Of course, luck is also a part of strength, and Jiu Ling never considered herself to be unlucky—at least she wasn't afraid to face anyone other than Revenge Shadow Rider.

At that moment, Jiu Ling abruptly felt an overwhelming pressure rushing toward her. She looked up to find none other than the Soaring Sword Dragon...

One could see the calm expression of Sword Dragon, his indifferent gaze, and the solemnity that left no trace of breath. Jiu Ling couldn't help but furrow her brows. It had to be said that the oppressive feeling he gave was indeed quite imposing. That ancient and vicissitudinous aura, if one considered the strength of Revenge Shadow Rider as an inexplicable sort of ferocity, then the impression Sword Dragon gave was of being impregnable, with unfathomable strength.

Facing such an opponent, even without fighting, Jiu Ling could already faintly sense this layer of pressure.

Next was Raymond stepping forward, his attention more on Jiu Ling, his peer in reputation, rather than on the Soaring Sword Dragon.

"Hmph," Raymond sneered softly, sporting a slight smile. It was unclear whether this was a provocative greeting or if it carried some other meaning.

Jiu Ling gave Raymond a silent glance and showed no reaction. In truth, she had never really considered Raymond as a rival. The scarce interaction between Saudi and Zana was one reason, and subconsciously she had never taken Raymond into consideration.

As for Jiu Ling's silent response, Raymond didn't show any particular reaction either. He was quite self-aware, understanding his own capabilities. He most likely wouldn't stand a chance against Sword Dragon, but against Saudi Jiu Ling, Raymond believed his chances of winning were not low, especially after he had done a bit of research on the Flame Dual Slash of Revenge Shadow Rider, boosting his confidence more than usual.

It could be said that every contestant present was silently struggling, assessing each other's strengths in their minds.

To gauge a person's strength doesn't necessarily require a battle. A single look, a certain aura, or even calloused hands from injuries could reveal what maneuvers someone is adept at and the depth of their foundational skills.

The Soaring Sword Dragon felt overpoweringly strong, seemingly unbeatable, and a significant reason for Jiu Ling's courage to fight with him lay in her personal character. As a genius, a rarity of a talent in the realm of Mecha Battle, she had never willingly conceded to anyone from the beginning to the end; even faced with Revenge Shadow Rider, she would repeatedly fight without hesitation after each defeat.

Indeed, it came down to this reasoning: whether one could fight was one matter, whether one dared to fight was another. Whether one could win was yet another point, and whether one conceded was still another matter. Jiu Ling naturally possessed a stubborn pride, rebellious as her wheat-colored skin.

Most players who had fetched the balls had returned to the contestants' area, and the few remaining were also on their way back. Just then, at that moment, an unexpected sigh of pity from the audience suddenly arose, a sound so ill-timed, so illogical, and so startlingly unexpected that it caught everyone off guard.

Mansfield, the Mecha Battle Emperor of the Valan Empire, stumbled, and this was because he had just let out a fart, a not-so-quiet one at that. Barely a few seconds after releasing it, a whoosh came from the audience below, and he thought that the organizers had somehow detected the sound and amplified it with some method.

As the person involved, it had to be said that Mansfield's immediate feeling was terrible! He wished he could find a hole to crawl into—no, Mansfield's thoughts at that time could even be summarized as preferring to forfeit the battle rather than being publicly shamed for farting! After all, he knew his own worth and that he was unlikely to make it to the end.

After regaining his balance, Mansfield looked around nervously and somewhat defensively, without moving his body, but his eyes darted around chaotically...

Sharp situational awareness was a basic skill for an ace pilot, and clearly, Mansfield's observational skills were quite strong; he noticed that no one, inside or outside the arena, was laughing, so he concluded that the audience's sighs had nothing to do with him…

In the midst of his thoughts, Mansfield let out a deep breath, raised his hand to wipe his forehead which hadn't even broken a sweat... And then, with another soft pfffft, a delicate fart like one squeezed from the throat, Mansfield had to take note of this, knowing that even if the audience outside didn't notice, it couldn't be missed by the contestants, inevitably leading to embarrassment.

While walking back, Mansfield deliberately slowed his pace, internally calculating the distance, making sure he had completely squeezed out the fart just as he arrived beneath the screen to place the ball; only then did he start to observe what had caused the audience to sigh...

Mansfield slowly turned his head...

Had he not looked, it would have been better, but he wasn't the only one on the scene. His own surprise was matched by the other contestants, who were all taken aback by the sudden battle order displayed on the screen.

The final pairing was none other than the matchup between Savior's pilot Kexiao and Revenge Shadow Rider—a highly anticipated battle in the competition!

Revenge Shadow Rider and Kexiao were both hot candidates in the Mecha Battle tournament, with championship potential far above other mech warriors.

In a way, Revenge Shadow Rider was a legendary figure, while Kexiao was also the perfect creator. No doubt, both belonged to the most influential personalities of this century. What kind of sparks would fly between them?

At first, the world collectively believed that the two would clash in the final stage, in a peak showdown to be remembered for ages. Initially, everyone was betting on a fantastic finish, but fate's arrangement always seemed so inopportune.

At that moment, the world gasped, every nation gasped, the audience gasped! Even Kexiao, who always faced anything calmly, flashed a rare look of surprise in his undisturbed eyes.

"I thought we would meet at the end, but I encountered him so soon," Kexiao murmured in an even tone...

"Kexiao, you, you seem less confident..." Xia Mu wanted to say insufficient, but looking at Kexiao's expression, it didn't seem right. He had never seen Kexiao like this before, a face both composed and exuding an indescribable other charm.

"Xia Mu, just shut your crow's mouth."

"I'm shot again, I didn't say anything yet."

Jiu Ling was quite speechless and gave him a look. This guy wasn't low on EQ, so why when facing Kexiao did he act as if he had none, saying what should be said and blabbering about what shouldn't—mmm, he did the same, maybe there really was some sort of magic about Kexiao?

"Facing that guy, I can't say I have no chance of winning, about fifty-fifty."

The always silent Heifeng leaned against the wall with his hands on his shoulders, his cool gaze suddenly turned towards everyone and said, "You've always been modest, so if you say it's fifty-fifty, I think the probability shouldn't be low."

"Kexiao was silent for a while." He nodded his head, then shook it, explaining, "Revenge Shadow Rider is different from any mech warrior you've seen, including myself."

"That kid Feng Yi..." Jiu Ling blurted out involuntarily, then quickly covered her lips as if she had leaked a secret, "Do you hold him in such high regard?"

"Heh, do you know what kind of opponent is the most terrifying?"

Everyone shook their heads together...

"An opponent you can't figure out, an opponent whose number of cards you don't know, a lonely opponent, someone..."

At this point, Kexiao suddenly laughed at himself, shaking his head and not bothering to explain any further.

Yes, loneliness! The strong have always been very lonely because they don't fit in with ordinary people, and few truly understand their thoughts, only the equally strong can understand them best.

Unfortunately, they often end up as opponents, standing opposite one another. The reason is simple, because the strong are also proud, hence the saying, the only people who understand you are not your friends, not your brothers, but always your opponents.

Kexiao dared not say he understood Revenge Shadow Rider well, let alone these people who had never faced Revenge Shadow Rider in the arena. His bitter smile was actually for his own trivial explanation that seemed unnecessary.

Kexiao said, "The outcome of my battle with him is hard to predict, if, just if, Jiu Ling, remember what I told you that day."

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