment.
Even though he was already close enough, Bai Xiaowen had no other movement abilities... Bao Yiming had already envisioned the subsequent developments: using grappling techniques to cripple him, followed by a series of close-range punches and kicks. As a power-type melee fighter, he was perfectly positioned to deal with Bai Xiaowen, a mental-type ranged fighter. No matter how he fought, he had a rhythm.
However, imagination is often rich, while reality is often harsh.
Bai Xiaowen gracefully retreated, with Rageclaw and two Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier blocking his way. Behind him, Butcher, leading several Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier, huffed and puffed as they ran over, finally completing the encirclement...
"... If only you had one less crowd control skill..."
Bai Xiaowen shook her head slightly. "Even with one less control skill, you still can't win..."
Bao Yiming has already used two of his throwing techniques, leaving only the final "Lift-the-Fire-to-Heaven Style". Even if Bai Xiaowen takes this hit and is struck in Vital Strike, he won't die because of the Life Sharing; it will just be a bit more dangerous.
If that were the case, triggering the Agony Potential of the Ring of Torment, Bai Xiaowen's strength would surge, approaching Bao Yiming's level. Even if the two engaged in close combat, Bai Xiaowen, possessing the Kusanagi-Style Ancient Martial Arts combos, would not be at a disadvantage.
Of course, Bai Xiaowen didn't want to reveal that he knew melee combos, as that would also expose the Blood Essence Stone's Killing Thirst (triggered by single-target damage skills or normal attacks).
It's better to let others think of him as a melee novice... Currently, the outside world's speculation about Bai Xiaowen's Kusanagi-Style Ancient Martial Arts is basically limited to the two spell-like moves "Dark Swipe" and "Orochi Nagi". They don't think that Bai Xiaowen, a Mental Specialty awakener, can perform such gorgeous and varied combos as Kyo Kusanagi.
Bao Yiming wanted to say something, but it was too late. Surrounded by summoned creatures, even the so-called 20% physical damage reduction couldn't save him, Life Value rapidly plummeted.
Thump!
With Bao Yiming falling to the ground, Jinghai University team won the second "King of the Hill Mode" match, and also eliminated Shandong University with a clean sweep of 2-0, advancing to the quarterfinals!
When the big screen showed Bai Xiaowen's final close-up, followed by close-ups of the five members of the Jinghai University Team, the auditorium fell silent...
Yun Xiaozhu's commentary was noticeably below her usual standard, and her disappointment was evident.
Bai Xiaowen won MVP in both matches. The first match was undisputed, but some reporters were puzzled by the second. Li Shuyi, after all, won three consecutive matches; didn't such a dominant performance deserve an MVP?
Regardless of what others say, Li Shuyi herself is quite open-minded:
"On the surface, I defeated three, but in reality, Yu Ting was forced to use her key skill by Xiang Hui. Mi Yuan is ultimately just a support, and Shi Haiyan's strength isn't that great either. Xiao Wen defeated Bao Yiming, a Hero Class, head-on, so winning the MVP award is well-deserved."
The reporters couldn't find any juicy details, but they did realize how close Li Shuyi and Bai Xiaowen's relationship was. Many reporters were very interested in the team- Tether skills the two displayed during the competition and conducted interviews about how and when the team was formed.
Bai Xiaowen refused to reveal the details of how he obtained the Team-Building Item, the Oath of Black Edge, which involved secret information about the Spirit Realm Kane Plane. This kind of information was one of the bargaining chips used by major guilds in their exchanges, so how could it be made public so easily? Not even a little bit could be revealed.
Helpless, the media had no choice but to abandon this topic and instead congratulate the Jinghai University Team on reaching the quarterfinals.
Yan Xiaoxin was also all smiles. In recent years, the performance of the Jinghai University Team had been lackluster, so achieving a top-eight finish was already a very satisfactory result. Even if they were eliminated in the next round, she would still have something to write about in her work report this year. Moreover, judging from Bai Xiaowen and the University Team's performance, the top eight might not be the end.