Chapter 80: The Quarterfinals

Watching Chu Qiuhe fall to Zhang Yu, Qian Shen said in surprise, “Zhang Yu won.”

Zhao Tianxing had also been watching the match but still didn’t quite understand. “How did he suddenly win? It felt like Zhang Yu was getting crushed the whole time.”

Qian Shen mulled it over. “True, Zhang Yu was under pressure the whole fight, but now that I think about it… he actually blocked nearly all of Chu Qiuhe’s attacks.”

“Chu Qiuhe was banking on brute strength, going all offense with barely any defense.”

Qian Shen added uncertainly, “Then it looks like Zhang Yu just happened to land a hit to the vital point?”

He sighed. “I heard the college entrance exams used to be straight-up arena brawls, but too many random elements in combat made it unreliable for selecting top talents. That’s why it eventually evolved into the current six-subject, 700-point system.”

He Dayou said gleefully, “Now that Chu Qiuhe lost this one, he’s done for back at White Dragon High School.”

Zhao Tianxing replied, “It’s just one fight. Isn’t that a bit dramatic?”

He Dayou countered, “What would happen to you if you lost to a regular high school student?”

Zhao Tianxing’s expression immediately darkened. “What do they know about cultivation? Like hell I’d lose to them.”

He Dayou said blandly, “But what if you did?”

The sky falling. The shame of Songyang. Public humiliation. A walk up to the rooftop… Just the thought made Zhao Tianxing feel the color drain from his world.

Seeing his reaction, He Dayou chuckled. “So now you get it?”

But then he noticed Zhang Yu stepping down from the platform and couldn’t help frowning again.

Chu Qiuhe’s loss had been satisfying—but Zhang Yu’s win? That just stung.

…

Elsewhere in the arena—

The unconscious Chu Qiuhe was carried back to White Dragon High’s prep area.

The competition coach gave him a quick glance but didn’t bother waking him up just to berate him.

No point until everyone had returned from the stage. Only then would Chu Qiuhe be made to kneel and be thoroughly shamed before the whole team.

“To think he actually lost to someone from Songyang High.”

Just the thought made the coach’s blood boil. His bonus and performance score were going to take a hit, and he’d probably become the butt of jokes among the staff. Maybe even get chewed out by the school board…

While the coach stewed in silence, another White Dragon student was wheeled in on a stretcher.

The coach scowled. “What happened to you?”

The student’s face was ghostly pale. He stammered, “I beat someone from Purple Cloud, then Bai Zhenzhen from Songyang High beat Hu Yuntao… then she fought me… and I lost.”

The moment the words left his mouth, the air seemed to drop ten degrees. He began trembling uncontrollably.

The coach asked coldly, “How did you lose?”

The student looked down. “She rented a stealth-type combat spirit root. Kept flickering in and out of my senses.”

The coach’s tone was icy. “She’s way below you in stats. Even if she caught you off guard, she shouldn’t have been able to win.”

A flicker of confusion crossed the student’s eyes. “I… I don’t know. She suddenly hit my weak spot. Next thing I knew, I was out cold.”

Meanwhile, on the other stretcher, Chu Qiuhe—who had already woken up but had been faking unconsciousness—quietly exhaled in relief.

“At least I’m not the only one who lost.”

And right then, a new thought popped into his head.

“Zhang Yu… damn it, you better keep winning!”

“Take down a few more White Dragon High students while you’re at it.”

As long as Zhang Yu kept racking up wins, Chu Qiuhe felt his own loss wouldn’t look as bad.

As for the other students? Their victories didn’t go on Chu Qiuhe’s résumé. But their defeats? Now those helped save face.

Back on the platforms, the matches were drawing to a close.

On one stage, Song Hailong let out a furious roar, grabbed his opponent, and unleashed terrifying strength—slinging the person like a ragdoll into the air. They slammed into the ceiling ten meters up, drawing gasps from the crowd.

The White Dragon spectators erupted in cheers, clapping wildly—until Song Hailong raised his right hand and clenched his fist, instantly silencing them.

On another stage, Le Mulan lightly tapped her finger. Blades of ice-blue mana shot out like flying swords, slashing toward her opponent three meters away.

No matter how hard the opponent fought back, they never got closer than three meters. Not even a drop of blood made it past that invisible boundary.

As her opponent finally passed out from blood loss, Le Mulan turned and calmly walked off the platform.

In the Purple Cloud section of the stands, everyone remained silent, not daring to make a sound. But from the White Dragon side, the cheers for Song Hailong roared on—making Le Mulan frown slightly.

“So noisy.”

In the blink of an eye, the eight groups had finished, and the quarterfinalists were locked in.

Alongside Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, Song Hailong, and Le Mulan, the top eight also included Lian Tianji, two students from Red Tower High, and one more from White Dragon High.

Zhang Yu looked over the quarterfinal bracket.

“My first match is against Lian Tianji. After that, I’ll have to face whoever wins between Song Hailong and the Red Tower student.”

Based on his own judgment, Zhang Yu figured the Red Tower student stood no chance against Song Hailong.

Which meant that if he wanted a shot at the championship, he’d have to beat Lian Tianji first, then take on Song Hailong.

