A Defeat Beyond One's Control

The commentator's booth fell silent.

The stands, however, began to buzz with noise.

"What happened? Why did he suddenly collapse?"

"Could his movements have been faster than the high-speed cameras?"

"That's insane. Even if he were supersonic, the cameras should still have caught him."

Most people's understanding of the Martial Arts Tournament remained at the stage of fierce physical combat.

Lower-Rank Martial Artists fought Lower-Rank Martial Artists, Mid-Rank Martial Artists fought Mid-Rank Martial Artists, and High-Rank Martial Artists fought High-Rank Martial Artists.

Whether it was vitality, artistic conception, or divine abilities, clashes between fighters of the same rank still manifested as intense combat.

Scenes like Sun Sheng's, where he directly crushed his opponent from a higher dimension, were far too rare. And since mental power was invisible and intangible, the spectators were naturally left utterly confused.

But unlike the chaotic crowd, everyone from Chengtian Martial Arts School and the Rong City branch of the academy in the nearby stands had risen to their feet.

"Headmaster!" Kang Tianchen also stood from his seat and turned to Hou Chengtian, hoping for confirmation.

"Is it really so?"

Hou Chengtian's expression was grave as he solemnly shook his head.

"For now, I can't determine whether he has truly become a Mid-Rank Martial Artist. But I can say for certain that Sun Sheng has absolutely gained control over his mental power, and he has already visualized artistic conception in advance."

"Whether he is truly a Mid-Rank Martial Artist is no longer important. He can wield mental power and visualize artistic conception."

"To a Lower-Rank Martial Artist, either one is an overwhelming, dimensional advantage that cannot be resisted."

Kang Tianchen opened his mouth. As a former researcher, he naturally understood that there was an uncrossable chasm between Mid-Rank and Lower-Rank Martial Artists.

But as an ordinary Lower-Rank Martial Artist, he could not clearly sense just how deep that chasm was.

Even now, he still clung to a trace of hope.

"Headmaster, the finals aren't until tomorrow. If Changqing doesn't face Sun Sheng today, then tonight, could you..."

"Coach Kang." Hou Chengtian interrupted him.

Helplessness welled up in his eyes.

"The gap between Mid-Rank and Lower-Rank is not something Li Changqing can make up in a single night, no matter how extraordinary a genius he is."

"Then is there any..." Seeing that Kang Tianchen was still unwilling to accept it, Hou Chengtian sighed.

"I'm the headmaster of Chengtian Martial Arts School. You're a coach at our school, and Li Changqing is your student. Of course I want him to win the championship too."

"But he is only a Lower-Rank Martial Artist right now."

At that, Hou Chengtian tilted his head back and sighed.

"A Lower-Rank Martial Artist—even if Li Changqing's vitality is greater and his force techniques and boxing skills more exquisite, what difference does it make?"

"Did you see Qiao Yi just now? Did he have the chance to unleash his vitality or display the advantage of his weapon? No!"

"Why was that?"

Hou Chengtian pointed to his head. "No matter how strong one's vitality is or how resilient one's body may be, a Lower-Rank Martial Artist's mental power is still barely stronger than that of an ordinary person."

"Before Sun Sheng, the current Li Changqing is no different from Qiao Yi. Sun Sheng doesn't even need to lift a hand!"

Kang Tianchen stood frozen. He had thought that with Li Changqing's peak Lower-Rank strength, winning this Youth Cup would be a sure thing.

But Sun Sheng had appeared out of nowhere.

And he was actually a Mid-Rank Martial Artist who had mastered mental power.

Hou Chengtian let out a long sigh.

"No wonder he never showed himself before. It turns out Sun Sheng had long since been certain of victory."

Hou Chengtian patted Kang Tianchen on the shoulder and comforted him.

"But don't be too discouraged. Your student is still very young. Next year, he will surely become a Mid-Rank Martial Artist as well. The Youth Cup championship will be his for the taking."

"His opponent is a Mid-Rank Martial Artist. This kind of gap is not something Li Changqing can make up for right now."

"This is not a defeat he can be blamed for."

Kang Tianchen lowered his head and shook it hard.

"What good is winning next year? The Seedling Plan doesn't offer slots every year. One step behind means falling behind every step after that."

Watching Sun Sheng on the stage, his face devoid of joy or sorrow as he looked down upon all challengers, Kang Tianchen clenched his fists.

He recalled the student who had worn a confident smile ever since entering the competition.

"Headmaster."

"Hmm?"

Kang Tianchen's expression turned solemn as he said seriously, "I believe in my student. He said he would win the championship."

"That's right, Headmaster. I believe Junior Brother Li can do it too. He's a man who can create miracles!" Huang Xuan quickly added.

His expression was solemn; he was not blindly agreeing with his coach without conditions.

Like Kang Tianchen, Huang Xuan genuinely wanted to believe in Li Changqing.

Hou Chengtian opened his mouth, but in the end, all the words lodged in his throat turned into a sigh.

"Coach Kang, sometimes people need to learn to accept reality."

The commentary desk fell silent.

Tang Cheng's expression kept changing. At this moment, even he himself began to doubt himself deep down.

Could I really be a jinx?

He began recalling his commentary career over this period.

During the Youth Cup qualifiers, he had not thought highly of Li Changqing, who had still been an apprentice at the time.

