The administrator's gaze was sharp as a knife, intensely staring at the flying baseball, and swinging hard at it.
No sound was heard from the bat hitting the ball; the administrator's swing surprisingly missed.
"Finger Fork Ball!" Everyone was shocked.
Those with keen eyesight noticed before the administrator swung, Li Xiu's pitched ball clearly dropped, resembling Rod's Finger Fork Ball, with an even greater downward arc.
The score tied at one to one, Li Xiu and the administrator both passed the trial.
"Turns out you can play baseball and even throw a Finger Fork Ball. Why didn't you mention it earlier? Does this make the game more fun?" Li Xiu returned to the stands, and A Fei immediately walked over with a sour expression and said.
"I couldn't play baseball before, but I've learned now." Li Xiu explained.
A Fei naturally didn't believe it. If Li Xiu only pitched accurately, she could accept it, but mastering the Finger Fork Ball without substantial professional practice is impossible, and it also requires talent.
"Forget it, it's great that you can play baseball. We've finally cleared this stage." A Fei's face full of disbelief, Li Xiu didn't explain further. No matter how much he explained, A Fei wouldn't believe him now.
A Fei had already determined that Li Xiu was a professional-level player skilled in various ball sports.
What troubled A Fei now was that if it weren't for Jin Zhenhuan's incident, Li Xiu could have exited the trial.
But given Jin Zhenhuan's previous words, if Li Xiu quit now and Jin Zhenhuan really intended to kill him afterward, they would be powerless.
"What's your plan?" A Fei asked Li Xiu who was resting on the steps.
"What plan could there be? Even if I wanted to quit, someone wouldn't allow it. Moreover, I have no intention of quitting." Li Xiu smiled.
"But..." A Fei thought for a moment and swallowed her words.
Although Li Xiu had professional-level baseball skills, his physical condition differed greatly. The Finger Fork Ball wouldn't always succeed.
The first time, the opponent was unprepared. Now that they know Li Xiu can throw the Finger Fork Ball, Jin Zhenhuan will be prepared, making it hard to win using it.
A Fei didn't think Li Xiu could beat Jin Zhenhuan; the physical disparity was evident, and such a gap was hard to overcome with skill.
When it was Jin Zhenhuan's turn, he took his place on the pitcher's mound.
Facing the Trial Taker with quite a good physical condition, Jin Zhenhuan completely disregarded the opponent, using no tactics or techniques, and pitched a high-speed fastball.
The baseball flew straight to the center of the box, accompanied by howling airflow.
Bang!
"Hit!" The baseball collided with the bat, making the Trial Taker ecstatic.
But the next second, his smile froze; the wooden bat he swung with all his might broke apart as the ball hit it, yet the baseball still remained on course, rushing into the box.
For a moment, everyone stared in shock at Jin Zhenhuan, marveling at the sheer force that could break a bat.
No one present could achieve such a feat, not even daring to imagine it.
"Give up, you can't beat Jin Zhenhuan. Don't join the second round of the trial; leaving now might save your life." A Fei directly suggested to Li Xiu.
Because A Fei had realized that Jin Zhenhuan's pitch was quite clear; not only was his physical condition far superior to Li Xiu's, but he also had the Trial Taker's skills.
When Jin Zhenhuan pitched, she saw the Skill Ring's imprint appear on his finger.
This skill made Jin Zhenhuan invincible, even allowing him to break a bat, leaving no way to stop his pitch; when Li Xiu was the batter, this point was certain to lose.
Jin Zhenhuan displayed his skill in the first round, indicating he didn't care about it, suggesting he must have even stronger trump cards.
It seemed inevitable that Li Xiu would lose, so A Fei advised him to quit; perhaps Jin Zhenhuan wouldn't kill him outside, providing a glimmer of hope.
It's better than knowing you'd die and still choosing to face him, right?
"Interesting, was that a Trial Taker's skill just now?" Li Xiu seemed unconcerned, watching Jin Zhenhuan in the field with interest.
"Yes, although I don't know what kind of skill it was or its level, but that skill helped him break the bat; it's terrifying." A Fei responded.
"It's getting more and more interesting." Li Xiu squinted, contemplating what kind of skill he might acquire if he passed the ultimate trial this time.
When it was Jin Zhenhuan's turn to bat, he easily hit the Trial Taker's pitch far away, seemingly with a casual swing.
No foul ball, the Trial Taker was blown to death on the spot.
"Don't quit, or you're doomed." Jin Zhenhuan returned to the stands, waving his finger at Li Xiu from afar, his gaze malevolent like a demon.
"Rest assured, this intriguing game, I'll definitely play to the end." Li Xiu smiled.
"That's good." Jin Zhenhuan snorted coldly and ignored Li Xiu.
Initially, he thought his pitch would frighten Li Xiu, but now it seemed that it didn't have the intended effect.
After the first round ended, most of the surviving ordinary Trial Takers chose to leave, while the administrators stayed.
They teamed up with each other to gain more points whenever possible.
"If two people keep tying, will the trial continue indefinitely?" Li Xiu suddenly asked the question to A Fei beside him.
"No, in trials like this duel-style, if someone ties three times consecutively, the fourth trial becomes a mode where one person will be definitely eliminated, and the mode varies with different projects. In the Life-and-Death Ball Speed project, if there's a tie three times, the fourth becomes a single-pitch battle, and the loser is directly eliminated." A Fei explained.
"So, only up to three rounds, most others will either get eliminated or give up." Li Xiu thought for a moment, realizing he had three more rounds before facing Jin Zhenhuan where he could enhance himself.
After the first round trial ended, Li Xiu earned another Demon Core reward and enhancement.
The rules for the second trial remained the same, with Li Xiu teaming up with an administrator again.
This time, the administrator ranked higher, with a preliminary ranking of five, well above Li Xiu's.
Li Xiu took the pitcher's spot first, and the administrator assumed Li Xiu would throw a Finger Fork Ball. However, upon swinging the bat, he found it was a curveball instead, too late to adjust the bat's position.
The baseball spun towards the lower right corner of the box, earning Li Xiu a point.
As a batter, Li Xiu met a high-speed curveball from the administrator, managing to hit it but sending the ball out of bounds.
"Ordinary people are still ordinary; no matter how skilled, they can't match repeatedly enhanced Trial Takers; this is absolute power suppression." Jin Zhenhuan observed Li Xiu's two matches, gaining a clear understanding of Li Xiu's physical condition and skills, confident of inevitable victory.