Chapter 346 - 181: Battle Against Zhao Xiaowan

This wasn’t the first time Li Chang’an had dealt with Gu Ruilong, so he had a firm grasp of the man’s character.

On the surface, the man seemed like an approachable, wealthy young master.

In reality, however, he was not only extremely petty but also held a grudge over the smallest slight. He was unscrupulous and would resort to any dirty trick in the book.

In Li Chang’an’s opinion, a man like that was a poor choice for a friend and an even worse one for an enemy. The best option was to keep him at arm’s length, neither befriending nor antagonizing him. A nodding acquaintance, at best.

But now that they had become mortal enemies, he absolutely could not afford to be merciful when dealing with Gu Ruilong.

Either he didn’t act at all...

...or he went straight for the kill, aiming to either finish him off or cripple him completely.

If a blow wasn’t heavy enough to leave him severely weakened, Gu Ruilong’s subsequent retaliation would be nothing short of hysterical and frenzied.

Li Chang’an nodded.

But his tone was relaxed. "Don’t worry. As long as he’s still operating within the framework of a Sixth Rank Evolver, let him throw whatever he’s got at me. If I so much as frown, I’ll count it as my loss."

Aside from the Dark Tide, the regional Rebirth Arena tournament was the Reincarnator Association’s most high-profile public event.

Every year it was held, nearly every Reincarnator still in the Main World would enter the Rebirth Space to watch on time.

No matter how arrogant and domineering Gu Ruilong was, he wouldn’t dare pull any shady stunts in front of so many Reincarnators during a major event that concerned the entire Reincarnator Association’s reputation. If someone with an agenda exposed him, the consequences would be severe.

To maintain its public credibility...

...the Reincarnator Association would probably castrate Gu Ruilong on the spot.

Therefore, Li Chang’an wasn’t worried about Gu Ruilong using too many tricks that broke the rules. Even if he did target him or Su Ruobing, he would do so within the rules, in a way that no one would notice.

The two of them discussed Gu Ruilong for nearly an hour.

Just as Li Chang’an was about to get up and leave...

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

A sudden knock came from outside the room.

Su Ruobing quickly straightened her clothes and composed herself. She walked to the door and opened it to find Caiyou standing outside with Zhao Xiaowan in tow.

When she saw Su Ruobing open the door, Caiyou gave her a shifty, mischievous look and peeked inside. "Chairman Su, what were you two just doing? Don’t tell me you and your champion ’little brother’ were up to something you can’t tell us about..."

Her voice trailed off there, not continuing.

Instead, she shot Su Ruobing a suggestive glance.

Hearing the teasing, Su Ruobing’s face flushed. She shot Caiyou a fierce glare and snapped, "What nonsense are you spouting, you brat? We were discussing tactics!"

The smile on Caiyou’s face didn’t fade.

With a knowing look that said ’I see everything but won’t spell it out,’ she replied, "Right, right. Late at night, hiding from the two third wheels, me and Xiaowan, to discuss tactics... alone."

Hearing this, Su Ruobing knew it was pointless to explain, and her face flushed an even deeper shade of red.

A closer look would even reveal a flash of anger born from embarrassment. She quickly changed the subject. "What is it? Why are you looking for me so late at night?"

Caiyou grinned. "Madam Chairman, have you forgotten when the regional Rebirth Arena tournament officially starts?"

"Your champion ’little brother’ is a member of our Sixth-rank Reincarnator team now. We’re here to gather for training, of course!"

"We just went to his room to look for him but couldn’t find him, so we came to yours!"

"Chang’an was a last-minute addition, and we only have a few days left to train. If we don’t build some chemistry now, we’re going to make a laughingstock of ourselves out there..."

"We don’t mind for our own sakes, but if we embarrass you, Chairman, that would be a real shame!"

As she spoke, the smile on Caiyou’s face grew even more suggestive.

Her tone, however, turned serious. "I don’t know what’s going on between you two, Chairman, but business should come first right now!"

Caiyou’s words brought Su Ruobing back to her senses.

’She’s right,’ Su Ruobing thought. Although she didn’t have high hopes for Group Six’s performance in the tournament, now that Li Chang’an was here, they still had to go through the proper procedures.

And so, Su Ruobing turned her head, looked at Li Chang’an behind her, and asked seriously, "Chang’an, do you have anything else to do right now?"

Li Chang’an shook his head. "Nothing."

Su Ruobing said decisively, "Then log in to the Rebirth Space. We’ll set up a shared channel for the Rebirth Arena. Before the regional tournament begins, the three of you need to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses. That’s the only way you’ll be in peak fighting condition when it officially starts!"

Back when Reincarnators were only Tier One, Two, or even Tier Three...

...the Reincarnator Association could still hold its tournaments offline.

After all, while the destructive power of Reincarnators at those stages was astonishing, it was still within a manageable range for the real world.

But as Reincarnators’ Evolution Levels rose past Tier Three, the real world could no longer withstand the aftershocks of their battles.

This was especially true for the regional tournament, which involved brawls between Sixth Rank Evolvers.

With just a single moment of carelessness, an Evolver of that level could level half a city.