Free Web NovelChapter 341: Chapter 52: Professional Unlocking and the Dragon King Ruins
"To be fair, during the Merfolk ruins exploration in the northern high seas, Agent Nakajima Shuuki from Fusang did indeed eliminate the most Fishman servant Ghosts. However, Agent Afanasi from Ross Country was the first among everyone to notice and eliminate the Mirror Spirit of the ’Soul-Bearing Mirror,’ which was the source controlling these Ghosts. Although the former displayed impressive combat prowess—his Steel Fist Boxing Method could even directly destroy ghosts with sheer force of will—there’s no doubt that Agent Afanasi, who can create Spiritual Fire, is just as formidable, and his Observation Ability is far more meticulous. For this exploration, I’ve decided to award the MVP to Agent Afanasi."
"Rationally speaking, in this exhibition match between Zhengguo and Zhu Country, contestant Xinke from Zhu Country’s Ganesha University demonstrated great flair, skill, and spirit. His mastery of Ice Spiritual Technique was superb. Although he unfortunately lost to contestant Guan Wanjing from Qinxing Academy, Guan Wanjing is a member of the team I lead, so it’s only natural he couldn’t defeat him. And considering he held on for so long, I don’t think his score needs to be reduced."
"You think so-and-so is stronger? Sorry, but I don’t care what you think; I care what I think. I’m the professional judge here. I’ve undergone rigorous training, so of course I can tell who’s stronger and who’s weaker—unless they’re throwing the match."
「December 2, 2015.」
Two months had passed since the end of the Kunlun Secret Realm exploration.
Besides his daily Cultivation, training his squad, reading and studying, eating and drinking, and flaming people online—not to mention collecting numerous extra salaries and subsidies from the government—Su Zhou had plenty of work to do.
One of these jobs was to serve as a judge and commentator for several Zhengguo Secret Realm exploration shows and Extraordinary combat programs, using his professional eye to analyze contestants’ strengths and weaknesses for the public, highlight important issues, and offer detailed commentary on subtleties that, while lost on ordinary people, were crucial for professionals in the field.
Of course, he also made occasional appearances on international programs as a special guest. After all, he was young, handsome, and powerful. He was well-spoken, had a gentle and friendly demeanor, and often kindly answered questions from the audience. As a result, he was immensely popular and highly sought-after. Naturally, his appearance fees were also quite substantial.
Although it might sound like this commentary and analysis was just for fun, life requires some relaxation. What’s more, for Su Zhou, observing the combat processes between various inheritances from different regions was also a form of Cultivation. To him, the pacing of the battles between these university and academy students and their timing for releasing Magic Techniques were all flawed. But the most important thing wasn’t to compare oneself to others, but to oneself.
Su Zhou would naturally imagine how he would respond if an enemy of comparable strength attacked him using the world’s diverse and bizarre array of Extraordinary Inheritances.
It was for this very reason that Su Zhou was so enthusiastic about being a judge and commentator. This somewhat surprised the Zhengguo Government, which had only intended for him to make a few appearances and become a familiar face to the global public. In the end, they could only chalk it up to the nature of youth.
"From a professional standpoint, this agent’s exploration process isn’t meticulous or delicate enough. It doesn’t have that feeling of advancing cautiously with Full Concentration. For example, if a hidden door in the ground suddenly opened right now and a monster lying in wait ambushed him from below, what would happen to our friend here whose stance has already relaxed? He’d be instantly killed, of course! But then again, most of the Defensive Arrays in this ruin have probably been damaged due to the passage of time, so a monster isn’t really going to ambush him through a tunnel."
"But it’s still a mistake. For the reasons mentioned above, I can’t turn my chair for him."
It had to be said, Su Zhou’s commentary and analysis were extremely popular. After all, he himself was the number one genius promoted by the Zhengguo Government, the first of the younger generation worldwide to advance to the Extraordinary level, and a Powerhouse with an actual combat record. His analysis naturally carried immense persuasive power. What’s more, Su Zhou could indeed observe problems that even the agents inside the ruins couldn’t spot, always providing pleasant surprises for the audience.
Of course, his rather brilliant commentary wasn’t without its critics. Both online and in real life, people questioned him because of his youth, with comments like, "What gives someone so young the right to be a judge?" or "How are you qualified to pass such high-and-mighty judgment on my XXX!" There were certainly a lot of those. There were also haters who held a grudge because Su Zhou had criticized their country’s contestants and agents, even sharply pointing out their flaws and weaknesses.
Even though Su Zhou’s intention in pointing out flaws and weaknesses was to help them improve and perfect their skills, the haters didn’t care.
However, because Su Zhou himself was handsome enough, he was immune to at least eighty percent of online attacks. Moreover, with the online armies arranged by the Zhengguo Government, the haters never managed to gain much traction.
Although his own qualifications were solid and he was heavily promoted by Zhengguo, making Su Zhou one of the world’s most authoritative experts on Extraordinary topics, he would still misjudge things from time to time.
"Contestant Danik from the American Federation has now pushed his Spiritual Power to the absolute limit! His Amplification Magic accumulates power from his previously cast Spirit Techniques, with each spell cast granting a greater bonus to the next!"
"The ninth time! This is the ninth spell contestant Danik has cast! You can see that the range of his Flame Attack Array is three times larger than a normal one! If this attack lands, defeating contestant Vivani from the European Union will be a piece of cake. Carlo Vivani doesn’t even dare to attack right now; he’s just circling on the sidelines."
