It was extremely hard for him to break through within a short period of time. Nevertheless, Barran could familiarise himself with his defensive techniques, Gravity-attribute special ability, as well as his barbaric charge. Although his moves would definitely be seen through by his opponents, as long as he remained calm during combat, he would still be able to grasp hold of opportunities that would lead to victory. That was what Barran had always strived for. As long as he didn’t give up, an opportunity would always present itself.
Like him, Scarlet and Emily were hoping to be able to shoulder more responsibilities. Basically, all top-class experts had insta-kill moves developed from their special abilities, as well as combination combat techniques that exceeded the realm of the Casted Soul Stage. These were exactly what Scarlet and Emily were lacking. Although Scarlet had shocked the world with her outstanding display in the previous match, her intelligence-centric style would only be able to catch her opponent off guard once.
Frankly speaking, it was already mind blowing that such a miracle had occurred. Hoping for something similar to happen in their match against Martial Ghost Divine Emperor would be hoping for the impossible. Nevertheless, the 2 of them did not give up.
From the looks of it, Wang Zhong and Grai did not appear to be under any pressure. “This construct’s really very imaginative. In fact, constructs are very easy to use, though the final move of turning nothing into something has a slight inkling of a Spiritual Soul combat technique.”
With a faint smile, Grai replied. “Senior, don’t you feel that the so-called “dimension” is just reflecting an illusion into reality?”
Wang Zhong nodded his head in agreement. There were indeed many matters about the hyper dimension that had slight similarities to the concept of reflecting an illusion into reality. Grai had really struck the jackpot in his line of thought, This has allowed him to gain an understanding into the matter of Dimensional combat techniques.
Although Grai had lost to Alasi in their duel, essentially, Alasi wasn’t able to defeat Grai, as he had only used his Giant Void Mouth the send Grai out of the stage. Nevertheless, this move was inherently invincible in such a competition setting, as Alasi could always run when he couldn’t fight against his opponent. There’s nothing anyone could do but to give Alasi props for that; being able to form a contract with such a dimensional life form meant that he was not only strong, but was also lucky.
“No one within the Martial Ghost Divine Emperor squadron is weak. From the information collected, their trump cards consist of Gui Hao, Gui Xinying and Gui Wulie. The other 2 mainstays, Larson and Villamont, are both elites nurtured by Martial Ghost Divine Emperor over the past few years. Since the Gui Family’s never been bad with their judgement, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they had gifted those two a Dimensional combat technique each.” said Wang Zhong. He had already read through the information Ma Dong had passed to him. Nevertheless, that was merely information gathered based on external appearances. For Tianjing, it would be a luxury to be able to execute combat strategies, and on paper, the disparity between their strength and others’ was massive. Therefore, there was no need to utilise any unique tactics or counter plays, and it would be alright for Barran and the others to just showcase their capabilities.
Clearly, Wang Zhong didn’t have the same train of thought as Ma Dong, as he yearned for even stronger opponents. In fact, to him, the competition was just getting started!
“Senior, do you want to win?” All of a sudden, Grai shot a question out. “I want to win!”
Looking towards Grai, Wang Zhong gave a laugh and replied, “Let’s give it a go!”
Although their other squadron members wished to give their all, truthfully speaking, they were already unable to pull their weight at this point of the CHF. In fact, it was extremely difficult, even for Barran. Nevertheless, being the captain, Wang Zhong couldn’t just pour cold water and ruin the morale of his squadron members.
To his surprise, he finally saw some fighting spirit present in Grai’s eyes. It could be said that they were the only two who could obtain wins in the duelling phase, and force the match against Martial Ghost Divine Emperor to proceed to the group battle.
Even Wang Zhong did not believe that there would be any place for luck against Martial Ghost Divine Emperor. Since the other squadron members had already given their greatest effort in the earlier stages of the CHF, it would be up to him and Grai to see how much further they could walk.
Similarly, facing Tianjing in the quarterfinals was precisely what Gui Hao wanted, as he did not wish for this guinea pig to land into other people’s hands. He really wanted to defeat Wang Zhong, and squish that bug under his feet! Only by doing so, would he be able to obtain a psychological advantage in Carolyn’s presence.
