Take a Gamble

The more anxious a person was, the more prone they were to making mistakes. Chen Kun's mental strength had its limits after all; it was impossible for him to control an infinite amount of glass to attack Yu Xian. In fact, he could at most manipulate eighty glass crystals to pursue Yu Xian. If he became anxious, agitated, or panicked, that number would decrease even further. The reduction didn't happen because the glass slipped out of his control, but because of errors. Upon realizing that Stubborn Creation had only 30 stacks left, anxiety surged through him. He failed to notice a slight deviation in the flight paths of the glass crystals, and the very next second, one crystal collided with another, detonating both instantly. Their explosion set off a chain reaction of collisions among more crystals. As Yu Xian flew, more than half of the glass chasing behind him ended up destroying itself. Chen Kun looked dreadful, but he could only grit his teeth and keep directing the glass in pursuit. He didn't want to lose! He loved the Stubborn Creation skill far too much; he couldn't afford to lose it no matter what! If he lost to Yu Xian, his first skill, Glass Shot, would fall into Yu Xian's hands—and that was precisely the trash skill he intended to trade away. With Glass Control in his arsenal, all he needed to do was produce glass via his glass shield to achieve the exact same effect as Glass Shot. For instance, the glass currently pursuing Yu Xian wasn't from Glass Shot, but from Glass Control. It was not only more useful than Glass Shot, but also far easier to control. The problem was that without Glass Shot, what would he have left to trade with others, and how could he keep Stubborn Creation? Chen Kun became increasingly focused, his eyes fixed deathly on Yu Xian as he maneuvered the surrounding glass to intercept and box him in. Yet Yu Xian was like a slippery eel in the air; every time his glass came within a hair's breadth of hitting Yu Xian, it always fell just that tiny bit short. What he didn't know was that Yu Xian had genuinely fallen into dire straits several times. Yet Yu Xian had Time Stop. Freezing time for a mere second or half a second was enough for him to calmly slip out of peril and resume leading Chen Kun by the nose. "It should be about time, shouldn't it?" "Or wait a bit longer?" Yu Xian was actually a little anxious as well. He couldn't see the stack count of Stubborn Creation, nor was he certain how many minutes it would take to deplete the stacks on the glass. Thus, he could only turn the problem over and over in his mind. Each time he felt the moment was right, he would suppress the urge to strike and continue stalling. In the stands, countless spectators were shouting, cheering, and rooting for Yu Xian. Yu Xian's earlier matches had actually been quite boring—mostly instant kills with zero spectator value. Those who came to watch were either his acquaintances or people who simply admired raw strength. This match, however, was thrilling. Yu Xian's aerial performance exceeded many people's expectations; it was unbelievably formidable and precise. Everyone present understood that Yu Xian currently had virtually zero margin for error; the slightest slip would see him struck by the glass. Yet in this tightrope-walking state, he didn't make a single misstep. "As expected of the Fish God. Seriously impressive." Sitting in the spectator stands with his grandson in his arms, Niu Kaitian kept his gaze glued to Yu Xian in the air and sighed admiringly to You Xinghun beside him. You Xinghun nodded in agreement, thoroughly amazed. Although he could pull off maneuvers identical to Yu Xian's, he would be relying on his cultivation realm and level. In the Zhen Realm, Yu Xian's level was still low and his attributes were definitely not as high. To achieve such a feat relied purely on technique, instinct, and genuine skill. Aboard the Aska. Little Nora sat in the sunroom, snacking while livestreaming and broadcasting Yu Xian's match at the same time. "Big Bro, go! Big Bro, go! Big Bro, go!" Little Nora didn't even have time to eat now, her eyes glued to the broadcast feed as she cheered continuously. Many viewers in the stream were also shouting: "Hey, freeloading moocher, don't you dare lose! Don't make me look down on you!" Under the watchful eyes of countless viewers, another twenty minutes slipped by in a flash. In the arena, Chen Kun checked the state of his glass and discovered that the stacks of Stubborn Creation had dropped completely to zero. However, he showed no emotion whatsoever, still fixing his gaze intently on Yu Xian as he maintained the chase. He couldn't afford to let on that his buff had run out. If Yu Xian noticed anything amiss in his expression, he would very likely activate Time Stop and turn around to strike. Without the defense provided by the stacked Stubborn Creation, his glass shield definitely couldn't withstand the impact of Yu Xian's light shield. The glass crystals Yu Xian had previously smashed were prime examples. "It's been well over an hour now." "Can I attack yet?" "What if I still can't?" Yu Xian dodged an attack from a glass crystal, using Water Control to tug himself back atop the Forward Light Shield in an instant, his peripheral vision sweeping toward Chen Kun. If Chen Kun showed the slightest hint of weakness, he would strike back decisively. Yet Chen Kun was so focused right now that his eyes barely strayed from the light shield, giving away nothing in his expression. Yu Xian had no choice but to suppress the urge to attack and keep stalling. Pull away and test the waters! Another ten minutes passed, and Yu Xian finally couldn't hold back any longer. He flew swiftly toward the farthest edge, with countless glass crystals tailing him closely. Once sufficient distance was opened, the corner of Yu Xian's mouth curled upward. Time Stop! In an instant, all the glass froze midair, and the cheering spectators stopped moving entirely. Yu Xian decisively reversed direction and flew straight toward Chen Kun. Yet upon arriving right before him, Yu Xian didn't attack the glass shield; instead, he instantly resumed the flow of time. From Chen Kun's perspective, Yu Xian had just flown far away, and while he was straining to track him in the distance, Yu Xian's face suddenly appeared right before his eyes, magnified and startlingly close. Not good! Yu Xian was about to attack! In that split second, Chen Kun instinctively reeled backward. Time froze once more. Looking at the terrified Chen Kun retreating, Yu Xian began analyzing his expression. Was this mostly shock from the jump scare, or was it panic born of knowing his buff was gone? Yu Xian looked into Chen Kun's eyes, his gaze slowly narrowing. That look... No matter how one looked at it, that was nothing like his previous fearlessness. Yu Xian took a deep breath and chuckled. "Let's take a gamble, then. Worst comes to worst, I'll just kite him for another two hours!" Having made up his mind, he directly steered the Forward Light Shield into the glass. Stripped of the stacked enhancement of Stubborn Creation, the glass that had previously withstood the collisions was instantly shattered wide open. The Forward Light Shield drove straight in, slamming Chen Kun against the glass behind him and blowing that glass to pieces as well. After knocking Chen Kun clear of his glass enclosure, Yu Xian resumed the flow of time. In the next second, Chen Kun was hurled backward through the air, crashing heavily onto the ground. "I... don't want to... lose—!" Hitting the ground, Chen Kun spat out a mouthful of blood, glaring fiercely at Yu Xian with overwhelming, explosive obsession. Yet it was futile. Regardless of how many thoughts swirled in his mind, his body involuntarily dissolved into white light in the next instant, whisking him off the arena stage. At the same time, a new skill appeared in Yu Xian's skill bar: Glass Shot.