High Martial Arts: Grinding for the Supreme Talent

Chapter 203: Chapter 203: Facing Ao Feng

[Match Two: Lin Qi (Sixth Institute) Wins!]

An automated voice announced the final result over the vast arena.

Ruan Qian returned to the spectator stands, her expression dazed as her mind replayed the battle.

Ruan Language, sitting beside her, smiled. ”You did great. You managed to last more than ten moves against Lin Qi, just like you wanted.”

”But the moment Lin Qi put in some real effort, you couldn’t withstand it.”

Ruan Qian immediately threw her arms around her sister, lamenting:

”That Lin Qi is an absolute monster.”

”His strength, his speed, his use of Power... it’s all just overwhelming.”

”He overpowered me in every single way. It was hopeless. I never stood a chance.”

”We’re both S-class geniuses, so how can the gap be this huge? I’ve never lost this badly in my entire life.”

Ruan Language had no answer. There was always someone better out there; some geniuses were simply beyond comprehension.

...

For a moment, a strange silence fell over the spectator stands.

The next second, thunderous applause erupted from the Azure Sky Sixth Institute’s section.

”How did it end so fast?”

”Is that Ruan Qian all hype?”

”What the hell do you know? It’s not that Ruan Qian is weak, it’s that Lin Qi is just too strong.”

”Against everyone else, Ruan Qian easily defeated her opponents with a single combo. But against Lin Qi, it was completely useless,” the crowd mused.

In the dignitaries’ section, the beautiful, black-clad vice dean of the Third Institute fell silent, her expression souring.

Their institute’s S-class genius had lost so miserably. It was obvious that her twin sister, Dean Ruan Language, would be no match either. The gap was just too vast.

Dean Liu was also quite surprised. Lin Qi’s strength was almost ridiculously high.

Through these past few battles, he had caught a glimpse of Lin Qi’s true power. He was an absolutely top-tier fighter, even stronger than he’d imagined.

...

’Interesting!’

Huo Wanyang’s interest was piqued in the Azure Sky First Institute’s stands.

It made him want to test his skills against Lin Qi.

Ao Feng of the Azure Sky Ninth Institute’s expression also grew serious.

’Defeating Lin Qi won’t be so easy. He’s much tougher than I expected.’

...

The competition continued, and the battles that followed were exceptionally brilliant.

They were all battles between fighters at the Dean Level.

Even powerhouses on the level of Duan Chuchu and Li Lei couldn’t easily defeat their opponents.

Only Huo Wanyang remained dominant, rampaging with his red Great Halberd and unleashing ferocious power.

No one could withstand three strikes from his halberd.

The Dean of the Azure Sky Seventh Institute was inevitably eliminated.

「Half an hour later.」

The sixth round officially ended.

”Everyone, our final seven have been decided!” the projected image of Xu Wenji announced at the top of his lungs.

[Top Seven: Huo Wanyang (First Institute), Duan Chuchu (Second Institute), Ruan Language (Third Institute), Li Lei (Fourth Institute), Lin Qi (Sixth Institute), Lu Yuntao (Eighth Institute), Ao Feng (Ninth Institute)]

”Among these seven contestants, one will receive a bye and advance directly to the semifinals.”

”The other six will compete for the three remaining spots in the semifinals.”

Xu Wenji waved his hand again. This time, seven figures appeared, and six of them were paired off.

Only one figure remained stationary.

[Bye: Lin Qi (Sixth Institute)]

”Let’s congratulate Lin Qi, Dean of the Azure Sky Sixth Institute, for receiving another bye!”

The crowd below erupted. Lin Qi had gotten another bye, advancing directly to the semifinals.

Lin Qi was also quite surprised. ’I was hoping to fight a few more experts.’

’This means I only need to beat two more opponents to take the championship.’

「Fifteen minutes later.」

The seventh round ended.

”Let’s give a round of applause for Huo Wanyang, Ao Feng, and Duan Chuchu, who have all successfully advanced to the semifinals!”

Xu Wenji announced loudly. The Freshman Grand Competition’s individual tournament was gradually reaching its climax.

