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Chapter 113 The Man Who Couldn't Be Chosen (Bonus Chapter for Seele's Birthday)

"Brother Li, where should we spar?"

Wang Xi smiled.

Upon hearing this, Li Xingduan raised an eyebrow, a smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips. This kid was becoming more and more to his liking.

"Let's go to the training ground where you took your martial arts exam."

He raised his chin, his tone carrying a hint of anticipation.

Li Xingduan patted Wang Xi's shoulder, made a gesture, and walked out first.

Wang Xi turned around, bid farewell to the old chairman and the other employees present, and then left the meeting hall with them.

After the two of them left.

"Vice President Li is a very nice person, but he gets too engrossed in the sparring, which is a bit..."

At this moment, a short-haired woman hesitated and said.

"President, will everything be alright?"

"You underestimate that dark horse, Meng Li."

Jiang Tianhao spoke calmly.

“His true strength should be no less than that of Luo Yan, the captain of your Team 7… Even if he can’t beat Li Xingduan, he won’t be in too much of a mess.”

"Wang Xi is that strong?!"

Meng Li was surprised by Jiang Tianhao's high praise.

Although she had watched Wang Xi's video, she still felt that her own captain, Luo Yan, was better... But Jiang Tianhao was also a captain-level expert, and his insight was far more discerning than hers.

Meng Li was a little unsure.

"Let's go and see it together."

At this moment, Old Master Wei spoke up.

"So that Xingduan won't go too far."

He pretended to be reluctant as he got up from his chair, but the concern and expectation hidden in his eyes were obvious and could not be hidden from everyone.

The elite warriors present naturally didn't expose the truth, but instead echoed the old chairman and left together.

...

...

The inner building of the Hero Association.

A fully enclosed training ground.

The bright silver metal floor and walls were dazzling under the light of the strip incandescent ceiling lights.

When Wang Xi returned to this place, he had a rather peculiar feeling... as if a long time had passed, when in fact it had only been less than half a month.

In the center of the empty training field, the two stood about five or six meters apart.

“Wang Xi, the path I have taken is the same as Master Wei’s, which is a mysterious system… Even with my teacher’s guidance and after going through many bloody battles, it still took me six years to finally condense my second unique mark.”

Wearing a long blue gown, Li Xingduan stood upright with one hand behind his back and the other lifting the hem of his gown. He had a smile on his face.

As he spoke, a blood-red phoenix pattern slowly appeared between his brows. A tricolor flower mark also appeared on the back of his right hand.

"The brand is the entry standard for 'superior' warriors, while the brand on the skill card of dark green quality or above is the threshold for 'superior three-star'..."

Wang Xi could tell that Li Xingduan was deliberately explaining the deeper secrets of the Hero System to him.

He said thank you.

As his gaze swept over the two branding marks, Caius's detection immediately reacted.

— "Phoenix in Golden Robes" and "Clouds Dancing in Colorful Robes"

The former is a martial arts card imprint, which greatly enhances physical coordination and speed. The latter is a skill card imprint, which can significantly improve the force-dissipating effect of a certain skill.

Extremely powerful.

It's even much better than Wang Xi's "Undeterred Journey" and "Bangbangtang"... After all, those two marks were made from the lowest quality white cards.

'I never imagined that branding would be so rare.'

Wang Xi was secretly surprised.

Even a genius like Li Xingduan spent six years to condense two marks, which shows how difficult it was.

From this perspective—

The card imprints of the main world's professional warriors are all earned through their own efforts, and are therefore superficial and weak. But his imprints are all obtained from Chaos's star-up, and are extremely solid... In fact, when he reaches the ultimate level, he can even choose the direction of enhancement himself.

Sit down!

"Wang Xi, let's stop here."

At this moment, Li Xingduan chuckled softly.

He immediately shouted in a loud voice:

Be careful.

Before the words were finished, the figure in the blue coat flashed by.

Snapped.

With a light step, he covered five or six meters in the blink of an eye, arriving in front of Wang Xi and raising his hand to strike.

