Zhan Long-Chapter 327: Little Zai Zai

Standing on the stage, Fei Er was not nervous in the slightest. In her hands she held a special microphone designed specifically for the game. Soon, her sweet voice rang throughout the stadium –

“Contestants, players, welcome to this years Rise of the Heroes Tournament!”

“Up next, everyone will get to see an exciting competition between players from Jiu Li , Fan Shu, and Ba Huang City, as they try to clinch the gold medal. To whom will the gold medal of this Rise of the Heroes Tournament be awarded to? Will it be [Legend]’s Fang Ge Que, [Hero’s Mound]’s Q-Sword, Jian Feng Han, or a black horse? Let us watch!”

“Our first fight will be between the number one player in Ba Huang City, [Zhan Long]’s Guild Master, Xiao Yao Zi Zai, against [Appearance Alliance]’s Guild Master, Mu Xuan! Oh, Mu Xuan is a beauty who is known for her strength and looks. Let us witness this battle. Would the two contestants please come on to the stage!”

……

“Ding!”

After a confirmation ring, I was sent to the stage. This time, the stage was at least 200×200 meters; this was advantageous for Mu Xuan to kite me, but disadvantageous for me as a close combat player. I would’ve much prefered a 10×10 stage where I could get close to my enemy within two steps.

On the stage, Mu Xuan stood gracefully on the other side with a smile plastered across her face. You could tell she was a veteran. Moreover, she was magnanimous and true to her word. Mu Xuan was not concerned about the outcome of the battle but rather the enjoyment of the fight itself.

Fei Er held onto the mic as she announced, “Alright, both sides have entered the arena. Xiao Yao Zi Zai, Mu Xuan, please get ready. Once I leave the stage, the fight will begin!”

As Fei Er said that, she turned into a white streak and disappeared.

The system started to countdown-

“3！”

“2！”

“1！”

Battle Start! This was the first time I had ever participated in the opening battle of such an enormous competition. The significance was obvious; it was a battle that I couldn’t afford to lose. Thus, I had to do my best and advance as far as I could.

“Pa…”

My battle boots burst off the ground as I abruptly charged toward Mu Xuan. With a low roar, the image of a dragon flitted across my body as [Dragon’s Whistle of Thunder and Lightning] activated, increasing my attack and defense capabilities by 40%. Of course, an increase in defense did not mean much against an opponent like Mu Xuan. Only magic resistance counted when facing off against a Mage and fortunately, mine was quite decent.

Mu Xuan’s gaze locked onto me as she focused all of her attention on the impending battle. She spread open her fingers, sending an [Ice Cone] flying toward me!

“Pa!”

1102！

This woman was truly strong. If her instantaneous spells dealt so much damage, what would her channeled spells be like?

Even though I had been slowed down, I continued to advance. At the same time, I opened my palm to summon my Flaming Tiger God and commanded it to attack Mu Xuan from another direction. This was key to my strategy; since she couldn’t cast an [Ice Cone] on both me and my Flaming Tiger God, all l I needed to do was wait for the right opportunity to strike.

Mu Xuan retreated while she summoned her own pet. With a cry, a giant eagle appeared in the sky and dived straight at the Flaming Tiger God, its sharp beak glowing red. “Pa!” The peck hit near the tiger’s eye, making it cry out in pain while also impairing its vision. It was a blinding attack, rendering me unable to control the Flaming Tiger God’s angle of attack or the direction of its movements!

I bit down and commanded it to activate [Burstfire Raid]!

“Hou!”

The small tiger’s body suddenly grew and its four flaming claws started slashing outward. It was pretty lucky that it just happened to trample upon the giant eagle’s position. The eagle had been flying low in preparation for another attack, and thus couldn’t dodge the incoming strike.

From afar, I opened my palm and cast [Great Realm of Desolation]!

3488！

“Damn…..” The giant eagle’s health dropped and Mu Xuan was stunned. Her little mouth widened as she said, “That bastard’s attack is really strong….. If I had known that earlier, I would’ve switched to my Flaming Leopard…..”

Before the words even left her lips, Mu Xuan waved her staff, causing fire and ice magic to shoot straight at my chest. My health fell with each hit –

1673！

1426！

I was starting to get anxious and decided to rush forward with my Emperor Qin’s Sword. At the same time, I activated [Haste], giving me a great burst of speed. Simultaneously, I commanded my Flaming Tiger God to launch a surprise attack from the flank. Its [Flame Claw] cut right into the [Mana Shield], dropping its durability by another 21% to 47%. All I needed to break the shield was another [Fierce Roar].

“Shua…”

A giant icicle began to form in Mu Xuan’s hand, an [Indigo Sea Arrow] was coming!

Right after [Indigo Sea Arrow] flew out, Mu Xuan’s arm shifted again, activating a [Pillar of Fire & Ice] right in front of the arrow. This woman was too clever; she knew I could use [Blade Rush] to dodge high level attacks like the [Indigo Sea Arrow]!

Unfortunately for her, she had miscalculated. If it were a month ago, my reaction speed would’ve been nowhere near enough to dodge, but the current me was incomparable. I twisted my body, and used [Blade Rush]. I stayed close to ground and slid forward at a 75 degree angle, causing her two attacks to MISS. I then waved my sword while my body was still in motion, and activated [Seven Star Fragment Slash]!

“Bang!”

With a flash, the blade sliced through Mu Xuan’s body, cutting down the [Mana Shield]’s durability down to 11%. More importantly, she was only 5 yards away as I closed in on her, rapidly covering the distance in between us within seconds.

“Damn…”

Mu Xuan bit her lip and retreated from her spot. At the same time, she raised her staff and continued to use [Ice Cone] to slow down my [Haste]. This time, however, something completely unexpected occurred.

