Chapter 72: A Bloody Battle
The fight could be taken slowly; Lian Tianji was in no hurry.
Although Zhang Yu’s formidable technique compensated for much of the physical gap between them, Lian Tianji was still confident he could defeat him.
He was more than willing to spend a little more time fighting, to confront and learn from Zhang Yu’s powerful techniques in the heat of battle.
After all, a martial arts competition was not a true life-or-death struggle. Absorbing nutrients during combat and becoming stronger was, in Lian Tianji’s view, equally important.
But since the sponsor required him to finish the opponent quickly to showcase the effectiveness of the combat enhancers, he could no longer afford to drag things out.
Although both learning through combat and earning money through advertising could make one stronger…
Ultimately, the power of money was more important.
“My apologies, Zhang Yu.”
“Though I’d like to exchange pointers with you a while longer, the sponsor’s request cannot be ignored.”
So, Lian Tianji directly activated the combat spiritual root he had rented. As the spiritual energy in the air stirred, it began to converge upon his hands.
Combat Spiritual Root—Surge.
Spiritual energy would continuously flood his body, actively participating in his magic power circulation during combat to amplify the power of his martial arts.
It had a particularly miraculous effect when paired with his Explosive Wave Fist.
At this moment, he once again threw a punch at Zhang Yu, the surging force of the blow rushing forward.
The strike detonated the spiritual energy surrounding his fist, creating a shockwave that slammed mercilessly into Zhang Yu.
This method not only increased the power of the Explosive Wave Fist but also expanded its attack range several times over.
This meant Lian Tianji’s fist didn’t even need to touch Zhang Yu or his Formless Cloud-Astral Qi; the explosive shockwave could bombard Zhang Yu from a distance.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
One punch after another, Lian Tianji seemed to transform into a human cannon, relentlessly bombarding Zhang Yu.
The surging waves of energy instantly engulfed Zhang Yu’s figure.
But just as Lian Tianji thought this series of attacks would be enough to defeat him.
To his astonished gaze, Zhang Yu, who was already covered in blood from the blasts, suddenly smashed through the shockwave, his hands wreathed in layers of white mist, and charged violently toward him.
“You’re still fighting when you’re this badly injured?”
“Aren’t you afraid of going bankrupt?”
Though he didn’t understand Zhang Yu’s choice, Lian Tianji’s fighting spirit soared with the advertisement running, and he wouldn’t hold back in the slightest while on camera.
And so, the two unyielding fighters crashed into each other.
Fist-winds and palm-shadows devoured one another.
Amidst the deafening explosions, Lian Tianji felt his fists repeatedly hammering into Zhang Yu’s body, while Zhang Yu’s hands, coated in Formless Cloud-Astral Qi, also slammed into his own body again and again.
This left Lian Tianji even more bewildered.
Has he lost the focus to maintain his technique?
He’s actually choosing to trade injuries with me in a brawl?
Smack! Smack!
Watching Zhang Yu’s skin split open and blood erupt under the force of his Explosive Wave Fist, Lian Tianji predicted that his opponent couldn’t last much longer.
But ten seconds later… the opponent was still trading blows with him.
Twenty seconds later… there was still no sign of him stopping.
“How is this possible!”
Lian Tianji stared at Zhang Yu, who, despite being covered in blood, was still as fierce as a dragon. In contrast, he himself had been hit in more and more places, and his injuries were gradually starting to warp the form of his fist technique.
At this moment, Lian Tianji found it utterly unbelievable.
What kind of enhancers did he take?
Meanwhile, inside Zhang Yu’s body, astral qi rolled and surged, flowing like a great river through his entire being.
After his Limitless Cloud Hand reached level 10, Zhang Yu could already generate Formless Cloud-Astral Qi from any part of his body.
This meant he could circulate the Formless Cloud-Astral Qi to any location in his body without causing the slightest harm to himself.
So, after deciding to hide his level 10 Limitless Cloud Hand, he had devised a new tactic, which he called—Subcutaneous Astral Qi.
He circulated the Formless Astral Qi to various parts of his body but kept it hidden beneath his skin, not letting it erupt outwards.
Right now, the Formless Astral Qi was like a suit of armor worn under his skin, absorbing the various injuries that penetrated his flesh.
This was why, although Zhang Yu appeared to be drenched in blood, his wounds were merely superficial, without any real damage to his muscles or bones.
Conversely, as Lian Tianji traded blows with Zhang Yu, he was repeatedly rocked by the backlash from the Formless Cloud-Astral Qi, his own strength rebounding against him.
In particular, the more impatient he became, the more forcefully he struck, the more ferocious his attacks, the more tumultuous and overwhelming was the force that returned from Zhang Yu’s body.
It was only the painkillers that suppressed these sensations, allowing him to continue fighting at full power.
But after the injuries steadily accumulated…
Oomph!
Lian Tianji suddenly coughed up a large mouthful of blood, feeling his body begin to tremble slightly.
“My strength, speed, and stamina are all clearly superior to his.”
“In a close-quarters brawl, I’m actually losing?”
Looking at the blood-soaked Zhang Yu, who was obviously more heavily injured than he was, Lian Tianji couldn’t understand why he hadn’t collapsed yet.
“What’s the point of winning like this? Can you even afford the medical fees?”
Just then, the person from Purple Cloud below the stage shouted, “Lord Lian Tianji, the sponsor is very displeased. If you can’t defeat Zhang Yu in the next 30 seconds, they’re pulling the ad and canceling all future collaborations…”
Pull the ad? Cancel collaborations?
Hearing these words, Lian Tianji’s fighting spirit instantly surged. Like a startled beast, a new wave of strength emanated from his body.
“Must! Immediately! Now! Defeat! Zhang! Yu!”
