24: Chapter 24: The First Comparison!

"Yes."

The next second.

The notification flickered slightly.

[Combat simulation between both parties in progress...]

Su Wan looked out the window. Hmm... it should be ending soon.

[Comparison result... Winner: Lu Cheng!]

"Is that how it is... simple and easy."

Su Wan looked out the window. Who would the next comparison target be?

If the comparison target was still in Rong City... Lin Tianjian... counts as one, Cheng Shaohe... counts as one, others...

Wait a second?

"Winner... Lu Cheng?"

Su Wan's eyes went blank for a moment. I lost?

With my three C-grade martial arts proficiencies + 27 Qi Blood + S-Rank Talent + hidden bloodline + super high combat experience, you're telling me I lost?

Do you even know how to fight?

[Host's dissatisfaction detected... System simulating again...]

[Comparison result... Winner: Lu Cheng!]

Impossible... Lu Cheng only has an F-grade Talent, no channels to learn other martial arts... his family circumstances are even worse than mine...

How could he possibly win?

If the bound target was a genius from an ancient family, Su Wan would definitely have no chance of winning in the first week, but... this is Lu Cheng...

System, you aren't trying to avoid giving me the reward, are you?

[Please do not question the professionalism of this system... This system utilizes the most fair and impartial intelligent combat, and it will absolutely not make any mistakes!]

[Failure penalty: Give Lu Cheng a massage for a total of fifteen minutes.]

What??!!

A dignified Ice Emperor, having to give Lu Cheng a massage for fifteen minutes?

Do you even know how to fight???

If you can't afford the reward, just don't give it. You aren't intentionally making me lose to Lu Cheng, are you?

You broken system, I don't even want it anymore!

[If the host does not execute the failure penalty, you will lose the system's protection... Those who have died cannot be reborn...]

Hey?!

I actually backed down!

Su Wan thought to herself. Her rebirth really seemed to have something to do with this broken system... Having reached that realm, she could more or less sense the power of the rules between heaven and earth.

But... it is impossible for me to lose to Lu Cheng. If you don't give me a reasonable explanation, and you just want to coerce me into doing some shady business...

Then let's just go down together!

[Host's dissatisfaction still detected! System re-evaluating possibilities...]

Ten minutes later...

[After 328 simulations in the Endless Space... the host did not have a single chance to successfully defeat Lu Cheng!]

You don't know how to fight at all! Let me do it!

[In view of the host's extreme distrust of this system, initiating Increased Stakes Mode!]

[The host will personally duel the bound target. Upon success, you will receive the 'Divine Phoenix Soul'. If you fail this time, the penalty will be upgraded! Do you wish to continue, Host?]

Divine Phoenix Soul?

This thing is a hundred times better than the Divine Phoenix Nirvana Essence Blood. After using it, one is guaranteed to obtain a special talent of the Divine Phoenix clan, and it can also nurture one's own Soul Phoenix...

Even a newly born Soul Phoenix possesses the strength of the Hua Hai Realm. If she could obtain this thing... she would dare to flip the Zhou Family over today!

It's come this far, there's no reason not to fight!

[Yes!]

Her vision blurred, and she appeared in a gray-white, endless space.

There was no ground beneath her feet, no sky above her head, only endless void all around.

And opposite her, Lu Cheng was standing there quietly, wearing his school uniform, his expression calm, and even a bit lazy.

But at this moment, Su Wan couldn't smile at all.

"Come."

She took a deep breath, her eyes instantly turning cold.

Even when a lion hunts a rabbit, it uses its full strength!

Boom!

Cold air instantly exploded from beneath her feet, and the surrounding air condensed into layers of ice patterns at a speed visible to the naked eye. Su Wan took a step forward, her internal Source Qi and Qi Blood circulating simultaneously. A cold light gathered in her palm, and an Ice Sword formed in an instant!

Behind her, a faint phantom appeared... That was her S-Rank Talent: Extreme Cold Ice Soul!

The phantom's movements changed with Su Wan's, and it actually condensed an Ice Sword as well.

Both swords slashed through the void...

Ice Sword — Slash!

Swish!

The sword light tore through the air, the surrounding temperature plummeted, and even the trajectory of movement seemed to be frozen for an instant.

Logically speaking, given Lu Cheng's current realm, under this range of cold air suppression, his speed should definitely be significantly weakened.

But the next second, Su Wan's expression changed.

