Chapter 377: The Competition’s Hidden Health Bar
After Ma Xuan buried Zhang Yu in the underground cavity, Zhang Yu knew he had to escape quickly.
During the time he was trapped underground, his team had already lost one member.
“If Ma Xuan’s team capitalizes on this opportunity and eliminates another one of us… we’ll be in serious trouble.”
Zhang Yu knew that while fatalities were rare in the Civil Engineering Competition, students often surrendered and temporarily withdrew from a match.
After all, medical expenses, Bionic repair costs, and magical artifact maintenance fees all had to be covered by the competitors themselves.
Once a competitor sustained repeated injuries and their medical and repair costs exceeded their financial capacity, surrendering and temporarily withdrawing became a natural choice.
“Our team’s overall strength is already inferior to Ma Xuan’s.”
“With me out of the picture, Che Yufei and Shi Yunxiang will face even greater pressure.”
“If their physical bodies and Bionics sustain continuous damage…”
Zhang Yu felt that if he were in their position, choosing to surrender would be perfectly reasonable. Even if they won the competition, the prize money wouldn’t be enough to cover their injuries or repairs, rendering the victory meaningless.
“In competitions, beyond the visible health bars, each participant also has a hidden health bar: their financial resources.”
“The stronger their financial resources, the greater the losses they can withstand, allowing them to fight to the bitter end in the arena.”
“Conversely, the weaker and poorer their financial resources, the lower their tolerance for losses, making them more likely to surrender.”
Zhang Yu knew all too well that during the time he was buried underground, his teammates’ savings were rapidly dwindling.
He had to hurry back to the battlefield before any of his allies were eliminated.
As these thoughts surged through Zhang Yu’s mind, a Humanoid Gang Qi figure materialized behind him, radiating an icy chill.
Within this chilling aura, the skeletal framework of the Humanoid Gang Qi solidified, transforming in mere seconds into Zhang Yu’s Profound Cold Warrior.
Boom!
With a thunderous punch, the Profound Cold Warrior slammed its fist into the earth and sand above, sending a massive shower of debris cascading down.
Immediately, another Profound Cold Warrior unleashed a punch, violently shaking the earth above Zhang Yu’s head.
One after another, Profound Cold Warriors materialized under Zhang Yu’s Gang Qi infusion, unleashing a storm of fist shadows.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
After summoning nine Profound Cold Warriors, Zhang Yu himself activated the Star Firmament Meridian-Rushing Grand Art, each punch carrying a spiraling, concussive force as he struck upward.
Beneath the earth, it was as if a miniature construction crew had suddenly appeared. Guided by Zhang Yu and his Profound Cold Warriors’ relentless barrage of punches, massive amounts of mud and sand were blasted away, carving a path through the earth.
The tremors from Zhang Yu’s advance transmitted upward, causing increasingly violent tremors on the surface.
It wasn’t until Ma Xuan finally sensed the underground vibrations…
With a deafening roar, Zhang Yu and his nine Profound Cold Warriors burst through the earth, rejoining the battlefield.
Zhang Yu: “Apologies for the wait, everyone.”
On the battlefield, Cong Na and Yang Yan were leading the charge at the front lines, while Ji Yuanshu circled in the distance, providing artillery support.
Only Ma Xuan, providing long-range support with his Minor Threefold Combination, and the construction team of Bu Ziran and Ji Susu remained at the construction site.
The sudden emergence of Zhang Yu from the earth startled all three of them.
Ma Xuan knew exactly how he had buried Zhang Yu. He had calculated that even if Zhang Yu managed to dig himself out, it would take at least twenty minutes — more than enough time for them to repel one or two enemies.
By then, even if Zhang Yu rejoined the battle, he wouldn’t be able to change the overall situation. Ma Xuan would have plenty of time to deal with him at his leisure.
His gaze swept over the nine Profound Cold Warriors. “So, he’s using these to speed things up?” Ma Xuan thought to himself. “His Magic Power consumption must be immense…”
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu’s battle-hungry gaze swept across the battlefield. “Now… let’s continue where we left off.”
The nine Profound Cold Warriors flickered briefly, unleashing a frigid gale as they charged toward Bu Ziran and Ji Susu, who were still working on the construction.
Bu Ziran roared, stepping forward to intercept them. “I’ll take them!”
At the same moment, the words he wanted to say appeared in the Bionic Eyes of his teammates.
Bu Ziran: “This kid has been fighting fiercely all this time, yet he’s still digging his way up from the depths with such massive amounts of Gang Qi. With his Gang Qi so severely depleted, his Magic Power must be severely weakened. He can’t possibly have much combat strength left.”
“He’s just bluffing to disrupt our construction and prevent Ma Xuan from reinforcing the front lines.”
“Don’t fall for his provocation. I’ll take care of him.”
Bu Ziran’s Lung Bionic vibrated intensely, and a Lung Metal Sword Qi erupted from his body, converging at the tip of his right index finger.
With a light tap of his fingertip, he unleashed a series of Profound Metal Self-Sovereign Sword strikes, each aimed to cleave through the Profound Cold Warrior before him.
Normally, Bu Ziran’s Lung Bionic continuously refined and accumulated Lung Metal Sword Qi with each breath.
The Profound Metal Self-Sovereign Sword technique he cultivated possessed the unique ability to shatter Gang Qi.
By channeling his Lung Metal Sword Qi through this Expert-Grade Technique, Bu Ziran amplified its power far beyond its normal limits.
With a flurry of sword qi strikes, Bu Ziran instantly tore the Profound Cold Warrior into shreds.