As of now, Carolyn and he were in some kind of rival/romantic relationship. Unlike what most men and women sought in life, they were involved in way too many matters. This had caused mutual wariness to form between them, yet, both of them wanted to collaborate with each other. If Martial Ghost Divine Emperor was able to establish a relationship with Stuart via marriage, they would possibly become the strongest aristocratic family within the Federation. If further development went well, they would be able to rule all of the Federation!
This was what Gui Hao really wanted. However, not only would he have to face the obstruction and disruption coming from other aristocratic families, he would also have to personally conquer Carolyn. If he successfully did that, half of that grand ambition would be achieved. If that happened, the family would modify their plans with him at the centre, and serve his every need.
Matters like that were probably extremely pressurising for others. However, with Gui Hao’s personality, he found satisfaction in facing challenges like that.
Naturally, he also wasn’t like most guys, who would do romantic stuff like sending flowers, as acts like those were meaningless to Carolyn. In a contest, mind games were extremely important.
The more impressive Wang Zhong’s performance was, the more cracks it would leave in Carolyn’s psyche, which Gui Hao wanted to properly make use of.
The match between Martial Ghost Divine Emperor had been set up by him, precisely through the use of his family’s power.
On the other hand, the match between Stuart and Giant God Peak was the result of a compromise.
He really wanted to know, when Tianjing realised who their opponents were, were they immediately consumed by despair? Or did they wish to overturn the situation as they did before?
This feeling was extremely comfortable, yet strange. It was precisely due to his strength that he felt no need to be worried. Now, the only thing he had to do was enjoy the process.
“Captain, Zhao Zimo’s here. Do you wish to see him?” Gui Wulie said as he walked in.
Gui Hao rapped the table. The Zhao Family… wished to rely on the Gui Family to rise in the ranks within the great families. The Gui Family also wished to use the Zhao Family as a chess piece. Both sides wanted to use each other. However, this time, the Zhao Family’s performance was too terrible, as they had actually been eliminated by Tianjing before even reaching the quarterfinals! This had left the Zhao Family and Zhao Zimo in an extremely horrible position. Furthermore, Zhao Yilong was still in a critical state, with seemingly no possibility of recovering. Using a Divine Weapon without restraint before entering the Heroic Soul Stage was an utterly naive and stupid mistake to make.
In the end, weapons were a form of external aid. How would there be proper growth if one was over-reliant on them? This was the reason why the Zhao Family was much weaker than the Mo Family, despite their similar roots.
“Let him in.” Gui Hao decided to give Zhao Zimo a chance. Frankly speaking, during this period of time, Zhao Zimo had not done anything right; while he might choose to work with the Zhao Family, he may not choose to work with Zhao Zimo.
Zhao Zimo walked in. Unlike the calm and tranquil expression he always had, an extremely humble one was now present on his face.
“Brother Hao…” just as Zhao Zimo opened his mouth to speak, he was interrupted by Gui Hao without a single shred of politeness.
‘There’s no need for any nonsense. Give me a reason why I need you.” said Gui Hao in an indifferent tone. Although aristocratic family members appeared impressive to the outside world, their internal conflicts were even more intense. To them, their greatest enemies were not on the outside, but from the inside.
Zhao Zimo didn’t have a good reputation. This time, with Zhao Yilong falling into a critical condition, it was highly likely that Zhao Zimo was involved in one way or another. To Gui Hao, such a villainous character was someone he could live without.
Facing Gui Hao was an extremely pressurising task for Zhao Zimo. Being an ordinary human, Zhao Zimo was almost on the brink of collapse from just standing in front of Gui Hao. Nevertheless, he knew that he only had one shot at this.
His entire plan hinged on the presence of a powerful external supporter. If not, he would only have a 40% chance of winning the internal war that was currently unfolding within his family. However, if he failed, he would become the greatest loser in this CHF. Zhao Yilong was already finished, and could no longer act as his support. After all, having a dead support was pointless. The next best choice would be the man before him.
