28: Chapter 28 Showdown with Xu Qingran

As the host's voice faded, the atmosphere in the entire stadium reached an unprecedented peak.

Jiang Xun versus Xu Qingran.

This was not just a semi-final; it had already been tacitly accepted by everyone as a final staged ahead of schedule.

One was a mysterious dark horse who had burst onto the scene, crushing everyone in his path with endless methods and unfathomable combat intelligence.

The other was a peerless prodigy who had long been famous, firmly seated on the throne of the Key Class, and possessed an A-grade Elf civilization.

Two monsters, both maintaining perfect winning records, were finally going to decide a winner on this semi-final stage.

"Finally, this battle is here! This is definitely the most spectacular match of this Prodigy Tournament!"

"Who do you think will win? I feel like Xu Qingran has a better chance; her Elf civilization is too comprehensive, with almost no shortcomings."

"It's hard to say. That man Jiang Xun—you never know what he'll pull out in the next second!"

Amidst the tsunami-like roar of discussion, Jiang Xun and Xu Qingran stepped onto the battle stage together.

This time, there was no scrutiny or doubt in Xu Qingran's eyes, only a pure, extreme fighting spirit.

"Jiang Xun, let me see just how firm your 'Dao' really is," her cold, clear voice rang out.

Jiang Xun pushed up his glasses and nodded calmly.

"As you wish."

The bell signaling the start of the match rang.

Xu Qingran didn't test the waters at all. Divine power surged instantly, and her slender fingers tapped lightly on the sand table in front of her.

"Language of Nature: Entangle."

Above the sand table battlefield, countless emerald green vines, like living giant pythons, crazily burst from the ground, instantly throwing the charging formation of Jiang Xun's believers into chaos.

These vines were not only incredibly tough but also carried a slowing and weakening power, greatly discounting the effect of the [Rock Battle Soul] that Jiang Xun's believers took pride in.

"Elf Archer, volley!"

Following Xu Qingran's second command, over a hundred elegant Elf Archer units in her Divine Kingdom bent their bows and nocked arrows. Emerald green energy arrows, carrying a sharp whistling sound, covered Jiang Xun's believers, who were trapped by the vines, like a rain of death.

"Raise shields! Hold the line!"

Jiang Xun ordered immediately.

The believers struggled to raise their shields to resist the rain of arrows, but soon, he discovered something was wrong.

Those arrows carried a "Life Drain" law; every attack was siphoning the vitality of his believers to feed back into Xu Qingran's Divine Kingdom!

With this ebb and flow, his Divine Kingdom fell into an absolute disadvantage on the frontal battlefield for the first time.

Jiang Xun's divine power value plummeted at an unprecedented rate, and fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead.

"Is this the suppression power of an A-grade Elf civilization..."

On the mentors' platform, the principal and the various mentors had extremely solemn expressions.

"This is troublesome. Xu Qingran's 'Natural Entanglement' counters the charge of ground troops, and 'Life Drain' perfectly counters the endurance of Jiang Xun's believers. On the level of laws, Jiang Xun is completely suppressed."

"That's right. Unless Jiang Xun can pull out flying units or has a more powerful explosive law, he is sure to lose this match."

Everyone could see that Jiang Xun had fallen into his greatest dilemma since the start of the tournament.

Xu Qingran's offensive was like a tide, wave after wave, precise and lethal. She pushed the agility and power of the Elf civilization to the extreme, giving Jiang Xun no chance to catch his breath.

She wanted to use this upright, open strategy to force out all of Jiang Xun's trump cards and see just how far his "Dao of Plunder" could carry him.

Time passed minute by minute.

Jiang Xun's believers' front line was repeatedly torn apart, and his divine power was being consumed at an unprecedented rate.

A crazy thought flashed through his mind.

A frontal assault would surely lead to defeat.

In that case... He would gamble.

Jiang Xun took a deep breath, abandoned all defensive commands, and let his divine power surge wildly, issuing a command that no one in the entire stadium could understand.

