Ten Losses in Ten Matches

"Where did this kid go?" Kang Tianchen asked, standing in front of his seat and looking around.

"The match is about to start, what's he messing around with?"

"Coach, haven't found Junior Disciple Li yet?" Huang Xuan asked, standing behind Kang Tianchen, a confident smile on his face.

"Then it's a shame, he won't get to witness my brilliance today."

Hearing this, Kang Tianchen's heart stirred, "Are you confident today?"

"Of course!" Huang Xuan's smile was intense, and he then turned and walked into the preparation tunnel.

"Just wait for my good news!"

Huang Xuan was the tenth seat of the Chengtian Martial Arts School.

Every year, the Youth Cup participant slots were allocated based on previous years' results. Chengtian Martial Arts School had ten slots, while Jixing Martial Hall had five more than them.

If the number of applicants exceeded the allocated slots, the remaining individuals would have to compete in preliminary matches.

Inside the player tunnel, Liu Yi stood at the front of the line. As the strongest Lower-Rank Martial Artist under thirty in Chengtian Martial Arts School, the burden on him was the heaviest.

Whether they could secure a spot in the top eight this year would determine how much government funding Chengtian Martial Arts School would receive, as well as the number of preliminary slots for the provincial competition.

The School Head, Hou Chengtian, stood like a towering peak at the entrance of the tunnel, his face unreadable.

"Liu Yi, just do your best, don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Hou Chengtian patted Liu Yi's shoulder. Ever since Jixing Martial Hall established a branch in Rong City, many talented individuals either went directly into academies or were siphoned off by Jixing Martial Hall.

Chengtian Martial Arts School was in increasing decline, having failed to even reach the finals of the Youth Cup for many consecutive years.

Liu Yi was the most talented young person Hou Chengtian had seen in years.

"Don't overthink it, good luck."

Liu Yi nodded silently and walked onto the stage.

Opposite him, Jixing Martial Hall's fourteen participants were lined up, their intention clear: they wanted him to choose his opponent.

Looking at the empty spot at the front of their line, Liu Yi felt a pang of bitterness.

We don't even have the qualification to make their top seat step forward.

But this was the reality. Even their second seat was at the level of a peak Lower-Rank Seven-Star, someone he couldn't deal with either.

"Rong Huan," he looked at the third seat of Jixing Martial Hall.

Peak Lower-Rank Six-Star, Rong Huan of Mantis Fist.

"Liu Yi, I guessed you'd pick me," Rong Huan leaped onto the stage, striking a Pathfinding Fist stance with his left hand.

"The esteemed chief of Chengtian Martial Arts School, facing me, the third seat, you should at least secure the first victory, right?"

Rong Huan's tone carried no mockery, but his words struck deep.

The chief challenging the third seat, with a history of more losses than wins.

It was hard not to feel that these were two different tiers of martial arts schools.

"Let's begin." Liu Yi's expression was neutral, and he adopted a standard Tai Chi stance.

The referee was a professional who had officiated in the Youth Cup, with a strength around Middle-Rank Five-Star, fully capable of controlling the situation on the stage.

The referee raised his hand, signaling the two to bow to each other.

"Do you require the use of weapons?"

"No." Both replied simultaneously.

The referee nodded and lowered his hands.

"The match, begins!"

Martial arts competitions did not have point-based victories or submission rules.

There were three conditions for victory:

The opponent loses the ability to resist, the opponent voluntarily surrenders, or falls off the stage.

At the referee's command, Liu Yi made the first move.

Rong Huan had sparred with him several times. The opponent's strength was Mantis Fist, with its highly penetrating force, which was precisely countered by his proficient Tai Chi skills.

For today's match, he had watched hundreds of hours of Rong Huan's match recordings, all to analyze the opponent's weaknesses.

A quick offensive was his strategy.

Mantis Fist relied on agile footwork, using penetrating fist force during turns and dodges to continuously wear down the opponent's Qi and Blood, waiting for an opening to strike with thunderous force.

Liu Yi's gaze was sharp. He lunged forward, closing the distance to Rong Huan in an instant, channeling his force through his hands and sealing off Rong Huan's space.

Rong Huan's brow furrowed. He lightly tapped the stage with his feet, his body instinctively retreating.

It was a trap!

A flash of inspiration struck Liu Yi. Seizing the advantage, he advanced, unleashing Primal Force with his Tai Chi skills, charging at Rong Huan like a war chariot.

He flees, he pursues.

He had no way to retreat!

His feet were at the edge of the ring, so Rong Huan had no choice but to face Liu Yi head-on.

