Tap! Tap! Tap!
Blue-purple flames spewed from the muzzle, and bullets the size of soybeans intertwined in mid-air, forming an impenetrable net of fire.
"Die!" Xilaisao roared, his face flushed and excited, waving his arms, which had been modified into multi-barreled machine guns. Clearly, he was a mechanical Transcendent.
Lancelot's gaze hardened as he activated Flash Step, rapidly approaching the enemy before him like a phantom, constantly shifting his position to dodge incoming bullet attacks.
At this moment, the preliminary test has reached its fourth round.
In the first round, Lancelot swept through the competition, defeating all his opponents with overwhelming force and scoring 10 points.
In the second round, he consciously suppressed his strength, keeping his physical attributes between 15 and 18 points. In every battle, he used the Flow Method with all his might, always maintaining a state of Heightened Focus, striving to leverage greater strength and speed with a smaller physical attribute, while maximizing the training of the Flow Method. As with any skill, the more you use it, the more proficient you will become.
In this situation, every battle from the second round onwards becomes intense and challenging, greatly enhancing the tempering of willpower.
The Flow Method is also accumulating experience every moment, and the speed of improvement is much faster than before.
In battle after battle, Lancelot's spirit and will, like a piece of stubborn iron, were forced to shed its impurities and become increasingly dense under the frequent hammering of the forging hammer.
After battles, he would take a potion to enhance his Divine Power during his rest periods, and use his free time to meditate, constantly practicing the Flow Method to quickly absorb the potion's power and strengthen his Divine Power.
Fighting, taking medicine, meditating, fighting...
Lancelot is like a finely tuned machine, constantly improving himself.
The mechanical warrior we are facing now is the first opponent in the fourth round. Its strength is in the upper- Tier Three range of the third tier. Many parts of its body have been mechanically modified, and its right eye has been transformed into a bright blue electronic eye.
Because of the intelligent chip implanted in his brain, this guy's processing speed is extremely fast. He seems to be shooting aimlessly, but in reality, every bullet hits at an exceptionally tricky angle, almost blocking out any corner. This is quite different from the madness he displays.
Excitement was merely a facade; calmness was his true nature. Otherwise, Lancelot wouldn't have been able to remain within five meters of this guy even after more than a minute of fighting.
However, Xilaisao was in a much worse state than Lancelot.
"How can this guy react so quickly?" Xilaisao muttered to himself. In his eyes, the man in front of him was a freak, as if he could Prophet and always nimbly dodge bullets at the last second before they arrived.
Like a butterfly flitting among flowers, she passed through a hail of bullets without a single one touching her.
This mastery of combat details and inhumanly keen sense of smell made Xilaisao extremely uncomfortable.
What troubled him even more was that his opponent was not only quick to react and highly agile, but also extremely tough and resilient.
For more than a minute, his bullets had hit Lancelot several times, but each time they only left a white dot on the latter's skin before disappearing quickly.
It's both tough and agile, how can you fight it?
"Looks like it's time to unleash the ultimate weapon!"
Xilaisao glanced at his nearly empty magazine and realized that if he didn't use his ultimate move, he would have no chance.
With this in mind, Xilaisao slowed down the pace of his attack.
"Huh? Out of bullets?" Lancelot's pupils blazed like torches; this was the moment he had been waiting for.
Boom!
With his leg muscles bulging, he shot out like a cannonball, instantly entering a five-meter radius Xilaisao.
"Thunder Prison!" Xilaisao's electronic eyes suddenly lit up, the mechanical engine on his chest started at full power, and Berserk energy surged and raged within his body, instantly being released as electricity through the energy conversion device.
Sizzle!
Visible blue currents erupted from Xilaisao's chest, like branches extending from a tree, covering every inch of space.
"Anyone caught in my Thunder Prison will be paralyzed. Besides, Iron Fist's Ability Energy is Body of Steel, and metal conducts electricity, so the effect should be even better!" Xilaisao's eyes were filled with anticipation.
This was a move he had prepared to use to break into the top 100, but he didn't expect to have to use it in the fourth round.
But it's not a bad deal either. As long as you can defeat Iron Fist and rise to the top by stepping on the latter, the gains will be considerable.
However, the next moment, Xilaisao's expression suddenly froze.
What did he see? The Iron Fist had actually dodged the electric current.
No, it wasn't about dodging, but about anticipating it in advance.
But how could he be so accurate? How did he know I had a deadly technique hidden within?
In an instant, Xilaisao's face turned ashen. The fact that Thunder Prison was ineffective essentially meant that the outcome of the battle was decided.
On the other side, Lancelot looked at the electric field about a meter away from him and immediately understood.
Fortunately, he was cautious.
