I will be stronger after the remake

"It seems you didn't notice the only time the two sides clashed head-on before. In that instance, both sides were constantly changing their moves. The difference was that Tang Ping relied on her experience to predict Ma Yiming's next move, while Ma Yiming adjusted his moves in real time based on Tang Ping's actions. The two of them were like children bickering, one saying 'counterattack,' and the other saying 'counterattack your counterattack,' and it went on and on."

"Wouldn't that mean it would never end?"

"Of course not. As long as both of them charge forward, they will definitely clash in the end. Tang Ping has a slight advantage because he relies on prediction and can act in advance, while Ma Yiming can only take countermeasures after his opponent has acted, which is naturally a step slower."

"If my brother has the advantage, why is he being suppressed on the field?"

Ling Chong looked helpless and said, "Who knows what Tang Ping is thinking? Maybe he just likes the kind of plot where he is suppressed the whole time and then suddenly turns the tide with a single blow. Anyway, the current situation is no different from the previous battle, except that the opponent's suppression is stronger and he looks more embarrassed, but it doesn't affect the final result."

Yu Shujiang said incredulously, "Ah, isn't my brother deliberately using this method to show weakness because he wants to keep a low profile?"

"What a load of bull! It might be one or two times, but if it happens too often, everyone will know he's doing it on purpose. No one will underestimate him then. Just watch, he's about to launch a counterattack!"

As if to confirm Ling Chong's judgment, Tang Ping suddenly bent down and squatted down when Ma Yiming forced him to the edge of the field, slapping his hands on the ground.

In an instant, golden beams of light shone from the ground around Ma Yiming, startling him. Looking down, he discovered that the light was emitted from footprints.

However, during the previous battle, Tang Ping had been channeling her spiritual energy into the ground through her feet while retreating, leaving a mark that formed an encirclement. Once Ma Yiming entered the encirclement, she immediately activated the mark.

The description of the psychic power "Miraculous Dew" states that it grants additional effects such as detoxification, healing, and blessing to the psychic spells one casts. However, Tang Ping had already discovered through testing that the application of this psychic power is not limited to psychic spells; it also works on one's own output of psychic power, and it is a permanent psychic power that can be activated at any time.

Once activated, the light carrying the blessing property temporarily dispelled the nearby yin energy, causing Ma Yiming to lose the environmental boost and his aura to suddenly weaken.

Ma Yiming sensed something was wrong, but instead of retreating, he advanced, his muscles and bones taut like a bowstring, and threw a heavy punch. Even if he couldn't knock Tang Ping out of the arena, he could still escape the encirclement of the Holy Light.

But Tang Ping had been planning this for a long time, so how could she let her opponent escape so easily? She immediately stretched out her arms naturally as if she were picking flowers, cupped her palms into a bowl shape, and scooped up and deflected the wind of the fist, completely dissolving the struggling yin energy and the fierce fist force.

Immediately afterwards, he gripped Ma Yiming's wrist with his five fingers like a lock, and used his finger strength to tap the joints, numbing the other's limbs. Then he grabbed the man and tossed him behind him.

Ma Yiming's body was suddenly thrown uncontrollably over Tang Ping's head and flew outwards. Tang Ping was already standing at the edge of the field, and this time he was thrown directly out of the field.

Ma Yiming didn't know any aerial maneuvers. By the time he regained control of his limbs in mid-air, it was too late to turn the tide. He could only barely land in a prone position to avoid falling flat on his face, but he had clearly landed outside the arena.

Without the slightest hesitation, the referee decisively declared Tang Ping the winner and advanced to the final.

Upon hearing the result, Ma Yiming shook his head, walked onto the stage, shook hands with Tang Ping, and said, "I'm impressed. To actually leave a mark on the soles of your feet, I really can't believe you came up with that."

Tang Ping laughed and said, "This trick is useless against ordinary psionicists, as they will definitely notice it. However, you control your body in a state of separation between spirit and flesh. While you lose the sense of pain, it also means that your senses such as touch will be greatly weakened, making it impossible for you to detect my subtle movements."