With a wave of Xu Wenji’s hand, four figures flew out and paired off. The semifinal bracket was revealed.

[Match One: Huo Wanyang (First Institute) vs. Duan Chuchu (Second Institute)]

[Match Two: Lin Qi (Sixth Institute) vs. Ao Feng (Ninth Institute)]

...

When the bracket was revealed, the spectator stands erupted into an absolute frenzy.

Countless people grew excited. Now, the real clash of titans would begin.

All four had been top-ten geniuses in the college entrance exams.

In the Azure Sky Ninth Institute’s section, Ao Feng, with his delicate features and androgynous air, broke into a smile.

’First, I’ll defeat Lin Qi. Then, I’ll defeat Huo Wanyang!’

’There’s no better script than this.’

In the Azure Sky Sixth Institute’s spectator stands, Jiangtao was getting antsy.

”Brother Qi, I’ve gathered a lot of info on Ao Feng. Want to take a look?”

Lin Qi shook his head. ”I already have a basic understanding of his Saber Technique.”

”Ao Feng is one of the S-class geniuses signed by the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo, a prodigy ranked second in the Imperial Capital, surpassed only by Huo Wanyang.”

”His nickname is Ghost Blade, and he practices the Bronze Level Saber Technique, the ’Ghost Shadow Saber Technique.’ His blade is incredibly fast, striking like a phantom to kill his enemies before they know what hit them.”

Jiangtao briefly summarized Ao Feng’s profile.

Lin Qi nodded. At the same time, the first match in the arena officially began.

Duan Chuchu versus Huo Wanyang.

CLANG! CLANG!

The clash of a sword and a great halberd.

Duan Chuchu’s Qi and Blood Value wasn’t low; Lin Qi suspected it was around 38 or 39.

Huo Wanyang couldn’t crush his opponent as he had before. The two were evenly matched, trading blows back and forth.

Duan Chuchu’s Swordsmanship was unpredictable, fierce, and ruthless. Her blade moved with the agility of a golden snake, striking from tricky and unforeseeable angles.

This came from the Secret Manual she practiced: the Golden Snake Sword Skill.

Her nickname, ”Golden Snake Sword,” came from this very manual.

She caught Huo Wanyang off guard at the start, but the situation quickly took a nosedive.

BAM!

Huo Wanyang suddenly unleashed his strength. A terrifying wave of Qi Blood burst forth, Power flowing through him as he swung his great halberd.

He charged straight at Duan Chuchu. Her Golden Snake Sword Skill was completely unable to withstand his ferocious assault.

Huo Wanyang was a perfect example of brute force overcoming finesse. The gap in their physical conditioning was too vast; Duan Chuchu couldn’t hold out for long.

BANG!

A minute later, the sharp sword was knocked from Duan Chuchu’s hand, and the blade of the red halberd pierced through her chest, killing her.

”Too weak,” Huo Wanyang said, shaking his head as he retracted his red Great Halberd.

His gaze swept over to the Ninth and Sixth Institutes, wondering which of their Deans could possibly be a worthy opponent.

[Match One: Huo Wanyang (First Institute) Wins]

Everyone in the audience felt that Huo Wanyang was simply invincible on that stage.

In the dignitaries’ section, Wu Yueze, the refined and scholarly vice dean of the First Institute, broke into a smile.

”It seems the championship is already decided.”

”Huo Wanyang is simply the strongest among all the freshmen.”

”The competition isn’t over yet. It would be quite embarrassing if Huo Wanyang were to lose now, wouldn’t it?” said the vice dean of the Ninth Institute, a beautiful, middle-aged woman in purple.

...

In the stands, the faces of everyone from the Sixth Institute were grim.

”That Huo Wanyang is unbelievably strong. He’s like a modern-day Lv Bu, crushing everyone with ease,” Guo Heng said, his expression grim.

Only someone who had faced Huo Wanyang head-on could truly appreciate how powerful he was.

”Don’t worry, Brother Qi will beat him,” Jiangtao said, his confidence unshaken.

”But first, he has to take care of Ao Feng,” Jiangtao added, looking at Lin Qi.

[Will the contestants for our second match, Lin Qi and Ao Feng, please enter the arena!]

