ctnovel 028 Beating the Snake Princess
028 Beating the Snake Princess
Xiong Ba swore that the stones [Snake Princess] threw into the cauldron were definitely just two ordinary pebbles, still covered in sand.
As a result, the soup boiled and the aroma of rice filled the air. The people sitting around couldn't help but swallow hard.
Take the soup bowls and divide them up to eat.
Li Yu and Xiong Ba exclaimed, "Delicious!" Even the Thirteen Ants, who were of the [Black Steed] race, ate with relish, devouring every last grain of millet that Li Yu had given her.
Only the Snake Princess remained quiet, neither eating nor drinking. When the soup was almost gone, she crunched and ate the two pebbles.
Xiong Ba was stunned for a moment.
[Thirteen Ants] asked, "Is it delicious?"
[The Snake Princess] remained silent.
After the meal, Xiong Ba went to wash the pot and the dishes.
The Thirteen Ants carried some leftover food in a leaf and placed it on their heads to deliver to the Echo Bug.
Li Yu leaned against the [Immortal Abode Stele], thinking about which area he should build a house and a stove in.
Thinking that in ten days another [Snake Princess] will arrive, I wonder if she is an old acquaintance from my [dream].
Thinking about what rewards I'll receive after completing the [Territory Ranking] quest in a while, and what kind of creatures will be attracted by the activated [Escape Den]...?
As he was lost in thought, Xiong Ba finished washing up, put away the cauldron, and raised his hand to him, saying, "My lord, may I ask Miss Jiang for guidance on swordsmanship?"
Li Yu looked at [Snake Princess], who remained silent and unresponsive.
Li Yu said, "Ya Ya, let's have a little sparring with Zai Sheng."
[The Snake Princess] then began to move.
Xiong Ba is considered Li Yu's top general and the number one person in the [Immortal Abode] territory, making him a veteran in the current small group. Unfortunately, after only one trip, the territory gained a [Yellow Rank] and a [Mysterious Rank].
Moreover, judging from the descriptions of [Escape Den] and [Jade Maiden Mountain Temple], experts of the Xuan, Huang, and even higher ranks will continuously join [Immortal Abode].
Under such circumstances, how should Xiong Ba, who is merely a [Yellow Rank], conduct himself and establish himself?
Watching others wield their power and influence while you only do trivial tasks like leading horses and setting them down?
Xiong Ba refused!
With the many opportunities presented by the [Fanghu], as long as Xiong Ba perseveres and forges ahead, he will surely rise to the [Xuanpin] rank.
His first step was to fight against [Snake Princess] and find his own shortcomings.
Xiong Ba raised the [high-quality replica of the Fish Intestine Sword] to meet the [Snake Princess] who was holding a sword and shield.
In terms of combat strength, the two are 67 and 71 respectively. Although they appear to be only 4 levels apart, Xiong Ba is almost powerless against the Snake Queen.
All of Xiong Ba's sword attacks were blocked by the [Serpent Scale Shield]. And the [Stone Sword] was aimed at his weak point. Therefore, as soon as they started fighting, Xiong Ba was at a disadvantage. After thirty moves, he was knocked to the ground by a shield bash from the [Serpent Princess].
Xiong Ba leaned on his sword and stood up: "Again!"
[Snake Princess] As he wished, she was killed in twenty moves. Xiong Ba then drew his sword and attacked again.
After suffering five defeats in five battles, Xiong Ba brushed the grass and dust off his body and bowed to [Snake Princess]: "Thank you for your guidance, Miss Jiang."
[The Snake Princess] remained unmoved.
Li Yu patted Xiong Ba on the shoulder and offered a few words of encouragement. Xiong Ba grinned and said, "My lord, there's no need to worry. Although I've suffered five defeats, I've already made progress..."
Before he could finish speaking, Li Yu slapped him on the head, laughing and scolding, "Don't take advantage of me."
Xiong Ba was taken aback at first, then looked embarrassed and explained, "These past few days, while I was out collecting [fragments], I was constantly bothered by strange people, so I resorted to this tactic and called myself 'Ba'. It was just a slip of the tongue, I hope my lord will forgive me."
Li Yu was curious about the effect of his "worst strategy," and Xiong Ba chuckled: "Very good, very good."
After recounting a few incidents of "the extraordinary person becoming enraged and being suppressed by the tyrant with his sword," Xiong Ba gathered his thoughts and prepared to ponder what he had learned from "asking for advice."
Li Yu said, "I'd like to give it a try too."
He said this to [Snake Princess], and Xiong Ba was taken aback when he heard it.
Although the lord killed the Corpse-Eating Python, it was by a clever trick.
But against [Snake Princess]...
[Snake Princess]'s mouth isn't that big; the lord can't fit it in.
Moreover, given the opponent's naive and inexperienced nature, if our lord were to step in, while his life might not be in danger, he would likely suffer physical pain.