Ma Yiming paused for a moment, then exclaimed, "I didn't expect that the separation of spirit and body would have such drawbacks. I've learned something new."

The two were close friends, so they didn't hold any grudges about who won or lost. After the match, they didn't go back to the stands, but instead found a seat nearby to watch the next match up close.

The referee gave the two players a deep look, but ultimately did not eject them and continued to officiate the match.

As the other two semi-finalists appeared, Tang Ping met Zhao Yeman, whom Ling Chong had mentioned, and used "Three-Eyed True Radiance" to obtain information.

[Character: Zhao Yeman]

[Lingge: Knight]

[Psychic Power: White Horse Meteor, Valor over Life, Chivalrous Spirit]

【White Horse Meteor: A silver saddle shines on a white horse, swift as a meteor. It can easily ride any type of mount and unleash the mount's potential while riding】

[Prioritizing Loyalty Over Life: A true hero is one who keeps his word, fulfills his promises, and is loyal to his word. He does not cherish his own life. When he fulfills a promise to others, his abilities will be enhanced. If a promise cannot be fulfilled, he will be permanently punished.]

[The spirit of chivalry: Unaffected by fear, one's mind remains undisturbed when upholding justice]

Chapter 213 Witnessing Innocence

Zhao Yeman's opponent possessed the spirit "Half-Dragon". According to Tang Ping's close-up observation, the two were evenly matched, and the drawn arena did not favor either side. However, in the end, Zhao Yeman had a slight advantage.

The reason is simple: the "half-dragon" psionicist specializes in unarmed combat, while Zhao Yeman is proficient in both unarmed combat and weapons. After gathering information about her opponent's specialization, she decisively chose to engage in weapon combat.

Since the two sides disagreed, they had to draw lots to decide the outcome. In the end, Zhao Yeman was favored by Lady Luck and relied on her swordsmanship, which was significantly superior to her opponent's knife skills, to dominate the entire match.

Midway through the battle, the "half-dragon" psionicist, seeing the situation was dire, abandoned his claws and quickly closed in, attempting a desperate close-quarters fight.

However, Zhao Yeman sensed her opponent's intentions and retreated in time to create distance, not giving her opponent a chance to fight desperately. Relying on her weapon, she fought steadily and gradually expanded her advantage.

If the tournament allowed the use of spirit resonance, the "half-dragon" psychic might have been able to resist by protecting his body with his scales. Unfortunately, the rules did not allow it. No matter how strong a psychic's physical abilities are, unless they are invulnerable to blades and spears, they cannot ignore the advantage of weapon length. His defeat was expected by everyone.

The final spots for the second group have been decided, and the competition is scheduled for the morning of the day after tomorrow.

Afterwards, the official staff drew lots in front of Tang Ping and Zhao Yeman to confirm that the venue for the competition the day after tomorrow would be a suspension bridge.

The competition venue is quite unique. It consists of two elevated platforms connected by a wooden suspension bridge and ropes, which is what is known as a wooden suspension bridge. The two contestants fight on the suspension bridge. Not only is the space cramped, but the wooden bridge is also prone to swaying, making it difficult to maintain balance. Once they fall, they will be disqualified from the competition.

In short, it is a competition venue that severely tests the players' tactics and flexibility, but Tang Ping and Zhao Yeman had no objections and remained calm.

However, when Tang Ping was about to return to his room to rest, he encountered an official who was discussing cooperation with him.

"Shoot a promotional video?" Tang Ping looked at the staff member who claimed to be from the publicity department with a puzzled expression. "Excuse me for being frank, but the Psionic Administration is a classified department. There's no point in shooting a promotional video, since it can't be released to the public."

The staff patiently explained, "You've misunderstood. The videos we film are mainly for recruitment. Many companies have reported that the most difficult part of recruiting new employees is convincing them that they are not scammers. Because you can't use psychic powers in the real world, persuading people with words is troublesome and generally ineffective."

