Chapter 95: The Gap in Combat Experience
[Welcome to the Trial Grounds, please select a mode.]
[Assistance Mode / Combat Mode.]
...
Su Xiao had not been to the Trial Grounds for some time. Compared to the paid Trial Grounds, the free Arena was actually more cost-effective. Moreover, given his current level of swordsmanship, summoning a mirror image that could guide him in the Trial Grounds would be astronomically expensive, far better to explore through combat.
Su Xiao occasionally met Mawen Hua'erzi. That guy's swordsmanship was absolutely top-tier. Whenever Su Xiao had doubts, he would ask when they met.
Neither of the two modes was what Su Xiao wanted to choose. He flipped through the list before him and soon spotted an inconspicuous option: Challenge Mode.
Su Xiao had already obtained authorization for Challenge Mode, so he only needed to spend 5,000 Paradise Coins to begin the challenge.
[You have selected Challenge Mode. 5,000 Paradise Coins have been consumed.]
[The challenger is about to enter the Technique Dojo. Matching opponent: Random.]
[Teleporting...]
Su Xiao's vision blurred. When his sight returned, he was inside a dojo. The area was about 400 square meters, roughly half the size of a football field.
[Mirror Image generating. Opponent matched: Xiersiya.]
A figure gradually formed. It was a woman dressed in a white robe, around 25 years old, with a black ponytail and some freckles on her face.
Mirror Image · Xiersiya's eyes opened. She clasped her hands together, a gesture of greeting to Su Xiao.
Su Xiao knew that any mirror image with a specific name was generally not to be trifled with. Fortunately, he could check the mirror image's attributes.
Name: Xiersiya
Category: Human
Health: 75%
Mana: 1,200 points
Strength: 95 (True Attribute)
Agility: 95 (True Attribute)
Stamina: 95 (True Attribute)
Intelligence: 50
Charm: 50
Skill 1, Melee Combat Grandmaster (Passive: Increases melee combat attack power by 320%, neural reflex speed +20%, dynamic vision +26%, punches carry effects of force penetration, blunt impact, muscle paralysis, bone shattering, and blood flow obstruction.
...
Seeing Xiersiya's data, Su Xiao was taken aback. From the data, this mirror image didn't seem too strong, but the fact that it only had 75% health gave Su Xiao an ominous feeling.
A long-standing doubt in Su Xiao's mind was confirmed: above the Master level for basic skills was the Grandmaster level.
As soon as Xiersiya was manifested, she began to loosen up her muscles and joints, sometimes stretching her legs, sometimes arching her spine.
After half a minute of warming up, Xiersiya crooked her finger at Su Xiao.
"Hey, kid, don't just stand there."
Xiersiya smiled, exuding a strong tomboyish aura.
Su Xiao drew the longsword from his waist. Clearly, against a pure melee fighter like this, he had an advantage, and the gap in their various abilities was large. She only had one ability.
With a bang, the wooden floor shattered as Su Xiao charged straight at Xiersiya.
Xiersiya's toes stood up, stabbing directly into the floor. With a crackling sound, a large shower of wooden splinters shot towards Su Xiao.
Mid-charge, Su Xiao raised his left arm to shield his eyes while his longsword slashed diagonally, aiming for Xiersiya's waist.
While a slash to the neck was more lethal, a slash aimed at the waist was clearly harder to dodge.
Something unexpected happened. Xiersiya showed no intention of dodging; instead, she lunged straight at Su Xiao.
The longsword cut through the air, emitting a terrifying whine. The blade first sliced through Xiersiya's clothing. Just as it was about to touch her skin, her right leg, seemingly from nowhere, kicked towards Su Xiao's ribs.
Su Xiao had already sensed this kick. He didn't stop the slashing motion of his longsword but instead bent his left leg.
Bang! Xiersiya's whip-like kick struck Su Xiao's bent left leg. A force directly penetrated his calf, surging towards his chest cavity.
A dull ache and pressure filled his chest. Su Xiao was kicked back about half a meter. His longsword slashed through, just cutting the clothes over Xiersiya's lower abdomen. A bloody line appeared on her well-defined abdominal muscles.
Five minutes later.
Su Xiao was teleported outside the dojo. He was puzzled. How was that woman so strong? Could a single Grandmaster-level ability at Lv.10 be that powerful?
After thinking for a moment, Su Xiao felt that the Grandmaster-level ability might only be one aspect. More important was the combat experience and timing. That woman's eyes were somewhat vacant, possibly from prolonged combat.
Thinking of these two points, Su Xiao paid another 5,000 Paradise Coins. The scene was the same, and the woman in white was the same.
Ten minutes later, Su Xiao sat by the hall of the Trial Grounds, thinking about how to defeat that woman, Xiersiya.
In terms of overall ability, Xiersiya was actually inferior to Su Xiao. The reason Su Xiao couldn't beat her was that once she landed a punch, the fight was over. In the second fight, she sacrificed one arm to land a punch on Su Xiao's shoulder.
Just one punch, and most of Su Xiao's body went numb. He almost couldn't hold his sword, and the rest of the scene was predictable.
Losing twice in a row, Su Xiao was not discouraged. On the contrary, he felt he wasn't losing in terms of abilities, but in combat experience.
Su Xiao stood up and began his third challenge.
Fourteen minutes later, Su Xiao was defeated. After resting for about half an hour, he started his fourth challenge.
The time Su Xiao lasted before being defeated grew longer, and Xiersiya, who fought him, became increasingly battered. In the first match, she defeated Su Xiao almost unscathed. By the eighth match, she had both arms broken and only 17% health left when she finally won.
Each match cost 5,000 Paradise Coins, eight matches totaling 40,000. But Su Xiao felt the 40,000 Paradise Coins were well spent, even if the process wasn't pleasant...
The more he fought Xiersiya, the more Su Xiao realized the power of Grandmaster-level abilities. This was the first time he had encountered a melee fighter as strong as Xiersiya.
Xiersiya's strength wasn't in speed or power, but in the fact that if she landed one punch, the fight was over. As for being hit in a vital organ, the feeling was unforgettable.
During one challenge, Su Xiao was hit in the chest by a straight punch from Xiersiya, right where his heart was. Almost instantly, all the blood in his heart surged backward. The result was predictable.
Inside the dojo.
Drip, drip...
Blood dripped from the white robe. Xiersiya, now with only one arm, was facing off against Su Xiao.
A large depression was visible on Su Xiao's ribs. A folding knife appeared in his hand. He stabbed it near the depression. When the blade was pulled out, a gush of blood sprayed a long distance.
As the blood flowed out, that side of Su Xiao's body gradually regained feeling.
"I see."
After fighting this long, Su Xiao finally understood why Xiersiya could numb half his body with one punch. This time, he had the best chance of winning yet.
Su Xiao took a few steps forward and instantly disappeared from his spot.
The whine of the blade came from behind Xiersiya's spine. She ducked her head while simultaneously driving an elbow towards Su Xiao's chest.
Bang!
Puchi.
Su Xiao was sent flying backward, a large splash of blood spraying out.
"Oh? How did you do that?"
Xiersiya staggered a few steps. The back of her neck was nearly completely severed. With a thud, she collapsed to the ground. Su Xiao also fell, his entire torso numb. It was practically a mutual destruction, which made Su Xiao realize his combat experience was still insufficient.
"Never mind. Knowing doesn't matter much anyway."
With a crisp crackling sound, Xiersiya's mirror image shattered. The shattered fragments gradually formed a medal.
[You have obtained Proof of Honor.]
Su Xiao was teleported out of the dojo. The discomfort throughout his body instantly vanished, but he was very fatigued.