Chapter 131: Battle against Li Weihuan, Spirit Sword Deck

Galaxy Consciousness World, Planet No. 0856.

This place belonged to Star Refining University; usually quiet and desolate year-round, today it was bustling with people and surging with heat.

The eyes of the entire Federation were focused on this highly anticipated arena duel.

Gu Ye's figure slowly solidified within the teleportation light patterns. As soon as he landed, the system directly assigned him to the designated combat field.

The air trembled slightly as a cold and majestic system voice suddenly echoed throughout the arena area.

"Attention to both combatants of Arena No. 69. The duel is about to begin; please prepare yourselves."

Gu Ye looked up to see a tall, slender figure already standing on the opposite side of the arena.

The moment he saw who it was, he was slightly surprised.

"It's actually him."

He was no stranger to this person.

Previously, during the [stairway to godhood] trial, the other party had been one of the core combatants against the extraterrestrial forces—Li Weihuan.

The Imperial Capital was already a place where geniuses gathered and the strong emerged in succession. For Li Weihuan to firmly hold the second rank among countless prodigies, his foundation and strength went without saying.

Although Gu Ye hadn't personally witnessed the true strength of Examinees from top-tier federal cities like the Magic Capital or An City, he knew without thinking that no one who could make it here was ordinary.

"We meet again."

Li Weihuan's heavy gaze fell on Gu Ye, his eyes deep, hiding an undisguised Trace of contempt. His tone was flat but carried a condescending air.

In his heart, his impression of Gu Ye remained at the level of an "Examinee from a small countryside town."

Even though Gu Ye later took first place in the federal College Entrance Examination and even led the Yanxia Federation to victory in cross-domain duels, it failed to overturn his deep-seated prejudice.

Just as the two were in a standoff, the system prompt interrupted their thoughts again.

"Beginning random selection of the combat field."

A massive virtual light screen appeared before both of them. Countless scenes spun and flashed rapidly in a blur of light and shadow. After just a few seconds, the image suddenly froze, and a line of large characters clearly emerged.

"Molten Volcano!"

The moment the field was selected, the arena beneath their feet transformed with a roar.

Crimson rocky ground, rolling heatwaves, and plumes of lava in the distance instantly enveloped the entire battlefield.

Gu Ye felt a scorching heat rush toward him, his whole body becoming unbearably hot as if the very air had been ignited.

The spectator stands were already packed to capacity.

The vast majority of people had come for Gu Ye, the commoner Top Scholar who had appeared out of nowhere.

Aside from a few high-ranking officials in the Federation who knew a Mythic Rank powerhouse stood behind him, ordinary students and Examinees still viewed him as a "miracle of a comeback," yet they also questioned his true combat strength.

"To run into Li Weihuan in the first round—this is going to be good. I'm afraid this year's Top Scholar is about to fall from grace."

"I wonder what kind of deck Gu Ye is using."

"Li Weihuan is definitely using the Li family's long-inherited Spirit Sword system, which integrates offense and defense."

"He's the Top Scholar after all; he must have some real skill."

As the discussions rose and fell, the system finally issued the final command.

"Duel... Begin!"

At the command, two streaks of light erupted from their hands simultaneously. Several cards floated in the air, their light surging.

In an instant, the space before Gu Ye was filled with various agile and adorable Pokémon.

Opposite him, six humanoid Sword Puppets condensed from pure sword qi stood steadily before Li Weihuan. Their aura was cold and sharp, exuding a heart-palpitating intent to kill.

The moment they saw Gu Ye's cards, the spectator stands fell silent for a beat before erupting into loud laughter.

"Hahahaha... What kind of bizarre deck is this?"

"He wants to win against him with these little things? Is he trying to kill his opponent with cuteness?"

"So cute... I really want one!"

Li Weihuan's brow furrowed. His gaze toward Gu Ye was full of mockery, and his tone was cold and disdainful:

"You expect to beat me with this group of cute pets?"

The corners of Gu Ye's lips curled up slightly. His expression was composed, without a hint of panic.

"With them, it's enough."

He shifted his gaze to the young man wearing the iconic baseball cap standing before him, his tone calm and trusting.

"Ash, I'll leave the rest to you."

