121: Chapter 122 The Shocking Lottery Draw

High in the sky, under the focused gaze of tens of thousands, Gui Wanwan acted as if she were doing the most ordinary of tasks. Her slender fingers lightly touched the massive floating crystal ball, and with a trace of Nether Power so faint it was almost imperceptible, a slip of magic paper shimmering with a pale blue light automatically separated from the sphere and drifted down into her fair palm.

"Second match." She spared only a casual glance at the number on the slip before transmitting the result directly to Lin Muyang below via their soul contract.

Then, before anyone could recover from her inconceivable speed in "reaching the summit," her figure moved again.

She didn't fly, nor did she fall.

It was as if space itself had folded, or perhaps as if she had never truly moved at all. One moment, her figure was still beside the crystal ball three hundred meters in the air; the next, she appeared silently at the edge of the arena below, standing before the long table where the organizers' staff recorded the results.

She casually placed the magic slip on the table and nodded at the dazed staff member who hadn't yet reacted, as a gesture of acknowledgment.

Then, under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands, her form "flickered" once more like an unreal phantom, crossing nearly a hundred meters of distance to return to the contestants' seating area. She sat down leisurely in the empty seat next to Lin Muyang, even adjusting her posture to make herself more comfortable.

From drawing the lot, taking the paper, "falling" down, registering, to returning to her seat... this series of actions was as smooth as flowing water, so fast it made one's head spin, yet it carried a strange sense of composure. It was as if the powerful deceleration barrier shrouding the sky—which made other summons feel as if they were stuck in a quagmire—and the vast spatial distance simply did not exist for her.

By the time she was settled back in her seat and had even picked up a drink provided by the organizers from the side table for a sip—

The entire venue was still enveloped in an eerie silence.

The hundreds of other summons who had just soared into the sky were now struggling through the deceleration barrier in "slow motion," trying to reach the crystal ball. They froze in mid-air, even forgetting to continue their ascent, and turned their heads in disbelief toward the short-haired girl calmly sipping her drink in the contestants' area, their eyes looking as if they had seen a ghost.

Senior Li Yun's steady Centaur Warrior, "Iron Hoof," had also stopped at a height of about one hundred and fifty meters, its horse-like face showing a human-like expression of bewilderment. Long Aotian's Frost Warrior was frozen at a slightly lower position, the cold air around it seeming to have stagnated.

This girl... what kind of speed was that?! No, this could no longer be described simply as speed! That effect, which was nearly identical to teleportation, and her performance of completely ignoring the deceleration barrier, had utterly subverted their understanding!

Even on the rostrum, the officials from Zhongnan City and the veteran referees responsible for presiding over the competition were all dumbfounded. One middle-aged official wearing glasses, who was in charge of recording the results, held the magic slip Gui Wanwan had just handed in, his fingers trembling slightly. He took several deep breaths before he could force his voice through the amplification array in front of him, but his voice still carried an irrepressible shock and dryness:

"Con... Contestant Lin Muyang, drawing result—the second match!"

He recorded the result, his voice echoing through the silent stadium with exceptional clarity.

Only then did the scene, which had been on pause, suddenly roar back to life!

Earth-shattering exclamations, screams, uproars, and waves of incredulous discussion swept in from all directions like a tsunami, instantly drowning the entire martial arts hall!

"Holy crap! What did I just see? How did she get down?"

"Teleportation! It's definitely spatial teleportation! Otherwise, it couldn't be that fast!"

"But there's a deceleration barrier up there! Even for teleportation-type skills, they should be interfered with within the barrier's range, and the distance and precision should be greatly reduced!"

"The key is, she looks... very relaxed? She wasn't affected at all!"

"That girl is Lin Muyang's summon, right? She's one of the beauties who entered with him!"

"This is too ridiculous! Is this really a summon that a Level 56 Summoner can have?"

"Could it be that she has top-tier equipment or a status that grants immunity to deceleration? Or some extremely rare talent?"

"Even with deceleration immunity, this base speed is terrifyingly fast! Look at Senior Li Yun's centaur; its attributes must be high, yet it's moving as slow as a crawling turtle under the deceleration!"

"What kind of celestial being did Lin Muyang actually summon?!"

All sorts of conjectures, exclamations, and doubts filled the venue. The vast majority of people simply couldn't comprehend what had happened before their eyes, so they could only attribute it to a combination of "deceleration immunity" and "extremely high base speed." But even so, the base speed Gui Wanwan displayed had reached a level that all the low-to-mid-level Summoners present could only look up to.

