146: Chapter 147 Gu Shuanglin's trump card

After confirming that she would face Lin Muyang in the semi-finals, Gu Shuanglin did not fall into despair or give up as others might have imagined. On the contrary, the Eldest Miss of the Gu family, renowned for her calm and wisdom, quickly entered a state of tactical analysis. Seated in the contestants' area, her simple cyan gown accentuated her elegant temperament. With her brows slightly furrowed and her eyes flashing with focused, rational light, she began to seriously consider how to deal with the "monsters" under Lin Muyang's command.

"Defense seems to be non-existent in front of them." Gu Shuanglin's slender fingers unconsciously tapped her knee as her mind rapidly replayed all of Lin Muyang's previous match recordings. "Wang Yanzhang's Dark Gold Iron-Bone Beast had top-tier defense and counter-damage mechanisms, yet it fell apart instantly under that Night Elf Assassin's blades, failing to even trigger an effective counter. This means a pure 'tanking' tactic won't work."

Her mind worked rapidly, analyzing the four young ladies Lin Muyang had already sent onto the field one by one:

Elf Priest Lilia: Holy Light system. Her output is mind-bogglingly violent; she likely possesses some kind of 'massive skill effect bonus' or 'true damage penetration' talent. Ranged, area-of-effect attacks—an extreme threat.

Phoenix Heavenly Maiden Feng Ling: Controls the 'World Purifying Flame.' Suspected to have touched the level of Laws, capable of burning everything, including energy attacks. A natural counter to the Plant system. Must be banned.

Night Elf Seraphina: An extreme-speed assassin with peak physical cutting abilities and some means of exempting herself from counter-damage. Her speed exceeds the limits of conventional reaction, but she is ineffective against spiritual bodies. I can use the plant network to restrict her range.

Nine-Tailed Demon Fox Su Daji: Suspected to have mastered multiple elemental spells. Her Origin Skill 'Ice Mountain Shatter' has terrifying power, is instant-cast, and has a massive range. If she also knows fire skills, it would be a devastating blow to my plants. To be safe, she must also be banned.

"Overall, I must ban the Phoenix Heavenly Maiden and the Nine-Tailed Fox." Gu Shuanglin quickly made her core decision. "The Phoenix Heavenly Maiden's flames counter my plants too strongly; there's no chance of victory there. The ice skills shown by the Nine-Tailed Fox have a large range and high damage, and she might master other elements—the risk is uncontrollable."

"That leaves the Elf Priest and the Night Elf Assassin..." She continued her deduction. "The Elf Priest is a pure ranged magic type. My World Tree has the special skill 'Absolute Protection,' which can generate a shield capable of blocking most ranged energy projectiles. Although its duration is limited and the cooldown is long, it's enough to withstand several rounds of her outbursts. As long as I can survive the initial firepower, I'll have a chance."

"The Night Elf Assassin is extremely fast, but my 'Infinite Green Vines' can quickly weave a dense vine network across the stage. This network isn't meant to trap her completely, but to interfere with her movement trajectory, compress her evasion space, and create opportunities for my other attacks. Her attacks are physical cuts; while my plants don't have top-tier defense, they are numerous, and the World Tree has extreme life recovery and damage-sharing capabilities, allowing it to endure a certain amount of cutting damage."

"The key is that Lin Muyang might send out a fifth or even a sixth young lady." Gu Shuanglin's gaze involuntarily drifted toward Lin Muyang's seat, landing on the short-haired girl who was quietly leaning on Lin Muyang's back, her skin slightly pale, wearing a lazy, ethereal smile. "This one has never appeared before. From some vague intel circulating in Zhongnan City, she showed incredible speed during the drawing of lots. Looking at her temperament and skin tone, she seems like the legendary 'Ghost Race' or 'Spirit Race'? Her class is unknown; she might be another type of assassin or a special support..."

Gu Shuanglin shook her head, temporarily suppressing this uncertain factor. According to the tournament rules, she could only ban summons that the opponent had registered and might field; she couldn't ban those who had never appeared. She could only make the best preparations based on known information.

"From the current perspective, after banning the Phoenix Heavenly Maiden and the Nine-Tailed Fox, I have at least a theoretically feasible plan against the combination of the Elf Priest and the Night Elf." Gu Shuanglin took a deep breath, her eyes reigniting with fighting spirit. "The World Tree defends against range, the Infinite Green Vines limit the melee assassin, and with my hidden trump card, it's not impossible to win!"

Soon, both sides submitted their ban choices through the system.

Gu Shuanglin: Banned [Phoenix Heavenly Maiden Feng Ling], [Nine-Tailed Demon Fox Su Daji].

Lin Muyang: Banned [None].

"No bans again?" Seeing Lin Muyang's blank ban column once more, Gu Shuanglin was slightly stunned, then her lips curled into a complex arc. Was it confidence? Disdain? Or was he truly curious about her plant system and wanted to see it for himself?

