Chapter 136 It's Not That Simple

On the distant moon, the atmosphere at Tianjing Military Academy was rather subdued. Tita's defeat had a significant impact, especially given the high expectations placed on the lunar region as a dominant force in the S-level competitions. They didn't take losses lightly. Li Xiangshan felt the same, but he was still recovering from his injuries, so the pressure was concentrated on Tianjing.

The members of Tianjing Military Academy remained calm. As S-level warriors, they understood that victory and defeat depended on form and performance. Losing was normal, especially in the true-mode. They continued their regular training, preparing for the mid-season tournament on the moon.

Tita didn't appear as composed as she claimed. She spouted a lot of reasoning, but she still felt the pressure. The problem was, after repeatedly reviewing the match, she noticed something: Had Mu Ou used his full strength?

Or was he in a hurry?

If it was a tactical decision to use a powerful attack early, then that was probably all Mu Ou had. She could find a way to deal with it, and so could some future masters.

But what if it wasn't?

Although it didn't make much sense, Tita felt that Li Hao and Mu Ou were connected. Could it be that because she ordered takeout, he was in a hurry to deliver it, so he quickly finished her off?

She looked at his previous matches. Mu Ou hadn't been that hasty. He usually let his opponents perform, since accumulating experience was more important at that level. Only S-level competitions required meticulous planning for victory.

Li Hao denied it, and she couldn't do anything about it. Even if she knew who Mu Ou was, it wouldn't matter. She needed to become stronger, to break through her bottleneck.

The Phantom Shadow fighter was a super-fast mecha, especially when it came to instantaneous speed. Yet, Li Hao's Battou Technique was even faster than the Phantom Shadow.

Tita was truly tempted. If she could master the essence of the Battou Technique and apply it to her own Phantom Shadow Athena, it would be a devastating weapon. After all, Black Night Saber wasn't a speed-type, while the Phantom Shadow was at the top in terms of attack speed.

It wasn't necessarily the Battou Technique itself, but the essence within it. It must involve the Golden Zone. Perhaps Li Hao's superpower was in the direction of speed.

She suddenly wished that A Youyou was still in Tianjing. With his personality, he would definitely listen to his girlfriend. She could get any secret out of him. A Youyou was always siding with others.

Did she have to go into action herself?

It felt like a disadvantage, but if she could get the secret technique out of him, it would be worth it. Yes, you have to rely on yourself.

In the lunar region, despite their anger, the masters chose to submit applications to the EMP system to challenge Mu Ou.

However, EMP officials were also helpless. Mu Ou seemed to be very busy lately, and all emails were unanswered. They were also curious about such a strange person. They suspected that he was a secret weapon from a military academy, so they didn't dare to disturb him too much. They had to consider the big picture. S11 couldn't afford to fail, so they had no choice but to wait for Mu Ou's response.

But some people weren't willing to wait. Patton, the Mars King, wasn't happy. As the most anticipated supernova of S10 Mars, he couldn't participate due to injury. He was the King of Solo last year, and he returned stronger this year after recovering. He was eager to reclaim his glory and didn't take the soft lunar players seriously. The special mechanism of the Centaur fighter gave him an absolute advantage in solo matches. He thought that after Tita lost, it would be his turn.

But the official response was that Mu Ou was ignoring them?

Patton Savage couldn't control his temper and directly started smurfing in the high-elo rankings in the USE region. After he finished, he even mocked them. This was a common pastime for Martians in the past, but the program stopped after Mu Ou appeared. Patton was continuing it.

People in the 2500 to 3000 elo range were worried every day. If they matched with the Centaur King, they would not only be crushed but also be live-streamed. If they lost, they would feel a lot of pressure.

Martians were happy, especially Huo Nan. Recently, without Mu Ou, he live-streamed the Centaur King's matches. Everyone knew Huo Nan's trash talk. He insulted people without using curse words, mocking Mu Ou in every sentence.

Faced with such ridicule, Dilaqin Zuo couldn't bear it and publicly challenged the Centaur King. As one of the best vanguard warriors in USE, specializing in solo matches, with an EMP of 3150, he was definitely evenly matched.

Dilaqin Zuo originally wanted to challenge Mu Ou as well, but he didn't get a response. He didn't care, since he was just looking for a sparring partner. But Patton was too arrogant. Mu Ou was competing in the entire alliance rankings, not targeting anyone. This Patton was targeting the high-elo players in Earth, and he was also very mouthy. He needed to be taught a lesson.

The officials immediately arranged a decisive battle for the two of them, and the winner would receive the official recommendation to challenge Mu Ou.

