Chapter 76: The Top Two Are Decided

Feeling the vibration of the chair beneath her, Le Mulan didn't blame the other person, as she herself had just been surprised by Zhang Yu's breakthrough.

"To be able to achieve a breakthrough in martial arts during a fight is truly impressive. No wonder Lian Tianji lost in a real combat scenario."

"However, just this alone, the gap with Song Hailong is still too vast."

The Level 5 Limitless Cloud Hand was clearly not enough to bridge the gap between them, and the situation on the stage seemed to be exactly as Le Mulan had predicted.

The breakthrough in Limitless Cloud Hand only gave Song Hailong a slight surprise. As he unleashed his Dragon's Back Mountain Flip, coupled with his complete suppression in strength and physique, he ultimately threw Zhang Yu to the ground.

"It's over."

Le Mulan knew that for someone not skilled in grappling and wrestling, once thrown and entangled by an opponent, it was a desperate situation with not even a sliver of a chance to win.

But in the very next moment, something that surprised her happened again.

Zhang Yu actually began using 'Dragon's Back Mountain Flip' against Song Hailong as well?

On the stage.

After watching Song Hailong repeatedly demonstrate the Dragon's Back Mountain Flip, and then looking at the Dragon's Back Mountain Flip that appeared on his Feather Scroll, Zhang Yu knew that his only chance to win at this moment was to learn this martial art.

Below the stage.

Le Mulan thought to herself, "Is he crazy?"

"Is he trying to learn grappling and wrestling on the fly to fight Song Hailong on the ground?"

Le Mulan thought Zhang Yu had gone mad from fighting. However, in the subsequent moments of the fight, she could still sense that although Zhang Yu's grappling and wrestling techniques were crude and unrefined, he always managed to delay defeat and slow down his impending loss at critical moments.

Especially when combined with Limitless Cloud Hand, it allowed him to use his opponent's force against them and redirect attacks during the grappling, making his struggle increasingly fierce.

"He truly is a martial arts prodigy. As soon as he came into contact with grappling techniques, he instantly grasped the underlying principles, always able to combine them with his original martial arts and find the critical points for power exertion."

"But it only delays defeat..."

Le Mulan felt that Zhang Yu was dancing on a razor's edge. She knew that the ground grappling looked somewhat ugly, but it was extremely perilous. Once Song Hailong locked onto his joints and vital points, it would result in severed tendons and broken bones, severe injuries that could lead to paralysis.

Zhang Yu, who might have been full of vigor one moment, could be twisted into a mess by the immense strength in Song Hailong's hands the next.

But in the very next moment, Le Mulan suddenly stood up.

On the stage, Zhang Yu's technique suddenly transformed, from crude to refined, from chaotic to orderly. He actually began to contend with Song Hailong using 'Dragon's Back Mountain Flip'.

"He learned it?"

"No... he's mastered it?"

Not only Le Mulan was surprised; even Lian Tianji, sitting on his stool, stood up in astonishment. "Mastering an opponent's martial art during a fight? This kind of talent..."

His face showed both excitement and fear.

Such terrifying martial arts talent, let alone witnessing it firsthand, even if someone possessed this talent in recent years, they wouldn't dare use it.

Lian Tianji murmured, "Doesn't he fear bankruptcy? This is decrypting martial arts and using pirated versions in broad daylight!"

At the same time, Bai Zhenzhen on the other side suddenly grabbed Zhang Yu's phone.

Lei Jun's face also showed both excitement and panic. He asked solemnly, "Do you know the password?"

Bai Zhenzhen nodded while quickly operating the phone. "I've helped Yu-zi borrow money before, so I know his password."

Lei Jun reminded her, "This martial art is called Dragon's Back Mountain Flip. Just search 'Dragon's Back'..."

Bai Zhenzhen quickly found 'Dragon's Back Mountain Flip' on the shopping website, but her face fell, and she said in a panic, "It costs 40,000, and his balance isn't enough!"

Just then, a transfer notification sound, like heavenly music, rang in Bai Zhenzhen's ears.

A 40,000 transfer from Zhang Pianpian was received.

As the digital manual and usage rights were sent to Zhang Yu's account, Bai Zhenzhen finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She and Lei Jun looked back at the stage, and it felt as if they were watching two dragons, one large and one small, grappling on the ground.

Although Song Hailong had the absolute upper hand, he was consistently unable to completely suppress Zhang Yu.

As the two continued to clash, Song Hailong suddenly felt that his opponent's martial art had improved further. Zhang Yu was actually able to cut off his attacks repeatedly and began to lock onto his body in return.

"What!"

"His Dragon's Back Mountain Flip has surpassed mine?!"

If it had been a direct hand-to-hand combat, a tough exchange of fists and palms, then even if Zhang Yu surpassed Song Hailong with the same martial art, it would still be difficult for Song Hailong to lose.

However, when both were using 'Dragon's Back Mountain Flip' and grappling on the ground, even with Song Hailong's physique, there was danger once he was completely locked down.

Especially since, while Zhang Yu's 'Dragon's Back Mountain Flip' surpassed his own, Level 5 Formless Cloud Aura was also erupting from his arms.

This meant that every one of Song Hailong's grapples and throws was constantly thwarted by his opponent's redirection. And once his opponent's grappling and wrestling moves were applied, it took Song Hailong even greater effort to break free.

"I'll just exhaust him! With my physique, his strength will soon give out..."

The two continued to roll and grapple, and with Song Hailong at a slight disadvantage in technique, he had no choice but to concentrate all his focus on fighting Zhang Yu.

Just then, he felt his opponent's strength gradually begin to wane.

Song Hailong's heart lit up. "The chance to win is here."

