Volume 6: Fighting for the World Chapter 169: Impermanence of Snow
As soon as I learned the result of the match, I began to worry about Xue Wuxia. Then I heard that the match between her and Hua Mantian was selected by the organizing committee as the most exciting match in the fourth round of individual matches to advance to the top 64. It will be arranged separately, which will attract more players' attention. Not only did it not reduce my anxiety, but it made me more worried. The main reason why is that the two of them are in a high position, but they are also incompatible with each other. No matter who wins or loses, it will not only affect their own evaluation, but will also have a significant impact on the two mercenary groups and even the two camps of light and darkness. It is not because the two sides of the duel are evenly matched top masters, and they will fight hard in the game. In fact, in the cognition of most players, in terms of personal strength alone, the Thunder Mage Xue Wuxia should not be the opponent of the Light Phantom Knight Hua Mantian.
Although Hua Mantian's performance in the individual competitions of the recent "World Heroes Conference" was not ideal, he failed to make it past the first round in the previous individual competition, and was eliminated by Afeng in the second round of the previous individual competition. It can be said that he is far from the standard of a top master, but the main reason is not that he is weak or lacks good equipment, but because after becoming a level 5 knight, he chose to change his job to a light knight, which led to a lag in development. Not many people would underestimate his potential because of this - the one-third of the original attribute value retained by the job change is enough for him to exert stronger strength in the later stage, and he is stronger than opponents of the same level. As the first player to change his job to a light player, Hua Mantian was also regarded differently by the Church of Light and got more opportunities. With his promotion to the eighth level of the phantom knight, his strength has been greatly improved. It is said that even the old and powerful angels who are also light knights are no longer his opponents in the world. The fact that he was able to successfully enter the top 128 in this individual competition has already demonstrated his outstanding strength. If the destruction of Huadu had not affected his evaluation, he might even have become a popular candidate for the "Top Ten".
On the other hand, Xue Wuxia, although she had a good performance in the last two individual competitions, and entered the top 256 each time, and this time she made another step forward and entered the top 128, but looking at her competition, it was more because of good luck that she did not encounter the professions and top masters that restrained her too early. Once she met strong opponents like Yamato Spirit and Shengtiantang, she would be defeated, and there was almost no news of her having a better performance. Facing Hua Mantian, she had no advantage in terms of combat ability or equipment. According to the survey conducted by Tian Media at the right time, the most optimistic estimate was only 30% chance of winning, and it was difficult to defeat Hua Mantian and successfully advance to the next round.
In fact, not to mention others, even I don't have much confidence in Xue Wuxia. When Hua Mantian became famous in "Tianxia" in the early days, he was so popular that even I couldn't match him. At that time, Xue Wuxia was just a little-known character, and was mainly known to other players as the leader of Tongxin League. The difference in strength between the two sides can be seen from this. The more I thought about it, the more worried I became. I hurried to Xue Wuxia's rest area to see how she was doing, hoping that she would not bear too much pressure. I just wanted to do my best. It was just a game, and it didn't mean anything. Even if Hua Mantian won a game, if he met me and Afeng in the next game, I believe we have enough ability to send him back home and won't let him be proud for too long.
When I saw Xue Wuxia, I found that she looked relaxed, smiling happily at Afeng and Yun Wuying beside her. She didn't seem to be worried about the upcoming duel with Hua Mantian. Did she already let go of the outcome? Was it Afeng and Yun Wuying's credit?
"The battle is coming, Sister Xue is so relaxed. How come you are confident that you can defeat Hua Mantian?"
"You are worried too, right? Don't worry, you and Afeng are both so competitive. As the leader, I will naturally not lose face for the Tongxin League at the critical moment. We still have to fight for this reputation. No matter who we lose to, we can never lose to Hua Mantian." In the first few sentences, Xue Wuxia's tone was relatively relaxed and she looked very confident. However, when she heard the last sentence, she seemed to have a hint of ruthlessness in her voice.
"That's good. In fact, it's just me and Afeng who can compete for honors in the individual competition. We will ensure that we won't lose face for the Tongxin League. The leader has a comprehensive view of the overall situation and shoulders the more important responsibility of defending the title of 'World's No. 1 Mercenary Group'. He should be in charge of planning and directing behind the scenes. Winning the match against Hua Mantian is certainly gratifying, but giving up early will be more beneficial for the team competition later. We don't have to worry too much about the results of the individual competition."