MISS！

MISS！

Two consecutive MISSes appeared, revealing that the [Ice Cone]s had been dodged. On top of that, these were two attacks that she expected would hit!

“How is this possible!?”

Mu Xuan couldn’t recover from her shock. It was obvious that she hadn’t done her research well enough, or else she would’ve known that I was wearing a Magic Spite armor, allowing me to dodge 30% of all magic attacks. I clearly had the advantage in this respect!

With a burst of speed, I suddenly rammed against Mu Xuan’s body, knocking both her and her [Mana Shield] back several steps. The tip of my Emperor Qin’s Sword clashed against the shield as five hexagonal rays flew out, cutting into it. The first attack broke the shield, while the second attack landed on Mu Xuan herself –

MISS！

1737！

1822！

1739！

1802！

……

Mu Xuan groaned painfully and weakly fell to the floor as she evaporated into a ray of light and flew out of the arena. I heard a small ‘ding’ beside my ear and a system notification appeared: Congratulations, you have defeated Player【Mu Xuan】and received 1 point!

Once the duel finished, my body suddenly felt a wave of warmth and my health returned to full. Looking at the armor in front of my chest, I was suddenly filled with gratitude. Thankfully, the Magic Spite armor held strong, or else I would’ve truly struggled against a powerhouse like Mu Xuan, whose strength was not inferior to Dong Cheng Yue’s. One little mistake and everything would’ve been over, and that was not an exaggeration.

Not even half a second later, the second round began, and Mu Xuan was teleported to the arena once again.

“Shua!”

A summoning hexagon appeared as she summoned her pet a Flaming Leopard, giving off the atmosphere of an expert. Against every expert there was always a counterplan, but as before, I didn’t understand how this Flaming Leopard pet would change the Mu Xuan’s tactics or plan of attack. Could this Flaming Leopard change my ability to pressure her? In the first round, I was able to pressure her, not even giving her the chance to use [Dimensional Leap]. How would this round turn out?

“Come then…”

Mu Xuan waved her arm and her 32E’s swayed a little with the movement. She sweetly smiled and said, “I’m beginning to fall for you, Little Zai Zai*!”

TL Note: This is a play on Xiao Yao’s name

I shivered and ground my teeth as I said, “Can you not call me ‘Little Zai Zai!’?”

“Why, do you want me to call you ‘Little Zi Zi’?” Mu Xuan grinned.

My face practically turned green, “Whatever, do what you want, as long as you’re happy. Work hard in the next round; I didn’t feel pressured at all during the previous one.”

Mu Xuan lightly smiled and said, “Don’t worry, the last battle was just the beginning. I was simply testing you out. This round’s for real. Prepare to be devastated by me, Little Zai Zai!”

When Mu Xuan called me “Little Zai Zai” I could feel ants crawling up my skin. Once the countdown finished, I raised my Emperor Qin’s Sword and rushed forward!

“Shua!”

With the flash of a hexagon, my Flaming Tiger God roared and pounced out. My tactic was the same as before, letting my little tiger support me as we both attacked her. We had to give her a lot of pressure or else this expert in ice and fire magic would definitely wreak havoc; I had no way of tanking all that damage.

The next moment, a completely unexpected scene unfolded as Mu Xuan sent an [Ice Cone] at me, cutting down my speed while commanding her Flaming Leopard to pounce towards my Flaming Tiger God. Before my tiger could react, he attacked first, sending a [Flame Nail] that stunned the Flaming Tiger God for 3 seconds!

478！

Looking at the damage number, I suddenly realized that the Flaming Leopard was an agile pet; it had a high attack speed but minimal power. However, it was still much faster than my Flaming Tiger God, and could use [Flame Nail] to control its movements; it was perfect against my tiger. This type of pet would only be used by true top tier experts.

Mu Xuan waved her arm again, sending an [Indigo Sea Arrow]+[Fireball] right at my Flaming Tiger God!

4129！

1737！

At that moment, the Flaming Tiger God received critical damage. I was stunned and quickly used a [Heal] to save it!

The Flaming Tiger God woke from its daze and with a roar, it activated [Flame Armor] and used [Burstfire Raid] to charge at the leopard. It raised its sharp claws and hit the leopard with a [Blood Drain], sucking away 3000+ health!

At the same time I also raised my sword and charged forward, decreasing the distance between me and Mu Xuan. Without a second thought, she used a [Dimensional Leap], while her Flaming Leopard came roaring at me. It sent another [Flame Nail] straight into my shoulder, stunning me!

Mu Xuan was in no rush to kill me and continued to attack my Flaming Tiger God. Taking advantage of the distance between pet and owner, she whittled away at its health!

……

My heart froze, was this what a top tier expert was like? She’s too strong!

Taking advantage of my tiger’s [Flame Armor], I rushed forward to decrease our distance. With the wave of my sword, I targeted the Flaming Leopard, and cut it down with a [Seven Star Fragment Slash]!

3167！

The Flaming Tiger God roared, activating a [Fierce Roar] that trapped the Flaming Leopard within the range of both our attacks. At that moment, the Flaming Leopard cried out and disappeared with a flash of light!

Mu Xuan couldn’t help but let her small jaw drop, “Dammit, I have to change plans again! Clever Little Zai Zai, you really know how to find loopholes!”

……

I raised my hand and cast another [Heal] on my Flaming Tiger God before rushing at Mu Xuan with my sword raised. Since both master and pet were fully recovered, I had a higher chance of winning!

Mu Xuan held up her staff and used another [Dimensional Leap] to jump to the border of the arena. She waved her staff and yelled –

“Okay already, I admit defeat…”