"I'll post the news of our duel on the forum."
"When the time comes, everyone in the branch can witness our battle!"
With that, his figure drifted backward like a phantom and vanished in an instant, as though melting into the shadows.
Only a faint trace of wind lingering in the air and that chilling fighting spirit proved he had ever been there.
Silence returned to the training room.
Only then did Jiang Qingyue breathe a sigh of relief. She hurried over to Qi Wu and asked worriedly:
"Mr. Wu, that man... felt so dangerous. Are you really going to accept his challenge?"
"Relax." Qi Wu patted her head, his eyes gleaming with eagerness.
"Have a little faith in me, teammate."
Qi Wu remained perfectly composed.
Jiang Qingyue had still been a little worried.
But seeing how relaxed he was, as though he were merely heading out for a picnic, somehow eased much of her concern.
That's right. Mr. Wu was so strong. How could he lose?
"Come on, let's go. Training's over. Time to replenish my sugar."
Qi Wu stretched, tucked his hands into his pockets, and strolled out of the training room.
"Remember to cheer for your captain tomorrow."
Watching his carefree retreating figure, Jiang Qingyue couldn't help giggling and hurried after him:
"Yes, Mr. Wu!"
Almost at the exact moment Qi Wu and Jiang Qingyue left the training room, two posts with bold red titles shot to the top of the Nanjiang branch's internal forum.
One was a challenge issued by Blade of Gale.
In it, he invited Qi Wu to fight him.
He also welcomed all branch operatives to watch.
The post, made by Blade of Gale himself, had already been locked.
The other post was a discussion among branch operatives about the challenge.
The discussion had already passed three hundred replies.
[Title]: [Breaking! Training Ground One, tomorrow at nine! Top rookie Qi Wu VS strongest lone wolf Blade of Gale!!]
[Posted by]: [Spectator A (anonymous)]
The comments beneath the post instantly erupted.
1: [First! Is this for real? Is the mighty Qi Wu stirring things up again?]
2: [Blade of Gale? That elusive lone wolf who even dares provoke A-rank teams?]
3: [Place your bets! I'm betting on Blade of Gale!!]
4: [+1 to the above! Blade of Gale is invincible!]
5: [Obviously Blade of Gale is going to win. He's a veteran powerhouse!]
6: [Hey, hey! Don't underestimate Qi Wu. His ability is ridiculously strong!]
7: [I've got to watch this! I'll take tomorrow off if I have to!]
8: [@Deliberate Heavy Punch What's your take, Punch?]
The discussion had passed three hundred replies, and the number kept climbing.
News of their duel had spread through the entire branch like a virus.
For a time, interest in Qi Wu and the Salvation Team soared to unprecedented heights once again.
[Popularity Points +100] [Popularity Points +80] [Popularity Points +120] [Widespread attention and discussion among branch operatives. Popularity Points continue to rise...] [Current Satoru Gojo fusion rate: 50.5%... 51%...]
Qi Wu glanced through the post and picked up a little information about Blade of Gale.
First, he was mysterious. No one knew what he looked like beneath his hood.
Second, he was a battle fanatic who particularly enjoyed challenging powerful opponents.
Third, he was strong, reportedly possessing peak seventh-tier combat power.
As Qi Wu browsed the forum, reading the heated discussions and scattered information about Blade of Gale, an intrigued smile lingered on his lips.
"Peak seventh tier? A battle fanatic? Likes challenging powerful opponents? He certainly sounds like a worthy opponent."
Murmuring to himself, he switched off his terminal.
"I'll have to put in a little effort to deal with him."
Qi Wu raised a fingertip.
The repulsive force of Cursed Technique Reversal: Red formed a small sphere that hovered over it.
His control over the newly unlocked power of Red wasn't yet completely perfect.
He still needed to familiarize himself with this violent power.
Only then could he astonish everyone in tomorrow's duel.
Qi Wu headed toward the simulation pod in the living room.
The technology behind the simulation pod worked on much the same principle as the Virtual Battlefield.
The difference was this.
The Virtual Battlefield could simulate scenarios for multiple people at once.
The simulation pod could accommodate only one person.
It was essentially a stripped-down version of the Virtual Battlefield.
Inside the simulation pod.
Qi Wu simulated an uninhabited plain.
Gazing across the endless expanse, he began training with Red.
He closed his eyes and focused inward, carefully sensing that crimson mass of Red, which constantly radiated violent repulsive energy.
"First, controlling the output..."
He slowly raised his hand and tried to gather a trace of Red's power.
Hum!
Energy far more volatile than Blue gathered in his palm.
Crimson arcs flickered erratically, and the surrounding air hummed violently.
"Tch. It's even more unruly than I expected."
Qi Wu frowned slightly, doing everything he could to stabilize the energy.
He carefully pushed that trace of Red's energy forward.
Boom!!!
A crimson shock wave roared forth like a wild dragon gone out of control!
The crimson shock wave violently plowed across the plain, tearing through a vast stretch of earth ahead as though it were paper.
It left an enormous, horrifying trench in the ground, while stray energy scorched even the more distant grass black.
The power was astonishing...
But his control was abysmal...
"The area is too wide, and the power is too dispersed... There's nowhere near enough precision."
Qi Wu shook his head, dissatisfied with the result.
If he used that in a real fight, forget hitting Blade of Gale, who excelled in speed. Simply avoiding injury to the spectators would count as a success.
He closed his eyes and concentrated again, crimson energy gathering anew at his fingertip.
This time, rather than pursuing power, he did everything he could to restrain that violent repulsive force.
Bzzzt...
The crimson energy unleashed a powerful repulsive force.
The surrounding air was violently pushed away, forming visible ripples of distortion.
"Focus. Control the cursed energy..."
Qi Wu concentrated fully, fine beads of sweat even forming at his temples.
After a long while, he abruptly opened his eyes and thrust his fingertip forward!
Whoosh-!
An incredibly concentrated crimson beam, no thicker than a finger, shot out instantly at astonishing speed!
The beam struck a large simulated boulder in the distance with pinpoint accuracy.
There was a thunderous boom.
The boulder was utterly shattered by Red's repulsive force.
Yet the surrounding turf suffered no damage at all.
[Your mastery of Cursed Technique Reversal: Red has increased.] [Panel notification: Satoru Gojo Card fusion rate has increased to 51.5%.]
"Hmm. That's more like it."
Qi Wu nodded slightly.
"The control is good enough, but the charge time is still a little long."
He repeated the process over and over: gather, release, adjust.
At times, devastating, wide-ranging shock waves erupted across the simulated plain. At others, swift, precise waves of crimson light flashed through it.
After an unknown amount of time, the simulation pod finally began to quiet down.
Qi Wu stood where he was, breathing a little heavily, but his eyes were bright.
He opened his palm. A highly concentrated sphere of crimson energy hovered quietly above it like a docile pet, radiating a dangerous yet restrained glow.
[Your mastery of Cursed Technique Reversal: Red has increased.] [Panel notification: Satoru Gojo Card fusion rate has increased to 52%.]
"That should do it."
"I've completely mastered the power of Red."
Qi Wu dispersed the energy, his lips curving into a satisfied smile.
Using Red against tomorrow's opponent would probably give him quite a surprise.
He exited the simulation pod, feeling mentally fatigued but exceptionally pleased.
Anticipation for the unknown challenge made even the blood in his veins grow a little warmer.
Complete mastery of Red, achieved!
Now all that remained was to look forward to testing it in tomorrow's battle.
Surely Blade of Gale wouldn't disappoint him.
Before you continue