During the previous battle, Lancelot had analyzed a lot of information about Xilaisao, the most crucial of which was the "five-meter forbidden zone."
Once he enters within five meters of Xilaisao, the opponent will unleash a barrage of firepower to drive him out.
This distance is clearly the opponent's safe zone, but also the area where their counterattack will be most intense.
Lancelot certainly understood that the prey's dying struggle was often the most intense and deadly.
So the instant he entered the five-meter restricted area, he immediately used Flash Step to retreat. This was out of caution, but it once again allowed him to avoid danger.
Sure enough, a high-intensity current followed immediately, and if Lancelot had been even a fraction slower, he would have been engulfed in the current field.
They're unlikely to lose, but they'll most likely get injured.
The ring competition is not only a contest of fighting power, but also an extreme test of endurance.
Any player aiming for the top ten, or even the top five, will avoid taking too much damage in the early stages of the battle, so as to save the opportunity to use the healing pod later.
"I surrender!" Seeing that his Thunder Prison was ineffective, Xilaisao decisively surrendered.
The tournament uses a points system, so losing a match isn't a big deal.
The important thing is to maintain the momentum. Knowing you are outmatched but continuing to fight might be considered heroic in other situations, but here it will only be labeled as foolish.
Xilaisao Black was an extremely calm person. His apparent madness and excitement during battle were all meant to mislead the enemy. If you actually believed him, you would be falling into a trap.
After defeating his first opponent in the fourth round, Lancelot stepped down and returned to the lounge.
He took the remaining half-bottle of medicine out of his suitcase and drank it directly.
It tasted bitter, and the sensation in the throat was like strong liquor, but soon a surge of heat rose from the abdomen and rushed to the brain. When the Divine Power encountered this heat, it was like a gourmet encountering a delicacy; it pounced on it and devoured it greedily, quickly consuming it all.
A feeling similar to being full welled up inside him, Divine Power surged. Lancelot's next task was to thoroughly digest and absorb this nourishment.
After he completed another boost to his Divine Power, he opened his eyes and saw Burke and the other two sitting on a sofa not far away, chatting about something.
Burke and Rui were not in high spirits and were in low spirits.
Lancelot immediately realized that they had also failed in the revival round and had not made it into the top 3000.
He got up and walked over.
"Brother Lan, Rui and I are completely out of the running for the second round of interviews!" Burke slumped on the sofa, his face filled with utter despair.
"How many?" Lancelot asked.
"I'm ranked 4356th, Rui is ranked 4689th, ah... this year's contestants are all monsters. I ran into one guy who just casually unleashed a bunch of debuff auras. After he finished, I just collapsed to the ground. It felt like I'd been strolling around the red-light district for a year, and my bones were completely limp..."
Burke covered his face and smiled bitterly. He hadn't even made a move against them, and he was already kneeling down. This feeling was indescribable to Human Dao.
Rui chimed in, "I was even more unlucky. I ran into Walmart. The psychic shockwave was completely useless, just like a fake. It was all neutralized by that strange power covering her body."
Cole joined the discussion, "Stop it, I was the same way. Last time I faced Blood Warrior Bill, that guy was a beast, a madman. If I hadn't given up quickly, he might have killed me..."
The three of them poured out their grievances to each other.
After a long while, the three of them turned to look at Lancelot.
"Brother Lan, have you encountered any formidable opponents?" Burke asked curiously.
Lancelot thought for a moment, then nodded slightly. "There was someone who could withstand two of my powerful Strong Fist before admitting defeat; truly remarkable!"
"..."
Three resentful gazes converged on him simultaneously, then tacitly shifted away, ceasing all discussion on the topic with Lancelot.
After chatting with his teammates for a while, Lancelot returned to the field.
This time, the opponent was a tall woman, about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, with neat short hair, wearing a blue bodysuit, and carrying no weapon. Her nails were pure black with serrated edges.
"Oh dear, we've run into a top seed. This is serious trouble." The woman put her left hand on her hip, tilted her head to look at Lancelot, and casually gestured in the air with her right hand.
"Hey, let me introduce myself. My name is Grace. If we happen to meet during the interview, we can team up. I don't mind if you offer me a sexual favor." Grace said, giving Lancelot a flirtatious wink.
Before Lancelot could say anything, the female fans in the audience erupted in cheers.
"Wow, this shameless woman actually seduced our Tie Tie!"
"Sisters, what should I do if someone tries to steal my husband?"
"Hit her!"
"But it seems like we can't win."
"How about we crowdfund and ask Transcendent to take action? We can beat this woman up tonight, even if it means covering her head!"
"Great! I'll put up 1000 Crimson Notes."
I'll offer 3000!
