"Congratulations to your team, 'Light-Chaser Garden', for winning this Visiting Battle by Overstepping Authority. You have earned 100 victory points and 100 performance points. Your current total score is 200."
Xu Xiaoyou was quite satisfied with this result.
Just as she had previously imagined, the nature of the qualifiers was essentially an exhibition match; to get a high score, one didn't just need to win, but also had to 'showcase skills.' One either had to exhibit flashy combat techniques or, like Bai Youyou, simply and brutally steamroll five people single-handedly.
As for the criteria for judging these flashy skills, she believed it was inextricably linked to the density of the bullet screen.
": It's over just like that?"
": I didn't even see what happened clearly."
": A victory without any suspense at all."
Dense bullet screens drifted past.
Su Sheng stood where he was with a dejected look. Xu Xiaoyou came over and patted his shoulder.
"Your ability is quite interesting. Do you want to join Light-Chaser Garden?"
"Sorry, I'm not really interested in these things. I only came to Oasis to find my relative..."
"Think carefully before you speak."
These seemingly ordinary words startled Su Sheng. When he looked up again, Xu Xiaoyou was casually stroking the bone whip in her hand.
The traces of blood seeping from her fingertips silently spoke of the sharpness of the long whip's segments.
"Our Light-Chaser Garden has high benefits, excellent treatment for talent, a harmonious and loving atmosphere, and unlimited development potential. There aren't that many rules, either. Most importantly, we have influence. Our people are spread throughout Oasis. If you want to find someone, there is no better choice than joining us. Are you sure you won't consider it?"
": Suspected hidden advertisement for Light-Chaser Garden."
": She's really such a scumbag; this is clearly a threat, isn't it?"
"Of course," Xu Xiaoyou smiled. "It's not mandatory. Longing for freedom is an instinct carved into the soul of life. If you already have a place in mind, I won't force you."
The members of Light-Chaser Garden watching the live stream had their mouths twitching.
From the sound of their guild leader's words, it seemed that if Su Sheng dared to say no, whether he could leave Skyline City alive would be a huge question mark.
Su Sheng hesitated to speak, but the girl's calm voice echoed in his ears again.
"Ask yourself, are you truly like the version of yourself that claims to be uninterested in fighting and killing? Do you really have no desire for victory, no need for recognition from others, and no concern for anyone's gaze?"
Su Sheng froze.
"If you aren't afraid of being scorched by the gazes of others, then why are you looking down right now?"
Xu Xiaoyou's words were like a sharp arrow piercing the youth's heart. Su Sheng's body swayed slightly as he gazed at his hand, which still had undried ink stains on it.
"Hell is other people. Only by facing your own inferior nature can you go further than others, can't you?"
": Here it comes, here it comes. The classic workplace PUA opening. Saying everything is for your own good, using threats and lures, then negating your personality to make you subconsciously validate her words. It looks like she's giving you the right to choose, but in reality, she welded all your retreats shut at the very beginning. If you don't love me, then please go die."
": This poor kid. If nothing goes wrong, he's already got one foot stuck in the bad girl's vortex."
": Sad."
The bystander sees clearly, while the person involved is confused.
Su Sheng's body trembled slightly, and the golden-haired girl's words kept circling in his mind.
Yes, his individual strength was ultimately insignificant, let alone trying to find his sister in a vast sea of people; the probability was minuscule.
But with the help of Miss Dark Gold Rose, everything would be different.
Had he still misunderstood her?
She was indeed a good person after all.
"I understand, Miss Xu." Su Sheng looked up with a sincere gaze.
"You are right. Perhaps I don't know myself well enough."
"I am willing to join Light-Chaser Garden."
Xu Xiaoyou looked gratified, while the girls behind her looked at each other, all seeing strange expressions on each other's faces.
In a blur, they returned to the tea house. After thanking her sincerely once more, Su Sheng hurried away, leaving Xu Xiaoyou alone to calmly watch the youth's retreating back.
She naturally hadn't invited Su Sheng to join her guild on a whim; the scene of him controlling the three ink shadows during the battle surfaced in her mind.
Ink shadow seven stars, the Wen lineage of the Su family.
Considering the three ink shadows called him 'Young Master,' he was highly likely royalty of the Kowloon ship.
As the most mysterious and ancient major power, the headquarters of Kowloon Information Enterprise—the Kowloon ship—had always been a sacred place that countless people yearned for.
Legend had it that the Dragon created the world, and while passing through the ancient seas, its fallen scales became the land of Shenzhou. When it opened its eyes, the sun, moon, and stars appeared. Within its breaths, the clouds, wind, rain, and thunder were formed.
The Dragon had nine sons, and through the blood of these nine offspring merging with the water, Shenzhou established calendars, investigated the nature of things, and clarified human relations. Passed down through generations, this became the Kowloon bloodline that continued to this day.
