166: Chapter 166 Go ahead and freeze me, I'll admit defeat if you can break my defense.

Li Qingcang's voice fell in the secret room. His tone was icy, devoid of any emotion.

"Why use a butcher's knife to slaughter a chicken?"

Standing before him, Li Pojun looked up abruptly. His eyes revealed a hint of reluctance and confusion: "Father, what do you mean?"

"Your thunder is prepared for the final champion, not to be wasted on a bumpkin in a place like this."

Li Qingcang slowly turned around, his back to his son. His tone was calm yet revealed unquestionable majesty: "The Li family's resources are not for you to satisfy a momentary impulse."

Li Pojun's Adam's apple bobbed. In the end, he lowered his head: "Yes, Father."

"Withdraw. I will handle the rest."

"But..." Li Pojun wanted to say something more.

Li Qingcang's voice suddenly turned cold: "What, can you not understand my words?"

An invisible pressure enveloped the entire secret room. Li Pojun felt his breathing hitch and could only bow and withdraw: "Your son understands."

Watching Li Pojun's departing back, Li Qingcang dialed an encrypted communication.

"Hello, Chairman Wang? This is Li Qingcang. Regarding the competition format and grouping for the next round, I personally have a small suggestion..."

The twenty-four-hour rest period passed in the blink of an eye.

When the rules for the third round of the competition were announced, the entire Federation network completely exploded.

[Third Round Competition Mode: Return to tradition, one-on-one arena elimination tournament!]

[Battle groupings have been randomly drawn by the Tianji Pavilion intelligent System!]

Once this news came out, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. After all, the indiscriminate battle royale mode of the Mist Forest was full of too much uncertainty and was too bloody.

The arena tournament was the place that truly tested individual hard power.

However, when the battle list was released, everyone's gaze focused on one particular duel, and the entire network instantly fell into even more heated discussion.

[Zone A, Arena No. 7: Lin Qi (Longya Academy) versus Han Qianchi (Elemental Tower)]

"Holy shit! Lin Qi's opponent is Han Qianchi? That 'Frost Chief'?"

"It's over! It's really over now! The road of the dark horse ends here!"

"What do you mean, brother above? Is Han Qianchi very famous? How come I haven't seen him on the Prodigy list?"

"You don't know a damn thing! Han Qianchi is the chief Disciple of this generation of the Elemental Tower; he simply disdains participating in such worldly rankings!"

"He is a true magic-type powerhouse. He specializes in ice magic, and it is said that his Divine-Grade talent is the one-in-ten-thousand [Absolute Freeze]!"

Soon, information about Han Qianchi was dug up by the resourceful netizens.

Name: Han Qianchi.

Background: Chief Disciple of the "Elemental Tower," one of the Federation's top three mage organizations.

Talent: Divine-Grade [Absolute Freeze].

Ability Description: Can forcibly change the local environment and create an "Absolute Zero" magic-sealing Domain. Within this Domain, all enemy units will suffer massive continuous slowing and frost damage. This is a nightmare for physical-type professionals.

The tactical analysis team under the Li family immediately released a pinned tactical analysis post.

"The End of Physical Classes is the Mage! Analyzing Why Lin Qi Is Bound to Lose from a Data Perspective!"

In the article, the analyst used the most professional and detailed data models to prove Han Qianchi's nearly 100% counter-relationship against Lin Qi.

"...As everyone knows, contestant Lin Qi is a pure physical melee type. All his advantages are built on strange footwork and close-range burst."

"But once facing contestant Han Qianchi's [Absolute Freeze] Domain, his speed advantage will vanish completely. A slowed assassin is no different from a living target."

"We can even foresee the direction of the match. Han Qianchi expands his Domain to trap Lin Qi in a quagmire, and then Lin Qi will be exhausted to death by countless ice Spells. This is not a contest of skill, but a crushing at the level of Law!"

This article was crazily forwarded and received almost everyone's agreement.

Physical types are naturally countered by top-tier control-type mages. This is an immutable truth in this digitized world.

The supporters who had just ignited hope because Lin Qi topped the leaderboard were now, at this moment, as if doused from head to toe with a basin of ice water. Their hearts turned completely cold.

"Fuck! The Tianji Pavilion definitely engaged in shady business! How could it be such a coincidence that they arranged an opponent that perfectly counters him for Lin Qi!"

"Don't struggle; this is fate. Lin Qi's road as a dark horse has indeed reached its end."

"What a pity, I thought I could see him fight all the way to the finals."

Amidst the clamor of the outside world, the Longya Academy rest area appeared exceptionally quiet.

Zhang Wei held his personal terminal. His fat face was covered in bead-sized sweat. He stared fixedly at the information about Han Qianchi on the screen, his body shaking uncontrollably.

"It's over... it's over... it's really over now..." The fatty muttered, then scrambled and rushed towards Elder Mo's exclusive training room.

He dared not knock on the door and could only pace back and forth at the entrance in anxiety.

Just then, the heavy metal door opened from the inside.

Lin Qi walked out from inside. The aura on his body seemed more steady and restrained than two days ago, but his eyes were sharper, like a drawn sword.

"Qi... Brother Qi!" Zhang Wei pounced as if he had seen a savior, nearly grabbing Lin Qi's thigh.

"Something happened! Something big happened!"

Lin Qi frowned and stepped aside to dodge his pounce: "Speak."

"Your opponent! The opponent for the next round is out!" Zhang Wei handed the terminal to Lin Qi, his voice mixed with a crying tone, "It's Han Qianchi from the Elemental Tower! He possesses the Divine-Grade talent [Absolute Freeze]! This is specifically designed to counter your physical type! Those analysts from the Li family say your win rate is zero! They must have spent dirty money to arrange a certain-death situation for you, Brother Qi!"

The fatty described the opponent's strength and the restrictive nature of the talent with added exaggeration. He spat as he spoke, only hoping that Lin Qi would take it seriously.

However, Lin Qi just casually glanced at the bold, red characters "Absolute Freeze" on the screen and lost interest.

He didn't even take another look at Han Qianchi's overly retouched, cold face.

He looked up at the desperate Zhang Wei and suddenly asked an irrelevant question.

"Does ice have a temperature?"

"Ah?" Zhang Wei was stunned by the question. His brain couldn't process it for a moment.

Lin Qi repeated it again: "I asked you, does ice have a temperature?"

"It... it does..." Zhang Wei answered subconsciously, "Of course it does, it's just that the temperature is very low..."

A subtle arc curled at the corner of Lin Qi's mouth.

"Then that makes things easy."

After saying this, he ignored the bewildered fatty and walked straight towards the logistics department of the rest area.

After walking a few steps, he seemed to remember something, turned his head, and instructed Zhang Wei, who was still standing there in a daze.

"Tell Elder Mo to help me prepare a barrel of the strongest Earth Fire Oil."

"Ten times the concentration of the last medicinal bath."

"I want to take a bath before the match."