Inch Force erupted within a small space.

Liu Yi employed Tai Chi, using a small amount of force to deflect a larger one, his mastery of soft strength effortlessly neutralizing the punch.

But Liu Yi didn't press his advantage. Instead, he used his footwork again, perfectly blocking Rong Huan's escape route.

Cornered by Liu Yi once more, Rong Huan finally realized something was wrong.

"You bastard..."

As they clashed again, Rong Huan's Mantis Fist excelled at hit-and-run tactics, using short bursts of force to deliver heavy blows within a small area.

However, Liu Yi was fully prepared for this. His Tai Chi Force focused entirely on sticking and adhering.

While continuously neutralizing Rong Huan's attacks, he drew the latter into his rhythm, like a spider weaving its web, slowly ensnaring the prey in his grasp.

"This is it!" Kang Tianchen exclaimed from the stands, a look of joy on his face.

He clenched his fist and waved it!

Rong Huan had fallen into the trap!

In the preparation area, Huang Xuan and the others wore expressions of delight.

"There's a chance."

"As long as our senior disciple stays steady, he'll win."

"Jixing Martial Hall is too arrogant! Come on, senior disciple!"

On the stage, Rong Huan was being forced into a dead end. If his force couldn't break through the Tai Chi Soft Strength, he could only face a slow demise.

"Hah!" Liu Yi grunted, exhaling forcefully. He took three steps forward, his chest radiating a focused energy.

His right arm transformed into a fist like a hammer.

This first victory, as the senior disciple, I must secure!

The timing, the location, and the people – everything is on my side!

Liu Yi's mental power surged to its peak. His Qi and Blood coalesced into an incomplete Core Force, erupting with power!

"Get down!"

Rong Huan was forced into a corner, the wind of fists whistling past his eyes.

Looking at Liu Yi, whose eyes gleamed with ambition, Rong Huan suddenly smiled.

"The one getting down should be you."

Rong Huan no longer dodged. He raised his right arm as well, meeting Liu Yi's attack head-on.

Boom!

Qi and Blood burst forth.

The Mantis Fist's strength, not suited for direct confrontation, was completely overpowering Liu Yi at this moment.

Hou Chengtian stood at the entrance to the preparation area, the upper half of his face obscured by shadow.

"The third seat can be Lower-Rank Seven-Star?"

As he spoke, the cheering crowd in the preparation area fell silent, like ducks being choked.

Chengtian Martial Arts School didn't even have a single Lower-Rank Seven-Star at the moment.

Bang!

Below the stage, Liu Yi was knocked off by Rong Huan's relentless barrage of seven punches, completely unable to resist.

Six-star against seven-star, how could he possibly win?

In the audience, Kang Tianchen, who had already stood up and prepared to applaud, froze. His hands remained suspended in mid-air.

Clap, clap, clap—

A series of applause echoed from the opposite side of the green field. There were no cheers; all the spectators simply applauded in silence.

For Jixing Martial Hall, this match was just an ordinary friendly competition.

Losing was normal, and winning was not worth celebrating.

That was all there was to it.

In the preparation area, Hou Chengtian seemed to age five years in an instant. He shook his head and looked at the second seat beside him.

"Go, show them our spirit."

Hearing the hall master not even mention victory, Jiang Min nodded silently.

She walked towards the stage, and the fifth seat from Jixing Martial Hall had already stepped onto the ring.

Jiang Min pursed her lips. The opponent hadn't even taken the fourth seat, clearly thinking she wasn't good enough.

However, before the referee could announce anything.

Boom!

A powerful surge of Qi and Blood, embracing the core and returning force, unleashed a terrifying pressure upon the members of Chengtian Martial Arts School.

The Qi and Blood were as fearsome as Rong Huan's.

"Even the fifth seat is like this?" The audience fell completely silent.

Kang Tianchen slumped back into his seat.

Jixing Martial Hall had five Lower-Rank Seven-Star martial artists, while their Chengtian Martial Arts School had none.

The gap was so vast it almost extinguished any desire to catch up.

As expected, Jiang Min, who was weaker than Liu Yi, was no match for the opponent's fifth seat fighter.

One minute later, Jiang Min was defeated.

Starting with Jiang Min, the situation on the stage turned the Chengtian Martial Arts School's side of the ring into a library.

Defeat after defeat!

The best performance lasted only five minutes before the fighter was heavily injured and carried off the stage.

From the chief seat all the way to the ninth seat, not a single victory.

This disparity left Kang Tianchen completely numb.

The last participant stepped onto the stage.

