Chapter 1 The Battle of the Morons

In this battle, Xiao Tan's opponent was indeed a player specializing in hand-to-hand combat, ID: [Southern Fist Northern Kick Moron]. This person looked to be around twenty years old, with a ponytail and a blue kung fu robe. There were no guild emblems on his clothes. Overall, this person's look had the air of a lone wanderer, only his name betrayed his solitary, silly nature.

"Hmm... judging by the posture of the guy across from me, he probably doesn't have any ranged attacks, just like me." Southern Fist Northern Kick Moron thought to himself. He was still planning his strategy when Xiao Tan spoke first, "Hey—Moron! Can you hear me?"

"What?" The Moron shouted back at about the same volume.

Although the distance between them wasn't that far, they had to shout to be heard over the strong wind.

"You don't have any ranged attacks, do you?" Xiao Tan asked.

"Hmm..." the Moron hesitated. "What's it to you?" Why would he answer such a question in the middle of a battle?

"You don't, right!" Xiao Tan yelled. "I don't either!"

"Whoa, this guy is being a little too friendly..." the Moron thought, then shouted, "So what if I don't!"

"Then how about we fight on the steel cable?" Xiao Tan asked.

The Moron was stunned by those words. After a few seconds, he replied, "Are you crazy?"

"Nope!" Xiao Tan replied.

"Damn... this guy is serious..." the Moron muttered to himself, glancing at the steel cable suspended in mid-air. "Fight while standing on that thing...?" He shook his head, immediately dismissing the idea. "Even though I'm confident I can stand or run on it, fighting there... especially in this wind, is just too ridiculous..."

"Don't be ridiculous! Who's going to fall for that! Why don't you go up there!" the Moron shouted.

"Okay! I'll go first!" Xiao Tan actually replied, then leaped up and landed on the steel cable. Although he was still above the elevator, his feet were indeed on the cable, and he was standing quite steadily.

"Hmm... I get it, this guy's an idiot..." the Moron concluded. He then shouted, "Since you're already up there, why don't you come over here! We'll fight on top of my elevator!"

Xiao Tan replied without hesitation, "You want to attack me while I'm halfway across, right?"

"He saw right through me..." the Moron's expression betrayed him. He shouted, flustered, "Damn! You knew it too? It's obviously better to stay on the elevator and defend in this situation!"

"It's too lame if we both just stay where we are without trying to advance," Xiao Tan said. "Besides, we'll be penalized for passive play!"

"Fine!" the Moron said. "Then you come over here, and I promise I won't shoot you."

"What gun? You don't have a gun," Xiao Tan replied. "Speaking of which, you've already got some hidden weapon ready in your hand behind your back, right? You promise 'not to shoot' me, then you'll throw some hidden weapon at me, won't you?"

"Damn..." the Moron was exposed again. "Stop talking nonsense! Come over here if you dare!"

"I don't trust you anymore!" Xiao Tan said. "You should come over here!"

"Hmph..." the Moron snorted. "In other words, you're just too scared, right?"

"You dare to come over." Xiao Tan retorted, not willing to be outdone.

...

Meanwhile, in Feng Bujue's conference room...

The three from Hell Frontline were naturally watching the live broadcast of the match.

At that moment, Bei Ling was lightly headbutting the conference table over and over again; Si Yu was staring at the screen without any expression; and Jue-ge... was propping his chin with one hand, commenting with a helpless expression, "Two big idiots..."

"Although not many viewers might be following Xiao Tan's match, the players who fought them in the preliminaries might be watching..." Si Yu said.

"Ah... it is a bit embarrassing, but... whatever. We see similar situations on TV every summer anyway," Feng Bujue replied.

"What do you mean by that?" Si Yu asked.

Without a word, Feng Bujue jumped onto the conference table and pointed to the empty space beside him, "Do you dare to come up here?"

Then, he jumped down and stood in the spot he had just pointed to, facing the table, "Do you dare to come down here?"

Si Yu smiled knowingly, "Shifting Sand River?"

"Big Sis..." Bei Ling still had her head buried, as if too ashamed to face anyone. "Your sense of humor is gradually being dragged down by the team leader... this is dangerous."

...

After shouting at each other for a while, Southern Fist Northern Kick Moron and Xiao Tan stopped because their throats were getting sore.

At that moment, the Moron noticed something strange happening on the other side.

He saw Xiao Tan climb back inside the elevator and begin to shake it violently. The elevator car swung back and forth like a swing, parallel to the steel cable.

"He's trying to shorten the distance between the two elevators using this method?" the Moron muttered. "Well... whether this trick works or not, at least he's making an effort... If I just keep waiting like this, the system will soon penalize me for [passive play]."

After shaking it about thirty times, Xiao Tan jumped back onto the roof of the elevator and looked at the Moron's side. "Hey—am I a little closer to you now?"

"Huh?" The Moron was stunned, thinking, "If I tell him the truth and say the distance hasn't shortened, he'll give up on this action. But if I lie and say it has shortened... he'll keep wasting his stamina. Hmm..."

As the saying goes, all warfare is based on deception. After a few seconds of internal struggle, the Moron replied, "It seems a little bit shorter!"

