The Tip of the Iceberg

"Kid! I heard you just got ten straight wins, feeling pretty impressive, huh? And you dared come to the two-on-two arena with dead weight like that?"

"Trying to act tough without even looking at who you're up against? Today, us brothers are going to end your ten-win streak!"

The pre-match trash talk came from a pair of brothers. Their martial souls complemented each other well, allowing them to handle both close combat and ranged attacks.

"Hmph! Enough nonsense! Let's settle this with our fists!"

Zhu Zhuqing was clearly unhappy with how lightly they regarded her. Although her cultivation truly should not have placed her here, she was more than ten years younger than her opponents. At the same age, she would certainly reach heights they could never hope to attain.

"Tch! You think tying yourself up with rope lets you sell at seafood prices? I can't even be bothered to look directly at someone like you!"

"Exactly! A stinking three-of-a-kind thinks she can rival a pair of jokers? If this kid hadn't carried you, would you even be qualified to speak in front of us?"

The opponents' trash talk was truly vicious. Zhu Zhuqing was furious, immediately activating Martial Soul Possession and charging at them.

Gu Zhi rubbed his forehead. She was still just a young girl; a few words had already broken her composure...

Still, Gu Zhi hurriedly provided Zhu Zhuqing with support. Thanks to his ever-changing offensive methods, while Zhu Zhuqing attacked, he had secretly layered enhancements onto her strikes to increase their power.

Though the opponents looked down on Zhu Zhuqing's strength, they were extremely wary of Gu Zhi. Even with Zhu Zhuqing attacking alone, they remained fully guarded.

"First Soul Skill! Hell Stab!"

Zhu Zhuqing's greatest advantage was her speed. She crossed the thirty-meter gap between them almost instantly. Her sharp claws swiftly stabbed toward the weak points in their defense. If their strength had been equal, the attack would surely have caught them completely off guard.

"Is that all the strength you have? Don't tell me you spent all your energy on men?"

The opponent easily blocked Zhu Zhuqing's attack and even had the spare breath to disgust her with his words.

But before he could celebrate for long, the technique Gu Zhi had added to Zhu Zhuqing's attack suddenly took effect, shattering his defensive stance in one blow.

Zhu Zhuqing was delighted. She pushed off the ground again, launching a second Hell Stab and successfully drawing blood from her opponent.

However, the other opponent had already rushed back to assist. Zhu Zhuqing felt the pressure and could only turn back to defend. Facing the other man's powerful incoming attack, she understood that she might have to pay a price.

Boom!

The anticipated pain never came. Although Zhu Zhuqing was knocked back by her opponent's palm strike, she had not suffered any injury.

A golden phantom of a great bell appeared around Zhu Zhuqing. Naturally, Gu Zhi had acted to block the opponent's counterattack for her.

"Damn it! Someone with ten straight wins really is troublesome!"

The opponents had long calculated that Zhu Zhuqing was the only point of breakthrough. After finally angering her and successfully luring her into their trap, they had not expected their flawless coordination to still lose to Gu Zhi's unreasonable defensive abilities.

Watching her opponents regroup their formation, Zhu Zhuqing knew that without Gu Zhi's help, she would already have been defeated. A trace of gratitude rose in her heart.

This was an unprecedented challenge for her. Her opponents' strength was far beyond what she could handle at present. Yet she knew she would win, because Gu Zhi stood behind her.

"Go, Baby Zhuqing! The protagonist has already stacked so many buffs on you! Hurry up and beat those two foul-mouthed men to death!"

"Go for it boldly, Baby Zhuqing! The protagonist can cover for you at any time! Win this match with everything you have and become the brightest star in the arena!"

The encouragement from the comments calmed Zhu Zhuqing's mind, and her gaze became resolute.

She could not disappoint the comments! Nor could she disappoint Gu Zhi!

"Second Soul Skill! Hell Hundred Claws!"

"Second Soul Skill! Vajra Fist!"

Zhu Zhuqing launched another attack, while her opponents changed tactics, preparing to meet her head-on and crush her directly.

Two against one, Zhu Zhuqing should not have had the slightest chance of winning. Yet when soul skill clashed with soul skill, she, at level twenty-seven, actually forced back opponents at level thirty-seven head-on!

Only then did she feel that the power of her soul skills was worlds apart from before.

But that still was not enough to make up for the ten-level gap in Soul Power. Gu Zhi's attack had shattered the opponents' soul skills beforehand, allowing her to deal full damage without effort.

"Well done, Baby Zhuqing! That's it! Hurry up and follow through!"

"The protagonist's attack methods are never enough to watch! What does it mean to strike after the enemy but arrive first? What does it mean to always win a beam clash?"

"That's cheating! If Gu Zhi hadn't destroyed their offensive first, how could Baby Zhuqing have beaten two level-thirty-seven opponents?"

After quickly glancing at the comments, Zhu Zhuqing refocused on her opponents.

"This is messed up! I actually lost to someone with only two soul rings!"

The opponent's face was filled with shock. Zhu Zhuqing's attacks had not dealt them any severe damage, but they could not accept the stifling humiliation of being forced back by someone with only two soul rings.

"Old Zhou, that kid must be behind this! Let's deal with him first!"

The opponents turned their gazes toward Gu Zhi, who stood leisurely to the side. He had remained quietly in place, like a chess player hidden behind the scenes and controlling the entire battlefield.

"Fine! That little girl's attacks don't do much damage anyway! Let's take care of this kid first!"

Seeing their plan to swiftly break through Zhu Zhuqing fail, the opponents finally began taking Gu Zhi's role seriously. It seemed that as long as Gu Zhi was determined to protect her, they had no way to defeat Zhu Zhuqing first.

"Your opponent is me!"

Zhu Zhuqing stepped in front of Gu Zhi. She knew that he was building a stage for her, perhaps even testing her. If she did not put in more effort, did she really think system rewards were so easy to mooch off?

"Hmph! We'll deal with you later!"

The more Zhu Zhuqing shielded Gu Zhi, the more the opponents understood just how enormous his influence on the battle was.

Could Gu Zhi be a soul master with extraordinarily powerful support abilities? Otherwise, how could he let someone with two soul rings defeat them head-on?

"Move!"

The opponents' coordination required few words. Once one made his move, the other followed, rushing toward Gu Zhi.

"Stop right there!"

Seeing the opponents charge directly at Gu Zhi, Zhu Zhuqing grew anxious again. She could not let them force Gu Zhi to make a move, or there would be nothing left for her to do afterward!

But only at this moment did Zhu Zhuqing realize just how immense a ten-level gap in Soul Power was. The two opponents, both assault-type soul masters, were actually several degrees faster than her, a speed-type soul master.

By the time Zhu Zhuqing turned around to defend, her opponents had already passed her and reached Gu Zhi.

"Your opponent isn't me."

Unlike Zhu Zhuqing's anxiety, Gu Zhi remained as calm and elegant as ever. He merely took half a step back, and in the next second, he appeared on the opposite side of the battlefield.

"Is this the Flash that can be used ninety-nine times in one second? Who could possibly keep up with that speed?"

"This is absurd! That had to be a hundred meters, right? He's like a ghost!"

"Didn't you notice that Gu Zhi even changed direction? Who could defend against that if he used it for a sneak attack?"

Worthy of being called an unfathomable movement technique, Gu Zhi's move directly stunned both Zhu Zhuqing and their opponents.

And this was only the tip of the iceberg of Gu Zhi's abilities...