bioinnovel Chapter 148 Iron-Blooded Arena
Chapter 148 Iron-Blooded Arena
"You're...you're kidding, right?!"
Lu Yuan's voice trembled, almost as if it were being squeezed out from deep in her throat.
She stared intently at Xue Youyou's face, desperately trying to find any evidence of a joke on that delicate and indifferent face—even just a barely perceptible twitch at the corner of her mouth or a fleeting mischievousness in her eyes.
But she failed.
Xue Youyou's expression was relaxed and natural, her gaze clear and open. She calmly exchanged glances with everyone present, without flinching or avoiding them, as if she had just been stating something trivial—like the weather was nice today, or what she had for lunch.
This composure was not because she was confident about the current situation, but rather it was her nature.
In the serene world of snow, there are only two answers to a question: yes or no.
When she decides to answer "yes," even if the success rate of the surgery is only one in ten, she will look directly into the eyes of the patient's family and say "100% success" in an unquestionable tone.
That wasn't deception, but rather her unique code of conduct—once she chose to "do" something, she would use all her courage to make it a reality.
The situation is the same now. She personally taught Meng Yanqing and Lin Feiyan the same sheathing technique.
In other words, during the day and a half that she was missing, Meng Yanqing theoretically had the possibility of having mastered the Returning to the Sheath technique.
Even though Xue Youyou knew in her heart that the probability was pitifully small, it did exist. The timeline in which Meng Yanqing mastered the Returning Sheath and defeated Lin Feiyan truly existed.
enough.
That's enough.
For a Beastmaster who would ruthlessly grind down the legendary ultimate skill "Snow Rose" just to unlock the "Snow Accumulation" ultimate skill, sitting here without batting an eye and saying "Lan Zhiyuan can win" is just child's play.
In her dictionary, there is no such thing as "scarce probability" and "absolutely impossible".
If it's a low-probability miracle, then let it happen with a high probability.
The path taken will surely be a perfect timeline.
It is with this almost obsessive, unwavering belief that Xue Youyou has been able to get to where she is today.
For no apparent reason, a chill ran down Lu Yuan's spine. She sensed in Xue Youyou a madness that only a true gambler possessed—the madness to push all the chips to the center of the table of fate and then smile as the dice rolled.
Unlike her, a speculator who profits from information asymmetry, Xue Youyou is a true archer who dares to aim for the bullseye of a miracle and release the bowstring without hesitation.
Although Xue Youyou sat there with a relaxed expression, as leisurely as if she were drinking tea in her own living room, she exuded an indescribable sense of oppression, making Lu Yuan feel for the first time in the depths of her soul the unfathomable gap between the two in their realm of life.
"How...how is this possible..."
Lu Yuan's expression had already betrayed her inner thoughts, and the beads of sweat rolling down her forehead were as big as soybeans, sliding down her cheeks, but she was completely unaware of it.
In this suffocating atmosphere—
She was hallucinating.
A gambling table appeared out of thin air, and she and Xue Youyou sat at opposite ends, engaging in a one-on-one duel.
In her mind's eye, Xue Youyou's figure swelled continuously, like the Snow Maiden from mythology, towering like a mountain, radiating a chilling aura that froze everything, making it hard for her to breathe. Meanwhile, she herself shrank smaller and smaller, as if she could be crushed at any moment.
Xue Youyou noticed Lu Yuan's unusual behavior, seeing her face suddenly turn deathly pale, so she kindly asked, "Dean, are you alright?"
Even if she racked her brains, she could never have guessed that Lu Yuan had secretly bought Fentian Academy's winnings while she was missing. The indescribable pressure she felt at that moment was almost crushing this usually shrewd and calculating dean.
All of this was merely a chain reaction stirred up by her casual remark, "Everything is in the plan."
At this moment, Xue Youyou was simply expressing her concern out of the purest teacher-student affection.
Lu Yuan wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Ha...ha...it's nothing, it's just that...the room feels a bit hot."
Upon hearing this, Xue Youyou smiled slightly and gently comforted her, "This is normal. Just calm yourself down. After all, Dean, you can't see the future of Lanzhi Academy's victory like I can, so it's inevitable that you'll be nervous."
Lu Yuan: "..."
She fervently prayed to all the gods, begging Xue Youyou to immediately shut her mouth. If she continued like this, she might be verbally killed before the competition results were even announced.
Just then, Ning Xiaoman suddenly shouted, "The match has begun!"
"Watch the game! Watch the game!"
This shout drew everyone's attention away from Lu Yuan and back to the huge live-streaming screen in the living room.
【Burning Heaven Academy I VS Blue Orchid Academy I】
[Map being randomly generated...]
[Random Results: Ember Core, Tundra, Iron-Blooded Arena]
[Please remove one map from each player's inventory.]
The selection was made by the Burning Heaven Academy first.
[Burning Heaven Academy I, select to disable Tundra]
Clean and efficient, without any hesitation or fuss.
The environment of "Tranquil Tundra" is a polar ice cap under the eternal night, freezing cold and full of ice energy, making it one of the battle maps that fire-type pets hate the most.
The Burning Heaven Academy side retaliated with extreme satisfaction, as if even glancing at the map name was considered unlucky.
Next, it was Lan Zhiyuan's turn to make a selection.
The remaining two options are "Ember Fusion Core" and "Iron Blood Arena".
This is actually a no-question-asked choice. In any case, it is absolutely impossible to release a map like "Ember Furnace Core" to the Burning Heaven Academy, a map filled with lava and with a fire element concentration so high that it can almost spontaneously combust.
If they were to actually take over that home turf, it would be no different from fighting on the crater of a volcano.
There wasn't much to say. Meng Yanqing and the others simply exchanged a symbolic glance before turning off "Ember Fusion Core".
[Blue Orchid Courtyard I, Select to Disable Ember Fusion Core]
As expected, both sides made the only correct choice for their opponent with great self-awareness, each removing the battle map that was extremely unfavorable to their side.
The final battle map has been confirmed as: Iron-Blooded Arena.
"It's the Iron-Blooded Arena?"
Lin Feiyan's lips slowly curved into a smile.
She and Meng Yanqing had made a pact—to have a one-on-one duel today. They had sworn an oath before Xue Youyou: whoever won would gain everything.
Unfortunately, Iron Blood Arena just happens to be a map that perfectly suits their needs for this battle.
One of the special rules of the map: At any given time, only one Beastmaster from the same faction is allowed to fight in the arena. The other Beastmasters will be forcibly locked by the power of the rules and will be unable to move or provide support.
The second special rule of the map: the Beastmaster must fight until they are completely incapacitated or killed before they can be replaced. In other words, unlike Pokémon battles where you can freely switch Pokémon mid-battle, this is a more brutal and naked gauntlet battle—or rather, more like a deadly duel with no way out in the ancient Roman Colosseum.
As for Xue Youyou's absence from the stage, Bao Xiaoxing explained that she was "unwell," but Lin Feiyan had her own interpretation.
In her view, this was Xue Youyou's deliberate act. In order to let Meng Yanqing and her settle everything in the fairest way, she deliberately chose to sit on the sidelines and be a pure witness.
Since Xue Youyou has gone to such lengths, she must respond in kind.
Lin Feiyan made up her mind: she would defeat Meng Yanqing cleanly and decisively, then gracefully exit the stage, voluntarily admit defeat, and dedicate this hard-won victory to her most beloved Lord Youyou.