Chapter 71: Quarterfinals
Watching Chu Qiuhe fall at Zhang Yu’s hands, Qian Shen said in astonishment, “Zhang Yu won.”
Zhao Tianxing had also been observing the fight, but he hadn’t understood it at all, asking in confusion, “How did he suddenly win? It felt like Zhang Yu was being completely suppressed.”
Qian Shen replied thoughtfully, “Although Zhang Yu was being suppressed, if you think about it carefully… he actually blocked almost all of Chu Qiuhe’s attacks. On the other hand, Chu Qiuhe, relying on his superior physique, was all offense and no defense.”
He continued, a little uncertainly, “And then it seems Zhang Yu managed to land a direct hit on a vital point?”
“I heard that the old college entrance exams were purely arena battles, but combat has too many random factors. You can’t select the most outstanding talents through fighting alone, which is why it was gradually revised into the current six-subject, 700-point system.”
He Dayou gloated, “With this loss, Chu Qiuhe is finished at White Dragon High School.”
Zhao Tianxing said, “He just lost one fight, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, isn’t it?”
He Dayou: “What would the consequences be if you lost to an ordinary high school?”
Zhao Tianxing’s brow immediately furrowed. “What do students from ordinary high schools know about immortal cultivation? How could I possibly lose to them?”
He Dayou said flatly, “But what if you did lose?”
The sky would fall, it would be the shame of Songyang, the entire school would ridicule him, he’d end up on a rooftop… Just the thought of it sent a wave of darkness through Zhao Tianxing’s mind.
Seeing the change in his expression, He Dayou let out a chuckle. “So you get it now, don’t you?”
But then his eyes fell on Zhang Yu walking down from the stage, and his brow couldn’t help but furrow again.
As much as Chu Qiuhe’s loss secretly thrilled him, Zhang Yu’s victory pained him.
…
Meanwhile, in another part of the arena.
The unconscious Chu Qiuhe was carried back to the White Dragon High School preparation area.
The competition coach glanced over but didn’t rush to wake him up for a round of humiliation.
After all, only Chu Qiuhe had returned so far; the other competitors were still at the stages continuing their matches.
Of course, it was best to wait until everyone was back before making Chu Qiuhe kneel before all the students for a thorough shaming.
“To actually lose to someone from Songyang High School.”
The mere thought of it made the coach’s anger smolder. His upcoming bonus and performance review would be docked, he’d probably be laughed at by the other teachers, and get chewed out by the school leadership…
Just as the coach was thinking about this, another student from White Dragon High School was suddenly carried over.
The coach looked at the student on the stretcher and frowned. “And what happened to you?”
The student’s face was pale as he stammered, “I beat the guy from Purple Cloud, but then Songyang High School’s Bai Zhenzhen beat Hu Yuntao, and then she fought me… I lost to her.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt the temperature around him drop by ten degrees, and he couldn’t help but start trembling.
The coach said in a frigid tone, “How did you lose?”
The student lowered his head. “That Bai Zhenzhen rented a stealth-type spiritual root. She could flicker in and out of my perception.”
The coach said coldly, “Her stats are so much lower than yours. Even with the element of surprise, it should have been very difficult for her to defeat you.”
A trace of confusion flashed in the student’s eyes. “I… I don’t know either. Suddenly, she hit a vital point, and I just blacked out.”
On the other stretcher, Chu Qiuhe, who had woken up long ago but had been feigning unconsciousness, suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself, Thank goodness I’m not the only one who lost.
In that instant, another thought suddenly surged in Chu Qiuhe’s mind.
Zhang Yu… you’d better win a few more matches for me!
It would be best if you beat a few more people from White Dragon High School.
As long as Zhang Yu won enough, Chu Qiuhe felt his own loss wouldn’t look so bad.
As for the wins and losses of his other classmates?
A classmate’s victory couldn’t be written on his resume, but a classmate’s defeat would do more to preserve his own dignity.
At the same time, the battles on the various stages were all drawing to a close.
On one stage, Song Hailong let out a wild roar, grabbed his opponent, and unleashed a terrifying burst of strength, flinging the person away like a ball. The opponent crashed into the ten-meter-high ceiling with a thunderous boom, a feat that stunned the entire audience.
The White Dragon High School spectators in the stands erupted in frenzied applause, which only ceased in an instant when Song Hailong raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist.
On another stage, Le Mulan pointed a delicate finger, and streams of ice-blue magic power shot out like sharp swords, piercing toward her opponent three meters away and carving out a series of sword marks.
No matter how desperately the opponent fought back, he was consistently intercepted by the ice-blue sword-light, kept at a distance of three meters. Not a single drop of his own splattered blood could get within three meters of Le Mulan.
Watching her opponent finally pass out from excessive blood loss, Le Mulan turned and slowly walked off the stage.
The Purple Cloud High School spectators in the stands were completely silent, not daring to make a sound. But the cheers for Song Hailong from the distant White Dragon section made Le Mulan frown.
“So noisy.”
In the blink of an eye, all eight groups had determined their winners, and the top eight of the martial arts competition were officially decided.
Besides Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, Song Hailong, and Le Mulan, the top eight also included Lian Tianji, two students from Red Pagoda High School, and another student from White Dragon High School.
Zhang Yu looked at the match schedule for the quarterfinals.
“My first fight is against Lian Tianji, and after that, I’ll have to face… the winner between Song Hailong and the other Red Pagoda student.”
By Zhang Yu’s own judgment, the Red Pagoda student was likely no match for Song Hailong.
This meant that if he wanted a shot at the championship, he would have to defeat Lian Tianji first, then Song Hailong.
But by comparison, Zhen’s side of the bracket is even more difficult.
