As Chu Qiuhe fell to Zhang Yu, Qian Shen exclaimed in surprise, "Zhang Yu won!"
Zhao Tianxing, who had been closely watching the match, was equally baffled.
"How did he suddenly win? It felt like Zhang Yu was being completely dominated the whole time."
Qian Shen, however, seemed to have a different perspective.
"Although Zhang Yu was on the defensive, if you think about it... he managed to block almost all of Chu Qiuhe's attacks."
"On the other hand, Chu Qiuhe relied solely on his brute strength, attacking without any real defense," Qian Shen continued, though he sounded uncertain.
"And then, it seemed like Zhang Yu just happened to land a critical hit?"
He sighed, reminiscing, "I heard that in the past, the college entrance exams were purely about martial combat. But there were too many random factors in battle, and relying solely on fighting couldn't truly select the most talented individuals. That's why they eventually reformed it into the current six-subject, 700-point system."
He Dayou, with a hint of schadenfreude, chimed in, "Now that Chu Qiuhe lost this match, his reputation at White Dragon High is ruined."
Zhao Tianxing frowned.
"It's just one loss. Isn't that a bit exaggerated?"
He Dayou smirked.
"What would happen if you lost to someone from a regular high school?"
Zhao Tianxing's expression darkened immediately.
"Students from regular high schools know nothing about cultivation. How could I lose to them?"
He Dayou replied nonchalantly, "But what if you did?"
The thought alone was enough to make Zhao Tianxing feel a wave of despair.
Losing to a regular high school student would be a disgrace to Songyang High, a humiliation for the entire school, and might even drive him to the rooftop...
Seeing Zhao Tianxing's expression, He Dayou chuckled.
"Now you get it, don't you?"
But then his gaze shifted to Zhang Yu, who was stepping down from the stage, and his smile faded.
While he was secretly pleased that Chu Qiuhe had lost, Zhang Yu's victory left him feeling bitter.
Meanwhile, in another part of the arena.
Chu Qiuhe, who had passed out, was carried back to the White Dragon High preparation area.
The competition coach glanced at him but didn't rush to wake him up for a scolding.
After all, Chu Qiuhe was the only one back so far, and the other competitors were still fighting on the stages.
The coach decided to wait until everyone returned before making Chu Qiuhe kneel in front of all the students and humiliating him thoroughly.
"He actually lost to someone from Songyang High," the coach muttered angrily to himself.
His bonuses and performance evaluations were going to take a hit, and he might even become the laughingstock of the faculty, not to mention the wrath of the school administration...
As the coach was stewing in his thoughts, another White Dragon High student was carried in on a stretcher.
The coach frowned.
"What happened to you?"
The student, pale and trembling, stammered, "I won against someone from Purple Cloud High, but then Bai Zhenzhen from Songyang High defeated Hu Yuntao and challenged me... I lost to her."
As soon as he finished speaking, the temperature in the room seemed to drop by ten degrees, and the student couldn't stop shivering.
The coach's voice was icy.
"How did you lose?"
The student lowered his head.
"Bai Zhenzhen has a stealth-type spiritual root. She kept disappearing and reappearing in my senses."
The coach sneered.
"Even with that, her stats are far below yours. It shouldn't have been enough to beat you."
The student also looked puzzled.
"I... I don't know. She suddenly hit a critical spot, and I just blacked out."
On another stretcher, Chu Qiuhe, who had already woken up but was pretending to still be unconscious, breathed a sigh of relief.
"At least I'm not the only one who lost," he thought to himself.
In fact, a new idea suddenly sprouted in Chu Qiuhe's mind.
"Zhang Yu... you better win a few more matches!"
"Preferably against more White Dragon High students."
The more Zhang Yu won, the less embarrassing Chu Qiuhe's own loss would seem.
As for the other students' wins and losses? Their victories wouldn't count on Chu Qiuhe's resume, but their defeats would help preserve his dignity.
Meanwhile, the battles on the various stages were nearing their conclusions.
On one stage, Song Hailong let out a roar, grabbed his opponent, and with a burst of terrifying strength, hurled him like a ball into the air.
The opponent crashed into the ceiling over ten meters high, leaving the audience in awe.
The White Dragon High spectators erupted into applause, which only stopped when Song Hailong raised his right hand and clenched his fist.
On another stage, Le Mulian gently pointed her slender fingers, and streams of icy-blue spiritual energy shot out like swords, slashing at her opponent three meters away.
No matter how desperately her opponent fought back, they were always kept at bay by the icy-blue sword lights.
Not a single drop of blood from her opponent managed to get within three meters of Le Mulian.
Watching her opponent finally collapse from blood loss, Le Mulian turned and calmly walked off the stage.
The Purple Cloud High spectators were silent, not daring to make a sound, but the cheers from the White Dragon High crowd for Song Hailong made Le Mulian frown slightly.
"So noisy."
In the blink of an eye, all eight groups had determined their winners, and the quarterfinalists for this martial arts competition were finalized.
Aside from Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, Song Hailong, and Le Mulian, the other quarterfinalists included Lian Tianji, two students from Red Tower High, and another student from White Dragon High.
Zhang Yu glanced at the upcoming match schedule.
"My first match is against Lian Tianji, and then I'll face... the winner between Song Hailong and the other Red Tower student."
Based on Zhang Yu's assessment, the Red Tower student was unlikely to defeat Song Hailong.
