No Money To Cultivate Immortality? Chapter 380: The Second Half of the Battle - Novel Cool

Chapter 380: The Second Half of the Battle

"Who would’ve thought a mere Second Year student could throw everything into such chaos?"

Ma Xuan stared at the rapidly deteriorating situation, knowing full well he was now facing the worst-case scenario.

The duo of Xiao Qingxuan and Zhang Yu were more than capable of turning the entire Construction Site into utter chaos.

And if he stepped in to stop them, Shi Huaixu—now free from his interference—would swiftly lead his team through the breach.

If the full-scale battle erupted here, in the open, with no containment, the Bunker might never be completed at all.

"But there’s no choice left…"

With a calm motion, Ma Xuan withdrew the distant Xiao Sanhe, which had been pinning down Shi Huaixu.

Then, with a single palm thrust forward, the ground beneath him erupted—mud and sand surging upward like a floodwave, crashing violently toward Zhang Yu and Xiao Qingxuan, sending them both flying backward.

At the same moment, Shi Huaixu seized the opening, leading his team forward on a tide of swirling mud and sand.

Cong Na and Yang Yan had already retreated, now standing guard before the Bunker.

The entire Construction Site split in two—divided by opposing forces, eyes blazing with battle-lust, the air thick with tension.

Ma Xuan exhaled softly.

"Bu Ziran, come out and help us hold the line."

"Ji Susu, keep building—do as much as you can."

He clasped his hands together, and waves of mud and sand coiled around him, forming a thick, protective barrier that wrapped completely around the Bunker behind him.

And then—war erupted before the Bunker.

Che Yufei and Shi Yunxiang surged forward, colliding head-on with Cong Na and Bu Ziran, unleashing shockwaves that rippled through the air.

Shi Huaixu unleashed a barrage of mud and sand toward the Bunker, but a deafening metallic clash echoed across the field.

Shi Huaixu explained calmly:

"The Zhi Di Cheng Gang—the seventh technique of the Seven Absolute Arts. It’s a skill Ma Xuan learned that I didn’t."

"Once activated, it abandons the flexibility of earth control, shifting to rigid, unyielding defense."

Ma Xuan took a light step forward. Beneath him, pillars of rock erupted like steel spears, shooting toward the enemy.

Meanwhile, Ji Yuanchi unleashed volleys of lightning-infused Gang Qi from afar.

Zhang Yu, with a flick of his will, summoned multiple Wuxiang Force barriers, effortlessly intercepting the incoming attacks.

Then, with a single punch, he sent a tidal wave of Gang Qi slamming into the Barrier in front of the Bunker.

Bu Ziran spat out Fei Jin Jian Qi to counter, but Tian Yang swept in with a storm of wind and sand, overwhelming him.

On the other side, Xiao Qingxuan’s body was wreathed in roaring Dragon-shaped Gang Qi, battering relentlessly against Ma Xuan’s Barrier.

The entire Construction Site trembled under the onslaught—shaking like it was caught in a series of endless earthquakes.

Though Ma Xuan’s team fought hard, the battlefield was too close to the structure. They couldn’t unleash their full power without risking the Bunker’s integrity.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu’s side attacked without restraint—pressing hard, forcing Ma Xuan’s team onto the defensive.

Ma Xuan’s Barrier began to crack.

Each time it was repaired, a new fissure appeared, exposing more of the Bunker behind it.

"This is the worst possible outcome," Ma Xuan thought grimly.

Yet he knew the tide couldn’t be turned now. All he could do was endure, fight as long as possible, and maximize their score.

When the round ended, the Bunker’s completion rate was assessed at 42%.

Seeing that, Bu Ziran glared at Ji Susu.

"What happened? We held off countless attacks, and you only built 42%?"

Ji Susu remained calm.

"The foundation’s practically shattered. 42% is already a miracle."

Ji Yuanchi added, "It’s not even our fault they broke through. I don’t get it—how could you all, so many of you, be beaten like that by Zhang Yu?"

Bu Ziran narrowed his eyes, glancing sideways at Ji Yuanchi.

"What’s your Rank? Do you even understand the competition?"

Ji Yuanchi opened his mouth, but found no words.

Ma Xuan sighed.

"The attackers always have the advantage. There’s nothing we can do about that."

"Next round—this is our home field."

"As the attackers, our strength will only grow. The gap will widen."

He turned toward Zhang Yu’s position, voice cold.

"In the next round, I’ll reduce their completion rate to zero."

"Not a single brick will remain."

---

On the other side, Shi Huaixu laughed heartily.

"That was a brilliant round."

She looked at Zhang Yu.

"Especially you, Zhang Yu. Without you disrupting their formation, our advance wouldn’t have been this smooth."

Zhang Yu smiled faintly.

"Me alone? I could only harass. I owe you all for the support behind the scenes."

Che Yufei turned to Shi Yunxiang.

"How are you doing?"

Shi Yunxiang stared at his Hand Spirit Armor—once pristine, now pockmarked with dents and scars.

"Yang Yan’s been targeting me since the start. Was that really necessary?"

Che Yufei sighed.

"Of course it was. He wanted you to break under pressure."