“But compared to that, Ah-Zhen has it tougher.”

Zhang Yu glanced at the bottom half of the bracket. Bai Zhenzhen would have to beat the top-ranked Red Tower student, who had scored 300 points, and then face Purple Cloud High’s Le Mulan—only then could she meet him in the finals.

There wasn’t time to dwell on it. The quarterfinals began almost immediately.

The number of platforms shrank from eight to four.

Zhang Yu stepped onto the platform and saw Lian Tianji already waiting.

Upon seeing him, Lian Tianji’s eyes lit up. “Zhang Yu, I watched the replay of your last match. It was an excellent fight.”

“To use technique to suppress an opponent who surpassed you in strength, speed, and stamina… Your grasp of martial arts surpasses my own.”

“But real combat isn’t about just one dimension.”

As he spoke, he swung his backpack around to the front. “Out of respect for you, I’ll be going all out in this match.”

With that, he pulled out a bottle of pills and prepared to take one.

Zhang Yu saw him about to pop the pill and didn’t even flinch. In Songyang City, this was normal—this

was

what “going all out” looked like for high schoolers.

But then, the referee stepped forward and… stopped Lian Tianji.

That took Zhang Yu by surprise.

Wait… banned substances?

Is this really still Kunxu?

But after the referee inspected Lian Tianji’s backpack and confirmed that all the drugs were compliant, he said directly, “Everything checks out. Go ahead.”

So Lian Tianji downed a bottle of liquid first, then swallowed a few capsules, and finally took out a syringe and jabbed it into his arm.

As the medicine coursed through his body, visible changes took hold. His muscles subtly swelled, veins bulged under the surface of his skin, and his breathing grew deeper and heavier…

Watching this increasingly juiced-up opponent, Zhang Yu was at a loss.

Seriously? Could you maybe not respect me so damn much? Would it kill you to underestimate me instead?

Then Zhang Yu started noticing something off.

Lian Tianji wasn’t just injecting himself—he was also reciting a pitch.

“I’ve been using this combat stimulant for three months. The results are phenomenal—instantly unleashes muscle potential, suppresses pain receptors…”

Zhang Yu glanced to the side and saw someone from Purple Cloud filming Lian Tianji with a phone. He couldn’t help but ask, “Wait… are you guys filming an ad?”

Lian Tianji replied, “I often livestream my studies and training online. Just taking this chance to recommend some reliable, high-quality combat supplements to my fans.”

Then he added, “Zhang Yu, don’t scoff at this.”

“The Immortal Path is long and arduous. Learning to make money—and having the ability to—is absolutely essential.”

“As the saying goes, ‘The mountain of books has money as its path; the sea of learning floats only on wealth.’ Those who only spend money but never learn to earn it won’t get far in cultivation.”

Zhang Yu turned to the referee. “Can we start now?”

The ref shot him a sideways look. “You don’t even want to let the man finish his meds? Doesn’t that feel like a cheap win?”

Are you kidding me…

Zhang Yu sighed. “Fine, fine, let him finish. Let’s just fight.”

Moments later.

“Thanks for waiting,” Lian Tianji cupped his fists. “Now then… shall we begin?”

With the referee’s countdown—three, two, one—the two shot forward like lightning and collided with a thunderous crash.

Every time Lian Tianji’s fists slammed into Zhang Yu’s

Formless Cloud Qi

, it echoed with a resounding boom.

Zhang Yu could feel a blast force erupting from each punch—detonating on contact with his defensive Qi, shredding it apart. He had to constantly channel more mana to reinforce it.

This was the signature move of Lian Tianji’s expert-grade martial technique:

Explosive Wave Fist

—Level 3 Activation!

Inspired by the physics of explosive shockwaves, this technique converted mana into

explosive fist force

, which not only amplified impact but also disrupted defensive Qi, making it nearly impossible to deflect or redirect.

Lian Tianji thought to himself,

Formless Cloud Qi excels at borrowing and redirecting force—but my Explosive Wave Fist doesn’t transmit force, it detonates it. That Qi won’t be able to hold up.

Zhang Yu’s strength and mana reserves are inferior to mine. He won’t last long.

That was the theory, anyway.

But to Lian Tianji’s surprise, Zhang Yu was not only blocking his strikes at the last possible moment with impeccable timing—he was also starting to manipulate the explosive force itself, using it

against

him.

Zhang Yu was using the

Indestructible Seal Method

to redirect Lian Tianji’s mana!

He can redirect my explosive force? That means he’s trained in another advanced martial art that manipulates mana flow in combat—besides just Limitless Cloud Hands.

Realization struck, and Lian Tianji burst out laughing. “Zhang Yu, you really haven’t let me down!”

Just then, a voice shouted from the Purple Cloud sidelines, “Master Lian Tianji, the sponsor says if you don’t win in under a minute, they’re docking your pay!”

Lian Tianji’s face darkened. “Got it.”

Zhang Yu immediately sensed a shift—the smile was gone, and a hint of killing intent flickered in Lian Tianji’s eyes.

At the same time, spiritual essence in the air began to stir.

Zhang Yu’s eyes narrowed.

So Lian Tianji brought a battle-grade spirit root too?