Read at: https://blogspot-trantedstories./?m=1
-----
T/N: Happy New Year (in advanced??????)!!!!! And shout out to <b>@Sharif </b>for donating in my paypal! Have a good evening, everyone! Got busy a few days back and I only have the free time now to do some updates.
-----
"This kid actually managed to use Whirlpool Barrier!" In the contestants'' area, the middle-aged man who had been chatting with Ma Zongji earlier frowned.
Though his brows were furrowed, his eyes gleamed with satisfaction and delight.
"Looks like Ma Zongji really wants to win." A younger man standing beside himmented.
"Win, my foot!" The middle-aged man retorted, spitting in irritation.
"I know him too well, he just wants to spar with Ice Xilu for a bit longer.""Should I have a word with him after his match?" The younger man asked tentatively.
The middle-aged man coughed.
"There''s no need for that."
<i>I knew it..</i>. The younger man turned his gaze toward the arena, then chuckled.
"Ma Zongji has made significant progress. We''ve all seen how hard he''s worked over the past year. Now that he''s made it this far, I believe he doesn''t just want to prolong the match against Ice Xilu, more than anything, he actually wants to win."
His voice was calm but carried an unmistakable sense of conviction.
The middle-aged man paused and looked at Ma Zongji on the stage. <i>So, he really does want to win against Qiao Sang? Who would''ve thought...</i>
---
<i>Perfect! </i>Ma Zongji''s expression lit up as he sessfully used Whirlpool Barrier to block the Ice Flower Seal. <i>This way, I can spar with Ice Xilu for a while longer...</i>
Just then, a jet of water shot from Lubao''s mouth toward Thousand Path Water Bear.
Ma Zongji''s expression froze.
<i>Does Qiao Sang not know about Thousand Path Water Bear''s Water Absorption trait? When hit by Water-type moves, it doesn’t take damage, it recovers! This isn’t exactly a secret…</i>
But Qiao Sang knew perfectly well.
As soon as Lubao finished firing the Water Gun, Qiao Sang gave her nextmand: "Icy Wind."
"L."
Lubao opened her mouth, and a chilling wind swept rapidly toward the end of the water stream.
The cold spread quickly, and the water jet visibly froze, forming an icy shell.
At that moment, Thousand Path Water Bear was still holding up the now-icy Whirlpool Barrier, using it to block the falling snowkes.
Seeing the iing frozen water stream, it showed a disdainful expression.
But when the water jet transformed into an ice pir right before its eyes, Thousand Path Water Bear''s gaze shifted. It quickly raised its muscr right hind leg, which immediately became encased in white energy.
<b>Boom!</b>
With one powerful kick, the ice pir shattered into shards that scattered everywhere.
The ice fragments obscured Thousand Path Water Bear''s vision momentarily.
It faintly glimpsed five sharp, frosty beams slicing toward it.
"Thousand!"
The battle-hardened Thousand Path Water Bear instinctively ducked to dodge.
<b>Bang!</b>
As it crouched, the frozen Whirlpool Barrier shifted, and the five icy beams struck it, shattering the whirl into pieces.
Amid the scattered shards, Thousand Path Water Bear locked eyes with its opponent’s aloof expression.
The audience erupted into thunderous cheers after witnessing the intense exchange.
"Well done! Ice Xilu nailed it!"
"Brilliant! Freezing the water gun to create a distraction while actually setting up a close-range Ice w attack on Thousand Path Water Bear!"
"I think Qiao Sang''s goal wasn’t to attack Thousand Path Water Bear directly but to shatter the icy Whirlpool Barrier just like this!"
"Exactly! Ice w wouldn’t do much damage to Thousand Path Water Bear with its thick skin, but destroying the icy Whirlpool Barrier changes everything. Without it, how can Thousand Path Water Bear block the Ice Flower Seal?"
"To be fair, Ma Zongji''s strategy of using Whirlpool Barrier for defense was clever. I wouldn''t have thought of it."
"True, but Qiao Sang’s precision is on another level. It’s as if she predicted that Thousand Path Water Bear would attack the frozen water gun and duck to avoid the Ice w!"
"Isn''t that obvious? Who wouldn’t attack an ice pir appearing right in front of them?"
"Not me."
"...Why not?"
"Uh, I’m human? What would I even attack it with, my bare hands?"
"…"
"And the Ice w? Wouldn’t you dodge it?"
"Are you kidding me? With my reflexes, I''d be hit before I even realized it was there."
"…"
---@@novelbin@@
Ma Zongji: !!!
The sight of the shattered icy Whirlpool Barrier shook Ma Zongji to his core. His mind was racing with one thought: <i>What the heck?!</i>
<i>I spent so much effort devising the perfect counter to the Ice Flower Seal, and it’s gone just like that? Is this the end of my match against Ice Xilu?!</i>
As the icy Whirlpool Barrier broke apart, snowkes continued to fall.
"Thousand!"
Thousand Path Water Bear''s limbs became enveloped in white energy. Its body spun rapidly like a giant top, generating gusts of wind that blew most of the snowkes away before they couldnd.
Before the match, Ma Zongji and his beast had studied their opponent’s videos. They knew the snow from the Ice Flower Seal mustn’t touch them!
Even so, some kes stillnded on Thousand Path Water Bear, and ice flowers began to bloom on its body.
<i>The ice flowers are forming so slowly… Is the snowfall weakening? </i>Qiao Sang nced skyward, then issued hermand: "Ice Flower Seal."
"Lu."
Hearing his opponent’s instructions, Ma Zongji tensed. <i>Again?!</i>
At that moment, he wasn’t sure how to describe his emotions.
The first Ice Flower Seal wasn’t over yet, if Thousand Path Water Bear stopped spinning now, the umted ice flower would fully bloom. But if it didn’t act, allowing Lubao to unleash another Ice Flower Seal, the match would surely end.
So far, Thousand Path Water Bear had done nothing but defend. <i>How could Ice Xilu possibly remember it after this match?</i>
Desperate, Ma Zongji made a gamble. He steeled himself and shouted, "Fire Punch!"
The lingering power of the first Ice Flower Seal had waned over time. <i>With Ice Xilu so close, attacking before the ice flowers fully formed was his best chance!</i>
Fire Punch, a mid-tier move where mes envelop the fist to deal damage, could melt some of the snow and potentially strike Lubao.
Qiao Sang remained calm. She understood his reasoning.
The data showed Thousand Path Water Bear’s strongest moves were Aura Punch and Waterfall Climb.
Aura Punch required the user to be unharmed for optimal execution, but each snowke now hindered its use.
Waterfall Climb, an upward strike resembling a waterfall, was impossible with snow weighing it down.
Fire Punch, with its me-melting properties, seemed like a viable option.
But Ma Zongji had underestimated the Ice Flower Seal’s power.
"Thousand!"
Thousand Path Water Bear roared, stopping its spin. mes engulfed its right fist as it swung toward Lubao.
Lubao remained motionless, keeping her head tilted upward and mouth open.
Just as the audience thought Ice Xilu would endure the hit toplete the Ice Flower Seal, the mes on the Thousand Path Water Bear’s fist extinguished, leaving a delicate ice flower in their ce.
"Thousand?"
Thousand Path Water Bear stared at its frozen fist, stunned. Then, still maintaining its attack stance, it frozepletely, unable to move.
-----
-----