Chapter 74: Poor, Four Strong War

In the semifinals, Xiong Wenwu's severe bleeding was undoubtedly the most eye-catching event. Many spectators looked over, drawn by the blood-soaked ground, and were astonished to see that the student from Songyang High School had defeated Hongta High School's strongest competitor. Hu Yuntao immediately rushed to Xiong Wenwu's side to get him medical attention.

Upon learning that Xiong Wenwu's severe bleeding was due to hemorrhoids, Hu Yuntao instinctively clenched his buttocks. "What should we do about this? Rely on surgery? Go to the hospital for hemorrhoid surgery every time it flares up?" Thinking of the repeated surgical expenses, Hu Yuntao felt a pang of pain. "Damn it! Why do I have external hemorrhoids too? Why not internal? If they were internal, they could be protected by body-refining martial arts, and I wouldn't have to pay for surgery."

The competition coach, standing nearby, patted his shoulder and chuckled, "Silly boy, what do you do if you find your head is being targeted as a weakness?"

"Practice Iron Head Kung Fu, of course!" Hu Yuntao's eyes lit up. "You mean...?"

"Exactly," the coach's gaze suddenly hardened as he looked at Hu Yuntao and Xiong Wenwu on the operating table. "When you return to school, prepare for intensive training. Chairman Long is very displeased with your performance this time."

The emergency doctor, overhearing their conversation, couldn't help but think, "The head is a vital spot, why don't they just wear helmets?"

On the other side of the emergency area, Bai Zhenzhen's face fell upon hearing the doctor's quote. After asking a few more times, she suddenly said, "For these scratches on my body, I don't need to consider scar removal, cosmetic repairs, or anything like that. Just use the fastest and simplest treatment method. That should be covered by insurance now, right?"

The emergency doctor sighed helplessly, "Alright, alright. It will be 98,000, covered by insurance, but these injuries will definitely leave scars..."

As he spoke, the emergency doctor channeled his magical energy, his hands moving with a blur of afterimages, as he began cleaning, resetting limbs, stitching, stopping bleeding, applying various medicines, and finally injecting healing energy into Bai Zhenzhen's body to accelerate wound recovery. Although the fees were not cheap, the doctor's skill was indeed impressive.

Within half an hour, Bai Zhenzhen felt that her injuries had largely healed. However, scars remained on her arms, thighs, calves, and waist. After being sent back to the resting area, Bai Zhenzhen waved her arm and smiled, "The technique is pretty good. I feel like I can use 80% to 90% of my strength without much issue." As for the scars on her body, Bai Zhenzhen naturally didn't pay them any mind. Cosmetic procedures and scar removal were things for the rich, unrelated to her.

Lei Jun, watching Bai Zhenzhen from the side, had a complex expression. "Are you still planning to compete?"

Bai Zhenzhen smiled, "Of course! If I defeat Le Mulan in the next match, I'll meet Yu Zi in the finals, right? Then one of us will be first and the other second, and you'll save face, Old Lei."

Lei Jun sighed, "But your insurance coverage is almost exhausted. I've seen Le Mulan's fighting style; her sword energy is sharp, and her attack range is wide. If you fight her, the medical bill could easily rise to hundreds of thousands, or even several hundred thousand."

Bai Zhenzhen fell silent at his words.

Lei Jun continued, "You've already reached the semifinals, which is a great achievement for your resume. Why risk continuing the match?" What he didn't say was, *since you can't get into the top ten universities anyway, first place in the martial arts competition isn't all that important to you.*

Lei Jun kept trying to persuade her, "Your fighting style is inherently prone to injury. If you still had hundreds of thousands to spare and didn't have to worry about post-match treatment, I wouldn't try to dissuade you. But are you sure you want to go tens, or even hundreds, of thousands of yuan into debt for this martial arts competition?"

Seeing Bai Zhenzhen still silent, Lei Jun urged her helplessly, "Zhenzhen, we're not like those rich people. When competing, we also have to consider cost-effectiveness."

Just then, a figure hobbled over, clearly in pain. It was Zhang Yu, who had just finished his treatment. Seeing Zhang Yu covered in injuries, Lei Jun sighed inwardly, "It looks like Zhang Yu won't be able to compete further either."

However, Zhang Yu stretched his limbs and said, "Don't worry, Old Lei. I was careful when fighting. I didn't hit any vital spots, just flesh wounds. Plus, I just mastered a body-strengthening martial art yesterday, so these injuries only look severe. Insurance only cost 30,000..."

Lei Jun was initially skeptical, but after examining Zhang Yu, he looked at him in surprise. "You little rascal, you really aren't badly hurt?" He then added, "I'll go get you both some food and drinks. You guys rest up."

Soon after Lei Jun left, Zhang Yu looked at his phone and said to the silent Bai Zhenzhen, "Zhenzhen, I heard what you two were talking about. You know I've maxed out all my platform credit lines; I can't get more, at most I can borrow some from my sister."

