Chapter 379: How To Compete Without Money
Ma Xuan’s mind raced, and he quickly made a decision.
“Very well, let’s seize this opportunity to crush Zhang Yu and force him to withdraw.”
He immediately issued an order through the contest group: “Attack! Execute the plan we discussed earlier to eliminate him!”
After the first half of the competition, Ma Xuan and his team had naturally reviewed their combat experiences, especially their encounters with Zhang Yu, and updated their strategies accordingly.
Now, Ma Xuan’s thoughts flashed through his mind like lightning.
“Compared to his performance during his first training session six months ago, Zhang Yu has made astonishing progress.”
“His fundamental physical strength, Magic Power capacity, combat skills, and even the level of his Nine Heavens Cloud Void Force… all far surpass his previous capabilities.”
“Our earlier plans to simply knock him back with long-range attacks or overwhelm him with individual pressure have proven ineffective in actual combat.”
“Especially with his Level 20 Nine Heavens Cloud Void Force, which allows him to borrow momentum for up to twenty consecutive strikes…”
After the first half of the battle, Ma Xuan and his team had completely reassessed Zhang Yu as a formidable opponent.
Under these circumstances, Ma Xuan’s battle strategy was twofold: first, reduce the power of each attack while increasing the number of strikes.
“Instead of delivering heavy blows, we’ll unleash a barrage of rapid strikes within a given timeframe.”
“This will significantly weaken each individual attack, making us less vulnerable to Zhang Yu’s force redirection.”
“Moreover, the relentless, torrential assault will quickly exhaust Zhang Yu.”
“Second, we should prioritize ranged attacks to further minimize the risk of counterattacks.”
To implement this new strategy, Ma Xuan and his teammates ordered takeout meals during the halftime break and upgraded or modified their equipment.
“Also, the medium of our attacks is crucial.”
Ma Xuan opened his mouth and spat out streams of silver particles, which cascaded onto the ground beneath his feet.
This was Silver Sand he had ordered during the break.
When mixed with sand, this substance dramatically enhanced the sand’s strength and resilience. Combined with his Minor Threefold Combination and Point Earth to Steel techniques, it would greatly amplify the destructive power against Zhang Yu’s Gang Qi.
While highly effective, Silver Sand came at a considerable price.
Ma Xuan had originally not intended to use this against Shi Huaiyu’s team in the competition.
He thought to himself, “I wonder how much of this I’ll be able to recover after the battle.”
Even as he pondered this, he activated the Bionic Eye’s recording function, determined to retrieve the Silver Sand after the fight.
As the Silver Sand infused the ground, a silvery glow rapidly spread outward from Ma Xuan’s position.
In the next moment, Ma Xuan channeled his Magic Power, and silver arms erupted from the earth beneath his feet.
The Minor Threefold Combination controlled the sand and shaped its form, Point Earth to Steel increased its hardness, and the Silver Sand further enhanced its strength and resilience.
The silver arms shot upward like tree branches, then slammed down fiercely toward Zhang Yu.
With thunderous booms, each strike crashed down like a siege hammer.
Initially, there were only a dozen arms, but they rapidly multiplied into dozens… then hundreds of silver limbs, some clenched into fists, others spread into palms, still others sharpened into fingers, all raining down on Zhang Yu like a torrential storm.
This was Ma Xuan’s Level 20 martial arts technique, Formless Thousand Hands, powered by Point Earth to Steel, the Minor Threefold Combination, and the Silver Sand.
Faced with this overwhelming barrage, Zhang Yu let out a low roar and immediately activated his Formless Cloud Gang for defense.
With a series of explosive booms, the Gang Qi around Zhang Yu surged violently like a stormy sea of clouds, churning and vibrating intensely.
Sensing the relentless assault, Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Hmph… have they finally devised a strategy to counter the Nine Heavens Cloud Void Force?”
As Ma Xuan launched his attack, the other three members of the group joined in.
During the brief rest period, Yang Yan had swapped out his rented Heart Bionic and Hand Bionics.
With a violent thumping of the Heart Bionic, streams of Magic Power poured into it, transforming into surging electrical currents that instantly flooded his bloodstream.
Simultaneously, he tapped his fingertips lightly. The blood flowing through the Hand Bionic underwent electromagnetic acceleration, activating the built-in Level 20 martial art, Flicking Finger Startles Blood.
In the next instant, glowing blood shadows erupted from his body, shooting toward Zhang Yu like a torrential rain of crimson flowers.
Each Blood Thunder consumed Magic Power, amplified and accelerated by the Heart Bionic and Hand Bionics, and ultimately propelled by the Level 20 Flicking Finger Startles Blood technique.
However, since all the Bionics were rented, the cost was calculated based on the number of Blood Thunders used, with each one costing 0.02 Spirit Coins.
As he watched the bill in his Bionic Eyes steadily climb, Yang Yan’s battle intent surged. “Zhang Yu! You damn well better lose quickly!” he roared inwardly.
Fueled by his surging battle intent, Yang Yan felt his Heart Bionic thrum faster, causing the bill in his Bionic Eyes to rise even more rapidly. As he circulated his mental cultivation technique, it further amplified his battle intent.
All of this was exactly as Yang Yan had planned. He had always relied on rented Bionics.
This approach allowed him to flaunt his wealth, showcasing his financial prowess to the crowd, while the constantly updating bill served to ignite his battle intent.
Using rented Bionics required him to operate them more efficiently and swiftly to minimize rental costs.
Completing the same task while paying less in rental fees was, in essence, a form of profit.
