The afterglow of the setting sun had not yet completely faded as Lin Qingyue sat cross-legged on the floor of her room, slowly opening her eyes.
After several hours of adaptation, the lightness and increased casting speed granted by the Anemo Archon's Blessing had fully integrated into her combat instincts.
This gave her a much-needed boost of confidence for the upcoming public execution... no, the battle.
"Monk... no, a Battle Nun!"
She whispered the self-created class title, a flicker of madness and excitement dancing in her eyes.
-
The next morning, at the Yicheng Central Arena.
The atmosphere was even more feverish than during the first round.
Every contestant who had made it to the second round was an elite from their respective schools.
In the waiting area, Lin Qingyue could feel at least ten times more eyes on her than the day before.
If the gazes during her first match were like those watching a lost rabbit wander into a wolf pack...
Now, they were filled with scrutiny, curiosity, and a playful anticipation of the show to come.
"Arena 2 in Zone A: Lin Qingyue versus Wang Meng!"
The Central Computer's announcement echoed through the arena.
Wang Meng?
Lin Qingyue's eyebrow twitched. She was all too "familiar" with that name!
When she stepped onto the platform, she was met by a towering hulk of a man, nearly two meters tall with bulging muscles.
He hefted a menacing double-bladed battle axe, his plate armor glinting blindingly in the sunlight.
His class panel clearly displayed: [Wang Meng - Berserker Lv. 22].
Level 22!
Among graduating students, this was undoubtedly the pinnacle of power!
In the audience, several students in Second High School uniforms looked at Wang Meng with awe.
This Berserker might have a foul mouth, but his strength was undeniably solid.
Wang Meng looked down at Lin Qingyue, his chin tilted at an arrogant angle.
"Well, well, isn't it the Priest who beat that loser Li Yue?"
His voice boomed, dripping with undisguised contempt.
"I heard you knock people out with your staff? All flash, no substance. Only good for bullying weaklings like Li Yue."
His tone shifted, becoming condescendingly magnanimous.
"But since you've got a little skill, how about joining my team? A main DPS like me is the only one worthy of a support like you."
Behind him, several of his lackeys nodded in agreement, though a flicker of surprise crossed their faces.
Brother Meng is... suddenly being civilized today?
In the crowd, sharp-eyed spectators also noticed something was off.
"Strange, has Wang Meng turned over a new leaf? He's actually speaking without swearing today?"
"Yeah, something's definitely off. He's still arrogant, but his language is way more restrained."
"Could it be because his opponent is a girl?"
"Since when has he ever been polite to girls? He berates the female Mage on his own team so much she's constantly threatening to quit!"
Lin Qingyue watched him, her expression impassive. With a flick of her wrist, the exquisite pink-and-white staff appeared in her hand.
"Tsk."
Wang Meng scoffed, the patience in his eyes fading. "I'm telling you, Priest, do you really want to fight me?"
"Wouldn't it be better to just stay back and heal? Why insist on playing melee?"
"With those scrawny arms and legs... my axe doesn't discriminate. Don't blame me if I make you cry."
Lin Qingyue wasted no more words. She raised her staff slightly, assuming the opening stance of the Millelith Spear Techniques.
The referee blew the whistle. "Match start!"
Wang Meng didn't charge.
Like a brown bear locking onto its prey, he advanced with heavy, deliberate steps, pressing forward one stride at a time.
The stone slabs of the arena thudded with each footfall.
He calculated every step precisely, sealing off every possible angle for Lin Qingyue to flank him.
The menacing battle axe seemed loosely held, but his muscles were knotted and tense, ready to unleash a strike that could tear through the air at any moment.
This was a true master forged in countless battles.
Lin Qingyue's focus sharpened to a razor's edge, the pink tip of her staff locked firmly on her opponent.
Her feet tapped lightly on the ground, her figure flickering elusively as she searched for the slightest opening in the oppressive aura Wang Meng projected.
Suddenly, Wang Meng moved!
He stomped his right foot down violently!
KRAK!
The stone slab beneath him shattered, spiderweb-like cracks spreading outward!
His massive body launched forward with a speed that completely defied his size, his charge not a straight line but a bizarre, arcing trajectory!
The battle axe cleaved through the air, flashing with cold light!
Its target: Lin Qingyue's waist!
The strike was both heavy and vicious, its angle far too cunning for an attack a Berserker should be capable of!
The expanding gleam of the axe reflected in Lin Qingyue's pupils.
She didn't retreat. She advanced!
Pushing the Anemo Archon's Blessing to its absolute limit, her body slid to the left. Like a weightless shadow, she instantly cut into the blind spot created by Wang Meng's wide swing.
