Battle for the Top Three (Please Vote)

The giant display screen showed the new match information.

Qin Fen and Qiu Shaoyue from Ninth Middle School stepped onto the arena and cupped their fists in salute.

Then came the three-minute dialogue period.

"Concede."

Qin Fen said it directly.

"What?"

Qiu Shaoyue wondered if he had misheard.

What was Qin Fen from Thirteen Middle School doing, telling him to concede the moment they met?

"I've already broken through to the Second Realm of Jing Li, Flowing Strength. You're no match for me."

Qin Fen's tone was calm, as though he were stating something utterly trivial.

"What? You've reached Flowing Strength?"

But to Qiu Shaoyue, those words were like a bolt from the blue.

He had already been somewhat nervous, and upon hearing this news, shock immediately appeared on his face.

Only a week had passed since the academic and martial arts class division, yet the other party had already reached Flowing Strength. Such talent far surpassed his own. If Qin Fen truly had reached Flowing Strength, then he really was no match for him.

Seeing Qiu Shaoyue's expression change drastically, Ninth Middle School's Martial Arts Teacher on the arena frowned slightly.

This Martial Arts Student from Thirteen Middle School, Qin Fen, was not simple. If it was true, then his martial arts talent was indeed astonishing. Even if it was false, it showed that he had abundant combat experience. He actually knew how to wage psychological warfare, deceiving Qiu Shaoyue with words.

Since Qin Fen had yet to make a move, he could not discern Qin Fen's exact realm.

However, this was a competition. Neither he nor the students below were allowed to offer any reminders.

The spectators saw clearly while those involved were confused. The Ninth Middle School students below knew this had to be the opponent's psychological tactic, and they could not help worrying for Qiu Shaoyue. Qiu Shaoyue had to realize it quickly and not let it affect his performance.

Qiu Shaoyue was the strongest among them and the one most likely to contend for a place in the top ten.

If he lost a match because he had fallen for the opponent's psychological tactics, became nervous, and failed to perform properly, that would be far too unfair.

"You can't possibly have reached Flowing Strength." Qiu Shaoyue quickly came back to his senses and shouted, "I get it now. You're trying to provoke me with your words, make me nervous and lose my composure, aren't you?"

Qin Fen shook his head. "You think I'm trying to deceive you with words, but I'm telling the truth."

Convinced that his guess was correct, Qiu Shaoyue said coldly, "No matter what you say, I won't believe you."

"You'll find out soon enough whether it's true."

After saying that, both of them fell silent.

The three minutes quickly passed.

Zhou Wu raised his right hand, pressed it down, and shouted, "Begin!"

Although Qiu Shaoyue claimed that Qin Fen was trying to deceive him and refused to believe that Qin Fen had reached Flowing Strength, his nerves remained taut. The instant Zhou Wu's voice fell, he moved with strange footwork, swaying left and right as he rapidly closed in on Qin Fen.

This was the Serpent Step from the Silken Entanglement Grappling Hand.

When Shi Jian fought Qin Fen, Shi Jian had used this very footwork.

The Serpent Step Qiu Shaoyue used now surpassed Shi Jian's from a week ago. His movements were bizarre, like a venomous snake feinting left while actually moving right across the ground. In a short time, he pushed his speed to the limit while making it impossible to determine his true position. Would his attack come from the left, or strike from the right?

Qiu Shaoyue was stronger than Shi Jian.

Yet Qin Fen remained unmoved. As long as an opponent had not reached Flowing Strength, they were not enough to threaten him. Moreover, he was far stronger now than when he had just broken through to Flowing Strength a week ago.

Those in the First Realm of Jing Li might find it difficult to see through Qiu Shaoyue's changing footwork, but Qin Fen was far stronger than Qiu Shaoyue. The seemingly bizarre steps held no secrets in Qin Fen's eyes.

Bang!

The moment he rushed forward, Qiu Shaoyue was sent flying and fell to the ground.

Against Qiu Shaoyue, Qin Fen did not use the fierce and powerful Thunderclap Fist. Instead, he used a move from the Eighteen Falls Upon Touching. As Qiu Shaoyue tried to rise, Qin Fen took a large step forward and kicked him off the arena before he could get to his feet.

Ninth Middle School's strongest Martial Arts Student had been effortlessly defeated by Qin Fen.

"Second Realm of Jing Li."