Both sides agreed to this.

This was the reputation of Mu Ou. No matter which region, no one felt that it was inappropriate.

Yu Long Welfare Institute in the suburbs of Tianjing.

A group of children happily chased Zuo Xiaotang, who was wearing a panda suit. Two were riding on his back, and several were dragging on his legs. He had completely merged with the panda.

"Little Rat, come and give me a hand!"

Li Hao helplessly touched his nose, while Zuo Xiaotang laughed so hard that he fell over. The children suddenly found a gap and swarmed up, a pile of little balls rolling around...

^^^

The new week began. Li Hao went to the team in the afternoon every day, mostly sleeping. He even took a leave of absence from his beloved takeout business. He was serious about mining.

"Kevin, is your information accurate? Is the Ocean Heart underground or underwater?" Li Hao was a little depressed. He didn't know when he would reach the end of this dark tunnel.

"Second Brother, all the discoveries so far have been underground. What's wrong? Are you going to start a business on Kepler?" Kevin joked. "The Ocean Heart is formed by the combination of K23 and a special substance. It's very rare. The oceans of Kepler are still unknown territory for us humans..."

Helpless, Li Hao decided to continue his efforts, at least it was free.

On Wednesday, the campus of Tianjing Military Academy was as usual, but with the arrival of a bus, the entire academy was soon buzzing.

A team got off the bus. There were staff members, but the most eye-catching were the six people wearing the neat uniforms of the Roundtable Knight Military Academy. Leading the way was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman with a tall figure, delicate and elegant features with an oriental aesthetic. This appearance was unforgettable in both Asia and Europe. Her gem-like eyes were radiant with confidence. It was the second of the USE Six Dragons—Aufia Katherine, the strongest female warrior on Earth, and the strongest user of the Phantom Shadow Athena.

The other five were regular members of the Roundtable Knights and the lineup for this mid-season tournament, along with a team analyst. Such a large team came to Tianjing Military Academy???

In the training room of Tianjing Military Academy, Zhou Naiyi and others were also watching the big screen, mainly for Li Hao. They had analyzed this information many times in the past few days.

Core 3rd Position: Vice-Captain Greg, 3rd Year, EMP 3050

Heavy Armor 1st Position: Prussia of the Roundtable Knights, 3rd Year, Height 2.26 meters, Weight 210 kg, EMP 3010

Vanguard 2nd Position: Chen Ang of the Roundtable Knights, 2nd Year, Former member of the Apocalypse Prodigy Class, EMP 3150

Sniper 5th Position: Mo Yu of the Roundtable Knights, 4th Year, Former member of the Apocalypse Prodigy Class, EMP 3120

Substitute: Mu Ni of the Roundtable Knights, 1st Year, Supernova, EMP 2700

"If they really come with their full strength lineup, it's a golden opportunity for us. The configuration of the Roundtable Knights is very similar to ours. Now that they're here, we must seize the opportunity and not be afraid of losing face!" Zhou Naiyi glanced at Li Hao and said.

"Is this really okay? What if we go too hard and offend them?" Ma Long was a little worried.

"Yeah, Captain, what's your relationship with Aufia? Give us the lowdown so we can have a sense of what to do. What if we push them too hard and make them unhappy, and they just leave? Wouldn't that be embarrassing?" Sheng Man asked what everyone wanted to know.

"Yeah, Captain, how did you meet Aufia? What's the story? How close are you?" Lu Ying and Lu Lingxiao were also curious. When they heard that a star player was coming, they skipped class to come.

"Ah, it's okay. We're not that close, but Aufia is a good person. Don't miss the opportunity. Follow the plan. If we really piss them off, there's nothing we can do," Li Hao waved his hand helplessly.

Everyone looked at each other. This was the thinking of a profiteer. It seemed like they were very, very familiar.

Tan Ziyuan looked at the Tianxun, "Everyone, they're here. Why are they here early? Let's go and welcome them?"

Everyone stood up at once. They were an hour early, so whether it was based on strength or anything else, the whole team had to welcome them.

Li Hao was stunned. "Isn't that too exaggerated?"

Zhou Naiyi didn't indulge Li Hao's problems and pulled him up. "Hurry up, guests from afar!"

Finally, just as the group walked out of the training ground, the Roundtable Knights were already approaching in the distance, followed by many students from Tianjing Military Academy. Many girls were surrounding Aufia, asking for autographs and photos.

