Chapter 15: Team Setup, Stepping Onto the Stage for Battle!
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Second update today: Chapter 015!
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“This is our captain. I believe you all knew his name when you signed up. Codename ‘Blazing Fist,’ a Xuanwu Heaven-Blessed, currently at the third rank of the Bone-Hardened Realm!”
Geng Xiao stepped forward and shook hands with the two one by one, saying, “Hello. Since you both passed Ling Xiao’s power test, it proves you have the ability to join my Blazing Sky squad. However, we’re only recruiting one new member this time, so you’ll have to perform your best from here on.”
Yu Le nodded, “I will do my best.”
Beside him, Su Rui timidly nodded repeatedly.
“That lady…” Ling Xiao pointed to the woman on the stage, but the next moment, Yu Le felt an icy chill sweep over him, causing his whole body to shudder.
The woman stepped down from the stage: “My name is Han Yue Su. I’m the deputy captain of the Blazing Sky squad, a second-rank Bone-Hardened Xuanwu Heaven-Blessed.”
She spoke succinctly and then walked to the back.
“Han Yue Su?” Yu Le raised an eyebrow, murmuring while watching her retreating figure, “Shoulders carved like a blade, waist slender as Yue Su—what a fitting name.”
Han Yue Su paused, glanced back at Yu Le with a cold gaze that made him feel uneasy all over.
Ling Xiao whispered, “You’re doomed. Captain Han despises frivolous men the most. Xiao Meng got in trouble because, when he first joined, he casually said, ‘Hey, beauty, got a boyfriend?’ For three days, Captain Han made him train lightly, and every five days, a heavy session. He was literally beaten from the eighth to the ninth rank of the Rock-Hardened Realm.”
Yu Le: …
“That’s a bit much. I was just complimenting her name.”
Ling Xiao shrugged, dropping the icy demeanor from the interview and gave Yu Le a look that said, “Good luck to you.”
“Hello, everyone! I’m Meng Huai, master of the Xuan-grade Life Martial Art: Wind-Swaying Spear. Currently at the ninth rank of the Rock-Hardened Realm, I’m looking forward to teaming up with one of you.”
Ling Xiao spread his hands, “Xiao Meng is the second youngest in our squad, now twenty, so naturally familiar with things. If any of you join the Blazing Sky squad and have questions, you can ask him.”
“Twenty years old?”
Yu Le was a bit surprised, and Su Rui looked him over carefully.
Meng Huai’s smile was bright and matched the image of a sunny, cheerful young man. Though his looks were somewhat ordinary, he was definitely the type beloved by older women.
A Xuanwu Heaven-Blessed at twenty, ranked ninth in the Rock-Hardened Realm—this made Su Rui, who was originally very confident, suddenly feel uneasy.
He thought he was a genius, but this guy was younger and stronger than him…
Yu Le noticed something Ling Xiao said during the introduction: Meng Huai is the second youngest in the Blazing Sky squad.
Then the youngest must be...
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At that moment, Geng Xiao turned his head and called from behind, “Xiao Yuan, come out and meet your future new teammates.”
“Boss, I’m busy, no time.”
The girl with the stray hair behind the computer peeked out and smiled with her large eyes framed by thick glasses, waving at the two before burying herself back in her work.
Ling Xiao touched his nose and said, “Xiao Yuan is our squad’s prodigy girl, nineteen years old, eighth rank of the Rock-Hardened Realm…”
Su Rui clutched his chest; having Meng Huai had already shaken his confidence, and now there was a nineteen-year-old prodigy girl.
But Ling Xiao hadn’t finished.
“And she’s also the only Life-type Heaven-Blessed in our squad, and a Xuan-grade Martial Artist!”
Hiss~
Yu Le took a deep breath at this.
Nineteen years old, eighth rank of the Rock-Hardened Realm, Life-type Xuan-grade Martial Artist!
Any one of these alone would justify the title ‘prodigy girl.’
From what he heard, the Blazing Sky squad only had five members, but whether it was Ling Xiao, who wasn’t a Heaven-Blessed, or Xiao Yuan, who seemed the lowest ranked but actually the most gifted, none were ordinary!
“All right, now that you’ve briefly met everyone, if you get the chance to be teammates in the future, you’ll get to know each other better. Since only you two passed Ling Xiao’s power test, selecting one new teammate is straightforward,” Geng Xiao said in a muffled voice.
Ling Xiao and Meng Huai stood behind Geng Xiao.
“Step onto the stage for a fight. Data and abilities don’t tell the whole story. The Blazing Sky squad needs practical, battle-ready talent. Whoever can walk off the stage victorious will be our new teammate.”
That straightforward and brutal?
Before Yu Le could speak, Su Rui’s eyes lit up: “I like this method!”
Then, clenching his fists, he glared fiercely at Yu Le, “Combat is the best way to test a martial artist’s true level. I’ll knock you down!”
Yu Le remained calm in the face of his provocation, saying lightly, “I will win.”
The two stepped onto the stage while Geng Xiao acted as referee below, “This is real combat with no rules. Just imagine your opponent is a vicious beast and fight with all your might until one of you surrenders or is knocked off the stage.”
Both nodded simultaneously.
Yu Le clenched his hand, gripping the Fish Dragon Rod.
Su Rui leisurely put on his indestructible brass knuckles, wiping them as he said, “Yu Le, your explosive power is indeed impressive, but after watching your second punch, I don’t think you’ve had any professional training, have you?”
Yu Le nodded, “Is that a problem?”
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Su Rui’s mouth curled into a smirk: “You haven’t even practiced basic power training. Then I guess you don’t have any combat techniques, right?”
“What techniques?” Yu Le asked, puzzled.
“Cough, cough, Yu Le, mind your language,” Geng Xiao coughed lightly from below.
Su Rui rolled his eyes, “You don’t even know what combat techniques are? I really don’t know where you got the confidence to sign up for the Blazing Sky squad. If you meet a ferocious beast like that, you might not even know how you died!”
“Then let me teach you a lesson and show you what a combat technique really is!”
Yu Le frowned; he had indeed never heard of combat techniques before.
The next moment, Su Rui moved, and just watching him run made Yu Le feel uneasy!
“Yellow-level Combat Technique: Shadow Step!”
Su Rui’s stout body swayed left and right, creating afterimages as he skillfully closed in on Yu Le.
Seeing this, Yu Le gripped the rod with both hands, and before Su Rui could get closer, he swung!
The advantage of the fishing rod was its telescoping ability. The 1.5-meter Fish Dragon Rod instantly extended to three meters, whipping toward the approaching Su Rui.
But Yu Le’s strike missed.
Su Rui easily dodged and sneered, “Watch me break your yellow weapon!”
The crowd’s expressions varied as they watched Su Rui’s next move.
Everyone below the stage except the dazed Xiao Yuan shook their heads, seemingly predicting Yu Le’s outcome.
But Yu Le’s expression was strange.
After dodging Yu Le’s strike, Su Rui grabbed the Fish Dragon Rod with his left hand, raised his right hand high, the brass knuckles on it flashing, then slammed down hard on the rod.
Unexpectedly, the scene Yu Le feared—a crushing blow breaking his martial weapon—did not happen.
Instead, the rod bent into an arc and snapped back fiercely, catapulting Su Rui into the air.
The rod’s tail whipped across Su Rui’s chubby face, leaving a savage blood streak. Su Rui cried out in pain.
Not a brother, and you want to break a Heavenly Weapon with a Xuanwu weapon?
You’re bold!