Xiong Ba wanted to persuade him, but he knew that Li Yu was always opinionated, and ever since he "acquired" the village and they met again, he felt that Li Yu had gained a bit more imposing presence.
Xiong Ba couldn't give a clear answer.
But like when Li Yu patted his head just now, that would have been virtually impossible in the past.
Now, Li Yu was taking the photos with ease, and Xiong Ba didn't find it out of place at all.
Xiong Ba handed over the [high-quality replica of the Fish Intestine Sword], but Li Yu shook his head and said he didn't need it.
Finding a small tree, Li Yu chopped it down with a few strokes of his bronze scimitar. He took the trunk and whittled it into a wooden stick, as thick as a child's arm.
Li Yu gripped his staff, thrusting, stabbing, entangling, circling, blocking, seizing, pouncing, pointing, deflecting...
Xiong Ba quickly realized that Li Yu wielded a staff, but used the techniques of a spear. Moreover, he seemed to possess considerable skill.
[Snake Princess] remained expressionless, but when Li Yu put away his long staff and walked over, she subconsciously raised her shield, drew her sword, and lowered her body.
This is [Snake Princess]'s attack stance.
Li Yu struck the ground with a stick, spun it, and the end of the stick stuck to the wet soil. Then he spun the stick around, turning the end into the head.
"Ya Ya, you're a [Mysterious Rank], while I'm not. In terms of strength, I'm far inferior to you. But this time, we'll only compete in spear and sword techniques," Li Yu said, pointing his staff at [Snake Queen] with a smile. "Ya Ya, if this dirt sticks to you, I'll consider myself the winner."
[Snake Princess] remained silent, and Li Yu, without further ado, thrust his long staff forward and the fight began.
The six realms of weaponry are: beginner, proficient, master, minor achievement, major achievement, and sainthood.
In [The First Dream], Li Yu is accustomed to using long weapons, especially spears. Although his spear skills are not comparable to those of Zhao Yun or Zhang Xiu, they are still at the peak of [Great Accomplishment], and he is only one step away from [Sainthood].
After waking up from the dream, Li Yu saw that there was no sign of proficiency in gunplay on the "character panel," so he subconsciously assumed that gunplay skills, unlike his memory, had completely disappeared.
But watching Xiong Ba [Snake Queen] sparring with swords just now gave me an insight. Then, as he used a long staff to perform spear techniques, Li Yu suddenly realized that the peak [Great Completion] spear technique seemed to have been integrated into his body's instincts.
After less than ten rounds of fighting, Li Yu's "instinct" gradually returned, and his spear technique began to reveal its profound secrets.
Xiong Ba was dumbfounded.
He had originally intended to support Li Yu and prevent him from suffering the "snake's humiliation." However, unexpectedly, the situation has now become one of "Li Yu on top, snake on the bottom" and "Jiang weak, Li strong."
In the art of spearmanship, Xiong Ba had reached the level of "proficiency." But when he watched Li Yu wield the spear, he couldn't help but applaud him.
He couldn't help but think that his lord's spear skills were probably already at the level of "mastery" or even "minor achievement"!
What happened to the lord in the less than ten days he was away?
It's come to this!
In the arena, Li Yu used his long staff to deflect the stone sword, and with a flick of his right hand, the tip of his spear instantly struck [Snake Princess]'s left shoulder.
Standing with his gun sheathed, Li Yu smiled and said, "Thank you for showing mercy, Ya Ya."
"[System]: Congratulations to the player for winning the sparring match against [Snake Princess] Jiang Yaya. You have gained 1076 [Martial Arts] experience points."
"[System]: Congratulations to player [Strength] for reaching level 37."
Players and NPCs below the [Yellow] rank who spar with each other are considered to be "newbies fighting each other" and will not gain [Martial Arts] experience.
However, in cases like Li Yu's, where the weak defeat the strong and gain the opponent's genuine recognition, both sides can gain [martial arts] experience; the only difference is the amount of experience gained.
Li Yu put away his gun, and although [Snake Princess] remained silent, she showed no sign of giving up.
So the two fought several rounds in a row.
[Snake Princess] has not won a single game.
Although there was an element of her suppressing her strength, in terms of skill, [Snake Princess] was indeed defeated.
After two more fights, Li Yu, exhausted, stopped fighting.
[Snake Princess] still stands with a shield in her left hand and a sword in her right, blocking the way.
Li Yu's gaze sharpened, and [Snake Princess] seemed to sense something. In an instant, she exerted force with her snake body, pulled back her body, and crossed her sword and shield in front of her.
Danger!
Li Yu, with his back to the ground and holding his staff, suddenly launched a counterattack.
Whoosh!
The long staff thrust out and stopped instantly in front of [Snake Princess]'s throat.
[Snake Princess] could clearly feel the rough stubble on the tip of the stick.
At that moment, she had just picked up the stone sword.
[Snake Princess] had a cold expression, but her heart was pounding.
If there's a gun barrel...