Chapter 177: Fist and Weapon
Zhang Shan felt that the man before him was truly rather terrifying.
He engaged in actual combat every single day—what had he been doing before coming here?
"I..." Zhang Shan said somewhat awkwardly, "Well, let me introduce myself too. My name is Zhang Shan. I've studied some boxing and grappling. I served three years in the military, and after being discharged, I became a chef."
"A chef?" The others were taken aback.
Zhang Shan's demeanor really didn't match that of a chef. He was very tall and muscular, the kind of build that would make people believe he was a fitness trainer. But a chef?
Qi Xia nodded slightly. No wonder the last Zhang Shan was so determined to take that bear paw... Was it professional instinct?
"And you?"
The two of them turned their heads simultaneously toward the thin, dark-skinned girl, Li Xiangling.
She had wheat-colored skin and very delicate features.
What was most striking were undoubtedly her eyes—Qi Xia felt he could see a glimmering light in them.
She was dressed in ordinary sportswear and sat upright with an air of composure.
Seeing everyone looking at her, Li Xiangling stood up with a crisp motion. Every movement she made was full of power, as if a gust of wind rushed past her.
"My name is Li Xiangling. I was born into a martial arts family. I've been practicing the Six Harmony Spear since childhood, for twenty years now." She clasped one fist in the other palm in a traditional salute. "Pleased to meet you."
"Six Harmony Spear?" Qiao Jiajing's face showed surprise. "You mean the spear that combines the 'inner three harmonies of essence, energy, and spirit' and the 'outer three harmonies of waist, hands, and eyes'?"
"Exactly, exactly!" Li Xiangling looked delighted. "Are you familiar with the Six Harmony Spear?"
"Yes, I was originally going to train in it, but a 'long spear' isn't very practical for me, so I gave it up," Qiao Jiajing said.
"We're not in an era of war anymore, so long spears aren't practical, of course. We practice martial arts to strengthen our bodies and temper ourselves," Li Xiangling said with a smile. "If you like, I can teach you a spear technique sometime."
"Mm, sure," Qiao Jiajing nodded.
Qi Xia raised an eyebrow after hearing this. No wonder this girl's spirit and energy seemed far stronger than ordinary people—she was a traditional martial arts practitioner with extremely solid fundamentals.
Although traditional martial arts no longer focused on killing, after twenty years of training, her agility, coordination, reflexes, and physical fitness should all be top-notch.
"Looking at it this way... this team really isn't bad," Qi Xia nodded. "Strength, technique, and agility—we have it all."
"Qi Xia... you're still too optimistic," Yun Yao said. "The other side are 'Echoers,' and they have plenty of time to prepare. The 'Extremists' we'll face tomorrow might all be Echoers skilled in combat."
"Really?" Lin Qin beside them pondered for a moment and said, "I feel it's hard for them to find many other partners."
Yun Yao was startled and turned to look at Lin Qin. "How do you know?"
"Just a guess," Lin Qin said. "How many people did you meet today? What were their abilities?"
Yun Yao thought back and said, "I only know the ability of one person—Jiang Ruoxue. Her 'Echo' is 'Causality.'"
Qi Xia added, "There's also Xiaoxiao with 'False Accusation.'"
After saying this, he gave Lin Qin a meaningful look. Lin Qin understood and nodded.
She had met both Xiaoxiao and Jiang Ruoxue once, but it seemed only Xiaoxiao was suited to participate in the 'Tiger'-type game.
If Jiang Ruoxue went up, even with her powerful 'Causality,' she couldn't match Zhang Shan.
If she got injured, she might even suffer backlash from her own 'Causality'—after all, she would believe she was 'injured' and therefore 'would die.'
Yun Yao continued, "As for the third person, from his behavior, he seems to have joined the 'Extremists' not long ago."
She then looked back at Qi Xia. "Qi Xia, you fought him. Did you figure out his ability?"
"Speaking of his ability... it's rather strange," Qi Xia replied.
"How strange?" Lin Qin asked.
"He can create stones out of thin air," Qi Xia said. "But the shape of the stones seems to be at his will."
Lin Qin nodded after hearing this. "His name is 'The Original.'"
"'The Original'?" Yun Yao frowned. "How do you know?"
Han Yimo interjected from the side, "The three of us were at the display screen earlier and happened to see the 'Echoes' of those three people."
"The Original..." Qi Xia silently mouthed the name but still felt he had no clue.
Lin Qin continued, "I think 'The Original' and 'False Accusation' might participate in tomorrow's match, but 'Causality' won't. That means they can find at most one more ally."
"Really?" Yun Yao looked at Lin Qin skeptically. "How do you know that, too?"
"Also just a guess," Lin Qin said. "I feel the 'Extremists' aren't very popular, so they won't have many 'reserves.'"
"That makes sense..." Yun Yao nodded thoughtfully.
The group fell silent.
"But there's good news too," Yun Yao changed the subject. "The 'Extremists' are all lunatics who love showing off their individual abilities, so they won't consider team cooperation at all. That's our biggest advantage!"
She then looked at Zhang Shan, Qiao Jiajing, and Li Xiangling.
The atmosphere was a bit awkward.
These three barely knew each other before. Could their cooperation really be any better than the 'Extremists'?
Qiao Jiajing gave a foolish grin. "Oh, so we need to work together, huh? Ha ha..."
This was the man who had once single-handedly taken down thirty-seven people.
Zhang Shan scratched his head awkwardly. "Damn... I thought it was three-on-three one-on-one fights..."
This was the man who had once single-handedly killed a bear.
Neither of them had ever relied on others for help when facing danger.
Qi Xia slowly covered his forehead.
This team was now made up of two 'fists' and one 'weapon'—wasn't this also just about 'individual ability'?
Qi Xia knew that if tomorrow's game really turned out to be three-on-one fights, it would actually be better. If it was purely about combat skills, even Xiaoxiao with her 'False Accusation' wouldn't have an advantage.
But Yun Yao had said the 'Earth Tiger' games involved a certain degree of teamwork. Could these three really pull it off?
Yun Yao thought for a long time, then said, "How about this... I have some small games to build team trust. We used to do them often when our group first started. I'll teach them to you now, and you can cram to develop some team chemistry."
"Uh..." The three of them looked troubled. "Small games to build team chemistry...?"
Just a day ago, Qiao Jiajing had wanted to kick Zhang Shan. Now, after only one day, they were supposed to cultivate team chemistry.
Seeing this, Qi Xia raised a hand to stop Yun Yao and said to the three, "I don't think it's necessary. A team that's hastily assembled can't compare to unleashing individual abilities to their fullest. Tomorrow, just go all out and use your own skills."