Jiuxiao Longyun's sudden declaration of victory instantly sent the entire arena into an uproar.
"Is he trying to take them both on at once?"
"As expected of the Sword Maniac — so incredibly bold!"
"Has the Miracle Guild lost its mind? They could have won this match, and now they're pulling something this risky!"
"They must be trying to save face for the Miracle Guild."
"That makes sense. The Evil Dragon Team has already lost two rounds in a row. Even if they win, it won't sound impressive."
...
The crowd buzzed with discussion, everyone offering their own take.
Some thought Jiuxiao Longyun was a fool. Others believed he was trying to show everyone just how powerful the Miracle Guild truly was.
But one thing everyone in the arena agreed on:
This bet was dangerous.
The Shura Team still had two fighters left — a Berserker and an Assassin. Against Jiuxiao Longyun, a Swordsman, the matchup was far from favorable.
The Berserker had the advantage in raw strength, and the Assassin excelled in speed and agility.
Even if Jiuxiao Longyun was the more skilled fighter, having the Berserker engage head-on while the Assassin provided support from the flank would be overwhelmingly disadvantageous. Moreover, both the Assassin Huo Wu and the Berserker Bai Qingxue were well-known experts in the industry. Defeating the two of them would be no easy task.
Winning would certainly restore a good deal of face for the Miracle Guild, but losing would only deepen the humiliation.
...
"Qianyu, this is the Shura Team's chance to win! That Jiuxiao Longyun may be famous, but in terms of actual strength, he's no match for the Witch of the West. With Huo Wu and Bai Qingxue joining forces, they have at least a fifty-fifty shot at victory," Qing Huang said excitedly.
Jiuxiao Longyun was hailed as the Sword Maniac — a name known to everyone in the virtual gaming world.
His fame stemmed from the Tianji Pavilion's evaluation, which ranked him as the expert closest to mastering Domain. This made top players from all the major superpowers eager to challenge him — some hoping to advance their own skills, since Domain masters were the true backbone of super-guilds and first-rate guilds alike, while others simply wanted to gauge how far they still were from the limit of their five senses. As a result, Jiuxiao Longyun's reputation only continued to grow.
If it were just Huo Wu or Bai Qingxue fighting alone, they'd certainly have no chance. But now, with the two of them combining their strengths to cover each other's weaknesses, they could more than hold their own against the more technically skilled Jiuxiao Longyun.
"Hold their own?" Feng Qianyu studied Jiuxiao Longyun on the stage carefully. "I remember he isn't the type to act rashly."
Everyone knew Jiuxiao Longyun was arrogant, but that arrogance was built on real strength. He might seem wild, but he almost never did anything without being confident of the outcome.
Fighting two-on-one was already disadvantageous, and now he'd declared he would win in ten moves — completely backing himself into a corner.
This wasn't mere arrogance anymore. This was practically suicidal.
Just as Feng Qianyu was about to warn Shi Feng, Jiuxiao Longyun glanced over at him, since he still hadn't responded.
"What's wrong? Too scared? I've already made a huge concession here to give you a better chance of winning this match. If you won't do it, then send one of your fighters out already. But don't say I never gave you the opportunity."
These words immediately drew cheers from many of the spectators.
"Shura Team, are you cowards? You won't even accept a challenge like this?"