"But my sister isn't doing well herself. I asked, and she can lend a maximum of 200,000. 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." She then added, "However, I've watched Le Mulan carefully. She's a bit difficult to fight, and I'd get injured too easily. To beat her... it might cost 400,000 to recover."

Bai Zhenzhen sighed, "Yu Zi, I wish we were rich."

Zhang Yu, a man who had lived two lives, was speechless upon hearing this. He hadn't been born into a wealthy family in either of his lives, so what could he say?

A short while later, after all quarterfinal matches concluded and the competitors received stable treatment with no life-threatening injuries, the list of the top four was announced to the entire venue. They were Zhang Yu, Song Hailong, Le Mulan, and Bai Zhenzhen.

The upcoming semifinal matches were set: Zhang Yu vs. Song Hailong, and Le Mulan vs. Bai Zhenzhen. The winners of these two matches would then compete for the championship. Perhaps because the semifinals were expected to draw more attention, the two matches would not take place simultaneously but consecutively. After the referee drew lots for the match order, the first match was Le Mulan vs. Bai Zhenzhen, and the second was Zhang Yu vs. Song Hailong.

On the arena, Le Mulan looked at Bai Zhenzhen. Her brows furrowed slightly as her gaze swept over the unsightly scars on Bai Zhenzhen's hands and legs. She asked in confusion, "Why do you have scars on your body?"

Bai Zhenzhen shrugged. "No money for treatment."

Le Mulan was shocked. Although she knew the poor were very poor, the fact that someone couldn't even afford to have scars removed filled her with a sense of 'appalling' disbelief. "Is this what poverty looks like? It's terrifying." Facing an opponent who couldn't even afford treatment, much of her fighting spirit instantly vanished, replaced by a hint of pity.

While Bai Zhenzhen had managed to exploit Xiong Wenwu's weakness to win against a stronger opponent, Le Mulan was unconcerned. She was confident that when facing any opponent from the first-year high school division, she had no weaknesses.

With the countdown 3, 2, 1, and "Begin!" Le Mulan's fingertips tapped repeatedly, unleashing sharp sword energy through the air, flying directly towards Bai Zhenzhen's position. This was Le Mulan's Star Dou Sword Art, which she had painstakingly cultivated to Level 5. At Level 5, the Star Dou Sword Art could injure enemies from a distance of five meters.

Upon seeing the sword energy cross five meters, Bai Zhenzhen's expression changed, and she quickly activated her own Body-Piercing Sword Qi to block. However, Bai Zhenzhen soon realized that Le Mulan's Star Dou Sword Art was not only sharp but also intricately linked, like a strategic formation. Each burst of sword energy connected with the others, constantly attacking her from various angles. If Bai Zhenzhen tried to break through the blockade of this sword energy, she would find the opponent's attacks becoming denser with every step she took. She felt as though she was trapped in a large formation; as Le Mulan's continuous sword energy flowed, her movable space was constantly compressed, making the situation increasingly perilous.

She attempted to enter a stealth state, but her position was quickly revealed by the clashing sounds of sword energy and her defensive blocks. The opponent's sword energy was simply too swift and dense; with her current speed and explosive power, she couldn't rely solely on movement to dodge.

As for waiting for the opponent's magical energy to run out? Bai Zhenzhen could see that the opponent's internal energy was incredibly surging, showing no signs of depletion. If she waited for Le Mulan to exhaust her energy, Bai Zhenzhen's own energy would likely run out first. Bai Zhenzhen sighed inwardly, "Ugh... directly using stealth in the arena is too disadvantageous. It's only truly surprising in the first match; afterwards, it's not as effective once opponents are prepared."

Le Mulan, observing Bai Zhenzhen struggling, was not surprised at all. "My Star Dou Sword Art forms its own formation, with strict and precise sword energy and no weaknesses in its moves. Unless an opponent with powerful body-protection techniques forces their way through, it's impossible for experts of the same level to get close to me."

And in Le Mulan's eyes, Bai Zhenzhen was hardly considered to be of the same level.

"There are weaknesses," Bai Zhenzhen thought to herself, "but my own stats aren't strong enough. If I push through, even if I win, I'd be severely injured, wouldn't I?" She pondered, "This one sword might cost three or four hundred thousand..."

Should she risk hundreds of thousands for a victory? Bai Zhenzhen felt hesitation. She had the courage to penetrate Xiong Wenwu's stormy attacks and strike his physical weaknesses with her sword. But when it came to gambling hundreds of thousands for a win, she hesitated. This very hesitation made her realize that a strike launched now would be unlikely to succeed, because she had lost her unhesitating resolve.

"Ah..."

A few seconds later, seeing herself about to be completely surrounded by sword energy, Bai Zhenzhen chose to concede. As she walked off the arena, a hint of relief flashed in her eyes. "In the end, my strength is insufficient, and I'm just too poor." She muttered, "Forget it, I'll tell Yu Zi about this weakness. Let my good son teach this woman a lesson for me; he probably won't have to spend as much money."

With Le Mulan's victory, the semifinals moved to the second match: Zhang Yu vs. Song Hailong.