"You're such a fool. You've learned to beat around the bush when you speak. After all this talk, you still don't believe that I can defeat Hua Mantian. Don't think that because you haven't seen me show my power, you think I lack sufficient strength like others. It's just that I haven't met a suitable opponent before and don't want to invest too much. Good steel should be used on the blade. Don't underestimate me. Send away your opponent quickly and come over to cheer me up. I'll show you how I defeat Hua Mantian."
His words became more and more confident, and it didn't sound like he was just trying to comfort me with empty words. I couldn't help but express my doubts anymore. I couldn't help but look at Afeng and Yun Wuying beside me, hoping to get further confirmation from them.
After meeting my gaze and understanding what I meant, Afeng didn't say anything, but his expression seemed even more worried than mine. He shook his head slightly at me, obviously not having much confidence in Xue Wuxia. On the contrary, Yun Wuying was more relaxed and smiled at me, "You don't have to think too much. Wuxia is not a person who likes to brag. Since she asserted that she can definitely beat Hua Mantian and win, just believe her. Remember to come and watch the game. She should give you a surprise."
In the fourth round of individual competition, I encountered an internal fight. My opponent was Tianxing, who was also a necromancer and one of the four great wizard kings. He could only summon a green bone dragon at most, which was one and a half levels lower than my white bone dragon. We both had the ability of "teleportation", but I also had the ability of "blood bat transformation". I also had three artifacts. The difference in strength was obvious at a glance. It could almost be said that it was a battle without suspense, so it was defined as a normal-level competition by the organizing committee. According to the schedule, it would start about half an hour earlier than Xue Wuxia and Hua Mantian's games, so I should be able to defeat Tianxing as soon as possible and not be delayed in watching their games.
Facing me, the recognized "number one undead wizard in the world", Tianxing did not show much desire to win, probably because he knew he was not strong enough. He only put up a conventional resistance and was reluctant to use even a pseudo-artifact. He was quickly defeated, allowing me to successfully advance to the top 64 and get away in time to watch the main show between Xue Wuxia and Hua Mantian.
The battle between magicians and melee professional players is usually a guerrilla war. One side tries to keep a distance and launch long-range magic attacks, while the other side tries to rush in front and not give the opponent time to cast spells. There are different tactics. The thunder magician has the strongest magic attack power. The power of the eighth-level magic "Five Thunders" is the strongest single attack skill. The light knight can summon angels to possess him. The rank of the possessed angel determines the combat power he can exert. Hua Mantian can now summon the ninth-level six-winged seraph to possess him, but the number of available summons may not be large. He has been reluctant to sacrifice in previous battles. It depends on who can restrict the opponent and try to play his own advantages to win the final victory.
At the beginning of the game, it was still the usual practice to summon each pet first, but the following battle situation was somewhat beyond the expectations of most players. It was not a usual battle method. When Hua Mantian rode on the speed dragon, charging forward while casting "Angel Possession", Xue Wuxia did not retreat to keep a distance from Hua Mantian, but stood still, with the purple lightning magic leopard guarding in front of him, waiting for Hua Mantian to approach. Within a hundred meters, it was already the effective attack range of magic. Hua Mantian had successfully summoned the six-winged seraph to possess and began to rush over at full speed, but was wary of Xue Wuxia's "Five Thunders". He dared not go straight forward, and ran left and right, zigzagging, not letting Xue Wuxia predict his route and reduce the chance of being hit by magic. Seeing that Hua Mantian had rushed to a distance of about forty or fifty meters, Xue Wuxia still stood still and did not immediately use the "Five Thunders" to attack. Instead, he directly used a pseudo-artifact, and the area within a radius of a hundred meters around him was immediately covered by a layer of light purple light.
There were sighs all around immediately. Almost everyone thought that Xue Wuxia was too hasty to use the pseudo-artifact so early, which was a mistake under too much pressure, and they were not optimistic about her winning the game. Without testing each other's strength, and even before the fight, she used the pseudo-artifact. It can be said that it has never happened in the competition between masters. No matter who it is, it is not easy to get a pseudo-artifact reward. It may be used when leveling up and doing tasks. It will not be used easily unless it is absolutely necessary. Moreover, according to the new competition rules, the number of pseudo-artifacts used by both sides will also be directly related to the final result of the game. If the game time limit exceeds one hour and there is still no winner, the party using more pseudo-artifacts will be considered to be slightly inferior in strength and will definitely be judged as losing. Therefore, all participants dare not use it at will. It is very important to choose the time and type of pseudo-artifacts to use in the game. It is not the earlier the better, and the more the better. The key is to see whether it can achieve greater results and help oneself gain an advantage or even defeat the opponent. However, considering Xue Wuxia's previous confident and relaxed mentality, I don't think this was a mistake on her part. I hope she had other plans and could defeat Hua Mantian in one fell swoop, which is why she put herself in a passive position at the beginning of the game.
