Published at 7th of February 2020 07:25:13 PM
Chapter 715
"This homeground advantage is overpowering . "
Hearing the referee's announcement, Lou Cheng couldn't help but curse silently .
Without it, Zhi Hai's Vairocana Flesh wouldn't be able to last so long . The effects of the complete Six-Syllable Sanskrit Mantra triggered by his Vairocana Flesh also wouldn't have such exaggerated effects .
What was more important was that the relics in the pagodas were outside the arena and protected by high monks . Martial artists of the away team had no way to destroy them, but could only hope their opponent would become exhausted .
As these thoughts surfaced, Lou Cheng took a deep breath and swallowed this unhappiness .
To blame it on the environment and other factors after losing instead of identifying the issue in myself isn't the rattitude of a true martial artist .
Plus, it's a tradition that the home team in a professional league has the homeground advantage . Didn't I benefit from this when I defeated God-Slaying Saber, Lu Yongyuan in the last match?
Daxing Temple's relics weren't added in at the last minute but had been placed in the pagodas for years . The fact that he couldn't tell their real impact just from watching videos or from his own experiences meant that the issue must lie within him .
Huff… Lou Cheng exhaled and greeted the Wisdom King, Zhi Hai, who had retracted his punches and kicks as he stood upright .
At that moment, Lou Cheng was struck with a realization . He recalled that his opponent knew Thoughtsteal .
Although he has only gained a small mastery, I wasn't trying to hide anything before . Could he have heard my thoughts a while ago?
Damn it . What if he thinks that I'm a sore loser…
This is too damn embarrassing .
Lifting his eyes, Lou Cheng looked into Zhi Hai's eyes, the window of his soul, as he tried to discern whether or not he had heard his thoughts .
His eyes were as innocent as a child's, with no sign of distraction .
It seems like if he isn't in battle, he doesn't use Thoughtsteal… Lou Cheng heaved a sigh of relief, turned around, and walked to the edge of the Limestone Square . Zhi Hai was busy recovering the remaining light with the limited time he had .
Step after step, Lou Cheng couldn't stop himself from thinking about the match . He now had a deeper understanding of why Zhi Hai had clinched the King and Supreme Class titles .
Fighting him from a distance wouldn't work and neither would close-range!
If he had created the Five Flames and used his advantage as a cannon tower to fire from long range, Zhi Hai wouldn't have had to dodge at all . All he had to do was to guard his weak spots and use Unshaken Body of the Wisdom King to withstand the attacks . Lou Cheng would have to combine at least three flames in hopes of injuring him . However, Zhi Hai wasn't blind and had the ability to sense with his mind . There was no reason for him not to avoid . And even though Lou Cheng was full of vitality and known for his insane stamina, he couldn't possibly keep combining three or five flames into one for a long period of time .
In close combat, Thoughtsteal would counter his integrated move of Enemy Heart Freezing Move and All-Seeing God . Other than his ability to sense danger, he had a slight disadvantage in pre-judgement . His avoiding and dodging manoeuvers would be easily seen through . As for the other aspects like power, speed, defence, and tolerance for negative influences, these were strengths of Zhi Hai . He could still fight head-on and exchange blow for blow while Lou Cheng had to keep a constant lookout .
The simplified Physical Invulnerability move Internal Explosion had to land on critical spots for it to have effects after penetrating the body . The effects of its improved version, Golden Godly Flames were better but the preparations for it were more complicated . Zhi Hai was a wooden log that would stand still waiting to be hit . With Thoughtsteal to sense the attack in advance, he could make the correct response . For example, he could hide the Buddha's Light in his body to neutralize the invading fire .
He's really close to unbeatable… Lou Cheng heaved a secret sigh . He knew that there was an effective way to fight the Wisdom King .
That would be combining close-range and long-range battle styles . One would have to open up the distance between them . While looking for an opportunity, one would have to think of the set moves in advance and turn it into part of one's instinct . After which, one could then press ahead and attack instinctively .
If that didn't work, one would have to repeat the process and remain patient until the very end .
This would be the best way to beat a normal Physical Invulnerability expert, but wasn't applicable to this insane expert . In the few matches where Dragon King defeated Zhi Hai, he had faced him head-on . Using the penetrative impacts of Golden Godly Flames and his own body's incredible strength, he was able to launch fire-like invasion attacks and not gave Zhi Hai the opportunity to use the Six-Syllable Sanskrit Mantra . Even if he could hear it, he couldn't break free of it or find ways to counterattack . All that was left was to be beaten to death .
However, at the level of Dragon King, a small mastery in Thoughtsteal probably would not have much effect .
What a shame I'm not at that level yet… Lou Cheng nodded his head slightly as he stood outside of the Limestone Square . He saw Lu Yan walking straight towards him .