"Oh!" Hearing this, Xiao Tan returned to the elevator and continued swinging...

"Hmph... I feel a little guilty, but a match is a match after all... Blame yourself for being too naive." The Moron thought to himself, "Once you've wasted most of your stamina on this useless effort and can't unleash any powerful skills, I'll rush over from the steel cable. By then, even if I take a few mid-range attacks, it won't matter... as long as it turns into close combat, I'll definitely win."

"Eh? Wait..." The Moron had just repeated his scheme in his mind when something else occurred to him, "Hey! Isn't now a great opportunity to get close! That guy is inside the elevator, he can't see me at all!"

That's right... The two elevators suspended on the steel cable were in a "back-to-back" position; the doors of the elevators they were in faced opposite sides of the steel cable. Therefore, Xiao Tan, who had returned to the elevator, couldn't see what the Moron was doing.

"As expected... stupidity is contagious..." The Moron hummed as he climbed onto the steel cable. "I almost let his actions disrupt my rhythm..."

He stood on the steel cable, ready to rush to Xiao Tan's elevator.

"I'll take advantage of this opportunity to run over there, break the large lock on the top of his elevator, and he'll be finished..." Thinking this, the Moron was about to set off.

But... he suddenly thought of something again and stopped dead in his tracks.

"I don't want to admit it, but weren't all my previous thoughts seen through by him?" The Moron launched into another internal struggle, "What if this guy is just pretending to be stupid, trying to lure me over..." he muttered. "Perhaps... even if he's inside the elevator, he can still track my movements. Once I reach the middle of the steel cable, he'll jump out of the elevator and ambush me."

Just as he was pondering, Xiao Tan came out of the elevator again. He jumped onto the steel cable, panting, "Hey—why does it feel like the distance hasn't closed?"

The Moron's thoughts were brought back. He hesitated for a few seconds and replied, "Ah? Ah... it's... it's just your imagination. I've been watching the whole time, and it's definitely a few meters closer!"

"Oh..." Xiao Tan responded and returned to the still-swinging elevator, continuing to shake it.

"Hmm... it seems I was just overthinking things." The Moron revealed the self-absorbed, sinister smile that was characteristic of a chuuni, thinking to himself, "Hmph... my caution is truly a double-edged sword... Fortunately, this guy is gullible, and the opportunity is still before me."

Finally, after much deliberation, the Moron set off along the steel cable.

Fifty meters, a steel cable less than twenty centimeters wide. For a player above level thirty with decent agility, it wasn't a very difficult obstacle. If all went well, it would only take six or seven seconds to cross.

Despite the interference of the crosswind, the Moron didn't delay and quickly arrived at the section of the steel cable above Xiao Tan's elevator.

"Goodbye..." The Moron activated a skill, bringing his palms down.

[Name: Azure Dragon Grasps]
[Skill Card Attribute: Active Skill, Permanently Learned]
[Skill Category: Combat]
[Effect: Unleashes a strike that can split gold and shatter stone with both palms (Cooldown time: twenty minutes)]
[Cost: Stamina Value 600]
[Learning Requirements: Combat Specialization C]
[Remarks: This move evolved from a style within Wudang's Tiangang Fist, the optimal stance is: Both palms facing up, raised to the chest, then turning palms downward, legs straightened, and striking out with both palms.]

At that moment, the Moron used the standard stance from the skill's description to launch this move. He slammed his palms together, clamping them down on the shackle at the top of the elevator. This ensured that the steel cable would remain intact while the elevator fell.

His thinking was correct, but...

Just as the Moron launched his attack, the swinging elevator, with its door facing upwards at a forty-five-degree angle, was in position. Inside the elevator, Xiao Tan was gripping the handrail on the side of the elevator wall, exerting force.

Suddenly, there was a violent jolt from above.

At that moment, there was no time to think. Only instinct could save Xiao Tan. And his instinct told him—leap out of the doorway and grab the steel cable.

Thus, three seconds later, Xiao Tan's elevator fell into the deep valley below. And on the section of the steel cable above the elevator, there still stood two figures.

The two were less than five meters apart, but their melee weapons couldn't reach each other for the time being. The two were engaged in a standoff at this delicate distance...

"So, it ended up in this situation after all..." The Moron thought. "Well, whatever. Since we're both combat-specialized players, both standing on a swaying steel cable, the conditions are the same."

Eh? That's not right! Speaking of conditions... isn't there another elevator behind me? And I'm closer to the elevator! Right now, there's only a narrow space to move, as long as I turn around now, rush back to the top of the elevator, and stand firm, won't he become a sitting duck... At that time, I can just throw Flying Locust Stones and Thunderbolt Bombs at him..."

However, in those few seconds that the Moron was considering, Xiao Tan had already taken action.

"Oh—" Xiao Tan suddenly let out a long shout and rushed forward.

"What... he's coming straight at me?" The Moron was no one to sit still and wait for death. If his opponent wanted to clash head-on, he wouldn't back down, and he immediately launched an attack to meet him.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Tan's figure split into two, then recombined into one, instantly appearing behind the Moron.