Lu Cheng, in front of her, seemed to know where the sword would fall and dodged it with an extremely strange posture.

By a hair's breadth, the Ice Sword slashed past the corner of his clothes.

"Is this... Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Bad Luck?"

Just as this thought flashed through Su Wan's mind, Lu Cheng had already closed the distance.

Too fast!

With a turn of his Wandering Step, he seemed to drill through the gaps in the cold air. Immediately after, he lowered his shoulder slightly, exerted force from his waist and hips, and threw a punch!

Three Styles of Crushing Fist!

Bang!

Su Wan only felt her vision go black. The defensive layer of her Bone-Freezing Armor that had just condensed was directly shattered by this punch, causing it to vibrate violently, and her whole body was sent flying backward on the spot.

The next second, her vision shattered.

First battle, ended.

[Winner: Lu Cheng]

[Does the host wish to continue...]

Su Wan: "..."

Since the system gave her this opportunity...

[Yes!]

This time, she changed her fighting style.

She no longer fought head-on, but instead used the cold air to constantly compress Lu Cheng's activity space, using ice layers to slow him down, using cold blades to force his movement, and then looking for an opportunity to win with a single strike.

The result was... her own Qi Blood was exhausted, and Lu Cheng gave her, who was exhausted, a punch that sent her back to the real world.

The third match, the fourth match, the fifth match...

The more Su Wan fought, the darker her face became. She realized she really couldn't beat him.

Lu Cheng's broken movement technique, combined with his broken talent!

Even if she used her talent to limit his speed, the damage she could inflict each time was limited.

The tip of her Ice Sword sliced across his arm and only opened a small cut?

Bro, are you even human?

And even with her C-grade Bone-Freezing Armor, she could actually be beaten into a crippled state by one of his punches...

This guy's Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Bad Luck, besides being able to avoid bad luck, could also strike at the weaknesses of her protective martial arts.

You call this thing an F-grade Talent?

"Are you even human?"

This sword of hers, not to mention the same rank, even if it hit a martial artist at the peak of the Body Refining Realm, it would never have such a small effect.

Lu Cheng definitely has a problem.

This can no longer be explained by a simple F-grade Talent.

Bloodline.

It must be a special bloodline power!

Damn it...

In this lifetime, everything really has changed.

Thinking of this, Su Wan's face became even uglier.

She lost so miserably this time, but in the final analysis, it was because of insufficient preparation.

In order to intercept the Zhou Family, she had poured all her energy into escape techniques and the Nine Cold Heavenly Breath Art in advance. She didn't have time to practice attack-type secret techniques at all, and her bloodline power would only have a chance to be activated after the Wasteland Zone ruins opened...

Although it was enough to rival a martial artist in the Source Gathering Realm, but... it was very obvious that Lu Cheng could also do it...

"There won't be a next time..."

Su Wan gritted her teeth, her eyes turning cold again.

"The timing of this comparison was too early."

"I was busy dealing with the Zhou Family and didn't take this contest seriously at all."

"Once I activate my bloodline power and go to that place again..."

"There will absolutely not be a next time!"

Su Wan kept thinking about the reasons for this failure in her heart.

Just at this moment, the system notification rang out eerily:

[Host, don't think too much for now...]

[Failure penalty promax version: Please give Lu Cheng 4 full-body massages within two weeks. Before each massage starts, you must shout: "Technician Little Wan at your service!" Each massage must last half an hour. Depending on the customer's satisfaction, you can obtain different rewards! The highest reward you can obtain is — the Fire Phoenix Hand Ring!]

Su Wan: "...?"

Her whole body froze in place.

The next second, her face flushed red bit by bit. She had forgotten about this part...

Thinking about having to say that sentence in front of Lu Cheng... Su Wan wanted to smash herself to death with a block of tofu.

"Just let me die..."

Su Wan felt a bit sorrowful, but thinking of those enemies and alien races who stabbed her in the back... everything was nothing...

This was just a small stumbling block on the road to success...

Isn't it just a massage? What's the big deal!

After comforting herself, Su Wan felt another wave of annoyance. Why was she so stubborn?

[Obtained buff 'I want to get stronger!', having experienced failure, you are extremely unconvinced! Cultivation speed increased by 20%]

A 20% bonus... Very good!

System, as expected of you, I wronged you before.

[Glad you know!]

Next time... next month, I will definitely be able to pin Lu Cheng to the ground and rub him!

Su Wan gritted her teeth and set an extremely firm goal for herself in her heart.