Keep Growing Stronger

Just as Ye Wanqing began her class, the competition in the Mutant Arena also started. It could be seen that most of the students in the classroom were secretly watching the competition on their phones. The teacher on the podium was well aware of where the young people's minds were at this moment, but did not point it out, and continued to perform a monologue on the podium.

Given the atmosphere, Xiao He could only secretly take out his phone to watch the game.

The match between Y Country Team and A Continent Team is currently underway. Y Country Team is fielding a newcomer whom Xiao He has never seen before. Apasi had just promoted himself all over the country, claiming to be "the only Mutant in the world who made Yinglong vomit" and "the second strongest Mutant in history." Naturally, he doesn't dare to field him now, otherwise he would lose all face if they lose.

Indra, who was left with a fractured hand, was unable to play, so a substitute was brought on. However, if even with the substitute, there weren't enough players to field three, the match would be rescheduled and postponed.

Y Country Team is currently fielding "Yaksha," while A Continent Team is fielding Black Witch. Due to Iron Man's injury and Scorpio Scott's incomplete recovery, only Black Witch and the remaining two substitutes can play.

However, the battle at this moment is not particularly intense. Judging from the exchanges between the two sides, Yaksha's ability should be to control the wind, which allows him to fly and launch some wind blades.

The Black Witch's abilities involve using fire and lightning elements, so this battle has a feel of a Wind Mage fighting an Elemental Shaman.

The Black Witch has a fatal weakness: she cannot fly, which gives the Yaksha a huge advantage.

If the Yaksha can't win, it should create distance, fly into the air, and wait to catch its breath before continuing the attack.

"Those guys on Y Country Team are just so shameless..." Ye Wanqing muttered softly, "It's like... they're deceiving themselves. They're clearly not that good, but they won't admit it, they're just putting on a brave face."

"Isn't that the national style of this country?" Xiao He patted Ye Wanqing's head and said, "We'll go see it in person after class."

"I don't want to watch the game, let's go get something to eat, okay?" Ye Wanqing said with a smile, her eyes narrowed into two crescent moons. Xiao He wanted to taste if this girl was made of candy. "Sister Man they have all kinds of food there."

"Good!" Xiao He said with a drawn-out laugh, "I'll eat them with my lovely girlfriend."

"Oh dear, you're being indecent..." Ye Wanqing gently stepped on him under the table, scolding him playfully.

The class continued, and Xiao He continued watching the live broadcast of the game on his phone.

It has to be said that watching a match on a live stream is a completely different experience from playing on the field in person.

The battle scenes looked much better in the live stream, almost like they'd been edited in post-production, probably because of the wider field of view. Especially considering the two fighters on the field already had flashy abilities, the visual effects of their fight were indeed impressive.

The Yaksha used its ability to fly to cheat, creating distance whenever it couldn't win a fight, but the Black Witch wasn't stupid either. After a few rounds, the Black Witch took advantage of the Yaksha's flight to begin charging up its power, and then unleashed its fully charged fire and lightning spells one after another when the Yaksha landed again.

When she fought Xiao He, she once combined fire and lightning magic to attack Xiao He, but this was actually a desperate tactic. Because the Black Witch could only charge up two spells, and using up both charged spells at once would leave her without any powerful Black Witch. So if she couldn't defeat the enemy in one go, she would have no chance to fight back.

Therefore, the Black Witch threw out two spells in turn this time. After throwing out the first spell, she immediately began to charge up the power. This way, there would be a certain gap between throwing out the second spell and the enemy launching a counterattack, allowing her to charge up the power and enabling her to protect herself.

Her fire magic summoned a nine-headed fire serpent that spewed fireballs at the Yaksha from the ground, while her lightning magic created Thundercloud Storm, with thunderclouds in the sky continuously striking the Yaksha with lightning.

Both spells were continuous, which further bought the Black Witch time to charge up.

In Xiao He's opinion, the best approach at this point would be to absorb some of the attacks and then attack the Black Witch.