Amidst this massive shock and the ongoing discussions, the remaining part of the lot-drawing race seemed exceptionally dull. Although other summons continued to fly to the crystal ball to complete their draws—with Li Yun's Centaur Warrior "Iron Hoof" eventually finishing second and Long Aotian's Frost Warrior taking a distant third—these results, which would have normally garnered attention, paled in comparison to Gui Wanwan's inconceivable performance.

Almost everyone's attention was still fixed on Lin Muyang and the mysterious short-haired girl beside him. Long Aotian's fans had their prepared cheers stuck in their throats, their expressions looking rather unsightly. Not only had their idol's spotlight been stolen, but he had only taken third in the drawing race, which made them feel extremely stifled.

In truth, Gui Wanwan's ability to be so relaxed was not solely dependent on a single special ability. After the terrifying amplification from Lin Muyang's multiple God-Tier Auras and being equipped with high-tier gear, her base attributes had already reached an exaggerated level—her Strength, Constitution, and Agility all exceeded 50,000 points, while her Spirit attribute had broken through the 70,000 mark!

This level of attributes far exceeded the vast majority of the Summoners present, and even surpassed many of the summons they had painstakingly nurtured. The so-called "powerful deceleration barrier" had an effect directly related to the target's attributes. The higher the attributes, the smaller the impact.

With Gui Wanwan's ridiculous attributes, the barrier's deceleration effect was almost negligible for her. Combined with the short-distance spatial traverse characteristic of her "Night Leap" skill, this resulted in the visually shocking effect that stunned the audience.

In the spectator stands, the members of Su Qingyue's team were also in a daze. Liang Qiqi's mouth was wide open, and she forgot to wave the support sign in her hand. It took a long while before she suddenly jumped up and let out an even louder scream: "Ahhh! Lin Muyang! You're so cool! Your summon is also so cool!!" Her admiration for Lin Muyang was practically overflowing.

Su Qingyue also couldn't snap out of it for a long time, her beautiful eyes filled with shock and complexity. She knew Lin Muyang was strong and mysterious, but every time he revealed a new ability, it would once again break through the upper limits of her imagination. This had completely exceeded the scope of being a "genius."

"Deceleration immunity... or spatial ability? Whichever it is, it's too astonishing," the burly team member behind Su Qingyue murmured, his face full of admiration.

The brief chaos and heated discussion didn't last long. The drawing phase soon concluded, and the groupings for all four hundred-plus contestants were finalized.

The organizers were very efficient; once the results were recorded, they were immediately displayed on the magic light screens around the arena. At the same time, the host's high-pitched voice rang out again:

"Ladies and gentlemen! The exciting moment is about to arrive! The National Summoner Martial Arts Competition, Zhongnan City Division, the first round of sixteen-person free-for-alls—begins now!"

"First, we invite the sixteen contestants of the first match to send your summons onto the stage!"

Following the host's words, the sixteen Summoners assigned to the first match either stood up themselves or gave commands to the summons beside them. Figures of various shapes and sizes rose from different parts of the contestants' seating area, walking, running, flying, or floating toward the massive alloy arena in the center of the venue.

Orc Warriors carried battle-axes and let out low war cries; Elf Archers carried longbows with light footsteps; Skeleton Mages had soul fires flickering in their eye sockets and staves shimmering with eerie light; massive Rock Golems made dull thuds with every step; there were also agile leopards, circling falcons, and even a Thunder Giant Bear that looked adorably chubby but had claws flashing with cold light...

A total of sixteen summoned creatures, representing sixteen Summoners, stepped onto the broad arena that was over a hundred meters in diameter. They warily kept their distance from each other, occupying different positions on the stage as the air filled with a tense, murderous, and wild atmosphere.

The free-for-all was about to break out.

Only the final two left standing on the stage would advance to the next round. In this process, alliances, backstabbing, sneak attacks, endurance, and outbursts... all tactics and means were allowed as long as they didn't violate the basic rules of the arena. This was a comprehensive test of the summons' combat power, intelligence, and survival skills, as well as the Summoner's on-the-spot commanding ability.

As for this first match, Lin Muyang only spared it a few casual glances before losing interest. The strength of these sixteen Summoners and their summons was only considered lower-middle tier in Zhongnan City, with no particularly outstanding individuals. The truly strong and noteworthy opponents were mostly concentrated in the later matches.