Regardless of the reason, for her, this was both pressure and a subtle form of recognition—the opponent believed he didn't need to restrict her summons to gain an advantage.

"Since you're giving me the chance, I won't be polite." Gu Shuanglin's gaze sharpened.

Soon, the match was about to begin, and both sides needed to submit their list of participating summons.

Lin Muyang looked at Gu Shuanglin's ban choices on his terminal, not at all surprised. He was indeed very interested in Gu Shuanglin's plant summoning system, especially that SSS-Rank Talent 'World Tree.' It was a type of summon that rarely appeared in textbooks or common battles, and its combat style and potential were worth observing.

"Since Feng Ling and Daji are banned..." Lin Muyang thought for a moment and made a decision. "Lilia, Seraphina, you two go up for this round."

He chose to send out two people, not because he felt Gu Shuanglin was so powerful that she required two to handle, but out of caution and respect for the unknown. Gu Shuanglin was a top-tier contestant in the Provincial Tournament and likely possessed hidden means. Sending two onto the field made the offense-defense balance more reasonable, provided a higher margin for error, and allowed for better handling of unexpected situations. Elf Priest Lilia provided ranged firepower, healing, and some defensive support; Night Elf Seraphina was responsible for melee assassination, rapid advancement, and clearing out fodder. It was a very stable combination.

"Yes, Master/Brother Muyang!" the two girls replied in unison, fighting spirit emerging in their eyes.

When the matchup list was announced and Lilia and Seraphina stepped onto the stage hand-in-hand, a wave of surprised discussion immediately broke out in the audience.

"Eh? Lin Muyang sent two people?"

"It seems Gu Shuanglin has a lot of face, actually making Lin Muyang deploy two of his top generals!"

"Is it because he thinks Gu Shuanglin is very strong and needs to be taken seriously?"

"Or maybe he wants to end it quickly, or show off different tactical coordination?"

"Either way, this match is going to be good! Gu Shuanglin's plant army vs. Lin Muyang's twin stars!"

The audience's interest was fully piqued. This was the first time Lin Muyang had sent out more than one summon for a team battle in the Provincial Tournament! Although Su Daji had performed a one-vs-three before, that was as a solo combatant.

Seeing the two opponents stepping onto the stage, Gu Shuanglin's heart first tightened, then a surge of complex emotions welled up. She was somewhat flattered—Lin Muyang actually valued her this much; also somewhat helpless—with the opponent sending two, her hopes of winning undoubtedly grew slimmer; but more than anything, it was a strange sense of satisfaction at being taken seriously by a powerhouse, along with an even more soaring fighting spirit.

"So... he's not just reckless, he can be this steady too." Gu Shuanglin's evaluation of Lin Muyang rose another notch. To possess overwhelming strength yet remain cautious—this state of mind was more daunting than pure talent.

"But this is fine too." Gu Shuanglin's eyes were determined. "Let me show you the true strength I've prepared for so long!"

She no longer hesitated, walking onto the stage with elegant and steady steps. As a plant Summoner, she needed to "sow" personally. She came to the center of the stage, her hands forming a complex and ancient seal in front of her chest, as the natural energy around her began to slowly boil and converge.

"Follow the ancient covenant, listen to nature's call..."

"Take root here, protect here, grow here..."

"Appear—Forest of the World!"

Her clear chant echoed across the stage. Along with her voice, emerald light erupted with her as the center! An extremely dense life Aura permeated the air, and the sturdy, specially-made floor of the stage seemed to turn into fertile soil.

Rumble...

The first to break through the ground was that familiar "World Tree," but its size was larger than any previous appearance! Its roots burst from the ground like giant pythons, burrowing deep beneath the stage. The trunk rose from the earth at a speed visible to the naked eye, instantly exceeding fifty meters. The canopy spread out like a great umbrella, each emerald leaf seemingly carved from the finest jade, emitting a soft yet resilient glow of life. A majestic natural pressure descended, making the entire stage feel like the center of an ancient forest.

Immediately after, on the left and right sides of the World Tree, two more plants broke through the soil.

On the left were countless emerald-green, snake-like vines—[Infinite Green Vines]. They were not individual entities but rather a complete living network, spreading from underground and quickly weaving and intertwining across the stage surface, forming a green vine carpet that covered most of the stage, constantly wriggling and changing, with fine thorns and suckers growing on the vines.

On the right was a strange vine plant, entirely pitch-black as if carved from ink jade, emitting an ominous Aura—[Highly Venomous Snake Vine]. It had no leaves, only a main trunk and dozens of branched vines. Each vine was like a man-eating venomous snake, wriggling slightly, its surface covered in strange dark-purple patterns, its tip forked like a snake's tongue. As soon as it appeared, the surrounding air seemed to become viscous, carrying a faint sweet and bloody scent.

