Chapter 549: How Does One Look Fabulous?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"And who will be Master Ye's opponent? You wouldn't have guessed it! Haha, it's time to reveal the answer! Let us call out his name - Xuan Ning!" Prince Desnio cried enthusiastically.
"Oh, it's Xuan Ning!" "Xuan Ning!" The crowd roared fervently.
Xuan Ning was a very influential figure in Eastern Cloud, with many loyal worshipers. He was the symbol of strength and power, a 30-year-old shooter in his prime, and a small step away from reaching Level 9. It was an achievement that few could hope to match.
The audience in the National Combat Stadium erupted in joy. It did not matter whether the combat matches later were up to expectation - the Demonstration Contest itself was worth the trip here.
Ye Chong and Xuan Ning entered the ring at the same time, and studied each other.
"Good day," Xuan Ning greeted without expression.
"And to you," Ye Chong returned the gesture with equal coldness.
This was only a combat demonstration. They were only required to show a few moves, not actually put up a serious fight. Sun Sieha's request was simple - Ye Chong only had to show a few moves, and make them look stylish and pretty enough to dazzle the audience.
A mock battle was challenging for Ye Chong. After all, he never had the talent for pretending.
Duan Qian looked at the two men in the ring with excitement. He had heard about the appearance of a Close Range Combat Master in Su City, but had missed the deadline to be enrolled as Master Ye's student when he arrived in Su City. Besides, rumors were hardly worth trusting.
He knew now that the man was real, and did not want to miss out. Rumors could be lies, but only true Masters could enter the Demonstration Contest. This meant that Master Ye's abilities were convincing enough for His Majesty and the other experts.
Duan Xian felt a mixture of emotions as he watched the young man in the ring, who was only a few years older than him. On the one hand, he now knew that his decision was right - he was not the only one fighting for his path. On the other hand, this young man had qualified to be a Master, and he was awfully jealous of him.
Ye Chong and Xuan Ning would not compete in any special terrain. The ring was only a flat stone-paved stage of a thousand square meters.
Xuan Ning wore no expression on his face. No one knew what he was thinking. Ye Chong was the same. Both men looked serious.
They moved at the same time.
A strong and overpowering parapsychic wave spread out through the entire stadium. It came from Xuan Ning, a super strong parapsychic!
Duan Qian was shocked. Prince Desnio was shocked. All the shooters who were watching went pale. The strong parapsychic wave made them feel like tiny ants at the foot of a mountain, facing tremendous pressure from Xuan Ning's power.
Only Sun Sieha and a few Level 8 shooters could maintain their calm, but their eyes betrayed their emotions. They all knew that Xuan Ning was strong, but this was beyond even their expectations!
Shooters below Level 4 had their parapsychic control damaged by this powerful wave of parapsychic energy. It would hinder their parapsychic training in future, but if they manage to overcome this obstacle, they would reach greater heights than they could ever imagine.
Xuan Ning was as powerful as his reputation suggested!
From the audience seats, Xuan Ning was the size of an ant, but everyone was now feeling afraid of the ant-sized human they were watching. Even some of the Level 8 shooters were studying Xuan Ning with mixed expression.
The strong parapsychic wave from Xuan Ning did not affect Ye Chong too much, since he had an equally strong mind to hold himself against Xuan Ning.
Ye Chong made his move.
"Alright, a performance it is," Ye Chong thought to himself helplessly as he ran across the battle ring.
"Wow! He's fast!"
"By God, is he flying?"
"Mama, look, superman!"
…
The audience grew noisy again. They had never seen such extraordinary skills! Ye Chong could cover seven to eight meters with every step. It was simply unimaginable for the common people, but they were seeing it right now with their very own eyes!
"My God!" Duan Qian's hand went to his chest in utter surprise. He could hardly believe what he was seeing. His eyes were wide open as he followed the figure running in the battle ring.
Ye Chong remembered Sun Sieha's request - be stylish, be dazzling. The truth was, Ye Chong did not have many stylish moves in his book. He had always gone for simplicity and efficiency.
Now he was stumped - how could he create this visual spectacle?
Xuan Ning was also surprised. He had heard of Master Ye's means of combat, but he did not give it much credibility.He was startled by how fast Ye Chong was running right now.
The young man was skilled!
When he saw that Ye Chong did not intend to make a move on him, Xuan Ning knitted his brows and reigned in his parapsychic energy. The audience felt the pressure on them suddenly relieved.
Just when Ye Chong was wondering what would count as a stylish performance, he felt the parapsychic waves around him recede, and then abruptly, had a vague sense of being locked on to.
