Chapter 664: Zong Ge- I am Very Good

After the deathly silence, deafening cheers erupted within the arena.

“Long Fu! Long Fu!”

“So brutal, so savage, I absolutely love it!”

“Long Fu is undoubtedly the top silver duelist!”

“Damn you, Bing Yang! You sickly bastard! I misjudged you!”

“You're the shame of the snow elves! Shame! Why didn't you die sooner, Bing Yang? You scammed your own people's money! You deserve to die! Damn it! You really should've died sooner!”

Some spectators cheered wildly, others cursed loudly.

With a high proportion of gamblers in the crowd, emotions fluctuated wildly.

Yuan Ci gave a thumbs-up, sitting back in his seat and laughing heartily: “Excellent! Absolutely brilliant!”

Though disguised as an ordinary spectator, his joy was genuine.

Watching Long Fu stand motionless in the arena, Yuan Ci marveled inwardly: “Never imagined Long Fu was this powerful. Now it seems, even if a silver level defeating a gold level is extremely difficult, it's still incredibly impressive.”

“Bing Yang was once gold level, yet he was completely overwhelmed by Long Fu throughout the fight, unable to mount any counterattack.”

Yuan Ci's perspective mirrored the crowd's.

To them, the duel unfolded like this.

In the opening phase, Bing Yang retreated without even testing the waters, seeking distance. Long Fu pursued, unleashing a hail of crossbow bolts.

Mid-battle, “Long Fu” (Zong Ge) hurled melee weapons relentlessly, even flinging away the Gold Flower Hacksaw, successfully immobilizing Bing Yang. Now it’s clear Long Fu's tactics were meticulously planned in advance. His subtle tricks were incredibly clever, successfully dragging the fight into close quarters.

In the later phase, “Long Fu” (Zong Ge) rapidly switched weapon forms, launching frenzied attacks. For the first two or three rounds, Bing Yang still managed counterattacks. But as the fight progressed, he grew increasingly desperate, scrambling to block left and right while taking relentless beatings from Zong Ge.

In the final moments, Bing Yang unleashed his Frost Aura, his last defiant act. Yet Zong Ge stood his ground, neither dodging nor flinching, as if unaffected, and finished Bing Yang off.

The final slaughter, though bloody and brutal, truly pushed this duel to its climax!

Yuan Ci, a gold level magician rather than a fighter, couldn't discern more intricate details. His perception mirrored that of the vast majority.

They had expected an evenly matched contest, where at least Bing Yang and Long Fu could pose mutual threats. Instead, it turned into a complete rout.

This explained the bitter resentment among those who had bet against him.

Bing Yang had utterly disappointed his backers!

Zong Ge, however, had achieved his pre-battle objective. Not only did he secure a swift victory, but it was a resounding triumph!

“With Bing Yang gone, Shi Liu should step up now.”

“Youth is truly wonderful, so full of vitality!”

“I'm starting to like this young man.” For a moment, Yuan Ci's regard for “Long Fu” (Zong Ge) soared.

Mi Fang, however, felt the opposite. He wished “Long Fu” (Zong Ge) would die right now. This duel's outcome was absolutely not what he wanted.

“Has the poison in Long Fu been neutralized?”

“Can't tell. Not a bit.”

“Mainly, that trash Bing Yang is utterly useless. He hasn't applied any pressure at all, he just become a punching bag.”

Yes, useless.

That was Mi Fang's overall assessment of Bing Yang as a gold level duelist.

To elaborate, there were many aspects.

For instance, Bing Yang's execution of the agreed-upon tactics was severely subpar.

When the real clash began, Bing Yang couldn't withstand the immense pressure Long Fu applied. He was caught off guard countless times during exchanges, his weak core exposed for all to see.

Only at the very end did he finally snap out of it and deploy his trump card. Contrast that with Long Fu: he struck decisively when the moment called for it, without hesitation or dithering. Take one example: when Long Fu fired arrows from his crossbow, he emptied his quiver entirely. This bold move created an opening, laying solid groundwork for the ensuing close combat. He didn't hesitate, nor did he worry that his ranged capabilities would diminish after exhausting his arrows.

“Still, this battle wasn't entirely without gains.”

“At least Long Fu absorbed the Frost Aura, gaining the effects of the [Beautiful Future] potion.”

Mi Fang watched Zong Ge intently as he stood proudly in the center of the arena.

Dueling arena staff approached him cautiously, exchanged a few words, then led him off the field.

Zong Ge walked into the duelist entrance with an unruffled expression, as if nothing had happened.

He Gai Tou watched Zong Ge leave the arena, his brow deeply furrowed.

“I've been targeted!”

“I've been severely targeted!”

After reviewing the duel, he realized: it was obvious his chosen tactics had been specifically countered.

Bing Yang had chosen an attrition tactic, while Zong Ge employed an aggressive assault strategy, hitting hard and fast, leaving Bing Yang no breathing room.

Even their equipment had been countered.

Zong Ge wielded two Striking Shifters, one disguised as golden flowers. A minor trick, yet it proved effective.

“They must have studied Bing Yang's past combat habits and style to prepare countermeasures.”

