189: Chapter 190 Daji Makes Her Appearance

Gu Shuanglin clutched her phone tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force. Her straight back was slightly rigid, and her legs were unconsciously pressed together—a subconscious reaction when she was nervous. Lin Muyang's brief reply was like a stone thrown into the lake of her heart, stirring up a thousand ripples.

"Let me send out my weakest summon..."

"What... does he mean by this?"

Countless thoughts flashed through Gu Shuanglin's mind. Was he implying that no matter which summon she sent, the outcome was already sealed? Or did he have absolute confidence that, in this chaotic thirty-two-player battle, he could not only slaughter his way through but also spare the energy to protect a "burden" like her?

"Guarantee my survival ranking... could he be planning to clear out everyone single-handedly and then leave me for second place?" This thought made her heart palpitate. It was too bold, too arrogant! This wasn't just confidence; it was... madness!

This was the thirty-two-player melee of the National Finals! Every Summoner present was a prodigy from their respective province, the elite of the elite. Their summons were at least A-Rank Talent, with S-Rank and SS-Rank being commonplace, and there was even no shortage of terrifying SSS-Rank Talent existences. Their levels generally crushed Lin Muyang's summon, and their equipment, skills, and combat experience were all at their peak. To crush all opponents head-on in such a chaotic battle while protecting a weak little thing that was practically a free kill... was this really something humanly possible?

It wasn't that she didn't believe in Lin Muyang's strength. On the contrary, it was precisely because she had personally experienced the helplessness of being dominated by absolute power that she knew the terror of Lin Muyang's summon. But the Provincial Tournament was a one-on-one arena, while this was a chaotic, disorderly thirty-one-player melee full of variables and potential temporary alliances! The nature of it was completely different.

"Is he helping me, or hurting me?" A trace of doubt and panic uncontrollably crept into her heart. Sending out her weakest summon was equivalent to voluntarily giving up the possibility of earning kill points, pinning all her hopes on Lin Muyang's ethereal promise of protection. If Lin Muyang failed, or if any accident occurred midway, her first melee would end with zero kills, an extremely low survival ranking, and a high probability of being instantly killed. Her points would be disastrous, basically signaling an early elimination.

This wasn't just about her personal victory or defeat; it concerned the reputation and expectations of the entire Gu Group. The family had invested huge resources for her to participate, and countless eyes were watching her. If she lost her first battle in such a "lazy" way, those elders who already had objections to her inheritance rights would likely attack immediately, making her future path even more difficult.

However, Lin Muyang's calm, almost indifferent reply seemed to carry a strange magic. Behind those short words lay an absolute control that overlooked the entire situation, a nonchalance that held no opponent in regard. She recalled the scene at the Provincial Tournament, where that Nine-Tailed Fox had effortlessly crushed her most proud summon with a mere gesture... Perhaps, to that young man, this seemingly dangerous melee really was no different from the arena of the Provincial Tournament?

To gamble, or not to gamble?

Time waited for no one. The system's countdown chime seemed to strike at the heart of everyone present.

Gu Shuanglin took a deep breath, a look of determination appearing on her beautiful face. She thought of the faces of those within the family who had bickered endlessly about seeking alliances with Hao Qingshan, Zhao Man, and others, and the harsh, almost extortionate conditions they had proposed. Rather than handing her fate over to those greedy and unreliable allies, it was better to... trust this young man who had created miracles once!

"I'll risk it!" Her eyes narrowed, and her fingers slid rapidly across the magic tablet in front of her. Finally, in the selection column for the participating summon, she firmly checked one name—Little Grass Spirit · Jiumi.

Almost the moment she made her choice, she felt several gazes sweep over from the VIP seats and the contestant seats, carrying undisguised astonishment and confusion. Her cheeks burned slightly, but her eyes were firmer than ever. Since she had chosen to trust, she would trust to the end! No matter the outcome, she, Gu Shuanglin, would accept it!

Meanwhile, in the organizer's VIP seats, when Nation-Guarding Level Experts like Xu Ruohan used special permissions to see the list of summons submitted by all contestants in advance, their expressions became somewhat strange.

"This kid from the Hao family... is interesting." Zhou Wenyuan stroked his chin, looking at the "Heavy Hammer Demon" submitted by Hao Qingshan, a flash of surprise in his eyes. "Sending out his core trump card in the first match? It seems he is extremely confident in his own defense and survival capabilities, intending to establish an advantage from the start, or perhaps even wanting to eliminate a few potential strong opponents directly?"

Another Nation-Guarding Level Expert, an old man in military uniform who commanded respect without anger, said in a deep voice: "This Heavy Hammer Demon has the SSS-Rank Talent 'Lava Barrier', with extremely high physical and magic damage reduction, and it also comes with damage reflection and life link—it's a tough nut to crack. Its equipment and skills are also maxed out: a mythic grade armor [Undying Furnace], and a mythic grade active skill [Hellfire Meteor]... Tsk, this kid's family background is truly deep. It seems he wants to emulate the tactics Xu girl used back in the day, crushing from the start to intimidate the whole arena."

