Douluo: A Century-old Legend I Am the Second Uncle Chenxin

Chapter 1517 Retreat and Dilemma: Unleashing Force

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……

Almost all of the seven members of the Blazing Fire team were injured.

Two support-type Mars Soul Masters collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood and struggling in agony; two Firecrane Soul Masters clutched their charred arms and shoulders, their wings tattered and mangled; the strong One-Horned Firestorm Dragon Soul Master was deathly pale, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, barely able to stand by supporting himself on his knees; the Fire Leopard Soul Master lay prone on the ground, large patches of his clothing on his back charred, revealing scalded skin.

The captain at the front, Huo Ying, had messy, dark red hair, with a few strands scorched and curled by the high temperature. Her three-dimensional and heroic face was covered with dust, and there was a glaring crimson stain on the corner of her mouth.

She knelt on the ground, one hand supporting her weight, the other clutching her chest, breathing heavily, clearly having endured a tremendous impact.

In contrast, the Chang'an team on the other side appeared much more "respectable".

Although everyone was also covered in dust, their posture was slightly stiff, and their breathing was unsteady, their condition was clearly a level above that of the Blazing Fire team.

Gu Wuyan's face was somewhat pale, as maintaining the [Frenzy Guidance] buff that increased the team's defense was a huge burden for him; Ma Liang, Ma Wencai, Zhu Taihong, and others had low soul power and torn clothes, but no obvious serious external injuries; while Chen Xiaojun and Zhu Wuneng, who were at the front, used Golden Bell Shield and Su Ningxia, who had strong defense, to protect themselves and their teammates.

All of this was due to the 50% defensive effect guided by Gu Wuyan's fanaticism, which provided them with relatively better protection in the aftermath of such a terrifying collision.

Huo Ying struggled to lift her eyelids, her gaze passing over the still-drifting fine dust, and looking intently at the Chang'an team opposite her.

All the flames in those once fiercely combative red eyes have been extinguished, leaving only a trace of helpless dejection.

The gap between the two sides was laid bare.

The dust has settled, and the energy has dissipated.

"We..." Huo Ying's voice was a little hoarse, with a slight panting, "...give up."

……

In VIP Box No. 88
Xia Yun's gaze fell on Ma Wencai, who was walking back to the passage in the distance, and then turned to Ma Zhibin, who was suppressing his excitement, and said: "Zhibin, the combination technique that your son displayed on the field, one bright and one dark, one radiant and one erosive, actually combined two variations. The concept was quite ingenious."

"It's rare to find someone with such keen insight and innovative thinking about the battle situation; he's a bright kid."

Ma Zhibin's grin almost reached his ears: "Uncle Yun, Wencai's success today is all thanks to Xiaojun's guidance and support. This move, 'Black Spot Sun,' was also inspired by Xiaojun."

Xia Yun smiled and said, "That's not important, Zhibin. You just need to see that Wencai has made successive achievements in the past two days, which proves that you have a worthy successor."

"You've had it tough too, you should be proud of yourself."

Ma Zhibin nodded vigorously, letting out only a short, satisfied laugh: "Haha."

He was overjoyed. Recalling how his son had only awakened a mid-level, second-grade Golden Pheasant Martial Soul, who could have imagined that one day he would shine brightly on the national arena where the world's talents gathered?

Those scenes felt like a dream, as if they were from another lifetime.

From the moment Chen Xiaojun made it clear that he would take Ma Wencai to compete in the national competition, the Ma family immediately elevated Ma Wencai's status to a new level.

His father, Ma Tianyang, sent him an incomparably precious 50,000-year-old leg bone.

The implication here is crystal clear.

Looking further ahead, if Ma Wencai can truly be accepted as a follower by Chen Xiaojun, it means that... a true path to heaven has already been laid out beneath his son's feet!

Thinking of this, Ma Zhibin, who was nearly sixty years old, felt an overwhelming surge of heat in his chest, and his throat tightened.

Over the years, all the hardships I endured and the untold bitterness have faded away in the dazzling light of my son.

Sitting diagonally opposite, Wang Wei, seeing Ma Zhibin's excited and uncontrollable state, spoke up at the right time: "Alright, Zhibin, calm down."

"Now we've finally overcome our hardships and the clouds have parted."

"I'm afraid that even if Wen Cai doesn't make it onto the main list of geniuses after this competition, he will definitely be able to get into the secondary list."

