The Blood of the Serpent... Lu Daoxuan's Scheme

Meeting Kagura Chizuru's inquiring gaze, Gu Feng held a cup of fragrant tea, took a sip, and said indifferently, "Wood, you are being too modest. Even if you went all out, I wouldn't be entirely certain of victory."

The bald man also nodded and said, "I might not be your match either... Excessive modesty is just hypocrisy. However, as for the strongest person among us..." As he spoke, he glanced at Lu Daoxuan. Although this fellow rarely made a move, he always had a hunch that Lu Daoxuan's strength was likely the greatest among them all.

As someone capable of heading a prominent family, Kagura Chizuru possessed extraordinary insight. Seeing the bald man look toward Lu Daoxuan, and noticing that this man sat quietly in place like a clay sculpture or a carved wooden figure, offering no reaction even to Wood's modest words, she immediately understood that this person was probably the strongest master among the four.

Subsequently, Kagura Chizuru asked Wood about the method to deal with Orochi.

Riding on the descriptions from the game, Wood spouted nonsense casually: "According to that great sage, Orochi has no fixed physical form and exists as something similar to a 'soul'. When it materializes, it must borrow a 'catalyst'. In other words, what we see is not Orochi's true appearance, but the image it assumes by utilizing a 'catalyst', and this 'catalyst' should be a member of the Orochi clan."

"Orochi is at its most vulnerable moment right when it revives. We must seal it away the instant it awakens. However, since this Orochi was sealed away 1,800 years ago, no one knows what tier of power it possesses. When the time comes, we can only do our utmost."

"I understand. When the time comes, I must ask you gentlemen to lend your full assistance. The Kagura family will be eternally grateful!"

Wood shook his head and said, "What is Miss Kagura saying? We are merely doing this to ensure our own survival, please don't be so courteous. However, that NESTs organization harbors wild ambitions. Miss Kagura, please inform the various fighters to be on strict guard; the threat posed by this organization is no less than that of Orochi."

Kagura Chizuru nodded. After chatting for a while longer, seeing that the sky was growing dark, a maid came to arrange rooms for Wood and the others to rest.

"Then, thank you for the information you have brought... and for saving Mai. Let's call it a day. Tomorrow, I will recommend all of you directly into the top thirty-two, so you won't need to participate in the preliminary qualifiers... I believe your strengths go far beyond that, but this is the limit of our authority. I am very sorry." Kagura Chizuru bowed and said.

Wood replied, "Miss Kagura is too polite. We also wanted to spar with masters from all over..." After exchanging a few more courteous remarks, they withdrew along with the maid.

***

After Andy, Shiranui Mai, Wood, and the others departed, Kagura Chizuru remained seated quietly in place. After a long while, she suddenly spoke to the empty, quiet room: "Sister, do you think their words are reliable?"

A pleasant voice echoed in the spacious room: "They should be reliable... At least the strength of every single one of them is no less than yours, especially that man who never spoke. I feel... he is unfathomable. If the few of them join forces, I fear no one in our Kagura family could defeat them."

Kagura Chizuru fell silent for a moment before saying, "I see it the same way... I never imagined China would possess so many masters. Based on the strength of these few alone, it would require the joint efforts of our Kagura family, the Kusanagi family, and the Yagami family to resist them... Oh, and they still have one companion not accounted for. I wonder what kind of cultivation realm that companion possesses."

As she spoke, she shook the small bronze bell on the small table. However, this time the chime of the bell sounded different, and it was not a maid who entered, but a ninja dressed in black who materialized out of thin air.

"Go and investigate the origins of those people just now!"

"Understood!" The black-clad ninja swiftly vanished into the shadows.

***

On the other side, Wood and the others were not resting either. After Gu Feng cast a spatial barrier technique, Wood could not help asking, "Brother Lu, are we really not going to stop Orochi's resurrection? His strength is extremely formidable, and with the NESTs organization causing trouble, in case any unexpected situation arises and Orochi cannot be sealed, the trouble will be massive."

Lu Daoxuan pushed his glasses up his nose bridge and said, "I recall you mentioning that Kagura Chizuru, Kusanagi Kyo, and Yagami Iori managed to seal Orochi by themselves!"

Wood thought for a moment and said, "That is true, but in reality, it wasn't just those three who attacked; the fighters present all struck out against Orochi, only they lacked sacred treasures and thus could not inflict effective damage on Orochi. Moreover, Kagura Chizuru, Kusanagi Kyo, and Yagami Iori barely managed to seal Orochi using their families' ancestral methods while in critical condition. Come to think of it, there was a lot of luck involved. What if, because of our arrival, the NESTs organization meddles in the middle and prevents Orochi from being sealed? That would be troublesome."

"It won't happen," Lu Daoxuan stated decisively. "Regardless of whether this NESTs organization is controlled by people from the present world or not, before Orochi is sealed, they will not make a move. They might even help Kagura Chizuru and the others deal with Orochi, since after all, no one wants to be destroyed by Orochi. Furthermore, according to the laws of spacetime, since Orochi is destined to be sealed by these three, even if powerful external factors alter the course of spacetime, Orochi will sooner or later be sealed due to spacetime's self-correcting mechanism... Besides, I actually have another plan."

"Oh... what plan?" Wood asked with interest.

