Advancing to the Top 4

Just then, a leisurely voice rang out. "Your old face is grinning like a chrysanthemum. Come on, tell me what's got you so happy, so I can be happy too."

The dust cleared, revealing Lin Hao with his Wind Thunder Twin Wings flapping, his body wreathed in Black Lightning. And as for him—he was perfectly fine, not even a speck of dust on his school uniform.

Mo Yu's loud laughter cut off abruptly, replaced by a face full of shock and disbelief. Even the team members from the other martial universities stared in astonishment. That strike from Mo Yu just now could've instantly killed a Silver Grade beast, and even a Gold Rank one would've been severely injured. Yet Lin Hao wasn't just unharmed—there wasn't even a speck of dust on him.

"Impossible! That was an Earth Grade combat skill—you can't be completely fine!" Mo Yu screamed wildly. The principals of the various martial universities watched the Black Lightning around Lin Hao with grave expressions. "What exactly is that eerie black lightning? It blocked Mo Yu's attack without any effort at all."

Lin Hao folded his Wind Thunder Twin Wings and landed back on the competition stage. "You've had your turn. Isn't it my turn now?"

"Impossible, impossible, impossible!!!" Mo Yu was spiraling into madness.

He didn't even register what Lin Hao said. He channeled every bit of his Spiritual Power into the Azure Fire Nether Halberd, which suddenly began to tremble. A powerful aura surged from within it. In an instant, the halberd swelled in size, its color shifting from azure green to a faint deep blue, with specks of white light radiating from its surface.

Mo Yu gripped the halberd with both hands. "Lin Hao, let's see if you can take this one too! Hahaha!" He hurled the Azure Fire Nether Halberd at Lin Hao, who sidestepped to dodge. But the halberd shot straight into the sky, growing larger as it ascended. It paused midair for a moment, then turned and plummeted toward Lin Hao.

Lin Hao's eyes sharpened. "Lock-on skill!" He felt the halberd's aura lock onto him. At the edge of the stage, Mo Yu was still laughing loudly. "Hahaha, Lin Hao, this is my strongest strike—Azure Fire Flowing Star River Turn! I've killed Gold Rank beasts with this. Let's see how you handle it!"

At the judges' table, Fang Wei looked at Jiang Tianhai. "Mo Yu's attack actually carries Stellar Force. Should we intervene?" Jiang Tianhai just smiled leisurely. "Old Fang, relax. That kid Lin Hao hasn't even used one percent of his strength yet."

Hearing that, Fang Wei was stunned again. Just how strong was Lin Hao? He started scheming in his mind. Suddenly, he remembered something Jiang Tianhai had said over dinner before, and his old face darkened. He felt like Old Jiang had played him—like he'd lost out on a billion. No, probably more than a billion.

On the stage, Lin Hao's body blazed with black lightning. He raised his right hand slightly, and the lightning around him was drawn into his palm. He lifted his hand high, and the black lightning in it expanded rapidly, soon forming a black thunderball a meter in diameter. He casually tossed the thunderball toward the Azure Fire Nether Halberd. The moment it struck, countless bolts of Black Lightning instantly engulfed the halberd.

The martial university principals looked grim. "Lin Hao's Black Lightning is devouring the Spiritual Power in the Azure Fire Nether Halberd and taking it for itself."

The halberd, wrapped in Black Lightning, shrank smaller and smaller, while the thunderball grew larger. In less than five seconds, the halberd returned to its normal size.

Lin Hao clenched his fist.

"Burst!"

Suddenly, a blinding flash of lightning erupted in midair, and a terrifying shockwave swept across the entire arena. At the judges' table, Jiang Tianhai narrowed his eyes. "This brat, making such a big scene." He waved his hand, and an energy shield several times stronger than the one the Referee had made instantly covered the entire stage.

The explosion raged inside the shield for over ten seconds before subsiding. When the dust cleared, nothing remained on the stage except three standing figures. Mo Yu's Azure Fire Nether Halberd was nowhere to be seen.

Mo Yu sat slumped on the ground, dazed. "Impossible... where's my weapon? Impossible... how can he be so strong?" Lin Hao didn't give him time to wallow in self-doubt. He closed in instantly, activating Thunder Prison Instant Space Flash, and sent Mo Yu flying into the air with a single punch. Mo Yu had already burned through most of his Spiritual Power from unleashing three Martial Arts in quick succession. The psychological blow was even worse—he was still muttering "impossible" when Lin Hao sent him skyward.

Mo Yu soared through the air for a full five minutes, just like his teammates, before Lin Hao's attacks stopped. By then, Mo Yu's face was swollen and bruised, and he was still mumbling "impossible." Lin Hao looked at the Mo Yu dangling from his hand with disdain and tossed him off the stage.

The Referee let out a heavy sigh and quickly announced, "I declare the first match of the Hundred Schools League quarterfinals—Modu Martial University versus Shancheng Martial University—Shancheng Martial University wins. They advance to the semifinals." No one cheered. After the announcement, there was a full ten seconds of dead silence.

Then someone started clapping. One person, two, ten, a hundred—gradually, thunderous applause erupted, mixed with cheers and shouts of approval. Lin Xiaorou clapped her little hands, hopping with joy, her earlier tear-streaked face nowhere to be seen.

Shancheng Martial University's preparation area.

"As expected of our Great God Lin—taking down a Gold Rank is as easy as eating and drinking."

"Damn right. Finally avenged Meng and the others. Feels so good."

"They were all talk before the match, and now Great God Lin beat them into dead dogs. Hahaha!"

The Shancheng team finally let out a breath of relief. Jiang Weiwei smiled knowingly.

"I feel like Brother Lin Hao got stronger again?" Su Xiaorui said, full of frustration. What kind of monster was this?

Just as the crowd was celebrating, a gaunt old man suddenly appeared on the stage. He was thin and withered, looking like a gust of wind could knock him over. "Lin Hao, I won't say anything about you defeating Mo Yu and his team—the strong rule, and they were outmatched. But why did you destroy Mo Yu's Azure Fire Nether Halberd?" The newcomer was none other than Gu Xuanying, the Principal of Modu Martial University.

Lin Hao gave him a flat look. "What? Can't handle losing, Principal of Modu Martial University? To me, aside from not taking lives, a match is no different from real combat. Do you expect beasts on the battlefield to return your weapon before fighting again?"

"What did you say?" Gu Xuanying's eyes bulged, and a Diamond rank pressure instantly bore down on Lin Hao.