Chapter 338: Tit for Tat (3k)
“Brother Yun Mo, what are you looking at…”
On the high platform, some representatives noticed that the black-clothed elder’s gaze had not moved. They all turned their heads, their eyes filled with curiosity. When they saw Su Jiu, they were somewhat stunned.
“No phantom condensed… is this a mid-level Battle General? Is this the team leader?”
“Should she have been called up to replace the drawing?”
“The contestants in the front… one of them is from Elder Yun’s country, seemingly a direct descendant of a Dragon Country aristocratic family, and has already reached the Battle King Level. Why isn’t he paying attention to her?”
“All countries have brought out some real strength this year. Even looking at Dragon Country’s situation, they have started to focus on elite training for this year… However, they are still a bit inferior compared to Mr. Wend from the United States.”
Their gazes then shifted away from Su Jiu and landed on the few people in the front. They could easily see the cultivation levels of the people inside through the dense external qi. Even these experienced representatives had to admit the weight of this year’s competition.
“Why are they so strong?! If there’s a Priest to provide buffs later, won’t they be comparable to real Battle Kings?”
“Real Battle Kings? My good sir, you are ill-informed. There are actual Battle Kings among those monsters in the front.”
As for those on the field participating in the draw, looking at the seeded contestants radiating strong auras, except for a very few, many of them could honestly say that even if they unleashed their entire aura, they couldn’t reach this level.
Behind Yun Mo were other Dragon Country people. Among them was a middle-aged man who looked like a secretary, standing not far behind him. Holding a notebook, his eyes behind the rimless glasses carried a serious expression.
His sharp eyes swept across the team leaders below, finally landing on Su Jiu. After reconfirming her school uniform, he whispered in surprise, “Mr. Yun, she’s wearing Mo University’s uniform, but this aura…”
“It’s too low. Even if she’s not the captain, with this level, she’ll be eliminated in the first round.”
He didn’t finish his sentence, and another accompanying person instinctively stepped forward, also seeming perplexed.
“Too low? Hehe, perhaps it’s an illusion…”
Yun Mo chuckled as he leaned back in his chair, his mind going to the headquarters’ request to add a temporary team not long ago. He guessed it must be this girl. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he murmured to himself, “I can feel the strength of her mental power, but… it seems she is indeed only a mid-level Battle General. Headquarters had quite some resistance in letting her join. I heard they paid a price for this temporary spot.”
Moreover, the answer from the Magic City branch seemed to be… Yun Mo glanced at the two people behind him who looked confused and said softly, “After all, this is the temporary team known as a silver bullet.”
“Silver bullet?” The other two were clearly puzzled, even finding it somewhat inexplicable.
“In the past, the Blood Clan was extremely rampant on the European continent, creating a large number of Corpse Demons, making residents afraid to go out at night. It wasn’t until members of the Alchemist Guild discovered that low-level Blood Clan members were allergic to silver that they developed alchemical silver bullets that could be fired from civilian handguns. Thus, the night came to an end,” Yun Mo turned to the two and said this with a smile, hinting at something.
“Sir, this…”
The two still didn’t understand the meaning of his words, looking at Yun Mo with confusion, hoping he would provide an explanation.
“In the previous five or six sessions, our country’s school representatives all stopped in the top six. Aren’t those old foreign teams like the dark night that hangs over us, just like the Blood Clan back then?”
“And the team she represents is the silver bullet for breakthrough.”
Turning back, Yun Mo’s gaze fell on Su Jiu. He found it somewhat unbelievable that headquarters would refer to someone as a silver bullet and explained softly.
Since the people sitting nearby were speaking English, he wasn’t afraid of being overheard, and even if he were, it wouldn’t matter. Compared to the girl who represented the silver bullet, he was more inclined to be surprised by the martial arts fanatic from Magic University and the demoness from the Imperial Capital University.
After all, the title carried too much pressure. For a mere student to bear it, it would be difficult to accomplish without absolute strength. In his opinion, Su Jiu’s mid-level Battle General strength might have been passable in previous sessions, but in this peak session, it was quite insufficient.
As time slowly ticked by, Su Jiu could see a mechanical ball-shaking device placed not far away. Inside were nearly a hundred black and white balls, and one particularly striking blue ball. Seeing that the balls also had sequence numbers, she roughly understood the rules through the phone’s introduction.
It should be that white balls with the same sequence number would fight against black balls with the same sequence number. As for the blue ball, it was very likely a bye. And it seemed that each team had to play three matches, with the top 24 advancing based on points.
Standing at the back, Su Jiu wasn’t in a hurry to shake the balls, as the last one would be hers anyway. She looked at Chen Qianyun, who was walking towards her. Seeing the surprise and shifting expressions on her face, Su Jiu knew the reason – she had beaten her rival’s young subordinate and snatched her substitute member, which was no less than a direct slap in the face.
