Chapter 71
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Chapter 71: The Quarterfinals
Watching Chu Qiuhe fall to Zhang Yu, Qian Shen exclaimed in surprise, “Zhang Yu won.”
Zhao Tianxing had been observing the fight intently but could not understand how it had ended. He asked, puzzled, “How did he win so abruptly? It felt like Zhang Yu was being completely suppressed the entire time.”
Qian Shen said thoughtfully, “Although Zhang Yu was constantly being suppressed, if you think about it, he actually blocked almost all of Chu Qiuhe’s attacks.”
“In contrast, Chu Qiuhe relied on his superior physique to attack almost without defending.”
Qian Shen added uncertainly, “And then… it seems Zhang Yu managed to land a critical blow at just the right moment?”
He sighed wistfully and said, “I heard that the National College Entrance Examination used to be purely arena combat. But there are too many random factors in a fight, so it was impossible to select the most outstanding talents through combat alone. It was eventually revised step by step into the current six-subject, 700-point system.”
He Dayou gloated with schadenfreude, “With this loss, Chu Qiuhe is finished at Bailong High School.”
Zhao Tianxing asked, “It was just one lost fight, isn’t that an exaggeration?”
He Dayou countered, “What would happen if you lost to someone from an ordinary high school?”
Zhao Tianxing’s brow furrowed immediately. “What do students from ordinary high schools know about cultivation? How could I possibly lose to them?”
He Dayou replied calmly, “But what if you did?”
The sky would fall. The shame of Songyang. Humiliation before the entire school. Walking up to the rooftop… Just imagining it sent Zhao Tianxing’s mind into a dark abyss.
Seeing the change in his expression, He Dayou let out a chuckle. “So you understand now?”
But then his gaze fell upon Zhang Yu stepping down from the arena, and his brow furrowed again.
While Chu Qiuhe’s defeat secretly delighted him, Zhang Yu’s victory pained him.
***
Meanwhile, On the other section of the venue.
Chu Qiuhe, who had fainted, was carried back to Bailong High School’s preparation area.
The Competition Coach glanced at him but was not in a hurry to wake him up for a humiliating lecture. After all, Chu Qiuhe was the only one who had returned, and the other contestants were still fighting in their arenas.
Of course, he would wait until everyone was back before making Chu Qiuhe kneel before all the students for a thorough shaming.
To think he actually lost to someone from Songyang High School.
The mere thought made the Competition Coach seethe inwardly. His upcoming bonus and performance review would be docked. He would probably be mocked by other teachers and chewed out by the school leaders.
As the coach dwelled in these grim prospects, another student from Bailong High School was carried over on a stretcher.
The coach frowned at the student on the stretcher and asked, “What happened to you?”
The student’s face was deathly pale as he stammered, “I… I beat the student from Purple Cloud. Then Bai Zhenzhen from Songyang High School defeated Hu Yuntao, and then she fought me… I lost to her.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt the air around him plummet by ten degrees, and he could not help but shiver.
The Competition Coach demanded coldly, “How did you lose?”
The student lowered his head and said, “That Bai Zhenzhen… she rented a stealth-type Spirit Root that allowed her to flicker in and out of my perception.”
The Competition Coach said coldly, “Her stats are so much lower than yours. Even with a surprise attack, it should have been difficult for her to defeat you.”
A flicker of confusion crossed the student’s eyes. “I… I don’t know. She suddenly struck a vital point, and somehow I… I just blacked out.”
On another stretcher, Chu Qiuhe, who had woken up long ago but had been pretending to be unconscious, suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. He thought to himself, Good, I’m not the only one who lost.
At that moment, an idea suddenly occurred to Chu Qiuhe.
Zhang Yu… you better win a few more matches for my sake! Better yet, beat a few more people from Bailong High School.
As long as Zhang Yu won enough matches, Chu Qiuhe felt his own defeat would not seem so disgraceful.
As for the victories and defeats of the other students?
His classmate’s victory would not add anything to Chu Qiuhe’s resume. In fact, a classmate’s defeat would do more to preserve his face.
