177: Chapter 177 Stealing Credit? Competing on Family Background and Working Together!

The battle continued, and the slaughter grew increasingly intense.

Lu Qingyun stood in a vacuum zone, appearing indifferent, but in reality, his Psychic Power spread out like an invisible net.

Whenever anyone was beaten to near-death or on the verge of being eliminated, he would casually deliver a Psychic Power strike to finish them off, naturally claiming the kill as his own, causing his experience points and maximum health to climb steadily.

This behavior of "kill-stealing" didn't last long before it was noticed by the experts present.

"Hmph, what kind of prodigy is this? Turns out he's just farming battle records with such despicable tactics!"

In the Powerhouse Group, an elderly man at the sixth level of Divine Intent glanced sideways at Lu Qingyun's direction, his face full of disdain. "So young, yet his mind is so twisted. Stealing credit while others are both injured, that's all he's good for."

Several Divine Intent experts nearby nodded one after another, their eyes filled with contempt.

They were all figures who had been famous for many years, valuing reputation and character above all else, and believed in fighting openly and honorably.

In their eyes, Lu Qingyun's behavior of hiding in the back to pick up scraps was nothing more than a crooked path, unworthy of being brought to light.

The several seed prodigies of the Youth Group were even more disdainful.

Lin Jingxian's sword light crisscrossed, forcing back an attacking expert at the fourth level of Divine Intent. He swept a glance at Lu Qingyun from the corner of his eye, his sword-like brows furrowed, his tone icy: "A fame-seeking charlatan. No matter how many eliminations you accumulate with such methods, you can't hide the cowardice in your bones."

In his view, a true prodigy should face all opponents head-on and reach the top honorably.

Lu Qingyun's kill-stealing for the sake of attention was nothing more than an attempt to grab the title of "Most Eliminations" after the competition, but in reality, he was weak and vulnerable.

Zhao Lingfei's fingertips flickered with strange fire, incinerating the incoming Spirit Arts. Her red lips curled into a mocking smile: "No matter how strong your physical body is, your perspective is only so limited. Relying on picking up scraps to become famous will never allow you to reach the upper echelons."

Even Li Feng, who had crawled out from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, shook his head with a frown.

In his understanding, battle should be a fight of life and death, a direct slaughter; hiding in the back to take advantage of others was something only a coward would do.

For a time, everyone in the arena who saw Lu Qingyun's actions had almost labeled him as "decent strength, poor character."

Even if they acknowledged that he had Divine Intent Level combat power, they still held a bit of disdain in their hearts.

On the other side of the battlefield, Mu Susu took it all in, her brows slightly furrowed.

Her figure flickered, passing through the chaotic crowd like a ghost, walking straight toward Lu Qingyun's direction.

Wherever she passed, whether it was the attacks of Divine Intent experts or the aftermath, they would dissipate on their own when they came within three feet of her, as if isolated by some invisible force.

But the moment she stepped into the ten-meter radius around Lu Qingyun—

Whoosh!

A palm wind, wrapped in pure Psychic Power, suddenly whipped toward her face!

The wind was sharp, carrying an unforgiving force!

Mu Susu's pupils shrank slightly, her feet shifted violently, and her figure drifted back several meters like willow catkins, barely dodging the slap.

Her hair was lifted slightly by the strong wind, and a trace of anger finally appeared on her indifferent face.

Lu Qingyun retracted his hand, his face wearing just the right amount of surprise, as if it were truly an accidental strike, and he raised an eyebrow as he looked over: "Oh? It's you. I didn't see clearly; I thought someone was ambushing me."

Pretend, keep on pretending!

Mu Susu gritted her teeth in secret, certain in her heart that this bastard was doing it on purpose.

With his ridiculously vast Psychic Power, nothing within a hundred meters could escape his perception; how could he not tell who was approaching?

It was clearly intentional!

She suppressed the anger in her heart and did not speak aloud. A cold, clear voice sounded directly in Lu Qingyun's mind, carrying a hint of sternness:

"What exactly are you doing? Didn't we agree that you would assist me in taking the Youth Group championship and seizing the heavenly demon stone?"

"Look at the center of the arena yourself. Those few most competitive Divine Intent seeds are all being secretly protected by their Peak Divine Will elders. With these old guys blocking the way, I can't get close at all. I need you to help me break their protection."

Hearing this, Lu Qingyun cast his gaze toward the center of the arena following her indication.

Sure enough.

Not far from Lin Jingxian.

An elderly man with white hair carrying a long sword had sword energy soaring into the sky; he was a Peak Divine Will elder from the Sword Sect, his sword domain spread out, and no one dared to approach.

Beside Zhao Lingfei, a middle-aged man in a red robe was surrounded by surging strange fire; he was also an ancestor of an alchemy family at the Peak Divine Will level.

Even behind Li Feng stood an elderly man in military uniform, his aura heavy and deep like an abyss; he was clearly a Peak Divine Will War God from the military.

The elders of these families were clearly using the chaos of the Powerhouse Group as an excuse to blatantly act as bodyguards for their own juniors.

"Good grief, this isn't a martial arts competition; it's a family background competition."

Lu Qingyun clicked his tongue inwardly, complaining that the corruption of this competition was practically written on their faces.

He had originally planned to mix in, farm some experience, slack off, and naturally take first place before leaving, but now with several Peak Divine Will figures standing in the way, it was indeed a bit troublesome.

It wasn't impossible to force his way through, but he would inevitably have to reveal more of his strength, and it might even provoke the Dharma Form Grandmasters on the high platform to intervene, which would be counterproductive.

Lu Qingyun's eyes turned, looking at Mu Susu, and he said: "How about this: I'll make a move in a moment and trap all the remaining Youth Group members on the outermost perimeter, so they can't kill each other. The people in the Powerhouse Group are busy fighting each other and won't care about these non-threatening small fries."

"Once the Powerhouse Group decides the winner, we can settle the score with the rest of them slowly. During this time, if they dare to move, you take the opportunity to strike and eliminate them in one blow."

Mu Susu's beautiful eyes flickered as she secretly pondered this plan.

Isolating the irrelevant people was equivalent to directly cutting off the path for those seed prodigies to rely on their elders' protection and wait until the end to snatch the championship, forcing them to come out and fight.

It was feasible, but there were two problems.

"Although the remaining people in the Youth Group are weak, they are still Sky-Flying Realm to early-stage Divine Intent martial artists. How would they obediently surrender? What method will you use to trap everyone?"

She looked at Lu Qingyun, her tone carrying a hint of inquiry, "And why should I be the one to eliminate them?"

"You don't need to worry about the method; I have my own clever plan." Lu Qingyun waved his hand and casually flattered her, "Besides, the dignified Heavenly Demon, with your unfathomable strength, killing a few juniors in seconds is surely a piece of cake for you? My meager skills are only enough to help out; the main force must rely on you."

With this high praise bestowed upon her, the corners of Mu Susu's mouth lifted imperceptibly.

Although she knew clearly that this guy was being lazy and trying to shirk work, the words did sound pleasant to her ears.