Chapter 326: Chapter 281: Clouds and Mist
"I am honored to have the opportunity to compete with you."
A tall young man with thick eyebrows and a calm expression stood opposite in the arena and spoke loudly.
He was clad in heavy armor. In his right hand, he held a Horse-slaying Saber that towered over his head, while on the back of his left hand, he had mounted a Fine Steel Hand Crossbow.
Quan Jingfeng, the son of Jing Country’s General of Army.
Nobles were not uncommon in Jing Country; their Royal Family alone boasted nearly a hundred princes and princesses. It was said among the civilians that if you randomly threw a rock over the wall in the capital city of Jing Country, you would likely hit a lord or lady.
However, Quan Jingfeng was not like other noble youths who preferred leisure over hard work. At a young age, he already held the position of Huaihua Lang General and commanded troops guarding the northern border of the Ten Thousand Desolate Mountains. His completion of the Postnatal Martial Artist realm was sufficient proof of his talent.
His cultivation level was equivalent to a High Order of the Rain Listening Realm, making him a popular candidate to advance in this arena tournament.
Li Ang nodded, equipped with various gear. He wore Alligator Armor, his left arm bore a Mechanical Crossbow, his feet were clad in Light Body Boots, and on the right side of his belt hung a Triangular Spear in the form of a short spear, while on the left hung a bundle of Mind Threads.
Under his right wrist, a dial-like structure, complex and tightly packed, was secured with a sleeve.
This was a talisman plate commonly used by Academic Palace Talisman Masters. Its compartments, made from special materials, could store different types of talismans separately. This design prevented them from interfering with one another, losing effectiveness, or shortening their lifespan.
Moreover, the talisman plate extended five steel cables, each connected to a circular copper ring, worn on the fingers.
A Talisman Master only needed to move his fingers according to the rules to make the talisman plate launch a talisman from a specified location, causing the talisman to appear in his palm.
Apart from Divine Talisman Masters, who could use heaven and earth as their talisman paper, a significant number of middle and low-level Talisman Masters also used talisman plates for combat.
"Risheng is serious now."
Yong Hongzhong spoke in a heavy tone from the audience seats, his expression somewhat solemn.
During these days of the arena battles, Li Ang had not used any method other than Telekinesis.
His Qi Sea was not vast, but the long-term practice of Mind Silk Surgery had made his Telekinesis usage efficiency and precision far exceed anyone his age.
Even if opponents knew about Li Ang’s combat method, they often couldn’t react in time, closing the distance only to have their defenses cracked open by Telekinesis spikes and then fatally struck by the Triangular Spear.
However, facing a Body Refining Martial Artist two ranks higher was a different situation.
Body Refining Martial Artists had much faster reaction speeds and were more agile, far surpassing cultivators of other Dao Paths.
The full-body armor made of fine steel could significantly mitigate the damage of Telekinesis spikes, and their bodies, forged through a thousand hammers and a hundred refines, were faster and stronger than those driven by Telekinesis.
"After all, this is one of the toughest types of enemies, second only to a higher-ranked Telekinesis Master of the same Dao Path."
Yang Yu furrowed his brows and couldn’t help but turn to look at Ren Xin. The others did the same—Ren Xin was an Innate Martial Artist, who had traveled all over and surely had a better grasp of the situation than they did.
"Hmm..."
Ren Xin rubbed his chin and diplomatically said, "Quan Jingfeng’s father, Jing Country’s General of Army, is an old rival of our Yu Country and also a Martial Arts Grandmaster. Quan Jingfeng learned his family’s Martial Arts from childhood and has spent years hunting demons in the Ten Thousand Desolate Mountains. His combat experience is by no means weaker than his peers, and likely stronger. In Jing Country, he’s also known as Quan Xiao General. Although Risheng appears weaker than his opponent on paper, he might have some hidden strategy to win."
Yang Yu and the others clicked their tongues and looked anxiously towards the arena.
Conversely, if he had no hidden strategy, defeat would be almost certain.
CRUNCH, CRUNCH.
Amid the tense atmosphere, Chai Chai, with a serious expression, nibbled on a dog-shaped cookie.
