After Eight Breaths, They Waited for the Ninth
The third round of the finals was much quieter than the first two rounds.
As soon as Imperial Fighting Team entered the waiting area, Dong Jian noticed someone across from him constantly looking at the timer.
It's not about the start time of the game.
It was the soul-guided hourglass next to the arena, specifically used by the referees to count the seconds.
Yu Feng noticed it too.
"Are they really planning to count to eight breaths?"
Qin Ming did not look up.
"If I were them, I would count."
"So you trust outside intelligence so much?"
"It's not about trust," Qin Ming said, flipping to the last page of the opponent's information. "It's that there's nothing more to trust."
This round's opponent is called Mist Rock Academy.
The front row has one defensive and one offensive unit, the middle has two control units, and the rear has a Support System Soul Master who can grant teammates a short-term lightness effect.
They excel at prolonging battles.
From the qualifiers until now, Mist Rock Academy's most common strategy has been to wear down their opponent's strongest round and then launch a counterattack in the second round.
This is just right for Mountain-Suppressing Dragon Bamboo's ability, which has already been described as "eight breaths".
Qin Ming pushed the paper over.
"I'll just remind you of one thing."
Don't deliberately portray yourself differently just to prove them wrong.
Li Man asked, "Is the Sealed Spine version the same as usual?"
"As usual."
When will it be demolished?
You decide for yourselves.
Dong Jian glanced at her.
Li Man also looked over.
I understand everything.
This doesn't need to be acted out.
Just play normally.
The match begins.
Yu Tianheng is still in the first wave.
With a flash of lightning, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon charged directly at the front row of the Mist Rock.
The other party did not engage in a direct confrontation.
The Defense System Soul Master retreated half a step, the Power Attack System attacked from the side, and the two Control System simultaneously created distance.
The formation appeared to have been pushed aside by Yu Tianheng.
But they didn't truly disperse.
Dong Jian stood at the center line, his Fourth Soul Ring not lit.
Li Man first dropped four bamboo joints.
The Dugu Yan's poisonous fog only spreads along a narrow strip.
Both sides held back something in the first round.
As Yu Feng circled in the air and returned, he whispered, "They've been retreating."
Yu Tianheng did not pursue the matter further.
"Then let them withdraw."
The Mist Rock receded very neatly.
With each step back, a new buffer distance is created for the rear seats.
Their strategy was clear: to avoid a real clash before the Imperial Fighting Team fully unfolded.
Dong Jian watched it twice.
"Wait for fusion."
Li Man nodded.
She noticed it too.
The opponent isn't simply afraid of the first round of the Imperial Fighting Team.
They are waiting for something more specific.
Wait for the appearance of Mountain-Suppressing Dragon Bamboo.
really.
As the match progressed into the middle, Mist Rock suddenly began to actively pressure Li Man's formation.
A Control System shattered the outer bamboo sections twice in a row.
Another Power Attack System player, who wasn't very agile, deliberately squeezed between Dong Jian and Li Man.
The action wasn't particularly fierce.
The objective is clear.
Force them to cooperate.
Yu Feng chuckled from above.
"You really want to see it?"
Li Man ignored him.
The fifth bamboo segment fell.
The sixth one follows.
Dong Jian took a step to the right.
They did not merge immediately.
Captain Mist Rock frowned visibly.
In the next round, they put even more pressure on Li Man.
Two earthen-yellow restraints rose simultaneously from the ground.
One lane forced her to retreat, while the other blocked Dong Jian's path back to the center line.
Yu Tianheng wanted to turn around.
Dong Jian spoke first.
"Need not."
His Black Stance deepened, and he took the incoming powerful attack head-on with his shoulder.
The Mountain Shifting, but no light came on.
The body first bears the initial weight, then the center of gravity shifts to the side along the waist and hips.
Circular Rotation.
The other person wasn't thrown off.
But his foot veered off course by half a step.
Li Man stepped through that half-step.
The two finally drew near.
The Green Jade Dragon Bamboo and the Yin-Yang Iron-Eating Beast lit up simultaneously.
The noise from the stands immediately rose a notch.
The seven members of Mist Rock simultaneously increased their speed.
"Disperse."
The captain only shouted one word.
They stopped fighting.
Move the front row sideways.
Dual control for extended range.
Support System Soul Skill was unleashed, granting a speed boost to the teammates on both sides.
The entire group began to circle around.
The Mountain-Suppressing Dragon Bamboo has taken shape.
Sealed Spine version.
Only three main roads remain on the outer Green Jade Bamboo Road.
The second support layer on Dong Jian's back was not opened.
The two of them took a step forward.
Mist Rock continued to retreat.
First breath.
No collision.
Second breath.
Still going in circles.
Third breath.
Yu Tianheng chased to the left, Mist Rock in the front row only blocked once before retreating.
Fourth breath.
Li Man tried to use the outer bamboo path to block a Control System opponent, who immediately abandoned the original route.
The fifth breath.
Yu Feng whispered, "That's really something."
He wasn't the only one who could see it.
Every breath, Mist Rock, the Support System, would lightly tap his waist with his right hand.
Like giving the whole team a unified rhythm.
The sixth finger had just touched the ground.
Li Man suddenly said, "Demolish."
Dong Jian did not hesitate.
The black and white kernels retracted.