"That’s why I never joined competitions in my first years—costly, and never any reward."

Xiao Qingxuan cut in.

"The next round won’t be easy. We’ll have to stop Ma Xuan’s assault before it reaches the Construction Site."

Shi Huaixu nodded.

"If they get inside, they’ll be free to destroy everything. We won’t even reach 10% completion."

---

Moments later, the break ended.

The second half of the battle began.

Ma Xuan stared at the Construction Site, voice quiet but firm.

"Eliminate them all."

With the attackers’ numerical and strength advantage, his plan was clear: crush the enemy one by one, then reduce every last piece of construction material to dust.

In his mind, when superiority was absolute, this was the most reliable, most efficient, and hardest-to-reverse strategy.

"Let’s crush them together."

Soon, twin walls of mud and sand rose from both ends of the battlefield—two opposing tsunamis colliding in midair.

Amid the storm, the teams clashed in ferocious hand-to-hand combat.

Ma Xuan, through the shared visual feed from each teammate’s Eye Armor, controlled the entire field with precision.

He saw Zhang Yu—wrapped in swirling cloud-like Gang Qi—racing toward Cong Na.

He saw Xiao Qingxuan unleashing nine Dragon-shaped Gang Qi, tearing through the mud and sand, charging straight at him.

He saw Shi Huaixu using Xiao Sanhe to duel him, while simultaneously supporting his teammates.

But his focus narrowed on Che Yufei.

"Of all the ones here, you’re the weakest—especially with Shi Yunxiang still occupied."

"Start with you."

Under Ma Xuan’s command, Cong Na and the others converged on Che Yufei, aiming to eliminate him first.

Shi Huaixu and the others reacted instantly.

Ma Xuan watched, muttering:

"Trying to rescue Che Yufei?"

"No use. The gap in strength and numbers will only lead to your destruction, one by one."

But then he noticed a shift in their formation. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Oh? They’re moving toward Cong Na?"

"Trying to force a response—turn defense into offense?"

"Think we’ll retreat to save Cong Na? That’s your plan?"

He let out a cold chuckle.

"Go ahead. We’ll keep pulling you apart, line by line."

As the battle raged and the front lines were dragged back and forth, Ma Xuan’s gaze sharpened.

"Now."

With a sudden surge, he heaved a massive wave of mud and sand upward—shaping it into a bowl-like dome, flipping it down like a lid.

Then, he activated Zhi Di Cheng Gang, hardening the barrier into unbreakable stone.

Inside the dome: Che Yufei, Ma Xuan, Yang Yan, Bu Ziran, and Ji Susu.

Outside: Ji Yuanchi and Cong Na, already retreating at high speed—cutting off any chance of a flank attack from the outside.

The plan was clear:

With the barrier in place, Ma Xuan and his three allies would overwhelm Che Yufei.

Meanwhile, Ji Yuanchi and Cong Na would escape—keeping the enemy’s reinforcements from closing in.

As for breaking the barrier?

"Even if Shi Huaixu and the others attack together, it’ll take them at least twenty seconds to breach my defense."

"And twenty seconds…"

Ma Xuan stared at Che Yufei.

"...is enough to defeat you over and over."

He knew, of course, that killing was forbidden in the competition.

So he simply said:

"Crush his hands and feet."

Then, to Che Yufei:

"Drop your weapon. If you don’t want every inch of your body torn apart, surrender now."

A surrender would save time and Martial Energy.

But Che Yufei only smiled.

Then, without hesitation, he charged forward.

Bu Ziran snarled.

"Even a dying beggar doesn’t have the nerve to show up here?"

And with that, he lunged—spitting out a flurry of Fei Jin Jian Qi in a sweeping slash.

The others joined in—three more attacks converging on Che Yufei.

But then—just as the blades and Gang Qi met—Bu Ziran felt a strange, familiar pulse from the opponent’s energy.

"You!"

Under the onslaught, Che Yufei’s body twisted violently under the pressure—his form warped, reshaped—until the face that emerged was unmistakably Zhang Yu’s.

Zhang Yu looked at the four of them, calm.

"Dragging us around like this? You really think we didn’t see through it?"

Ma Xuan’s brow furrowed.

"Shi Huaixu knew my target. He deliberately pulled ‘Che Yufei’ into position—set up this trap?"

"Most likely used mud and sand to mask Zhang Yu’s presence, letting him transform into Che Yufei’s form…"

On the outside, the real “Zhang Yu” watched as his Wuxiang Yun’gang suddenly collapsed—revealing Che Yufei’s true form beneath.

The Ranking display and Foundation Establishment Domain had been disabled from the start, hidden in the chaos of battle.

Ma Xuan’s mind raced with possibilities.

"During the first half, I had to maintain Xiao Sanhe far away—couldn’t commit fully to Zhang Yu."

"But now? I control the earth beneath me with Xiao Sanhe. I can defend and attack at once."

"And Zhang Yu? He’s not at full strength. In the short break, how much of his Martial Energy has he recovered? How much of his body has healed?"

A thought struck him.

"Should we… take this chance? Let’s press forward—four of us, all-out—see if we can break him right here?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end

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