“Especially now that various scams are emerging in society, young people are very vigilant. When faced with the recruitment of the Psionic Bureau, many people agree on the surface but then call the police to say that they have encountered a new type of scam. Unfortunately, ordinary police officers do not know about the existence of the Psionic Bureau and will actually come to arrest people, which makes both sides very embarrassed.”

"This situation is not an isolated case, and everyone has a lot of opinions about it. Therefore, we have suggested that the organization film some videos that fully demonstrate the characteristics of psychics, and show the videos directly to the recruits when recruiting new people. Although it is impossible to completely dispel their doubts, it can greatly reduce their vigilance and reduce the effort of persuasion. After all, everyone really doesn't want to deal with police questioning about this kind of thing anymore."

Tang Ping nodded slightly. If he hadn't been looking forward to the "dark martial arts world" and hadn't seen Zhou Canglan display his spiritual power in the hospital ward, he probably would have suspected Fu Zhengyi of being a fraud at first glance when he was recruited.

At this point, if the other party can produce a video of a psychic using psychic magic, although the possibility of special effects cannot be ruled out, the credibility will increase significantly, since good special effects cost a lot of money.

"I understand the situation, but why are you looking for me?"

“Since it’s a promotional video, we definitely need to find someone with a good image and strong skills, and you happen to meet the requirements, Comrade Tang Ping.”

After a brief flattery, the staff member added, "Furthermore, we need to consider whether it can be accepted by the public. If we just randomly pick someone to film, people might say, 'Why should he represent us?' Therefore, the organization has decided to find a suitable candidate from the top few in the second group of this martial arts tournament. It just so happens that you and Comrade Zhao Yeman are both excellent in appearance and skill, one male and one female, and both of you have entered the finals. Having the champion and runner-up film the video will surely leave no room for criticism from others."

There's nothing wrong with this statement. If it were someone else within the system, once the decision was made from above, those below would have no choice but to obediently comply, no matter how unhappy they were.

However, most psionicists are arrogant and proud, and there are many who have not been tamed by social rules. If you were to randomly pick an unknown person to film a video, there would inevitably be people who would be dissatisfied and come to challenge the other person to a duel to test their strength.

Tang Ping had no more doubts and said, "I agree to this, but there are still some things I'm curious about. I wonder if I can get answers to them?"

The staff member smiled and said, "Please feel free to ask me any questions, and I will answer them to the best of my knowledge."

Tang Ping didn't mince words: "Why is it the second-tier group?"

"First-level psychic can't fully demonstrate the prowess of a psychic. As for the Unrestricted Group, the top performers are mostly third-level psychics. They are proud of their status and generally don't want to take on such missions. You can't force someone to do something you don't want to do."

“We can’t use psychic powers and magic in the real world. If you want to show off your psychic abilities, you can only do so in the Illusionary Realm. But precision instruments will be damaged if you take them to the Illusionary Realm. What do you plan to use to film the video?”

"Cameras are indeed technological products, but they can't be called precision instruments. Of course, I'm referring to the old-fashioned film cameras. Mass production is impossible, but if it's just one, we can find a few artisan-type psionicists to work together and tinker with one in a few days."

"When was the filming scheduled?"

"Naturally, we'll wait until after the finals to avoid affecting your matches. I'm just informing you in advance. When it's time to film, we'll need to discuss the specific filming content with you both."

"Then I have no further questions. You can come find me again later."

"Okay, thank you for your cooperation. I wish you great success."

After watching the staff leave, Tang Ping turned around and told her companion about it.

"A recruitment video? This can indeed play a significant role. The higher-ups have finally remembered to do something practical. Nowadays, there's anti-fraud propaganda everywhere in society, making even respectable organizations like ours suspect of being scammers. Don't they realize that there's no such thing as using claims of superpowers to commit fraud? This isn't the qigong craze of the 1990s; who but a fool would believe that!"

Ling Chong recalled the difficulties of recruiting new employees in the past, and he felt uneasy.

