White-Clothed Scholar, and There Is a Second Phase

White-Clothed Scholar, and There Is a Second Phase

The White-Clothed Scholar stood by the water, his robes swaying gently in the wind.

Judging by his appearance alone, he did not even look like a monster. He looked more like a young swordsman wielding a spear.

But the moment he raised his head, Tang San immediately sensed danger.

This danger was completely different from the Little Demon before.

The Little Demon relied on savage lunges, its movements straightforward and predictable. As long as one understood its windups, it could be avoided.

But the White-Clothed Scholar's spear was steady.

That steadiness made everyone who had fought in spirit battles hold their breath.

Ordinary opponents always showed some emotion when they attacked.

When they grew anxious, their attacks became heavier. When they were afraid, they held back. When they wanted to win, greed showed in their movements.

But the White-Clothed Scholar had none of that. It was as if he had stood by the water waiting for countless years. With the slightest movement of his spear tip, he had already calculated Tang San's next few steps.

He was so steady that the instant Tang San stepped forward, the spear tip had already sealed off his most comfortable angle of attack.

"This monster knows how to control distance."

Tang San spoke quietly.

Grandmaster stood behind the glowing screen, his gaze focused.

He did not understand the game's terminology, but he could see that the level of battle had changed.

The White-Clothed Scholar was not simply durable, nor was he merely fast. He was using his techniques to force Tang San into making choices.

Tang San tested him with an attack.

He did not rush to finish a full combo. After a light strike, he immediately rolled away.

The long spear grazed past his shoulder.

Only a small portion of his health bar fell.

Xiao Wu immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "He dodged it."

But Hu Liena frowned.

"No. He still isn't serious."

The moment she finished speaking, the White-Clothed Scholar suddenly stepped forward. His spear swept sideways, followed by three rapid thrusts.

Tang San dodged the first, barely blocked the second, and was struck directly by the third.

His health bar plummeted.

Tang San did not panic. The instant the stagger from the hit ended, he retreated and drank a mouthful of recovery wine from the gourd.

"It can restore health too?"

Oscar's eyes lit up.

Lin Chuan said, "The gourd has limited uses. Once they're gone, they're gone."

Ma Hongjun immediately suppressed the excitement that had just risen in him. "That's way too stingy."

Lin Chuan glanced at him. "If you could heal infinitely, would it still be a battle?"

Ma Hongjun thought about it and felt that made sense.

On the screen, Tang San attacked again.

This time, he had clearly learned his lesson.

He no longer tried to suppress the White-Clothed Scholar with continuous attacks. Instead, he struck once only when the opponent finished a move, then immediately pulled back.

After several rounds, the White-Clothed Scholar's health finally dropped to half.

The atmosphere in the internet café gradually became tense.

Hu Liena clenched her fingers.

She had died several times at this stage before, and every time, she had felt like she was just a little short.

Being just a little short was the most tormenting feeling.

If she had been utterly crushed, she could have blamed it on not knowing the game well enough.

But every time she seemed about to win, only to be knocked down by the opponent's spear at the very end, the frustration was even harder to bear than losing outright.

Now, watching Tang San fight steadily, she felt both unwilling to accept it and forced to admit that he learned incredibly quickly.

Tang San was not having an easy time either.

He had done his best to keep every attack within a safe range, but the White-Clothed Scholar's rhythm was still changing.

Sometimes, it was a series of spear thrusts.

Sometimes, it was a feint followed by a horizontal sweep.

Sometimes, he seemed to be finishing a move, only to suddenly reverse the spear in a backhand strike.

Tang San had no choice but to push the faint observational power of his Purple Demon Eyes to the limit.

Finally, the White-Clothed Scholar's health bottomed out.

Tang San seized an opening and brought his staff down.

The staff crashed down, and the White-Clothed Scholar dropped to his knees.

Someone in the internet café cheered instinctively.

"Did he clear it?"

Xiao Wu was just about to smile, but Lin Chuan remained silent.

Hu Liena did not relax either.

She saw the water on the screen begin to tremble.

Tang San's expression changed, and he immediately retreated.