Zhao Zimo looked towards Gui Hao. In the next second, he kneeled down on both knees without the slightest bit of hesitation. “Master Hao, please give me a chance! I’ll be yours to command!”
Hearing those words, Gui Hao grinned as he looked towards Zhao Zimo, appearing completely unsurprised. Internally, he was still somewhat astonished. Although he had made it a little difficult for Zhao Zimo, he never expected that guy to be even more shameless than he had assumed. With his acknowledgement and support, Zhao Zimo would have the power to lead the Zhao Family, lending their weight to him when required. Furthermore, Gui Hao would be able to turn his situation around completely.
Rapping the table softly, Gui Hao continued to look at the unmoving Zhao Zimo kneeling on the ground before him. There was nothing he needed to say, as he had done everything that he needed to prove his stand.
“Zimo, what are you doing? Hurry up and stand up! We’re all friends, right! We can talk about anything.” said Gui Hao with a smile as he gestured with his hand.
“Master Hao, I’m genuinely sincere about this! Within the entire Federation, only master Hao’s can truly unite everyone into one body! Please let this unworthy one help you get rid of any obstacles.” Zhao Zimo did not rise. He didn’t come this far just by dumb luck. If he really got up, he would be directly proclaiming about his insincerity.
Gui Hao smiled. “Tell me about your plan.”
A sliver of brilliance flashed across Zhao Zimo’s eyes. Nevertheless, keeping his head down all the way, he explained his entire plan. Listening to his elaboration, even someone like Gui Hao felt that Zhao Zimo was really too vicious; Zhao Zimo had even made use of his own brother, not only causing his downfall, but also wanting to obtain his brother’s innate talent for himself, and personally grace the stage.
Clearly, this fellow did not prioritise his family’s gains as highly as his own. Gui Hao could really use a vile person like this. If Zhao Zimo succeeded with his plan, Gui Hao would gain another lackey. With the former’s support, it would be easier for him to climb to the top. With all of the 10 great families being prideful and arrogant, this might tip the scales in his favour.
Most importantly, Zhao Zimo had revealed his entire plan to Gui Hao, which was equivalent to placing his life in Gui Hao’s hands. If the details were released to the Zhao Family, it would result in a fate worse than death for him.
“Actually, I feel that in your hands, the Zhao Family will be able to develop and progress even better than before. Stand up. As long as you perform well, I’ll give you some good fortune after this CHF!”
This time, Zhao Zimo did not reject Gui Hao’s words and stood up respectfully. Once a person was willing to put his dignity aside, nothing else mattered much.
“You’re talking about that thing in the Hyperdimension, right, Master Hao? Didn’t it get taken by the parliament?”
“Haha. Them obtaining it does not mean that they will have the final say. There’s a lot of matters that are up for negotiation. Before that, however, you have to complete your tasks.”
“Everything’s already prepared. WIth Master Hao’s support, I’m 99% confident in achieving my objectives.” replied Zhao Zimo.
Gui Hao nodded in response. Zhao Zimo gave a humble laugh. “There’s a bit of time left, Master Hao. Do you want me to find an opportunity to take action in Tianjing’s surroundings? Barran’s parents and Hymin’s parents are all commoners. What’s more, these 2 are getting very chummy with each other…”
Zhao Zimo’s made a throat-cutting gesture with his right hand. Clearly, there was still some problem with Scarlet and Milami’s identities. On the off chance that he was slightly careless with the execution of his plan, the parliament might get hold of some information that could be used against him. Other than those 2, there was no use in targeting Colby or the rest of the Tianjing squadron, as they were insignificant characters. However, it was a different story for Barran and Hymin.
At this point, Gui Hao was already shooting a cold glare at Zhao Zimo, causing him to become dumbfounded.
“Does the Gui Family need to use such methods? Don’t go off and act on your own initiative! I can let you live, and I can also let you die!”
A shiver instantly shook through Zhao Zimo’s body. “I’m sorry, Master Hao! I’ve made a mistake! This is why I desire strength; I also feel that I can’t understand an expert’s opinion, and my perspective is too limited.”
