Chapter 348: Choosing the Self
“An instant kill!!!”
The commentator’s roar blasted through the screen to every viewer watching the livestream.
“Unbelievable! An instant kill in the finals?!”
“But even more unbelievable… the one who was taken out is a member of Lingzhou’s team—and the one who did it is actually a freshman from Lian City!”
The commentator could barely control his emotions, his voice cracking as he shouted, but no one cared. At that moment, countless viewers in front of their screens were yelling “holy shit,” while streamers outside the official broadcast erupted into exaggerated reactions and gestures.
Clearly, no one had expected such a scene to unfold on the finals stage!
[Holy shit holy shit holy shit!]
[Complete reversal!!]
[Am I losing my mind? This is live, right? I didn’t switch channels??]
[I hereby declare that I officially renounce my Lingzhou fandom and marry into Lian City!]
[This is insane. Wasn’t Lingzhou supposed to dominate Lian City in internal matches?]
[Who started that rumor? Lingzhou was stronger, sure, but Lian City didn’t have this freshman back then!]
[What the hell is she? Where did this monster come from? She’s so… I can’t even find the words!]
[I call it madness! I’ve never seen a fighting style like this—my skin is crawling! I feel like I could tear my rival apart right now!]
[How strong is she? Did her teammates buff her? Is she not afraid of death? I could never fight like that…]
[If you could, you’d be the one up there.]
[So… Lian City’s secret weapon isn’t their captain—but this freshman?!]
[This is ridiculous. If not for the Arbiter sitting at the judge’s table, I’d think the league was rigged.]
[Where are all the people who said Lian City was throwing by fielding a freshman? Speak up!]
[Haters! Speak!!!]
[Alright, I apologize—but can you blame us? Who could’ve predicted this?!]
[It’s crazy… when she killed her opponent, she looked like she was enjoying it. That’s kind of scary…]
[Scary? That’s just bad taste. This is insanely captivating, okay?!]
[So strong. Seriously strong. And this level of strength was dismissed as nepotism before? Lian City—what a cunning big city.]
[I can’t even imagine her talent… after this match, she’ll be the breakout star of the league.]
[So intense! This kind of fighting style appearing on a Lamp instead of a Forge—this is wild!]
[What do I do, my goddess looks seriously injured. Is she still planning to fight Jiang Qing? Don’t fight Jiang Qing, hitting me would feel better…]
[???]
[What the hell]
[Sometimes the internet is genuinely terrifying.]
[Setting the weird stuff aside, Xu Zhi is seriously injured. Jiang Qing looks exhausted too, but she can still fight. Lingzhou has already lost a member, and Jiang Qing alone can’t turn things around. The best move for Xu Zhi would be to regroup with her team. Continuing to face Jiang Qing alone isn’t a good idea, right?]
[That’s the rational choice—but look at Xu Zhi’s decisions throughout this match. Do you really think she’s going to make a rational decision like that?]
Of course not.
Everyone watching the match arrived at that same conclusion.
They might not have known Xu Zhi well before—maybe only heard of her or watched casually—but after this match, her name, her presence, had undoubtedly become the most unforgettable impression of this league.
From now on, no discussion of the league would be complete without mentioning today’s astonishing battle.
“The optimal move right now is clearly to regroup with her teammates. Qiu Hou is about to recover—once he does, Lian City’s chances of victory will increase significantly.”
“But given Xu Zhi’s style… she probably won’t do that.”
The commentator’s tone carried some restraint.
In league play, the priority was always to win. It was also a test—whether a player could secure victory for the team, rather than indulging too much in personal style.
And Xu Zhi’s performance right now…
Was undeniably self-driven.
But—
If that self-expression didn’t lead to defeat, but instead led the team to victory, then it wasn’t a flaw. It wasn’t “too self-centered”—it was “individuality.”
Now it all came down to one thing:
Would Xu Zhi’s “self” lead her team to victory—
Or throw away a perfect opportunity?
Either way, her astonishing strength had already etched her name into the minds of many factions and individuals. She would no longer be an unknown freshman.
Xu Zhi herself knew what the optimal choice was.
She often had this feeling—“maybe this is the correct thing to do.”
But the “correct” choice wasn’t always the right one for her.
And more often than not, she didn’t listen to that voice.
Just like now.
She knew that, by conventional standards, the best move was to regroup with her team.
But she had no intention of doing that.
Her breathing was light—not because she was relaxed. On the contrary, the injuries covering her body, especially the wound through her chest, made her limbs feel heavy. Her breathing was shallow because it was difficult; she couldn’t inhale deeply due to the chest wound, so she compensated by increasing her breathing rate.
Blood welled up in her throat, which she swallowed back down.
Yet Xu Zhi didn’t find her injured state troublesome at all.
Instead, it felt… familiar.
That sensation of the body becoming a burden, forcing her to exert greater control over her muscles—
She had experienced it countless times before.
Xu Zhi glanced at Jiang Qing. Through the [Eye of Secret], she saw Jiang Qing guarding against her picking up Xiao Ling’s fallen blade.
Xu Zhi smiled again.
She didn’t necessarily need a weapon.
Her slightly loosened hand clenched once more. Her powerful regenerative ability was already rapidly repairing her body. Even if she simply stood there facing Jiang Qing, time would be on her side.
But—
Xu Zhi didn’t think that was necessary.
Perhaps at the brink of life and death, she would become extremely cautious.
But now—
Wasn’t this the time to enjoy herself?
