Douluo Dragon King: My Strategy System Is a Bit Off

Chapter 74 The Girl with a Contrasting Abilities

The proud girl had already stood on the stage. She wasn't wearing the Shrek Academy uniform, but rather a yellow long dress that only revealed a small section of her calves.

She tilted her head slightly, her fair neck gracefully curved, like a proud swan. Her brows and eyes revealed an innate aloofness and stubbornness, her bright eyes seemed to hold the stars and the sea, yet at this moment she glanced at Lin Ci, who had just stepped onto the stage, with a hint of disdain.

"Admit defeat and apologize now, and maybe I won't pursue the bet." The girl's clear voice, filled with undeniable arrogance, echoed across the empty arena.

Lin Ci walked onto the stage unhurriedly, a faint smile playing on his lips. He appeared remarkably composed in the face of the girl's provocation. "Ye Xinglan, we haven't even started yet, and you're already eager for me to admit defeat. Are you already scared?"

Lin Ci's voice was calm, yet it was like a sharp sword, piercing straight into the girl's pride.

Ye Xinglan snorted coldly: "You're all talk and no action. I'd like to see what you're capable of to back up your boastful words."

The referee looked at both sides and then said sternly, "This is a competition; stop when you've made your point. Don't let personal grudges get the better of you on the field."

Clearly, the referee had also noticed the tense atmosphere between Ye Xinglan and Lin Ci, which is why he spoke up to remind them.

The stadium not only has regular stands, but also VIP boxes for distinguished guests.

Inside one of the private rooms, two people stood in front of the glass. One was dressed in white, with long, flowing hair—it was Wu Changkong.

Standing next to Wu Changkong was a woman who looked to be about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old. She was extremely beautiful, with a head of strange white hair cascading down her back. She was wearing a dark green tracksuit, and her dark green eyes constantly flickered with an aura of life and destruction.

Her white hair and Wu Changkong's white dress complemented each other beautifully, creating a harmonious effect.

"I only agreed to let your disciples stir up trouble because they were participating in the competition. What? Aren't you worried at all?" The white-haired woman looked at Wu Changkong with a mocking smile.

Wu Changkong said calmly, "Why should I worry?"

The white-haired woman raised an eyebrow. "It seems you have a lot of confidence in your disciple? Could it be that you believe your teaching abilities have surpassed those of the academy?"

Wu Changkong shook his head. "I'm long past the age of caring about winning and losing. I let them participate in the competition not just for the sake of winning or losing."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Moreover, it's not that my teaching ability surpasses the academy's, but rather that his talent surpasses that of the academy's students."

The white-haired woman was taken aback, then exclaimed in surprise, "For you to say that, then your talent is truly terrifying."

She was unaware that her senior brother was a prodigy of the inner academy. He, of course, was well aware of Shrek Academy's situation. He wouldn't lie, which meant that the young man about to fight Ye Xinglan truly possessed such talent.

On the field, the match officially began with the referee's whistle.

Ye Xinglan's eyes instantly sharpened like an eagle's, her soul power surged, and a dazzling Star God Sword appeared out of thin air. The sword was surrounded by wisps of starlight, as if it had gathered the infinite power of the vast starry sky into her body. With a flick of her wrist, the Star God Sword spun several dazzling sword flowers, bringing with it bursts of starlight, and she shot towards Lin Ci like a shooting star.

Lin Ci remained calm, simply pointing lightly in front of him, and then quickly forming a faint golden shield around him from the point he was in mid-air.

Ye Xinglan's Star God Sword, imbued with a fierce aura, slashed fiercely at Lin Ci's golden shield. A deafening clang resounded, like a grand bell, causing ripples to spread through the surrounding air. The point where the dazzling starlight collided with the golden shield erupted with blinding light, causing the audience below to squint.

Ye Xinglan's attack failed to break through the defense, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. However, she continued her offensive, her figure moving like lightning, rapidly spinning around Lin Ci. The Star God Sword in her hand transformed into countless starlight sword shadows, frantically attacking the golden shield from different angles. In an instant, the sword shadows were numerous, and the starlight flickered, completely enveloping Lin Ci.

