"Gu Yuan wins." The referee's voice rang out.
Li Pu was stunned, looking at the snow-white blade in front of him. Due to its extreme speed, it had been frictioning with the air, and wisps of smoke were still rising from the blade.
Gu Yuan sheathed Qiushui, skillfully performing a saber flourish.
*Clang!*
He returned the saber to its scabbard.
And turned to leave.
This battle had been a considerable strain on him. He needed to quickly recover his peak condition to face the next match.
The top thirty contestants were all so formidable; he could only imagine the top twenty.
"Yeehaw! Gu Yuan won!" Cheerful sounds erupted from a room decorated in a distinctly girlish style. Chu Ling, dressed in a homey pajama set, bounced on her bed, clutching her phone.
The phone was showing a live broadcast of Gu Yuan's match.
*Knock, knock, knock!*
"What are you doing in there, Ling'er?" A gentle female voice called from outside the door.
Startled, Chu Ling quickly sat upright and responded, "Nothing, Mom."
"Okay, come down for dinner later," her mother said, her footsteps receding. Chu Ling breathed a sigh of relief, patting her slightly heaving chest.
—
Qingli High School, Principal's Office.
Wang Qifeng sat at his desk, watching Gu Yuan's excellent performance on the computer. A smile curved his lips as he murmured, "Good kid!"
This scene was playing out repeatedly in the Education Bureau and among others who were following Gu Yuan's progress, all expressing praise.
Returning to the competition grounds, Gu Yuan sat back down, closed his eyes, and began to recuperate his blood and vital energy, quietly awaiting the next match.
After several rounds of battles, Gu Yuan brought himself back to a state of perfection. Through eating, he replenished two of his three blood sacs, which was sufficient for the competition.
His Tri-Essence Power was also largely replenished.
However, facing Quan Xing, ranked twentieth, this would not be enough. It seemed he would have to reveal some hidden cards. Gu Yuan's gaze drifted towards his storage ring.
After a long wait, it was finally Gu Yuan's turn to enter the arena.
"This match pits our contestant Gu Yuan against Quan Xing, ranked twentieth. We wonder if Gu Yuan can maintain his undefeated streak."
Hearing the announcer's voice, Gu Yuan straightened himself and headed towards the arena.
Quan Xing was already waiting on the stage.
Quan Xing was a dashing young man, with flowing long hair and a handsome face that had won him many female fans.
Gu Yuan stopped ten meters away from Quan Xing and bowed in greeting.
Quan Xing returned the gesture.
At the referee's signal.
Gu Yuan exploded with speed, rapidly retreating.
Simultaneously, his hand flashed, and a terrifying great bow, half his height, appeared.
This sight instantly jolted the audience, who had been growing sleepy.
"Wow! I didn't expect contestant Gu Yuan to still have a trump card! He's a ranged attacker! I wonder if his aim is good. Quan Xing is in danger now."
Quan Xing, seeing Gu Yuan rapidly retreating and holding a great bow, was initially taken aback, his expression quickly turning grim.
He gritted his teeth and said, "This sneaky guy!"
His intelligence had indicated Gu Yuan possessed extremely formidable defense, and he had specifically studied a armor-piercing sword technique to counter such resilient opponents.
He hadn't expected Gu Yuan to deviate from the plan and start using a bow and arrow.
As Gu Yuan retreated rapidly, he produced an iron arrow, specially prepared for the match. For ordinary people, being shot by his Chong Xuan Chi Lian could split them in two, comparable to a sniper rifle in his previous life.
His fingers nocked the arrow, he drew the bowstring, veins bulging on his arm. With a grating sound from the bowstring.
The ice-cold arrow tip, glinting with a chilling light, was aimed squarely at Quan Xing, who was charging towards him.
*Boom!*
*Whoosh!*
He released the bowstring. The arrow, like a shooting star, streaked through the air with a whistling sound, heading directly for Quan Xing.
Quan Xing's eyes caught a blurry arrow shadow rushing towards him. He quickly dodged to the side. Although his reaction was swift, Gu Yuan's arrow was faster.