Zhang Yu glanced at the lower half of the bracket. Bai Zhenzhen needed to first defeat the top-ranked 300-point student from Red Pagoda High School, and then overcome Le Mulan from Purple Cloud High School, just to meet him in the final for the championship.
There wasn’t much time for Zhang Yu to reflect, as the quarterfinal matches began almost immediately.
The number of stages in the arena was reduced from eight to four.
Zhang Yu walked onto the stage and saw that Lian Tianji was already waiting there.
Upon seeing Zhang Yu, Lian Tianji’s eyes lit up. “Zhang Yu, I saw the replay of your last fight. It was a spectacular battle.”
“To be able to use technique to suppress an opponent superior in strength, speed, and stamina—your understanding of the martial Dao has already surpassed my own.”
“However, real combat is never just a contest of a single dimension.”
With that, he swung the backpack from his back to his front. “And out of respect for you, I will now fight you with my full strength.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Lian Tianji pulled a bottle of alchemical enhancer from his backpack and prepared to drink it.
Zhang Yu was already used to the sight of his opponent preparing to use enhancers. This was just how things were in Songyang City; this was the full strength of a high school student!
But just then, the referee on the side walked over and actually stopped Lian Tianji from drinking.
Now it was Zhang Yu’s turn to be surprised. Are enhancers banned in this competition?
Is this still Kunxu?
However, after the referee inspected Lian Tianji’s backpack and confirmed that all the drugs were compliant with regulations, he simply said, “Everything is fine, you may continue.”
So, Lian Tianji first drank a bottle of enhancer, then swallowed a few capsules, and then began to pull out a syringe to inject into his arm.
As the drugs entered his system, Lian Tianji’s body underwent a noticeable change.
His muscles seemed to swell, green veins bulged on the surface of his skin, and his breathing became deeper and heavier…
Watching his opponent continuously take more and more enhancers, Zhang Yu was speechless.
Seriously… could you please stop respecting me? Can’t you just look down on me and underestimate me?
Then Zhang Yu gradually noticed something was off.
As Lian Tianji was injecting the enhancers, he was also reciting something to the side.
“I’ve been on this combat stimulant for three months. The effects are fantastic. It rapidly unleashes muscle potential, suppresses pain…”
Zhang Yu looked at another person from Purple Cloud High standing nearby, filming Lian Tianji with a phone, and couldn’t help but ask, “Are you guys filming a commercial?”
Lian Tianji replied, “I often share my study and cultivation routines online and through live streams. I’m taking this opportunity to recommend some reliable and effective combat enhancers to my fans.”
He then added, “Student Zhang Yu, you shouldn’t be so dismissive of this.”
“On the long road of the Immortal Dao, learning to earn money, and having the ability to earn money, is a very important matter.”
“As the saying goes, ‘Wealth is the path up the mountain of books, and riches are the boat on the endless sea of learning.’ Those who only know how to spend money but not how to make it will not go far on the path of cultivation.”
Zhang Yu looked at the referee and asked, “Can we start now?”
The referee shot him a sideways glance. “You want to start before he’s even done taking his enhancers? Don’t you think that would be an dishonorable victory?”
What the hell… Zhang Yu was completely done. “Fine, fine, take all you want.”
A moment later.
“My apologies for the wait.” Lian Tianji cupped his fist toward Zhang Yu. “Then… let us begin.”
As the referee’s countdown of 3, 2, 1 finished, both of them shot forward like lightning and collided with a thunderous boom.
Every clash between Lian Tianji’s fists and Zhang Yu’s Formless Cloud-Astral Qi produced a deafening sound.
Zhang Yu could feel an explosive force contained within his opponent’s punches. The moment it made contact with his astral qi, it would detonate, scattering his Formless Cloud-Astral Qi and forcing him to constantly draw on his magic power to replenish it.
This was Lian Tianji’s expert-level cultivation technique—Explosive Wave Fist! Level 3 Push!
This fist art, inspired by the explosion of dynamite and the shockwaves of airflow, converted magic power into a specialized form known as explosive fist-force. It could detonate the projected magic power upon impact, not only doubling its power but also making it unpredictable and incredibly difficult to redirect.
Lian Tianji thought to himself, The Limitless Cloud Hand excels at using the Formless Cloud-Astral Qi to borrow and redirect force.
But my Explosive Wave Fist is an explosive force. The Formless Cloud-Astral Qi can’t redirect it; it will just be blasted apart.
Zhang Yu’s strength is less than mine, and his magic power is not as abundant. He shouldn’t be able to hold out for much longer.
In theory, that should have been the case.
But to Lian Tianji’s astonishment, not only could Zhang Yu block his moves at the last possible second with perfect timing, but he was also gradually beginning to redirect his explosive fist-force, using it against him.
It was Zhang Yu using the Imperishable Seal Art to channel and shift Lian Tianji’s magic power.
“He can actually redirect my fist-force? This means that in addition to the Limitless Cloud Hand, he is also skilled in another profound martial art that can leverage an opponent’s magic power.”
At this thought, Lian Tianji burst into laughter. “Zhang Yu, you truly have not disappointed me.”
Just then, the person from Purple Cloud below the stage said, “Lord Lian Tianji, the sponsor said that if you can’t defeat your opponent within a minute, they’re going to dock your pay.”
Lian Tianji’s face darkened. “I know.”
Zhang Yu felt his opponent’s demeanor shift abruptly. The smile was gone, and his eyes now held faint traces of killing intent.
At the same time, the spiritual energy in the air began to churn and roil.
Zhang Yu’s eyes narrowed.
Did Lian Tianji also bring a combat spiritual root to the competition?