16: Chapter 16 The First Battle
After Su Xiaoxiao rested for about half an hour, Zhao Tieshan stood up.
"Quiet everyone. Su Xiaoxiao versus Lin Fan, take the stage."
The entire arena instantly erupted.
"It is here, it is here! Finally waited for this match!"
"Su Xiaoxiao will win!"
"Lin Fan, go! Take her down!"
That last shout came from Xu Ziyan; the voice was sharp and thin, standing out starkly amidst the chorus of "Su Xiaoxiao" cheers.
Several people around him turned to look at him with strange expressions.
Xu Ziyan blushed and shrank his neck, but still muttered softly.
"I just... just think Lin Fan is quite impressive..."
Lin Fan heard him, waved his hand at him, and then slowly walked onto the stage.
Su Xiaoxiao also stood up and walked onto the stage.
The two stood ten meters apart.
The watching students were whispering among themselves.
"How long do you think Lin Fan can hold out?"
"A minute, perhaps; no more than that."
"I think thirty seconds. Su Xiaoxiao's Ice Crystal Scatter is too fierce; how can a piece of trash with two Armor Holes dodge that?"
"That may be true, but don't forget that Lin Fan's initial Rank was already 3, and the quality of his Armor Spirit is not weak either."
"Given his Aptitude, what kind of progress could he possibly make in just one week of Cultivate?"
Lin Fan listened to these discussions with no expression on his face.
He lowered his head and looked at Xiao Zhuang on his left wrist.
In one week's time, he certainly hadn't been Cultivate in vain.
After entering a meditative trance that night, he discovered the 50% bonus from the ten thousand armor beast record, which was even more exaggerated than he had imagined.
Furthermore, the time he spent in meditative trance was much longer than others.
Over the course of the week, he had surged directly from Rank 3 to Rank 6.
Xiao Zhuang also benefited, rising from Rank 7 to Rank 10.
Man and snake, both rose three Ranks.
Sure enough, when Lin Fan's Spiritual Qi fluctuations were released, the noise around him instantly ceased.
Immediately after, an even louder gasp erupted.
"Six... Rank 6?! How is this possible!"
"Rising three Ranks in a week? Are you kidding me!"
"His initial Rank was high, but this is too fast! Even Su Xiaoxiao is only Rank 4!"
"Impossible! The number of Armor Holes is right there; he has two Armor Holes, his Cultivate speed should be slower than ours!"
"Then what is going on here?"
Lin Fan listened to the surrounding discussions, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
This was exactly the effect he wanted.
So what if he has two Armor Holes?
I rose three Ranks in a week; who among you can do that?
Su Xiaoxiao also heard those discussions, and her gaze narrowed slightly.
She looked at Lin Fan, a trace of seriousness appearing in her eyes.
"Lin Fan, you rose three Ranks in a week?"
"Mm, I got lucky."
Su Xiaoxiao was silent for two seconds.
"Two Armor Holes, three Ranks in a week... This cannot be explained by luck."
Lin Fan shrugged: "Then it must be Aptitude."
Su Xiaoxiao stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled.
"Fine, I want to see just how much Aptitude you have."
She raised her right hand, blue light flickering.
Transparent ice crystals spread from her wrist to her fingertips, forming that exquisite half-finger armor, the butterfly wing patterns on the back of her hand vivid and lifelike.
Ice Crystal Butterfly, Armor Transformation!
Lin Fan also raised his left hand.
Green light surged, and dense green scales instantly covered his entire left hand, with half-inch long sharp claws growing from his fingertips.
Green-Scaled Snake, Armor Transformation!
"Begin!"
As soon as the words fell, Su Xiaoxiao seized the initiative.
She waved her right hand, and dozens of ice crystals shot out, covering the sky and earth as they enveloped Lin Fan.
Ice Crystal Scatter!
The moment she attacked, it was a killing blow, showing no mercy.
Lin Fan narrowed his eyes; he did not take it head-on but dodged sideways.
A piece of ice crystal grazed his cheek, leaving a small, bloody scratch.