Before the palm strikes, the wind arrives first.

Wang Xi felt a strong wind hitting his face.

——"Elegy for the Blood Orchid"

A red glint flashed in his eyes.

Punch out.

Bang! !

The fists and palms struck, producing a muffled thud like thunder.

Neither of them retreated; only their clothes and hair danced violently.

"Such a strong killing intent."

Li Xingduan let out a soft "hmm".

At the same time, he was secretly amazed by Wang Xi's physique, which remained completely unmoved under his palm strike.

call--

Wang Xi flicked his arm and continued throwing punches.

However, it came to nothing.

He only felt as if he had hit a blurry cloud of mist, while Li Xingduan moved sideways like a ghost, silently dodging the cannonball-like fist.

Wang Xi missed his first strike, then immediately attacked with both fists. He pounded his opponent's face and chest with tremendous force, his powerful punches like a barrage of bullets.

The wind howled from the punches, yet Li Xingduan moved left and right with the ease of a stroll, as if walking in a garden, incredibly elusive. Dozens of punches landed, yet he remained unscathed.

'What kind of movement technique is this...'

Wang Xi's eyes sharpened.

——"Sigh of the Pearl Curtain (Skill Card/Dark Green Four-Star)"

A beautiful woman rolls up the beaded curtain, hides her face, and sighs silently. It resembles a theatrical movement, with unseen footsteps, elusive and unpredictable, her movements as graceful as a female ghost retreating from the stage.

Faintly, Wang Xi heard a clanging sound, like the clapperboard being struck on a stage.

Li Xingduan raised his arm and swung it aside, as if brushing aside a beaded curtain—Wang Xigang's punch was deflected, followed by a sharp pain in his chest.

Deng Deng Deng!
Bang!
Wang Xi took several steps back, then stomped his foot to his feet and stood firm.

Li Xingduan's last palm strike was too fast; he couldn't even see it clearly... If the other party hadn't held back, he would probably have suffered considerable injury.

——"The Drunken Concubine (Skill Card/Dark Green 3-Star)"

The imperial concubine drinks wine under the moon, holding the jade plate with her bare hands.

Like a carefree gesture in a daze, unconsciously sweeping one's sleeve to embrace the moon, a palm strike concealing a hidden secret.

"Brother Li's unarmed combat skills are far superior to mine."

Wang Xi rubbed his chest and sighed.

"I'm no opponent."

"You're too modest." Li Xingduan stood a few meters away with his hands behind his back and smiled. "Wang Xi, I know you're good with two-handed swords. How about we have another melee?"

"That was just a warm-up."

Wang Xi sensed the expectation in Li Xingduan's tone, guessing that the bare-handed sparring earlier hadn't been enough.

That's exactly what they said.

His unarmed combat skills are only average, not particularly strong; swordsmanship is his forte.

"Alright." Wang Xi didn't want to spoil the mood and nodded in agreement. "Please, Brother Li, show mercy."

Two streaks of green light flashed by.

Wang Xi donned a large black cloak and carried a gleaming, long, patterned broadsword, the silver thorns wrapped around the cross-shaped hilt quite dazzling.

—"Wind-breath Cloak" "The Convict"

Snapped!
A crisp, clear sound of clapping suddenly rang out from who-knows-where.

"Her flowing sleeves concealed three inches of sorrow; before a word was uttered on stage, tears streamed down her face. Everyone says the love in the play is profound, but little do they know that beneath the makeup table, I quietly furrowed my brow—"

Suddenly, Li Xingduan opened his mouth and sang in a soft yet resonant operatic style.

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!
Another slow tempo began.

"Y-Yah!"

Li Xingduan swung his arm and turned around. With a clang, he appeared in a blue light, now wearing a green robe and colorful makeup.

Her snow-white face and upturned eyebrows, her powdered eyes filled with sorrow.

"The faded blue robe is still worn, the old opera has ended but the performance doesn't stop. Clearly the audience has dispersed and the lamps are dim, yet suddenly, from outside the curtain, someone calls for a maid—"

As he listened, Wang Xi felt a chill run down his spine.