Whenever this thought crossed his mind, he felt his mental cultivation technique circulating even more fiercely, stimulating him to unleash greater battle intent, greater power, and swifter thinking…
Meanwhile, on the other side, Ji Susu had also made her move.
To better confront Zhang Yu, Ji Susu needed to change her combat tactics.
However, for this competition, the senior student had already spent all her savings in the month leading up to the battle, investing in enhancing her own strength.
Seeing Ma Xuan, Yang Yan, and others confidently and decisively place their orders, Ji Susu had no choice but to borrow Spirit Coins and rent a Hand Bionic to replace her original one.
The Hand Bionic, named Void Roar Sword, could absorb and compress air into Air Thunder when infused with Magic Power.
Wrapped in Gang Qi, these Air Thunder were then launched as Air Blast Swords.
Due to the temporary rental, the fees were exorbitant, and knowing she intended to use it for the competition, the rental company outright refused to provide insurance.
Since the start of the battle, Ji Susu had been meticulously protecting her Hand Bionic, frequently checking its durability display.
The Hand Bionic’s durability had decreased from 95% at the start of the battle to its current 94%.
Durability was an estimated value based on the combined wear and tear across all the Hand Bionic’s components.
Generally, when durability dropped below 20%, severe malfunctions would occur. Below 10%, the Hand Bionic would cease to function properly, and at 0%, it would be completely unusable.
Ji Susu knew that the rental Void Roar Sword’s maintenance fees would skyrocket if its durability dropped by more than 10%.
She resolved inwardly, “I must end this battle before its durability falls below 85%.”
At that moment, Ji Susu channeled her Magic Power, activating her painstakingly cultivated Level 15 Scarlet Fire Gang Qi. Infusing the Gang Qi into her Bionic, she unleashed a barrage of Flame Air Blast Swords at Zhang Yu.
Amidst the thunderous explosions, Formless Warriors surged forward, intercepting the Air Blast Swords and triggering violent detonations.
As waves of scorching heat and hurricane-force winds swept across the arena, Bu Ziran finally unleashed the sword qi he had been accumulating.
During the intermission, Bu Ziran had repeatedly recalled his earlier humiliation at Zhang Yu’s hands, fueling his frustration.
To better counter Zhang Yu in the second half, he first switched his Lung Bionic’s sword qi output mode from the commonly used Lung Metal Sword Qi to Geng Metal Ox Hair Sword Qi.
He also replaced his Hand Bionic with a high-speed sword technique model called Swift Sword.
However, since Swift Sword was a rarely used backup Hand Bionic, it had never been properly maintained. After self-inspection, its durability was only 33%.
Noticing this, Bu Ziran frowned slightly, thinking, “It’s fine. This battle shouldn’t wear down the durability too much. I’ll find time to repair it afterwards.”
At that moment, Bu Ziran channeled Geng Metal Ox Hair Sword Qi through his Lung Bionic into the Swift Sword in his right hand, unleashing the Level 15 martial arts technique, Heavenly Waterfall Sword.
In an instant, streams of golden sword qi poured down like an inverted celestial river, interwoven with overlapping golden threads, cascading toward Zhang Yu.
This was the greatest crisis Zhang Yu had faced in the entire battle.
Whether it was Ma Xuan’s Formless Thousand Hands, Yang Yan’s Flicking Finger Startles Blood, Ji Susu’s Air Blast Sword, or Bu Ziran’s Heavenly Waterfall Sword… all had been enhanced through various materials, Bionics, and cultivation arts. Each technique, propelled through successive stages of refinement, now unleashed power far surpassing its original form.
Worse still, against this relentless, quantity-over-quality assault, the Nine Heavens Cloud Void Force seemed to have lost its effectiveness.
Amidst the violent fluctuations and depletion of Gang Qi, sword qi, flames, Blood Thunder, and silver palms repeatedly tore through the Formless Cloud Gang, slamming into Zhang Yu’s body.
In the blink of an eye, over a dozen wounds crisscrossed his flesh, leaving him drenched in blood.
“If only I had Xiao Qingxuan’s Level 20 Nine Dragons Heavenly Gang Palm in this state…”
Zhang Yu knew that while his Nine Heavens Cloud Void Force could redirect force, the borrowed power could only be briefly stored in his Void Apertures. At this moment, there was no residual energy from the Nine Dragons Heavenly Gang Palm within them.
Yet, Zhang Yu remained calm, continuously observing the entire battlefield with his Third Eye Mystic Power.
“I can’t just keep taking this beating passively. I need to find a way to break through.”
“Hah!”
With a thunderous roar, Zhang Yu’s Formless Cloud Gang suddenly expanded, surging outward in all directions.
Simultaneously, countless figures materialized from the sea of clouds, charging fiercely in every direction.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The figures exploded one after another under the relentless assault of the four opponents.
But Zhang Yu’s true form seized the opportunity created by the chaos, lunging toward Bu Ziran, the nearest opponent.
“Ranged attacks are indeed my weakness.”
“But ranged attacks have their own flaw. When I engage your teammates in close combat, your attacks inevitably weaken… or even strike your own allies.”
“If I’m going to take a beating, I might as well drag someone down with me.”
Watching Bu Ziran retreat rapidly, Zhang Yu grinned savagely and charged forward.
As for why he chose this particular target, Zhang Yu still remembered Bu Ziran’s ostentatious displays of wealth in the contest group.
“That Zhang Yu kid has always harbored a deep resentment toward the wealthy,” Fu Ji thought to herself.