In the semifinals, Xiong Wenwu's heavy bleeding naturally drew the most attention.
Many spectators turned their heads at the sight of blood pooling on the ground, only to be shocked to discover that a student from Songyang High had actually defeated the strongest fighter from Red Pagoda High.
Hu Yuntao quickly rushed over and sent Xiong Wenwu off for treatment.
When he heard that Xiong Wenwu's bleeding was due to hemorrhoids, Hu Yuntao instinctively clenched his buttocks.
"What should we do? Does this mean surgery? Every time it flares up, do we have to go to the hospital for hemorrhoid surgery?" The thought of the recurring surgical expenses made Hu Yuntao's heart ache.
"Damn it! Why do I have external hemorrhoids too? Why not internal ones? If they were internal, my body-refining techniques could protect me, and I wouldn't have to spend money on surgery."
The competition coach patted his shoulder and chuckled, "Silly kid, what do you do when you realize your head is being targeted as a weak spot?"
"Of course, you train in Iron Head Kung Fu!" Hu Yuntao's eyes lit up.
"Are you saying...?"
"Exactly," the coach replied, his gaze suddenly turning cold as he looked at Hu Yuntao and Xiong Wenwu on the operating table.
"Once we're back at school, you'll start rigorous training. Principal Long is very dissatisfied with your performance this time."
The emergency doctor, overhearing their conversation, couldn't help but think, "If the head is a vital spot, why not just wear a helmet?"
On the other side of the emergency area, Bai Zhenzhen's expression darkened upon hearing the doctor's quote.
After asking a few more times, she suddenly said, "For these scratches on my body, don't worry about scars or cosmetic repairs. Just use the fastest and simplest method to treat them. That way, it should all be covered by insurance, right?"
The emergency doctor sighed, "Alright, alright. It'll be 98,000, covered by insurance. But these wounds will definitely leave scars..."
As he spoke, the doctor channeled his spiritual energy, his hands moving in a blur as he cleaned, reattached, stitched, and stopped the bleeding.
He then applied various medicinal ointments before finally infusing a healing energy into Bai Zhenzhen's body to accelerate the recovery.
Though the cost wasn't cheap, the doctor's skills were indeed impressive.
In just over half an hour, Bai Zhenzhen felt that most of her injuries had healed.
However, scars remained on her arms, thighs, calves, and waist.
After being sent back to the rest area, Bai Zhenzhen waved her arm and smiled, "Not bad. I think I can use about 80-90% of my strength now."
As for the scars, Bai Zhenzhen didn't care.
Cosmetic treatments and scar removal were things only the rich could afford—they had nothing to do with her.
Lei Jun, standing nearby, looked at Bai Zhenzhen with a complicated expression and asked, "Are you still planning to continue competing?"
Bai Zhenzhen grinned, "Of course! If I win the next match against Le Mulian, I'll meet Yu in the finals, right? Then we'll take first and second place, and you'll have some face too, Old Lei."
Lei Jun sighed, "But your insurance is almost maxed out. I've seen Le Mulian's fighting style—her sword energy is sharp, and her attacks have a wide range. If you fight her... the medical bills could easily reach hundreds of thousands."
Bai Zhenzhen fell silent at this.
Lei Jun continued, "You've already made it to the semifinals. That's a great achievement to put on your resume. Why take the risk to keep competing?"
What he didn't say aloud was... since you can't get into the top ten universities, winning first place in this martial arts competition isn't that important for you.
Lei Jun pressed on, "Your fighting style makes you prone to injuries. If you had a few hundred thousand saved up and didn't have to worry about post-match treatment, I wouldn't stop you. But are you sure you want to take on a debt of hundreds of thousands just for this competition?"
Seeing Bai Zhenzhen still silent, Lei Jun sighed, "Ah Zhen, we're not like those rich people. When we compete, we have to consider the cost-effectiveness."
At that moment, a limping figure approached, clearly in pain—it was Zhang Yu, who had just finished his treatment.
Seeing Zhang Yu covered in injuries, Lei Jun thought to himself, "It looks like Zhang Yu won't be able to compete anymore either."
But Zhang Yu flexed his arms and legs and said, "Don't worry, Old Lei. I was careful during the fight. None of the injuries are critical—just superficial wounds. Plus, I just mastered a new body-refining technique yesterday. The injuries look bad, but the insurance only cost 30,000..."
Lei Jun was skeptical at first, but after checking Zhang Yu over, he looked at him in surprise, "Kid, you're something else. You really didn't get seriously hurt?"
"I'll go get you some food and drinks. You two rest up."
Not long after Lei Jun left, Zhang Yu, scrolling through his phone, turned to the silent Bai Zhenzhen and said, "Ah Zhen, I overheard your conversation earlier. You know my platform credit is maxed out—I can't get any more. At most, I can borrow some from my sister. But she's not doing great either. I asked, and the most I can borrow from her is 200,000. Do you think that's enough for your next match?"
