Off to the side, Cong Yu’s expression didn’t look too good either.
Although she also knew about Zhao Xuan’s reputation—that the guy was a total scumbag—his profession as a Qimen Celestial Master made him a genuinely troublesome opponent.
Even Cong Shuang had to be careful when dealing with him.
In this third round, Cong Shuang had a bye, so Cong Yu stopped worrying about that and could only hope that Lu Ran would win.
But if his opponent turned out to be Zhao Xuan, then things would get dangerous.
Although the four guild leaders all knew that Lu Ran wouldn’t be in any real danger no matter who he faced.
People like Cong Yu, however, didn’t understand the extent of Lu Ran’s abilities, so their concern was only natural.
“Sis, can Lu Ran still win?” Cong Yu glanced at Cong Shuang and asked.
“I don’t know. But based on what we currently know about Lu Ran’s abilities, his chances of beating Zhao Xuan are pretty slim. Unless he has some other tricks up his sleeve,” Cong Shuang answered honestly.
The problem was—
These two sisters had no idea what other abilities Lu Ran might possess.
Just by intuition, Cong Shuang felt that Lu Ran’s power probably wasn’t limited to just the Blood Spear.
Oh, right.
There was also the Titan Serpent that Cong Yu had mentioned, but even that thing couldn’t stop Zhao Xuan’s ten-second burst mode.
After all, in his ethereal state, nothing could actually harm Zhao Xuan.
Zhao Xuan’s ten-second burst might not be all that useful in a team dungeon, but in one-on-one combat, combined with his high burst damage, it was an incredibly overpowered ability.
At the same time—
The onlookers who had seen the list announcement were also buzzing with excitement.
Even the various major families looked a bit stunned.
They hadn’t expected Lu Ran to run into such a tough opponent in the third round.
But then again, it made sense.
Out of the hundred elite newcomers carefully selected from across Longxia, three-quarters had already been eliminated. The remaining quarter were naturally the cream of the crop, each one stronger than the last.
And Zhao Xuan was definitely in the top tier among those four remaining contestants.
“What a shame. I was hoping to see Lu Ran keep pushing forward.”
“Relying on tricks and shortcuts will never be the real way. When you run into true powerhouses, you’re still going to lose.”
“What? You mean Miss Cen Yunuo isn’t strong?”
“Zhao Xuan’s ten-second ethereal state is pretty much unstoppable. Cen Yunuo just got unlucky, that’s all.”
“Counters exist in everything—it’s only natural.”
“Time to say goodbye to Lu Ran. As expected, the real championship contenders are still between Cong Shuang and the others.”
……
Even the major powers and families had basically given up on Lu Ran.
This matchup was a complete counter in every way!
Up on the stage.
Lu Ran walked up first, standing lazily to one side, gazing at the staircase entrance on the opposite platform.
But Zhao Xuan didn’t take the conventional route—he leaped up from the side in a single bound, landing lightly as if he had some kind of buff-type skill active.
As soon as Zhao Xuan stepped onto the stage, the surrounding spectators erupted in cheers.
Surprisingly, Zhao Xuan had quite a few fangirls.
Even though Zhao Xuan was a scumbag, in this day and age, a lot of these fangirls actually had a thing for those two-timing sleazebags. If you were an honest, decent guy, you’d end up getting looked down on and dismissed by these so-called “fairies.”
In plain terms, it was just plain pathetic.
The other half of the crowd was there for Zhao Xuan’s status.
The young master of the Zhao family in the imperial capital!
Throughout it all, Zhao Xuan accepted the noise and praise with an air of arrogance written all over his face.
He didn’t even spare Lu Ran a proper glance.
As if to say that Lu Ran, who had been the talk of the first two rounds, was nothing but trash in his eyes—completely beneath his notice!
Lu Ran stood quietly in his spot, watching Zhao Xuan.
His heart remained utterly calm.
