Chapter 256 - 245: Who Won?
"Senior Brother He, are you all right?"
Zhao Lin was the first to rush to He Liancheng’s side. Worried he was too badly injured, he didn’t dare help him up, asking first instead.
"It’s nothing serious. It sounded like a big deal, but actually... I’m fine."
He Liancheng said, sucking in a breath and grimacing.
Zhao Lin knew he had fought so hard to give him a better understanding of Bolta’s strength. "Thank you, Senior Brother He," he said gratefully. "Let me help you up."
The other disciples also hurried over and helped escort He Liancheng back.
As Zhao Lin turned, he glanced at the tournament stage. Bolta seemed to sense it and looked down at him.
Their gazes met in midair, and they both turned away with grim expressions.
Back at their seats, several elders from the Li Yang Sect came over to check on him.
Fortunately, because Bolta had diverted some of his energy to form an armor, the power of his fist had been reduced, and He Liancheng’s injuries were not serious.
Once everyone had settled He Liancheng down, the final match of the quarterfinals began.
Mai Kun versus Li Taiqing!
In terms of fist power, one was ranked fourth and the other fifth. They were close in age, with comparable cultivation levels.
Mai Kun cultivated a dual-attribute wind and fire energy; his fists were like fire, his movements like the wind. Li Taiqing’s Yin Wood Palm feared no elemental counters, and his Ancient Vine energy was incredibly resilient.
The two were extremely close in strength in every respect.
Their battle went on for over a hundred rounds. Both fighters brought out their hidden trump cards, yet they remained locked in a stalemate.
Everyone watching thought, ’If they keep fighting like this, whoever wins will have a slim chance against Basang in the next match.’
Mai Kun and Li Taiqing were also aware of this. They wanted to end the match as soon as possible, but neither could get the upper hand.
As the battle raged on toward noon, a victor was finally decided.
To the surprise of most, Li Taiqing won by knockout.
A roar of cheers erupted from the Xiuzhao stands, loud enough to shake the rafters, as if they had won the final championship.
The Weizi stands, however, were deathly silent. Of the four semifinalists, Uche, Great Yue, Wuzhu, and Xiuzhao each had one representative. Only Weizi had failed to advance.
Although it was no concern of theirs, the factions of Uche, Great Yue, and Wuzhu also didn’t want to see Weizi place well because of the incident with Huo Shan, and many jeers and taunts could be heard.
There was a thirty-minute break between the quarterfinals and the semifinals.
Basang, Zhao Lin, and Bolta had already recovered their stamina. Only Li Taiqing, having just finished an intense battle, was taking medicine and meditating, seizing every moment to rest.
The thirty minutes passed in a flash. Elder Ruan of the Lotus Sect suddenly walked onto the stage and called over a group of natives.
A dozen or so dark, skinny natives ran onto the stage with brooms, dustpans, water buckets, and mops. Some swept the dust, others sprinkled water, and they all busied themselves with cleaning.
Seeing this, Basang’s master, Sa Tianshi, frowned and stood up. "Elder Ruan, the time is up. What is the meaning of this? Why haven’t we begun?"
Elder Ruan quickly replied with a smile, "I was just about to announce the start when I noticed a lot of dust had settled on the stage. If we don’t clean it up now, the slippery ground could affect the match, which would be terrible."
"Please don’t be anxious, Elder Sa. Just a moment longer."
Anyone with eyes could see that Xiuzhao was just trying to buy more recovery time for Li Taiqing, pulling a small trick outside the official rules.
It wasn’t exactly despicable, just using their home-field advantage to gain a small benefit.
Sa Tianshi opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing more. The Xiuzhao side was too embarrassed to delay any longer, and after fussing about for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they finally announced the start of the match.
Basang and Li Taiqing walked onto the stage and bowed to each other with cupped fists. Upon hearing Elder Ruan’s command, they both moved at the same time.
The moment he attacked, Basang unleashed the signature technique that had made his name in this tournament—the Thunder Blade Fist.
The energy on his fist was like serrated teeth, and his arm was wreathed in lightning. It was so fast that the punch tore through the air, creating a sharp whistling sound.
Li Taiqing also threw a punch, but he didn’t dare meet Basang’s full power head-on. He took a feinting step, and the moment their fists collided, he retreated to dissipate the force.
Even so, Li Taiqing felt the might of the Thunder Blade Fist. The powerful impact knocked him back seven or eight steps, and his entire arm went almost numb.
Basang nodded slightly. The force transmitted to his hand was quite resilient; this was the first time in the tournament someone had been able to face him head-on. He immediately strode forward and shouted, "Very good! Again!"
Another Thunder Blade Fist.
This time, Li Taiqing didn’t choose to meet it head-on. He turned his body slightly and, with an outward rotation of one arm, struck with the force of his Yin Wood Palm.
He used a Parting the Horse’s Mane technique, employing the principle of using four taels to deflect a thousand catties to redirect the force, so he wouldn’t have to bear the full brunt of Basang’s attack.
However, the power of Basang’s fist still exceeded his expectations. When his palm met Basang’s fist, he couldn’t completely neutralize the force and was again knocked back several steps.
Basang took a hit from the Yin Wood Palm. At first, he felt nothing, but after half a breath, a silent, insidious force suddenly assaulted him. His arm felt as if it were being pierced and entangled by thorns, an agony like a thousand needles.
Li Taiqing’s strength was even greater than anyone had anticipated. Although he was at a disadvantage for the first thirty rounds, he was still able to trade blows with Basang.
But his strength was ultimately a notch below Basang’s, and his previous match had drained too much of his stamina. By the fortieth round, he was beginning to falter.
Basang suddenly accelerated without warning, unleashing three ferocious punches!
...
"Senior Brother, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
Li Taiqing slowly opened his eyes, hearing a sweet and gentle voice.
He sat up in bed and found himself in a clean, tidy room. His junior sister, He Yun, was standing by the bed, staring at him with her big eyes.
"Senior Brother, how are you feeling?"
Li Taiqing subconsciously looked down at himself. He was still wearing the short martial artist’s robe from the match. "How did I get here?" he asked, confused. "What just happened?"
He Yun didn’t answer, repeating her earlier question: "Good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
Li Taiqing was completely baffled. "What good news and bad news?"
He Yun said with a grin, "Just pick one."
Li Taiqing knew his junior sister liked to joke around, so he just said, "The bad news first."
"The bad news is, you couldn’t withstand Basang’s Thunder Blade Fist. You fell off the stage and were knocked unconscious."
"I was so worried I started crying, but the elders said you weren’t badly hurt and would be fine after waking up. See? You were only out for four hours, and now you’re fine!"
He Yun said earnestly.
"That long!"
Li Taiqing was a little surprised, but the course of events was about what he had guessed, and his expression dimmed.
’So I still lost...’
He Yun’s eyes twinkled. "Senior Brother, you haven’t asked about the good news yet."
"There’s good news?"
"The good news is... you performed exceptionally well today. All the elders are praising you!"
He Yun said playfully.
Hearing his junior sister say that, Li Taiqing suddenly felt that losing to Basang wasn’t such a big deal after all. A smile appeared on his chiseled face, and he stood up and stretched.
He glanced out the window, saw that the sky had already darkened, and suddenly thought of a question. "Junior Sister, the second match between Zhao Lin and Bolta—who won?"