If their assumptions hold, this round’s {Yin Earth} balls released a poisonous haze that could kill anyone it hits.
Yet one member of this team stepped forward several paces, approaching the center of the track.
“What on earth is going on?” Qiu Twenty scratched his head as he continued advancing.
“Irritant lad...” Qiao Jiajin suddenly seemed to realize something.
“Terrestrial Horse... Terrestrial Horse...” Qiu Twenty again wore that irritatingly smug expression. “Am I seeing this right? Is this... your ultimate trap card?”
Terrestrial Horse could only sigh helplessly at the scene.
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Whether by coincidence or divine providence, the members of this team seemed uniquely capable of unraveling every challenge presented by {Wooden Ox Flowing Horse}.
“What wretched luck...” Terrestrial Horse muttered. “Surely you were not dispatched by {above} to trouble me?”
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Atmospheric Science
Qiu Twenty sneered and immediately raised both hands. “I...want a gust of wind!”
The moment he spoke, the thick smoke across the track began to surge violently. Within the fully enclosed space, a sudden strong wind swept through.
“I...want a gale!!”
Qiu Twenty flailed his arms like a deranged conductor, and in an instant, the entire mass of smoke was torn apart by the violent wind.
Horses
In such a broad space, driving away smoke was far easier than intercepting iron balls suspended in midair. The fierce wind swept relentlessly across the track, not only dispersing the smoke entirely but also sending the mud balls rolling to the walls, while the thick rising clouds of dust gradually vanished from sight.
“That’s it?” Qiu Twenty panted heavily, yet still couldn’t resist turning back to taunt Terrestrial Horse. “That’s all you got? Nothing stronger?”
Terrestrial Horse slowly rose to her feet, disregarding Qiu Twenty entirely, instead stretching her limbs and began to warm up.
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Translated
“I’ve remembered you,” Terrestrial Horse remarked. “Next round, you’d better wear your bulletproof vest and put on your steel helmet.”
Qiu Twenty nervously swallowed, yet grit his teeth and retorted, “No way... getting impatient?”
This time, Terrestrial Horse remained unmoved by his provocation. She calmly flexed her muscles, fully confident that when she personally threw the balls, she could eliminate everyone on the field without fail. No amount of bravado could make any of them a match for her.
Anatomy
“Ending you all...requires no urgency,” she said coldly. “Not a single one of you is leaving today.”
Everyone naturally understood that they could not rely on Qiu Twenty’s mouth to survive the seventh round. They immediately sprang into action. Once the poisonous smoke on the track had mostly dissipated, they covered their mouths and noses, reached the track’s end, and together pushed the wheelbarrow back.
After several repetitions of pushing the wheelbarrow, the group had gained a measure of experience.
On this track, the key to pushing the wheelbarrow was not merely to {hold a straight path}, but to drive it forward with explosive speed. Even if the wheelbarrow spun wildly or veered off the track, under no circumstances could it be allowed to stop, for the corrosive toxic gas and flying mud balls could very well prove lethal.
Yun Nineteen steadied himself on the wheelbarrow, bending low to clasp his legs, while the whooshing sounds roared past his ears and a few breaths of the peculiar air filtered into his nose. Fortunately, the poison gas had thinned considerably, leaving only a mild discomfort in his throat.
Weather
At the final moment, the wheelbarrow shot off the track onto a non-icy floor, yet it did not tip over. It slid a short distance before coming to a stop.
The arena was once again engulfed in billowing smoke, and Qiu Twenty, summoning all his remaining conviction, unleashed a fierce gale.
Zhou Six, catching on immediately, strode to the side and flung open the doors of the basketball hall. Qi Xia, noticing her action, felt a sudden ringing in his ears.
He watched Zhou Six with growing interest, suddenly struck by a rather incredible thought.
Did Zhou Six open the doors...to specifically adjust the indoor air pressure?
Because Qiu Twenty had conjured the gale from nothing, the room’s air pressure had risen sharply. Had the doors not been opened to release the built-up currents, everyone inside would surely have grown uncomfortable.
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How many previous trials had it taken to cultivate such tacit coordination?
“Thanks, Six jie!” Qiu Twenty waved from afar, then stationed himself at the finish line and called toward Terrestrial Horse at the start, “Seriously? That’s it? I thought coming back would be more intense, but...this is all?”
“Heh...” Terrestrial Horse slowly revealed a faintly unpleasant smile. “Better protect your head.”
The others stood ready, their expressions cold, returning to the starting point.
The most critical moment was about to begin. If all their earlier efforts were not to be in vain, they had to survive this round.
After reaching the start, everyone wanted to confer on a strategy, yet Bai Nine dared not speak. Her gaze shifted slowly toward Qi Xia.
Horses
This was the man who could dismantle all the mechanisms on the field with a single glance—might he have already devised a way to handle Terrestrial Horse?
At that moment, Terrestrial Horse retrieved a specially made bamboo tube from the nearby rubble, roughly the length of a forearm, and moved to the far end of the track. The bottom of the tube had a small hole, seemingly sized to draw out {balls}.
She stood like a motionless mechanism at the very end of the track. What surprised everyone further was that the surrounding contraptions quietly began to twitch.
It seemed Terrestrial Horse had one more trick to reveal.
In the seventh round, not only would she throw the {balls}, but all the mechanisms would strike in concert.
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This was no mere straight icy track—it was a road to death.
“If you’re all ready...let’s begin.” Terrestrial Horse drew a stone {ball} from the bamboo tube, weighing it briefly in her hand. “I wonder what {speed} you plan to use to escape my assault?”
Qi Xia observed this, lightly stroking his chin, sensing that he might have just caught a clue.
How many {balls} could a bamboo tube, approximately the length of a forearm, accommodate?
Each {ball} was about the size of a fist, with a maximum diameter of ten centimeters. By this calculation, the tube could hold no more than five or six {balls}.
As with all Terrestrial-grade games, Terrestrial Horse could never throw seven {balls} at seven people. Otherwise, no one could possibly survive this game.
“Fists...” Qi Xia drew a deep breath. “In this final round, my strategy will hardly be effective. This monster isn’t standing at the side of the track, but directly in front of us... even if you accelerate the speed of the wheelbarrow, there’s no way to evade the {balls} entirely.”
Anatomy
“Swindler lad, no need to explain all that,” Qiao Jiajin flexed his muscles and said. “Just tell me what to do, simple and clear, or I won’t understand.”
“Strike,” Qi Xia said. “Strike whatever you see.”
“Strike,” Qiao Jiajin nodded. “Blunt and to the point as always. I’ll beat that damn puk-gaai to death.”
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