This is because the Black Witch is most vulnerable at this time, and the spells she uses don't have long charging times. The Hydra and Lightning Bolts, on the other hand, are sustained for a long time, so their attack power is relatively weak. Taking a few hits won't hurt her.

But here's the key...

Yaksha was unwilling to endure the pain, so he chose to dodge. However, this allowed him to be suppressed by the Black Witch. There were already two continuous spells on the field, and the Black Witch had two more spells prepared. Yaksha was caught off guard by the four spells at the same time and made a mistake, being hit by the Black Witch's Phoenix Fire and falling from mid-air.

"Ugh, this is really bad..." Xiao He complained disdainfully.

In Y Country Team, the only one he found acceptable was Asura, who was quite capable and brave in battle. Unlike these self-proclaimed high-caste Mutant, who were arrogant and couldn't handle even the slightest injury or pain.

Thinking of this, Xiao He irritably posted a comment in the live stream criticizing this Mutant from Y Country for being too cowardly to fight. Unexpectedly, a troll immediately retorted, "If you're so good, you do it!"

This "If you're so good, then you do it" retort left Xiao He speechless for a moment, and he could only silently continue watching the live stream.

Yaksha was quickly forced to retreat under the suppression of the Black Witch, and was replaced by another member of Y Country Team, "Garuda," who also used fire as his Superpower.

However, Garuda could also control the flames released by the Black Witch, which was a great advantage for him. Therefore, he easily crushed the Black Witch and won the battle.

"This is the effect of using the second move to counter..." Xiao He thought to himself, resting his chin on his hand.

But this was only the first match. A Continent Team then fielded Scorpion. At this point, Scorpion was still very thin and had not recovered from Xiao He's "Erosion" of his body, but this did not affect his Superpower.

Scorpion's Superpower were relatively effective against Garuda's flames, so the match was almost one-sided, and Garuda was quickly defeated. Y Country Team sent Asura to play the last match, and Asura's strength was quite strong. He successfully defeated Scorpion and dragged the match to the fifth game. However, the last Mutant of A Continent Team was Iron Man.

In terms of abilities, Iron Man was a perfect counter to Asura. Asura's normal attacks couldn't break through Iron Man's defenses, and he could only harm the opponent with weapons formed from ghostly energy. However, the ghostly energy on the weapons couldn't quickly eliminate Mutant like Iron Man with high defense and physical strength. Therefore, Asura was ultimately defeated and forced to leave the stage.

A Continent Team emerged victorious in this battle.

The outcome of the battle wasn't the key point; the key point was that everyone saw another world of Mutant Competition. In that world without Yinglong, where physical strength wasn't enough to create an overwhelming level difference, the inherent counterplay of the Mutant's Superpower was the deciding factor.

This means that the first player to take the stage on both sides, and the outcome of the first match, will be crucial.

Once you win the first match, you'll have the option to counter your opponent, and those Mutant abilities that counter yours will have a significant advantage.

This is the world of Mutant that no one can see when "Yinglong" is on the field. Because when "Yinglong" is on the field, there is no restraint. Faced with the absolute difference in physique and the number of Superpower, no one can restrain him.

However, Xiao He lost interest in the later matches between A Continent Team and Team Y Country, because these teams were allies of M Country, and their matches were just a show. They didn't use their full strength at all, and there was no question of ability counters or anything like that. They were just putting on a show to control the score while avoiding exposing more Mutant.

So Xiao He didn't watch the rest of the matches; the Special Response Department would continue to Collection intelligence.

After class, Xiao He and Ye Wanqing returned to the competition venue and prepared to wander around.

The Special Response Department prepared special tourist tickets for them. These tickets did not allow them to watch the game outside the stadium; they only allowed them to wander around inside. They were relatively inexpensive, low-end tickets. However, the reason for giving them these tickets was not to save money, but because it was inconvenient to arrange two seats for them outside, as it would arouse suspicion.