Upon hearing the words "Top Prodigies List," Ma Zhibin's burning passion was clouded by a layer of frost, and a bitter smile appeared on his face: "It's difficult... Dean Wang."

"My son Wencai's martial spirit foundation and innate aptitude are ultimately a bit low."

"The threshold for getting into that list that gathers the top geniuses on the mainland is... too high."

Wang Wei nodded, his expression becoming serious: "Indeed, this generation has produced many outstanding talents, and there are so many strong newcomers in the Gao Ying competition that it's dazzling."

“Besides Xiao Mu and Wu Neng who have caught up in level, Ning Xia, Xiao Fu, Shu Rui, and Xiao Bin, who have not yet fully realized their potential, are also subject to doubts in this situation, even though they are exceptionally talented.”

Lian Changzhi, who was standing next to him, chimed in: "However, in yesterday's tough battle against Tiandou Team 2, Ningxia and Xiaofu performed admirably, which helped stabilize the situation to some extent and also helped them prove themselves."

Xia Yun shook her head slightly: "I'm afraid it's still not enough."

"Their potential lies in their promising future, but this potential is not yet sufficient to be fully converted into immediate combat power in the current intense high-level confrontations."

"Moreover, the reputation they have built up over the years is largely due to lower-level competitions such as the China-UK Championship and the Elite Challenge, which is somewhat of an overhyped reputation."

"Even though the national competition, including yesterday's match, has helped to remove some of the imperfections, the key issue is that their opponents, such as Tang Xiao and Yu Zhengjun, are also in a similar situation of potential talents who have not yet reached their peak, and they also have their share of doubts."

"This is a common problem."

Wang Wei pondered for a moment, then added, "That makes sense. Tang Xiao and Yu Zhengjun are in the Tian Dou Second Team, and they get far more playing time than Ningxia and Xiao Fu, yet their rankings are much lower, which is why there's controversy. In short,"

He paused for a moment, then said, "Potential talents like Su Ningxia, who need time to build up their strength, are indeed in a somewhat awkward position in today's national competition battlefield, which is completely dominated by immediate combat power and characterized by close-quarters combat."

"The further time goes on, the stronger this sense of contradiction and misalignment between 'potential' and 'ready-to-fight capability' will likely become."

He then changed the subject, citing examples: "On the other hand, look at Brother Xia's Five Mountains Academy and Thunder Academy. Apart from Jade Lord Yu Zhengjun of Thunder Academy, although neither team has anyone who is truly ranked on the list of top geniuses, they still managed to carve out a place for themselves on this battlefield by relying on several solid and reliable Soul King-level members. Who can say that their performance was bad?"

Xia Yun picked up her teacup and gently blew on the water: "This is the predicament brought about by the great strife of the times."

“Geniuses are emerging in great numbers, and the old evaluation system, with its inherent framework and standards of strength and potential, is somewhat inadequate and unable to fully and accurately measure the brilliant young generation of this era.” He put down his teacup, his words carrying a hint of disapproval: “The various sub-ranks, secondary ranks, and weapon rankings that have sprung up recently are, in my opinion, nothing more than expedient measures hastily attempted to patch up the loopholes.”

"This is a conflict between Tian Shi City's ranking system and the current situation."

Ma Zhibin had a clear understanding of the relationship between Shi Cheng and the Chen family.

"So, after this year's Elite Competition, there will be significant changes to the next ranking of prodigies in the second half of the year?"

Xia Yun glanced at the arena ahead and said calmly, "Perhaps."

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit heavy, Wang Wei changed the subject at the right time: "Brother Xia, isn't it time for your Five Mountains Academy to take the stage next?"

Xia Yun responded with a sound of agreement, then refocused her gaze on the arena: "Mm."

……

Wushan Academy will face off against Thunder Team.

Despite the absence of Ryuzaki due to serious injury, the Thunder team, facing the unexpected and previously unknown Five Mountains team, still fielded a strong lineup.

Captain Yu Zhijun, with a level 55 soul power, led the charge, with his partners being Yu Jingzhe, level 56, and Ao Lie, level 54.

In addition, there is level 51 Raine, level 52 Lei Dong, level 48 Lei Tian with the Thunder Eagle Martial Soul, and level 46 Lei Zhu.

Lei Zhu is a support-type Soul Master who replaced the injured Lei Jiuzhong and whose Martial Soul is the Thunder-attribute Vajra Bead.

It is worth noting that Yu Jingzhe and Ao Lie are still in the recovery period and are fighting ahead of schedule with injuries.