But the next moment, Song Hailong suddenly felt empty space beneath him.

While he had no energy to pay attention to his surroundings and was fully engrossed in the ground battle, he had unknowingly rolled with Zhang Yu to the edge of the stage.

And then he was thrown out of bounds by Zhang Yu.

As his feet landed heavily outside the stage, Song Hailong's mind was still blank.

"I lost?"

Suddenly realizing he was outside the stage boundaries, a surge of fury flashed in Song Hailong's eyes. His muscles swelled dramatically, and he wanted to rush back onto the stage to fight again.

But soon, three figures abruptly appeared before him.

Three referees simultaneously pressed down on his shoulders, which gradually brought Song Hailong back to his senses.

He took a deep breath, looked at Zhang Yu on the stage, and slowly said, "You won."

After saying that, Song Hailong's body stiffened, and he said, "Let me go, I'll walk by myself."

The three referees withdrew their hands and saw Song Hailong, his face icy, walking back to the White Dragon High School's rest area.

On the stage, another referee had already walked up and asked, "Do you have the usage rights for Song Hailong's Dragon's Back Mountain Flip?"

Zhang Yu's immediate learning and application of the technique clearly raised suspicion of decrypting martial arts and using pirated versions.

Just then, Bai Zhenzhen rushed over, holding Zhang Yu's phone, and said, "He bought it, he bought it! He bought the usage rights for Dragon's Back Mountain Flip. Here's the order."

While showing the order on the phone to the referee, Bai Zhenzhen also pulled out the scroll Zhang Yu had left off the stage and displayed the Inspection Department's mark on it.

Seeing the order and the scroll, the referee took no further action, only warning Zhang Yu before leaving.

Bai Zhenzhen finally breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Zhang Yu and complained, "What the hell were you thinking? Cracking martial arts directly on stage? Learning on the fly? If the company came after you, they'd sue you into bankruptcy!"

Zhang Yu scratched his head helplessly. "Ah, I got carried away while fighting. There was nothing left in my head except the desire to win."

Saying this, he smiled at Bai Zhenzhen. "And I just figured you guys would definitely help me."

Bai Zhenzhen rolled her eyes. "This Dragon's Back Mountain Flip cost 40,000! If you don't win this championship, you can slowly work to pay off the debt yourself."

After saying that, Bai Zhenzhen asked again, "Are you injured anywhere?"

Zhang Yu shook his head.

Although this close-quarters combat was extremely perilous, Zhang Yu had no serious injuries apart from some contusions.

It was the mental exhaustion, however...

At this moment, Zhang Yu was continuously rubbing his head. The prolonged state of full concentration, the close-quarters combat pushing him to the brink of bankruptcy, and the all-out combat training—he hadn't felt anything while it was happening, but now that it suddenly ended, his head felt like it had turned into a mess.

"Ah Zhen, quickly help me back to rest. My head is really spinning."

Bai Zhenzhen grunted, and simply lifted Zhang Yu into her arms, carrying him towards Songyang High School's rest area.

She walked and said, "Our investment in this martial arts competition is huge. You must win the next fight against that wretched woman, Le Mulan."

Zhang Yu slowly rested his mind with narrowed eyes, and quietly hummed in acknowledgment when he heard that.

Bai Zhenzhen then whispered, "Let me tell you where Le Mulan's weaknesses are..."

On the other side, with Song Hailong's return, White Dragon High School's rest area immediately felt like it had fallen into a low-pressure zone.

The competition coach couldn't help but clear his throat and said, "This Zhang Yu is indeed formidable. His stats aren't high, but his martial arts talent is astonishing, and he can even achieve breakthroughs repeatedly during combat. He truly has what it takes to defeat stronger opponents with less."

"Ah, actually, Hailong, your true strength is still superior to his. If it weren't for the stage rules, his defeat at your hands would only be a matter of time."

After losing, there are two ways to explain it away. One is to say you were careless, the other is to praise the opponent's strength.

Clearly, the competition coach was now employing both methods.

In fact, if it were any other student who lost, this competition coach wouldn't have gone to such lengths; he'd have made them kneel first.

But when the wealthiest and best-performing student in the class lost, he clearly couldn't do that.

The other students also nodded in agreement.

"That Zhang Yu is quite impressive."

"Brother Hailong just didn't pay attention to his footing. The stage was too slippery today. Otherwise, with his strength, how could he possibly lose?"

"Who would have thought he'd achieve repeated breakthroughs during the fight? And even learn Dragon's Back Mountain Flip?"

"By the way, does he have the usage rights? Can his eligibility be canceled?"

"The referee already checked. If there's no problem, then there's no problem."

Regarding Zhang Yu, the White Dragon people's attitude was contradictory.

Because in their eyes, Zhang Yu's true strength hadn't surpassed Song Hailong's, and his stats were even lower than theirs, so they were all a bit unconvinced.

Yet, Zhang Yu, relying on profound martial arts techniques and talent, accomplished something they absolutely couldn't, which secretly instilled a hint of admiration in their hearts.

Meanwhile, on a stretcher nearby, Chu Qiuhe, who had been feigning unconsciousness, inwardly rejoiced. "Blow harder, keep praising Zhang Yu!"

The stronger Zhang Yu was exaggerated to be, the more normal Chu Qiuhe's defeat would appear.

***

Thank you all for your enthusiasm. The initial subscription for this book exceeded 30,000. The single-day monthly vote performance actually made me a 'White Dragon person'; I am flattered. Today, I will first repay one chapter of the "monthly vote loan." In the future, I will do my best to gradually repay everyone's "monthly vote loans" while ensuring quality. And then, please continue to request monthly votes! Request monthly votes! Request monthly votes!