This event is incredibly popular; all the seats, from the VIP seats at the bottom to the spectator seats at the top, are completely full. Since Xiao He and Ye Wanqing will definitely be absent midway through the competition, their absence will be exposed.

Besides, the match can also be viewed from the shops inside the arena, though only through windows or on LCD TVs. Xiao He and Ye Wanqing's purpose was a date; watching the match... didn't matter.

"Let's go, Old Xiao." Ye Wanqing happily put her arm around Xiao He's shoulder and laughed after changing her clothes. The two left Xiao He's players' lounge and went upstairs to the shopping area. The shopping area had five floors in total and was very lively, with everything from food and clothing to entertainment, and even a movie theater. Even if you weren't watching a game, you could spend several days browsing around here.

These abundant entertainment elements, aside from halftime, are also intended for the days when there are no matches, since the week consists of six days on and one day off, and the audience always needs something to do on that day.

Because of these entertainment elements, the Mutant Arena has become a perfect dating spot. No other pedestrian street in the Dragon Country is as lively as this one. There are hundreds of snack shops alone, occupying two whole floors, and they are divided into different areas according to different cuisines, so that tourists can try them one by one.

To try all the delicious food here, you'd probably need a month...

Ye Wanqing seemed particularly happy. With so many snacks, she could try them all... and then throw the leftovers to Xiao He. This was her favorite thing to do.

"Hey, you Little Pufferfish," Xiao He gently pinched her ear, "At this rate, I can't finish eating it all, there's too much."

"Then, then I'd like to eat that too..." Ye Wanqing said, pointing to the baked bun opposite her.

"You can only eat a little each day; there are still many days to go," Xiao He scolded, frowning.

Ye Wanqing puffed out her cheeks and glared at him. "Don't you love me anymore..."

"It's not that I don't love you anymore, I just can't eat anymore. If you can finish it all by yourself, then order whatever you want." Xiao He kissed her pouting lips and smiled. Ye Wanqing wrinkled her nose and made a face at him, "Then I'll have the last one."

So the two of them ate baked buns while watching the game from the window.

The following matches weren't very interesting; it was just the M Country's allies putting on a show to control the score. So Xiao He wasn't really keen on watching, until the announcement of the next match came over the loudspeaker...

"Next up is 'Soul Blade' from R Country Team, facing off against 'Vermilion Bird' from H Country Team! Both of these Mutant have caused Yinglong considerable trouble, and their strength is formidable. So, what kind of intense sparks will fly when they meet? Let's give them a round of applause!" the host roared on stage.

Yesterday, that guy was so excited that he roared all day and his voice became hoarse, so we changed the host today.

"Oh? These two are going head-to-head!? That's interesting!" Xiao He leaned towards the window to watch the match.

"Old Xiao, here you go." Ye Wanqing fed Xiao He the leftover baked bun, Xiao He ate in one bite. Then he leaned over and kissed Ye Wanqing on the cheek. "How can you be so cute?"

"What? Unsolicited kindness is either a lie or a thief," Ye Wanqing asked, glancing at him sideways.

Xiao He simply pulled her into his arms, wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and rested his chin on her head. "Come on, watch a game with me."

The size difference between Ye Wanqing and him meant that she could stand perfectly in Xiao He, making it especially comfortable to hold her.

"Huh, those two..." Ye Wanqing blinked her beautiful eyes, "They seem to be those two who are pretty formidable."

"Yes." Xiao He kissed her on the head, feeling as if he were hugging a big ball of cotton.

The match had officially begun, Soul Blade didn't rush to use both swords. This wasn't to deliberately hold back, but rather to prepare for that initial Draw-Cut. Besides, a single sword attack is stronger. Dual swords offer greater flexibility, allowing for both offense and defense, as well as unleashing a barrage of attacks.

As expected, Soul Blade started by assuming a drawing stance, his right hand resting on the hilt.