Aufia and the main members of the Roundtable Knights were top players in the USE region. This was the only team in the entire USE that could steadily compete with North Carolina. Under normal circumstances, the school wouldn't allow them to have exchange matches with teams like Tianjing. This time, Aufia put in a lot of effort.

Of course, for Tianjing Military Academy, it was a surprise. Seeing that more and more people were gathering and the emotions were getting more and more excited, everyone didn't bother to greet them and accelerated into the training ground. Huo Ying quickly closed the door, hung the training sign, and stuck his big face out, looking like no one was allowed to enter.

The Roundtable Knights looked at the people of Tianjing Military Academy, and the people of Tianjing Military Academy looked at the Roundtable Knights in front of them. They had studied countless combat highlights in the past few days. Everyone was calm, composed, and confident, and the most commendable thing was that there was no arrogance in their eyes.

Huo Ying stared at Prussia, who was even thicker than him. Was this a human? How much did he have to eat to grow so big? But he was one step ahead in terms of skin color. This guy was even darker than him. He would be invisible if the lights were turned off.

Zhou Naiyi's target was Greg, this man with a noble aura, known as the man behind Aufia, the first knight guarding the princess, nicknamed: Perfect Knight Captain.

Ma Long was eyeing Mu Ni, the all-rounder substitute, the supernova. Teacher Ma, who had realized the Golden Zone, was also ambitious. He also wanted to be a supernova.

The gazes of Sheng Man, Lu Ying, and the other girls were naturally drawn to Aufia. She looked beautiful on TV, and even more stunning in person. In terms of looks alone, Sheng Man and the others weren't bad, but they lacked too much in terms of temperament and aura, especially when set off by a group of top experts. Aufia looked even more like a princess surrounded by knights.

"Everyone, I'm Li Hao from Tianjing Military Academy. Welcome to everyone's arrival. I hope you can stay for a few more days and improve together," Li Hao said, extending his hand in a familiar and polite manner.

Zhou Naiyi and the others didn't know what to do. He shouldn't have said his inner thoughts directly.

Aufia walked forward, gave him a light hug, a cheek kiss, and said softly, "Second Brother, please give me your advice."

Li Hao smiled, patted Aufia lightly, and the atmosphere became a little strange for a moment. The people of Tianjing Military Academy looked at each other. What kind of unfamiliarity was this?

Greg, Prussia, and Mu Ni in the Roundtable Knights also looked at each other. Was this still their cold and unsmiling captain?

Chen Ang and Mo Yu suddenly took a step forward, startling everyone. They thought they were going to attack.

The two of them suddenly stood at attention and saluted, shouting loudly, "Li-ge, Hunter Third Group, Chen Ang, reporting!"

"Li-ge, Hunter Second Group, Mo Yu, reporting!"

The two of them were very excited. Although they tried their best to control themselves, their voices were still a little distorted. Li Hao looked at Aufia helplessly. Aufia shrugged, indicating that it wasn't her business.

"Okay, Second Brother doesn't like it, so don't mention it anymore in the future. Do your own thing and don't embarrass yourselves!"

"Don't worry, Captain. Musashi, long time no see. Let's have a good time these few days!" Chen Ang said with a smile. As a disciple of the Chen family, he became famous much earlier than Musashi.

Musashi cupped his fist. In the ancient martial arts circle, Chen Ang was also one of the representatives of this generation.

Mo Yu stared at Zuo Xiaotang, "Little Fatty, I heard you've been following Li-ge all the time. I won't show any mercy. Be prepared!"

The people of Tianjing Military Academy were a little confused. Things were escalating again. Obviously, things weren't as Li Hao said. He was just an ordinary member of the Apocalypse and had even made mistakes. Moreover, why did more than just Aufia know him? Their titles were also very interesting. Aufia called him Second Brother, but the other two called him Li-ge...

Aufia obviously came for Li Hao and didn't care about the eyes of the crowd. She directly asked to chat with Li Hao alone. Greg was responsible for other matters. In fact, the situation of the Roundtable Knights was a bit like that of Tianjing Military Academy. Aufia wasn't responsible for daily training, and bringing the tactical team this time was also a sign of sincerity.

Although Lu Ying and the others couldn't wait to eavesdrop, they couldn't.

"Vice-Captain Zhou, let's spar first to understand the situation," Greg said with a slight smile, his voice very gentle, indicating that he was a very nice person.

Zhou Naiyi nodded. "Thank you very much. Tianjing Military Academy needs high-level guidance right now."

Greg waved his hand quickly. "Don't say that. We're also here to ask Captain Li for help. It's all for the honor of USE. Please rest assured, we won't hold back."