"Is that... a new summon?" someone in the audience exclaimed.

"Black vines? They look so sinister!"

"Gu Shuanglin was hiding this move too?!"

"An SSS-Rank Talent summon, the World Tree! And those black vines don't look simple either!"

"This is getting interesting. Can Lin Muyang's two girls handle this combination?"

Lin Muyang was also in the contestants' area, looking at the newly appeared [Highly Venomous Snake Vine] with great interest. Under the vision of his [Eye of Creation], the attributes and abilities of this black vine were laid bare.

[Highly Venomous Snake Vine]

[Talent: SSS-Rank · Touch of Corruption]

[Ability 1: Snake Vine Poison Mist. Releases a large-scale toxic mist, dealing continuous percentage health damage to all enemies within range (ignoring conventional poison resistance) and applying a 'Corruption' effect, continuously reducing the target's total attributes and healing effects.]

[Ability 2: Lethal Siphon. The vine tips pierce into the enemy's body, ignoring part of their defense to directly absorb the target's health and energy, recovering itself.]

[Ability 3: Symbiotic Venom. The Highly Venomous Snake Vine's toxins can mix with the attacks of other plant summons, causing their attacks to also carry additional percentage health poison damage.]

[Note: An extremely rare and dangerous mutated plant summon; its toxin involves the rules of life origin erosion.]

"Percentage health damage? Ignoring conventional poison resistance?" Lin Muyang's brow twitched slightly. This ability was indeed a bit tricky, especially against units like Lilia and Seraphina, who had very high defense and health. Conventional poison resistance equipment or skill effects wouldn't do much.

However, it was only "a bit tricky."

With a thought, Lin Muyang quietly activated a rarely used God-Tier Aura, enveloping Lilia and Seraphina on the stage.

[Immunity to All Poisons (God-Tier Aura)]: Within the Aura's range, all allied units are immune to all poisons, curses, plagues, diseases, and other negative status effects and their direct damage. Possesses extremely high resistance against continuous life erosion, attribute weakening, and similar effects.

With this Aura active, the poison damage that the [Highly Venomous Snake Vine] relied on most was essentially rendered useless.

"Battle—Begin!"

The referee's command was like lighting the fuse for the war in this "miniature forest"!

A sharp light flashed in Gu Shuanglin's eyes as she took the initiative! She knew that when facing Lin Muyang's girls, aggressive attacks and creating a favorable environment were crucial!

"Snake Vine Poison Mist! Fill the sky!"

She pointed her slender hand toward the [Highly Venomous Snake Vine].

Hiss—!

The pitch-black trunk of the [Highly Venomous Snake Vine] suddenly expanded like a python raising its head, and the dozens of branched vines at the top simultaneously flailed and spat! A thick, ink-like, rolling pale-green toxic mist surged out from the vine tips like a flood breaking a dam, covering more than half the stage in the blink of an eye! The mist was so dense it wouldn't disperse, completely swallowing Lilia, Seraphina, and the dozens of meters surrounding them!

Vision was stripped away! The air was filled with a sweet yet nauseating bloody scent! Where the toxic mist touched the stage floor, a faint "hissing" sound of corrosion could be heard.

"Hiss—! Such powerful poison!"

"Instant full-field poison mist? This range is too massive!"

"It's over, those two girls have been swallowed! We can't see them!"

"Gu Shuanglin's preemptive strike is beautiful! In the poison mist, both the Elf Priest and the assassin will suffer continuous damage and interference!"

"Let's see how Lin Muyang's young ladies respond."

The audience cried out in succession. This was the first time since the start of the tournament that someone had been able to create such a large-scale, seemingly extremely threatening environmental control right at the start. Within the poison mist, Lilia and Seraphina's figures were completely invisible.

Gu Shuanglin stared intently at the thick toxic mist, her mental power spreading out to its full extent to sense the energy fluctuations within. She knew the poison mist alone couldn't defeat the opponents; this was just the beginning, meant to create opportunities for subsequent attacks and to test the opponents' poison resistance.

"World Tree, Absolute Protection, prepare!"

"Infinite Green Vines, Entangling Network, deploy!"

She issued commands in quick succession.

The World Tree's massive canopy shed a soft emerald light, condensing into a translucent light shield in front of Gu Shuanglin, swirling with countless ancient runes. [Absolute Protection]! It could block most ranged energy attacks.

At the same time, the countless [Infinite Green Vines] on the ground began to wriggle, grow, and intertwine even more frantically. Beneath the poison mist, an even denser vine net covering every inch of the ground was rapidly taking shape, with countless vines like lurking venomous snakes, ready to strike.

Inside the poison mist, all was a pale, sickly green.

However, for Lilia and Seraphina, who were at the heart of the poison mist, their experience at this moment was completely different from what the audience imagined.