Chapter 450: Big and Small Fish, Magic Battle Chess

"Hen Fa! Hen Fa! Hen Fa!" A group of people surrounded a massive fish tank and shouted.

The massive fish tank was filled with blue seawater. Within the water, lifelike miniature models swam about.

These tiny models were mostly various marine creatures, like fish, shrimp, shellfish...

Lan Zao stood at one side of the massive fish tank. His fingers splayed wide, with his palms pressed firmly against the tank's base where a pair of palm-shaped indentations served as pre-set control points.

He focused intently, manipulating his magic model pieces within the fish tank.

The massive fish tank functioned as a silver level magic chessboard, continuously absorbing the battle qi and spirit power of both players.

Lan Zao commanded a tiny electric shark.

A real shark would dwarf his entire body, but the piece he controlled was less than the length of his index finger.

The electric shark radiated an iron level aura. It was chasing a school of iron-plated batfish.

The batfish couldn't match the electric shark's speed, but they scattered in a panic, causing the shark to lunge at empty air.

The shark shot out an electric fish bone. At such close range, practically point-blank, even the most skillfully controlled batfish couldn't dodge. One was struck, its body dissipating like smoke.

The entire school numbered only five iron-plated batfish. Having lost one-fifth of their strength, the remaining batfish immediately scattered in panic.

This outcome drew cheers from the onlookers.

Clearly, Lan Zao held the upper hand.

His opponent was a snow elf fighter, his face now dark with gloom.

“You bastard just got lucky once, when your bloodline mutated into an electric shark, and now you're getting cocky!” The snow elf fighter cursed before focusing all his attention on controlling his pieces.

Under his command, the remaining four iron-plated batfish abruptly split into two groups, each fleeing to opposite sides.

Lan Zao controlled only one electric shark. Without hesitation, he chose the left path and continued the pursuit.

The snow elf fighter maneuvered the two fleeing iron-plated batfish, darting about to buy time. Meanwhile, he directed the other pair of iron-plated batfish to swim deep, heading toward the bottom of the massive fish tank.

The massive fish tank contained more than just seawater. At its base lay miniature coral reefs, fine sand, and pebbles, simulating an underwater landscape.

Dotted throughout the sea sand were numerous rubber sea cucumbers.

These sea cucumbers were among the fishmen's favorite foods. The higher the level, the larger, darker, and thicker the sea cucumbers became.

Deep within the coral clusters, numerous spitting cloth clams were also concealed. This transcendent shellfish species had been cultivated to prominence by a merchant alliance of the Sheng Ming Empire. The cloth woven from them now dominated the global textile market.

Two iron-plated batfish carried the entire hopes of the snow elf fighter.

Most spectators' eyes were fixed on these two batfish. Everyone knew: the two batfish being hunted by the electric sharks were merely sacrificial pawns for the snow elf fighter. If the snow elf fighter wanted to turn the tide, his true hope lay with the iron-plated batfish along this underwater route.

“What does he want to eat?”

“It's too late now to consume large quantities of rubber sea cucumbers, Hen Fa's electric shark is too powerful.”

"If he could ingest the spitting cloth clams, there might still be a sliver of hope for a comeback. But relying solely on two iron-plated batfish, there's absolutely no way they could breach the spitting cloth clam's hard shell in such a short time."

“At this stage of the Magic Battle Chess match, both combatants' battle qi should only have one final round of amplification left.”

“Speaking of which, what bloodline options are associated with the iron-plated batfish and spitting cloth clam?”

Spectators murmured among themselves, some silently calculating in their minds.

The snow elf fighter guided his two iron-plated batfish through the coral groves, ignoring the spitting cloth clams within and abandoning numerous rubber sea cucumbers. His target lay beyond the coral, a patch of deep green seaweed.

This choice baffled many spectators.

Some gamblers who'd bet on his victory began cursing under their breath.

Both Magician Da Bei and Magician Zhong Bei found themselves drawn into the duel.

Magician Zhong Bei possessed far greater knowledge than most transcendents present. Upon witnessing this, he instantly grasped the snow elf fighter's intent.

“Judging by the spiral shape of this deep green seaweed, it must be ascending dragon grass.”

“According to the latest bloodline charts, ascending dragon grass is linked to only two batfish bloodlines.”

“One is the green hair turtle, the other the bramble turtle.”

Unlike ordinary sea turtles, the inner shell of the green hair turtle was covered in “moss” -which was actually its downy fur. This alchemy material had widespread application.

The bramble turtle's physique has always been massive, with adult specimens resembling giant elephants on land. Herds of bramble turtles surge through the ocean depths with astonishing momentum. Their backs bristle with sharp thorns, serving both offensive and defensive purposes.

“Clearly, the direction he seeks for his bloodline mutation is the bramble turtle.”

“If he could mutate into a bramble turtle, he could turn the tables.”