Xu Ruohan nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over the list: "Zhao Man's response is very clever. The Millennium Scorpion Spirit's poison attacks come with true damage and percentage-based health drain, specifically countering high-defense, low-health tanks. She came prepared, specifically targeting Hao Qingshan. Wang Meng's Mountain-Crushing Titan Giant is thick-skinned and has strong area attacks, making it a good hand for melees..."

Her gaze continued to move down, and when she saw "Gu Shuanglin - Little Grass Spirit · Jiumi", her cold eyes fluctuated, revealing a trace of obvious bewilderment.

"Little Grass Spirit? C-Rank Talent, logistics profession, level under 50?" A female Nation-Guarding Level Expert nearby couldn't help but gasp in a low voice. "This... has this child given up? Sending this kind of summon in a melee of this level, isn't it just giving away points?"

"Perhaps there's a special tactic?" Someone guessed, but immediately shook their own head. A summon like a Little Grass Spirit, besides being able to perform simple healing and provide a weak attribute Aura, had almost no combat or self-preservation ability. It would probably be wiped out in the aftermath of the first wave of AOE in the melee. What kind of tactic could there be?

Xu Ruohan knitted her beautiful brows. She first looked at the silver-haired girl Gu Shuanglin, who looked calm on the surface but was tense in body, in the contestant seats, and then looked at Lin Muyang, who was sitting not far away, looking as if everything was under control. Associating this with Lin Muyang's arrogant reply earlier, a seemingly absurd thought rose in her mind.

"Could it be... because of him?" Xu Ruohan's gaze fell on the participating summon submitted by Lin Muyang. "Nine-Tailed Fox · Su Daji... Lin Muyang's first match, and he's sending her out?"

She remembered that intelligence reports indicated that Lin Muyang's Nine-Tailed Fox seemed to possess an extremely rare ability to create a field of absolute magic immunity? If that was the case, combined with her own formidable combat power, perhaps she could really create some variables in the melee? But protecting a Little Grass Spirit? The difficulty was just too ridiculous. Xu Ruohan couldn't figure it out and could only suppress her doubts, waiting to see what would happen.

Soon, it was Xu Ruohan's turn as a special guest and one of the hosts to read the list of participants for the first melee to the entire audience. When her crisp and clear voice spread through the magic amplification across the entire venue, it triggered a wave of exclamations and discussions.

"Contestant Hao Qingshan, participating summon—Heavy Hammer Demon!"

"Roar—!" Accompanied by a roar that seemed to come from the depths of hell, the summoning array in front of Hao Qingshan burst with light, and a hideous demon over five meters tall, covered in dark red lava armor and holding a giant battle hammer burning with hellfire, stepped out of the array. With every step it took, it left a scorched footprint on the alloy floor, hot air currents swept out, and the terrifying pressure made the audience in the nearby stands feel a sense of suffocation. The halo of the SSS-Rank Talent [Lava Barrier] flowed on its body, and the mythic grade armor [Undying Furnace] exuded a heart-palpitating, heavy Aura.

"Contestant Zhao Man, participating summon—Millennium Scorpion Spirit · Chilian!"

Purple-black poisonous mist filled the air, and a bewitching and dangerous figure quietly emerged. It was a woman wearing dark purple gauze, with snow-white skin and a bewitching face, but her lower body was a huge, metallic-lustered deep purple scorpion body. A scorpion tail with a barb swayed flexibly behind her, its tip flashing with a faint blue light. She licked her crimson lips, and her gaze toward the Heavy Hammer Demon was full of mockery and greed. This was precisely one of the trump cards Zhao Man had carefully prepared to counter Hao Qingshan.

"Contestant Wang Meng, participating summon—Mountain-Crushing Titan Giant · Yannu!"

The earth shook, and a rock giant over fifteen meters tall, like a small hill, rose from the ground. Its entire body was made of gray-brown hard rock, its muscles bulging, filled with explosive power. It had no weapons, but those millstone-sized fists were the most terrifying weapons. With its appearance, a heavy, barbaric Aura enveloped the nearby area. This was a symbol of pure power!

Whenever the name of a powerful, famous summon was read out, the scene would erupt with corresponding cheers and shouts. The audience from Jingdu City cheered for Hao Qingshan and Zhao Man, the audience from the Northeast rooted for Wang Meng, and the atmosphere was heated to the extreme.

However, when Xu Ruohan read the next two names, the noise of the whole arena paused strangely for a moment, and then erupted into an even greater, incredulous uproar.

"Contestant Gu Shuanglin, participating summon—Little Grass Spirit · Jiumi!"

"..."

After a brief silence, there was a roar of laughter, questioning, and exclamations that almost blew the roof off.

"What? Little Grass Spirit? Did I hear that right?"

"C-Rank logistics summon? Level under 50? What kind of international joke is this!"

"Is this self-abandonment? Or is she here to be funny?"

"Gu Shuanglin? Jiangnan Province runner-up? Just this? Sending this thing up to die?"

