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

Chapter 155 Fighting for Health Bars

As a senior card maker, Gu Xingzhou does not hide his preference for cardless systems.

Joe Foster, on the other hand, took a seemingly fair stance.

"Regardless of the future of the Kuangtie Club, the no-card strategy has its value. After all, only vigorous blood and strong physique can help us control more remnants of the past."

He smiled and said, "I believe that as long as the Kuangtie Club is willing to give up unnecessary independence and contribute all its cardless flow techniques and experience, not only will all the major spirit-controlling clubs open their doors to them, but even our Dawn Academy will have a place for them."

"Then let's witness the swan song of the no-card-play mode!"

Gu Xingzhou smiled nonchalantly, "The next contestant to appear, Hou Zhijian, is, well, a practitioner of the Multi-Card Flow?"

Indeed, accompanied by Xu Yan and Xiong Ruyue, Hou Zhijian stepped onto the stage in a rather dejected manner, with a half-worn card reader strapped to his right arm.

He checked it one last time, inserted the two sealed cards that were gleaming with a dim light into the slots, nodded to the referee to indicate that he was ready.

"Okay, this player Hou used to be a sparring partner for the Kuangtie team, playing the role of a 'hypothetical enemy'."

Gu Xingzhou frowned slightly as he reviewed the few words of information available. "Could it be that with Xiong Tieshan's downfall and Chu Zhifeng's departure, the Kuangtie team can no longer even field a single qualified no-card player and can only pin their hopes on a multi-card strategy? Doesn't that mean—"

He braked in time.

He swallowed back the thought that it was "equivalent to surrendering in advance."

Hou Zhijian's performance was not unexpected by the three commentators; he and his equally weak opponent put on a truly ugly match.

Hou Zhijian's two combat cards include a four-star bronze card called [Giant Sword], which resembles a dark iron sword and always follows him. It can unleash powerful slashes with the swing of his arm, possessing considerable attack power on paper, but it has no core skills and can only ever perform "normal attacks".

The other one is the five-star bronze [Great Rock Turtle]. Its true form is a reptilian superhuman creature from the Third Era. It has a long lifespan and an invulnerable exoskeleton, which can greatly enhance the Spirit Master's defense. The drawback is that it will severely reduce the Spirit Master's speed and nerve reaction, making the Spirit Master who equips it as stupid and slow as a humanoid giant turtle.

Two guardian spirits, one for offense and one for defense, represent the most basic configuration for a multi-card deck.

Both sealed cards are produced by very mature and stable large manufacturers.

Both the remnant soul magnetic fields of the "Giant Sword" and the "Great Rock Turtle" are quite stable, with almost no intelligence or "personality" to speak of, and will never conflict or lose control.

The problem is that this deck is far too old.

All tactical variations were thoroughly studied two or three decades ago, so there are no surprises.

Unfortunately, his opponent also came from a small club with limited strength and chose a conservative deck, just like Hou Zhijian's, which was unlikely to go wrong.

Then, the two spirit masters, as if mirror images of each other, first simultaneously distanced themselves and, in a proper manner, activated their defense cards, placing their large, thick, and dark defensive guardian spirits in front of them, like erecting an indestructible cast iron shield.

Then, they summoned equally clumsy attack-type guardian spirits, like two heavily armored warriors, panting with every step they took, cautiously approaching each other.

Once they were within each other's firing range, there was none of the splendor of Chu Zhifeng's "Silver Moon Meteor" that had unleashed a dazzling silver mist.

Instead, he simultaneously wielded the "Giant Sword" and "Soul-Severing Axe," weapons clearly belonging to former lowly soldiers, and began a series of brute-force, skillless, horizontal slashes, much like felling trees.

Similar scenes often occur in low-level spirit summoning competitions.

Commonly known as "fighting for health." It's not that the two players didn't want to use more dazzling moves, nor that they didn't want to spin around like tops, getting behind their opponents to launch a backstab.

Summoning the two guardian spirits had already consumed most of their spiritual and life energy.

Right now, they were all exhausted, panting heavily, as if they were being crushed by several tons of rocks. They dared not move a step, as any one of them could reveal a fatal flaw or even collapse without a fight.

The only option is the most foolish yet safest tactic, proven by countless matches: you swing your sword, I swing my axe, and it's all about who has the longer "health bar".

After a full five minutes of stalemate, this match, arguably the most dull since the start of the competition, finally ended with Hou Zhijian's hard-fought victory.

The opponent collapsed to the ground foaming at the mouth the moment the guardian spirit shattered, his limbs convulsing violently.

Hou Zhijian was also pale, covered in cold sweat, panting heavily, and swaying precariously, unable to even walk off the ring.

It wasn't until Xu Yan carried him down, massaged his limbs for a full five minutes amidst the chorus of hisses, and then guzzled down two large cans of sports supplements provided by Deep Blue Pharmaceuticals, that he was able to shakily stand up again.

"..."

Such a "tragic" scene made even Gu Xingzhou, who harbored prejudice against cardless games, unable to bring himself to kick someone when they were down.

"Well, it seems that the Kuangtie team really values ​​the players' fundamentals. When it comes to physical strength and willpower, they are top-notch."

Joe Foster reluctantly concluded, "However, relying solely on physical strength and willpower, along with two overly mature bronze cards, it remains to be seen how far this candidate can go in this year's Dawn Cup. What do you think, Ms. Gracie?"

Ever since Gu Xingzhou interrupted me.

Kelly Gracey, a war correspondent who had spent her childhood in the wilderness, was always somewhat distracted.

At this moment, however, they focused their attention on Xu Yan's massage technique for Hou Zhijian and the interaction between their eyes.

He replayed in his mind the entire process of Hou Zhijian's seemingly ordinary "health bar battle".

Especially the scene where the dim and lifeless "Giant Sword" sends the opponent's two equally precarious guardian spirits back to the sealing card.

The female war correspondent suddenly narrowed her eyes.

"The play was a bit clumsy."

Kelly Gracey smiled faintly, "However, when exploring the wilderness, having a clumsy but reliable teammate like this might not be a bad thing."

"In any case, I will continue to follow this candidate's matches. Perhaps he will bring us some surprises next?"

……

"Ah Jian—"

In the hospital room, in front of the television, Xiong Tieshan frowned deeply, his expression a mix of surprise and confusion. He murmured, "What kind of tricks are you and that kid Xu Yan playing?"

(End of this chapter)