The automated voice announced.

Lin Qi stood up, transforming into a crimson pillar of light that descended into the arena.

Opposite him, the towering figure of Ao Feng emerged. At 1.95 meters, he was about the same height as Lin Qi.

However, he had an androgynous face, with delicate, well-defined features that were almost feminine.

He wore a silver-white combat suit and wielded a Tang Cross Saber.

The blade was narrow, straight, and slender; at a glance, one might mistake it for a longsword.

Ao Feng smiled at Lin Qi.

”You’re pretty good, but my real opponent is Huo Wanyang.”

A smirk played on Lin Qi’s lips as he replied:

”Don’t let that pretty face get you dreaming so big.”

”You won’t get past me.”

[Prepare for combat!]

[Countdown: 3... 2... 1...]

[Combat begins!]

Under the watchful eyes of the entire crowd, the automated voice’s announcement signaled the explosive start of the second semifinal match.

SWOOSH!

Ao Feng’s gaze sharpened. A cold, sinister aura erupted from him, like that of a venomous snake.

His figure blurred and shot forward. The phantom-like gleam of his blade pressed forward, flashing in an instant.

Ghost Shadow Saber Technique—Ghostly Shadows and Illusions!

His speed was incredible. Lin Qi’s eyes narrowed as Ao Feng’s blade left several afterimages in its wake.

It was an illusion created by the sheer speed of his Saber Technique and the flow of his Power.

A feat only achievable when one’s physical conditioning and Martial Arts reached an extremely high level.

Lin Qi shot forward like an arrow, thrusting his black great spear with a sharp whistle.

WHOOSH!

In the eyes of the audience, the silver and white figures collided in less than the span of a breath.

CLANG! CLANG!

The Tang Cross Saber and the great spear clashed. Power transferred between them in a hidden collision, sending a shower of sparks into the air.

The two exchanged blows several times within a single second.

Two distinctly different types of Power flowed through their weapons.

Lin Qi could feel a bizarre, venomous Power trying to tear through his blood vessels.

But his own ferocious Mountain-Splitting Power washed it all away.

Ao Feng’s expression flickered, and he was shocked. ’

’What’s going on? How is Lin Qi’s Spear Technique so agile and nimble?’

’He’s blocking all of my techniques?’

A bad feeling crept over him. He pressed his attack, simultaneously activating his Body Technique: Ghost Shadow Step.

The muscles in his legs tensed and his footwork shifted. In coordination with his Ghost Shadow Saber Technique, he began to dart across the arena like a phantom.

In an instant, he seemed to split into a dozen figures, all of them brandishing the Tang Cross Saber as blades of light circled his body like specters.

Despite being in a wide, brightly-lit arena, the effect was disorienting, like an illusion that made it impossible to tell which figure was real.

Lin Qi narrowed his eyes. ’This is tricky,’ he thought, feeling challenged for the first time.

...

In the dignitaries’ section, the beautiful, purple-clad middle-aged woman smiled.

”Ao Feng practices the Ghost Shadow Saber Technique, and his Body Technique is the Ghost Shadow Step.”

”His Saber Technique and Body Technique are complementary, integrated into a single whole. Their combined effect is far more powerful than any single Secret Manual.”

”He practically turns into a phantom. Add to that the fact that Ao Feng is at the Peak of the Second Realm, and his speed already exceeds thirty meters per second.”

”Those high-speed bursts create afterimages, making him seem like a phantom. It’s simply impossible to defend against,” she explained with a confident smile.

”And yet, that doesn’t seem to be the case right now. It looks like Ao Feng is the one at a disadvantage,” Dean Liu suddenly interjected.

All eyes turned to the arena, where the battle seemed to have taken an unexpected turn in an instant.

...

In the arena, Ao Feng stared at Lin Qi as they clashed, searching for an opening for a kill shot.

BAM!

The two fighters separated once more, Lin Qi retreating backward.

Having gathered his power, Ao Feng pressed forward again.

’Good, a chance!’

His speed suddenly exploded again. With a flick of his wrist, his blade’s light split into a dozen streaks.

...