In fact, the pseudo-artifact that Xue Wuxia had used so early was definitely not an ordinary item. It was called "Thunder Pool" and covered an area within a hundred meters centered on the user. The lavender light itself had no effect. It was just a warning to remind the opponent that they had entered an extremely dangerous area. There were many invisible dark mines around. Except for the user of the pseudo-artifact, no one else could see it. Once it hit, it would cause lightning and electric shock, causing damage. "Thunder Pool" can be said to be the most effective defensive pseudo-artifact of the thunder magician. Once it is used, few players dare to force their way in. It is hard to get it. It is said that it is possible to obtain it only after completing extremely difficult professional tasks. Without sufficient strength and perseverance, it is difficult to be rewarded.
Hua Mantian obviously recognized that the pseudo-artifact Xue Wuxia had used was the "Thunder Pool". He did not continue to advance and immediately ordered the Speed Dragon to retreat backwards, his eyes still staring at Xue Wuxia, guarding against her taking the opportunity to use the "Five Thunders" to attack. This is the weakness of the "Thunder Pool". The range of action is fixed, and it can only passively defend, not actively attack. As long as you avoid the enemy's edge and do not enter the attack area of a radius of 100 meters, you will not be damaged after 15 minutes of pseudo-artifact use time limit. Especially in the competition, letting Xue Wuxia waste a pseudo-artifact will be more beneficial to Hua Mantian. It can be said that he took a more prudent approach. Facing a deadly enemy who is considered to be weaker than himself, he did not take it lightly, and he was no longer as eager for success as he was in the last individual competition with Afeng. Although he was already in the range of the "Thunder Pool", Hua Mantian was inevitably attacked by multiple hidden thunders on the way of retreat, but with the protection of the attached six-winged seraph, the damage was borne by it, and Hua Mantian himself did not suffer any damage.
Whether advancing or retreating, as long as she was within the range of the "Thunder Pool", it would be an opportunity for Xue Wuxia to take advantage. However, she missed such a good opportunity and did not take advantage of the situation to attack Hua Mantian with the "Five Thunders" and the dark thunder to try to cause more damage to the opponent. Instead, she kept waving the "Lightning Rod" and seemed to be muttering something while changing her position. Until Hua Mantian withdrew from the range of the "Thunder Pool", she still did not complete it. It lasted too long, and it definitely did not seem like an ordinary magic. No one knew what she was planning.
Before the battle even started, a stalemate had already formed. Xue Wuxia used the powerful defensive pseudo-artifact "Thunder Pool" at the beginning, making Hua Mantian dare not attack easily and wait for the "Thunder Pool" to lose its effect. Xue Wuxia changed his position about half a minute, repeating some strange actions within the range of the "Thunder Pool". It seemed that he was setting up a magic circle, but no one knew what the magic circle was. However, the power of the magic circle set up and launched by a magician in such a short time of fifteen minutes should not be too strong, usually not even as strong as a pseudo-artifact. Even if he used another pseudo-artifact, Hua Mantian had already taken the lead. He could take the initiative to attack or retreat to defend. He had a variety of tactics to choose from, and he could also use pseudo-artifacts. He might not be able to successfully kill him.
I can recognize this, and Hua Mantian is naturally very clear about this. He has been staying outside the scope of the "Thunder Pool", confronting Xue Wuxia who is busy with his own affairs. The two sides of the game have deep hatred, and there should be a fierce battle. However, the current scene seems quite deserted and boring, which makes the audience who are looking forward to and want to enjoy the wonderful game disappointed. They all made a sound of sighing and cheering, expressing their dissatisfaction. Unfortunately, the two people in the arena were not moved. They turned a deaf ear to the criticism of the audience and still insisted on their own tactics. One side was waiting and the other was busy.
The fifteen-minute time limit was up, the lavender light faded instantly, and the "Thunder Pool" finally lost its effect. However, Xue Wuxia seemed to have not yet set up the necessary magic circle, and was still continuing with his previous actions. Hua Mantian naturally would not miss the opportunity to attack, and he urged his mount to rush over again.
