Watching Master Gongshu all fired up, Pei Guang silently gave a thumbs-up to March 7th. Stelle also shot her a smug, scheming grin.
March 7th, on the other hand, blushed slightly and mumbled, "Look, I know I'm a cute and charming girl, but if you keep staring at me like that, I'm gonna get shy."
Pei Guang nodded. "You're right. Which is why I've decided: you'll be the one fighting this next match. How about it?"
March 7th: "Huh? Me again?"
Pei Guang replied seriously, "Because I'm going to handle Fu Xuan myself later, so I'm leaving Master Gongshu to you."
March 7th sighed. "Fine, fine. Guess it's my turn again. All right, Piggy Hero, I'm counting on you. But what lineup should I use?"
Pei Guang: "Whatever you like, but I think a counterattack lineup will do just fine against Master Gongshu. If you use something else…"
He pointed to a nearby corner. Following his gaze, March 7th spotted Fu Xuan peeking around from behind the wall. Noticing she'd been seen, Fu Xuan stepped out with as much dignity as she could muster.
"Yo! So this is where you all are. I was just curious about what kind of setup you were using, Ah Guang. Don't worry, I'm just watching."
Pei Guang: "Hmm? Just watching? You sure you're not trying to get a sneak peek at our strategy?"
Fu Xuan coughed. "Cough cough! Well, that's part of it~"
March 7th laughed, "Hahaha~ Ah Guang, don't tease her. You'll make this Lady Master Diviner embarrassed. Hmph~ In that case, let me wrap this up quickly and leave Fu Xuan to you."
Fu Xuan: "Hey! Don't talk like I'm guaranteed to lose."
Master Gongshu: "Exactly! My lineup isn't that easy to beat. I'll show you just how strong the Artisanship Commission's Aurumatons are!"
March 7th: "All right! It's settled then—Piggy Hero, I choose you!"
With March 7th's call, Piggy Hero, who had been following them the whole time, proudly strutted forward with a smug grunt.
Watching this, Master Gongshu felt something was… off. But the arrow was already nocked, there was no turning back now. He pulled out his Aether Coins, ready to teach March 7th what a champion candidate could do.
Gongshu entered the battle… and immediately got steamrolled.
He'd brought a lineup of Aurumaton, dragonfish, a healer, and a mini Kafka, paired with a chip set he thought would easily crush the enemy.
Unfortunately for him, what he was up against was Pei Guang's finely tuned counterattack team. The Aurumaton was powerful, sure, but the Silvermane Lieutenant had a natural advantage against it: just one counterattack under the right conditions could wipe out a massive chunk of the Aurumaton's HP.
When the battle started, Gongshu once again experienced the terror only players could bring.
The Silvermane Cannoneer buffed the team, and the moment his Aether Spirits launched their attacks, they were met with a storm of counterattacks from the Silvermane Lieutenant.
One hit from his side, two hits back from March 7th. Hit once, get slammed twice. Gongshu's brain was spinning.
It wasn't just the damage, it was the brainwashing voice lines paired with each counterstrike. Gongshu felt like his head was full of static. And at that moment, he was sure of it—he'd been set up by the Trailblazers!
But looking at March 7th's radiant smile, Gongshu took a deep breath and showed a calm, resigned expression. Compared to the way the Abundant Ebon Deer had gone out, this loss actually felt… kind of reasonable.
Meanwhile, watching Pei Guang's team composition from the sidelines, Fu Xuan furrowed her brows and started thinking seriously. But the more she analyzed, the more a confident smile formed on her face.
"Heh… If this is all you've got, you won't be able to beat me."
Seeing March 7th's lineup made Fu Xuan puff up with pride.
What, a "great misfortune" reading? Who cares! It's already as bad as it gets, right? It's not like playing Aetherium Wars with Pei Guang is going to shatter her Dao heart or anything… right?
Fu Xuan felt absolutely certain of her victory.
Unsurprisingly, March 7th defeated Master Gongshu. Once he was down, Fu Xuan felt it was finally her turn.
"Master Gongshu, you may step down now. It's time for this lady to face these three Trailblazers."
Master Gongshu: "That's great! Be careful, Lady Master Diviner. These guys are no joke."
Fu Xuan retorted, "No joke? They're quite the handful, that's for sure. But it doesn't matter. As long as we're only using tournament-legal Aether Spirits, they don't stand a chance against me."
Fu Xuan was brimming with confidence: because the Aether Spirits she was using this time were none other than four copies of the Abundant Sprite, Malefic Ape.
All fear stems from lack of firepower. While Malefic Ape wasn't part of the official tournament roster, it was still a tremendously powerful Aether Spirit.
And Fu Xuan was bringing four of them. Over the past few days, several players who had beaten Master Gongshu tried their luck against her, only to get utterly crushed by these four identical Aether Spirits.
Because of their overwhelming strength and unique appearance, the challengers had started calling these Aether Spirits "Ape Gods."
As for whether Pei Guang had ever fought these Ape Gods before? Not at all. Back in the Scalegorge Waterscape, there had been a few of them blocking the path, but the awkward part was that Pei Guang's group had smuggled themselves across the area on a starskiff: they never even ran into them.
But given their lineup back then—one Emanator, two Vidyadhara High Elders, and a player—those kinds of small fry would've been steamrolled anyway.
That said, within the world of Aether Spirits, this so-called Ape God was definitely one of the most terrifying entities.
Confronted with Fu Xuan's overwhelming confidence, Pei Guang simply smiled. "Heh… Fu Xuan, you seem pretty sure of yourself. Let's see if that confidence can carry you through the challenge I'm about to present."
Fu Xuan: "Hmph? Bring it on, then. This seat shall face you!"
Having said that, Fu Xuan pulled out her Aether Coins.