Chapter 74
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Chapter 74: Poor, The Final Four
In the quater-finals, Xiong Wenwu’s massive blood loss immediately drew everyone’s attention.
The crowd, drawn by the pool of blood on the ground, turned to see that a student from Songyang High School had actually defeated Red Pagoda High School’s strongest competitor.
Hu Yuntao rushed forward to get Xiong Wenwu to the medical team for treatment.
When he heard Xiong Wenwu’s severe bleeding was actually due to hemorrhoids, Hu Yuntao instinctively clenched his own butt.
What do we do? Surgery? Will I have to keep going back for hemorrhoid surgery every time it flares up?
The thought of the repeated surgical fees made Hu Yuntao’s heart ache. Damn it! Why do I have external hemorrhoids too? Why couldn’t I have internal ones? Internal ones would be protected by my Body Refinement Technique, and I wouldn’t have to spend money on surgery.
The Coach patted his shoulder and chuckled. “Silly boy, what do you do when you realize your head is being targeted as a weakness?”
“Train in the Iron Head Technique, of course!” Hu Yuntao’s eyes lit up. “You mean…”
“Precisely.” The Coach’s gaze suddenly turned cold as he looked at Hu Yuntao and Xiong Wenwu on the operating table, his voice matching his expression. “When you return to school, prepare for rigorous training. Director Long is extremely dissatisfied with your performance in this competition.”
The emergency doctor, overhearing their conversation, could not help but think, The head is a vital area. Why not just wear a helmet?
***
On the other side of the emergency area, Bai Zhenzhen’s expression darkened upon hearing the doctor’s price. After asking about it several times, she suddenly said, “For these scratches one me, forget about scar removal or any cosmetic repairs. Just use the fastest, simplest method. That should all be covered by insurance, right?”
The emergency doctor sighed in resignation. “Fine, fine. We’ll bill the insurance for 98,0000, but these wounds will definitely leave scars.”
As he spoke, the doctor channeled his magic power. His hands moved in a blur of afterimages as he cleaned the wounds, reattached the arm, stitched the flesh, stopped the bleeding, applied various medicines, and finally infused a healing energy into Bai Zhenzhen’s body to accelerate wound closure.
Though the fee was steep, the doctor’s skill was undeniable.
After a little more than half an hour, Bai Zhenzhen felt her injuries were mostly healed.
However, a series of scars now marked her arms, thighs, calves, and abdomen.
Once she was back in the rest area, Bai Zhenzhen swung her arm and laughed. “His technique wasn’t bad at all. I feel like I could use about 80-90% of my strength without any problems.”
As for the scars on her body, Bai Zhenzhen naturally paid them no mind.
Cosmetic procedures like beauty treatments and scar removal were luxuries for the wealthy and had nothing to do with her.
Lei Jun, standing beside her, watched Bai Zhenzhen with a complex expression and asked, “Are you still planning to continue in the competition?”
Bai Zhenzhen smiled. “Of course. If I win against Le Mulan in the next match, Yu Zi and I can meet in the finals. We’ll take first and second place, and Old Lei, you’ll have bragging rights too.”
Lei Jun sighed. “But your insurance coverage is almost exhausted. I’ve seen Le Mulan’s fighting style. Her Sword Qi is sharp and her attack range is wide. If you fight her, your medical bills could easily skyrocket to over a hundred thousand, or even several hundred thousand.”
Bai Zhenzhen fell silent for a moment at his words.
Lei Jun continued, “You’ve already made it to the final four. That’s a great achievement for your resume. Why risk injury by continuing the competition?”
But he kept his true thoughts to himself. You can’t get into one of the Top Ten Universities anyway. First place in the Martial Arts Competition isn’t that important for you.
Lei Jun continued to persuade him. “Your fighting style already makes you prone to injury. If you had a few hundred thousand yuan saved up to cover post-competition medical expenses, I wouldn’t try to dissuade you.”
“But are you sure you want to take on a debt of over a 100,000 yuan, possibly even several hundred thousand, just for this Martial Arts Competition?”
Seeing Bai Zhenzhen still silent, Lei Jun urged helplessly, “A-Zhen, we’re not like those rich kids. When we compete, we have to consider the cost-effectiveness of our choices.”
Just then, a figure limped over, wincing in pain. It was Zhang Yu, who had just finished receiving treatment.
Seeing Zhang Yu’s battered appearance, Lei Jun sighed inwardly. “Looks like Zhang Yu won’t be able to compete anymore.”
But Zhang Yu stretched his limbs and said, “Old Lei, don’t worry. I was careful during the fight. I didn’t injure any vital areas, just some superficial wounds. Besides, I just mastered a Hard Qigong martial art yesterday. The injuries look worse than they are. The insurance only cost 30,000 yuan…”
Lei Jun had been skeptical at first, but after examining Zhang Yu, he looked at him in surprise. “You’re tough, kid. You really didn’t get hurt much?”
“I’ll go get you something to eat and drink. You two rest up while I’m gone.”
Shortly after Lei Jun left, Zhang Yu glanced at his phone and turned to the silent Bai Zhenzhen beside him. “A-Zhen, I heard what you were saying earlier. You know I’ve maxed out my Platform credit limit, so I can’t get any more. The most I can do is borrow some from my sister.”
