The Other Semifinal

Hu Jixian shook his head and sighed, "Is it worth it?"

At this moment, a wave of applause erupted from the audience. People cheered loudly for the battle they had just fought, congratulating not only the winner but also praising the loser's brave and fearless will.

Zeng Aniu, despite his injuries, stood up and waved to the audience, a gesture that elicited an even stronger response. The crowd felt completely surrounded by applause and cheers.

At this moment, the mental pleasure outweighed the physical pain. Zeng Aniu revealed an expression of utter ecstasy and turned to say, "Vice President, when was your most glorious moment? Was it when you won the doubles match against Heavenly Black in the arena last year? As for me... it's right now."

After saying that, his vision went black and he fainted, but even in his unconscious state, a smile remained on his face.

The paramedics, who were already on standby, immediately came up to treat Zeng Aniu and confirmed that he was not seriously injured. Although his injuries looked frightening and almost no part of his body was intact, he had only suffered external injuries and at most lost a lot of blood, which was nothing to a martial artist.

Hu Jixian said to Ke Chajing, "You anticipated this outcome, which is why you insisted on fighting strength against strength?"

"Reality is not a game, and people are not tools. No matter how good your tactics are, you can't order others to execute them. Everyone has a different perspective on the Martial Dao League."

For example, Si Ming and Murong Qing might simply find it amusing, or perhaps they are fulfilling a promise they made earlier;

You, me, and other Chen Shimi have seen bigger scenes, so we're more accepting of the league championship – happy if we win, but not particularly disappointed if we don't.

But for Tai Gu, Zeng Aniu, and others, winning the Martial Dao League is nothing short of a lifelong dream. Standing on that stage is their most glorious moment. So, it's impossible to order them not to fight desperately. The dignity of a martial artist simply won't allow them to do so.

Hu Jixian, then sighed and said, "Since you've already thought of this, why didn't you say so to stop me? I'm not someone who can't listen to advice, I just didn't think of this aspect."

"When you suggested that Zeng Aniu fight, I knew from his expression that nothing could stop him. Since the outcome of this battle doesn't matter, why be the bad guy?"

Hu Jixian recalled Zeng Aniu's smile when he was unconscious and realized it wasn't such a bad thing after all. He shook his head and asked, "Who should we send out for the next match?"

Ke Chajing rolled her eyes and said, "Is there even a need to consider this? Of course it's you and me! If we lose this round, we'll be in big trouble. I want to win honorably, not lose honorably."

The fourth match is a doubles battle.

International Union Academy ultimately ran out of experts, forcing Tao Chengsi to fight personally. Unfortunately, he was a strategist with only average cultivation, relying entirely on his skillful use of Telekinesis to defeat powerful opponents. His internal Internal Cultivation was barely at level ten, which, while making him one of the best among his peers, would place him at the bottom of the pack in the semi-finals.

When two intellectuals clash, the final outcome is determined by sheer strength; there's no time for careful thought in the ring.

Hu Jixian, being cautious by nature, didn't fall for Tao Chengsi's tricks at all. Relying on his tacit cooperation with Ke Chajing, he played it safe and steady. Moreover, he didn't care about his reputation, using his pigeon-toed stance whenever he wanted, ignoring the audience's laughter. After all, he was skilled in drunken brawling, which didn't require a stable lower body. He did this to mislead his opponent into thinking that breaking the pigeon-toed stance would allow him to strike a vital point. In reality, he had already learned to Retract Yang into the Abdomen, making him virtually defenseless.

Tao Chengsi's teammates possessed the Bloodline Ability to control shadows, and their methods were extremely strange and difficult to defend against. Ke Chajing suffered a lot of losses at first, but later, after being reminded by Hu Jixian, she followed Guan Shengnan's example and covered her whole body in flames, using the light of the flames to dispel the shadows and make it difficult for them to get close.

Without external interference, Ke Chajing and Hu Jixian superior in both strength and teamwork. They did not seek a quick victory, but slowly accumulated their advantage, giving their opponents no chance to turn the tide. They first knocked down Tao Chengsi's teammate, and then forced Tao Chengsi to the edge of the ring.

"I concede," Tao Chengsi said decisively.

Ke Chajing dispersed her pent-up inner True Qi and asked, puzzled, "If we're going to use our ultimate techniques, and you take the opportunity to use your special ability, you still have a chance to injure one of us."

"And then what? I was severely injured by your ultimate move, and those of you who were injured couldn't participate in the finals and harbor resentment towards me, so I suddenly have another enemy?" Tao Chengsi said self-deprecatingly. "I'm not going to do something so thankless. Since I'm going to lose anyway, why not lose cleanly and show more magnanimity?"

Hu Jixian nodded and said, "Well said, that's the right thing to do. I would have done the same."