五山战队方面，由52级的夏舒瑶领衔，队员包括53级的林赤鸾、51级的祝炫明、52级的叶绯、51级的危烨霖、42级的沐梓竹，以及第二位外援——51级的朱洛溪。

Yes, it's Zhu Luoxi from the Peace Team of Fasno Province.

After the battle began, the situation became deadlocked.

The Thunder Team's overall soul power level is generally higher than that of the Five Mountains, and their lightning-attribute soul power has a certain resistance effect on the Five Mountains' plant-based illusion abilities.

With Yu Zhijun, ranked 25th on the Heavenly Pride List, in charge, the Five Mountains are under immense pressure.

The heavy responsibility of on-site command fell on Zhu Luoxi.

She used her family's secret techniques combined with her "Jade Plate" martial spirit (abacus) to perform high-speed calculations, regulate the team's rhythm, and keep the team in good order.

Captain Xia Shuyao focused on the battle. She and Ye Fei were surprisingly compatible and had an unexpected tacit understanding. Under Xia Yun's guidance, they practiced a combined attack technique.

A crucial turning point has occurred in the battle.

Xia Shuyao unleashed her fifth soul skill, [Illusory Moon Realm], in combination with Ye Fei's fifth soul skill, [Crimson Fragrance Domain], to launch a large-scale illusion combination skill—Illusory Moon Abyss of Incense.

This skill successfully enveloped the entire Thunder team, causing them to fall into a brief but persistent state of disorientation.

Immediately afterwards, Xia Shuyao's fourth soul skill, [Illusory Cherry Blossom Thousand Kill Array], and Ye Fei's third soul skill, [Soul-Eating Incense], worked together to unleash a powerful area-of-effect attack combo—Crimson Cherry Blossom Thousand Kill Prison.

The falling cherry blossom petals carried a strange, soul-corroding fragrance, covering a vast area.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Lin Chiluan, who was resisting Yu Zhijun with the strong support of Zhu Xuanming's soul power, joined forces with Zhu Xuanming to unleash the combined attack skill [Maple Flame Flower Dance].

Lin Chiluan's fifth soul skill, "Crimson Maple Ashes," transformed into a sea of ​​burning crimson maple forest fire. It intertwined and spun rapidly with the golden, fiery phoenix tail petals generated by Zhu Xuanming's fifth soul skill, "Blazing Like Fire," merging into a massive crimson-gold energy vortex with a radius exceeding fifty meters, displaying astonishing power.

These two powerful area-of-effect combos attacked from both sides in a figure-eight pattern and exploded simultaneously, successfully eliminating the Thunder team's attempts to break into the back row by Rein and Lei Tian, ​​as well as the two tanky members Lei Zhu and Lei Dong.

The situation instantly tilted in favor of Wushan.

However, the Thunder did not give up.

Yu Zhijun, Ao Lie, and Yu Jingzhe launched a desperate counterattack.

Especially with the boost from the "Overlord Dragon Technique", Yu Zhijun's combat power surged, and his offensive was once difficult for the Five Mountains to stop.

In the critical moment, Xia Shuyao and Ye Fei unleashed their third combination technique—Moon Barrier: Deprivation of the Five Senses.

Xia Shuyao's [Thousand Leaves Obscuring the Eyes] creates layers of psychedelic leaf shadows to interfere with vision, while Ye Fei releases [Silent Scarlet Mist]. The two combine to form a progressive sensory control zone.

Yu Zhijun was momentarily slowed by this bewildering domain, creating a fatal gap in his movements.

Lin Chiluan seized this fleeting opportunity, disregarding her own condition, and forcefully broke through, successfully defeating Yu Zhijun.

Afterwards, Yu Jingzhe's dragon claw was pulled out of Lin Chiluan's shoulder blade, bringing with it a cloud of blood mist; although Wei Yelin's wolf claw pierced Ao Lie's lower abdomen, his own right chest was also fractured by the dragon's tail.

Ao Lie's Fire Lotus Thunder Prison injured many plant-type soul masters.

Zhu Xuanming, his soul power exhausted, knelt on the ground, his body charred in several places.

Although the Five Mountains team ultimately won, the cost was considerable.

Lin Chiluan was severely injured.

Wei Yelin and Zhu Xuanming, slander.

Xia Shuyao, Zhu Luoxi, Ye Fei, and Mu Zizhu all sustained minor injuries.

This battle caused quite a stir.

After all, the Thunder are a near-top-tier team.

(End of this chapter)