As soon as the Human Emperor Banner came out, I became the Lord of the Old Ones

Chapter 146 A Fierce and Intense Contest

Hou Zhijian was diligent and conscientious in his sparring duties, but his performance was less than satisfactory.

But expecting him to win the Dawn Cup is clearly asking too much.

The remaining two substitutes also each have their own problems.

Xiong Rulong, nineteen years old, 1.99 meters tall, weighing nearly 150 kilograms, with a broad back and thick waist, bulging muscles, and a fierce appearance. From his appearance, he is the stereotypical practitioner of the cardless style.

He is Xiong Ruyue's cousin and Xiong Tieshan's nephew.

After his father, a vault hunter, died tragically in the wilderness, he was raised by his uncle.

With his exceptional talent and family tradition of learning, Xiong Rulong's strength was naturally formidable.

His problem is his mindset.

Xiong Ruyue watched Xiong Rulong grow up and knew what her cousin was thinking.

Despite his burly appearance, seemingly born to make a living from the no-card-based gameplay, he harbors deep-seated doubts, resistance, and even hatred towards it.

Perhaps it was the tragic death of his father, a practitioner of the cardless style, in the depths of the wilderness that made him waver in his belief in the cardless style.

Or perhaps it was his uncle Xiong Tieshan's belief in simplistic and brutal corporal punishment that prevented him from escaping his rebellious teenage years.

In short, while he perfectly plays the role of a cardless master at the Kuangtie Club, Xiong Rulong secretly possesses several card readers and several battle cards of unknown origin, and he scoffs at Xiong Tieshan's outdated theory of the Absolute God Path.

However, Xiong Tieshan was usually dignified and imposing; even tigers would be afraid of him if he glared at them.

There is also the responsibility of family inheritance.

Xiong Rulong dared not reveal his true preferences.

Over time, his mentality became increasingly unbalanced. Whether in training or on the ring, he was somewhat half-hearted and awkward, unable to fully realize his potential.

Now that Chu Zhifeng has left and Xiong Tieshan has fallen, Xiong Rulong's belief has been strengthened even more—the Absolute God Path is an outdated relic that should have been eliminated long ago, and the no-card strategy has no future whatsoever.

However, he was not an ungrateful person like Chu Zhifeng. How could he bear to abandon his uncle lying in the intensive care unit and his cousin's business in turmoil?

Therefore, although his body, cast in bronze and iron, was standing on the training ground, his soul seemed to have flown away, leaving him looking lost and listless.

Xiong Chenghu, 15 years old, 1.92 meters tall, 135 kilograms.

Xiong Rulong's younger brother is even more talented than his brother and has the potential to become "the second Chu Zhifeng".

He wasn't as rebellious as his brother, and he had no prejudice against no-card, single-card, or multi-card strategies. He wasn't afraid of the pressure from the Shattered Star Club either, and was even eager to try and turn the tide.

His fighting spirit is commendable, but the problem is that he is too young. He only joined the Kuangtie team this year. He has no experience in major competitions, let alone minor competitions. Even if his strength on paper is frighteningly high, he will easily be led astray by experienced opponents on the stage.

This is all the immediate combat power that Xiong Ruyue can mobilize at the moment.

The coaching staff is in an even worse situation.

Originally, Xiong Tieshan personally led the coaching staff of the Kuangtie team.

In addition to the strength and conditioning coach and the tactics coach, there are also massage therapists and data analysts, all of whom are experts in the no-card-play industry with at least ten years of experience.

They've all been poached by the Shattered Star Club.

The remaining coaches in the Kuangtie Club specialize in child psychology, introductory meditation techniques, or health care for the middle-aged and elderly.

Xiong Ruyue had no choice but to take matters into her own hands.

She brought over a projector and inserted a black metal civilian card, "Phantom Butterfly," into the card reader.

These extraordinary beings, living in the Third Era, possess the ability to perfectly record light and shadow. Through the three-dimensional light screen released by their remnant souls, the sound, light, and electricity effects are superb, giving people a sense of immersion.

"Shh!"

As millions of phantom butterflies fluttered and danced, the training room was suddenly transformed.

They seemed to be in a bustling stadium, amidst a sea of ​​people in the stands.

The senses of sight, hearing, and touch were all incredibly realistic.

Even the heatwave, thick with the smell of sweat, stirred up by the surrounding crowd was transmitted to their central nervous system without any reduction.

"Watch the next match closely, don't miss a single detail."

On the magnificent arena, which was surrounded by fireworks, two imposing spirit masters faced off like two ferocious beasts poised to pounce.

This is the final match of last year's Dawn Cup.

The two sides facing off are "Wei Fang" from the Glorious Club and "Carlos" from the Shattered Star Club.

The two players have very distinct characteristics, which is enough to represent most of the opponents that the Kuangtie team will face next.

Wei Fang is an extreme single-card Spirit Master whose Guardian Spirit is [Iron Arhat].