“Damn it, Bing Yang was too weak.”

He Gai Tou had considered altering Bing Yang's tactics.

But in such a short timeframe, it was utterly impossible.

Habits were incredibly difficult to change.

Even if change were possible, the cost would be too great. Most crucially, Bing Yang's foundation was weak. All this time, he'd hidden away in his ice prison merely to prolong his life and indulge himself. With little regular training, his foundation had rotted and decayed. While not entirely hollow, the contrast with Long Fu was stark.

For the short term, dragging him onto the dueling grounds and employing an attrition tactic was essential.

He Gai Tou had no other choice. He could only focus on rehabilitative training for Bing Yang, with no time for anything else.

“Ah, it was the Frost Aura imbued with the [Beautiful Future] potion that gave me so many surprises.”

He Gai Tou devised the attrition tactic partly because Bing Yang excelled at it, and it was the only viable strategy in the short term. The other reason was his Frost Aura.

Attrition battles often become protracted wars. Over time, the cumulative effects of potions undergo a qualitative shift, paving the way for Bing Yang's victory.

He Gai Tou's expectations had been inflated far too high, inevitably leading to severe disappointment. The outcome was truly unbearable to witness, utterly disheartening! Although Bing Yang successfully cast the Frost Aura, its actual duration proved surprisingly brief.

Zong Ge's decision to strike swiftly without flinching, swiftly dispatching Bing Yang, proved a shrewd choice.

This meant his time spent under the Frost Aura was minimal.

For a moment, He Gai Tou could only console himself: “It's fine.”

“Though I failed, didn't Mi Fang face the same fate before me?”

“I'm not the first to fall.”

"He didn't kill Long Fu directly, but Long Fu still got hit. He must be severely weakened. The effects of the [Beautiful Future] potion aren't so easily dispelled!"

He Gai Tou had gained something from this attempt.

Though Bing Yang had fallen in battle, through this action, he had demonstrated his proactive stance to Mei Lin, significantly narrowing the distance between them.

Zong Ge had already vanished into the passage leading to the duel chamber.

Other staff began organizing the audience for an orderly exit.

The crowd dispersed much earlier than usual, primarily because the arena owner, sensing the audience's heightened emotions, feared potential altercations and chose to evacuate them early.

Hua Tang also followed the crowd, gradually leaving the arena.

His disguise skills were formidable, and at this moment, his face was dark and sullen. He muttered under his breath, seemingly cursing Bing Yang and Long Fu, clearly someone who had lost a bet.

In truth, he had successfully captured the magic footage, completing his primary mission and ready to report back to Mei Lin.

Yet a layer of dark clouds seemed to gather within his heart.

Unlike others' focus, what played in Hua Tang's mind was the scene of Zong Ge wielding two Striking Shifters, unleashing relentless assaults.

“Who knew Long Fu possessed such formidable weaponry skills?”

This battle had laid bare the mastery of a true weapons specialist, fully showcased through the Striking Shifter's performance.

Though the battle skills he displayed were commonplace, they integrated flawlessly with his weapons.

Each time Zong Ge transformed his weapon, he selected the most perfectly suited tool for the task.

Against Teng Dong Lang, he showcased his fist and foot techniques.

In this battle, his command over weapons was breathtaking.

Even if he weren't a [Weapon Master], he was undoubtedly close to that level.

Though Hua Tang had clashed with “Long Fu” (Zong Ge) before, that encounter was too brief for Hua Tang to truly grasp what a [Weapon Master] was.

“Long Fu is exceptionally powerful.”

“He didn't unleash his full strength in that fight.”

“At the very least, he didn't display his martial arts skills or his divine spells.”

Zi Di's face lit up with delight as she followed Zong Ge into the duelist's passageway.

"Lord Commander, are you alright? Your injuries require treatment." Zi Di's thoughts stood in stark contrast to her expression.

The potion's effect was to accelerate time.

Its original advertising slogan proclaimed: “A brighter future, now within reach.”

Initially after ingestion, the potion indeed delivered results. It accelerated time for transcendents, hastening cultivation progress and shortening growth cycles.

However, the divine power within the time ice cubes became uncontrollable during the mid-to-late stages of potion consumption.

Time could accelerate in all aspects for the user.

For instance, accelerated lifespan equated to shortened life.

Take the circulation of battle qi. When executing battle skill, accelerated circulation in any segment could easily cause battle skill failure and trigger backlash.

Consider eating. Accelerated eating motions, rapid chewing and swallowing, outpaced the stomach's capacity. This led to massive food accumulation and indigestion.

Crucially, transcendents have poor perception of their own accelerated time, they barely notice it. Among the unlucky souls back then, some ate too fast. Their time perception failed to sound the alarm in time, causing their stomachs to rupture from overeating.

Zong Ge glanced at Zi Di and laughed heartily: “Don't worry, I'm fine. This injury barely affects me at all.”

The staff member leading the way ahead spoke with reverence: "Lord Long Fu, you truly live up to your reputation. Your performance in this battle was simply outstanding. It was a spectacular fight."

“Hahaha!” Zong Ge laughed heartily, head thrown back.

But Zi Di's heart sank to the depths.