Tang Ping said, "If we're really talking about fooling idiots, can anything compare to a text message saying 'I am Qin Shi Huang'? The other party might be using your so-called psychic energy as a way to screen out idiots."

"You're not wrong to say that."

Ling Chong nodded, then seemed to remember something and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Tang Ping asked curiously, "What is the captain laughing at?"

"I just suddenly realized that the higher-ups originally intended for Li Zhenlong to film this recruitment video. Li Zhenlong is tall and strong, not bad-looking, and has a strong masculine presence. Most importantly, he has a military background. All things considered, he is the best candidate. The organizers probably tampered with the competition list, deliberately separating him from Zhao Yeman so that the two could meet in the finals and then they could legitimately invite them. But you, kid, intercepted them halfway through!"

Ling Chong laughed even louder.

Tang Ping thought for a moment and said, "That is indeed possible."

"If Li Zhenlong could make it into the top four, the publicity department might have made an exception and invited the four of you to film a video together. But he stopped at the top eight, so now there's no reason for anyone to help or favor him."

Upon hearing this, Yu Shujiang asked worriedly, "Will they hold a grudge against my brother because of this and make things difficult for him?"

“In a fair duel, if they are not as skilled, what right do they have to hold a grudge?” Ling Chong waved his hand dismissively. “Besides, psionicists have a special status. They rely not on their position, but on their own abilities. They can’t just make things difficult for anyone they want.”

Yu Shujiang muttered, "Better safe than sorry."

Tang Ping said, "If something unexpected happens, the solution is quite simple."

"How to say?"

"Just like when Captain Lingchong was asked to go easy on someone, we should go directly to the person in charge, tell him the whole story, and let him handle it."

"That hits the nail on the head!" Ling Chong praised, giving a thumbs up. "I've met Li Zhenlong before. He's a straightforward man who cares a lot about his reputation. If someone is wronged because of him, he will definitely step in to seek justice for them and prove his innocence... Speaking of which, just now, Yuan Ji came to me."

Yu Shujiang asked curiously, "What does she want from you? Didn't she say she would handle everything?"

Ling Chong said, "She said she has found the person in charge behind the scenes because she promised to give me an explanation. If I want to witness it with my own eyes, I can go to Xuanwu Gate at 7:30 tonight."

Tang Ping was slightly surprised: "It seems that she also values ​​her innocence. Under normal circumstances, the so-called 'giving an explanation' is just a notification issued after the matter is resolved, but she actually invited you to witness it in person, which shows that she is really sincere."

Ling Chong nodded in agreement, saying, "That's what I think too. Character is the foundation of martial skill. After fighting her last time, I knew she was a reliable person."

Yu Shujiang glanced at the time and said, "It's almost seven o'clock! What are we waiting for? Let's hurry over!"

Ling Chong hesitated and said, "There's no need for that. She wouldn't deliberately hire someone to act and deceive me. Since we've chosen to believe her, we should just wait patiently for her notification."

“How can that be! There’s a great show about to happen over there. Wouldn’t it be a shame to miss it? Besides, since she invited us to witness her innocence, we have an obligation to be her witnesses.”

Ling Chong corrected, "She only invited me, not you."

"It's all the same, it's all the same. We all came together, why make such a big deal out of it? Let's hurry up and go, or it'll be too late."

Yu Shujiang urged her on, while grabbing Tang Ping's arm.

Tang Ping had no choice but to go to their destination together, seeing that Ling Chong did not object.

Chapter 214 The Man Behind the Scenes

When Ling Chong, Yu Shujiang, and Tang Ping were talking, Yun Yanzi always remained silent, just listening from the corner and never participating in the discussion. The three of them assumed that she was not interested in such trivial matters, as the so-called Taoist principles of tranquility and inaction, detachment from worldly desires, self-cultivation, and transcendence of vulgar interests.

Unexpectedly, when the three set off for the appointment, Yunyanzi followed behind without saying a word, heading to Xuanwu Gate with them, leaving the three speechless.

