High Martial Arts: Grinding for the Supreme Talent

Chapter 468: Chapter 450: Luck or Strength?

”BANG! BANG!”

The battle continued. The sound of their weapons clashing, a mixture of energy and metal, rang out.

The air vibrated, sending out invisible waves.

A powerful gale swirled around them.

Trish, however, had lost her earlier composure. Her expression was grave.

In her fight against Lin Qi, she had fully leveraged her advantage, becoming a flash of light that could unleash hundreds of sword strikes in a single second.

But he had effortlessly blocked them all. It was as if he could see through her every move.

With her advantage gone, her defeat was imminent.

This was something she couldn’t accept.

”How is this possible...”

’I’m the SSS-level Talent! How can I be losing to an SS-level Talent?!’

Panic flared in Trish’s heart, and she instantly activated her Little Divine Power.

”BOOM!”

In an instant, a brilliant Golden Light erupted from her body. Her aura surged, making her seem like a celestial goddess descending to the mortal realm.

The violent aura kicked up gusts of wind.

”SWOOSH~”

Trish felt the golden patterns on her skin shift as an endless stream of power surged from within her. Her confidence returned.

Putting strength into her body, she once again transformed into a streak of Golden Light and charged, her Battle Sword piercing through the air.

A half-smile played on Lin Qi’s lips, but inwardly, he was perfectly calm, not a single ripple disturbing his peace.

In his golden eyes, Trish’s movements were still slow, merely increasing from 0.25 to 0.5 times normal speed.

’It’s about time to end this fight!’

He had now fully experienced the power of his Talent for Golden Eyes; it had drastically increased his combat capabilities.

He had achieved the desired effect, so it was time for this match to end.

Facing the charging Trish, he gripped his Big Gun with both hands as a domineering aura erupted from his body.

His Mountain and River Realm manifested, flowing along the shaft of the spear. He took a step forward, and his Black Great Spear swung out, its momentum like a mountain crashing down.

His Mental Realm Communication with the Divine infused the Black Great Spear.

Mountain and River Spear Technique—Mountain Town!

Frenzied Golden Edge Power empowered the spear, erupting with a twofold amplification.

”CLANG!”

Their weapons collided once more.

Only this time, they were no longer evenly matched.

The moment they struck, the air boomed and a gale erupted.

Upon impact, Lin Qi felt a greater force than before.

But his Body-Protecting Golden Blade still blocked it.

Across from him, Trish’s expression changed drastically. Her strike had been blocked again.

She had activated her Little Divine Power, drastically increasing her speed. How was he still blocking her?

In the next instant, a terrifying force transmitted through her sword, as if a mountain were crashing down on her.

Her body instantly went out of her control. Intense pain flooded her senses; she could feel her muscles tearing and cracks forming in her Martial Bones.

Then, her body went numb.

The Golden Battle Sword flew from her hand, and her entire body was sent flying like a kite with a snapped string.

”PFFT~”

Lin Qi’s Big Gun paused for a split second before thrusting out again. He strode forward, catching up to Trish, and the sharp spear tip instantly pierced her neck.

Blood sprayed, splashing into Trish’s eyes. They were wide with shock and confusion.

Finally, she dissipated into the Void, vanishing into thin air.

[Match 5: Lin Qi (Xia Country) is victorious!]

Above the arena, the AI’s emotionless voice announced the final result.

The stands immediately erupted with thunderous applause and a tsunami of cheers.

On the big screen’s bullet comments, the Xia Country audience instantly flooded the chat.

”He won! And it was a crushing victory!”

”Even an SSS-level Talent lost to Lin Qi.”

”Why have the White Eagle Federation spectators stopped laughing?”

In stark contrast to the boiling excitement of the Xia Country audience, the Silver Federation spectators fell into a dead silence.

No one had expected that Trish, an SSS-level Talent, would actually lose.

”Is Trish a fake SSS-level Talent?”

”Are you sure this wasn’t a fixed match?”

”How could she possibly lose?”

They couldn’t accept this result.

But the one who felt the worst was Trish herself. After being killed, she was teleported back to the spectator stands.

”How is this possible...”

Trish’s face was pale, and her whole body felt stiff and cold.

She had actually lost. She had activated her Little Divine Power and unleashed even greater Combat Power.

But the outcome was even worse than before she used it. She was instantly killed by a single spear strike from Lin Qi.

It was only now that she realized Lin Qi had been toying with her.

He clearly had the strength to crush her, yet he had fought her on even footing.

But once she figured that out, she became even more confused.

How could a mere SS-level Talent be so strong?

This completely overturned her understanding of the world, shattering her composure.

Beside her, Havier shook his head. He had considered that Trish might lose, but he never expected her to lose so miserably.

This was a pure, unadulterated beatdown!

It was even worse than his own defeat. He looked at Lin Qi on the stage, his eyes filled with amazement.

Last year, at the Global Freshmen Tournament, the two of them had needed to use their Little Divine Powers and fight an intense battle to determine a winner.

But now, only a year later, Trish, an SSS-level Talent, had been utterly crushed.

And Lin Qi hadn’t even used his Little Divine Power.

”Lin Qi of Xia Country... what a terrifying Talent!”

Havier exclaimed. The others nodded in agreement. Lin Qi’s strength in this battle had shocked them all.

...

In the upper-level spectator stands

After watching the match, Vice Principal Xu Wenji’s expression turned serious.

”Lin Qi’s strength... he seems to have gotten even stronger.”