Ye Chong turned his attention to Xuan Ning. His eyes were cold and emotionless - his first reaction to anything that might become a threat to him.
Xuan Ning's eyes were also directed at him, cold like a snake's.
Ye Chong's upper body vibrated - his entire upper body turned into a blur. That vague sense of being targeted disappeared immediately, and Xuan Ning's eyes widened in surprise.
By now, Ye Chong had forgotten everything about Sun Sieha's request to be stylish and whatnot. All he could see was the battle.
Ye Chong dashed forward like a bolt of black colored lightning, leaving a black zip of afterimages in the audiences' vision.
The opponent was far stronger than Xuan Ning expected. He looked more alarmed as he lifted the fluorescent gun in his hand.
At the same time, an even concentrated parapsychic energy covered the entire battle ring. The audience did not feel it at all. The parapsychic energy coming from Xuan Ning was even more powerful than earlier. The range was smaller, but the energy was more focused, almost thick enough to touch it.
This was the true strength of a Level 8 shooter. They had almost full control of their parapsychic energy, managing the range of their parapsychic waves with great precision. Level 6 shooters could not achieve this. Besides, the strong parapsychic waves were difficult to interfere with.
Ye Chong's eyes narrowed. Dozens of thin blue lines appeared in his vision.
At the same time, Ye Chong's body turned almost fluid - he twisted and turned in seemingly impossible ways, but his moves were smooth, and his steps were quick and unpredictable. It was like watching a fish swimming in water, but it was also a chilling sight to behold.
Xuan Ning was alarmed - he found that he could not lock on to Ye Chong with his parapsychic sense.
If a shooter could not detect their opponent with parapsychic sense, then their defeat was almost certain. Xuan Ning braced himself. Ye Chong was getting very close to him now. That fleeting figure danced menacingly in front of him.
"He's strong!" Xuan Ning thought to himself. However, he would not give up so easily. It was difficult to find such a strong opponent. He would not waste the chance.
He decided to use a technique that he had recently come up with, one that he had not fully mastered yet!
Xuan Ning was a Level 8 shooter. Non-shooters saw him as the most likely candidate in the world to become the next Level 9 shooter. In fact, he was only a hair's breadth away from Level 8, but this infinitesimal step felt so far away. At this level of expertise, things were not so simple. One would either grasp the key to advance further, or not. The gap might take a single day or a decade to cross.
This was a key opportunity for him!
Before 200 thousand spectators, Xuan Ning did the unthinkable.
He closed his eyes.
Just as the fight had escalated, he chose to close his eyes! Was he mad? Some of the shooters in the audience stood up in surprise. Onlooking Level 8 shooters could not help but feel intrigued.
They could decipher more of what was happening in the battle than low level shooters. While the real truth was far from clear, they could see that a moment ago, Xuan Ning was at a disadvantage.
This was a huge surprise to the Level 8 shooters. They never imagined that Ye Chong could threaten a Level 8 shooter! Even the combined strength of a dozen Level 6 shooters could not hope to overcome a Level 8 shooter. Nevertheless, they now waited eagerly for Xuan Ning's next move - what would he do now?
Xuan Ning, the shooter closest to Level 9, was worthy of his reputation. How some Level 8 shooters were stronger than their peers could probably only be truly understood by Level 8 shooters.
Now that Xuan Ning was at a disadvantage, he did something utterly unexpected. What was happening?
The answer was obvious to the Level 8 shooters - this was almost certainly Xuan Ning's new technique!
No one doubted Xuan Ning's talent. In fact, only geniuses can ever hope to reach Level 8. Everyone had different goals in their lives, but it was better to know the limits of one's ability beforehand.
Xuan Ning closed his eyes, and the world around him quieted down.
All the noise around him faded. His parapsychic sense informed him of every detail in his surroundings. In this clear view of the world around him, there was a smudge that he could not lock on to.
A cold and eager smile appeared on his lips.
Ye Chong did not care what his opponent was trying to do. Never fight passively in response to the enemy - that was one of his principles in combat.
However, Ye Chong noticed abruptly that something was wrong.
The dozens of clear blue lines in his vision were disappearing at an alarming rate.
Ye Chong was caught off guard. He had never experienced this before, even with Sha Ya.
The blue lines in Ye Chong's vision were always changing. Sometimes they were gone in the blink of an eye. If he did not make use of these openings, he would be locked on by his opponent.
Ye Chong had no time to figure out his situation. He tried his best to change his form according to the blue lines. The blue lines seemed to come to live - they were changing very quickly, giving Ye Chong less and less time to follow them.