Only after hearing that did Gui Hao ease up on his expression, and nodded his head in response. This caused a sliver of regret to flashed through Zhao Zimo’s lowered eyes. He did not know whether or not Gui Hao had managed to see through his thoughts. However, if Gui Hao had really accepted his suggestion, that would mean that Gui Hao would have become part of his plan. Only by taking things one step at a time, would he be able to uncover more secrets.
After all, he wasn’t just some nameless trash. He had solidified his position within the Zhao Family. Therefore, these matters would become part of his strength.
Looking at Zhao Zimo’s low and hunched figure, an arc surfaced at the corner of Gui Hao’s mouth. Could someone like him even be trusted?
He naturally wouldn’t trust such a person. In fact, he had never believed Zhao Zimo from the start. Nevertheless, this was necessary for the Gui Family; a person with such strong self-interest would be easy to control.
As for Zhao Zimo’s suggestion, it was actually a pretty good one. It could have been used at any other time; but it was a pity that the current situation was the exception, where the Gui Family was about to start a war.
A villain was a villain. His mindset was too narrow.
As for Wang Zhong… Gui Hao was really anticipating the moment he could personally destroy that opponent!
Within the Tianjing training room, Wang Zhong sneezed. He and Grai were reading through the information of their upcoming opponents. Nevertheless, they weren’t researching too deeply into this, as both of them clearly had their own opinions on the matter. Furthermore, it still hard to say exactly who their respective opponents would be. With the current situation in the CHF, there was no guarantee for any squadron to enter the semifinals.
Barran was working hard. With the awakening of his Gravity-attribute special ability, he wanted to shoulder greater responsibility and contribute to Tianjing’s quarterfinal match. With the support of the official healers and Hymin’s undivided care, Barran had recovered extremely quickly, and would definitely be able to fight all the way to the semifinals. In the last few days, the atmosphere within the Tianjing squadron was rather good.
Other than Ma Dong, everyone had already closed their Skylinks. To them, news from the outside world didn’t hold any meaning at all. What’s more, it would only give them unnecessary trouble, and what Tianjing needed most at this moment was to focus and concentrate.
Giant God Peak squadron.
Dicaprio had just given a pep talk, to stoke the flames burning in his squadron members’ hearts. Without a doubt, the upcoming match against Stuart was the only challenging match they would have in this CHF. Under the protective escort from the parliament, their journey had been extremely smooth. Naturally, their own strength had also played a part in their advancement.
Giant God Peak was the great killing tool the parliament had spent loads of time nurturing, by gathering talented youths from the various cities across the Federation. No matter how small a city was, there remained the possibility of a genius being born there. The critical factor was whether these geniuses were discovered or not. The parliament had really dug deep into their pockets for the sake of realising that possibility, managing to unearth over a thousand people from across all the large cities. After the final round of eliminations, all that was left was this squadron, with every single member possessing unique talents that were tempered by training.
They had given everything they had, and would definitely go all out in their upcoming match against Stuart, with the parliament placing high hopes on them.
Ever since the CHF had become heated, Dicaprio had no longer paid much attention to Tianjing. Frankly speaking, at this stage, Tianjing had become an obstruction. However, this would be the end of their journey. Indeed, Wang Zhong was an extremely interesting fellow. Nevertheless, the talk about Wang Zhong being the new representative of the Federation’s academies had made Dicaprio uncomfortable. After all, he had paid a greater price, and the responsibility resting on his shoulders was much heavier.
Only by achieving victory himself, would the ordinary students of the Federation be able to take a great step forward. Only then would they break the monopoly of the 10 great families, and truly take control of their future!
What was Wang Zhong? He was merely just a disruptor.
Looking at the vast and wide view before him, Dicaprio pushed up his spectacles. His future held a vast range of opportunities. There was no need to look down! He would be the next influential figure within the Federation, breaking the deadlock of the 10 great families, and bring the Federation towards freedom and equality!
There would be a day, where his statue would be erected right before the great doors of the Federation parliament!