Chapter 517 - 307: Who is the Real Best Actor?

Back then, the two of them could have been considered evenly matched.

Now, as they looked at each other—so familiar, yet so different—their eyes were filled with emotion.

"I never really believed in geniuses until I met you." Gao Yuxiang’s smile was congratulatory, but tinged with more resignation than anything else.

The match hadn’t even started, but he already knew the outcome was set in stone.

In fact, he had watched Su Zhi’s performance in the qualifiers not long ago. He had understood back then that he was no match for Su Zhi and his Envoy’s Pet.

"You flatter me. You do your best, too," Su Zhi replied with a smile.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they both walked to their command positions and prepared for battle.

But he didn’t let his guard down in the slightest, and neither did Wu Bao.

Sure enough—

The moment he stepped into his command position, Gao Yuxiang took off his glasses and casually ran a hand through his hair. His earlier resignation and dejection vanished, replaced by pure, unadulterated focus.

Su Zhi had witnessed his style back in the finals at the Alliance Headquarters.

Don’t be fooled by his seemingly chill, detached demeanor. When he got serious, he was enough to give any opponent a major headache!

"Netherworld, the power gap between us and our opponent is so vast it’s nearly insurmountable. Our chances of winning are almost zero, so there’s actually no need to be nervous. That said, it’s not as if we have no chance at all."

Gao Yuxiang’s voice was grim as he communicated through the Beast Taming Space. "I haven’t seen Su Zhi’s newly contracted Black Fighting Emperor before, but the Black Fighting Emperor Race is known for excelling at both offense and defense. Given Su Zhi’s style, he’s likely focused his training on those two aspects... or he might have taught it some Control Flow Skills like Yu Bao’s. Be on your guard.

"This national tournament has a quick-victory incentive, so Su Zhi will definitely want to take us out fast to reduce his total time. That means he’ll probably have the Black Fighting Emperor use a more aggressive, blitz-style offense. Your advantage is your superior flexibility, which is precisely what the Black Fighting Emperor lacks. That’s the key to shutting down its assault.

"If its offensive is ferocious, don’t panic. That plays right into our hands. We have to stick to our plan: use our strengths against its weaknesses and proactively look for an opportunity to counterattack!"

"HISS!" Netherworld nodded vigorously.

Su Zhi’s guess was right.

Despite Gao Yuxiang’s chill exterior, his desire to win was stronger than anyone’s. Even facing an impossible matchup, he was trying his absolute best to turn the tables.

And Gao Yuxiang’s guess was right, too.

"Wu Bao, use Lance Charge! Keep it fluid, try to pin it down and find an opening!"

"WOO!" Wu Bao immediately charged forward on its six legs.

Su Zhi didn’t know Gao Yuxiang’s strategy yet, but with a massive advantage on his side, he had the confidence to try a more aggressive approach.

After all, in the face of absolute Power, strategy is meaningless.

That being the case, Su Zhi decided to test the waters by having Wu Bao overwhelm skill with sheer force and just steamroll the opponent!

WHOOSH—

The Black Fighting Emperor’s horn carved a gleaming line across the arena floor. In an instant, a crushing pressure was bearing down on Netherworld.

The bullet comments exploded:

[Annihilation]: Holy shit! So fast!

[Golden Rare]: Does that Black Fighting Emperor have a nuclear engine installed or something?!

[Day after Day]: I suddenly feel like Wu Bao’s power-ups are this fast too...

In reality, the attack was over in an instant. By the time the comments appeared, they were already a step behind the action.

But Wu Bao found that the opposing Azure Wave Claw dodged just as nimbly, not revealing a single opening in the process.

Wu Bao thrust again, and Netherworld dodged again. They clashed several times in the blink of an eye.

"HISS! HISS!" Netherworld immediately reported back to Gao Yuxiang.

’Its burst power is a bit much, but it’s not a huge problem. It’s probably just riding the high of its initial assault. If we can weather this first wave, we’ll be in a much better position.’

Gao Yuxiang adjusted his glasses, calmly assessing the situation on the field with his talent, Strong Recognition Vision. He had yet to realize the severity of the problem.

’Su Zhi really is going for a blitz attack. Don’t panic. Find a way to restrict its movement. Agility is our strong suit!’

"HISS!"

The Azure Wave Claw immediately complied, leaving a series of small pools of water in its wake.

It was the Azure Wave Claw’s Racial Skill, a Water Element Low Level Elite Skill: Shield of Torrents.

This was a Defense Skill that the Azure Wave Claw Race developed by withstanding torrents. Compared to the Flowing Shield, its defensive area was small, but it was incredibly effective at blocking direct frontal assaults.

During the finals at the Alliance Headquarters, Netherworld had used this very move to weave through the barrage of Yu Bao’s Skills.

Now, however, Netherworld was deploying them behind itself, turning them into obstacles to impede Wu Bao.

When Wu Bao slammed into one of the high-density walls of water, it clearly faltered for a moment. Netherworld seized the opportunity to double back, landing a Torrential Breakthrough Strike on Wu Bao.

For the thick-hided Wu Bao, the attack was no different from being tickled, but the feeling of being led around by the nose by Netherworld was incredibly frustrating.

’They’re using our own blitz tactics to stall for time... No, it’s more than that. Those moves were highly aggressive. If it was just trying to stall, there were better ways to do it...’

Su Zhi rested his chin on his hand in thought, his eyes slowly narrowing.

’Gao Yuxiang thinks he’s figured me out, capitalizing on my desire for a quick win. But in doing so, hasn’t he exposed his own lingering desire for victory? I knew this drama queen wouldn’t give up so easily.’

’As an opponent, it’s an admirable spirit.’

But it also gave Su Zhi a new idea.

"Wu Bao, do you remember how you frustrated Yu Bao during the first Su Zhi Cup?"

"WOO!" At the mention of this, Wu Bao’s eyes immediately lit up.

A faint smile touched Su Zhi’s lips.

"I have an idea that’ll let you pull off a repeat performance... interested?"

"WOO!"

’You bet I am!’

[Golden Rare]: Augh! That last exchange was such a shame. If that one hit had landed, it would’ve been over.