Yet Li Changqing had defeated an opponent who had already stepped into the martial arts realm with a single punch.

Afterward, Li Changqing had faced Jiang He, Rong City's prodigy.

As a professional martial artist, Tang Cheng had naturally chosen to support the prodigy Jiang He, only to be slapped in the face again.

Then Jixing Martial Hall shamelessly sent their third-seat fighter, Rong Heng, into Group B to compete with amateur contestants and gifted youths for a spot.

He had thought that Li Changqing could not possibly win against Jixing Martial Hall, which had both broken the rules and rigged the competition.

Who would have thought that Li Changqing would stop pretending altogether? His peak Lower-Rank blood vitality was exposed without reservation, and a single Ten-Step Divine Fist crushed Rong Heng on the spot.

It seemed that he really was a jinx?

How could Tang Cheng, a professional commentator, possibly accept such a title?

Looking at Sun Sheng's assessment on the electronic screen, Tang Cheng's eyes gleamed.

Without further hesitation, compared to Li Changqing, he saw an even fiercer man.

Someone powerful enough to surely clear him of the jinx label.

"There's no longer any suspense in this Youth Cup." The moment he said it—

The other three, including the host, all turned to look at him in unison.

"Sun Sheng has already grasped intent and gained control of his mental power. He is certain to be this Youth Cup's champion."

Tang Cheng remained calm as he spoke at length.

"All of you are Mid-Rank Martial Artists, so you should understand.

"No matter how talented Li Changqing is, how robust his blood vitality is, or how superb his techniques are, he is still a Lower-Rank Martial Artist. His mental strength, not much stronger than an ordinary person's, is his greatest weakness. Against Sun Sheng, who can directly wield mental power, his chances of victory are practically zero."

Even though Kang Hui and the others wanted to make something of Tang Cheng's reputation as a jinx, faced with such an enormous gap, they could not find any reason to support Li Changqing's victory.

"Yeah."

"A Lower-Rank Martial Artist and a Mid-Rank Martial Artist aren't even on the same level of strength."

"Without blood vitality to nurture his mental power, contestant Li Changqing will likely find it difficult just to stand steady before Sun Sheng."

"It's a dimensionality-reduction strike."

The matches continued.

But compared to the battle between Li Changqing and Sun Sheng, the other six matches had undoubtedly lost more than half their appeal.

Soon, the first round of the top sixteen concluded, and the eight quarterfinal spots were decided.

Online, Li Changqing's odds in the betting pools kept rising. But before those gamblers hoping to make some easy welfare money could wager their entire fortunes—

The championship betting pool was suddenly closed.

"Fuck! Shameless bastards!"

"Why'd they close it? Are they sick? Afraid of losing money?"

"Those dogshit bookmakers deserve to have sons without assholes!"

The internet erupted in curses.

But every one of them knew why the bookmakers had fearfully shut down the betting pool.

When Li Changqing revealed his peak Lower-Rank strength, the odds had merely shifted dramatically. But the instant Sun Sheng revealed his mental power cultivation, the bookmakers were so frightened that they directly closed the pool.

Why?

Mid-Rank Martial Artists were absolute starters even in the Provincial Competition, where they represented their respective cities.

Why would someone like that lose in the Youth Cup?

What was more, this championship was tied to a Seedling Plan slot at the Research Institute. No matter how much money the bookmakers had, they could not rig this one.

That meant Sun Sheng winning the championship was a foregone conclusion—something everyone could foresee.

Gamblers would dare stake their entire fortune on a 90% chance.

Let alone 99.99%?

Who would take a deal guaranteed to lose money?

In the stands.

The wrinkles on Chen Danqing's old face twisted into a knot.

"Facing a Mid-Rank Martial Artist, and this kid still isn't worried?" He stared at Sun Sheng's departing figure on the arena.

He glanced at the OK emoji Li Changqing had sent him on his phone.

An opponent who had grasped martial intent.

Was that kid really not afraid?

Chen Danqing could not figure it out. Just as he sank into deep thought, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck him.

He suddenly remembered.

"Hiss—"

"Half a month ago, didn't that kid borrow the Overlord Lifting Cauldron Diagram from me?"

The first round ended.

The quarterfinal draw soon appeared on the big screen.

The audience looked up and, sure enough—

Li Changqing and Sun Sheng had been placed in opposite brackets and would not meet before the finals.

This was the grouping everyone had expected.

After a fifteen-minute break, the second round quickly began, with Li Changqing once again taking the stage first.

Jixing Martial Hall was quite unfortunate. Their Fourth Seat had run into Li Changqing again in the quarterfinals, while two of the other three who had made it into the quarterfinals were set for an internal match.

The battle was once again faster than anyone had imagined.

He defeated his opponent with a single move again.

But this time, the cheers from the arena were noticeably fewer. Compared to Sun Sheng knocking down his opponent with just a look, Li Changqing's act of actually making a move naturally seemed far less impressive.

"Li Changqing, even if you defeat everyone from Jixing Martial Hall, you still won't win this Youth Cup!"

Jixing Martial Hall's Fourth Seat lay on the arena floor. At that moment, he was in a completely different state of mind from Bei Xing.

Even in defeat, he was still brimming with spirit, because he believed—

"You can't beat our chief Senior Disciple Brother!"