"It's over, Jiangnan Province has lost huge face this time! I used to think highly of this girl, she looks pretty, but how is her brain..."

"This is definitely the biggest blunder of this competition, no, of all Summoner Competition history! No exceptions!"

In the stands, the audience from Tianhai City and Jiangnan Province who supported Gu Shuanglin had their faces turn extremely ugly instantly; some even covered their faces, unable to bear looking. The Gu Group's viewing area was even more silent, with many senior executives' faces turning livid, trembling with anger. Gu Xiaoyu bit her lower lip tightly, her beautiful eyes full of confusion and worry. She didn't believe her sister would be so childish, but the reality before her made her unable to understand.

In the VIP seats, several Nation-Guarding Level Experts also looked at each other and shook their heads with wry smiles. Xu Ruohan took a deep look at Gu Shuanglin. What exactly was this girl planning? Did she really pin all her hopes on Lin Muyang?

And in the contestant seats, after a brief shock, the gazes of other contestants toward Gu Shuanglin also became complex—some sympathetic, some disdainful, some confused—but almost everyone instantly reached a consensus: start by instantly killing that Little Grass Spirit! Free points, might as well take them! A few quick-witted ones had already started calculating how to grab this kill the fastest and most reliably.

Zhao Man's lips curled into a playful smile, and she shook her head, seemingly finding it uninteresting. Hao Qingshan frowned slightly, feeling Gu Shuanglin's move was inexplicable, but he didn't pay much attention; a Little Grass Spirit was irrelevant to the big picture. Wang Meng didn't even look over there; his gaze was tightly locked on the Heavy Hammer Demon and the Millennium Scorpion Spirit—those were the opponents he needed to focus on.

Amidst the uproar and questioning, Xu Ruohan took a deep breath and, in a calm, waveless voice, read the last name:

"Contestant Lin Muyang, participating summon—Nine-Tailed Fox · Su Daji!"

Once this name was called, the clamor of the scene seemed to have been pressed on a pause button, instantly becoming much quieter. Countless gazes were cast squarely on the summoning array in front of Lin Muyang.

Seven-colored halo flowed, richer and more gorgeous than any time before. In the center of the array, space seemed to ripple like water. First to come into view were the fluffy fox tails, as smooth as the finest silk, each emitting a faint halo of different colors—crimson, ice blue, emerald green, golden, dark purple—corresponding to the power fluctuations of fire, frost, nature, holy, and dark attributes, respectively. The fox tails swayed gently, stirring the surrounding elements and forming visible energy ripples.

Immediately after, a slender, peerless figure walked out from the halo.

She wore a moon-white classical palace dress, with complex and mysterious fox patterns embroidered on the hem. Her clothes fluttered, as if a fairy from the nine heavens had descended to the mortal world. Her face was exquisite, unlike anything belonging to the mortal world; her eyebrows were like distant mountains containing black, her eyes like autumn waters rippling, her nose straight and delicate, her lips like cherry blossoms. Most eye-catching were her slightly upturned fox-like eyes, which were clear and pure yet carried a natural charm; as her eyes turned, it seemed as if she could capture souls. Her temperament was ethereal and unworldly, yet she inadvertently revealed a charm that could topple cities. These two completely different qualities blended perfectly on her, forming a unique and deadly attraction.

It was the evolved Su Daji! Her Aura was deeper and more restrained than before, and the law halo surrounding her was even more obvious. She did not hold any obvious weapon in her hand, just her slender fingers gently pinching a profound incantation, with brilliance faintly flowing at her fingertips.

Her appearance lacked the ferocity of the Heavy Hammer Demon, the treacherous poison of the Millennium Scorpion Spirit, or the barbarity of the Mountain-Crushing Titan, yet in a silent, moistening way, she instantly became one of the focuses of the entire arena. That natural beauty and power, bordering on the rhythm of the Dao, left many in the audience speechless for a moment.

"Is this Lin Muyang's summon? Nine-Tailed Fox? So... so beautiful!"

"Feels a bit different from the Nine-Tailed Fox in the data? But seems even stronger?"

"Is this the summon that slaughtered its way through the Provincial Tournament? Looks... doesn't seem that aggressive?"

"What do you know! Haven't you heard that the more beautiful, the more dangerous? And this is Lin Muyang's summon!"

In the VIP seats, Xu Ruohan, Zhou Wenyuan, and other experts narrowed their eyes. Their perception was sharper, and they instantly noticed the unusual Aura fluctuations on Su Daji.

"This energy fluctuation is interesting." Zhou Wenyuan's eyes flashed.

"It's not just that there are many attributes... the elements around her seem to present a state of... being 'exempted'?" Xu Ruohan felt more carefully, her beautiful eyes shimmering with strange brilliance. "Could the rumored magic immunity field be true?"

In the contestant seats, Hao Qingshan, Zhao Man, Wang Meng, and others also cast their gazes toward Su Daji, with a bit more solemnity in their eyes. Regardless of Lin Muyang's level, this Nine-Tailed Fox gave them a feeling that was definitely not simple.