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At this moment, comments on the Internet were spreading quickly as the match was widely discussed .
"There's still a gap . It seems pretty unlikely that Lou Cheng would get a title in the next two years . "
"This is how far he is from a titled expert . I'm talking about those experts that have won titles in recent years and don't include a handicapped Warrior Sage or God-Slaying Saber, who frequently loses to weaker opponents . "
"The Poison Milk Hierarch is bullish about Lou Cheng getting a title within two to three years . What a strong curse…"
"Isn't Lou Cheng able to reflect curses?"
"Who could be sure of such mystical things?"
"I don't think that they're too far apart . Raise your hands if you agree . "
"Yeah . Wisdom King's Vairocana Flesh wouldn't last that long under normal circumstances and he would have been more easily exhausted . The homeground advantage is obvious!"
"But he fought with Empress Luo before this, even if Empress Luo was feeling fatigued . "
"It cancels out then . Even if Lou Cheng lost in such a manner, he can't be considered weak, right? He was so close to fully exhausting the Wisdom King . There's still a distance between them, but it isn't that big!"
"That doesn't mean anything . You can't convince anyone by just typing on a keyboard . Let's wait for them to have an individual match . It will be the main round of the new Warrior Sage title in May!"
"Yeah . I was still trying my best to come out with a new awesome nickname for Lou Cheng . It seems like I won't have to rush now . "
. . .
Amidst the commotion, the fourth match started . Taking advantage of the fact that Zhi Hai was at his limits, Lu Yan imitated Dragon King and adopted a strategy of attacking fiercely without reserve .
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However, Zhi Hai refreshed everyone's understanding of his Unshaken Body of the Wisdom King once again . Despite having been substantially weakened in various circumstances, he lasted over three minutes before falling to the ground . In this process, he took five shots of Golden Godly Flames and sixteen blows of Internal Explosion . He was even able to injure Lu Yan in the process, as the audience couldn't help but be impressed with how tough he was .
"He's indeed a Supreme Class expert…" Lou Cheng held his phone as he sighed .
For the fifth match, Lu Yan faced off against the Living Buddha, Shi Shan . Although their match looked ordinary from the outside, Lou Cheng knew that the contest of their minds was extremely exciting . It was a shame that less than ten percent of this contest was visible, with only the special effects showing .
Throughout this process, Lu Yan was at a disadvantage several times but also showed the potential to turn the tables . In the end, he was still defeated helplessly .
If it came down to experience, the Living Buddha, who had inherited countless generations of intelligence, wouldn't lose to anyone .
The competition ended, and Longhu Club, who attempted to defend their title of World Number One, lost the second round of matches .
In front of the tv screen, Dragon King, Chen Qitao who had left the hospital and was on his way home, put down the screen with a grim face .
. . .
When Lou Cheng was back in the club, Lou Cheng collected his emotions and devoted himself back to practice .
The following morning, he arrived at the main meeting room after finishing breakfast . He intended to review the battles in Daxing Temple with Empress Luo, Coach Lu Yan, and Guo Jie to analyze their experiences and look for errors .
Before he pushed the door opened, he could already feel the solemn atmosphere and a form of pressure that shook his soul .
Creak . . . Lou Cheng took a deep breath as he pushed the door open and walked in . He saw Dragon King standing beside the main seat of the meeting room in navy blue clothes with a terrifying aura .
At this moment, other than Dragon King, only Lou Cheng and Guo Jie had arrived .
Chen Qitao placed his hands behind his back, nodded his head and said plainly,
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"You guys still require more beatings and more training . "
"Yeah…" Lou Cheng suddenly felt a tingling pain at the edge of his mouth
. . .
After Chen Qitao returned, Longhu Club clinched victory after victory . Lu Yan stepped down as a main member of the club gradually to allow Lou Cheng to have more opportunities to participate .
Towards the end of March and the beginning of April, the final Battle of the Kings was held as scheduled . This time, Dragon King was successful in his defense of the title .
Other than that, there weren't many professional matches in April as the attention was given to the final round of the Inter-University Martial Arts Nationals . This year, it would be held in Songcheng .
The organizing team wanted to invite quickly rising martial artists who had emerged from the bottom, secured a championship, and were also good representatives of Songcheng as guests for the opening ceremony . Because of this, Lou Cheng received a call .
"So infuriating! Why can't it be during spring break!" Yan Zheke said begrudgingly .
Did I buy a poor quality gift for her during spring break?
"Cheng, you are representing three people now . "
"Huh?" Lou Cheng was lost . "Why three people?"
"You're representing yourself, me, and my brother," Yan Zheke answered confidently .
"Your brother isn't going?" Lou Cheng felt instantly relieved .
"I haven't asked him about it, but he's not the kind to like such crowded events . Why don't you go verify yourself?" Yan Zheke suddenly felt a little shaken with her words .