The tall new guy in the “Extreme Path” team glanced at the arena, then at Xiaoxiao, and said lazily, “Seriously? This is it?”
Xiaoxiao, stretching, asked, “What?”
“From what that tiger said, we can kill people, right?” the man asked.
“Of course,” Xiaoxiao nodded. “This time, our goal is to eliminate the other side.”
“Why make it so complicated?” The man shook his head. “Why not just kill them downstairs?”
“If it were that easy, we wouldn’t have called you here,” Xiaoxiao snapped. “We paid a deposit—you better take this seriously.”
“Alright, alright, I got it.”
“Ah…” Old Sun sighed beside them. “Isn’t this bullying? All three of us have awakened our ‘Echoes.'”
“Who’s bullying who isn’t decided yet,” Xiaoxiao said, eyeing Zhang Shan from afar. “Be careful with that big guy and the girl.”
“That little girl is strong too?” Old Sun asked.
“Yep,” Xiaoxiao nodded. “Her ‘Echo’ might not be powerful, but she’s trained in martial arts. One-on-one, even you wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“Wow…” Old Sun muttered in surprise. “Then I better watch out.”
“What about the guy with the floral sleeves in the middle?” the tall man asked. “Ignore him?”
“Probably,” Xiaoxiao said. “Last time, I killed him outright. He’s likely just filler.”
Xiaoxiao recalled that the floral-sleeved man had joined her in hunting the black bear during the “Earth Ox” event, but all he did was hold up an iron plate the whole time. He was probably just a reckless brute.
“Got it,” Old Sun nodded.
The three of them focused their gaze on Zhang Shan and Li Xiangling, each silently planning how to deal with them.
“So, what’s the plan?” the tall man asked. “Do we go one by one, or all three at once?”
“Depends on the other side,” Xiaoxiao said. “I’ll lead. Whoever comes first, I’ll push them right off.”
The other two nodded and turned their attention to the opposite side.
Zhang Shan slowly stepped onto the log bridge and asked, “You two ready?”
“No problem,” Qiao Jiajin and Li Xiangling nodded.
“Let’s go, then. Time to teach these ‘Extreme Path’ lunatics a lesson,” Zhang Shan said, rolling his shoulders before striding toward the center of the bridge.
Xiaoxiao’s expression turned cold as she took off her coat and stepped forward.
On the other side, Qiao Jiajin couldn’t help but curse under his breath, “Dang it… What kind of muscles is this girl packing?”
Li Xiangling’s eyes widened in admiration. “So impressive…”
With the sound of footsteps clanging against steel, the man and woman met at the center of the bridge.
**Clang!**
A deafening bell rang out as Xiaoxiao smirked.
“Zhang Shan, show me what you’ve got,” she taunted.
“Dealing with you isn’t worth using my ‘Echo.'”
“Oh?” Xiaoxiao’s grin twisted eerily. “You’re really going to pit your bare strength against my ‘Echo’?”
“Enough talk!”
Zhang Shan immediately thrust his hands forward, his rock-solid muscles bulging as he shoved against her.
Xiaoxiao didn’t back down, gripping his hands with her own.
Their tree-trunk-sized arms locked in place, veins straining as the steel beneath them creaked ominously.
Zhang Shan stood with his legs shoulder-width apart, while Xiaoxiao braced one foot forward and one back—both adopting the most stable stances for maximum force.
The rules of this pure strength contest were simple: whoever faltered first would lose.
After nearly a minute of deadlock, Qiao Jiajin turned to Li Xiangling. “Kung Fu girl, your turn.”
“On it!” Li Xiangling grinned before leaping onto the steel beam and sprinting toward them.
“Huh?” Old Sun gasped from the opposite side. “They sent another one!”
“Relax,” the tall man drawled. “Xiaoxiao will call us if she needs help.”
“But can she handle two?!” Old Sun asked.
“The bridge is too narrow,” the tall man said. “They can’t fight side by side, and this is a strength test. That girl won’t make a difference.”
Old Sun watched skeptically—only to widen his eyes seconds later.
Li Xiangling dashed toward Zhang Shan without slowing, then slid between his legs in a low sweep, emerging between him and Xiaoxiao.
Zhang Shan immediately let go and stepped back.
Still on the ground, Li Xiangling twisted her body like a dragon’s tail, her legs spinning like propellers before slamming into Xiaoxiao’s legs.
“Unsteady stance!” she shouted.
Her left leg struck Xiaoxiao’s left, right leg hit right—perfectly destabilizing her.
Caught off guard, Xiaoxiao felt her feet leave the ground as she toppled backward.
Li Xiangling flipped upright with a kip-up, then launched a flying kick aimed straight at Xiaoxiao’s chest.
Xiaoxiao reacted fast, crossing her arms to block.
But Li Xiangling adjusted mid-air, redirecting the kick into a springboard—pushing off Xiaoxiao’s arms to somersault over her and land on the other side of the bridge.
“Hey!” Qiao Jiajin cheered. “Kung Fu girl! That was slick!”
Seizing the moment, Zhang Shan lunged forward to shove Xiaoxiao off the bridge.
But Xiaoxiao clung to the edge with a death grip, her strength unmovable.
Cursing under his breath, Zhang Shan gave up and dashed after Li Xiangling.
Seeing the danger, Old Sun rushed onto the bridge, blocking Li Xiangling’s path.
“Hey! Stop right there!” he yelled.
**Clang!**
Another bell tolled.
Li Xiangling ignored him, already strategizing how to take him down—when suddenly, her foot caught on something, sending her stumbling forward.
She recovered with a quick roll and sprang back up.
Glancing back, she saw the culprit—a few rocks on the steel beam.
“What the—?”
She frowned in confusion.
Had those rocks been there the whole time?
On flat ground, she would’ve noticed them. How had she tripped?
“Tsk tsk…” Old Sun shook his head. “Told you to stop. You okay?”
Li Xiangling retreated cautiously, Zhang Shan halting beside her as they both eyed Old Sun warily.
Meanwhile, Xiaoxiao stood up slowly, turning to flank them—trapping them between her and Old Sun.
“Played it safe, but still underestimated us,” Xiaoxiao said. “Now that you’re surrounded, don’t blame us for being ruthless.”
Zhang Shan and Li Xiangling swallowed hard. Cornered between a wolf and a tiger, the situation was dire.
Just as Xiaoxiao was about to speak, someone tapped her shoulder.
“Hey, Muscle Girl—hold up. Listen first.”
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