"Divine Kingdom Blessing: A Hundred Flowers Bloom."

This command had no offensive or defensive capabilities; it was merely an auxiliary divine art to stimulate plant growth.

In an instant, an incredibly bizarre scene occurred on that battlefield, which had been covered in vines and arrow rain and filled with a murderous aura.

Countless colorful flowers grew crazily from the ground.

Red ones, white ones, yellow ones, purple ones...

In just a few breaths, the entire sand table turned into a brilliant sea of flowers, and the rich fragrance even permeated the entire arena through the projection.

The whole stadium was dead silent.

Everyone was stunned.

What kind of move was this? If you can't beat them, just plant flowers on the spot? Is this beautification work before surrendering?!

"What is he doing?!" Even the mentors on the mentors' platform were bewildered.

However, the moment that sea of flowers bloomed, Xu Qingran's pupils shrank sharply.

She saw that her disciplined, obedient Elf Archer units, the moment they saw that sea of flowers, had a trace of imperceptible... hesitation in their hands as they drew their bows.

Their eyes revealed an infatuation and closeness toward that gorgeous sea of flowers.

This was the love for nature and beauty engraved deep in the bloodline of the Elf race!

This love even transcended the commands of their deity!

This was the flaw!

This was the moment Jiang Xun had been waiting for!

"Queyue Formation, Break Magic, all troops charge!"

He poured all his remaining divine power into the attack command.

The believers trapped by the vines erupted with blinding light, forcibly breaking their bonds. With a resolute posture, braving the final sparse rain of arrows, they formed a lethal attack formation. Like a black sword, they fiercely pierced into the gap in the defensive line exposed by the Elf race's momentary hesitation!

Victory or defeat was decided in a single thought.

When the black army formation crushed the Elf Archer positions and arrived at the core of Xu Qingran's Divine Kingdom.

The whole stadium remained dead silent.

Xu Qingran stared blankly at the sand table, looking at the still gorgeous sea of flowers, then looked at the enemy troops at her gates. Finally, she shook her head, a smile of self-mockery and relief appearing on her face.

"I lost."

She said softly and voluntarily turned off the Divine Kingdom sand table.

[Semi-final Match 1, Jiang Xun, wins!]

It wasn't until the system prompt sounded that the audience snapped out of that unfathomable tactic and erupted into applause more enthusiastic than any previous match.

Jiang Xun had won, but everyone knew how dangerous and ingenious his victory was.

The light of plunder lit up above Xu Qingran's Divine Kingdom.

However, that light lasted only for an instant before Jiang Xun voluntarily severed the connection. In his talent panel, there was only one faint, thread-like addition: [Law of Life] from the Elf civilization.

He did not plunder.

Or rather, he only took the most insignificant sliver as a trophy, preserving his opponent's dignity.

Xu Qingran felt this; she looked up at Jiang Xun, who was walking off the stage, her eyes incredibly complex.

Jiang Xun looked at her calmly, saying nothing.

He didn't need to explain.

This battle was already the best explanation. His plunder had its bottom line.

Xu Qingran walked off the stage and came to Jiang Xun. This time, there was no confusion in her eyes, only clarity and firmness.

She looked at Jiang Xun and said softly.

"Don't lose in the finals."

Jiang Xun nodded.

Just then, the host's voice rang out across the stadium.

"Let us congratulate student Jiang Xun for being the first to enter the finals!"

"His opponent in the finals has also been decided!"

On the big screen, the result of the other semi-final popped up.

The winner's name made the atmosphere in the stadium turn bizarre once again.

Monitor Zhou Yi!

That Monitor Zhou Yi, who had been crushed by Jiang Xun in the monthly assessment and reduced to a laughingstock, had actually fought his way into the finals!

Jiang Xun's gaze turned to the other end of the contestant area.

Monitor Zhou Yi slowly stood up. His face bore a sickly flush and a crazy smile, and his eyes stared at Jiang Xun with resentment, as if looking at a dead man.