CHAPTER 298: CHAPTER 298: CLASH OF TITANS

Ji You looked down and couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face.

Because—

The one who initiated a challenge to her was Xiaoqing.

Grinning, Ji You couldn’t resist commenting: "This guy, acting all tsundere, huh? I begged him to have a match with me before, and he wasn’t keen. Now, he’s the one applying to compete against me."

Humph~

Tsundere~

Should she refuse?

Or should she accept?

Without a doubt, Ji You chose to accept. After all, this was like free sparring practice! Where else could she find this normally?

From her recent matches with Bai Daxia and another player, Ji You knew their strength was insufficient. Dodging their attacks wasn’t too difficult for her, and such easily won victories really held little significance for improving her skills.

At the same time, Ji You also understood that to find worthy opponents, she had to look for the strong ones. Only by constantly clashing with the powerful could she truly hone her abilities.

Then—

Ji You chose to accept. However, when she saw the challenge request interface, the sight of the bold and large-font "1 point" made the corner of her mouth twitch involuntarily:

This Xiaoqing was really a penny-pincher.

Oh well—

Wanting someone for practice and expecting a bounty of points too, such a good deal couldn’t be had both ways.

Immediately after, the scene before her changed, and Ji You arrived at the same arena as Xiaoqing.

Meanwhile—

On the forum—

[Rag Queen is fighting again! Quick, quick, quick!!!]

1L: Snagging a front row seat!

2L: That’s a tough one!

3L: Is this gonna be a fight to the death with Xiaoqing?

4L: Ahhh!!! I’ve squeezed into the live scene, I’ll report the battle updates to you guys shortly!

99L: Before, I thought the Rag Queen was a goof, but now I realize she’s not! She actually has real skill. Just by surviving the onslaught of the Tracking Particle Cannon, when no one else has to this day, I’m convinced!

299L: Ahhh! That slap to the face hurts, I take back what I said about her being a goof.

699L: Couldn’t get into the live stream, what’s the situation now? Who’s losing? Who’s winning?

999L: Queen! Queen! I’ve become a fan of yours again! I hereby officially announce my return to your fan club!

1000L: Previous post, as a fair-weather fan, just stay far far away! Our queen doesn’t need you!

...

Amidst the clamor on the forums, Ji You was fully focused on her battle against Xiaoqing. This time, Xiaoqing changed his tactics. Instead of launching the expensive Tracking Particle Cannon, he used the Ordinary Particle Cannon, bombarding Ji You with barrage after barrage.

His speed was just too fast, with virtually no breaks in between. Ji You had just dodged one round, and then—swoosh swoosh swoosh—another round was already on its way, making it utterly nerve-wracking and difficult to deal with.

The whole arena was susceptible to explosions at any moment, with thunderous blasts echoing, smoke spreading everywhere, and two swift figures darting around. It was such a fast-paced scene that the spectators couldn’t take their eyes off the action, their blood pumping with excitement...

"Who just flew by?"

"And who dodged that?"

"Did the Rag Queen get hit?"

"No! No! Look there, she’s still bouncing around lively!"

"Watch out! Xiaoqing’s right behind, he’s making his move!"

"Hiss—The queen’s reactions are so quick, I would’ve been dead by the blade a long time ago."

"Damn, this match is really thrilling!"

"This is what they call a battle between immortals, isn’t it?"

...

Apart from ordinary Particle Cannons, energy weapons, or cold weapons, Xiaoqing fought very frugally in this match, not wasting a single extra shell as he consistently pursued the Rag Queen’s mech.

seconds.

seconds.

seconds.

...

The two of them chasing and dodging each other, it was indeed a dazzling sight. Through the holographic images, the audience could only see the Rag Queen panting heavily, appearing to be on her last breath. Yet strangely enough, Xiaoqing always maintained a certain distance from her and did not seize the opportunity to swarm and quickly eliminate her.

Why?

Logically, Xiaoqing could have taken down the Rag Queen with a bit more decisiveness. However, Xiaoqing’s inaction left everyone puzzled.

Many didn’t understand the reason, but among the spectators, there were also those with formidable strength and exceptional insight. Soon, someone figured it out, saying, "They are both waiting—"

"Waiting for what?" those who were clueless immediately asked.

"Waiting for the best moment. Or rather—Xiaoqing is waiting for the Rag Queen’s counterattack, as well as waiting for the energy box of the Antique Mech to run out." Based on the rate of energy consumption just now, the Rag Queen’s Antique Mech would not last much longer.

"What is the Rag Queen waiting for then?" someone else who did not understand asked in follow-up.

The person who spoke earlier chuckled and explained: "She is waiting for Xiaoqing to make a move! Xiaoqing’s spiritual power is extremely formidable. Under his constant surveillance, she can’t find an opening for a counterattack. Only when Xiaoqing attacks would it be her best opportunity to strike back."

"Oh—" everyone suddenly understood.

And what was the actual situation?

In fact, it was quite similar to what that person had guessed. Ji You and Xiaoqing were both waiting for an opportunity. Xiaoqing realized that no matter how much he increased his speed, his opponent could always maintain a certain distance. After several attempts, Xiaoqing simply stopped trying to engage in close combat, as his physical strength wasn’t his strong suit, there was no need to compete in that area.

What about Ji You?

Ji You could accurately predict the subsequent movements of the Little Qing Mecha through the spread-out Spiritual Network. Therefore, she was always able to narrowly evade his pursuit. She had also planned to get close to Xiaoqing, using Spiritual Silk to disrupt him, but Ji You suddenly discovered that Xiaoqing’s Spiritual World was not at all like Bai Daxia’s; it was like a fortified citadel made of copper walls and iron bastions, incredibly solid with seemingly no gaps to break through.

Ji You had encountered such a scenario before; she remembered the time she competed with Senior Yang Bin.

Equally impenetrable, with defenses as solid as an iron barrel. This indicated that Xiaoqing had also trained in spiritual defense methods.

Thinking of Senior Yang Bin, Ji You felt a pang in her heart.

It was at this moment that Xiaoqing, who had a keen sense for these things, detected a bit of disarray in the emitted spiritual power of the Rag Queen ahead. His expression tightened, and he suddenly launched a Particle Cannon at her.

Ji You dove fiercely, skimming close to the ground, and right as the Particle Cannon exploded, she sprung up with several bounds, rocketing into the air in the blink of an eye.

Ji You once again evaded the attack.

Xiaoqing’s face darkened slightly:

Her reaction speed was too fast! Too outstanding! Much quicker than the first time they sparred a while back, it wasn’t just a little bit faster.

This person is very strong.

Very strong.

Very strong.

Just by piloting an Antique Mech, she had been able to contend with him and hold her own for as long as 50 seconds, which was enough to speak to the other party’s formidable abilities.

Even so, having fought her for 4 matches today, with the first three appearing to be losses on the surface, she improved a great deal with every match, each time a bit more formidable than the last, like now—

Yet—

It should stop here.

It’s time to end this.

Everything must come to an end.

One minute—that was the limit Xiaoqing set for himself.