Meanwhile, the battles on the various other arenas were also drawing to a close.
In one arena, Song Hailong let out a wild roar and seized his opponent. A terrifying surge of power erupted from him as he flung the man away like a ball. His opponent crashed into the ceiling over ten meters high with a thunderous crash, a feat of skill that instantly stunned the entire crowd.
The Bailong students in the audience erupted in frenzied applause. They only stopped the instant Song Hailong raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist.
In another arena, Le Mulan flicked her slender fingers. Bolts of ice-blue magic power shot out like sharp swords towards her opponent three meters away, carving one gash after another.
No matter how desperately her opponent fought back, he was constantly intercepted by the flashing ice-blue sword-light, trapped more than three meters away. Not even a single drop of his own splattering blood could get within three meters of Le Mulan.
Watching her opponent finally collapse from blood loss, Le Mulan turned and slowly walked off the arena.
The Purple Cloud students in the audience remained completely silent, not daring to make a sound. But hearing the cheers erupting from the Bailong students for Song Hailong nearby made Le Mulan frown inwardly.
So noisy…
In the blink of an eye, all eight groups had determined their victors, and the top eight contestants of the Martial Arts Competition were finalized.
Besides Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, Song Hailong, and Le Mulan, the top eight included Lian Tianji, two students from Red Pagoda High School, and another student from Bailong High School.
Zhang Yu checked the upcoming schedule for the top-eight matches.
My first match is against Lian Tianji. Then I’ll have to face the winner of the match between Song Hailong and the other Red Pagoda student.
Based on Zhang Yu’s own assessment, the Red Pagoda student was unlikely to be a match for Song Hailong.
This meant that if he wanted to contend for the championship, he would have to defeat Lian Tianji first and then Song Hailong.
But by comparison, A-Zhen’s path was even more difficult. Zhang Yu thought while looking at the lower half of the bracket. Bai Zhenzhen had to defeat the top-ranked student from Red Pagoda High School, the one with 300 points, and then overcome Le Mulan from Purple Cloud High School before they could meet in the finals to compete for the championship.
Zhang Yu did not have much time to reflect. Before he knew it, the quarterfinals had officially begun.
The number of arenas in the competition ground had been reduced from eight to four.
As Zhang Yu stepped onto the arena, he saw that Lian Tianji was already waiting there.
Upon seeing Zhang Yu, Lian Tianji’s eyes lit up. “Zhang Yu, I watched the replay of your previous match. It was a spectacular battle.”
“To suppress an opponent whose strength, speed, and stamina all surpassed your own through sheer skill means your understanding of the Martial Dao has already surpassed mine.”
“But actual combat is never a contest of just one dimension.”
Saying this, he brought the backpack he was wearing around to his front. “Out of respect for you, I will now use my full strength to fight you.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Lian Tianji reached into his backpack, pulled out a bottle of medicine, and prepared to drink it.
Watching the other boy get ready to drink the potion, Zhang Yu was already used to it. This is just how things are in Songyang City. This is what we high school students consider our full strength!
But just then, the referee from the side walked over and actually stopped Lian Tianji from drinking the medicine.
This turn of events took Zhang Yu by surprise. Does this competition actually ban drugs? Is this still Kunxu?
However, after the referee checked Lian Tianji’s backpack and confirmed that all the drugs were compliant with the rules, he simply said, “Everything’s in order. You may continue.”
Lian Tianji first drank a bottle of medicine, then swallowed several capsules. Finally, he took out a syringe and plunged it into his arm.
As the drugs entered his system, Lian Tianji’s body underwent noticeable changes.
His muscles subtly swelled, veins bulged across his skin, and his breathing grew heavier and more labored.
Watching his opponent continuously dose himself with more and more substances left Zhang Yu speechless.
Seriously… can’t you just stop respecting me? Why not just look down on me and underestimate me instead?
Then Zhang Yu gradually began to notice that something was amiss.
As Lian Tianji was injecting himself, he was also reciting lines to someone off to the side.