Seeing Su Jiu look over, Chen Qianyun’s beautiful face trembled slightly. She then quickened her pace, arriving beside Su Jiu and stopping, saying sternly, “You haven’t defeated me, so why do you have the right to form another team? And you stole my Imperial Capital University people.”
“Is this going to be a duel? The national flags on their chests seem to be both Dragon Country’s.”
“A group duel between the weakest and the top ten?”
The surrounding team leaders and spectators all witnessed this scene, eagerly watching. The media were also taking pictures flashing “kaka.” While the Imperial Capital University might not be the strongest among these university teams, they were at least several levels stronger than the students at the end.
Listening to the other party’s slightly angry voice, Su Jiu smiled casually and looked up at her, replying softly, “If you’re making them sit on the bench, why not let them follow me? At least they can play and prove to their countrymen that they are not weaker than some useless alchemists who just eat without doing anything.”
“Boom!”
“Kaka!”
The field fell silent for a moment. The next moment, Su Jiu’s words were like a lit fuse, instantly igniting the atmosphere. Many students who liked to stir up trouble began to cheer and take pictures.
“That petite beauty really dares to speak!”
“Although I know she might not be able to compare to that captain from the Imperial Capital University, I still want to support her.”
Clearly, the people of Dragon Country understood what Su Jiu was saying. Dragon Country schools adopted a policy of equal treatment, but students with family resources had a much higher starting point than ordinary students.
This led to some aristocratic disciples who were not good at fighting not needing to participate in adventures or fight monsters, yet their cultivation levels were higher than students who spent their days outside the city earning money to cultivate. During the selection matches, it was generally a touch-and-go situation, which led to these aristocratic students with high cultivation levels “slaughtering their way through” the selection matches.
“You mean I’m an alchemist? Hahaha, what a joke!”
Hearing the cheers around her, Chen Qianyun’s face showed a hint of embarrassment. She then stared intently at Su Jiu’s small face and sneered, “After you defeated my team members, you ran away with your tail between your legs. What, forgot?”
“Run away? I feel like classmate Chen Qianyun, you… probably aren’t qualified.”
Hearing the other party’s words, a playful expression flickered across Su Jiu’s face. Then, seeing that it was her turn to shake the balls, she walked forward, ignoring Chen Qianyun. Looking at the ball in front of her, it seemed to be a white ball.
Being ignored by Su Jiu like this, Chen Qianyun’s expression instantly darkened. She clenched her fists, then slowly relaxed them, deliberately raising her voice towards the audience, “Our Imperial Capital University is Black Ball Number 19. I hope someone doesn’t get matched with me, otherwise you might be flying back after just one round.”
“Oh, I forgot to mention, I have already reached the Battle King Level, a being who can easily crush Battle Generals.”
Then, as if to show off even more arrogantly, she sneered again. The aura of her Battle King Level instantly rushed outwards, causing the atmosphere on the field to reach a fever pitch.
“This captain from the Imperial Capital University really has something.”
“She has nothing worthwhile. She’s just relying on her good family background. I heard she’s a direct daughter of the Chen family, born with a silver spoon in her mouth. The top resources that we consider valuable are readily available to her.”
“But she’s already at the Battle King Level. That’s her confidence. She might be able to represent our country in the top six. As for that girl from Magic University, alas…”
This caused some spectators to support themselves with energy shields to defend themselves. They looked at Chen Qianyun on the stage with shocked expressions, their hair and clothes fluttering without wind. They couldn’t help but gasp and sigh with emotion.
While everyone was marveling at Chen Qianyun’s power, Su Jiu finally sauntered towards the ball-shaking machine. Under the gaze of several staff members, she took out the last white ball. Looking at the number on it, she was slightly stunned, and then her small mouth curved into a slight arc.
“White Ball Number 19. It seems we have a great connection?”
Su Jiu suddenly turned around, a smile on her face, and looked at Chen Qianyun. She originally wanted to teach that sissy Xiangzi a lesson if she had the chance, but she didn’t see her in this World Championship.
“Heh heh, when you’re arrogant, even heaven will take you down.”
When Su Jiu announced her number, Chen Qianyun was also slightly stunned. Then, an unprecedented smile erupted on her face, and her cheeks seemed to be flushed with a touch of redness.
She had tolerated this Magic University student who had embarrassed her for a long time. She didn’t care about national friendship at all. Upon their return, she would directly instruct her team members to attack the Priest in Su Jiu’s team during the match. She had heard that her team only had one Priest and no substitute.
As long as that Priest was injured, they might face the plight of fighting one against two in the subsequent matches.
