With a sharp shout, the golden thundercloud that had been gathering power overhead suddenly poured down, its thunderous force like a celestial river overflowing, crashing down on Wei He!
Sizzle!
A blinding flash of light illuminated the entire venue, making it as bright as day!
A thick bolt of golden lightning twisted and descended, moving so fast it was almost invisible to the naked eye!
The thunder roared deafeningly, making my eardrums buzz.
The blinding lightning made people instinctively close their eyes and shrink back!
Lightning travels at the speed of light!
Wei He had no time to react and was hit squarely in the face!
Rumble!!
The dazzling golden lightning engulfed the crimson aura. Even after 80% damage reduction, the residual electric force still pierced his flesh like steel needles, causing a tingling and stinging sensation in his calf.
"This lightning... it's so powerful!"
Wei He's heart skipped a beat.
Even with 80% of the lightning reduced, it was still so powerful; if all of them hit, one strike could probably cripple half his life!
"Fortunately, each lightning strike requires a chanting period of more than a second, giving me my chance to retaliate!"
He stared at Zhou Rui, who was less than ten meters ahead, brandished his battle sword, and charged forward once more!
Sizzle!!
Another bolt of golden lightning struck down, abruptly halting his charge!
"Something's wrong! How could the lightning strikes from Punishment of Light be so fast?!"
A tingling, numb pain spread throughout Wei He's body, and his heart trembled violently.
Last night, he repeatedly reviewed all of Zhou Rui's actual combat recordings, especially focusing on the move "Punishment of Light".
All the information clearly states:
"The higher the skill level, the shorter the interval between two lightning strikes."
"The two lightning bolts were only about half a second apart... Could this move have broken through LV20? Impossible!"
He was completely baffled.
Little did they know that Zhou Rui, who possessed the Frost Titan Bloodline, had a natural affinity for lightning elements, making his spellcasting efficiency far exceed that of ordinary people.
"Lei, come here!"
Wei He was about to move again, the third bolt of lightning struck down on his head, making him tremble all over!
"No! If this continues, even with Battle Maniac activated, I won't be able to hold on!"
Holy light and lightning energy clashed and surged within his body. Veins throbbed on Wei He's forehead as he gritted his teeth and lunged at Zhou Rui once more.
Sizzle,
Sizzle,
One after another, golden lightning bolts, under Zhou Rui's control, struck down precisely without stopping!
What was originally a ten-meter distance now seems like an insurmountable chasm, making it impossible to advance even an inch!
On the top floor of the stadium, in a huge space with extremely luxurious decoration.
The ground was paved with a single piece of magic crystal, shimmering with a deep and ethereal light.
The surface of the crystal is etched with an intricate array of runes that flicker and fade with the flow of energy, silently enhancing the noble aura of the entire hall.
Several rows of elegant seats were arranged in a staggered and orderly manner.
Above each seat, a magnificent holographic image floats.
Directly in front of the lobby is a floor-to-ceiling transparent screen wall, which is displaying the live combat footage on the giant screen above the stadium.
" Zhou Rui is at level 22, Wei He at level 20; both are quite skilled."
"Compared to last year's freshmen, their overall potential is significantly greater!"
"Haha, my Zhongxia is in full bloom!"
"..."
There were dozens of these holographic figures, both men and women, spanning a wide age range, from vibrant young people to elderly people with snow-white hair and beards, but without exception, they all exuded a breathtakingly imposing aura.
They are either leaders of top guilds or commanders of elite legions.
He's currently watching the game leisurely, offering casual comments.
" Zhou Rui's paladin, is he going for a retribution DPS build?"
"That's right, both their magic and melee skills are very solid."
"Since it's a pure damage-dealing build, we shouldn't invest a lot of resources in team-buffing skills."
This group of people, who stand at the pinnacle of the Central Xia Country's fighting power, gathered temporarily for the individual tournament finals, and spoke casually and relaxed.
With their experience, they naturally knew that paladins could not only serve as heavy shield support, but also transform into high-burst damage dealers!
But what puzzled them was that...
If the main focus is on Smite, why bother mastering so many support skills that buff teammates?
"Those buff skills are the core of support classes, and he not only leveled them up, but he also leveled them up quite a bit!"
"If all skill points were invested in offensive skills, even with Wei He's 80% damage reduction from the Battle Maniac talent, he wouldn't have been suppressed so terribly."
"I remember Zhou Rui was Chairman Wang Hui's personal disciple? How come he's taken such a mixed path instead?"
Just as everyone was hesitating, boom!
The stadium dome suddenly surged, and a cloud of holy light, interwoven with golden radiance and surging with thunder, took shape!
Crackling sounds
Crackling sounds
Golden lightning bolts struck one after another, pinning Wei He to the spot and rendering him unable to move an inch, just as he was relying on his Battle Maniac talent to withstand the damage reduction...
"Huh? It has an extremely high affinity for lightning element?"
"How could a paladin possess such an astonishing affinity for lightning?"
"The stronger the affinity, the faster and more reliably the lightning is drawn; no wonder he dared to charge head-on!"
At each seat, the powerful figures who had questioned Zhou Rui's logic in allocating points just a moment ago were all moved and stared intently at the churning thunderclouds!
"Ha! That explains it. The extremely high lightning affinity combined with ' Punishment of Light ' results in explosive damage!"
These third-stage powerhouses were all shocked.
Paladins are naturally drawn to the element of light, which is quite normal;
Unexpectedly, Zhou Rui also possesses a rare high-level affinity for lightning elements!
