Chapter 843: Starlit Martial Ceremony (6)

"Well then, thank you, enthusiastic miss of unknown age... We'll head back to the lounge."

After saying goodbye to Su Shang, Lu Ka found the enthusiasm of the Xianzhou people somewhat unbelievable; he didn't expect the opponent's coach from the first round to voluntarily offer him tactical guidance on the arena.

"You see, Xianzhou isn't that scary, right?"

Lu Ka nodded in agreement: "Indeed, there are quite a few good people."

The first match began immediately; regaining his confidence, Lu Ka stepped onto the arena, with Xing temporarily serving as his coach and providing tactical support. Although the opponent in this opening trial was a pair of cloud riders in formation, with Xing's help it wasn't too hard, but midway through, Lu Ka noticed a tiny change in the enemies before him.

They were actually transforming.

The cloud rider in front twisted its body and, in the blink of an eye, turned into a Beiluoboge rift creature! Lu Ka froze instantly, only snapping back to his senses when Xing loudly warned him from beside, avoiding a heavy surprise attack.

Lu Ka rubbed his eyes, staring at everything in disbelief: "What just came up... why is it a rift creation? Am I... hallucinating?"

——

Zero Zone.

"Huh? Rift creatures? Where are there rift creatures?"

Inside Air Combat Class Six, Cang Jiao curiously surveyed the sky dome; because she couldn't share sensations with Lu Ka, she hadn't seen any so‑called "rift creatures" at all.

"It seems Lu Ka's stress has reached a very serious level," Yuecheng Liu sighed lightly. "When pressure gets too high, trembling hands and even hallucinations can appear. It's a 'overload' reaction of the brain under extreme stress, indicating Lu Ka's mental tolerance may have exceeded the limit. If psychological counseling isn't provided in time... the consequences could be severe."

"Sister Liu, will he lose?"

"Losing might be the best outcome; when such psychological issues arise, one should see a psychiatrist. Given Lu Ka's current condition, he'll probably need some medication to temporarily stabilize and suppress the hallucinations. But taking medicine before a match—I'm not sure if Xianzhou has a 'urine test' stage..."

"But if we look at it differently, isn't this also because Lu Ka's 'win‑or‑lose' drive is too intense?" Qian Yu Youzhen placed both hands behind his head and said leisurely, "I've heard that among those who love competing on the arena, the top performers aren't just the highly skilled or those with pre‑planned tactics; they also possess a crucial mental quality: the ability to enjoy the match and the process of competing with the opponent. Perhaps Beiluoboge placed an overly massive mission on Lu Ka's shoulders, causing his pressure to explode, making him over‑emphasize victory."

"Hmm, that possibility does exist..."

Yuecheng Liu nodded approvingly, just as she was about to praise Youzhen for his insight, she suddenly noticed the guy start touching Cang Jiao's horn, his face slipping into a terribly clumsy act.

"Eh? Cang Jiao... why does your face look like a skeleton?! And Liu... you've turned into a death‑road butcher!!"

Cang Jiao looked bewildered: "Huh?? Me? Youzhen, want to try touching again? There's no 'core' on my face!!"

Youzhen rubbed his eyes, his eyelids fluttering: "Absolutely... could it be that I'm hallucinating at work?! No, Liu, I think I need to take leave and see a psychiatrist..."

As he spoke, he deftly slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a pre‑written leave slip—God knows how he managed to draft it right under her nose, and she didn't notice at all.

Liu's face still wore a gentle smile, though blue veins spread across her forehead: "... Youzhen, could you stop using such clumsy and sudden excuses next time? Lu Ka hallucinated because his win‑or‑lose drive is strong; what's your excuse? Is a strong desire for leave creating a phantom realm?"

——

"Although the rift creature before him gave Lu Ka considerable trouble, Xing promptly provided tactical guidance, helping him reverse the battle and sweep away the decline."

"The winner is—【Tie Bi】Lu Ka!"

Accompanied by Jimi's announcement, the Jingfeng vessel erupted in a roar of cheers like a mountain tide. Yet Lu Ka seemed oblivious; one hand rubbed his head, the other weakly supported Xing's shoulder.

"Xing, I feel something's off... what's happening to me?"

"My condition... is strange. Just now I saw those cloud rider soldiers suddenly become ferocious, like a horde of monsters."

A nearby cloud rider heard and frowned: "Hey, do you have any martial virtue? How can you insult people after winning?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean that! Everything before my eyes feels like a hallucination..."

Su Shang: "Could it be too much stress? When I was a kid, on the eve of exams, the characters on the page would seem to turn ferocious, like a swarm of monsters!"

"If it's stress, why not have a bottle of Good Dream Bubble Drink? This is Su Le Da's Xianzhou edition, also with calming and sleep‑aid effects—'Drink the beautiful dream bubble water, sweet on the tongue, beautiful in the heart!'" Ka Mei Li said, then suddenly cut to an advertisement.

Seeing Ka Mei Li pull out orange‑flavored bubble water, Xing looked skeptical: "Can this pass a urine test?"

"Don't worry, both intelligent machines and corporate mechs can compete; Xianzhou's martial ceremony has long been under the Tech Bureau."

Lu Ka downed the Good Dream Bubble Water in one gulp, and his complexion gradually returned to a rosy hue.

After a brief chat, Lu Ka learned that the cloud rider who had given him a hard time was merely a regular foot soldier of Xianzhou, and in terms of hand‑to‑hand skill, the elite squad of the Silver Mane Iron Guard was no better than that.

Lu Ka couldn't help but sigh that Yalilo-VI had been out of the galaxy for far too long; he was clueless about things everyone took for granted.

"Regardless of combat power, the gap in perception can't be bridged quickly. Even if the gap is huge, I must punch, I must fight, I must win! Right now, Madam Bu Luoniya, Master Ao Lie Ge, and Xi Er... the people remaining in Beiluoboge are diligently keeping her running."

"Mr. Jie Pa De trusts me so much, handing me the chance to represent Beiluoboge. I cannot disappoint these people; I will dedicate the victory to them!"

Lu Ka looked at Xing beside him and suddenly changed tone: "So... Xing, I would like to formally ask you to be my coach!"