Poor Grace had no idea that her simple words of flattery and flirtation had made her the object of attention for Lancelot's female fans.
"What a cold guy." Seeing that Lancelot didn't speak, Grace shook her head helplessly, then adjusted her posture and assumed a fighting stance.
This woman is also a close-combat expert, but her Ability Energy is a combination of abilities, officially named "Screaming Banshee."
The countdown has ended; the battle has begun.
As always, Lancelot suppressed his constitution attribute to 18 points, focused Heightened Focus on his opponent not far away, and had nothing else in his eyes.
"What a fierce man, I like him, hehe~" Grace let out a few strange laughs, then twisted her waist and disappeared from the spot.
The two sides quickly approached each other.
Lancelot's fists were now covered in a layer of black light, and his throat, head, chest, groin, and other vital areas had also been metallized. As for other non-vital areas, they remained in their physical form.
With his Body of Steel at level 10, his control over this Ability Energy was already masterful, allowing him to metallize any part of his body in the blink of an eye.
When the intensity of combat is not high, Lancelot usually maintains this form, which he calls Localized Metallization.
Tear!
Grace's fingernails instantly lengthened, each one a full 10 centimeters long with exceptionally sharp edges. At the same time, her hair changed from golden to grayish-black, her ears lengthened and became pointed, her fair and delicate cheeks looked as if they were covered in dust, and her pupils turned amber, making her exceptionally charming and captivating.
When the distance closed to about seven or eight meters, Grace suddenly opened her mouth, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth, and a powerful sound wave spread out in a trumpet shape.
"Cracking!!"
The piercing sound, sharp enough to shatter tempered glass, covered almost half of the arena. Lancelot instantly realized that he couldn't dodge the attack, so he might as well take it head-on.
Generally speaking, the single-target damage of a wide-area attack is not high.
Upon realizing this, the black light instantly covered every inch of his skin, and even his internal organs were covered with a thin metallic film.
This kind of meticulous control was difficult to achieve in the past, but now, it can be accomplished as soon as the idea arises, which is incomparable to what it used to be.
The sound waves rolled in, and the metallic skin trembled violently, sometimes sinking and sometimes bulging like waves.
This form is somewhat similar to a breakwater. The sound waves are like surging tides. With the obstruction of one obstacle after another, the power is quickly reduced. Only a small amount penetrates into the body, which cannot shake Lancelot's Sturdiness body at all, not to mention that he has added a layer of protection to his relatively fragile internal organs.
And so, Lancelot, like Savage giant, charged towards Grace through the rolling sound waves. His spine was like the bowstring of a powerful bow, and his entire body of muscles exploded instantly, propelling his two Iron Fist like falling meteors, straight at Grace's full breasts.
A terrifying sense of danger washed over her wave after wave. Grace felt a chill run down her spine and moved her hands with lightning speed, instantly forming an impenetrable "wall of blades." At this moment, even a piece of real steel would be torn to shreds by Grace's banshee-like fingernails.
Upon seeing this, Lancelot immediately changed his fists into fingers, his hands becoming two swords, striking with lightning speed.
Ding ding ding!!
With a crisp sound, black fingernails fell to the ground, clearly broken off by Lancelot.
My nails!
Grace retreated abruptly, and when she looked up, she discovered that all her nails had been cut off, leaving her a clawless cat.
"You bastard!" Grace's full breasts heaved as she glared at the cold-faced man before her. Her nails were her prized possessions, which she usually took great care of, but Lancelot had ruined them all today.
"Enough talk!" Lancelot snorted coldly, his steps not faltering at all, and he threw another punch.
Grace gritted her teeth in anger, but she was powerless against the formidable Lancelot and had no choice but to concede defeat.
"Haha, I knew TieTie wouldn't go easy on this bitch. Look, her claws are gone."
"Tsk tsk tsk, all that effort I put into my manicure, and it's all gone! The older sister must be furious!"
"Serves you right, you dared to seduce our buddy!"
The female fans in the audience were making sarcastic remarks, but Grace couldn't hear them, otherwise she would have been sulking again.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it's already the fifth day since the preliminary exam began.
On the arena, a green figure flew backward and fell unconscious. Lancelot was also in bad shape, covered in wounds, panting heavily, sweat pouring down his face like a torrent, dripping onto the pitted metal floor.
Even though he had used the healing chamber a day earlier and was fully recovered, the increasingly powerful opponents and fierce battles that followed caused his injuries to accumulate rapidly from scratch.
However, after this match, there will only be four matches left.
On the large screen above the arena, Lancelot's portrait was displayed very prominently, followed by several lines of data.
Lancelot Terra, Leite City contestant.
Points: 58.
Ranked in the top five.