Chapter 71: Quarterfinals

Qian Shen exclaimed in surprise as Chu Qiuhe was defeated by Zhang Yu: "Zhang Yu won!"

Zhao Tianxing had also been observing the match but couldn't quite understand it. Puzzled, he asked, "How did he suddenly win? It felt like Zhang Yu was being completely overwhelmed."

Qian Shen mused thoughtfully, "Although Zhang Yu seemed to be on the defensive the whole time, if you think about it... he actually blocked almost all of Chu Qiuhe's attacks. Chu Qiuhe, on the other hand, relied on his physical strength and attacked almost without defending."

Qian Shen said, somewhat uncertainly, "And then, it seems Zhang Yu just happened to hit a vital point?"

He sighed, "I heard that the college entrance exams used to be pure combat competitions. But battles have too many random factors; relying solely on combat couldn't identify the best talent. That's why it was gradually refined into the current 700-point system across six subjects."

He Dayou said gleefully, "Now that Chu Qiuhe has lost this match, he's finished at Bailong High School."

Zhao Tianxing said, "He just lost one fight. Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?"

He Dayou countered, "What would be the consequences if *you* lost to a student from an ordinary high school?"

Zhao Tianxing immediately frowned. "What do ordinary high school students know about cultivation? How could I possibly lose to them?"

He Dayou said calmly, "But what if you did?"

The sky would fall, it would be the shame of Songyang, school-wide humiliation, a walk to the rooftop... Just thinking about it made Zhao Tianxing feel utterly bleak.

He Dayou saw his expression change and chuckled, "So, you understand now?"

But then he saw Zhang Yu descending from the stage, and his brows involuntarily furrowed again. While Chu Qiuhe's loss secretly pleased him, Zhang Yu's victory also pained him.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the competition venue, the unconscious Chu Qiuhe was carried back to Bailong High School's preparation area. The competition coach glanced over but wasn't in a hurry to wake him up immediately and unleash a stream of insults. After all, Chu Qiuhe was the only one back so far; other contestants were still competing on the stages. Of course, they would wait until everyone returned before making Chu Qiuhe kneel and thoroughly humiliating him in front of all the students.

"He actually lost to someone from Songyang High School." Just thinking about this, the coach felt a surge of silent anger. His upcoming bonuses and performance pay would be docked, and he might even be ridiculed by other teachers and reprimanded by the school leaders.

As the coach was pondering this, another Bailong High School student was suddenly carried over. The coach looked at the student on the stretcher and frowned. "What happened to you?"

The student, his face pale, stammered, "I defeated someone from Ziyun, then Bai Zhenzhen from Songyang High School beat Hu Yuntao, and then she fought me... I lost to her."

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt the ambient temperature drop by ten degrees, and he couldn't help but tremble.

The coach asked in a cold voice, "How did you lose?"

The student lowered his head and said, "Bai Zhenzhen rented a stealth-type spiritual root; she could appear and disappear in my senses."

The coach said coldly, "Her stats are so much lower than yours. Even with a surprise attack, it should have been difficult for her to beat you."

A hint of confusion flashed in the student's eyes. "I... I don't know either. Suddenly, she hit a vital point, and somehow I just blacked out."

On the other stretcher, Chu Qiuhe, who had already woken up but was pretending to be unconscious, suddenly let out a sigh of relief. "Good, I'm not the only one who lost," he thought to himself. At that moment, an idea suddenly sparked in Chu Qiuhe's mind.

"Zhang Yu... you damned well better win a few more matches! It would be best if you could beat a few more Bailong High School students." 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? His classmates' victories wouldn't be listed on his resume, but their defeats would actually help save his face.

Meanwhile, battles on the various stages were also drawing to a close. On one stage, Song Hailong roared, grabbed his opponent, and with a sudden burst of terrifying power, flung the person away like a ball. The opponent crashed with a thud against the ceiling ten meters above, stunning everyone present. The Bailong spectators in the stands applauded wildly, stopping instantly only when Song Hailong raised his right hand and clenched his fist.

On another stage, Le Mulan lightly tapped her elegant finger, and streaks of ice-blue magic, like sharp swords, shot towards her opponent three meters away, leaving behind sword marks. No matter how desperately her opponent resisted, they were always intercepted by these ice-blue sword lights three meters away. Not a single drop of blood splashed from them 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 Ziyun spectators in the stands were silent, not daring to make a sound, but the nearby Bailong spectators' cheers for Song Hailong made Le Mulan frown slightly. "So noisy," she thought.

In the blink of an eye, the winners of all eight groups were decided, and the top eight contenders for the martial arts competition were determined. Among the top eight were Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, Song Hailong, Le Mulan, as well as Lian Tianji, two students from Hongta High School, and another student from Bailong High School.

Zhang Yu checked the schedule for the upcoming quarter-final matches. "My first match is against Lian Tianji, and then I'll face... the winner between Song Hailong and the other Hongta student." Based on Zhang Yu's own assessment, the Hongta student was most likely no match for Song Hailong. This meant that if he wanted to contend for the championship, he would first have to defeat Lian Tianji, and then Song Hailong. "But comparatively, Ah Zhen's path is much harder." Zhang Yu looked at the lower bracket; Bai Zhenzhen would first need to defeat Hongta High School's top-ranked 300-point student, then overcome Le Mulan from Ziyun High School, before she could meet him in the finals for the championship.

