High Martial Arts: Grinding for the Supreme Talent

Chapter 246: Chapter 246: Advancing to the Finals

In the Nether Sea Martial Academy spectator section

Li Hanjiang returned to the stands, slumping into his smart seat. He looked dazed, his previous cold demeanor completely gone.

"Brother Hanjiang!" a girl next to him asked cautiously.

The surrounding students were both shocked and worried.

They were shocked because the man they considered invincible, the pride of North River Province, Li Hanjiang—the "North River Cold Spear"—had actually lost!

He had lost to Lin Qi of Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy, the one nicknamed "Hidden Tiger."

This was the first time Li Hanjiang had been defeated in an official match since his rise to prominence.

That was why they were so worried about Li Hanjiang’s current state.

WHOOSH...

Li Hanjiang let out a long breath. Listening to the applause and cheers from the surrounding stands, he said:

"There’s always someone better out there, a higher mountain to climb."

"Today was a real eye-opener. I have no complaints about this loss."

"Lin Qi is far stronger than I am. I’m no match for him. He was hiding his strength this whole time!"

The burly man next to him asked in shock, "We’re already in the eleventh round, and he can still hide his strength?"

"You’re the strongest at our Nether Sea Martial Academy! How could he dare?"

Li Hanjiang nodded. "That’s why his strength is beyond anything I could have imagined."

"The moment he got serious and unleashed his full power, I couldn’t hold on, and that’s how I lost the match."

"For a moment there, his attacks made me question my entire existence. I couldn’t block them at all."

He gripped the armrests of the blue smart seat behind him tightly and said:

"So, more than losing the match, I’m now more curious... who is stronger? Him, or Tan Pei’er and Han Zhen, who can’t use their Special Abilities?"

...

[Round Eleven, Match Two: Lin Qi (Azure Sky) wins!]

As the smart system’s voice announced the result in everyone’s ears, Xu Wenji’s voice once again rang out across the arena:

"Let’s congratulate contestant Lin Qi from Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy! He has successfully defeated contestant Li Hanjiang of Nether Sea Martial Academy, bringing this battle for a spot in the semifinals to a close."

"Congratulations to contestant Lin Qi for advancing to the semifinals! He will join contestants Tan Pei’er and Han Zhen to compete for the final championship!"

As Xu Wenji spoke, his voice was tinged with clear delight.

As the vice-principal of Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy, he was naturally pleased to see a prodigy from his own school achieve victory.

’Too bad there are two spoilers in the mix, otherwise this would have been the perfect outcome.’

’What a shame!’

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

The stands instantly erupted in a landslide of applause and a tsunami of cheers.

The reaction was most intense in the Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy section.

"He’s incredible! Lin Qi actually won!"

"That final clash was simply unbelievable! I think that was the most exciting match of this entire National Freshmen Tournament."

"In the end, Lin Qi came out on top. As far as I’m concerned, this National Freshmen Tournament is already over!"

...

In the Shanyu Martial Arts University section, prodigies like Liang Yuxin, Zhong Xinyan, and Gong Hui couldn’t help but applaud as well.

They had to admit, Lin Qi’s victory was well-deserved. They were all thoroughly convinced of his strength.

Many of the prodigies from Nether Sea Martial Academy were also applauding. Wei Peng was secretly delighted. ’Li Hanjiang actually lost! Now we’re both in the same boat.’

Besides them, other spectators were applauding too.

...

In the VIP spectator section, the various leaders also applauded one after another.

The middle-aged man in blue athletic wear from Nether Sea Martial Academy shook his head. He was upset inside but put on a calm facade.

"I thought Li Hanjiang was already impressive enough, but then a Lin Qi comes along."

"I never expected Lin Qi to be so much stronger than Li Hanjiang. This loss is one we have to accept."

"A talent like Lin Qi would have been at the very top in any of the previous tournaments."

Everyone nodded. Li Hanjiang was already incredibly strong, but who could have known that a monstrous prodigy like Lin Qi would appear?

...

In a corner of the Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy spectator section.

