The Nordic woman’s usually unflappable expression finally showed cracks...
But right behind that came Qi Xu’s big fist, and as he watched her high-bridged nose get knocked crooked by his punch, Qi Xu grinned, flashing his white teeth.
From receiving Wang Buyu’s message to throwing the drink and launching the attack, it took only a single second.
Only after actually landing the hit did he finally feel satisfied—he’d gotten back the frustration from slamming into that wall. But the woman’s temper had also been provoked; after a moment of shock, she reacted by kicking back at him with a reverse leg strike.
Qi Xu was ready. He slid back half a step to steady himself, twisted his wrist with precision, and locked onto her ankle, flipping it up and to the side with force.
The woman sensed the loss of balance, twisted her waist mid-air to change tactics, and drove her knee straight at Qi Xu’s chest. But he quickly shifted, raising his arm to block; their forearms collided with a dull thud.
Their exchange was all lethal moves. Qi Xu adjusted his breathing and charged again, lowering his shoulder to ram her center line and break her defense, but she sidestepped, firing an elbow strike into his ribs in return, while her fingers feinted toward his throat.
The two traded blows at close range, neither giving an inch, their faces filled with nothing but the determination to kill each other. No one else could even get between them. The woman even managed to throw up a few walls of light in between; the others didn’t carry enough alcohol on them to break through those barriers.
In this round of the game, aside from Dongfang Yuan, Qi Xu had once again encountered a worthy and powerful opponent! Besides feeling a bit annoyed, he also felt a small thrill.
“You’re just a piece of—garbage ah...”
Before Qi Xu could finish his sentence, he felt his psychic energy suddenly get blocked off.
The skill that had served him every time without fail couldn’t even be spoken now. For a moment, he genuinely felt stuck. He had no choice but to keep trading blows with this woman.
While Qi Xu found it tough going, Ingrid felt the same. She’d used every skill and trick she had, but there was no way to actually hurt him—on the contrary, she kept losing ground. For the first time since entering this game, she felt an indescribable sense of defeat...
The two stayed locked in combat for half an hour, both with split lips and bruises, but neither could fully take the other down.
Ingrid decided not to keep dragging it out. She feigned an attack, sprinted past Qi Xu, and ran off without looking back, sealing the area behind her with every wall of light she could muster.
Ten meters away, she turned back for a deep look at Qi Xu and said, with a hint of provocation, “Looking forward to seeing you again.”
Qi Xu smiled very gently. “Don’t worry. Real soon.”
Ingrid blinked, a faint smirk curling at her lips. You may have plenty of alcohol, but there’s no way you’re soaking through this many light walls in a short time. By the time you do, I’ll be long gone.
But the very next second, Ingrid was kicked straight back by Endless Longevity, who appeared out of thin air in a manic, non-coughing-blood state. Qi Xu also broke through the light walls successfully!
Grinning with a malicious smile, he said, “What a coincidence. We meet again!”
Ingrid completely lost her smile.
With two against one, Ingrid had no advantage at all. Sure, Endless Longevity wasn’t durable, but that person moved unpredictably, and unless you set a trap beforehand, catching them was nearly impossible.
As for the other one... tough as rock. You couldn’t even tell whether hitting her hurt her more or hurt your own hand. Absolutely disgusting.
Ingrid finally began to take Qi Xu seriously. “So you’re the Unrivaled Black Whirlwind.”
“That’s right.”
“Glad to meet you. I’m Ingrid from RD. How about we call it here? If I fight to the death to escape, you’ll pay a price you can’t imagine. You just attended the top players’ gathering, so I’m sure you don’t need my 1,000 points that badly.”
Even though she was asking for peace, Ingrid’s tone remained arrogant, as if condescending to say such things was already an honor for you.
Qi Xu was the type who wouldn’t soften for kindness—and definitely not for force. “Fine.”
Before Ingrid’s lips could curl up, Qi Xu added provokingly, “But I’m really curious—what exactly is this price I’d have to pay? Call over your four lackeys. Not that they’d be much help, but at least they can make up the numbers.”
“They’re a bunch of trash; I don’t need them. Are you sure you want to completely burn this bridge?”
“Wasn’t it already burned?”
Inside, Qi Xu was calculating the best way to maximize his gains. There would be plenty of international occasions in the future—should he turn this into an opportunity to develop an ally, or find a way to take out this powerful opponent while he still could?
“Let me go, and I’ll promise you one strategic cooperation with you in the lead.”
Ingrid finally showed some semblance of negotiating attitude. Qi Xu’s resolve was just starting to soften when she suddenly released a wave of light walls again.
First, she completely sealed off Endless Longevity, then quickly turned and fled, scattering various obstacles of uneven distribution along her path.
She thought she’d escape this time, but when she looked up ahead... the Unrivaled Black Whirlwind was waiting for her there.
“You...”
Ingrid stared at the scene in disbelief. How could she have reacted so fast—like she knew exactly what was on Ingrid’s mind?
“Hey, we meet again.”
“Fine. Like I said before—let me go this time, and I’ll promise you one cooperation with you in the lead.” Ingrid let out a sigh. There was no way she was leaving without paying any blood.
“If you’d stayed put just now, I would’ve agreed. But now? No. The price just went up.”
Ingrid frowned deeply, weighing the costs of fighting to the bitter end.
Qi Xu had already grown tired of waiting. He charged forward again with his big fist raised. If nothing else, having a sparring partner of this level was actually a blessing.
Fighting Sister Yuan—they knew each other too well. Unless they’d come up with new moves, they could guess each other’s next step with their eyes closed. That level of familiarity didn’t seem like a good thing when it came to training.
Ingrid stuck mostly to passive defense, unwilling to waste too much stamina. After all, the other side had five people, and she worried her four deadweights might get in the way or even get killed, so she had them stay far away...
So the longer this dragged on, the worse it was for her.
Seeing that the Unrivaled Black Whirlwind showed zero signs of fatigue—actually growing more excited the longer they fought—she finally conceded.
“Two. I’ll promise you two cooperations with you in the lead! You should know that international matches are only going to increase. Having me as an ally won’t hurt you.”
“Come on, stop with the talk. Sign the agreement right now.”
Ingrid’s beautiful eyes flashed with disbelief. “You don’t trust me?”
“If I trusted you, I might as well trust a ghost.”
...........