Thunder represents severity and violence.
On Blue Star, there are very few professions that use lightning as their blade, but each one is a top-tier damage dealer!
"Lightning strikes have too much penetrating power; even with 80% damage reduction, it's still impossible to withstand a barrage of attacks."
" Wei He n't hold on any longer. Zhou Rui is the undisputed Champion of this year's freshman exchange competition."
The group quickly reached a consensus...
In the center of the magnificent stadium,
A golden vortex, forged from holy light and lightning, hung in mid-air.
Crackling sounds
Crackling sounds
Thick bolts of lightning struck down one after another, all hitting Wei He!
The crimson aura that devoured damage on his body was now almost dripping with blood.
Under the protection of the protective aura and enjoying 80% damage reduction, Wei He had already been repeatedly torn apart by the Berserk holy light and lightning after being struck by seven or eight bolts of lightning!
The once pristine light armor now looks as if it's just been pulled from a furnace, covered in spiderweb-like cracks, with electric arcs crackling and hissing across its surface.
His exposed skin was charred and cracked, his breath was intermittent and weak, and he was on the verge of collapse!
Crack!
Another bolt of lightning struck down!
"No... no, I can't lose..."
Wei He stared at the remaining ten meters at the end of the arena, his pupils suddenly shrinking.
His body stiffened, then he collapsed to the ground with a thud, and remained motionless.
" Wei He has lost consciousness; Zhou Rui wins this round!"
As soon as the host finished his impassioned announcement, the entire venue erupted in cheers!
We won!
Zhou Rui is number one!
"As expected of a senior, he's amazing!"
"..."
The tide of battle turned, and the outcome was revealed.
In an instant, shouts erupted like a tidal wave, sweeping across the entire venue.
Among the cheerers were students from Suhang University, citizens of Suhang Province, residents of Lijiang City, and a large number of teenagers from Lijiang City No. 2 High School. They shouted "senior" and their eyes were full of light.
"My brother won! My brother is the Champion!"
In the online viewing area, Zhou Yun's holographic image cheers and pumps her fist!
Beside her, Li Wanting sighed softly, lost in thought...
Who would have thought that Zhou Rui, who was patiently tutoring her children's homework at her home just six months ago,
Now, he has actually won the championship in a competition where outstanding young talents from all over the country gather!
" Xiao Rui got first place!"
"I told you, our Xiao Rui has never lost!"
Zhou Rui's aunt and uncle exchanged a smile, their eyes brimming with undisguised pride.
Outside the venue, the faculty and students of Suhang University were equally excited.
"Singles Champion, won!"
Wu Mang clenched his fists, his voice trembling.
For the past four years, Suhang University has won first place in the overall team score of the freshman exchange competition every year.
But in the solo project, he only reached the summit once in four whole years!
Now, Zhou Rui has once again brought this supreme honor back to Suhang University, and his heart is filled with excitement and passion!
"Haha, Brother Rui won the championship!"
"As expected of Suhang's trump card, they're amazing!"
"..."
Liu Yang and the others also broke into bright smiles.
Teaming up as classmates, sharing both glory and hardship, Zhou Rui topped the list, and their faces were filled with pride.
"Brother Zhou Rui, you really got first place!"
Jiang Churan was not surprised at all that Zhou Rui won the singles title.
She was genuinely happy for that radiant young man...
In stark contrast to the jubilant celebrations at Suhang University, the mentors and team members from Modu University looked somber.
"Brother Wei... lost."
"They were clearly dominating just now, how did they manage to turn the tables so quickly?"
"Well..."
"What a pity!"
The young faces were filled with resentment and regret.
Modu University has consistently ranked last among the three prestigious universities, and they desperately crave a resounding victory to prove themselves and demonstrate their strength!
"As expected, we still can't win."
Shuri sighed softly, a hint of disappointment flashing across his brow.
She knew before the competition that it would be extremely difficult for Wei He to overcome Zhou Rui.
But when the outcome was finally decided, she still couldn't help but feel a slight heaviness in her heart...
"Luckily, I didn't make it to the finals."
"Otherwise, if that Thunder Strike combo came crashing down on me, I'm afraid I'd be spending another two weeks in the hospital..."
In the rest area of Qingjing University, Wang Xuan looked at Wei He, who had just been carried off the stage and was unconscious, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Almost there,
He almost had to experience being crushed by Zhou Rui again!
"Good."
Wu Mang gazed at Zhou Rui, who stood tall and straight on the arena, and slowly nodded.
"Lightning element has an amazing affinity, and when combined with ' Punishment of Light,' its power is truly terrifying."
He knew that Zhou Rui possessed the Frost Titan Bloodline, giving him an innate and extremely strong sensitivity to lightning;
However, to reduce the interval of Lightning Summoning to less than 0.5 seconds, bloodline alone is far from enough; it requires arduous training and practice!
Even with Titan blood, ordinary professionals would find it extremely difficult to achieve such speed and precision.
"Compared to other contestants, Wei He's strength is definitely top-notch."
"In previous years' exchange competitions, this would have been a sure thing for first place!"
"Unfortunately, he ran into Zhou Rui..."
Wu Mang's lips curled into a slight smile.
He originally thought that Zhou Rui would have to use at least an S+ level Frost Titan Arcane Technique to suppress Wei He.
Unexpectedly, a single ' Punishment of Light ' sealed the deal.
"Honestly, without those buff skills, Zhou Rui standing there would look exactly like a high-level mage."
This thought quietly surfaced in Wu Mang's mind.