The tone was filled with emotion, lamenting how wonderful it would be if everyone were so logical, reducing many variables and allowing things to unfold in a reasonable and rational way.

Ke Chajing pouted and said, "This is so boring."

But since no one was injured, it was a good thing, so he didn't say anything more.

"The final result of this match is 3:1, and the Linked Mountains University Second Martial Arts Club advances to the final!"

The referee quickly announced the results, and the supporters of the Second Martial Arts Club cheered in unison. Some of the supporters of the International Union University also applauded, after all, the opponent's victory was well-deserved, especially since the first and second matches were overwhelming victories. However, most of them left the venue cursing.

Just as both sides were preparing to leave, Guan Shengnan ran over and said to Murong Qing, "Now that you've beaten us, you must win the championship!"

Upon hearing this, Si Ming thought to himself, "This is truly the usual loser's blessing."

Murong Qing paused for a moment, then nodded and said firmly, "We will definitely win the championship."

Guan Shengnan's pale face flushed slightly from her injury as she said, "I'll cheer you on from the stands." Then she hurriedly went back inside.

Si Ming glanced at the rapidly receding figure and asked Murong Qing suspiciously, "What did you say to her during the battle?"

"I was just encouraging her not to worry too much about her appearance, and not to let other people's opinions make her doubt herself. It seems like she took it to heart. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just feel like it's definitely a classic storyline, and I hope the final will unfold and end in a classic way as well."

Chapter 789 Another Semifinal

The match between Linked Mountains University and International Union Academy was in the morning, while the match between Heavenly Black and Earth Emperor was in the afternoon. As long as Si Ming and his group were still able to move, they went to watch the matches and gather intelligence along the way.

Heavenly Black and Earth Emperor Universities have been rivals for over a hundred years, competing in every aspect, with the martial arts competition being the most important. As you can imagine, the battle was fierce. As the saying goes, enemies meeting are especially hostile. In terms of momentum, it may not be Lian Buqi the match between Si Ming and Lian Buqi, but it was even more intense. In the first round, someone was beaten half to death and on the verge of death.

Heavenly Black University produced Jiu Namo nicknamed "Stele-Breaking Thunderbolt Hand." Although his nickname sounds like a minor character and he came from Barbarian Race, his skills were exceptional. His famous "Chaotic Heaven Thunderbolt Palm" goes without saying; he not only mastered it to perfection but also innovated and modified it to suit his own taste, showing the makings of a Grandmaster. However, what he possessed even greater power was his invulnerable body, the "Tai'a Immovable Body," a martial art that made him impervious to blades and spears.

The final scene of the first round was Jiu Namo, enduring the Geng Metal Sword Qi Rain from his opponent, charged forward with unstoppable momentum, delivering a "Five Thunderbolts Strike the Crown" strike that dented his opponent's chest. Such an injury, on an ordinary person, would absolutely elicit a set of Bian Que's three consecutive emoji expressions—"Hopeless, just wait to die, farewell."

In the audience, the Second Martial Arts Club members also gave Jiu Namo a very high evaluation.

Ke Chajing said, "I didn't expect him to have actually mastered the Tai'a Immovable Body. This is a body-strengthening technique that combines physical and mental energy. It can temper the body and form a protective energy shield, meaning 'even if Tai'a is held upside down, it cannot be shaken.' Very few people can master it. My chances of defeating this guy are less than 20%. In our team, I'm afraid only Murong Qing and Si Ming can guarantee a win."

Murong Qing commented, "He is actually already a Grandmaster- level expert, but he follows the body-refining method and doesn't have the title of Spirit Transformation."

Si Ming, "It's actually easy to understand. People of Barbarian Race origin are already prone to discrimination, let alone in a top-tier university like Heavenly Black University. This Jiu Namo not only became a regular member but also served as a vanguard. Without sufficient strength, others wouldn't respect him."

Hu Jixian frowned and said, "The Tai'a Immovable Body is impervious to Sword Qi, saber energy, palm techniques, and fist strength. Only Divine Arts can harm him. Apart from Murong Qing and Si Ming, who can rely on their cultivation to forcefully defeat him, only Liu Qingqing in our team has a chance of winning. This is troublesome."

Si Ming didn't take it seriously, saying, "Actually, Si Shuiyun can do it too. Her Shadow Kill technique can bypass the defense of the Body of Horizontal Training. But we don't need to worry about that now. If Heavenly Black University can't win, no matter how strong their members are, it has nothing to do with us."

"Oh, you have a lot of confidence in Earth Emperor University." Hu Jixian understood the implication.

"Haha, I wouldn't say I'm confident, it's just that I'm very interested in one of the students from Earth Emperor University and want to play against him, so I'm more inclined for Earth Emperor University to advance to the finals."