Qiu Feng couldn’t help but whisper, "Cui Qiao, aren’t you worried?"
"Worried about what?"
Chai Chai looked at her with a puzzled expression and earnestly said, "Eldest Son won’t lose."
You do trust him a lot.
Qiu Feng was somewhat torn between laughter and tears. Chai Cuiqiao had limitless trust in Li Ang; she guessed that even if Li Ang claimed the sky was falling one day, Chai Cuiqiao would bring a shovel to dig holes with him.
Qiu Feng waved her hand to decline the dog biscuits Chai Chai offered and turned to look down at the arena below.
BUZZ—
The Prohibition light lit up, declaring the start of the match.
Quan Jingfeng did not charge immediately. He picked up the helmet hanging by his waist and put it on his head.
The helmet had a peculiar design, with only a long slit at eye level, effectively defending against stray arrows.
With his helmet secured, he lifted his Horse-slaying Saber and stepped forward steadily.
The weight of his weapon, armor, and body put pressure on the Arena Restriction, causing ripples under his feet.
The armor plates rubbed against each other, emitting a metallic clanging that exuded an immense sense of pressure.
CLOMP, CLOMP, CLOMP, CLOMP.
He gradually quickened his pace, charging forward. His Horse-slaying Saber emitted streaks of blood energy like burning flames or red maples fluttering in the autumn wind.
The distance between the two competitors quickly closed. In Li Ang’s Spiritual Sense, the opponent’s vibrant blood energy resembled a grand bonfire in the wilderness.
His own "Square" technique released a circle of Telekinesis, which uncontrollably trembled under the influence of the blood energy.
Slash!
From a distance, Quan Jingfeng swung his Horse-slaying Saber with all his might, the thick blade chopping down heavily.
The Red Maple Qi Blood reached Li Ang before the blade, floating towards him.
I can’t retreat. His charging speed is faster than mine. Retreating directly would mean being caught by the blade’s Red Maple Qi Blood, which would either trigger the Prohibition and lead to immediate defeat, or I’d be struck by the blade and thrown out of the arena.
Since I can’t retreat, the only option is to evade.
Li Ang swung his left arm forward, pulling the copper ring with his left middle finger to trigger the Mechanical Crossbow.
BANG!
The steel cable of the Mechanical Crossbow snapped back forcefully, launching the Eagle Mountain Hook Claw attached to it, which hit the ground in the distance.
Each of the three steel hooks of the Eagle Mountain Hook Claw was wrapped with a Rain Listening Realm-grade Spider Movement Talisman.
These talismans enabled users to climb smooth walls and rocks; appearing on the hook claw’s steel hooks, they could bypass the "undamageable arena ground" mechanic and attach to the surface of the arena.
WHOOSH—
The Mechanical Crossbow reeled in the slender steel cable, dragging Li Ang forward. Simultaneously, Li Ang released Telekinesis to push himself to the left, gliding in a semi-circular path to the left front, evading Quan Jingfeng’s lethal slash.
And then—the talisman plate!
Li Ang’s right fingers pulled a copper ring, and several talismans automatically popped out from the talisman plate under his wrist. Under the control of Telekinesis, they flew to various corners of the arena.
All the talismans released at once, creating dense fog that enveloped the arena.
"This is the Cloud Mist Talisman from the Rain Listening Realm."
On the commentary platform, Sun Yixie quickly explained, "It can continuously produce fog for a while. Even if the talismans themselves are destroyed, the dense fog won’t dissipate right away."
"..."
Under the helmet, Quan Jingfeng gazed at the foggy, silent arena, still expressionless.
The Cloud Mist Talisman was one of the most extensively used talismans in warfare, often deployed for ambush battles.
An elite army unit, concealed in a dense forest, would activate the Cloud Mist Talisman in the morning to produce fog, attacking the enemy as they passed by. It was a classic military tactic.
But being classic also meant that ways to counter it were likely well-known.
He stood in place, holding the Horse-slaying Saber horizontally, swinging it casually.
The blade stirred up a strong wind, driving the mist to swirl, forming a circular fog-free zone around him.