*Screech!*
He tried desperately to evade, but the arrow grazed his clothes.
Quan Xing's face darkened, but he still flicked his long sword and charged rapidly towards Gu Yuan.
Gu Yuan, seeing his first shot miss, remained expressionless and continued to draw and nock arrows, shooting at Quan Xing.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
One arrow, two arrows, three arrows.
He continuously compressed Quan Xing's space to dodge.
"Argh! Damn it!" Quan Xing was on the verge of collapse. No matter how fast he was, he couldn't match the speed of the arrows. His dodging space was constantly being squeezed, and he hadn't even gotten within fifty meters of Gu Yuan.
Gu Yuan wasn't holding back. His hands moved continuously, unleashing arrow after arrow.
He had prepared plenty of arrows before the match and wasn't worried about running out.
*Hoo~*
Gu Yuan let out a long breath and lowered the Chong Xuan Chi Lian. The prolonged effort of drawing and shooting the bow was a significant burden.
Ahead, not far away, Quan Xing's clothes were in tatters, like a beggar's, completely devoid of the dashing demeanor he had at the start of the match.
The arrows Gu Yuan had shot formed a circle around Quan Xing.
Gu Yuan sheathed the Chong Xuan Chi Lian and walked over to the tearful Quan Xing. He patted his shoulder without a word, then bent down and began to pull out his own arrows.
Pulling out one arrow, Gu Yuan examined the arrowhead and found minimal wear, indicating it could be used again. A faint smile appeared on his lips.
He quickly pulled out all the arrows, leaving behind circular holes in the ground, forming a neat circle.
Many spectators couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. Though each laugh was quiet, they combined to fill the arena with cheerful sounds.
Hearing the laughter, Quan Xing's face grew even darker, and his aura became dispirited. Gu Yuan, seeing this, couldn't help but let out a laugh.
"I don't usually laugh, unless I can't help it."
Hearing Gu Yuan's laughter, Quan Xing looked at him with an expression of utter despair. Gu Yuan immediately suppressed his smile, rapidly finished pulling out the arrows, and quickly fled the scene.
Quan Xing, with a dejected expression, silently left the arena.
"Hahaha, cough cough, thank you contestants Gu Yuan and Quan Xing for a wonderful match. Let us now welcome the next contestants."
On his way back to the dormitory, Gu Yuan's mind was abuzz with thoughts. He hadn't expected archery to be such a threat to the Body Tempering realm, forcing a twentieth-ranked contestant to concede. He had to admit, Quan Xing was not weak at all; his long sword had severed many of his arrows.
Given this, why not enter an "unhuman" mode and engage in a kite-flying, kiting strategy.
Having made up his mind, he headed directly to the Martial Pavilion, intending to purchase a flashy, unpredictable archery martial skill.
—
"Ah! It's this expensive?" Gu Yuan's voice held a note of disbelief.
"Sir, there's nothing we can do about it. The market price is as it is. The main reason is that archery martial skills are very rare."
He hadn't expected a second-tier martial skill, "Chasing Wind Arrow," to cost him one hundred thousand yuan. He knew that even "Seven Fiends Killing Fist" cost only that much.
*Hoo~*
Gu Yuan's head ached. He had no choice. Gritting his teeth, he bought it on the spot.
He left the Martial Pavilion with a crestfallen face. The sales assistant at the door waved goodbye and called out, "Sir, please visit again!"
Gu Yuan didn't turn his head, merely waved a hand and sped away from the Martial Pavilion. This purchase had nearly crippled him. Looking at his significantly depleted bank balance, his heart ached.
He couldn't earn much money here. If he had returned to Tianyuan, he could have made money by killing demonic beasts.
Alas!
Gu Yuan sighed deeply and returned to his dormitory, opening the martial skill that had cost him one hundred thousand yuan.
As he looked at the contents, his previously crestfallen face began to break into a smile, gradually turning somewhat lewd…