The next moment, the White-Clothed Scholar's figure twisted in the mist. His humanoid body suddenly stretched out, his white robes tore apart, and a massive White Snake coiled upward.

The spear vanished.

In its place were a sharp snake tail and surging waves.

Second phase.

The cheers that had just risen in the internet café came to an abrupt halt.

It was as if someone had pressed down on the air.

The smile had not yet faded from Ma Hongjun's face, but his mouth slowly fell open.

Oscar looked at the screen, then at Lin Chuan. His expression clearly said, "Isn't your shop going a bit too far?"

Lin Chuan pretended not to see it.

Ma Hongjun gaped. "That thing can transform?"

Dai Mubai, seated at another machine, could not help turning around as well. "So that means we only fought half of it just now?"

Lin Chuan calmly replied, "More or less."

Flender nearly tore out his beard.

"Isn't this cheating people? He clearly already knocked it down!"

Lin Chuan said, "The battle isn't over. If the system hasn't announced victory, then it doesn't count as defeating it."

Tang San no longer had the attention to spare for the voices outside.

The White Snake's attack range was far greater than in the first phase, and its rhythm had changed completely.

It no longer competed with Tang San in spear techniques. Instead, it used its body, tail, and waves to continuously compress the available space.

Nearly half of Tang San's distance judgment from the first phase had become useless.

The snake tail swept in from the side.

Tang San rolled away. The moment he rose to his feet, the White Snake lunged down from the other side.

The lunge was too fast. He only had time to raise his staff before his entire body was sent flying.

His health bar emptied.

The screen went dark, and the words "Death" appeared once again.

The relief Xiao Wu had just felt vanished, and her heart tightened again.

Tang San took off his helmet. His face was slightly pale, but he said nothing.

It was not his first death, but this one felt different.

The White-Clothed Scholar's second phase made him realize that being cautious alone was not enough to win.

Caution could only help him make fewer mistakes.

But the White Snake's attack range, shifting rhythm, and oppressive presence had already surpassed what making fewer mistakes could solve.

It was like the Tang Sect's hidden weapons: no matter how exquisite they were, if one could not even reach the range to strike, they were merely empty theory.

Tang San gently pressed his brow.

He was not angry.

He was simply breaking down that lunge, that tail sweep, and that wave all over again.

Grandmaster watched his profile without interrupting.

Some things that a teacher explained ten times were not as effective as the student getting hurt once himself.

The game would overturn his judgment with a new method the moment he had just adapted to one rhythm.

Hu Liena was silent for a moment before sitting back down.

"I'll try again."

She did not want to admit that Tang San had stirred her competitive spirit.

But that was the truth.

She entered the game and followed the previous route back to the White-Clothed Scholar.

During the first phase, she did far better than before.

But once the second phase appeared, she was still quickly defeated.

Next came Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, and even Xiao Wu gave it a try.

There were no exceptions.

The White-Clothed Scholar's second phase was like a wall of water standing in front of everyone.

Dai Mubai could still force out some momentum with fierce attacks in the first phase, but in the second phase, the White Snake flung him straight into the water.

Ma Hongjun had it even worse. He had barely shouted, "Watch this," before the tail swept across him and turned his screen black.

Xiao Wu held out for a few more breaths with Moonshadow Linked Steps, but she only managed to circle halfway around the edge of the waves.

When she took off her helmet, even her ears had turned red with anger.

"Why is this snake so unreasonable?"

Ma Hongjun had just been about to laugh, but seeing Xiao Wu's expression, he wisely swallowed it.

No one could get past it.

This time, even Xiao Wu did not say, "One more try and I'll definitely make it."

She had used Moonshadow Linked Steps to dodge several attacks just now, but the White Snake's second-phase oppression was entirely different. It was not a blade coming down from the front; it was the entire surface of the water forcing one into a corner.

Yan finally could not help saying, "Is this game deliberately making things harder?"

This time, no one laughed at him.

Because everyone more or less had the same thought.

Lin Chuan looked at the group of genius spirit masters who had been beaten into silence and knew the time was about right.

He walked out from behind the counter and picked up a mouse.

"It isn't deliberately increasing the difficulty."

"It's that up until now, none of you have truly learned how to play."