The boy who was called upon reached up to steady the brim of his cap. His eyes were sharp and confident, and he gave a bright smile.

"Don't worry, leave it to me and my partners!"

With those words, Gu Ye stepped back calmly, handing over full control of the battlefield to Ash.

This scene made Li Weihuan's brow furrow even deeper, completely unable to understand Gu Ye's intentions.

Ash turned around, looking directly at Li Weihuan and the six Spirit Sword humanoids, his fighting spirit soaring.

"Here we go!"

He didn't waste any time. His experienced battle instincts kicked in instantly, and his commands were clear and decisive.

"Pikachu, use [Quick Attack] to get close, then follow up with [Iron Tail] and strike Li Weihuan directly!"

"Gardevoir, deploy [Psychic Terrain]!"

Ash's damage reduction increased by 10%.

The moment the command was given, the two Pokémon moved simultaneously.

A soft yet oppressive psychic halo rose around Gardevoir as her two traits triggered immediately.

The [Trace] ability took effect instantly!

The [Synchronize] ability locked onto the winter spirit sword and bound to it directly!

On the other side, electricity surged across Pikachu's body as he sped out like a bolt of golden lightning. His tail instantly turned a hard, cold metallic color, and with the sound of breaking air, he lunged fiercely at Li Weihuan.

Gardevoir's red pupils glowed with a faint pink light as an invisible psychic domain suddenly expanded, covering the entire Molten Arena.

Li Weihuan reacted extremely quickly, his figure suddenly retreating. At the same time, spiritual light flashed at his fingertips as a card was sacrificed into the air.

"autumn spirit sword, [Single Leaf Shield]!"

"summer spirit sword, lock onto Gu Ye. [Blazing Sun], full attack!"

A heavy shield condensed from yellow leaves instantly blocked the way in front of Pikachu.

Meanwhile, the summer spirit sword's blade caught fire, its sharp edge pointing directly at Gu Ye in the rear as it slashed out violently.

In the blink of an eye, Pikachu had already charged close.

The Iron Tail, carrying immense force, slammed hard against the yellow leaf shield.

"Clang—!"

With a loud boom, the yellow leaf shield held for only a fraction of a second before being shattered by the Iron Tail. The remaining force, undiminished, slammed into the autumn spirit sword.

The piercing sound of clashing metal echoed continuously. The autumn spirit sword's body trembled violently, and it was sent flying by the tail, its spiritual light dimming slightly.

An uproar broke out in the spectator stands.

"How is that possible! How is that yellow rat so strong?!"

"As expected of the Federation's Top Scholar, he really does have some tricks up his sleeve!"

On the arena, seeing Pikachu's undiminished assault closing in on its master, the summer spirit sword's momentum—originally aimed at Gu Ye—hesitated instinctively, wanting to turn back for defense.

"Continue the attack! No retreating for defense!"

Li Weihuan's cold shout suddenly rang out, leaving no room for doubt.

The summer spirit sword paused for a moment and then immediately obeyed the command. The flaming sword qi surged again as it slashed toward Gu Ye with madness.

Gu Ye's eyes narrowed slightly. Just as Pikachu was about to hit Li Weihuan, a sword shadow as black as ink suddenly appeared, blocking Pikachu's full-force Iron Tail.

"Pikachu, come back!"

Ash immediately gave the order.

But just then, the summer spirit sword's flaming blade had already reached him like a bolt of lightning.

Everyone only saw a flash of fire.

"Squelch—!"

The sharp sword pierced through Gu Ye's chest without any resistance.

Blood gushed out from the location of his heart.

This sudden turn of events caused everyone's pupils to shrink in shock.

The spectator stands, which had been noisy and boiling just a moment ago, fell into a deathly silence in an instant, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Everyone froze in place, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.

Li Weihuan was also frowning deeply, his gaze toward Gu Ye full of confusion.

He had seen it clearly; with Gu Ye's reaction speed, he could have completely dodged that sword strike just now.

Yet, he had taken that fatal blow head-on.

Gu Ye looked down at the long sword piercing his chest. Blood slowly dripped down the blade, falling onto the scorching molten ground and evaporating into a wisp of white steam.

He didn't scream or panic. Instead, he slowly raised his head to look at Li Weihuan, a faint, lingering smile still on the corners of his mouth.