Lin Ci remained calm inside the protective barrier. He could feel the pressure on the barrier increasing, but he didn't rush to retaliate. Instead, he circulated his soul power to maintain the barrier's stability.

"Such strong defense!" Ye Xinglan exclaimed in surprise. Her attacks were always known for their power. Every move was wide and powerful.

Even so, the shield formed by Lin Ci's simple and effortless touch remained incredibly difficult to break through.

The girl was clearly unconvinced. She raised the Star God Sword high once more, and its light shone brightly. The wisps of starlight that had been swirling around the sword now surged wildly, like a flame that had been ignited and grew ever more intense. Her soul power surged, and her aura seemed poised to overturn the entire arena.

"Go!" Ye Xinglan shouted, and countless condensed starlight beams shot out from the Star God Sword. Each beam gleamed with a cold light, like a materialized blade, carrying a world-destroying momentum, and swarmed towards Lin Ci's golden shield. This wave of attacks was even more fierce than before, and the air hissed as it was cut through everything in its path.

Lin Ci didn't make any unnecessary movements; he simply changed the direction of his finger from pointing to his palm, which then floated in front of him. Yet, with just this simple change, the light barrier remained as stable as a mountain, firmly withstanding Ye Xinglan's sword strike.

After finishing, Lin Ci smiled faintly, stretched out his right hand, and a dazzling light began to gather in his palm, from which a golden longsword emerged.

"Now, it's my turn."

He wielded a golden longsword, its blade shimmering with light, as if it contained all the brilliance of the world. Lin Ci's feet touched the ground lightly, and he charged towards Ye Xinglan like a golden lightning bolt. This time, it was Ye Xinglan's turn to feel the overwhelming pressure coming at her.

The two longswords clashed at close range. Without any soul skills involved, the two sides subconsciously competed in swordsmanship and close combat.

Ye Xinglan initially didn't care and was even somewhat disdainful. After all, engaging in close-quarters swordsmanship with her was like showing off one's skills in front of Guan Yu. After all, she was the second most talented sword spirit in Shrek Academy in ten thousand years. Only the legendary most outstanding spirit master of Shrek Academy ten thousand years ago was ranked first in swordsmanship.

But things didn't go as planned; Lin Ci completely overwhelmed her in terms of swordsmanship, sword skills, and strength. This caused the girl's long-held beliefs in swordsmanship and her state of mind to become somewhat unstable.

Defeated once again, she breathed heavily, her eyes vacant as she murmured, "How is this possible?!"

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Yes, Lin Ci actually outshone her in the very swordsmanship she was so proud of. That wasn't due to a difference in soul power; it was simply that Lin Ci was less skilled.

How could Ye Xinglan have imagined that the genius Soul Master whose Martial Soul was a sword from ten thousand years ago would reappear before her ten thousand years later? Even though his Martial Soul was no longer a sword this time, his swordsmanship still made the girl feel ashamed of herself.

"Keep going!" Ye Xinglan shouted softly. Her hair had come loose and was very messy during the fight, making her look like a mad cat.

Lin Ci lost interest, sheathed his sword, and stood there, looking at her from afar, saying indifferently, "You probably don't know what a difference in skill is."

As soon as he finished speaking, a series of soul rings emerged from beneath him.

Black, black, black, black.

The fact that Lin Ci, who had successfully advanced to Soul Master yesterday, possessed four Soul Rings gave Ye Xinglan a slight shock.

A ten-year-old with four rings and a 40,000-year soul ring—the oppressive aura that silenced the spectators watching the match.

"You've been playing me from the very beginning, haven't you?" The arrogant girl was no longer haughty. She even threw her martial spirit Star God Sword on the ground and staggered back two steps.

Lin Ci of the Fourth Ring is no longer the same as before. Having been strengthened by the Angel's Tomb, he is no longer the same person he was when he fought Wu Siduo. If he wanted to defeat Ye Xinglan, he could secure victory from the very beginning.

But he didn't; instead, he let Ye Xinglan attack him.

At first, Ye Xinglan probably thought that Lin Ci was outmatched and was therefore passively taking hits, so she wanted to counterattack and find an opening. But now, she realized that Lin Ci herself was the opening.

In Lin Ci's eyes, her fierce attacks and pre-match provocations made her look like... a clown jumping around.

(End of this chapter)