Explosive Wave Fist! Self-Destruct Mode!
Using both spiritual energy and magic power to fuel the explosion for this punch.
Accepting grievous injury to his arm in the pursuit of the absolute limit of his power.
In this moment, Lian Tianji unleashed his ultimate strength.
His right arm swelled violently as spiritual energy and magic power poured into it.
Bang!
As Lian Tianji stomped his foot, the entire stage shook violently.
The next moment, his right arm, wrapped in a thick mist of blood, hurtled toward Zhang Yu with power that surpassed all limits!
Facing this ferociously powerful punch, Zhang Yu dared not be the least bit careless. The astral qi within him surged as he simultaneously activated the Limitless Cloud Hand and the Imperishable Seal Art.
The Formless Cloud-Astral Qi, now stained a crimson red with blood, met Lian Tianji’s attack head-on.
In the next instant, their fist and palm connected. A violent explosion erupted from the stage, reverberating throughout the entire arena like a string of muffled thunder, drawing the attention of countless spectators.
Zhang Yu’s entire body was once again blasted by the force, turning an even deeper shade of red.
The power crashed against him like a tidal wave, pushing him toward the edge of the stage.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
But after four consecutive steps, to Lian Tianji’s disappointment, he stood his ground firmly.
“You managed to neutralize even that punch? Your martial technique…”
Zhang Yu smiled faintly and said, “Thank you for the pressure you gave me in this fight. It finally allowed my Limitless Cloud Hand to break through its limit and reach level 4.”
Hearing that Zhang Yu had achieved a breakthrough in the middle of their fight, Lian Tianji gave a bitter smile and finally collapsed to the ground.
At this moment, Lian Tianji’s right arm was severely injured, and the pain from his other wounds flared up all at once, leaving him completely unable to fight on.
Lian Tianji said, “It’s probably not just the Limitless Cloud Hand, is it? That art alone couldn’t have held me off for so long.”
Zhang Yu nodded, giving his prepared response. “I also trained in the magic power-redirecting Imperishable Seal Art, and a body-hardening martial art.”
Pretending to have trained in a body-hardening art to conceal the effect of his Subcutaneous Astral Qi—this was Zhang Yu’s plan.
Lian Tianji nodded in understanding, his gaze toward Zhang Yu now filled with an incredibly complex mix of emotions.
“With Songyang High School’s resources, you were actually able to master three such martial arts in just half a year of school, enough to close the gap in physical strength between us… Your talent for the martial Dao is something I truly envy.”
The first-aid team quickly rushed onto the stage, lifted Lian Tianji onto a stretcher, and carried him away for treatment.
The blood-soaked Zhang Yu was also being carried away, but as soon as he saw a medic approaching, he quickly raised a hand to stop him, shouting, “Wait! First, tell me how much it’ll cost to treat these injuries! And how much will insurance cover?”
Zhang Yu was genuinely afraid of winning on the stage only to be bankrupted off it and forced to withdraw.
The emergency medic frowned. “You’re this injured and you have time to worry about that?”
In the medic’s eyes, the blood-drenched Zhang Yu wasn’t bleeding blood; he was bleeding money.
Injuries this severe? If he didn’t charge at least a few hundred thousand, it would be a disgrace to his medical license.
The medic began his examination, saying, “With injuries this severe, if we don’t treat them immediately…”
He suddenly paused. “Huh? There don’t seem to be any major injuries?”
Protected by the Subcutaneous Astral Qi, combined with his extreme focus and precise control, Zhang Yu had constantly avoided having his vital points attacked and prevented repeated blows to the same areas… This made his injuries far less severe than they appeared.
“They’re just superficial wounds?”
The medic said in surprise, “Five thousand for the examination, fifteen thousand for treatment, and another ten thousand for alchemical enhancers. These are all standard items, covered by insurance. Shall we begin?”
Hearing the quote, Zhang Yu was stunned. “That expensive?”
The medic said impatiently, “If you don’t get treated properly, how are you going to participate in the next matches? It’s all covered by insurance anyway, what are you afraid of?”
“Fine, fine, treat me.”
Zhang Yu sighed internally. Ugh, my insurance premiums are going to go up now.
…
In the White Dragon High School rest area.
“This Lian Tianji has some skill.”
“The physical strength he’s displaying must be around 2.3, right?”
“That fist art is formidable. Paired with his combat spiritual root, his overall combat strength at Purple Cloud High should be second only to Le Mulan’s…”
“That student from Songyang High is being completely suppressed. He should be losing soon…”
But a moment later, to the utter shock of the White Dragon High School students, it was Lian Tianji who lay defeated on the stage while Zhang Yu remained standing, completely upending their expectations.
“Lian Tianji actually lost?”
“This Zhang Yu managed to bridge such a massive gap with just martial skill…”
“And the enhancers! He must have taken some incredibly potent combat enhancers to last until the end.”
“Looking at it this way, Old Chu losing to this Zhang Yu doesn’t seem so outrageous after all.”
On his stretcher, Chu Qiuhe, who had been feigning unconsciousness, felt his eyelids twitch slightly. He thought to himself, Go for it, Zhang Yu!
At this moment, Chu Qiuhe desperately wanted Zhang Yu to keep winning. Though he knew it was impossible, he couldn’t help but hope that Zhang Yu would somehow blast Song Hailong off the stage and take the championship.
He felt that he was probably the one person in the entire arena who most wanted Zhang Yu to win, since it was directly tied to his own reputation and status at White Dragon High School for the next two and a half years.
After all, losing to someone from Songyang? That was just pathetic.
But losing to the champion of the martial arts competition? Well, that would just mean the opponent was too strong, and it was hardly his fault for losing.