"Chengtian Martial Arts School, Huang Xuan, requesting a match!"

A clear, resounding voice echoed throughout the stadium.

It was Huang Xuan.

Kang Tianchen's gaze fell upon the ring, focusing on this student he had personally taught.

From the rear of Jixing Martial Hall, a lean youth leaped onto the stage.

"Jixing Martial Hall, Bai Feng, requesting a match."

Huang Xuan felt the countless gazes on his back. He was their last hope.

He raised his head and puffed out his chest. The next moment, he embraced his core and returned force.

As his Qi and Blood erupted, an aura far exceeding his previous strength suddenly burst forth.

Lower-Rank Three-Star!

"Good!" Kang Tianchen slammed his thigh, nearly jumping up in joy.

Bai Feng of Jixing Martial Hall, like Huang Xuan, was also a Lower-Rank Two-Star. In their last spar, Huang Xuan had been only a hair's breadth away from victory.

Now that he had broken through to Three-Star, there was no doubt Huang Xuan could defeat Bai Feng!

Hearing the cheers from the opponent's audience, Bai Feng smiled knowingly.

"Lower-Rank Three-Star?"

He looked up at the proud Huang Xuan.

"Sorry, so am I."

His Qi and Blood erupted, overwhelming the unstable foundation of Huang Xuan, whose smile slowly froze on his face.

Inside the passageway, the coach of Jixing Martial Hall retracted his gaze. He lazily turned around and beckoned to the rest of his team.

"The warm-up is almost over. You've all gotten a sense of the other participants' strength in this Youth Cup, right?"

"My expectations aren't high. I want a sweep of the top four. Any problems?"

To his question, the others responded with a round of chuckles.

"Coach, our chief hasn't even made an appearance yet. For this Youth Cup, I think it's basically an internal competition for our hall."

"What a shame, I wanted to see the chief beat them up."

"Sigh, how could they possibly be worthy of facing the chief? Speaking of being beaten up, haven't you been trained enough by the chief yourself?"

Jixing Martial Hall exited, not even bothering to bid them farewell.

The stands of Chengtian Martial Arts School were deathly silent.

In the distance, Huang Xuan was being carried onto an ambulance on a stretcher.

Ten matches.

Without their strongest fighters even participating.

Ten losses!

Kang Tianchen sat in his chair, gazing at the ring before him alone.

"Should I consider a career change?"

If Chengtian Martial Arts School performs this poorly in this competition, government funding will inevitably decrease, leading to layoffs.

Kang Tianchen couldn't think of anything else he could do. Become a teacher at a school?

Or just retire?

"Coach, is the competition over?"

"Huh?"

Seeing Li Changqing appear behind him at some unknown time, Kang Tianchen fell silent for a moment.

He was even somewhat relieved that this student he hadn't even taken under his wing hadn't come to watch.

Ten matches, ten losses, it was simply too embarrassing to talk about.

"Senior Brother Huang, did he win?" Li Changqing sat beside Kang Tianchen, glancing sideways at the latter's expression.

It seemed he'd said the wrong thing.

"Mm... then did our top disciple win?"

Still silence.

Li Changqing scratched his head. No way.

"Changqing," Kang Tianchen suddenly sighed.

"The registration for the Youth Cup preliminaries hasn't closed yet. You've always wanted to go, right? Give it a try."

Looking at Kang Tianchen's uncharacteristic behavior, Li Changqing was confused.

"Coach, you..."

"I've come to my senses," Kang Tianchen turned his head, his lips twitching against his will, unable to force a smile.

"Chengtian Martial Arts School is no longer worthy of being Jixing Martial Hall's opponent. I was just unwilling to accept reality before."

"I originally wanted you to compete after becoming a Martial Artist, so you could make a stunning debut and showcase the spirit of our Chengtian Martial Arts School."

"But now it seems my wishes were just delusions."

"Go ahead, it's good for you to see the world early on." Kang Tianchen grabbed Li Changqing's shoulders and said earnestly:

"However, don't be discouraged. You're already the most talented and fastest-progressing Martial Artist I've ever seen."

"Always look forward. You've already surpassed eighty percent of people. Don't be discouraged because of the other twenty percent."

"The people from Jixing Martial Hall are geniuses among geniuses, the cream of that twenty percent. We shouldn't compare ourselves to them. You..."

"Coach," Li Changqing placed his hand on Kang Tianchen's shoulder in return.

"I've already registered for the preliminaries."

"When? You..."

"When the time comes, remember to call the senior brothers to watch my match," Li Changqing said with a bright smile.

"We Chengtian Martial Arts School are not bad."