Bai Zhenzhen replied, "I'll borrow from my godmother myself and pay her back. You don't need to borrow for me. But I've studied Le Mulian carefully—she's tough to beat, and it's easy to get hurt fighting her. To win... I might need at least 400,000."
Bai Zhenzhen sighed, "Yu, wouldn't it be nice if we were rich?"
Hearing this, Zhang Yu, who had lived two lifetimes, couldn't help but fall silent.
In both lives, he hadn't been born into wealth.
What could he say?
A short while later, after all the quarterfinal matches had concluded and the participants had received proper treatment, ensuring their safety, the semifinalists were announced: Zhang Yu, Song Hailong, Le Mulian, and Bai Zhenzhen.
The semifinal matches would be Zhang Yu vs. Song Hailong and Le Mulian vs. Bai Zhenzhen.
The winners of these two matches would then face off for the championship.
Perhaps because the semifinals drew more attention, the two matches wouldn't be held simultaneously but one after the other.
After the referees drew lots to determine the order, the first match would be Le Mulian vs. Bai Zhenzhen, followed by Zhang Yu vs. Song Hailong.
On the stage, Le Mulian looked at Bai Zhenzhen, her brow furrowing slightly as her gaze swept over the ugly scars on Bai Zhenzhen's arms and legs.
"Why do you leave scars on your body?" she asked, puzzled.
Bai Zhenzhen shrugged, "Can't afford to fix them."
Le Mulian was stunned.
She knew poor people were poor, but the idea that someone couldn't even afford to remove scars was almost horrifying to her.
"Is this what poverty looks like? It's terrifying."
Facing an opponent who couldn't even afford proper treatment, Le Mulian's fighting spirit waned, replaced by a hint of pity.
Though Bai Zhenzhen had managed to exploit Xiong Wenwu's weakness to win, Le Mulian wasn't concerned.
Against any first-year student, Le Mulian was confident—she had no weaknesses.
As the countdown began—3, 2, 1, start!—Le Mulian's fingers flicked, sending sharp sword energy flying toward Bai Zhenzhen from a distance.
This was Le Mulian's Star Sword Technique, which she had trained to the fifth level.
At this level, her sword energy could strike from up to five meters away.
Seeing the sword energy coming at her from such a distance, Bai Zhenzhen's expression changed.
She quickly activated her own Body-Piercing Sword Energy to block.
But Bai Zhenzhen soon realized that Le Mulian's Star Sword Technique wasn't just sharp—each sword energy attack was intricately connected, like a well-organized formation, closing in on her from all angles.
If Bai Zhenzhen tried to break through the sword energy, every step she took would only make the attacks more concentrated.
She felt as if she were trapped in a large formation, her space to move shrinking as Le Mulian's relentless sword energy pressed in.
Bai Zhenzhen tried to enter a stealth state, but the constant clashes of sword energy quickly revealed her position.
Le Mulian's attacks were too fast and too dense—Bai Zhenzhen's speed and explosive power weren't enough to dodge purely through movement.
As for waiting for Le Mulian to run out of energy? Bai Zhenzhen could see that Le Mulian's energy reserves were vast, showing no signs of depletion.
If she waited, Bai Zhenzhen's own energy would run out first.
Bai Zhenzhen sighed inwardly, "Using stealth on the stage is too much of a disadvantage. It only works well the first time when the opponent isn't expecting it. After that, it's not as effective."
Watching Bai Zhenzhen struggle, Le Mulian wasn't surprised.
"My Star Sword Technique forms its own formation. The sword energy is precise and flawless. Unless someone has a powerful body-refining technique to charge through, no one at my level can get close to me."
And in Le Mulian's eyes, Bai Zhenzhen wasn't at her level.
"There is a weakness," Bai Zhenzhen thought to herself.
"But my stats aren't strong enough. If I force my way through, even if I win, I'll be seriously injured. This one move might cost me 300,000 to 400,000..."
Was it worth risking hundreds of thousands?
Bai Zhenzhen hesitated.
She had the courage to break through Xiong Wenwu's storm of attacks and strike at his weak points.
But when it came to betting hundreds of thousands on a victory, she hesitated.
And it was this hesitation that made her realize the strike wouldn't succeed—she had already lost her unwavering determination.
"Ah..."
A few seconds later, as the sword energy closed in around her, Bai Zhenzhen chose to concede.
As she stepped off the stage, a look of relief flashed in her eyes.
"In the end, I'm just not strong enough. Too poor."
"Whatever. I'll tell Yu about the weakness. Let him teach that woman a lesson. He probably won't need to spend as much money."
With Le Mulian's victory, the semifinals moved on to the second match—Zhang Yu vs. Song Hailong.
(End of Chapter)