Sure enough, in the subsequent matches, Yu Xian capitalized on the traits of the Forward Light Shield to go on an absolute rampage.
Many players had no chance to figure out how his skills worked before being instantly eliminated in the very next second. Given the velocity of the Forward Light Shield, the resulting impact force was simply far beyond what squishy, glass-cannon players could endure.
However, after Yu Xian notched thirty consecutive victories in one go, he finally ran into an opponent who was also on a thirty-win streak.
[Yu Xian (Score: 30) VS Wu Yufei (Score: 30), Match Begin!]
This time, neither Yu Xian nor his opponent rushed into action. Any player capable of racking up thirty wins was certainly not someone lacking in experience or shallow in skill.
Yu Xian suspected his opponent belonged to the Rule Branch, and Wu Yufei similarly suspected Yu Xian was Rule Branch.
Neither made a reckless move. Instead, they attempted to gather intel on each other through expression, presence, clothing, and subtle cues on their hands and feet.
As for Wu Yufei, the leather armor he wore appeared to be player-crafted, and it was tailored specifically for him, fitting him impeccably.
This indicated he was either wealthy or backed by a faction.
Although players were currently forbidden from fighting and killing each other in the wilderness, that did not mean friction between them had ceased to exist. Many players banded together into groups to level up, even reserving entire monster-farming spots for themselves.
Other players looking to level had no way of contesting spawns in those locked-down zones.
Since the game had only recently reopened, most players were still wearing their starting gear. Crafting a well-fitted, sharp-looking set of equipment required gathering a wide variety of materials, not to mention a Tailor of Level 10 or above.
From the gear on Wu Yufei, Yu Xian deduced that he was likely a chief enforcer for some faction.
Leather armor.
Archer's rings.
An Archer?
Yu Xian formed a general hypothesis.
Still, his opponent might not necessarily be an Archer; classes like Weapon Master were also possible.
*Time to test the waters!*
With a flick of his mind, Yu Xian casually flicked his finger toward Wu Yufei.
With that single flick, a pocket of air began to travel forward. He then expended the power of Grand Dao Myriad Phenomena to activate With and Against the Flow. Because he was essentially pushing the boat along with the current this time, that pocket of air experienced an explosive surge in power, transforming into a bullet invisible to the naked eye.
Just as the bullet was about to strike home, Wu Yufei suddenly jerked violently to the right, dodging the attack by a hair's breadth.
"I see. Your ability must be related to air. An Aeromancer, perhaps? That truly is an ability well-suited for catching opponents off guard on the first encounter," Wu Yufei said with a confident smile after evading the strike.
Yu Xian looked at him, asking noncommittally, "And you? An Archer?"
"Take a guess!" Wu Yufei replied with a mysterious smirk.
The two returned to their standoff, neither making a move.
In truth, if Yu Xian's ability involved wind, it posed a tricky problem for Wu Yufei.
In anime or films, wind was depicted as visible white gusts or translucent gray currents. But in the real world, unless it was a full-blown tornado, wind had no color at all.
One could only realize wind had arrived once it physically struck the body.
That made it exceptionally dangerous; closing in too near to Yu Xian carried the risk of being wiped out in an instant.
Yu Xian had assumed Wu Yufei would launch a counterattack after deducing his ability, but Wu Yufei proved far more cautious than anticipated. After a brief thought, Yu Xian simply decided to keep up the pressure.
However, he refrained from unleashing an attack that was too powerful.
If his opponent ran a damage-reflection build that redirected incoming damage back onto the attacker, dealing too much up front would only spell trouble for him.
Consequently, he continued using his fingers to play at flicking divine projectiles, firing air bullet after air bullet toward Wu Yufei. Wu Yufei, meanwhile, tracked the trajectory of the wind blasts by observing Yu Xian's hands, continuously evading the incoming air bullets.
*I see. It requires gestures. I only need to watch his hand movements to easily predict his line of fire.*
*If that's the case, taking him down won't be an issue at all!*
Having dodged attacks continuously for four or five minutes, the confidence in Wu Yufei's eyes grew steadily stronger.
His class was naturally not Archer—after all, it was exceedingly difficult for an Archer to pull off thirty consecutive wins in one breath. His class was Metamagnetic Assassin, and his first skill was Metal Mastery.
His previous path to victory had been very straightforward: unleash dense swarms of throwing daggers attacking from various angles, instantly turning the opponent into a pincushion.
Essentially, every strike of his was a one-hit kill. Very few players could withstand that many hidden weapons arriving in such a short window of time.
Now, with a surge of intent, a throwing dagger no longer than a pinky finger suddenly flew out from behind his back. After tracing a wide arc around the arena, it darted straight toward the back of Yu Xian's head.
As he launched the attack, he deliberately set up a distraction.
His body sprinted to the right, yet the dagger shot out from the left. Yu Xian's eyes tracked his movement, and with the slightest lapse in attention, he would miss the dagger entirely.
Even his peripheral vision might fail to pick it up.
After all, the dagger was not flying head-on; it traveled horizontally edge-first. From Yu Xian's vantage point, the entire blade looked as thin as a single thread. Coupled with its high speed and Wu Yufei's misdirection, spotting it was genuinely difficult.
Yet, just as the throwing dagger was about to impale Yu Xian, his right arm twisted into an angle that would have guaranteed a fracture in any normal person, deftly catching the incoming blade between his fingers.
Furthermore, his reflexes were blindingly fast; the instant he caught the dagger, he hurled it right back at Wu Yufei.
Wu Yufei was caught flat-footed. Only when he realized the dagger was flying back did he hastily command it to stop—at which point the blade hovered less than half a meter away from him.
He broke into a cold sweat, but Yu Xian gave him no room to breathe.
In the next instant, the golden shield erupted with brilliance. Treading upon the Forward Light Shield, Yu Xian charged forward at an even more terrifying speed.
"Not good!"
Sensing mortal danger, Wu Yufei instantly took control of the daggers concealed across his body.
In a flash, like a peacock fanning its plumage!
A dense flurry of throwing daggers fanned out behind him, converging on Yu Xian from every angle. Unfortunately, Yu Xian's forward momentum was equally relentless. When the daggers collided with Yu Xian's shield and warped on impact rather than piercing through, Wu Yufei realized with horror that this was Yu Xian's true trump card.
A split second later, the Forward Light Shield slammed squarely into Wu Yufei. Wu Yufei felt as though he had been plowed into by a speeding semi-truck; bones across his entire body shattered, and his internal organs erupted in agonizing pain.
*Pfft!*
Wu Yufei sprayed a mouthful of blood and was launched dozens of meters backward through the air. As he crashed onto the arena floor, the countless daggers suspended in midair clattered limply to the ground.
"You... aren't... air..."
Clinging to his last breath, Wu Yufei struggled to speak as he glared at Yu Xian.
Unfortunately, before he could finish his words, another surge of blood welled up from his throat. He slumped down limply, his body instantly dissolving into white light and vanishing from the arena.
"An Aeromancer? I never claimed I was," Yu Xian said with a faint smile, only speaking up now as he looked at the empty ground.
Even so, he was very satisfied with this duel.
Wu Yufei was undoubtedly a formidable opponent.
Cautious, decisive, and meticulous.
Had Yu Xian crossed paths with him tomorrow instead, the match likely would not have been so easy to handle. Fortunately, they had met today, allowing Yu Xian to secure a fortunate victory.
Chapter 590