The cold water in the bucket, chilling him to the bone, could not calm the frantic beating of Peng Lin's heart.
As captain, his strength hadn't always been the highest. However, his talent in Taekwondo was undeniable. The spectacular moves he'd seen on videotapes, he had never revealed. He had planned to unleash them in this final match, but unexpectedly, the opponent's dazzling techniques came wave after wave, surpassing his own in power and recovery speed!
If Peng Lin was considered a genius, then Xiao Chong was a genius among geniuses!
The difficulty of stealing a victory from his hands was, understandably, immense.
Ren Yuanhao was silent for a brief four to five seconds. He knew his assumptions were quite far off, but he was certain of one thing: Xiao Chong relied heavily on his superpower, treating it like a child flaunting a precious gem in a bustling marketplace, oblivious to the approaching danger.
With this thought, he glanced back at the man beside Leng Ziyu, feeling that the man's sinister gaze was locked onto Xiao Chong, like a villain staring at dazzling jewelry displayed on a glass shelf, filled with avarice.
"Kid, let me ask you something. If you had Xiao Chong's ability, what would you do?" Ren Yuanhao asked meaningfully.
"Xiao Chong's ability?" Peng Lin paused only slightly before blurting out, "What's there to even say? With that kind of talent, a little thought would make you stronger than most. I'd skip training whenever possible and definitely slack off when I could."
"Exactly. He's overly reliant on his ability. To defeat him, the most crucial step is to make him collapse first."
Ren Yuanhao's words left Peng Lin utterly bewildered. However, Shen Lan Ni understood his implication and explained, "Peng Lin, what Ren Yuanhao means is to strike at the heart before striking the body. In other words, make him feel that his most trusted superpower has failed, and then you can seize the opportunity for a decisive blow."
Peng Lin sighed, his expression like a frostbitten eggplant. "How is that even possible? He's already copied those moves into his mind. As soon as he wants to use them, it's like loading data from a hard drive. He doesn't even need to think; his body will perfectly execute the moves."
"Wait a minute! What did you just say!" Ren Yuanhao seemed to have extracted crucial information from Peng Lin's words, a piece of information that flashed through his mind like lightning.
"I said, he's already copied these skills into his mind, just like loading hard drive data~"
"Hold on," Ren Yuanhao's expression sharpened, interrupting Peng Lin, as if he'd grasped a faint but vital clue. "Hard drive?"
Peng Lin thought, *Big brother, I was just using a metaphor, why are you so fixated on it?*
In truth, even Shen Lan Ni didn't know what Ren Yuanhao was thinking at that moment. After all, they didn't have the concept of 'superpowers.' But Ren Yuanhao was different; his mind contained a super system, equivalent to a supercomputer!
And this computer had once collapsed under the effects of a black magic ritual. If superpowers were comparable to a supercomputer, and he could find a way to make Xiao Chong's copied abilities collapse, then the current battle situation would be completely overturned!
He mused this, yet he had no direct way to make the opponent's superpower falter.
"Yuanhao?"
Shen Lan Ni called him twice consecutively before Ren Yuanhao finally snapped out of his chaotic thoughts.
"What did you think of?"
"Nothing much. I have an idea in mind, but I don't know how to execute it. Don't ask me, I can't explain it clearly right now. I need to sort it out."
Ren Yuanhao's head suddenly ached intensely, as if he had touched a forbidden domain. Even the system's voice slowly lowered.
"Beep beep, detecting host's brainwave disorder, data correction has been applied."
"System sister, I just thought of a possibility~"
"Stop guessing. I've told you before, these so-called superpowers are merely unlocking the 'forbidden zone of God' within humans. Since it's a forbidden zone, ordinary people can't comprehend it no matter how hard they try. You, however, are no longer ordinary. Once you delve too deeply into the 'forbidden zone of God,' your brainwaves will become disordered. Otherwise, why call it a 'forbidden zone'?"
"Can I interpret this as the omniscient and omnipotent God intervening when humans try to touch the forbidden zone, and once detected, divine punishment will be meted out?"
"It's roughly that. Helping that kid win isn't impossible, and your line of thought is correct. When fighting against a superpower user, the best method is to sever the connection between the superpower and its host. However..."
The system chuckled slyly. Ren Yuanhao seemed to already smell the stench of profit emanating from a shrewd merchant preparing to hawk their wares. Yet, at this moment, he could only greedily inhale this 'stench of profit.'
"However what?"
"However, you have no points, so you can't redeem any items."
Ren Yuanhao slapped his forehead. *Damn, after redeeming attribute point potions last night, I only had 200 points left. And the potions purchased with those 200 points are currently working subtly within Peng Lin and Gao Chenfei!*
"Um~" Ren Yuanhao's tone became extremely fawning. "Um, can I buy on credit?"
"Based on the principles of fairness and justice, the mall does not allow credit purchases. It's only natural to pay before receiving goods."
"No room for negotiation?"
"Of course. Didn't you say I'm a system without emotions?"
—*Damn it, you're ruthless. You must have been obsessed with money in your past life!*
Although Ren Yuanhao was complaining internally, a strong curiosity surged within him, a desire to witness firsthand an item that could effectively interfere with superpowers.
"Hey, before buying anything, I should check the goods, right? That's perfectly reasonable."
"Reasonable. After the system's previous collapse, the shop has new products, which can be viewed promptly. For this situation, I recommend a pill in the form of a gaseous spray, named 'San Qing Hua Yi Shuang' (Three Pure Transformations Frost). It can block the connection between the superpower and its host in a very short period, and its effectiveness is related to the host's basic attributes and physique."
—*Sounds like a potent, untraceable killer drug. I just wonder how much it's going to cost me.*
Mentioning money again made Ren Yuanhao wilt like a bruised eggplant.
"Alright, let's talk price."
"This category of item is considered a rare life-saving medicine, with a high price and limited quantity. The set price is 1000 points."
The real-world Ren Yuanhao staggered forward two steps. Those who didn't know would think he had suffered a severe blow.
"1000 points? You might as well rob me. Even if you stripped me bare, I, Ren Yuanhao, couldn't scrape that together."
"Apologies, the system store has encountered an issue and needs to close. Please try again later."
"Hey, hey!"
Ren Yuanhao's voice trailed off, and only then did he truly realize the immense importance of money.