Chapter 237

The Zhang Xiu player looked at Gu Xuan with a grave expression.

A four-card difference in one round;

the further the battle went, the wider the gap between them would become,

and the lower their chances of winning would get.

Fortunately,

he still had one 'Nothing Out of Nothing' and one 'Kill' in his hand.

If his teammate had a 'Peach' to keep him from dying for one round,

and if he had a bit of luck in the next round,

it wasn't impossible to beat the Landlord into a severely crippled state. Plus, with his teammate Zhang Yi having 'Dual Blades',

perhaps they could end the battle in one round?

"Click." Just as the Zhang Xiu player was thinking this,

Gu Xuan took a +1 Horse from the deck and equipped it,

then equipped a -1 Horse.

Now, of the three options for 【Dream Occupation】,

only the second remained.

Gu Xuan prepared to use it when he was ready to use a 'Kill'.

Glancing at his remaining hand,

Gu Xuan pondered for a moment.

In the end, he still did not use a 'Kill' on Zhang Xiu,

but instead thought about targeting Zhang Yi.

The Zhang Xiu player currently had exactly two cards left.

Next round, he could use his skill to dismantle them,

and perhaps even deal a point of damage.

If he used a 'Kill' now, in case the opponent dodged,

he would only be able to dismantle one card later when using the 【Dream Occupation】 skill.

One card likely wouldn't add up to more than ten points,

which would mean missing out on a point of damage—a slight loss.

Of course, he could also use a 'Kill' followed by a 'Wine-enhanced Kill' on Zhang Xiu, which might bring him to the brink of death,

baiting out the 'Peach' in Zhang Yi's hand.

But that was actually meaningless.

After all, as long as Zhang Xiu was still alive, he would immediately recover to full health after his turn ended.

By the time Gu Xuan's next turn came around,

if he ran out of 'Wine' or 'Kill' cards and couldn't deal damage,

and couldn't trigger his skill,

wouldn't that be a huge loss?

Although using a 'Kill' on the Zhang Yi player would allow him to draw a card for free after he used a 'Dodge',

ending his turn,

but,

Gu Xuan couldn't leave the second option of the 【Dream Occupation】 skill unused; otherwise, he would have one less damage card next turn.

It was just one card; if Zhang Yi wanted to draw it, let him.

All things considered, it was more worthwhile to use the 'Kill' on the Zhang Yi player this turn.

"Kill!"

After making up his mind,

Gu Xuan threw a 'Kill' at Zhang Yi.

When Gu Xuan threw the 'Kill',

the Zhang Xiu player had already prepared himself to lose health,

but was stunned to discover

that the target of Gu Xuan's 'Kill'

didn't seem to be him?

"Did he misclick, or..."

"Does this guy not know the skills of the Zhang Xiu and Zhang Yi generals?"

Zhang Xiu looked at Gu Xuan as if he were an idiot.

Could it be that this guy hadn't studied the powerful generals from the morning brawl event?

Anyone who knew even a little about Zhang Xiu's skills

would know that the Zhang Xiu player definitely wouldn't have many 'Dodge' or 'Peach' cards.

Moreover, Zhang Xiu's explosive potential was terrifying,

so he should definitely be targeted in the first round.

Yet this guy,

why did he go to kill Zhang Yi after dismantling two of his cards?

Isn't attacking Zhang Yi now just giving him a card draw?

Does this person even know how to play?

Did he just stumble into the finals by luck?

………….

"The dream is ethereal, yet there are traces to occupy!"

Used a 'Kill', skill 【Dream Occupation】 activated!

Gu Xuan chose the second option: he could draw a damage card when using a 'Kill' next turn.

On the side, Zhang Yi at the third position,

seeing Gu Xuan's move of using a 'Kill' on him,

also looked as if he were watching a fool.

But immediately after, his face lit up with joy.

"Attacking me is great!"

If he used a 'Dodge' against the attack, after his turn ended,

he could still draw a card,

and he could preserve Zhang Xiu's condition!

It couldn't be more perfect!

He had been worried that the Landlord would use a 'Kill' and a 'Wine-enhanced Kill' to bring Zhang Xiu to the brink of death!

He only had one 'Peach' in his hand, so he could only save him once.

If the Landlord had even one more damage card,

he wouldn't be able to save him.

Now, the Landlord had directly ignored Zhang Xiu and turned to attack him instead;

he was more than happy about that!

With two 'Dodge' cards in his hand, the Zhang Yi player wasn't afraid of Gu Xuan at all.

"Dodge!"

Immediately, the Zhang Yi player threw a card from his hand

to avoid the damage from the 'Kill'.

…………

In the livestream room,

a crowd of players, who were originally still thinking about the fact that they were in a dream,

found it interesting,

but watching this move by Gu Xuan,

they were also a bit confused.

The two peasants didn't know Gu Xuan's hand, but they could see it clearly.

