Losing streaks—this was originally a rather unique 'game mechanism' in the game Silver Shovel.
The 'Fortune Star Bond' was also a relatively interesting bond combination in this game.
Simply explained, with this bond, the more times a player loses, the higher the rewards they will receive upon a subsequent victory.
While Mi Yao's Star Source: Arcade Master could materialize in-game abilities, this materialized ability often underwent a certain degree of modification to better suit reality.
Therefore, the 'Fortune Star Bond' game effect, after being materialized by Mi Yao into reality, became: losing a certain amount of health was equivalent to one 'loss'.
The reason Mi Yao had been passively taking hits since the start and hadn't counterattacked once was precisely because he was constantly accumulating his 'losing streak count'.
Coupled with the 'Demon Contract' ability, which constantly converted health and Star Energy value, even though he looked miserably beaten at the moment, in reality, he hadn't suffered any substantial damage other than expending some Star Energy value.
Knowing the 'rules' and using the 'rules' reasonably.
Mi Yao fully demonstrated a Star Envoy's development and application of his Star Source, crafting a perfect strategy for himself.
[Martial Arts Heavenly Capital, Wealthy Martial Tower Arena]
Bang!
Chen Kong's golden fist smashed into Mi Yao, sending him crashing into the ground with the force of the blow.
Under the massive impact, the ground cracked, and shattered stones flew up.
After that punch, Chen Kong stopped. He looked down at Mi Yao lying in the crater, breathing heavily, his golden-plated arm slightly aching.
Five full minutes he had been hitting Mi Yao.
But during this entire process, Mi Yao only occasionally raised his hand to block, never launching any counterattack.
No matter how one looked at it, this situation was deeply suspicious.
Seeing Chen Kong suddenly stop, Mi Yao, acting as if nothing happened, raised a hand to adjust his anti-blue-light glasses, which had been shaken askew, and scoffed, "What's wrong, Kong? Have you run out of energy already?"
"What kind of tricks are you playing?"
Ignoring Mi Yao's verbal ridicule, Chen Kong gritted his teeth and demanded an answer.
Mi Yao replied with a smile, "No tricks. Just normal 'operation' is all."
"Whether you understand it or not is none of my business."
Hearing Mi Yao spout those obscure gaming terms again, Chen Kong knew something was seriously wrong but had no good way to break the situation.
He could only raise his fist again, attempting to exhaust Mi Yao's Star Energy value.
But his golden fist ultimately did not land on Mi Yao; it stopped right in front of him.
Because Chen Kong's peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of the old-style arcade machine not far away.
The screen of the arcade machine was glowing green, and a new line of text had clearly appeared on the screen.
[Game Materialization Ability: Fortune Star Bond (Unlocked)]
Seeing this, Chen Kong finally realized.
"You used a false command to hide the other game abilities?"
"Did you finally figure it out..."
Seeing that Chen Kong had finally discovered his little trick, Mi Yao stopped pretending.
He supported himself with both hands, sitting up right on the edge of the fractured crater, brushing the crushed rock off his hoodie, all while chewing on his unfinished gum.
"That's about enough. Twelve consecutive losses. Just enough to exchange for a 'big gift package'."
The moment his voice fell, Mi Yao suddenly punched Chen Kong.
Although this punch was neither painful nor irritating to Chen Kong, Mi Yao smiled even more brightly after the punch.
"My apologies, Kong. It's time for me to harvest."
The next second, the arcade machine in the corner of the arena suddenly chimed ding, and the text on the screen began to scroll rapidly like a waterfall.
A massive flow of golden light spewed out from the arcade machine, instantly enveloping Mi Yao's body like a luminous river.
[Counterattack detected successfully. Triggering Fortune Star Bond reward (12 losses)]
[Current Reward: Full Status Recovery! Triple Star Energy Amplification! Triple Base Attribute Amplification!]
What?!
Hearing the cold, mechanical voice, Chen Kong's pupils shrank violently.
Under his gaze, Mi Yao's previously pale face visibly flushed, the scrapes on his lips, the holes in his hoodie, and even the bruises from the previous punches all rapidly healed within the golden light.
More terrifyingly, the faint purple Star Energy around him suddenly swelled three-fold like a balloon being inflated. Even the surrounding air vibrated with a loud hum!
Feeling the ceaseless Star Energy gushing within him, Mi Yao smiled and said, "Kong, the game... is about to enter the second stage."
As the words ended, Mi Yao's figure instantly vanished from the spot.
Swoosh!
When the sound of air being sliced passed right by his ear, Chen Kong only had time to turn his head.
Before Chen Kong's dynamic vision could even capture his movement, Mi Yao was already in front of him, unleashing a palm strike.
"Pfft!"
Blood sprayed from Chen Kong's mouth. He was sent flying backward as if hit by a high-speed hovercar, slamming heavily into the arena wall, forming a shallow dent.
Amidst the swirling dust, the golden plating on Chen Kong's skin was covered with numerous cracks, no longer possessing its former brilliance, demonstrating the force of Mi Yao's palm.
Not rushing to pursue, Mi Yao stood in place, raising his hands to flex his wrists.
"Kong, games always have wins and losses."
"The reason I can always avoid losing is because... I never challenge opponents stronger than me."
"..."
In the hidden VIP room not far away.
Gon listened to Mi Yao's words, his mouth twitching slightly.
Only fighting those weaker than himself... why does that sound so familiar?
As Gon wore a complex expression, Mi Yao in the arena walked step by step toward Chen Kong.
"Kong, what you thought was your advantage was merely the 'newbie welfare' I gave you."
"If I didn't have absolute confidence, do you think I would casually start a 'game' with you?"
Listening to Mi Yao's mocking words, Chen Kong leaned against the wall, trying to stand up, but the sharp pain in his chest made his vision go black.
Watching Mi Yao's approaching figure and the still-glowing golden arcade machine, Chen Kong's heart sank to the bottom.
At this moment, he finally understood everything.
From the moment he agreed to the bet, he had walked into the 'trap' designed by Mi Yao.
The accumulated losses of the Fortune Star Bond, the sustained power from the Demon Contract, and the hidden false command...
Every step was within his opponent's calculation.
He didn't understand Mi Yao, but Mi Yao understood him well.
In a short while, Mi Yao stopped in front of Chen Kong, looking down at him.
"Why aren't you getting up? You seemed to have plenty of energy when you were hitting me earlier, didn't you?"
"Or is it that you, this 're-skinned elite mob'... only have this much capability?"