Ye Chong lost his initiative in the battle. He must now follow the blue lines, which were the gaps between the opponent's parapsychic sense. However, the blue lines were getting fewer and fewer. They were disappearing very quickly, giving Ye Chong lesser options and time to fit himself into these openings.
On the other hand, his opponent's parapsychic waves seemed to have transformed. The blue lines in Ye Chong's vision were no longer clear. Instead, they appeared blurred and sketchy, and the lines twisted constantly.
While Ye Chong focused on staying with the blue lines, he suddenly found himself getting further and further away from Xuan Ning.
For the audience, it was an odd sight to behold.
Xuan Ning stood unmoving with his eyes closed. Ye Chong never stopped moving, changing positions quickly. No one could see Xuan Ning's parapsychic waves clearly. They did not know what he was doing. On the other hand, Ye Chong's quick leaping motions and his long steps that reached over half a dozen meters captivated the audience.
Teenagers, especially, thought that the afterimages behind Ye Chong as he moved were simply too cool!
Ye Chong gathered his thoughts. He realized the severity of his situation. If this continued on, he would never get close enough to Xuan Ning. The shooter might not able to threaten him as well, but that would only result in a stalemate between them.
Ye Chong noticed the rocks that paved the battle ring, and realized his next move.
Ye Chong cried out abruptly - Mortal Roar!
An invisible soundwave rippled quickly outwards from his position.
Mortal Roar was not dangerous for a Level 8 shooter. Ye Chong knew that from his experience with fighting Sha Ya. However, Ye Chong did not intend for his attack to harm Xuan Ning. He only wanted his opponent to feel the vibrations.
Xuan Ning had never encountered this weird soundwave attack before, and was affected by it, as expected.
This tiny disturbance had amplified results in Xuan Ning's parapsychic waves. The number of blue lines in Ye Chong's vision spiked up immediately.
Ye Chong did not hesitate. He was standing at the intersection between two blue lines.
This opening was enough for him!
Ye Chong stomped his right foot heavily into the floor of the battle ring.
Boom! A low booming sound reverberated in the stadium, hammering into the hearts of the audience. Some felt like vomiting in the aftermath.
Something incredibly shocking happened in the battle ring.
Cracks appeared on the rock pavement, beginning from Ye Chong's right foot and spreading outwards.
Xuan Ning felt the ground shook. He was greatly surprised, and could no longer maintain his calm.
Ye Chong stomped with his right foot again.
The tiny rock fragments on the ground bounced up.
Ye Chong yelled again. He aimed his right leg at a palm-sized rock and kicked.
The rock zipped towards Xuan Ning like a cannonball.
The audience was shocked. Prince Desnio was shocked. Duan Qian was shocked. Even Sun Sieha was shocked!
Xuan Ning was also shocked!
He aimed his laser gun and fired continuously at the rock. The rock was moving quickly, but he could still lock on to it. Nevertheless, his body could not react fast enough to avoid the rock! He could only hope that the rock was destroyed before it reached him!
However, amidst this emergency, he had forgotten something very important. The laser gun in his hand was not his usual weapon of choice - the top of the line Seahorse Eye. Instead, it was only a fluorescent gun used for contests! The fluorescent gun could only penetrate clothing to reach human skin, but it would not do a thing against a rock!
"It's over!" Xuan Ning quickly realized his situation. His heart sank. He could detect the rock clearly with his parapsychic sense. The rock was so fast that it would injure him even at half the speed. If he was hit anywhere vulnerable, he might even die from it!
Where was the rock targeted at? His head, of course!
Ahh!
Xuan Ning's eyes bulged. A thick vein popped up on his temple. At the brink of life and death, Xuan Ning demonstrated his astonishing potential.
Ye Chong suddenly felt the parapsychic waves around him disappear.
Boom!
The rock exploded three meters away from Xuan Ning, and sprayed a rain of debris outwards.
The entire stadium went quiet.
Xuan Ning stared with bulging eyes for five more seconds, and then fell backwards. He crashed heavily into the ground and fainted.
Ye Chong realized then that he had nearly killed Xuan Ning. This was indirect proof of Xuan Ning's strength. The shooter made Ye Chong felt threatened. Ye Chong did not feel particularly regretful. He looked towards Xuan Sieha and shrugged helplessly.
A stylish performance was too difficult for him!
Sun Sieha was livid. He had almost had his strongest subordinate killed by that guy! D*mn, that idiotic worm, did he not understand that this was just a demonstration contest?
When he saw Ye Chong shrugged at him, Sun Sieha could no longer reign in his anger anymore. He roared at his councilors, "What're you looking at? Where's the doctor? Get a f*cking doctor to check Xuan Ning!" The infuriated Sun Sieha cursed in front of his councilors for the first time ever.