Her staff transformed into a condensed white line, thrusting straight at the wrist of his axe-wielding hand!
Countering attack with attack—forcing the enemy to defend!
Wang Meng's reaction speed was astonishing. He jerked the axe handle upward!
CLANG!
A piercing shriek of metal on metal erupted, sparks exploding between them.
He had used the heavy axe handle to perfectly parry her lightning-fast thrust
Immediately after, he slammed his free left hand against the flat of his axe!
Shifting from a chop to a shove!
The heavy axe head instantly changed its trajectory, becoming like a battering ram smashing down a city wall as it pressed relentlessly toward Lin Qingyue's chest!
Terrifying force surged forward, compressing the air until it boomed!
Lin Qingyue dared not meet it head-on.
Her staff tapped the axe head as lightly as a dragonfly skimming water, using the rebound to float backward.
Almost at the same instant she retreated—
Power Word: Shield!
A solid, platinum-gold light shield materialized instantly, enveloping her entire body. The casting was so fast it had virtually no wind-up!
Even so, the sheer force of the axe's displaced wind slammed into the shield, causing it to hum under the strain and its surface to ripple violently!
The power gap is too great.
Lin Qingyue made an instant judgment.
A Level 22 Berserker's Strength attribute was likely already close to 90.
Hers was only 60. A direct clash would be suicide.
The strategy must change.
She completely merged the agility of the Millelith Spear Techniques with the speed of the Anemo Archon's Blessing.
Her footwork became utterly unpredictable, like a willow catkin caught in a gale, circling rapidly around Wang Meng's towering steel form.
Her staff no longer sought direct clashes.
At times, she stabbed at the gaps in his armor; at others, she struck his wrist joints. Sometimes, she used skillful force to bind his battle axe, redirecting its devastating power to smash into empty air.
Wang Meng's strength could shatter stone, but every heavy blow missed by a hair's breadth.
His battle axe shrieked as it tore through the air, repeatedly grazing past Lin Qingyue's figure and carving deep, bottomless craters into the hardened arena floor.
"Slippery as an eel!"
Wang Meng's brow furrowed. With a low growl, the red glow on his battle axe flared intensely!
Frenzy Strike!
The axe's speed skyrocketed, its swings blurring into an impenetrable storm of blood-red shadows—a steel tempest that completely sealed off all of Lin Qingyue's escape routes!
The pressure surged!
Lin Qingyue's eyes sharpened. Her staff danced in her hands, becoming a blur of flowing light as she parried, blocked, deflected, and redirected. She pushed the exquisite defensive techniques of the Millelith Spear Arts to their absolute limit.
Just as she used the staff's shaft to knock aside a heavy chop, in that fleeting instant when her old force was spent and new strength had yet to gather—
Her left hand suddenly released the staff and shot upward!
A sphere of intensely condensed Holy Light detonated in her palm!
The radiance was like a miniature sun exploding right before his eyes!
At the very moment Wang Meng was completely focused on his attack, his pupils dilated to their widest, the light slammed squarely into his face
"Ugh!"
Wang Meng's vision was consumed by a blinding white light. Tears streamed uncontrollably from his eyes as he instinctively shut them and turned his head. The furious blur of his axe faltered for a fatal instant.
"Holy shit! A Holy Light Flashbang?!" a caster in the audience screamed.
"That's a goddamn Tactical Priest!"
Screech—!
Despite her flawless execution, a stray gust of axe wind still grazed her shield.
The light shield shattered on impact!
The terrifying force of the aftershock slammed into her. Lin Qingyue felt her entire arm go numb, and a nauseating surge roiled in her chest.
But not a trace of panic showed on her face.
In the same instant the shield broke, she took a step back and raised her left hand.
Flash Heal!
Gentle Holy Light rained down, instantly calming the turmoil in her blood and qi. The numbness in her arm rapidly faded.
Immediately following, another Power Word: Shield seamlessly connected, and a new light shield flared to life!
From shield break to injury, to self-healing, to re-shielding—the entire sequence was completed in under two seconds, flowing so smoothly it looked like a single skill.
In the contestants' seating area, a male Priest stared blankly at the scene.
He muttered to himself, "She... why is she wasting mana on herself? Supports are supposed to... wait, she doesn't have any teammates! Oh, never mind then..."
"No! That's still completely wrong! Can she really afford to squander her mana like that in a duel?! Is her mana bar hooked up to a Magic Crystal or something?!"
Beside him, a Warrior contestant stroked his chin, a dangerous glint flickering in his eyes as he sank into deep thought.
"If... if I had a 'pendant' like that, one that could instantly heal me to full and tank a Berserker..."
"No—if I were that 'pendant,' what would I even need teammates for?"