Yu Shujiang strongly suspected that this person was a closet pervert, but unfortunately she had no evidence. In addition, the other party was older, almost a generation younger, so she couldn't make fun of him and could only keep it to herself.

However, the four of them arrived too early, fifteen minutes before the agreed time, so they had to find a place to hide.

The Taiji Palace in the Illusionary Realm is a mythical relic, and the Xuanwu Gate, as a part of it, naturally follows the rules of mythical relic sites. In addition, the "Xuanwu Gate Incident" is particularly famous, so every night, thick, ink-like yin energy emerges here, emitting wailing from the underworld. The wailing is often mixed with the neighing of warhorses, the clash of weapons, and the roars of countless soldiers before their death.

On the fourth day of the sixth lunar month every year, which is the day of the Xuanwu Gate Incident in history, a large number of ghost soldiers and generals would emerge from the underworld and fight each other at Xuanwu Gate.

Since these ghost soldiers and generals were only focused on infighting and showed no signs of spreading outwards, there was no danger as long as one didn't break in. Therefore, the Department of Psionic Energy let the situation go unchecked and did not send anyone to purify the anomaly.

Because unusual phenomena can sometimes have a positive effect. For example, on the fourth day of the sixth lunar month, a large number of people with psychic abilities from the underworld will come to Xuanwu Gate to absorb the yin energy for cultivation, and those who have mastered the ability to control ghosts will choose powerful ghost generals as their subordinates.

Today is not the fourth day of the sixth lunar month, so the atmosphere is just a little scary. Two of the four are Buddhist spirits and one is a Taoist spirit, so they are naturally not afraid of ghosts. If they do encounter one, they can simply perform a ritual to help it pass on. The only concern is being discovered. Since it is inconvenient to eavesdrop, the four of them can only conceal their aura and cannot use spiritual magic to enhance their spirits, which makes them feel a bit cold here.

Fortunately, someone came over not long after.

Ling Chong peeked at the back of the person who had just arrived, and because he was worried that his voice would be overheard, he only mouthed, "It's not Yuan Ji."

Tang Ping also peeked out and immediately recognized the other person from behind – it was Fu Zhengyi.

Ling Chong only knew Fu Zhengyi, and they weren't close. But he had a deep impression of his former boss, and the moment he recognized him, he understood everything.

But now is not the time to explain things to your companions, and besides, there's no need for it.

Fu Zhengyi waited for a short while before Yuan Ji arrived, but even faster than him was a whistling energy blast.

Fu Zhengyi hurriedly struck out with his palm, using his powerful True Dragon Physique to block the force of the energy, but he was still inevitably forced back a step.

"you……"

He was about to ask a question when he was interrupted by a surging attack.

Yuan Ji brandished the Azure Dragon Halberd, its blade emitting a blue light, its edge drawing a chilling arc in the moonlight, stirring the air and creating visible shockwaves.

Fu Zhengyi repeatedly swung his arms to defend himself, but was also forced to retreat repeatedly by the impact.

Suddenly, Yuan Ji roared and the Azure Dragon Halberd swept out with the force of thunder. Before the blade even arrived, the water on the ground was already shaken into the air by the force of the energy, turning into a mist.

Faced with such a heavy blow, Fu Zhengyi dared not treat it as a casual sparring match. The phantom of Bi'an appeared behind him, and at the same time, he entered a state of spiritual resonance. The scales on his arms grew rapidly, covering his entire arms in an instant, as if he were wearing two indestructible dragon scale arm armors, which gleamed with a cold metallic luster under the moonlight.

Yuan Ji's Azure Dragon Halberd slashed down heavily, and the moment it collided with the dragon scales, the force of the blows caused sparks to fly and produce a piercing, sharp explosion.

"What a violent temper," Yu Shujiang exclaimed in astonishment.

Fu Zhengyi was thrown backward by the impact, his legs leaving two white marks on the ground, until his back hit the city wall and he stopped.