The Kowloonians were inherently intelligent and industrious. In less than ten thousand years, they built nine never-stopping starships capable of accommodating tens of billions of people. Once the Kowloon ships rose with the wind, they soared ninety thousand miles. At the end of the Bronze Age, they went on a Great Expedition into the starry sky, vanishing from the earth and existing only in the epic chronicles of countless ancient civilizations.
When they reappeared in the world, only three of the original nine starships remained: the Shuipi, the Chaofeng, and the Chiwen. Furthermore, the ship hulls were heavily damaged, and less than one-tenth of the bloodline remained. Almost all the instruments whose mysteries were difficult for later generations to glimpse—such as the Gonggong Ruler, the Wuwei Wall, the Astrolabe, the Divination Array, the Dried Star Engine, and so on—were severely damaged and remained irreparable to this day. Countless silk manuscripts, scriptures, classic texts, and secret methods were lost during the Great Expedition. The civilization's heritage was severely damaged, its foundations shaken, and it went from its peak to decline, fading from the world stage.
Even so, the Kowloon Information Enterprise that rose during the Silver Age remained one of the top powers in the world today.
To this day, no one knew what the Kowloonians had encountered during that expedition. Some said they came into contact with existences beyond the stars, while others believed they saw the 'Gate of the True World' standing in the universe. They claimed the fleet encountered spacetime turbulence while crossing the Gate of the True World, losing contact with the rest of the fleet, and the three starships were thrown back outside the gate, forced to return for repairs.
The sparks of Kowloon were unceasing, and their inheritance continued. Because of this, Kowloon's culture had a profound influence on this world, and miniatures of their culture could be found in many unexpected places. The Kowloon bloodline was spread across the world, and in almost any civilization, one could see a Kowlownian greeting you in a friendly manner.
"Master, it's this person! She... she... she just pretended to be your distant relative earlier and was bossing us around!" The waiter pointed at Xu Xiaoyou.
"What nerve! Haven't you heard of Master Hong's reputation here on Nine Dragons Street? Grab her for me; I want to see where she gets her confidence from."
The high-pitched shout of the pot-bellied man pulled Xu Xiaoyou back from her thoughts. She looked around at the dozen or so figures in the tea house who were surrounding her with unfriendly expressions.
She shrugged, unconcernedly scratching her back with the jade ruyi scepter. She dodged a figure lunging at her, let out a laugh, and adjusted the small black round glasses on the bridge of her nose.
Then, Xu Xiaoyou stepped on the pavilion railing, suddenly leaping into the distance. She traversed the eaves between the walkways in quick succession and disappeared before everyone's eyes, leaving only a dashing silhouette.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
The streets were bustling with people. A silver-haired girl carrying a paper umbrella walked down the street, and it didn't take long for her to attract attention.
Several players dressed as thugs stepped out. The leader excitedly licked his teeth while fiddling with a small tea knife in his hand, facing Angelina.
"Yo, all by yourself, little chick? Why don't you come play with us?"
"Sure, what do we play?" A moving smile curled on Angelina's lips. "I happen to be bored too."
With her current attire, ruby lips and bright eyes, silver hair like a waterfall, and her clear face under the paper umbrella, she looked stunning. The thug players were dazed, looking at each other with knowing smiles.
"The Red Fragrance Pavilion is right next door. Why don't you accompany us up there for some entertainment? Don't worry, we won't make things hard for you. We'll just have some drinks. We're all true gentlemen~"
"Just having drinks won't do." Angelina spun the paper umbrella, a chilling coldness hidden in her smile. "If we're going to play, we have to play something more interesting."
Hearing this, the group felt lightheaded with excitement. Who could have known that in the next instant, a flower of blood would burst from one of their chests? He was pierced through by a lance. His pupils suddenly shrank to the size of pinheads, and before he could even scream, he fell to the ground, dead.
Angelina tore the paper umbrella to shreds, a bloodthirsty red glow flashing in her eyes as her tone rose:
"For example..."
"A Visiting Battle by Overstepping Authority."
The surrounding space suddenly shifted, as vivid colors painted the world.
The remaining four thug players opened their eyes to find themselves in a courtyard. Looking down from above the courtyard, the area was shrouded in thick fog on all four sides, surrounded by a ring of pavilions. Below was a pond that seemed to have no end, with the water and sky meeting in the distance. The central area was occupied by a slightly larger square pavilion.
Schools of fish swam in the clear water, and lotus leaves floated on the pond. Every dozen meters, a pillar rose from the water. The silver-haired girl was now standing quietly on the highest pillar in the center, gripping the Abyssal White Flower lance, looking down at them coldly.
"You're Abyssal White Flower?" Only then did someone recognize Angelina, their face filled with terror. "The one from Dark Gold Rose..."
The second half of the sentence was forced back by Angelina's gaze, which looked like it wanted to tear someone apart.
"How can it be you?"
"This is bad, brothers. We've been tricked."
Looking around again, they saw several girls standing on the pavilion bridges, looking like they were enjoying the show.
"Dark Gold Rose?"
"Light-Chaser Garden? Why would we be targeted by Light-Chaser Garden?"