“But my sister has it hard too. I asked her, and she can lend me 200,000 yuan at most. Do you think that’s enough for your next match?”
Bai Zhenzhen replied, “I’ll borrow from my foster mother myself and pay her back. You don’t need to borrow for me.”
“But I’ve studied Le Mulan carefully. She’s a tough opponent, and I might get injured too easily. To win against her… it might cost 400,000 yuan to pull it off.”
Bai Zhenzhen sighed. “Yu Zi, if only we were rich.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yu, who had lived two lifetimes, was left speechless.
In both lives, he had not been born into wealth. What could he say?
***
Moments later, after all the quarterfinal matches concluded, the contestants received thorough medical treatment, ensuring their lives were no longer in danger.
The semifinal lineup was then announced to the entire arena. The final four were Zhang Yu, Song Hailong, Le Mulan, and Bai Zhenzhen.
The upcoming semifinal matches would pit Zhang Yu against Song Hailong and Le Mulan against Bai Zhenzhen.
The winners of these two matches would then compete for the championship title.
Perhaps because the semifinal round was expected to draw more attention, the two matches would not be held simultaneously but one after the other.
After the referee drew lots to determine the order, the first match would be Le Mulan versus Bai Zhenzhen, and the second would be Zhang Yu versus Song Hailong.
***
On the arena platform.
Le Mulan gazed at Bai Zhenzhen, her brow furrowing slightly as her eyes swept over the ugly scars on the other girl’s hands and feet.
“Why leave the scars on your body?” she asked, puzzled.
Bai Zhenzhen shrugged. “I don’t have the money to fix them.”
Le Mulan was shocked. Although she knew poor people existed, the idea that someone could not even afford to remove their scars struck her as utterly appalling.
Is this what being poor looks like? It’s terrifying.
Facing an opponent who could not even afford medical treatment, Le Mulan’s fighting spirit waned instantly and was replaced by a twinge of pity.
Though Bai Zhenzhen had exploited Xiong Wenwu’s weakness to achieve an underdog victory, Le Mulan was not concerned.
When facing any First-Year student, Le Mulan was supremely confident. She simply had no weaknesses.
The countdown to begin rang out. 3, 2, 1!
At that moment, Le Mulan’s fingertips danced through the air, sending forth waves of razor-sharp Sword Qi that shot directly toward Bai Zhenzhen.
This was the Starry Sky Sword Art, which Le Mulan had painstakingly cultivated to Level 5.
At Level 5, the Starry Sky Sword Art could strike enemies from up to five meters away.
Seeing the Sword Qi cross the five-meter gap, Bai Zhenzhen’s expression changed. She immediately activated her Broken Body Sword Qi to block the attack.
Bai Zhenzhen soon realized that Le Mulan’s Starry Sky Sword Art was not just about its razor-sharp Sword Qi. Each strike was intricately linked like a carefully orchestrated military formation, constantly closing in on her from every angle.
Whenever Bai Zhenzhen tried to break through the barrage, each step forward only intensified the onslaught.
It felt like she was trapped within a Grand Formation while her space to maneuver shrank with every wave of Le Mulan’s relentless Sword Qi. The situation grew increasingly perilous.
She attempted to enter a stealth mode, but the constant collisions from parrying the Sword Qi quickly revealed her position.
Her opponent’s Sword Qi was simply too swift and dense. Even with her speed and explosive power, she could not dodge it purely through movement.
As for waiting for her opponent’s magic power to run out? Bai Zhenzhen could see the woman’s reserves surging like a raging river, showing no signs of weakening. If she tried to exhaust her opponent, Bai Zhenzhen’s own magic power would likely be depleted first.
Bai Zhenzhen sighed inwardly. Sigh… using stealth in the arena is too much of a disadvantage. It’s only truly effective as a surprise tactic in the first battle. Once opponents are prepared for it, it loses its edge.
Watching Bai Zhenzhen’s desperate struggle, Le Mulan remained utterly unfazed.
My Starry Sky Sword Art forms its own array. Its Sword Qi is sharp and controlled, and its moves are flawless.
Unless someone with a overwhelming strong defense charges through by force, no expert of the same level can even approach me.
In Le Mulan’s eyes, Bai Zhenzhen was hardly her equal.
There are flaws, Bai Zhenzhen thought to herself. But my own stats aren’t strong enough. If I force an attack, I’ll be severely injured even if I win.
This one attack might cost me three or four hundred thousand…
Should she risk hundreds of thousands for this gamble?
Bai Zhenzhen hesitated.
She had the courage to pierce through Xiong Wenwu’s storm of attacks and strike at the weaknesses in his form. But when it came to risking hundreds of thousands for a victory, she faltered.
This very hesitation made her realize that such an attack was doomed to fail because she had already lost her unwavering resolve.
Sigh…
A few seconds later, seeing that she was about to be completely surrounded by the Sword Qi, Bai Zhenzhen chose to concede.
As she stepped off the arena platform, a flicker of relief crossed her eyes.
In the end, my strength wasn’t enough. I’m just too poor.
Forget it. I’ll tell Yu Zi about the flaw. Let my good son teach this woman a lesson. He probably won’t have to spend so much money.
With Le Mulan’s victory, it was time for the second match of the semi-finals between Zhang Yu and Song Hailong.