But before a triumphant smile could spread across his lips, before he could congratulate himself on Zhang Yu’s apparent bluff… a terrifying surge of icy energy erupted from the shattered remains of the Profound Cold Warrior.
Streams of cold poison surged into Bu Ziran’s body through the shattered Gang Qi, instantly turning his complexion blue-purple and causing his body temperature to plummet.
“Zhang Yu actually possesses such Magic Power?”
Bu Ziran’s heart jolted as he glanced at the remaining eight Profound Cold Warriors charging toward him. Feeling his body temperature continuing to drop, he immediately retreated.
At the same time, Bu Ziran realized the dilemma he faced.
“If I destroy these things, I’ll be poisoned by the cold poison.”
“But if I don’t destroy them, will I just let them sabotage the project?”
In that moment, Bu Ziran felt deeply that Zhang Yu wasn’t just disgusting to fight in his true form; even his Humanoid Gang Qi made him want to vomit.
He could only warn Ji Susu, “First circulate your energy to raise your body temperature, then destroy these things.”
In an instant, Bu Ziran and Ji Susu were forced to abandon their work, simultaneously circulating their energy to raise their body temperature while dodging the eight Profound Cold Warriors’ relentless assault.
While Zhang Yu used the Profound Cold Warriors to temporarily stall the pair, his true form underwent a violent transformation. His muscles bulged as he pushed the Battle Demon Life-Shattering Art to its absolute limit. With a thunderous step, he unleashed a gale-force wind and charged straight toward Ma Xuan.
Ma Xuan’s gaze swept over Bu Ziran and Ji Susu in the distance before settling on Zhang Yu, who was charging toward him. He thought to himself, “He dares to fight me while still dealing with Bu Ziran and Ji Susu?”
“Such arrogance.”
Yet Ma Xuan didn’t release the Minor Threefold Combination to confront Zhang Yu.
He reasoned, “If I break the Minor Threefold Combination now, Shi Huaiyu and the others will immediately rush in.”
“Once so many people start fighting on the construction site, this situation will spiral into chaos.”
“Compared to that, what’s the harm in taking a few blows from Zhang Yu?”
As Ma Xuan deliberated, Zhang Yu arrived, the Battle Demon Life-Shattering Art driving his Limitless Vibration Zen to tear through the freezing air. His fist hurtled toward Ma Xuan’s head.
Bang!
A surging wave of Body-Protecting Qi erupted from Ma Xuan’s body, directly blocking Zhang Yu’s fist.
But feeling the profound cold contained within Zhang Yu’s strike, Ma Xuan couldn’t help but furrow his brow.
Zhang Yu smiled at Ma Xuan, his tone straightforward. “What will you choose?”
“Will you let me freeze you solid, or will you let Shi Huaiyu and the others storm in and wreak havoc?”
“Ma Xuan, it’s your turn to choose.”
Staring at Zhang Yu, Ma Xuan said coldly, “Zhang Yu, the Nine Heavens Cloud Void Force has given you unwarranted confidence.”
“I won’t let Shi Huaiyu and the others in.”
“And you… can’t hurt me either.”
As he spoke, a golden light bloomed from the center of Ma Xuan’s forehead, rapidly spreading across his entire body and enveloping him in a shimmering aura.
Zhang Yu’s gaze sharpened as he watched the incantations swirling beneath Ma Xuan’s golden skin. “A Skin Bionic?”
He sent a screenshot to the contest group and immediately received an answer from Tian Yang.
Tian Yang: “That’s the Vajra Spell Skin, created by Vajra Profound Creation. Once activated, it triggers the Vajra Body-Protecting Spell, granting extreme resistance to physical attacks and magic power. Ordinary methods can’t break through it.”
Zhang Yu’s mind raced. “So it’s a daoist arts-based Bionic?”
He unleashed another flurry of punches, but each strike was completely blocked by the golden aura. Ma Xuan remained utterly still, seemingly unaffected by Zhang Yu’s power.
A confident smile spread across Ma Xuan’s lips as he watched this unfold, feeling the situation once again under his control.
But in the next instant, another figure burst from the tunnel Zhang Yu had dug.
“Xiao Qingxuan?!”
Ma Xuan’s eyes widened in surprise as Xiao Qingxuan emerged from the tunnel, enveloped in Dragon-Shaped Gang Qi.
But in the next moment, he immediately understood: “No wonder he didn’t engage much on the main battlefield… This guy has been digging a tunnel all along? No, Shi Huaiyu must have been helping him on the surface too.”
“And since Zhang Yu was also digging upward, he simply tunneled to Zhang Yu’s position, saving a tremendous amount of time and Magic Power…”
Ma Xuan’s mind instantly conjured an image: Shi Huaiyu manipulating earth and sand to assist, Xiao Qingxuan digging the first half of the tunnel, Zhang Yu digging the second half, and the two finally connecting.
Seeing the dragon-shaped Gang Qi radiating from Xiao Qingxuan’s body, Ma Xuan realized why the man had occasionally been able to strike on the battlefield.
“His true body is underground, using Gang Qi with a range of nearly a hundred meters to support the battle through the tunnel, creating the illusion that he was still present.”
Watching Zhang Yu and Xiao Qingxuan exchange knowing smiles, Ma Xuan understood they must have coordinated their plan earlier.
“This is bad.”
As soon as Xiao Qingxuan emerged, he unleashed a palm strike, sending nine hundred-meter-long Dragon-Shaped Gang Qi crashing toward the half-finished bunker. Ma Xuan knew instantly that he had no time left to hesitate.