With the strength and status he now possessed, these minor riffraff could hardly stir any significant emotional response in him anymore.
He was no longer the Lu Ran of old.
Before long, the host began his usual banter, going through a standard opening spiel.
Only then did the entire plaza quiet down.
All the contestants fixed their gazes seriously on their opponents across from them, waiting for the match to begin.
Taking advantage of this lull, Zhao Xuan finally looked at Lu Ran.
He said lazily, “You sure stole the spotlight in the first two rounds, didn’t you?”
Lu Ran looked back at him indifferently and didn’t respond.
Zhao Xuan’s earlier arrogance and deliberate act of ignoring Lu Ran had been intentional.
But if Lu Ran didn’t want to engage with him, that was the real deal—because there was simply no need.
Yet when Zhao Xuan ignored Lu Ran, Lu Ran remained unruffled.
But when Lu Ran ignored Zhao Xuan and gave him no response at all, that got under Zhao Xuan’s skin.
His brow furrowed sharply.
He said, “This third round ends here. I’m going to show everyone that flashy tricks and shortcuts can’t get you to the finish line. Only true powerhouses can go all the way!”
With that, Zhao Xuan’s face radiated an overwhelming confidence and pride!
“Oh.” Lu Ran simply acknowledged him with a single syllable, then went back to his lazy demeanor.
For someone of Zhao Xuan’s standing, being brushed off so casually was already an insult.
“Trying to get under my skin? Hah… it won’t work. Emotions don’t affect your abilities. The counter system between professions can’t be—” Zhao Xuan continued.
“Do you have a problem? If you’re gonna fight, then fight. If you lose, then get lost. Are we giving you face here or something? Why do you keep yapping on and on?” Lu Ran, thoroughly annoyed, cut Zhao Xuan off mid-sentence.
Zhao Xuan’s voice came to an abrupt halt.
The imposing aura he had been building up came crashing down in an instant.
“You—” Zhao Xuan seemed caught off guard that someone would dare speak to him like that, and for a moment he couldn’t process it.
“‘You’ what? Can’t understand human speech? You’re nothing but a waste acting all high and mighty. Let me tell you something too—in my eyes, every single opponent in this Hundred Cities League is trash. You included. So if you can shut up, then shut up. Lose and get lost. If you’ve got a problem with that, you can come find me after the match and issue a challenge. Life-or-death contract, I’ll take it. This crappy match isn’t going to kill anyone anyway, so what’s there to show off about?” Lu Ran said.
Since there was nothing to do before the match started anyway, and Zhao Xuan just wouldn’t stop yapping, Lu Ran saw no reason to indulge him.
“I—” Zhao Xuan was completely dumbfounded.
“‘I’ what? Still going on about ending me in the third round—what, you want to use me, the flower, to set off your leaf? Use my handsome face to set off your ugly mug? You’re way too spoiled, you actually think you’re hot stuff?” Lu Ran waved his hand grandly and said magnanimously.
Zhao Xuan’s mouth was twitching.
After being bombarded by Lu Ran’s rapid-fire verbal assault for so long.
The shame and anger inside him finally reached its breaking point.
Gritting his teeth, he was about to curse back with everything he had.
But just as he opened his mouth—
“The match begins!” the host roared.
Zhao Xuan’s body jolted violently.
Startled, he quickly shut his mouth.
As arrogant and conceited as he was, he hadn’t forgotten about Lu Ran’s terrifying Blood Spear!
Now was not the time for a war of words.
Unfortunately, Lu Ran had been laying into him for a good while, and he had just stood there taking it—only to end up with no chance to fire back.
The frustration and rage building up inside him was practically suffocating!
A thousand words condensed into a single sentence.
“I’m going to kill you right now!”
Lu Ran looked at Zhao Xuan like he was an idiot.
Lazily, he said, “Got a hole in your brain? I just told you—this crappy match isn’t going to kill anyone.”