Knowing the power of the Draw-Cut, Vermilion Bird did not sit idly by and wait for his death. Instead, he took the initiative to attack and charged towards the Soul Blade.

The moment the Vermilion Bird appeared before him, Soul Blade took a step forward. In that instant, Xiao He even had the illusion that time and space had been severed.

The next second, Soul Blade was already drawn, and Vermilion Bird stumbled and fell to the ground.

"Beautiful..." Xiao He couldn't help but exclaim, this was the power of "ready to strike".

It appeared that Soul Blade remained motionless, but in reality, every muscle in his body was preparing. The instant Vermilion Bird entered his attack range, Soul Blade unleashed all the power in his body and unleashed this strike!

Xiao He figured that if he were on the field, he would probably be deprived of his mating rights again that night.

Fortunately, Ye Wanqing was mostly just saying it and wouldn't actually be that strict with him.

Thinking of this, Xiao He lowered his head and kissed Ye Wanqing on the cheek. Ye Wanqing rubbed her little head against his face and then kissed him back on the cheek.

However, Vermilion Bird actually stood up after taking that blow, with only a shallow wound on his chest.

"Oh, I thought he had already lost," Ye Wanqing said, somewhat surprised.

Xiao He shook his head. "When the two passed each other, he slightly changed the attack trajectory of his Soul Blade."

In fact, most people might not understand it, but Xiao He, having fought against both of them, naturally knew the clues.

Just as Soul Blade was about to strike, Vermilion Bird sensed danger and changed the trajectory of her kick, sweeping it across Soul Blade's foot. Although this only caused Soul Blade's right foot to shift slightly to the side, it shifted Soul Blade's center of gravity, naturally affecting the momentum of her swing.

Of course, the blade still struck the Vermilion Bird, but the will of the Soul Blade wavered due to the shift in its center of gravity.

Therefore, this strike didn't split Vermilion Bird in two, otherwise it would have been quite dangerous...

After Vermilion Bird got up, she immediately leaped forward and kicked at the Soul Blade.

Soul Blade raised his sword to block Vermilion Bird's attack. Xiao He originally thought Soul Blade would be deflected. Because Vermilion Bird's ability is probably to reflect the reaction force it receives, when he kicks Soul Blade's sword, the smaller the contact area, the greater the pressure, and the stronger the reaction force Vermilion Bird will receive.

By reflecting this reaction force back, the Soul Blade can be subjected to a powerful counterforce.

In reality, the Soul Blade was completely unaffected; it merely repelled the Vermilion Bird with a swing of its blade.

"Is it because his knife doesn't deal physical damage?" Xiao He wondered to himself.

The Soul Blade cannot actually cut people; there is no physical contact detection, and it relies entirely on the conflict of the two people's willpower. If the person being cut has wavering and feels that they are about to be severed, then they will be injured by the Soul Blade; otherwise, they will not even suffer ordinary damage.

In this way, Vermilion Bird's Superpower is essentially rendered ineffective. In other words, there is no need for the two to use their Superpower in their battle; it will simply come down to who has improved their skills more.

Vermilion Bird leaped forward and delivered a triple kick, forcing Soul Blade back slightly. At this moment, Soul Blade also drew his second short katana and engaged Vermilion Bird in close combat, instantly accelerating the pace of the battle.

The two exchanged blows, attacking and defending, advancing and retreating. Their legs clashed with their two knives, resulting in a clash of skills that left them evenly matched for a time.

However, the moment the stalemate was broken came faster than expected. Vermilion Bird delivered a double kick, one kick deflecting Soul Blade's short katana, and the other striking Soul Blade's chest. But at the same time, Soul Blade's long katana swept diagonally across Vermilion Bird's chest. The two separated, and a stream of blood spurted from Vermilion Bird's chest.

"You brat..." Vermilion Bird looked down at the wound on his chest and cursed.

Xiao He noticed that the radiant glow of the soul on the long katana in Soul Blade's hand had dissipated, and it had become an ordinary sword.