There wasn't much time for Zhang Yu to reflect; in the blink of an eye, the quarter-finals officially began. The number of stages in the arena also decreased from eight to four. Zhang Yu stepped onto the stage and saw Lian Tianji already waiting there.

Upon seeing Zhang Yu, Lian Tianji's eyes lit up. "Zhang Yu, I watched the replay of your previous fight; it was a truly spectacular battle. To be able to use skill to suppress an opponent whose strength, speed, and stamina all surpass yours, your understanding of martial arts already exceeds mine. However, actual combat is never just about competing in a single dimension."

As he spoke, he brought his backpack from behind to the front. "And out of respect for you, I will fight you with my full strength now."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Lian Tianji pulled a bottle of medicine from his backpack, preparing to drink it. Zhang Yu was accustomed to seeing opponents prepare to take medicine. This was, after all, the "full strength" of high school students in Songyang City.

But just then, the referee on the side walked over and actually stopped Lian Tianji from drinking the medicine. This surprised Zhang Yu. Were performance-enhancing drugs forbidden in this competition? Was this even Kunxu?

However, after the referee checked Lian Tianji's backpack and confirmed that all the medicines were compliant, he simply said, "Everything's fine, you may continue."

So, Lian Tianji first drank a bottle of medicine, then took a few capsules, and finally began injecting a syringe into his arm. As the drugs entered his system, Lian Tianji's body underwent noticeable changes. His muscles subtly expanded, veins bulged across his skin, and his breathing grew heavy and coarse.

Watching his opponent continuously administer more and more drugs, Zhang Yu was speechless. *Seriously... could you just stop respecting me? Wouldn't it be easier to just underestimate me or look down on me?*

Then Zhang Yu gradually noticed something was off. Because as Lian Tianji was administering the drugs, he was also reciting something to the side.

"I've been taking this combat stimulant for three months, and it's really effective. It quickly unleashes muscle potential and suppresses pain..."

Zhang Yu looked at another Ziyun student nearby, who was holding a phone and filming Lian Tianji, and couldn't help but ask, "Are you filming an advertisement?"

Lian Tianji replied, "I often share and livestream my daily studies and cultivation online. This time, I'm taking the opportunity to recommend some reliable and effective combat potions to my fans." He then added, "Student Zhang Yu, you shouldn't dismiss this. On the long path of immortal cultivation, learning how to earn money and having the ability to do so is very important. As the saying goes, 'Money paves the way through the mountain of books, wealth serves as the boat across the sea of learning.' Those who only know how to spend money but not how to earn it won't get far on the path of cultivation."

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's even finished taking his medicine? Don't you think that's unsportsmanlike?"

Zhang Yu was resigned. "Fine, just do whatever you want."

A moment later.

"Thanks for waiting," Lian Tianji said, cupping his hands towards Zhang Yu. "Then... let's begin."

As the referee's countdown of "3, 2, 1, start!" rang out, both fighters shot forward like lightning and collided with a loud crash. Each clash between Lian Tianji's fists and Zhang Yu's Formless Cloud Aura produced a thunderous sound. Zhang Yu felt an explosive force contained within the opponent's incoming fists. The moment they touched his aura, they would suddenly detonate, causing the Formless Cloud Aura to constantly dissipate, forcing Zhang Yu to continuously expend magical energy to replenish it.

This was *Explosive Wave Fist! Level 3 Propulsion!* — the expert-level cultivation technique practiced by Lian Tianji! This martial art, derived from the insights of explosive blasts and air shockwaves, converted its unique magical energy into what was known as "Explosive Fist Force." It could directly detonate the unleashed magical energy, not only doubling its power but also making it incredibly difficult to defend against or redirect.

Lian Tianji thought to himself, "The Boundless Cloud Hand excels at using the Formless Cloud Aura to redirect force. But my Explosive Wave Fist relies on explosive force. The Formless Cloud Aura can't redirect it; instead, it will be continuously shattered. Zhang Yu's strength isn't as great as mine, and his magical energy isn't as abundant. He should be unable to resist much longer."

Theoretically, this should have been the case. However, to Lian Tianji's surprise, Zhang Yu not only managed to perfectly block his moves at the last possible second, but he also gradually began to redirect Lian Tianji's own Explosive Fist Force, using it against him. It was Zhang Yu using the Indestructible Seal technique to redirect Lian Tianji's magical energy.

"He can actually redirect my fist force? This means that in addition to the Boundless Cloud Hand, he also specializes in another profound martial art that can redirect magical energy." Upon realizing this, Lian Tianji burst into laughter. "Zhang Yu, you truly haven't disappointed me."

Just then, a Ziyun student below the stage called out, "Lord Lian Tianji, the advertiser says they'll deduct money if you can't finish your opponent within one minute!"

Lian Tianji's face darkened, and he said, "I understand."

Zhang Yu sensed that his opponent had suddenly become serious. The smile was gone from his face, and even a faint aura of killing intent emerged in his eyes. At the same time, the spiritual energy in the air gradually began to surge.

Zhang Yu's gaze shifted. Had Lian Tianji also brought a combat spiritual root to the competition?