”He defeated Trish far too easily. This was a complete domination of strength.”

The King of Mountains and Rivers, a Ninth Realm Martial Artist, also nodded in approval.

”Lin Qi’s strength is extraordinary.”

”He might just have a surprise in store for all of us.”

As a Ninth Realm Martial Artist, he could see more than others. He felt that Lin Qi was hiding his true strength.

This filled him with anticipation, making him eager to see just how far Lin Qi could go.

...

Lin Qi was teleported back to the stands.

Jiangtao laughed and said, ”I knew Brother Qi would win.”

Jiang Miaoyin also smiled.

”So what if she’s an SSS-level Talent? Brother Lin Qi is an SSS-level Talent too.”

”There are gaps even between SSS-level Talents.”

Not far away, Chu Yu also wore an expression of amazement. He could sense how powerful Trish was.

’If it were me up there,’ he thought, ’even if I won, it would have been a bitter victory.’

But Lin Qi had defeated her with ease.

His earlier feeling had been correct. Lin Qi had indeed grown much stronger.

The gap between them was only growing wider. Catching up was now basically impossible.

Everyone was improving, but Lin Qi’s rate of progress was just too absurd.

’He’s a monster.’

...

The fifth round of matches continued. The bouts progressed quickly; since they were virtual battles, there was no need to hold back.

A fight could be over in just a few minutes.

For fighters on the level of Shen Heng, Ivan, or Jenos, a match could end in a single minute.

During this process, Yu Zhuoran, Li Hanjiang, Havier, and Victor were all eliminated one by one.

In last year’s Global Freshmen Tournament, only Lin Qi had successfully advanced to the second round.

The 125 matches were over in a little more than an hour.

The time reached 10 o’clock.

Above the arena, the imposing figure of the King of Mountains and Rivers was projected once again.

With a lift of his hand, 125 names were projected.

”Let us congratulate the 125 contestants who have successfully advanced to the sixth round.”

”CLAP! CLAP!”

Fervent applause echoed through the stands.

After the applause died down, the King of Mountains and Rivers continued.

”Next, we will proceed with the sixth round of the main tournament. Those who successfully advance will receive one hundred and forty million Xia Country Coins and 4,000 kilograms of Level 7 Disaster Beast Flesh and Blood.”

”Also, because there is an odd number of contestants—125—one lucky contestant will receive a bye and advance directly to the next round.”

As the King of Mountains and Rivers finished speaking, many contestants grew nervous, hoping to be that lucky one.

This was especially true for the slightly weaker contestants, who weren’t confident in their ability to advance to the seventh round.

If they could get the bye, they would earn an extra ten million Xia Country Coins in prize money and another 1,000 kilograms of Disaster Beast Flesh and Blood.

The King of Mountains and Rivers’ Mountain and River Realm manifested. Amidst the magnificent landscape of mountains and rivers, a great sun slowly rose.

It appeared before everyone’s eyes before finally transforming into a name.

Everyone could see the name written there.

[Bye: Lin Qi (Xia Country)]

”Congratulations to contestant Lin Qi of Xia Country on advancing!”

The King of Mountains and Rivers made the announcement, causing an uproar in the stands. Many contestants mentally cursed his dogshit luck.

Some even voiced their suspicions, claiming that the Xia Country People were rigging things behind the scenes.

In the Xia Country spectator section.

”Congratulations on getting the bye, Brother Qi!” Jiangtao said with a smile.

Lin Qi was also quite surprised. ’Looks like my luck isn’t half bad,’ he thought.

He finally got a bye, advancing directly to the seventh round.

His next opponent would be one of the other 62 fighters in the top 63.

...

In the upper-level leadership stands,

Dean Liu was also quite surprised after seeing the lottery result.

”That kid Lin Qi, his luck has always been good. He always seems to get a bye.”

Xu Wenji nodded.

”Indeed. According to the back-end settings, only contestants from our Xia Country are actually eligible for a bye.”

”The stronger you are, the higher the probability of getting one.”

”Lin Qi’s strength is considerable right now, so it was possible he’d get it.”

”The next round is the top 63. I’m a little curious to see which round he’ll make it to.”

...

With Lin Qi receiving the bye, the new match-up bracket for the next round was released.

The sixth round of the competition officially began.

Lin Qi was no longer in a hurry to log off for Cultivation. He settled in to watch the matches.

He paid special attention to the group of top-tier fighters, activating his golden eyes to familiarize himself with their abilities and even observe their Mental Realms to broaden his horizons.

The more he watched, the more insights surfaced in his mind, and his comprehension of the Mental Realm deepened.

Time slowly passed until it was the final match.

Shen Heng, dressed in an ink-black robe, took the stage. His opponent was a tall female contestant, a powerful Sixth Realm Martial Artist.

But after a dozen or so seconds, Lin Qi’s expression grew solemn.

He watched as Shen Heng transformed into a bolt of Thunder, effortlessly thrusting his sharp Battle Sword through his opponent’s protective flames and piercing her heart.

In his golden eyes, every one of Shen Heng’s movements was slowed down.

”Shen Heng has broken through to the Seventh Realm!”

Lin Qi stated his conclusion.

Chu Yu also nodded. ”Shen Heng’s speed is even faster now.”

The others were in an uproar upon hearing this.

”Shen Heng broke through too? Doesn’t that mean he can also compete for the championship?”

Wan Ming said with an excited expression, ”Excellent! The champion of this year’s Global Martial Arts Tournament might be one of ours from Xia Country after all!”

...