I will eventually become a divine being through accumulating constantly

```

Gu Hongding rolled his eyes, "Don't even start."

He paced forward, picking up the three-meter-long cleaver propped against the wall, and headed for the doorway, as the titanium alloy armor clanked and rattled.

"I'm off then."

Gu Hongding had a somber look, even carrying a hint of melancholy.

It was as if he wasn't heading to a competition, but marching towards a battlefield with certain death awaiting.

Deng Jizhou found it a bit humorous, "Go on, just remember to be decisive. If you can't make it, just surrender straight away. There's no shame in that."

Gu Hongding waved his hand without turning back, "I know."

...

"The brief intermission comes to an end, let's return to the match..."

"...The upcoming battle is undoubtedly the most anticipated match of the day, featuring Kunqing Club's competitor Gu Hongding against Galaxy Club's Xue Jing..."

Commentator Hao Yongyun, after rambling for a bit, finally announced:

"Alright, enough talk, let us welcome—competitor Gu Hongding!"

As his voice fell, the spotlight converged on the entrance of the players' tunnel.

With each clanking step, Gu Hongding emerged from the tunnel, encased in an armor as thick as a tortoise shell, his figure as imposing as a Gundam under the spotlight.

The audience's applause was mixed with astonishment.

"What is that? Cosplay?"

"Damn, he's actually wearing full body armor? How scared can this guy be..."

"Haha, it kinda makes sense though, considering his opponent is my hubby..."

"I was beginning to think he was off to war, acting all cowardly yet shameless, but becoming so shameless it's actually amusing."

"Keep it up, armored big bro!"

The commentator introduced:

"Competitor Gu Hongding, practitioner of the legendary 'Qitun Wushuang School'. He is one of the rare 'Battlefield Faction' martial artists today, fighting in each match as if he is on an actual battlefield, giving it his all... Hmm, this armor is also considered a cold weapon, so it doesn't violate any rules."

"Let's take a look at his hexagon stats chart."

"Attack 7, Speed 5, Defense 8, Skill 7, Spirit 8, Intelligence 9... Oh~ besides 'Speed', all are top-tier stats, it's truly a luxurious lineup, no wonder he's a seeded competitor."

"And such a formidable contender, taking on his opponent so seriously, pushing the limits of the rules, who might that opponent be?"

"Let us welcome—Competitor Xue Jing!"

By the end of the commentator's speech, his voice grew loud and excited when he mentioned Xue Jing's name.

The audience was very supportive, with applause and cheers almost ready to overturn the entire venue.

The spotlight shone down, and a figure slowly emerged from the entrance of the player's tunnel.

Upon seeing him, the clapping and noise level increased by a notch.

"Hubby, hubby, hubby!!"

"Xue Jing, hubby, look over here!!"

Exaggerated shouts came from the audience.

This level of popularity was not on the same level as Gu Hongding or any other competitor who had appeared before, it was extremely exaggerated.

Standing in the ring, Gu Hongding couldn't help but break into a sweat, feeling as if he had entered the opponent's home court, with the entire audience against him.

He removed the full-face helmet from his head, revealing a shiny bald head and wiped the sweat from it with his hand.

Xue Jing was also slightly surprised, not expecting such a loud welcome.

Carrying the Crouching Rabbit Sword, he walked towards the ring while nodding and smiling to the audience.

Wherever his gaze fell, that part of the audience erupted in even louder cheers.

The photographer, perched up high, once again smartly began to circle Xue Jing, creating a silky smooth 360-degree surround shot, clearly showing favoritism.

This time Xue Jing did not smile at the camera, as if not seeing it, ignoring the photographer.

Still, the applause from the audience remained enthusiastic.

"Competitor Xue Jing, as you all must be quite familiar with by now, from his first match two days ago, his smile and swordplay astounded the world. One could say he reached the pinnacle from the beginning, not even the male lead of a martial arts novel could compare!"

"He practices the 'Hidden Dragon School', let's take a look at his hexagon stats chart."

"Attack 10, Speed ?, Defense ?, Skill 10, Spirit ?, Intelligence ?... Since competitor Xue Jing only has one match on his record so far, some stats are currently missing, but just from what he has shown so far, he has already obtained two perfect scores of 10!"

"I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of spectacular match Xue Jing will bring us today?"

On the ring, Xue Jing looked towards Gu Hongding across from him, his eyes pausing for a moment on the obviously high-quality armor, and immediately understood why his adversary was a 'Battlefield Faction' martial artist.

"That outfit must have cost a pretty penny," Xue Jing said with a smile.

Gu Hongding was taken aback.

Having seen how Xue Jing had butchered Li Chengxuan with his sword, he had assumed that his opponent had a not-so-great temper, but he didn't expect him to speak in such a friendly and gentle tone.

"Uh... it was a bit expensive," he scratched his bald head.

Xue Jing nodded, "I see... Then I'll be extra careful."

Gu Hongding: "Huh?"

Before he could ponder further, the commentator had already brought the banter to a close.

"...This match can be described as the strongest spear against the strongest shield. Who will ultimately claim victory? Let's wait and see!"

As the words ended, the referee stepped into the ring, halfway between the two competitors.

"Both competitors, please take your positions."

"Ready..."

"Begin!"

As the referee's arm swung down between the two men, a sudden commotion erupted from the stands.

```