"Yinglong's body is too tough; only the Soul Blade can cut him. But you're different!" The Soul Blade said with a slight smile, "An ordinary sword can cut you!"

"The 'Soul Blade' Superpower can be activated on its own..." Xiao He suddenly realized: Sure enough, the arena without "Yinglong" is a completely different world.

Vermilion Bird was clearly enraged by those words. He took a running start and then launched a flying kick at Soul Blade.

Soul Blade brandished his twin swords and charged forward, his left short katana deflecting Vermilion Bird's kick, while his right longsword thrust straight at Soul Blade's chest.

But at that moment, Vermilion Bird also kicked Soul Blade in the chest, pushing it away, and then took a step back.

"Huh!? This guy..." Xiao He was immediately surprised: it turns out that the Vermilion Bird's Superpower can also be turned on and off actively.

The force of the reaction from Vermilion Bird's kick was so great that it forced him back when it struck the Soul Blade. This also helped Vermilion Bird avoid the Soul Blade's thrust, and then he twisted his waist in mid-air and unleashed a Flying Swallow Whirlwind Kick.

This time, Vermilion Bird unleashed a perfect version of the Flying Swallow Whirlwind Kick.

The reason why Vermilion Bird did not do this when fighting Xiao He was actually due to Xiao He's "physical condition".

Activating his Superpower would prevent him from unleashing the full power of the Flying Swallow Whirlwind Kick, but without Superpower n't be able to injure Xiao He at all; in fact, he would be injured himself if he kicked out. Therefore, he had no choice but to activate his Superpower.

The Flying Swallow Whirlwind Kick landed squarely on Soul Blade's face, causing him to cough up blood and begin to spin.

However, at this moment, Soul Blade adjusted the position of his ankle and the bend of his knee, then stabilized his center of gravity and turned around with the force of the kick, delivering a sweeping leg forward. But this sweeping leg was not for attack, but for deflecting the force.

Not only did it reduce the power of the Flying Swallow Whirlwind Kick, but it also used this forward sweeping kick to close the distance with Vermilion Bird, and his twin swords slashed at Vermilion Bird one after another. Vermilion Bird felt the pain, but at the moment he was slashed, he also kicked out.

The two sprang apart and rearranged their stances.

"Wow! What a spectacular match!" the commentator exclaimed, eliciting a gasp from the audience.

The clash of these two Mutant, with their considerable strength and unparalleled skill, makes for a truly spectacular match!

Everyone wanted to keep watching like this, but a competition always has to come to a conclusion.

"Hoo..." Soul Blade took a deep breath, sheathed his twin swords, and then assumed a drawing stance.

Vermilion Bird adjusted her breathing and assumed a stance similar to free fighting, preparing to deal with the Soul Blade's attack. However, in just that one breath, the Soul Blade had already rushed in front of Vermilion Bird.

Vermilion Bird maintained this posture and delivered a whip kick.

"!" Xiao He was startled, a flash of inspiration struck him, as if he had thought of something.

Vermilion Bird's kick was incredibly fast, much faster than his usual strikes, and it almost instantly hit Soul Blade's face.

However, Soul Blade was faster at drawing its sword. Before being kicked, the blade had already struck Vermilion Bird's waist in a flash of silver light!

At that moment, Vermilion Bird's leg was less than two centimeters away from Soul Blade's face.

But Vermilion Bird was hit first. He groaned, his body spun as he flew out, and he crashed heavily to the ground.

In this battle, Soul Blade emerged victorious.

Soul Blade slowly sheathed his sword, then extended his hand to Vermilion Bird and smiled, "You're very strong!"

"Damn it..." Vermilion Bird glared fiercely at the Soul Blade in front of her, "Why did they change it to the back of the blade in the end?"

"What are you talking about! This is just a competition!" Soul Blade laughed heartily. "You're an opponent, not an enemy! There's no need to kill you!"

However, Xiao He, who was standing off the field, became excited. "I'll take your skills, I'm going to become stronger!"