Li Qing, who had a scholarly air about him, let out a long sigh and remarked, "Our little junior brother is a real beast. He’s become the strongest in our year without anyone even noticing."

"If it weren’t for those two prodigies from the Tenth Institute, he’d already be the champion."

Wang Zixuan also sighed. "Back in my day, I was eliminated in the top 68. Our little junior brother is so much stronger than us."

"This won’t do. I have to tell our teacher and have him watch the last two matches."

"It’ll be worth it even if he loses." After saying this, Li Qing hurriedly logged off to inform their teacher, Mu Hong.

...

In the Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy’s leadership area, the various leaders were also thoroughly convinced and applauded one after another.

Wu Yueze and the woman in purple both looked at Dean Big Ear Liu with envy. Who could have imagined that Lin Qi, who had ranked 10th in the college entrance exam, would successively defeat the top three and become the strongest of his year?

Dean Liu continued to applaud with a broad smile.

Inside, however, he sighed with regret. ’It’s a shame he won’t be able to win the next ones.’

’Even though he’s the strongest prodigy of his year, not winning the championship will ultimately be a regret.’

’A person can only participate in the National Freshmen Tournament once in their lifetime.’

...

In the spectator area for Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy’s Sixth Branch, Lin Qi was teleported back.

The crowd around him erupted.

"Brother Qi, you’re a fucking beast!"

Jiangtao roared with laughter, and smiles spread across everyone else’s faces too.

At this point, their Azure Sky Sixth Institute was already guaranteed to rank first among the academies.

They didn’t care about the remaining battles; their mission was already accomplished with flying colors.

Lin Qi looked at the crowd and smiled as well, though his expression remained calm.

For him, the competition wasn’t completely over yet.

"Brother Qi, even if you lose the next ones, it was worth it for us," Li Zhou said with a smile.

"That’s right, it’s already a perfect outcome."

"Wake up, people. The competition isn’t over. This is only the semifinals," Jiangtao said, quieting everyone down.

"Brother Qi doesn’t actually think he can still win the championship, does he?" Guo Heng asked.

Everyone was startled and turned to look at Lin Qi.

Lin Qi simply turned his head and said calmly, "Who says I can’t win the championship?"

Everyone’s hearts jumped. ’Did beating Li Hanjiang go to his head? Or is he really that confident he can win?’

...

"Esteemed spectators and contestants!"

"This officially concludes the eleventh round."

Xu Wenji spoke again.

"Next, we will begin the semifinals. We have three contestants remaining, and they will compete for the final championship."

He raised a hand, and three small virtual figures appeared, hovering over his enormous palm.

"According to the rules, one of these three will receive a bye and advance directly to the finals."

"The remaining two will then face off to determine the other finalist."

"So, let’s see who the lucky one to advance to the finals will be."

After speaking, a six-sided die appeared in Xu Wenji’s right hand. The three contestants’ names were printed across its faces, giving each person a one-in-three chance of receiving the bye.

"Lin Qi!"

Someone in the stands shouted.

They were all hoping Lin Qi would be the lucky one.

The die was tossed into the air. It spun for a moment before landing back in his palm, where it slowly came to a stop, revealing the name on top.

[Semifinals: Lin Qi (Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy) receives a bye.]

"Let’s congratulate contestant Lin Qi on receiving the bye!" Xu Wenji announced loudly.

CLAP! CLAP!

The stands once again erupted with thunderous applause and cheers.

In the Azure Sky Sixth Institute’s spectator section

"Brother Qi, you’re the people’s choice! A direct ticket to the finals!" Jiangtao shouted excitedly, throwing an arm around Lin Qi.

Lin Qi smiled as well.

’I have a feeling this was rigged to get me into the finals,’ he thought. ’Looks like the officials aren’t too happy with Tan Pei’er and Han Zhen’s behavior either.’

Meanwhile, in the Shanyu Martial Arts University stands, Tan Pei’er was not pleased with this outcome.

"This was definitely intentional," she muttered.

"It should have been me and Han Zhen fighting for the championship in the end. Now it looks like I’ll have to beat him ahead of schedule."

...

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