"The electric shark is a sea beast with an advantage in electric attributes. When facing the wood-attributed bramble turtle, the effectiveness of electric attacks is significantly reduced."

This Magic Battle Chess game was called Big and Small Fish. Its rules dictated that two or more players each controlled their own pieces, continuously devouring other magic models on the board. Through constant consumption, bloodline mutations were triggered, causing the life forms of the pieces to undergo sudden transformations. Consequently, they acquired different functions or attribute changes.

Ultimately, through accumulated functional differences or elemental advantages, pieces clashed until only one remained, declaring the victor.

Thus, a skilled Big and Small Fish player had to possess not only abundant energy but also exceptional mental control techniques. More crucially, they needed profound bloodline knowledge! Players had to know precisely when to devour which creature models to transform them into specific life-form magic pieces. This allows them to counter opponents or resolve their own predicaments.

Lan Zao was utterly new to the Magic Battle Chess, Big and Small Fish.

He commanded the electric shark to pursue relentlessly, but the target remained elusive under his opponent's deft control. It took Lan Zao a considerable time to finally kill those two iron-plated batfish.

The electric sharks devoured these two batfish, merely extending their own lifespan without triggering bloodline mutation.

This was one of his opponent's deliberate choices in selecting iron-plated batfish—even in defeat, the resources gained by the enemy remained minimal.

After clearing one path, Lan Zao immediately drove his electric sharks forward, pursuing another pair of iron-plated batfish.

Those two iron-shelled batfish had already devoured vast quantities of ascending dragon grass.

The ascending dragon grass' bloodline combined with the batfish's own bloodline, causing both to undergo bloodline mutations prematurely as the electric shark closed in.

The two magic pieces instantly dissolved into wisps of smoke. The smoke dispersed outward before immediately coalescing again, forming new pieces in altered life forms.

But to the snow elf fighter's utter disappointment, the two newly born magic pieces were both green hair turtles! There was not a trace of the bramble turtle he had pinned his hopes on to turn the tide.

The snow elf fighter had originally reserved a portion of his battle qi, intending to invest it into the mutated bramble turtle piece to raise its level.

Players could expend their own battle qi, magic power, or divine power to increase their number of pieces or elevate the transcendent level of existing pieces.

But upon seeing his pieces ultimately transform into two green hair turtles, the snow elf fighter lost all desire to expend even a shred of his battle qi.

Defeat was certain!

Sure enough, under Lan Zao's control, the electric shark effortlessly tore the two green hair turtles to shreds and swallowed them whole.

Lan Zao had won.

The crowd who had bet on him erupted in a thunderous cheer, pushing the tavern's already feverish atmosphere to new heights.

Many repeatedly shouted the name “Hen Fa,” celebrating Lan Zao for winning them money.

After participating in this wild duel, Lan Zao's reputation began to spread among the transcendents.

The underground arena on Flower Skirt Island served as the primary entertainment venue for many transcendents on the island.

Though it was Lan Zao's first time participating in a wild duel, the battle skill he displayed in the arena, Air Cannon, left a deep impression on the spectators.

This time at the tavern, he “accidentally” got into a verbal altercation with the snow elf fighter. As the dispute escalated, both sides engaged in this Magic Battle Chess.

The tavern promptly and efficiently set up corresponding betting odds.

Due to Lan Zao's modest reputation, some gamblers placed their chips on him.

Of course, the primary reason was that Lan Zao was a novice in Magic Battle Chess, commanding much higher odds than his opponent.

Lan Zao's victory netted some gamblers substantial profits, prompting loud cheers. In an instant, Lan Zao became the tavern's brightest star.

His opponent, the snow elf fighter, stepped before him: "You got lucky this time. I didn't lose to you, I lost to luck!"

With that, the snow elf fighter stripped off his iron level leather armor and tossed it to Lan Zao.

This had been their agreed-upon wager before the match began.

Lan Zao felt no surprise at his victory.

From the moment he entered the tavern to the ensuing dispute and the Magic Battle Chess, it was all part of Shuang Tu's prearranged script.

Shuang Tu had instructed Lan Zao: “You've now advanced to iron level, but your equipment requires an upgrade.”

“Since you lack substantial funds, acquiring suitable gear will necessitate some groundwork.”

“Following my plan, you'll not only hone your disguise skills but also secure equipment replacement without arousing suspicion from Bing Xiao.”

Lan Zao needed to grow.

His bloodline had awakened, possessing 100% concentration of the Fish Bladder bloodline. Yet this merely signaled his future potential.

He still needed to reach a certain stage of growth, developing tangible combat capability. Only then, upon rejoining Bing Xiao, could he secure a higher standing—facilitating his mission to infiltrate Tranquil Hill. With insufficient strength, Bing Xiao would be reluctant to entrust him with critical tasks.