"The Girl Next Door Has Grown Up, With Strength to Move Mountains and Spirit to Overshadow the World"
"Right, right! I think so too. Let's begin then."
Gu Ruoli smiled slightly upon hearing this. "Alright, let's sta—"
Before she could finish, a sharp whoosh cut through the air.
The sound of a blade slicing through the atmosphere rang out behind her.
The gloomy young man, who had remained silent until now, seized the moment the fight was declared. Without waiting for Gu Ruoli to finish speaking, he lunged forward abruptly, launching a fierce attack at her.
Feeling the gust of wind at the back of her head, Gu Ruoli wasn't worried about getting hurt. After all, her steel-like body as a third-generation angel wasn't just for show.
Not only was she unbothered, but she even had the leisure to tease:
"Hey, can't you wait for me to finish speaking? Young man, you're seriously lacking manners. No martial virtue at all—I suggest you do some good self-reflection."
"Hmph…"
The gloomy young man was a man of few words. He snorted coldly, completely ignoring Gu Ruoli's taunts.
His movements didn't slow in the slightest. Two gleaming longswords, carrying the force of a thousand jun and the might of thunder, crossed paths as they slashed toward Gu Ruoli's neck.
The momentum of his attack was fierce, and Gu Ruoli could clearly feel the slicing sensation in the air torn apart by the blades.
But Gu Ruoli wasn't intimidated. To her, the young man's assault was riddled with openings, like that of a beginner.
Seeing his silence, Gu Ruoli lost interest. Casually, she drew a white longsword from her spatial ring and raised it to meet his strike.
Though Gu Ruoli might seem like a mascot in the group chat, her combat prowess was nothing to scoff at. As the first to join and become the group's owner, she had initially accumulated the most points (since no one had uploaded items early on, daily points were the only source, and she had the most).
At first, Gu Ruoli had thought she lived in an ordinary world and didn't prioritize strength, spending some points on wealth and similar luxuries.
But after realizing the dangers of her world, she quickly developed a sense of urgency.
From then on, she dedicated all her check-in points to enhancing her abilities.
Now, leaving aside supernatural powers, her technical skills were fully honed—including mastery of various martial arts.
While she might not be a grandmaster of all weapons, calling her proficient in multiple disciplines wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Confident in her swordsmanship, Gu Ruoli raised her blade to block the two longswords descending toward her.
Clang!
As expected, the white longsword effortlessly parried the gloomy young man's attack.
In the next instant, Gu Ruoli clenched her pink fist and, taking advantage of his mid-air vulnerability, delivered a punch.
The power of her spirit-forged body, the strength of her angelic genes, and the force of her spiritual martial arts—
The superposition of all these abilities elevated her physical prowess to an unimaginable level.
And this overwhelming power was now fully displayed in that single punch.
Her brute force concentrated into a single point, crashing toward the gloomy young man's chest.
Even though Gu Ruoli held back most of her strength, the reduced force that landed was still terrifyingly potent.
Crack!
A spine-chilling sound of ribs breaking echoed as the young man was sent flying like a ragged sack.
He smashed into the wall behind him, creating a massive crater and embedding himself in it, unable to free himself for a long time.
"Striking someone like hanging a painting."
Everyone stared at the gloomy young man, now stuck to the wall, unable to be pried off.
Then their eyes shifted to the enormous hole and the countless cracks—large and small—radiating from the impact site, tearing through the wall under the sudden, colossal force.
The arena erupted in an uproar.
...
In the spectator stands.
Gulp…
A loud swallow broke the silence, as if releasing everyone from a paralysis spell, and heated discussions broke out.
"Damn, is this girl for real? Feels like she could kill me with one punch."
"A saying I saw online fits perfectly here: 'The girl next door has grown up, with strength to move mountains and spirit to overshadow the world.'"
A bystander spoke up first, his voice filled with awe.
"Spot on. But is she even human? The cracks from that punch reached the first row of seats!"
A young man nearby chimed in agreement.
"Nonsense, if she's not a woman, what is she? But honestly, her strength is just absurd."
A middle-aged man behind them chuckled before sighing in amazement.
"Uh… I feel like you guys have some biases against women, especially female Outcasts."
A female Outcast, hearing their remarks, prepared to defend her gender.
"Well, that's true. At least my wife hits me with about the same force as that girl."
Another man interjected, completely missing the point.
But he seemed to have forgotten something.
Because standing behind him was a red-suited OL radiating dark energy.
The others noticed immediately and frantically signaled him with their eyes.
Look behind you! Look behind you! (Frantically gesturing)
"Uh… What? Is there something behind m—"
Confused by their expressions, the man trailed off mid-sentence as realization dawned.
Then, a voice spoke up eerily from behind, sending chills down his spine.
Red-suited OL: "Oh~? So you have complaints about me?"
"Haha, honey, of course not! I—"
The man forced a laugh and turned around, ready to explain.
But before he could finish, a hand shot out, accurately pinching his ear and cutting off his "spellcasting."
"Don't change the subject. Get over here!!!"
"Ow ow ow! Honey, not the ear! There are so many people here—save me some face!"
As the "brave warrior" was dragged away by his wife, everyone silently lit a metaphorical candle for him in their hearts.
Farewell, brave soul.
"See, this is why you shouldn't marry an Outcast woman."
Someone sighed, and the others nodded in agreement.
...
"Hahaha… Well said! That guy's wife is a full-blown tyrannical wife!"
Zhang Chulan, listening to the crowd's chatter, finally burst into laughter.
(End of Chapter)