When she ran to a place about 40 to 50 meters away from Xue Wuxia, a lavender light flashed again, covering an area of 100 meters in radius. The audience, who had just been cheered up by Hua Mantian's active attack, suddenly made a loud noise again. It was still the "Thunder Pool". Xue Wuxia still insisted on defending and actually used another "Thunder Pool". Not to mention what tactics she adopted, the strength of having two "Thunder Pools" and the courage to use them one after another without blinking were enough to surprise people. I really don't know what kind of arrangement she had to make such a big move.
Facing another "mine pond", Hua Mantian did not choose to retreat immediately, but stood still to avoid hitting the hidden mines. He watched Xue Wuxia's busy figure with a solemn look on his face, and seemed a little hesitant. Perhaps he could not see through Xue Wuxia's methods, and did not dare to continue to retreat passively, thinking of countermeasures. Xue Wuxia still ignored him, and did not seize the opportunity to launch a pressure-type attack with "Five Thunders". He made arrangements on his own. Even his pet purple lightning magic leopard did not attack him, but stood in front of him on guard, confronting Hua Mantian from a distance.
After a few minutes, Hua Mantian finally couldn't hold back any longer. He didn't dare to let Xue Wuxia continue to arrange, and began to forcefully launch an attack. However, for the sake of caution, he didn't rush directly into the "Thunder Pool". With a flash of white light, the angel possessed was replaced by a level 10 eight-winged holy angel, but he also used a pseudo-artifact "Summoning God Card" to further enhance his strength. Anyway, Xue Wuxia had already used two pseudo-artifacts, so in comparison, he still had the initiative. As long as he could survive, it would be his victory.
As Hua Mantian advanced, he was constantly bombarded by dark thunder. However, with the protection of the tenth-level holy angel, he was not able to cause too much damage. He rushed forward and headed straight for Xue Wuxia. Fortunately, every time he was hit by a dark thunder, his body would pause. Facing the direct threat of Hua Mantian, Xue Wuxia could no longer continue to arrange calmly. He did not ignore it anymore. While retreating to a distance, he cast the "Lightning Chain" magic with a strong delay effect, and joined forces with the Purple Lightning Magic Leopard to launch a fierce attack on Hua Mantian. Moreover, he always seized the moment when Hua Mantian hit the dark thunder and his movements stopped, and sent out the "Lightning Chain" in time, leaving him no time to avoid it, further delaying his movements. At the same time, Xue Wuxia tried to keep a distance from Hua Mantian, looking for opportunities, and still insisted on setting up the magic circle.
The "Thunder Pool" is indeed the best defensive pseudo-artifact for the thunder magician profession. Facing the Phantom Knight possessed by the 10th-level Holy Angel, it still does not lose the upper hand and is able to hold its own. Although according to Xue Wuxia's attack frequency and damage level, it should be difficult to kill the possessed Holy Angel within the time limit of 15 minutes and directly cause damage to Hua Mantian, but under the bombardment of invisible dark thunders, coupled with the effect of "Lightning Chain", Hua Mantian's actions are constantly hindered, and there is no way to give full play to the strength of the Holy Angel, approach Xue Wuxia, attack her, and obstruct her actions to set up the magic circle.
Seeing that another fifteen minutes were about to pass, Xue Wuxia finally stopped the arrangement, but did not immediately launch an attack on Hua Mantian. He continued to fight with him in the "Thunder Pool", and I don't know if he was waiting for the moment when the "Thunder Pool" effect disappeared. After a period of fruitless pursuit, Hua Mantian saw that Xue Wuxia might have successfully arranged the magic circle, so he did not dare to be arrogant, stabilized his speed, and was no longer in a hurry to rush forward. It seemed that he was also waiting for the effect of the "Thunder Pool" to disappear.
The effect of the "Thunder Pool" finally disappeared. While the possessed holy angel could still maintain for a few minutes, Hua Mantian immediately attacked fiercely. Xue Wuxia arrived a little earlier while the "Thunder Pool" was still taking effect. She stood still, waving the "lightning rod" and making a few movements. Then, dozens of purple bright spots flashed around, and a beam of light was shot out together, shining on Xue Wuxia's body. Just as Hua Mantian rushed over, these light spots disappeared again, and Xue Wuxia's body was covered with a layer of hazy purple halo, which kept flashing various strange symbols.
This should be the effect of the magic circle that Xue Wuxia just set up. According to my judgment, it looks very much like a "Spirit Gathering Array", and the exclamation of the players next to me further confirmed my guess. The function is to increase the casting speed and magic attack power within a certain period of time. The duration and the degree of improvement are determined by the ability of the person who set up the magic circle and the grade of the props used. However, I don't know how effective this "Spirit Gathering Array" set up by Xue Wuxia with two "Thunder Pools" can be.