"Damn it, can you only pick on the weak? I really misjudged you, Dark Gold Rose!" someone shouted angrily.
Xu Xiaoyou waved her hand dismissively.
"Then you never judged me correctly in the first place. Alright, Anya, hurry up and start. We're in a rush for the next match."
At this moment, Angelina made a decision that caught everyone off guard. She put away her lance, her gaze calm as she held out her hand toward Xu Xiaoyou.
Xu Xiaoyou understood and tossed a training longsword in her direction.
Angelina flipped her palm to catch it. A gust of wind blew by at that exact moment, fluttering her large sleeves and silver hair. In her white clothes, combined with her posture as she lightly danced with the longsword, she truly possessed an ethereal and transcendent beauty.
"She knows how to use a sword too?" Bai Youyou asked.
"I taught her well," Xu Xiaoyou said casually, as her substitute silently pulled out a pair of binoculars.
Seeing that Angelina intended to take on all four of them at once and didn't even plan to use her best weapon, the group felt insulted. They pulled out their weapons with shouts, swearing to make the girl pay.
"Don't look down on us! Let me go first!"
One man drew a tang-sword and stepped across the pillars, racing toward Angelina. With a loud shout, he gripped the hilt with both hands, lunged behind her, and slashed forward.
Angelina stepped aside to dodge. Without using any skills, her feet spun lightly as she leaped into the air, jumping toward a pillar behind her.
At that moment, a second person rushed forward, attempting to intercept Angelina in mid-air. However, the girl's toes lightly tapped the air, and her wide sleeves fluttered between the water and sky. The man fell into the white sleeves and momentarily lost his direction. He scrambled to grab them, but the graceful figure had already stepped lightly a few paces away, leaving him to fall into the water.
"Something's wrong, glug glug... Brothers, don't touch this water!" The man struggled violently in the water, but he sank deeper and deeper, submerged over his head as if there were no buoyancy.
The twin sleeves danced and turned lightly in the air. As the sword was drawn, its sharp edge appeared, moving slowly through the air. There were faint sounds like the cry of a crane or the whistle of a flute. It was as if the wind flowing through the air had also accelerated slightly, becoming sharp as invisible killing intent brewed within the blade's light.
"Try blocking this!" Someone found an opportunity and raised their cleaver high, crushing a pillar as he leaped. It was clear this strike was heavy and powerful.
The girl held her sword horizontally, her red eyes hidden behind the blade's light. Her wrist turned, and she swung the sword upward to meet the cleaver, entering a brief stalemate.
Angelina leaned backward, but her legs didn't move. The sword blade pressed down rapidly with the cleaver, completely dissipating the force of the heavy blow. The man lost his balance, and just as he tried to stand up, the silver-haired girl's footwork shifted, sending him flying into the air. The sword tassel brushed the water's surface, and the hilt struck downward. The man was hit in the back and frantically grabbed a pillar before falling into the water.
Only then did his companion arrive, preventing him from suffering the same fate as the first man.
Angelina didn't use any skills, relying purely on technique and sword arts to deal with the two of them. Stepping on the ground, she leaped into the air with a weightless grace, her sleeves like white silk dancing in the wind. The girl's posture was sometimes graceful and soft, sometimes hard and powerful—a perfect blend of hardness and softness. She circled the central pavilion in the air, her sword-dancing posture so pleasing to the eye that one couldn't help but be immersed in it.
The two men followed close behind, using all their strength, yet they couldn't even touch Angelina's sleeves. The silver-haired girl retreated while spinning her body lightly, her longsword repeatedly flicking upward. An invisible airflow formed around her. If a white feather were to fall at this time, it would be supported by the airflow, circling in the air for a long time.
The longsword drew graceful arcs in the air, and the sharpness in the wind intensified. The crane-like cries and flute-like whistles were faintly accompanied by the sound of clashing metal. With the slightest lapse in concentration, the two men chasing the girl were cut by the fierce sword intent in the wind, leaving trails of blood.
The shimmering cold light was hidden within her sleeves. The girl and the longsword in her hand were perfectly integrated, led by the sword as her figure danced among the pavilions like a crane spreading its wings in the sky or a fish swimming in the water, making it impossible for anyone to grasp her movements.
It wasn't until the three pursuers were exhausted and could no longer keep up with the silver-haired girl's steps that they knelt on the pillars, gasping for breath. In contrast, Angelina's breathing was steady; it seemed that everything just now had been nothing more than a warm-up for her.
"Is it not done yet?" Xu Xiaoyou leaned against the railing, propping up her face and yawning.
"It is already over."
Angelina descended from the air, her white clothes trailing on the ground. Her dancing sleeves stilled, and she held the scabbard before her, revealing a pair of cold red eyes. She gripped the hilt, and the longsword slowly entered its sheath.
As a flash of cold light passed,
Fine sword marks appeared on the pillars beneath their feet and on every inch of the three men's bodies.
Thousand Slashes of Crimson.
Rate on N.U.
