The Semifinals Begin

The next morning, after breakfast, everyone headed to the competition venue. Quite a few spectators had already arrived, and Wang Meng and the others had mostly recovered thanks to Jiang Weiwei's treatment. She'd originally wanted them to rest another day, but they insisted on coming to watch the matches, so she let them have their way.

Once they were seated, Lin Hao suddenly felt an intensely eager gaze fixed on him. Following that look, he found it came from a member of Longcheng Martial University's bench. A chill ran down Lin Hao's spine. Bro, what's with that look?

By then, the referee had already stepped onto the competition stage. The spots damaged in yesterday's matches had been fully restored.

"First semifinal match: Longcheng Martial University versus Shancheng Martial University. Please have the competing players take the stage." As the referee announced the start, the crowd's enthusiasm peaked. "Lin Hao! Lin Hao! Lin Hao!" The spectators below roared wildly. Yesterday's one-versus-four performance had left a deep impression on them.

Sitting in the VIP section, Lin Yueyue and the others looked quite surprised. "That brat Lin Hao—just one day, and he's already got this many fans?"

Fang Yao covered her mouth with a smile. "Looks like that dummy left quite an impact on the audience yesterday."

Hearing the crowd thunderously chanting his name, Lin Hao was a bit stunned. Damn, looks like little master me is something of a celebrity now.

"As expected of my Great God Lin—look at the crowd's enthusiasm. This is the first time since the finals started."

"No kidding. Seems the audience has the same taste as us."

Under everyone's eager anticipation, Lin Hao slowly walked onto the competition stage. Standing across from him was the Longcheng Martial University player who'd locked eyes with him earlier. The man clasped his fists in salute. "Brother Lin, I'm Duan Yue, captain of Longcheng Martial University."

Lin Hao was a bit surprised but returned the gesture. "Lin Hao, captain of Shancheng Martial University."

"Brother Lin, I have a proposal—how about we settle this in a single match? My men are all Silver Grade martial artists; they're no match for you, and I imagine the same goes for your side."

Lin Hao paused for a moment, then looked back at Jiang Weiwei and his teammates offstage. Seeing Jiang Weiwei nod, he didn't refuse. "Alright, Brother Duan. One match it is."

The audience below had heard their exchange and erupted in waves of cheers and applause.

On the judges' panel, Jiang Tianhai stroked his chin. "Old Fang, what do you think—how much of his strength will Lin Hao use against Duan Yue?"

Fang Wei shot Jiang Tianhai an exasperated look. "Old Jiang, let me tell you—Duan Yue is Longcheng Martial University's famous genius for winning against stronger opponents. And he's already at Gold High Grade now. He's not someone like Mo Yu from Modu Martial University can compare to."

Jiang Tianhai was slightly surprised to hear that Duan Yue had reached Gold High Grade. He was curious to see how Lin Hao would handle it.

On the stage, "I declare the first match of the semifinal between Longcheng Martial University and Shancheng Martial University begins." As the referee announced the start, Duan Yue raised one hand, and a gleaming silver long spear appeared in his grip. Lin Hao froze for a moment, then quickly realized—from the materials he'd seen on Longcheng Martial University, Duan Yue's weapon was indeed a spear.

"Brother Lin, this spear in my hand is called Po Jun. Be careful." With that, Duan Yue's aura exploded, fully revealing his Gold High Grade strength.

Lin Hao's eyes sharpened, and Black Lightning instantly coiled around him.

Seeing the Black Lightning surrounding Lin Hao, Duan Yue didn't dare take it lightly—he'd witnessed its terrifying power yesterday. With that thought, Duan Yue lightly stamped his foot and shot toward Lin Hao like a cannonball. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of him.

"Fast!" Lin Hao's eyes narrowed. Gold High Grade strength was nothing to scoff at. He shifted his body slightly, dodging the thrusting spear. But Duan Yue wasn't flustered; he paused the spear's momentum, turning the thrust into a sweep, swinging the entire shaft heavily at Lin Hao. Lin Hao raised both arms crossed to block. The moment the spear shaft struck his arms, a tremendous force slammed into him. Lin Hao's eyes narrowed—this guy's got serious strength. The spear carried Lin Hao sideways, and he used the momentum to retreat and disperse the force. The impact left his arms slightly numb.

From their first exchange, Lin Hao knew Duan Yue was nothing like the waste Mo Yu. This was the result of real, day-in, day-out hard training. Seeing Lin Hao retreat, Duan Yue didn't press the attack; he just smiled at him. "Brother Lin, you've got some strength too. Normally, a Silver Grade martial artist hit by that sweep would fly at least ten meters away."

Lin Hao smiled back. "Brother Duan, you've got quite the strength. Now it's my turn to attack." As he finished speaking, Lin Hao vanished from his spot, activating the skill: Thunder Prison Instant Space Flash—even faster than Duan Yue's earlier charge. Duan Yue gripped his spear tightly with his right hand and closed his eyes. Time ticked by, and everyone stared wide-eyed at the stage. Yesterday, Lin Hao had caught Modu Martial University off guard with his blinding speed. Would the same tactic work against Duan Yue today?

Just then, Duan Yue's eyes snapped open. He held Po Jun Spear horizontally, and the next moment, Lin Hao's fist, wrapped in Black Lightning, came crashing in.

A crisp clang rang out as Lin Hao's fist struck the shaft of Po Jun Spear.

Lin Hao's heart jolted. This was the first time someone had blocked his attack after he activated Thunder Prison Instant Space Flash. Instantly, alarm bells rang in his mind. "Not good!" He immediately tried to pull back from the fight. But it was too late. The moment fist and spear clashed, Duan Yue's right leg was already raised, sweeping into Lin Hao's side. Lin Hao was sent crashing into the ground like a cannonball, kicking up a cloud of dust across the entire stage.

The audience and students from all the martial universities stared in shock at the scene. Lin Hao's attack had been completely countered by Duan Yue.

"What kind of freak is Duan Yue from Longcheng Martial University?"

"How did he spot Lin Hao?"

"Yeah, I couldn't even see Lin Hao's shadow."

The crowd buzzed with discussion as dust filled the stage.

When the dust cleared, everyone looked toward the stage. There was a crater five meters in diameter. And Lin Hao—where was Lin Hao? Everyone was puzzled; there was no sign of him in the pit. Duan Yue sensed something was wrong, and in that instant, Lin Hao suddenly appeared behind him. Another fist, wreathed in Black Lightning, slammed heavily toward Duan Yue.

Though Duan Yue couldn't turn around in time, his reflexes were sharp. He quickly swung Po Jun Spear behind his back, blocking Lin Hao's strike. But caught off guard without proper momentum and with his back to Lin Hao, the force of the punch, though landing on the spear, still transmitted into Duan Yue's body. He was sent flying forward over ten meters.

The moment he was about to hit the ground, Duan Yue planted one hand on the floor, flipped over, and landed back on his feet on the stage.