The audience, however, was quickly drawn in by the tense atmosphere on the stage and the impending battle. They temporarily shifted their attention away from Lin Muyang, erupting into enthusiastic cheers and shouts, rooting for the Summoners they favored or had bet on.

Just then, a figure approached Lin Muyang's seat. It was Senior Li Yun.

The kind-faced middle-aged Summoner had a trace of a wry smile and curiosity on his face as he sat in the empty seat next to Lin Muyang, taking the initiative to speak: "Little brother Lin Muyang, it seems we really are fated. Even our draws are the same; we're both in the second match."

He paused and said in a sincere tone, "Since it's such a coincidence, you can rest assured once we're on the stage. I'll look out for your summon. We both belong to Tianqi Tower; in this kind of setting, it's only right that we support each other."

As he spoke, his gaze involuntarily drifted toward the quietly sitting Gui Wanwan, a hint of fervor flashing in his eyes. "By the way, Lin Muyang, which one do you plan to send up? If it's this young lady..." He recalled the world-shaking speed from earlier, and his tone became a bit more excited, "With that speed alone, you'd be inherently invincible in a free-for-all! If the two of us team up, our chances of advancing together will be much higher!"

Facing this overly enthusiastic senior who clearly had an "investment" mindset, Lin Muyang felt a bit helpless. However, since the other's attitude had always been good, he couldn't be too cold.

"Senior Li is too kind." Lin Muyang weighed his words, deciding to reveal a little bit to avoid the other person causing trouble out of good intentions. "She was only responsible for the draw and won't be going on stage. As for the upcoming free-for-all..." He looked at Senior Li Yun, his tone calm but carrying an unquestionable indifference, "You should have your Centaur Warrior stay near the edge of the arena as much as possible once it starts, and stay far away from the center. Otherwise, I'm afraid it might get caught in the crossfire."

Caught in the crossfire?

The smile on Senior Li Yun's face instantly froze, his brain failing to process the words for a moment.

He had anticipated various reactions from Lin Muyang: gratefully accepting protection, politely declining, or confidently stating he didn't need it... but he never expected the other party to say something like "I'm afraid of accidentally hurting yours!"

This was completely backward, wasn't it? Shouldn't he be the one worried that his Centaur Warrior's damage output would be too high and might accidentally affect Lin Muyang's "delicate" Elf Priest?

Senior Li Yun was stunned for several seconds before he coughed awkwardly twice and re-evaluated the overly young Summoner before him. He looked into Lin Muyang's calm, rippleless eyes, which held no arrogance or mockery, only a placidity as if he were merely stating a fact.

"Ahem... it seems little brother Lin Muyang is very confident in his own strength." Senior Li Yun said slowly, his tone becoming much more solemn. He realized that he might have underestimated, or rather, misjudged this young man's purpose for participating in the competition from the very beginning.

If he just wanted to show his face and accumulate some competition experience, there was no need to say such things. This calm tone, which exuded absolute confidence, was more like that of a well-prepared hunter warning a bystander who might accidentally wander into the hunting grounds.

"That's right..." Thoughts raced through Senior Li Yun's mind. "With the terrifying talent and leveling speed he's shown, if he just wanted to be famous, he should have been famous nationwide long ago. Why wait until now? He's been so low-key, yet he came to participate in this highly competitive city-level competition..."

A startling conjecture surfaced in his heart: this young man probably isn't here to "gain experience" or "try his luck" at all! He's very likely aiming for one of the only three qualifying spots, or even the city championship!

"It seems I have underestimated the heroes of the world." Senior Li Yun smiled bitterly to himself, his evaluation of Lin Muyang instantly rising several levels. He shed his previous "taking care of a junior" mindset, and his expression became serious and respectful.

"In that case, I'll look forward to little brother Lin Muyang's performance in the second match." Senior Li Yun said meaningfully, no longer mentioning teaming up or protection. "My 'Marathon' is thick-skinned and tough; it shouldn't be that easy to get caught in the crossfire. On the arena, everyone relies on their own abilities. I wish us both good results."

With that, he nodded to Lin Muyang, stood up, and returned to his seat. However, his back as he left was less composed than before, carrying more contemplation and gravity.

He had to re-evaluate this teammate who was assigned to the same group. Perhaps, in the second match's free-for-all, what he needed to worry about was not protecting others, but how to avoid being accidentally hurt by this mysterious young man.