He did not stop moving, weaving through the rain of ice crystals, dodging left and right.
Su Xiaoxiao's ice crystals came in wave after wave, the coverage area growing larger and larger, not giving Lin Fan any chance to get close.
Lin Fan was forced to retreat repeatedly, his left arm accidentally struck by a piece of ice crystal, leaving a white mark on the scales.
Hmm?
It seems the Green-Scaled bracer formed by his left hand has a certain amount of magic resistance; Xiao Zhuang's scales can withstand it.
But the problem is, he cannot get close at all.
Su Xiaoxiao's area-of-effect attack is too fierce; the entire arena is covered by her ice crystals. Every time he charges forward a few steps, he is forced back.
If this continues, let alone winning, it will be hard to even touch her.
While dodging, Lin Fan's brain turned rapidly.
What is his advantage?
His Rank is two levels higher than Su Xiaoxiao's, and his Spiritual Power is thicker.
Xiao Zhuang has poison; as long as he touches the opponent, he can cause continuous damage.
The disadvantages are also very obvious.
Su Xiaoxiao's Armor Spirit quality is higher, her skills are more comprehensive, especially Ice Crystal Scatter, which perfectly counters his melee fighting style.
He cannot fight head-on; he can only wear her down.
Wear her down until her Spiritual Power hits rock bottom, until she reveals a flaw.
Lin Fan made up his mind, no longer attempting to charge forward, and began to circle the edge of the arena.
Although Su Xiaoxiao's Ice Crystal Scatter has a large range, the density in the edge areas is relatively low.
Lin Fan wove back and forth in the edge area, dodging when he could, and using his scales to tank it when he couldn't.
Su Xiaoxiao's brows furrowed slightly.
"You want to wear me down?"
Lin Fan did not speak, continuing to circle.
Su Xiaoxiao let out a cold snort, waving her right hand repeatedly, the ice crystals becoming even denser.
But she soon discovered a problem.
Lin Fan's movement was becoming increasingly tricky, always stuck in the gaps of her attacks.
Every time she thought she could hit him, he would dodge a step ahead, as if he could predict her attacks.
Su Xiaoxiao did not know that Lin Fan's left eye had been slightly heating up.
【Ice Crystal Scatter trajectory detected, predicting impact point...】
【Three meters to the left, five ice crystals, suggest moving right.】
【Two meters ahead, seven ice crystals, suggest retreating.】
The ten thousand armor beast record' Eye of Insight could not only view Armor Beast information but also analyze the opponent's attack trajectory during battle.
Relying on this, Lin Fan managed to find a space to survive within the dense rain of ice crystals.
Time passed minute by minute.
Three minutes.
Five minutes.
Eight minutes.
The watching students, who were excited at the beginning, gradually became bored.
"Why are they still fighting?"
"Lin Fan keeps dodging and isn't attacking at all!"
"Does he only know how to run?"
"What kind of battle is this? It's too cowardly!"
Xu Ziyan listened anxiously from the side, wanting to refute but not knowing what to say.
Lin Fan was indeed dodging the whole time; from the start to now, he hadn't initiated an attack once.
But he also noticed a detail.
Su Xiaoxiao's breathing began to become somewhat rapid.
She had been dragged along by Lin Fan for nearly ten minutes, and Ice Crystal Scatter had never stopped.
Her Spiritual Power was about to run dry.
Lin Fan's mouth curled up slightly.
Almost there.
Hold on a little longer.
Su Xiaoxiao also realized that if she continued like this, she would be worn down to death sooner or later.
Her Spiritual Power had been largely consumed, while Lin Fan was still circling the edge of the arena.
Although there were many cuts on her body from the ice crystals, his footsteps remained steady.
She gritted her teeth; she could not let this wearing down continue.
Must finish this quickly!
She took a deep breath, suddenly stopped Ice Crystal Scatter, and began to spin.
Butterfly Dance!
Ice crystals spun out following her movements, forming vortices of ice crystals that enveloped Lin Fan from all directions.
The coverage area was even larger than before.