His guardian spirit was originally an iron sandbag used by beginners in martial arts during the early Second Era.

Millions of years ago, countless martial artists poured their passion for martial arts into this iron sandbag, punching it relentlessly with their fists, sweat, and blood.

Over time, the iron sandbag, nurtured by the will of martial artists, developed its own weapon spirit.

When the Second Era ended and countless warriors perished, their spirits, as well as the spirits of divine weapons and cultivation tools, might be preserved in the Era of Heroes as remnants of their past lives.

Today's people, if they choose to sign a contract with the remnants of the Second Era.

There will be an opportunity to instantly inject hundreds of years of internal energy into the body and carry forward the legendary "magnetic field martial arts".

However, the original "cast iron arhats" were merely the spirits of iron sandbags, falling between the "black iron" and "bronze" levels.

His only skill is the simple move "Iron Mountain Lean".

Wei Fang, who signed the contract with it, was just a penniless young man with nothing but enthusiasm and a pair of iron fists.

Even those spirit masters with some background and resources who want to master magnetic field martial arts will seek out the powerful remnant souls of former martial arts masters, or sign contracts with legendary divine weapons that have slain countless heroes.

Wei Fang, together with the "Iron Arhat," fought hard and solidly, carving out his own niche in the world.

From "quasi-bronze" to "low-level bronze" to "high-level bronze" and finally to "peak bronze".

He rose from a sparring partner in the Brilliant Team to become an absolute main player, a future star no less than Chu Zhifeng.

One person, one card.

One soul, one guardian spirit.

Never to be separated, through life and death.

Let's join hands and forge ahead on the road to breaking limits.

This is the concept of "single-card streaming".

And his opponent.

Carlos, who was known as the "Phantom Boy".

He is a rising star in the "multi-card flow" style.

Carlos's father was a talented card reader designer.

My life's work has been about how to insert as many sealed cards as possible into a single card reader.

It can be activated simultaneously without causing interference.

Ideally, they should also stimulate each other, producing a "one plus one is greater than two" effect.

When Carlos was ten years old, he was able to summon eight guardian spirits in one go, earning him the title of "Six-Armed Golden Boy".

After reaching adulthood, the "six arms" became a "phantom".

This means that no one knows exactly how many guardian spirits he can summon at the same time.

The championship battle saw a passionate clash between the staunch adherents of the "single-card strategy" and the brilliant newcomers of the "multi-card strategy," showcasing the distinct characteristics of both schools of thought to the fullest.

Carlos had a card reader strapped to each of his left and right arms, and a belt-style card reader wrapped around his waist.

It was as if a museum of guardian spirits had opened up around him.

Red, orange, crimson, and blue—a dazzling array of guardian spirits.

They came from different eras, different historical backgrounds, and even different camps, yet miraculously, no conflict occurred.

The Undying Lich of the Phantom Era.

A magnetic field powerhouse in the Super Martial Era.

Extraordinary creatures from the Beast Taming Era.

Killing machines of the Age of Wonders.

They all became pawns in his hands, pulled by invisible threads, moving along intricate tracks with unparalleled precision, creating a dazzling, magnificent, and extremely dangerous mist of light.

Wei Fang, shrouded in light and mist, remained as still as a statue cast in bronze and iron.

Including his guardian spirit, "Iron Arhat".

Despite possessing terrifying combat power, it still maintains its original unremarkable, dark appearance.

Faced with the relentless onslaught of numerous guardian spirits, Wei Fang, now one with the "Iron Arhat," had only one move left.

Damn it!
He was like a steam-powered war machine clad in heavy armor.

No matter how fierce the enemy's artillery fire, how rugged the road ahead, or how many traps are laid.

Before being completely blasted into scrap metal by artillery fire, he must burn through the last bit of fuel, squeeze out the power from every single rivet, and move forward, forward, ever forward!

The undead lich unleashed unpredictable magic.

Damn it!
Those with strong magnetic fields displayed superb martial arts skills.

Damn it!
The prehistoric behemoth opened its blood-red maw and stretched out its sharp claws and teeth.

Damn it!
The killing machine pushed the death chainsaw to its limit, unleashing crimson flames.

Damn it!
No matter how many scars appear on the body.

No matter how many bloody footprints are left on the ring.

No matter how many times the guardian spirit was nearly shattered and its soul scattered.

Wei Fang's expression remained unchanged, his eyes fixed on Carlos.

It was as if, in the calmest of tones, a challenge had been simultaneously issued to all the guardian spirits of the "Golden Boy":
"I'm here today only to be beaten to death by you all, or... to be killed by you all!"

finally--

In this contest of technology, psionic power, and even willpower.

Wei Fang, dragging his battered body and shattered guardian spirit, successfully broke through Carlos's defenses.

With a final, powerful strike, he sent "Golden Boy" flying over 100 meters away off the stage.

The victor himself, in the next second, spread his arms and legs and fell into a pool of burning blood.

(End of this chapter)