"First, in this skill-based world, Wood, your Dragon King talent 'Shadow Replication' should be of great use. Watch every match carefully; I believe you can learn quite a few skills!"

"Indeed! Once I master these rigorously tempered techniques of the fighters, it can indeed greatly enhance my combat power!" Hearing Lu Daoxuan say this, Wood suddenly remembered an advantage of his 'Shadow Replication' talent: any technique or magical art, as long as it was demonstrated once, could be immediately comprehended in its form and essence, instantly mastered along with an understanding of its flaws and weaknesses. Only S-class and above skills and innate talents were excluded from this.

"Second, the bald man's 'Divine Punishment Light' and 'Soul Extraction'—these two skills will inevitably improve by at least one tier if we acquire Orochi's bloodline. We might be able to seize the opportunity to get our hands on some of Orochi's blood."

"Ah!?" Wood was greatly shocked. "No way, Brother Lu, you want to go extract Orochi's blood? I'm afraid the difficulty is going to be more than just ordinary!"

The bald man also chimed in, "If we can get our hands on Orochi's blood, of course that's great, but if it's too dangerous, we don't have to force it. Right now, I am able to borrow the power of the earth, making me nearly invincible in close combat!"

Ignoring him, Lu Daoxuan said indifferently, "Dealing with Orochi shouldn't be too difficult. Based on the information you leaked, I analyze that he should only be comparable to an S-class powerhouse holding a divine position."

Wood made a bitter face and said, "Big Brother, I haven't touched that game in at least seven or eight years, and I don't remember the plot very clearly either. What if Orochi's strength turns out to be even greater?"

"As long as it's not a presence at the SSS-class level, no matter how strong it is, there's nothing to fear!" Lu Daoxuan said with absolute confidence. "Since Orochi exists as something akin to a 'soul' and needs to borrow someone else to reappear in the world, my skills will be able to effectively suppress it. So... you can rest easy!"

Hearing Lu Daoxuan put it this way, the others really did feel that it made sense. Only Gu Feng shook his head and said, "It seems I am purely here to work for you guys... How pitiful!"

The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, Kagura Chizuru personally accompanied Wood and the others for breakfast and asked, "Do you gentlemen have any arrangements for these next few days?"

Wood said, "The KOF tournament gathers fighting elites from all over the world. We wish to observe it live on-site, and we would be extremely grateful if you could arrange some good seats for us."

Before Kagura Chizuru could speak, Shiranui Mai chimed in, "Mr. Wood, that's not a problem at all. Isn't Sister Kagura going to recommend you for the top thirty-two? The contestant area is closest to the spectator stands."

Wood nodded and smiled, "In that case, I will have to trouble Miss Kagura... When does the introductory qualification test you mentioned begin?"

"There's no need for that, Mr. Wood. I believe your strength is sufficient to squeeze into the top eight!" Kagura Chizuru smiled. Yesterday, mentioning a baseline test was only because she didn't know the approximate strength of Wood and his group. But after Wood displayed that trick, knowing his cultivation realm was no lower than her own, what need was there for any test?

"Then please excuse me. Today I must go to the Kusanagi family to discuss with them how to deal with Orochi's resurrection. I have already arranged for disciples of the Kagura family to guide you to the venue," Kagura Chizuru said politely, rising to take her leave.

"Hey, Sister Kagura, there's no need to arrange anyone else. I'll take Mr. Wood and the others over later!" Shiranui Mai called out toward Kagura Chizuru's back.

Kagura Chizuru turned her head, smiled faintly, and nodded.

"Sigh... Can the three of them really pull together and work as one? Kusanagi Kyo and Yagami Iori are sworn enemies!" Shiranui Mai sighed softly again.

Wood comforted her, saying, "Don't worry, with a formidable enemy right before them, they will definitely join hands and cooperate... Oh, when does the match start? Shouldn't we be heading out?"

Shiranui Mai checked the time and said, "No rush. Actually, there's nothing much worth watching in this morning's matches; they're all just some unknown teams."

Andy, however, chimed in, "Is that so? I remember the second match this morning features the match of that Miss Athena Asamiya, who is quite attached to you. This time she's participating together with her master, Chin Gentsai, and her senior fellow apprentice, Sie Kensou."

Shiranui Mai was stunned for a moment. "Ah! I remembered the time wrong!" She hurriedly called out to the maid, "Quickly arrange a car, we're heading to the stadium!" Turning back to Wood, she asked, "I remember now, Mai's master, Chin Gentsai, is Chinese. Do you know him?"

Wood was slightly startled, and an old man with a bulbous red nose flashed through his mind. The game introduced him as a Chinese martial artist with an unspecified birthplace. However, Wood deeply felt that this character's design bore the suspicion of caricaturing the Chinese, and his strength among the fighters was not particularly high either, though his drunken boxing steps were truly unique, making him somewhat troublesome to deal with.

"Oh... We have heard the great name of this martial arts senior, but we've never had the fortune to meet him," Wood said vaguely.

Shiranui Mai, taking matters into her own hands, said, "Hehe, when we go to the KOF arena today, I'll introduce you to him. Hehe, let me tell you a little secret—it's rumored that his other disciple, Sie Kensou, has a secret crush on Athena Asamiya!"

...Wood broke out in a cold sweat. It seemed all women were fond of gossip.