“I’ve been taking this Combat Stimulant for three months now. The effects are truly excellent. It can rapidly unlock muscle potential and suppress pain…”
Zhang Yu looked at another Purple Cloud student standing nearby, who was holding up a phone and filming Lian Tianji. He could not help but ask, “Are you two shooting an advertisement?”
Lian Tianji said, “I often share my daily study and cultivation routine online and through live streams. This time, I will also recommend some reliable and effective combat potions to my fans.”
He added, “Student Zhang Yu, do not dismiss this.”
“On the long path to immortality, learning to earn money and developing the ability to do so is a crucial matter.”
“As the saying goes, ‘Money paves the path through the mountain of books, and wealth becomes the boat across the boundless sea of learning.’ Those who only know how to spend money but not how to earn it will not go far on the path of cultivation.”
[Note: This is a pun on a famous Chinese proverb, “书山有路勤为径, 学海无涯苦作舟”. The original means “Diligence is the path up the mountain of books, and hardship is the boat across the boundless sea of learning.” The character has humorously replaced “diligence” (勤 qín) with “money” (钱 qián) and “hardship” (苦 kǔ) with “wealth” (财 cái).]
Zhang Yu looked at the referee beside them and asked, “Can we start now?”
The referee gave him a sidelong glance. “You want to start before he has even finished taking his potions? Do you not think that would be an unsportsmanlike victory?”
What the hell… Zhang Yu was at a loss for words. “Fine, fine. Do whatever you want.”
A moment later.
“My apologies for the wait.” Lian Tianji cupped his fists at Zhang Yu. “In that case… let us begin.”
With the referee’s call of “3…2….1… start!” both fighters shot forward like lightning and collided with a thunderous crash.
Each clash between Lian Tianji’s fist and Zhang Yu’s Formless Cloud Gang Qi produced a deafening roar.
Zhang Yu felt an explosive force contained within Lian Tianji’s incoming fist. The moment it touched his Gang Qi, the force detonated violently, causing his Formless Cloud Gang Qi to dissipate rapidly. Zhang Yu had to replenish it with a constant stream of Magic Power.
This was the Explosive Wave Fist, an Expert-Grade Cultivation Technique that Lian Tianji had mastered. It was currently at Level 3.
This fist technique was inspired by the explosions of dynamite and the shockwaves propagating. It converted Magic Power into a unique energy called Explosive Fist Force, which could directly detonate on impact. This not only multiplied its power but also made it extremely difficult to defend against or redirect.
Lian Tianji thought to himself, Limitless Cloud Hands excels at using Formless Cloud Gang Qi to redirect an opponent’s force.
But my Explosive Wave Fist generates an explosive force. The Formless Cloud Gang Qi cannot redirect it and will instead be continuously blasted apart.
Zhang Yu’s strength is not as great as mine, and his magic power is not as abundant. He should not be able to hold out for much longer.
In theory, this should have been the case.
But Lian Tianji was astonished to discover that the Zhang Yu before him could not only block his attacks with perfect timing at the last possible moment, but was also gradually started to guide his Explosive Fist Force, using it against him.
Zhang Yu was using the Indestructible Seal Technique to draw and redirect Lian Tianji’s Magic Power.
He can actually redirect my fist force? This means that besides Limitless Cloud Hands, he is also skilled in another profound martial art that uses an opponent’s magic power against them.
Realizing this, Lian Tianji burst into laughter. “Zhang Yu, you truly have not disappointed me.”
Just then, a student from Purple Cloud called out from the audience, “Lord Lian Tianji, the sponsors say they will deduct from your pay if you cannot finish him within a minute.”
Lian Tianji’s face darkened. “I know.”
Zhang Yu sensed his opponent’s demeanor shift as he suddenly became serious. The smile vanished from his face, replaced by faint wisps of killing intent in his eyes.
Simultaneously, the spiritual energy in the air began to churn.
Zhang Yu’s gaze sharpened. Had this Lian Tianji also brought a Combat Spirit Root to this competition?