Li Xingduan vanished in the blink of an eye!
next second.

Yu Guangzhong's blue robe flickered, and a cold glint, like a snake's tongue, attacked his throat.

call out--

The wind howled sharply.

...

...

A high platform on one side of the iron wall of the training ground.

The former president and a group of elite warriors are watching the battle.

The venue echoed with clanging and sparks flying, and their faces showed surprise.

"I didn't expect Vice President Li to have made such great progress in just half a year... His movement technique, palm technique, and swordsmanship have all improved by one star, right?"

A short-haired man wearing glasses pondered.

Old Master Wei stood with his hands behind his back, but suddenly spoke:
"No matter how much progress you make, you can't catch up with Wang Xi."

His tone was full of sighs.

"They've only just passed the assessment, yet they've already achieved such a feat against the established powerhouses. Their future potential is immeasurable..."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded silently.

They knew that Li Xingduan hadn't used his full strength. But even so, it was already quite remarkable that Wang Xi had been able to fight him for so long.

After all, he's only twenty years old.

There is still a long road ahead.

"Huh?" The woman named Meng Li exclaimed in surprise. "What kind of swordsmanship is that...?"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their gaze toward it—

In the arena, the black-cloaked youth unleashed a horizontal slash, colliding with the swaying blue sleeves that were coming towards him, sparks flying. He then leaped back like a black hawk, creating a distance of several meters.

Li Xingduan raised his arms and danced, his two cloud-like sleeves whipping out like long whips as he chased after the enemy.

Wang Xi raised his broadsword and swung it horizontally, deflecting the dagger hidden in his sleeve with two clangs. He then swung the sword and stirred it – red mist rose from the blade, and he actually severed Li Xingduan's cloud sleeve with a single strike!

In the confrontation between "Strangulation Sword Dao" and "Flowing Cloud Flying Sleeves", Wang Xi had a slight advantage!
As his sleeves fluttered in the wind, he charged forward, dragging his broadsword. The tip of the sword scraped against the metal ground, leaving a long trail of sparks, and streaks of red afterimages flashed behind him, as fast as lightning.

—"Crimson Momentum"

They sped across the battlefield, heading straight for the enemy's head.

"Excellent!" Li Xingduan exclaimed with delight, seemingly pleased to have discovered a formidable opponent. "This kind of sparring is truly exciting!"

Wang Xi rushed to Li Xingduan's side, sweeping his broadsword horizontally, and a terrifying sword wind howled towards him.

A loud thud sounded from the drum.

The crisp sound of the clapperboard followed immediately.

The atmosphere inexplicably became tense and urgent.

Suddenly, the figure in green leaped into the air, and at the critical moment, precisely stepped on the back of the sword with the tip of his foot, flipping and shifting, making a rustling sound.

Like a dream, fleeting and uncertain.

——"A Midsummer Night's Dream (Skill Card/Blue One-Star)"

The butterfly's steps are tinged with fragrant catkins, and the cicada's wings stop in the breeze.

This is a movement skill for emergency avoidance!
Wang Xi felt a chill run down his spine.

Li Xingduan was too agile; it was impossible to target him. Even with his sword being fast and ruthless, it was all in vain if he couldn't hit his opponent.

Li Xingduan floated in mid-air, spreading his arms wide.

His sleeve, which had been broken off, grew back in mid-air, like two green pythons attacking from above. From the cuff of his right sleeve, a soft sword with a cold gleam sprang out like a spitting tongue!
call out! !

——"Moon in the Well (Skill Card/Blue One-Star)"

Her slender wrists rippled like snowy waves, and the waning moon seemed to fall between her throats.

The sword light illuminated Wang Xi's face and his violently contracting pupils.

Wang Xi gripped the sword hilt tightly and suddenly assumed a fighting stance.

The blood-red sword orchid phantom flashed by and then erupted.

when! ! !
(End of this chapter)