"Doesn't the expert still have a 'Wine' and a 'Kill' in his hand? If he added this 'Kill' and used them all on Zhang Xiu, wouldn't Zhang Xiu's last three health points be gone?"

"Exactly! Why is attacking Zhang Yi so worthwhile? Not only does it fail to remove Zhang Xiu's condition, but it also lets Zhang Yi draw a card."

"Is there a possibility that the expert doesn't know the skills of the Zhang Xiu general? After all, this general only appeared in the morning session. I only found out how broken this guy is after checking the data."

"That's not right either. Even if he doesn't know Zhang Xiu's skills, Zhang Xiu is already at low health and has two cards in his hand.

According to normal Landlord play, he should focus fire on him and try to kill one peasant first."

…………

The debate in the livestream room continued endlessly.

On the side, Zhang Yi looked at Gu Xuan with expectant eyes,

hoping that Gu Xuan would give him another strike.

In that case,

he wouldn't have to worry about his teammate Zhang Xiu dying suddenly.

But,

what happened next was even more unexpected.

After Zhang Yi used a 'Dodge' to avoid Gu Xuan's 'Kill',

Gu Xuan discarded a 'Dodge',

and actually ended his turn just like that.

"How can one retreat and neglect the nation's merit?"

At the same time,

the Zhang Yi player also activated his skill 【Uphold Righteousness】,

and drew a card from the deck.

"Is this... running out of 'Kill' cards?"

The Zhang Xiu player looked at Gu Xuan, who was discarding his hand,

and was overjoyed.

This Landlord general was powerful, but his operation and luck were truly terrible.

After one round, he actually still had three health points left.

In his next turn,

if he was lucky and drew two 'Kill' cards,

and relied on the 'Nothing Out of Nothing' in his hand,

it wasn't impossible to crush the Landlord in one turn!

…………

"The expert is confused!!!"

In the livestream room, seeing Gu Xuan hold back his cards, the crowd of players exploded.

"Why is the expert holding onto the 'Wine' and 'Kill'? He can't use them next turn, and it's about to be the Zhang Xiu player's turn!

You're letting him stay alive in such good condition. If he draws two cards and uses 'Nothing Out of Nothing' later,

if the dealer gives him any luck, you're done for, expert!!"

"Although I really don't want to doubt the expert's play, but expert... did you take Zhang Xiu's gold beans and go easy on them? Intentionally not killing Zhang Xiu?"

"Exactly! Holding a 'Wine' and 'Kill' and not using them—I really don't understand why he's keeping them. To use them next turn?"

"But if Zhang Xiu draws a hand full of 'Kill' cards, where will you have a next turn?"

…………

At the Long Teng venue,

even Li Li Bingbing couldn't understand the expert's play this round.

It was mainly just really confusing.

He clearly had the chance to kill Zhang Xiu first, or at the very least, beat him into a severely crippled state.

Yet he insisted on keeping his damage cards unused.

If this event hadn't been released by the Game Space,

Li Li Bingbing would have been like the players in the chat, suspecting Gu Xuan of match-fixing.

"Expert Gu... what exactly is he thinking?"

Li Li Bingbing couldn't figure it out no matter how hard she tried.

Could it be that Expert Gu still had some backup skill he hadn't used?

For example, a skill that could deal damage to enemy players during the end phase?

But,

that still wouldn't justify holding onto the 'Wine' and 'Kill' without using them!

"Whatever! Expert Gu definitely won't lose..."

Zhou Zhou Xiaoyi supported Gu Xuan as usual,

but as she said this,

knowing Zhang Xiu's skills,

she herself felt a bit lacking in confidence...

…………

After Gu Xuan's turn ended,

suddenly,

"Ah~"

A yawn echoed from the competition venue.

The Zhang Xiu player was a bit bewildered.

Who would yawn while playing cards in a brawl event?

He looked toward the source of the sound,

and saw that behind Gu Xuan at the second position,

Zhou Xuan, who had been lying on a cloud bed, stretched.

The white cloud bed supporting him also disappeared at the same moment.

Zhou Xuan hovered cross-legged in mid-air, his wide sleeves fluttering without wind.

He flicked his horsetail whisk and rested it on his arm.

His opened eyes were incredibly clear and bright,

looking every bit like a truly enlightened cultivator.

He looked at the Zhang Xiu player at the second position,

and softly uttered:

"Three thousand dreams are like illusions, thoughts are within the square inch..."

The originally slightly illusory voice

gradually became real.

With a "pop," as if a bubble had been pricked,

the players on the field, except for Gu Xuan,

suddenly felt their minds become much clearer,

and their entire bodies and minds felt a bit more comfortable,

as if they had just woken up from a great dream...

The skill 【Sleep/Wake】 ended,

and tiny specks of emerald light

gathered from around the Zhang Xiu phantom,

replenishing the missing health point once again.