Chapter 340: Advancing to the Semifinals
"The results are in!"
"Let’s congratulate contestant Lin Qi from Xia Country for successfully defeating contestant Miyamoto Genichiro from Japan."
"Let’s congratulate him for being the second contestant to advance to the semifinals!"
Xu Wenji’s voice rang out over the arena.
He looked at Lin Qi in the arena, an expression of amazement on his face. Lin Qi was the first to defeat Miyamoto so easily.
"CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!"
A thunderous, overwhelming wave of applause erupted from the audience, and the live comments were completely flooded with the Xia Country Language.
"He’s incredible!"
"Win, win, win! A huge win! Lin Qi won again!"
"Lin Qi really did win again. At this rate, he’s really going for the championship."
"Why aren’t the spectators from Japan laughing anymore? Don’t they like to laugh?"
In contrast to the Xia Country spectators, the tens of thousands of seats in the Japan section were deathly silent. The crowd looked utterly dejected, as if they’d just lost their parents.
"How could this be the result?"
"Miyamoto Genichiro actually lost?"
In the stands, Miyamoto Genichiro was teleported back.
Facing the silence of the others, he too remained silent. His face was pale, his mind replaying the scene of Lin Qi dodging his ultimate killing blow.
’Just where did it all go wrong...?’
’That last Killing Technique was me at my absolute peak. I had pushed my speed to the limit.’
’And it was a sneak attack, no less.’
’No opponent should have been able to block it. He had hoped to seize that split-second opportunity to kill Lin Qi before he could activate his Little Divine Power.’
’But the reality was that the guy was absurdly strong. Even my ultimate killing blow was blocked.’
’This opponent is just too ridiculously powerful.’
...
「In the White Eagle Federation’s spectator section」
The handsome, golden-haired Havier frowned.
"Lin Qi from Xia Country is incredibly formidable. Miyamoto Genichiro’s final sword strike was pushed to the absolute limit of speed. Even I might not have been able to dodge it."
"But not only did Xia Country’s Lin Qi dodge it, he was even able to counter-kill him instantly."
"His reaction speed and his control over his body are both extremely impressive."
"Perhaps he is my strongest rival for the championship!"
Beside him, Levin Madison nodded. Only those who had personally fought Lin Qi could truly understand how powerful he was.
...
「In the upper-level spectator section」
In the Japan section, Fujiwara Tetsu—the Vice Principal of Neon Martial Arts University, an Eighth Realm Martial Artist nicknamed the Qingfeng Sword Hero—was in a foul mood.
"Baka!"
Dressed in a black and white kimono, he couldn’t help but curse out loud.
"To think he actually lost!"
Although he knew Miyamoto Genichiro’s chances of winning were slim, the reality of the loss was still hard to swallow.
He looked at Lin Qi in the arena and sighed internally. ’Why isn’t a genius like this from our Japan?’
...
「In the Xia Country spectator section」
Li Qing and Wang Zixuan, who had just logged on, were completely stunned after watching the whole fight.
The two of them exchanged a glance, staring at each other in bewilderment.
"Hiss~"
"Little Junior Brother already made it to the semifinals?!"
Li Qing gasped and exclaimed:
"He’s too strong. These SS-level geniuses are terrifying!"
"In last year’s Global Freshman Tournament, there were only 13 SS-level geniuses, and I feel like none of them were as strong as these guys."
"This Miyamoto Genichiro’s speed is absurd. If I went up there, I probably couldn’t even take a single one of his sword strikes."
Then he added with a wry smile, "Looks like Little Junior Brother was holding back a ton when he fought me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have lasted a single move. What a monster!"
Wang Zixuan nodded as well. These monsters also knew Little Divine Powers.
Their strength could be even greater. Even if she were to fight, she couldn’t guarantee a win.
"Oh, right! I need to tell our teacher, quickly!"
"The semifinals are about to start soon!"
The thought suddenly struck Li Qing, and he immediately chose to log off to inform his teacher, Mu Hong.
...
「At the Azure Sky Sixth Institute’s location」
Lin Qi returned with a calm expression, bumped fists with Jiangtao, and the others were also relatively composed.
"The semifinals are next. The real test is about to begin!" Jiangtao said.
Everyone nodded. In the semifinals, all four contestants had mastered a Little Divine Power and were all top-level experts.
Winning wouldn’t be so easy anymore.
Lin Qi nodded as well, his gaze shifting to the arena.
The third match had also begun. Havier from the White Eagle Federation was fighting Erica from Germany. She was one of only two female contestants in the top eight.
She was powerful, but there was still a significant gap between her and Havier.
Her every technique was slower than Havier’s, giving her no advantage at all.
Without even using his Little Divine Power, Havier defeated her with ease.
Match 3: Havier Wright of the White Eagle Federation advances to the semifinals!
And in the final match, Victor from the Bear Country faced off against the SS-level genius from Nether Sea Martial Academy, Kong Ruoxuan.
A clash of power and speed.
Kong Ruoxuan knew she had the advantage in speed, so she wanted to risk it all on that.
But Victor was also aware of Kong Ruoxuan’s intentions, so he revealed another card up his sleeve.
That was his Combat Talent. In Lin Qi’s observation, Victor’s Martial Arts were superior to Kong Ruoxuan’s, and he was able to precisely defend against every single blow.
It was a case of, ’I can make countless mistakes, but you can only make one.’
Facing Victor, Kong Ruoxuan made one mistake and was promptly cleaved in two by his axe.
Match 4 ends: Victor Christopher of the Bear Country advances to the semifinals!
With that, the quarterfinals officially came to a close.
All four semifinalists have been decided.
"Ladies and gentlemen, let’s congratulate our four contestants: Yu Zhuoran, Lin Qi, Havier Wright, and Victor Christopher!"
"Congratulations to them for making it to the semifinals!!"
Xu Wenji announced in a loud voice.
...
「North River Province, Black Dragon Base!」
The most intense war zone in all of Xia Country!
「On the front lines, amidst a cluster of ruined buildings」
"ROAR~"
"BOOM!!"
The war raged on, accompanied by the shrieks of Calamity Beasts and the roar of thermal weapons.
However, the sounds were gradually fading, and many of the Martial Artists sitting on the ground knew that today’s battle was coming to an end.
"The situation is getting worse and worse. You can never kill all the Calamity Beasts."
"In fact, the more we kill, the more there are. Our Martial Artists are constantly being sacrificed. I don’t know how much longer this can go on," someone said dejectedly.
They were at a supply station. Many blood-soaked Martial Artists, reeking of killing intent, were resting.
"It’s the Blood Shadow Spear, Mu Hong!"
"After breaking through to the Eighth Realm, Blood Shadow Spear has gotten even more incredible. I heard he’s already killed five Eighth-Level Calamity Beasts in a row!"
Someone suddenly exclaimed. Many people looked toward a figure in the distance, their eyes filled with adoration.
A figure was seen returning from the ruins. He wore a black Combat Suit, and his hair and uniform were stained red with blood.
It was Mu Hong. He looked up at the sky.
Holding his spear in one hand, he broke into a run, vanishing from the spot. He headed straight into the base and entered the virtual hall without even stopping to change his clothes.
He couldn’t wait to log into the Red Realm and enter the Global Freshman Tournament venue.
The message from his student, Li Qing, was still replaying in his mind.
"Teacher, get online, quick!"
"Little Junior Brother has already made it to the semifinals!"
...