The instant Qin Fen made his move, Ninth Middle School's Martial Arts Teacher learned Qin Fen's realm. He truly had reached the Second Realm of Jing Li and could channel and unify the strength throughout his body. Qiu Shaoyue had not lost unjustly.

With such strength, Qin Fen was qualified to contend for the top three.

"Second match, Qin Fen wins!"

Zhou Wu announced the result in a booming voice.

Only then did Ninth Middle School's other four Martial Arts Students react.

Qiu Shaoyue, the strongest among them, had lost just like that?

After the match began, he had not even lasted ten seconds before being knocked off the arena.

The youth from Thirteen Middle School named Qin Fen had not deceived them. He truly had reached Flowing Strength.

Qin Fen walked off the arena with a calm expression. If he had won first place, he might have felt somewhat excited, but there was nothing to be proud of in defeating an opponent weaker than himself.

Judging by the reactions of Ninth Middle School's other four Martial Arts Students, Qiu Shaoyue should have been the strongest of the five.

Since even Qiu Shaoyue had lost to him, there were no opponents from Ninth Middle School worth looking forward to.

Qin Fen turned his attention to the other arenas, observing the strength of the Martial Arts Students from the other eight schools.

Other than Yang City's three key martial arts schools, Fourth High School through Thirteen Middle School were all ordinary martial arts schools. The Senior One Martial Arts Students were generally in the First Realm of Jing Li, while very few had reached the Second Realm of Jing Li.

The best among them were roughly on Shi Jian's level.

After watching more than a dozen matches, Qin Fen discovered that aside from himself, there were four Martial Arts Students who had reached the Second Realm of Jing Li. Two were from Fourth High School, one from Fifth High School, and one from Sixth High School.

These four were his greatest competitors for first place.

Although he knew the four had reached the Second Realm of Jing Li, Qin Fen still knew nothing about their actual strength.

The four had not faced one another. Their opponents were merely in the First Realm of Jing Li, so they did not need to reveal their full strength to defeat them and claim victory. It was therefore impossible to estimate their true level.

So Qin Fen simply closed his eyes to rest.

Other than the matches involving those four Martial Arts Students who had reached Flowing Strength, none of the others interested him.

The match against Ninth Middle School quickly ended. Qin Fen easily secured five consecutive victories. Perhaps due to Qin Fen, Ninth Middle School's five students were not particularly motivated as a whole, allowing Shi Jian and the others to gain quite an advantage in the following matches.

The ten-minute match limit was usually not reached, as most fights ended early.

Very few battles lasted the full ten minutes. Thus, the more matches one fought, the greater one's physical exhaustion became, and mistakes grew more frequent. By seizing an opportunity, a match could be ended in two or three minutes.

After resting for half an hour, Thirteen Middle School faced Yang City No. 12 High School in the next round.

Apart from the three-minute dialogue period, Qin Fen ended the fight within ten seconds.

The remaining students from Yang City No. 12 High School all immediately conceded when they encountered Qin Fen.

The gap in strength between them was too great. Fighting him would not help improve their actual combat abilities in the slightest.

Only fighting opponents evenly matched with oneself could promote improvement. One-sided crushing matches were not what they wanted. This was also why ordinary martial arts schools did not hold exchange competitions with key schools.

If they stepped up and were knocked off the arena before their feet had even warmed up, it would only undermine their confidence and give them no combat experience whatsoever.

Qin Fen easily secured ten consecutive victories.

After the morning matches ended, the Martial Arts Teachers from the various schools gathered to discuss matters. They decided to have the Martial Arts Students who had reached the Second Realm of Jing Li compete first for the top three.

The gap between the First Realm of Jing Li and the Second Realm of Jing Li was indeed rather large.

The martial arts taught by the schools were all more or less the same. Under such circumstances, it was truly difficult for someone in the First Realm of Jing Li to defeat someone in the Second Realm of Jing Li, unless they had cultivated a highly offensive martial art beyond those taught by the school. Only then would they have a chance.

If any of the other Martial Arts Students believed they could defeat a Martial Arts Student in the Second Realm of Jing Li, they could also issue a challenge.

When Zhou Wu brought back this news, Qin Fen was invigorated.

Ordinary opponents in the First Realm of Jing Li could not make him use his full strength at all. It was like an adult bullying children, leaving him with no interest whatsoever. Only opponents who had also reached the Second Realm of Jing Li could give him a truly satisfying battle, allowing him to enjoy the boiling-hot thrill and allure of martial arts in combat.

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