In other words, if Zhang Yu wanted to compete for the championship, he would first have to defeat Lian Tianji and then Song Hailong.
"But compared to that, Ah Zhen has it even tougher," Zhang Yu thought as he looked at the lower bracket.
Bai Zhenzhen would first have to defeat the top-ranked student from Red Tower High, who had a score of 300, and then face Le Mulian from Purple Cloud High before she could meet Zhang Yu in the finals.
There wasn't much time for Zhang Yu to reflect, as the quarterfinals were about to begin.
The number of stages in the arena had been reduced from eight to four.
Zhang Yu stepped onto the stage and saw Lian Tianji already waiting for him.
When Lian Tianji saw Zhang Yu, his eyes lit up.
"Zhang Yu, I just watched the replay of your last match. It was an impressive fight."
"Using skill to suppress an opponent who surpasses you in strength, speed, and stamina—your understanding of martial arts has surpassed mine."
"However, real combat isn't just about one dimension."
As he spoke, he brought his backpack to the front.
"Out of respect for you, I will go all out in this fight."
With that, Lian Tianji pulled out a bottle of pills and prepared to take them.
Zhang Yu, seeing this, was already used to it.
This was just how things were in Songyang City—this was what it meant for a high school student to go all out!
But just then, the referee stepped forward and stopped Lian Tianji from taking the pills.
Zhang Yu was shocked.
Were drugs banned in this competition? Was this even Kunxu anymore?
However, after the referee inspected Lian Tianji's backpack and confirmed that all the substances were legal, he simply said, "Everything's fine. Go ahead."
So Lian Tianji first drank a bottle of liquid, then swallowed a few capsules, and finally pulled out a syringe and injected himself.
As the drugs took effect, Lian Tianji's body began to change visibly.
His muscles swelled slightly, veins bulged on his skin, and his breathing became heavier and louder...
Watching Lian Tianji continue to inject and consume more drugs, Zhang Yu couldn't help but feel exasperated.
"Can't you just disrespect me a little? Look down on me, underestimate me—anything but this!"
But then Zhang Yu started to notice something strange.
While Lian Tianji was busy injecting himself, he was also muttering something to the side.
"This combat stimulant I've been taking for three months is really effective. It quickly releases muscle potential and suppresses pain..."
Zhang Yu glanced at the Purple Cloud High student nearby, who was holding a phone and recording Lian Tianji.
"Are you filming an ad?"
Lian Tianji nodded.
"I often share and livestream my study and training routines online. This time, I'm also recommending some reliable and effective combat drugs to my fans."
He added, "Zhang Yu, don't dismiss this. On the long path of cultivation, learning how to make money and having the ability to do so is crucial."
"As the saying goes, 'The path to knowledge is paved with money, and the sea of learning is sailed by wealth.' Those who only know how to spend money but not earn it won't go far on the path of cultivation."
Zhang Yu turned to the referee.
"Can we start now?"
The referee gave him a sidelong glance.
"You want to start before he's even finished taking his drugs? Don't you think that's unfair?"
Zhang Yu was speechless.
"Fine, let's just start whenever."
A moment later.
"Sorry for the wait," Lian Tianji said, cupping his hands toward Zhang Yu.
"Let's begin."
As the referee counted down from three, both fighters shot forward and collided with a thunderous crash.
Every time Lian Tianji's fist met Zhang Yu's Formless Cloud Aura, there was a deafening explosion.
Zhang Yu could feel the explosive force in Lian Tianji's punches.
Each strike caused his Formless Cloud Aura to dissipate, forcing him to constantly replenish his spiritual energy.
This was Lian Tianji's expert-level technique—Explosive Wave Fist! Level 3!
This fist technique, inspired by the explosion of gunpowder and the shockwaves it creates, transformed spiritual energy into explosive force.
Not only did it amplify the power of each strike, but it also made it nearly impossible to predict or deflect.
Lian Tianji thought to himself, "The Formless Cloud Hand excels at using the Formless Cloud Aura to redirect force."
"But my Explosive Wave Fist generates explosive energy, which the Formless Cloud Aura can't redirect. Instead, it will keep getting blown apart."
"Zhang Yu's strength and spiritual energy are inferior to mine. He shouldn't be able to hold out for long."
In theory, that should have been the case.
But to Lian Tianji's surprise, Zhang Yu not only managed to block his attacks with impeccable timing but also began to redirect Lian Tianji's explosive energy back at him.
This was Zhang Yu using the Indestructible Seal Technique to manipulate Lian Tianji's spiritual energy.
"He can redirect my explosive energy? That means he's not just skilled in the Formless Cloud Hand but also in another advanced martial art that allows him to redirect force."
Realizing this, Lian Tianji laughed heartily.
"Zhang Yu, you truly haven't disappointed me."
Just then, someone from the Purple Cloud High audience shouted, "Lian Tianji, the sponsor says if you don't finish him in a minute, they're cutting your pay!"
Lian Tianji's face darkened.
"I got it."
Zhang Yu could feel Lian Tianji's demeanor shift.
The smile disappeared, and a hint of killing intent flickered in his eyes.
At the same time, the spiritual energy in the air began to churn.
Zhang Yu's eyes narrowed.
Did Lian Tianji also bring a combat spiritual root to the competition?
*The saying "The path to knowledge is paved with money, and the sea of learning is sailed by wealth" is from a book called "My Wife, the White Bone Spirit."
I highly recommend it.*
(End of Chapter)