The Green Jade Bamboo Road was simultaneously released.
The Mountain-Suppressing Dragon Bamboo) was directly deactivated.
He didn't last seven breaths.
There is no eighth breath.
Captain Mist Rock paused for a moment.
Their prepared rhythm was abruptly cut off.
We should continue to delay after the sixth breath.
The seventh breath continues.
The eighth breath has ended.
The final assault in the ninth breath.
This is the road they wrote out.
The road is gone now.
Dong Jian felt a momentary heaviness in his lower back when he landed.
The Sealed Spine version lacks the support of the Dark Gold Spine Armor, and the brief lag after the fusion is released is real.
He didn't pretend nothing was wrong.
Stabilize your left foot first.
Step your right foot out again.
Li Man, however, had already flung out two new bamboo segments the instant the structure disintegrated.
It's not a residue from fusion.
It's her own battleground.
Captain Mist Rock reacted quickly.
"Press now!"
The final assault, originally scheduled for the ninth breath, was brought forward.
Two melee fighters charged at Dong Jian simultaneously.
Dual control would suppress Li Man.
They wanted to take advantage of the moment the two broke fusion to seize the core.
Yu Tianheng had already turned around.
Li Man spoke first, "You go first."
Yu Tianheng did not turn back to save him.
The Thunder Dragon Body instantly lit up.
He crashed into the center line of the Mist Rock.
A true captain wouldn't bring the entire frontcourt back just because Dong Jian and Li Man are surrounded.
On Dong Jian's side, the two men had already pressed in front of him.
The first punch lands on the shoulder.
His back and waist were a beat slower.
Therefore, there was no forced conversion.
The Black Stance took the lead.
He took half a step back.
The second person crashed into us from the side.
Dong Jian continued walking in the direction he had taken after his initial retreat.
He had no strength left, and his body had not stopped dying.
Shoulder rotation.
Hip.
The White Stance begins with the right leg.
The second impact grazed my chest.
He then moved to the side of the first person.
Short Tremor.
Bang!
The man didn't fall.
But he collided with his own teammate.
Dong Jian finally has a chance.
On the other side, Li Man did not redo the entire formation.
Three bamboo joints.
A main road.
That's enough.
She only guaranteed that Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling would continue their relationship.
When the two controls pressed down, Dugu Yan's poisonous mist sliced across directly.
If they continue to pursue Li Man, they will have to venture into drug-affected areas.
Half a step too slow.
Li Man withdrew from the other side.
Mist Rock's original calculation of a "weakness window after fusion" did not result in seven people pressing on a single point.
Because the others in the Imperial Fighting Team didn't stop at all.
Yu Tianheng has already reached their Support System.
"Back!"
Captain Mist Rock finally changed his expression.
The two close-combat fighters surrounding Dong Jian immediately tried to retreat.
Dong Jian did not pursue any of them.
He only went towards the center line.
Osler cut back from the side.
As they brushed past each other, Dong Jian reached out and gently pushed him from behind.
His Soul Power did not leave his body; he simply followed the forward momentum of Osler's body.
The Ghost Leopard suddenly caught up in speed.
Mist Rock, a Control System, had just turned around when he was forced out of his safe position.
The situation begins to turn around from here.
Mist Rock is good at stalling.
But in order to wait for the ninth breath, they gave up all the initiative in the first six breaths.
When the all-out attack was launched ahead of schedule, the lack of a unified rhythm caused the Imperial Fighting Team to break the battle into three parts.
Dugu Yan is shrouded in poisonous fog.
Yu Feng and press down on the outer side.
Yu Tianheng forced the captain to retreat head-on.
The Shi Mo guards Ye Lingling.
Li Man reconnected the three short circuits into an arc.
Dong Jian stood only in the middle of the arc.
He never unlocked his Fourth Soul Ring.
There was no re-fusion.
Half an hour later.
The Support System Mist Rock was forced out of the protected area first.
The Control System was the second to be eliminated.
The remaining five persisted for one round before finally conceding defeat.
The referee declared the Imperial Fighting Team the winner.
As he left the arena, Yu Feng's first words were. "Where's the ninth breath?"
Dong Jian looked at him.
Go ask them.
"I think their faces are almost turning blue from counting."
Li Man withdrew the bamboo pattern from her wrist.
It won't be this useful anymore.
Qin Ming waited at the entrance of the passage.
"Certainly."
"From today onwards, there will be one more record outside."
Yu Feng continued, "Can the fusion be terminated early?"
"Right."
"Isn't that sending intelligence again?"
Qin Ming glanced at him.
The real thing will be revealed sooner or later.
"What you need to conceal is your limit, not every single movement."
Back to the rest area.
As expected, the Spirit Hall's technical record board quickly updated the public records.
Mountain-Suppressing Dragon Bamboo.
Publication duration: Not fixed.
It can be terminated proactively in advance.
Even after being deactivated, both users retain the ability to operate independently.
The last line still retains the original judgment.
It is recommended to closely observe the patient's condition after the eighth breath.
After Dong Jian finished reading, he pushed the paper to Li Man.
Li Man only glanced at it.
They want to wait.
"Make them wait."
Dong Jian said.
The true twelve breaths are never found in the external records.
Now even the publicly disclosed eight breaths.
They've also started to become less easy to count.