[Devil Bat Phantom] helped Xiao Tan pass through his opponent's obstruction and continued rushing towards the remaining elevator.

"What!" The Moron's reaction wasn't slow either. The moment Xiao Tan's figure split, he had already turned around. If Xiao Tan had chosen to stab back after passing through his opponent, it would probably have been blocked.

Fortunately, Xiao Tan also understood that it was unlikely to kill a combat-specialized player with one blow in this situation, so he didn't stop but continued rushing forward, carried by the skill.

"Crap!" The Moron quickly realized what his opponent was planning and chased after him.

But Xiao Tan had started earlier after all, and his speed and position were far ahead, so he naturally jumped onto the top of the elevator first and stood firm.

"Too despicable! You actually used an extremely chuuni shout of 'Oh—' to confuse me, making me mistakenly believe that you were going to attack when in reality you went behind me to occupy the advantageous terrain." The Moron simply stopped chasing because if he went over now, he would face a direct hit from the [Winchester Shotgun], with no way to dodge.

"It's not very convincing coming from someone with a name like 'Southern Fist Northern Kick Moron'..." Xiao Tan said with a serious expression, aiming his gun.

In the current situation, the tactical value of the shotgun had been infinitely magnified. The Moron, on the steel cable, was bound to be shot no matter which way he chose to approach.

On the suspended cable, in a solitary situation, the foothold was limited, and there was no space for the Moron to dodge. As long as he got close enough, some of the scattered bullets would definitely hit his body. Although the power of these bullets wouldn't be enough to kill him, the force of the bullets would be enough to shift his body and send him plummeting into the abyss.

...

"Isn't he fighting pretty well..." Feng Bujue muttered, looking at the scene on the conference table.

"I think it's just good luck," Bei Ling replied. "If the elevator hook had broken when the door was facing diagonally downward, wouldn't he have..."

"He could still get back to the steel cable," Feng Bujue interrupted. "He could flip out of the elevator door, take a step on the falling elevator, and leap upwards. It doesn't matter whether he can grab the steel cable or not, as long as he jumps higher than the steel cable, he can make adjustments in the air." He paused. "Of course... it's not wrong to say it's good luck... in that situation, if the opponent reacts quickly enough, they will launch an attack. Relatively speaking, the danger factor will be higher."

"I'm curious, if it were you playing in this rematch, how would you deal with it?" Si Yu asked.

Feng Bujue smiled. "If I were there, the system wouldn't generate such a map. I'd just use *Moon Step* to ascend into the sky and use two *Tempest Kicks* to cut both ends of the steel cables holding up their elevator, and the victory would be decided in ten seconds..."

"Hmm..." Si Yu pondered. "It seems the system really is protecting the other players by sending you directly into the [Butterfly Fight]..."

...

"Maintaining balance on this steel cable takes more stamina than I thought," the Moron thought to himself after facing off against Xiao Tan for a few minutes. "Relatively speaking, although he needs to free up both hands to hold the gun, he has an entire plane to stand on, which is much better than my situation..." He took a deep breath. "Am I going to be relegated to the additional match...

[The me who bears the power of light, the torn bonds... unfulfilled prayers... the glory of the past is no more... At this moment, as if resonating with the steps of despair, the powerful and extraordinary dark power lurking within me awakens... after defeating the opponent before my eyes, I will seal the berserk left hand...] Such a development... is probably unlikely to happen."

It seemed that this chuuni himself knew that the possibility of a chuuni monologue becoming a reality was infinitely close to zero...

"You must feel a little unwilling to lose in a map like this, right?" Xiao Tan suddenly said at this moment. "Actually, I'm not enjoying this very much... no, I should say I'm not fighting at all." As he said this, he actually put down his gun.

"Wh... what?" The Moron exclaimed, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he thought it was bad. "Crap, I accidentally said the common line of a villain before they get defeated..."

"I think, since this competition is called 'Peak Showdown,' each of us participants should at least have the... realization that 'I am stronger than my opponent.'" Xiao Tan said with a solemn expression. "I can use a safe method, stand here, and keep consuming you. When your stamina runs out, you will naturally fall into the deep valley." He changed the subject. "But... I don't want to win like this."

Xiao Tan paused for a few seconds and continued, "Do you remember my initial proposal?"

The Moron replied blankly, "To decide... the outcome on this steel cable...?"

"That's right..." As Xiao Tan spoke, he jumped from the top of the elevator onto the steel cable and used the muzzle of the shotgun to push against the hook of the elevator below, decisively blasting it off with a single shot. "If I had said this earlier, you might have hesitated. But now... there is no turning back for you."

As the elevator fell, the Moron's alarm grew... He was afraid not of the situation before his eyes, but of the other man's imposing manner.

"I think I can win." Xiao Tan put away the shotgun, and the energy of the Tri-Edge Military Dagger was already charged. "I know... I can win."

Instantly, the black flames of *Flying Nightmare's Mark* ignited on the steel cable. Xiao Tan rushed over upside down at the bottom of the steel cable, a violent killing intent blooming between heaven and earth.

[Dread Shadow Soul Chaser] howled as it went...