At dawn, the atmosphere at the arena was even more electric than the day before.
The hundred-person tournament had ended, and today was the semifinals. After yesterday's fierce competition, the four strongest contestants from the Regular Class had emerged: Zhang Kuanghu, Zhao Gang, Li Long, and the biggest dark horse of all—Lin Fan.
The four would face off in pairs, with the winners advancing to the finals.
The drawing ceremony took place in the center of the arena. Thousands of students crowded around, holding their breath. Lin Fan stood among the contestants, his expression calm. Beside him, Chen Dahu's right arm was already bandaged. Though he couldn't compete, he had insisted on coming to watch.
"Brother Fan, who do you hope to draw?" Chen Dahu asked quietly.
"Doesn't matter," Lin Fan replied coolly.
Even so, he did have a preference. If possible, he wanted to avoid Zhang Kuanghu—not because he was afraid, but because he wanted to save the strongest opponent for the finals. After all, he still had a score to settle with Zhang Kuanghu for injuring Dahu.
The drawing was overseen by a white-haired old man, Elder Sun, the academy's enforcer elder. Without expression, he took out four jade tokens and announced, "The semifinals will be decided by drawing lots, with contestants paired off. The tokens are red and blue; contestants who draw the same color will face each other. Now, the four contestants, step forward and draw."
Zhang Kuanghu went first and casually picked a token—red.
Zhao Gang went second and drew blue.
Li Long went third and also drew blue.
Only the final red token remained.
Lin Fan stepped forward and picked it up. Red.
"The draw is complete!" Elder Sun announced loudly. "First match: Zhang Kuanghu versus Lin Fan! Second match: Zhao Gang versus Li Long! The winners advance to the finals!"
The crowd erupted at once.
"Lin Fan against Zhang Kuanghu? That's terrible luck!"
"It's over, it's over. Lin Fan's dark-horse run ends here."
"Zhang Kuanghu took care of his opponent in ten moves yesterday. How's Lin Fan supposed to fight him?"
"Not necessarily. Lin Fan's swordplay is strange. Maybe he can pull off a miracle."
Chen Dahu's expression changed. "Brother Fan, this..."
"It's fine." Lin Fan tightened his grip on the token and looked toward Zhang Kuanghu nearby.
Zhang Kuanghu was looking back at him too. He bared his teeth in a vicious grin and drew a finger across his throat.
The challenge was unmistakable.
Lin Fan turned away and looked at the contestants in the other match.
Zhao Gang was at the peak of the 2nd Grade, with the family-taught Gale Blade Technique at Major Accomplishment. His blade was fierce, and his speed was astounding. Li Long was also at the peak of the 2nd Grade. He practiced the Soaring Dragon Spear Technique, his spear moving like a soaring dragon, its forms unpredictable. Their strength was evenly matched, and the outcome was hard to call.
"Let's watch their match first." Lin Fan sat down in the spectators' section.
The first match was Zhao Gang against Li Long.
The two stepped onto the stage, exchanged fist-and-palm salutes, and instantly launched into battle.
Zhao Gang's blade was swift as a gale, its light cascading like a waterfall. Every slash came with a whistle that seemed to tear through the air. Li Long's spear struck like a serpent darting from its hole, sometimes as fierce as a dragon, sometimes as supple as a snake. Its overlapping shadows dazzled the eye.
Both were long-established powerhouses in the Regular Class, with rich combat experience and exquisite techniques. For a time, blade light and spear shadows crisscrossed across the stage, waves of force bursting outward and drawing cries of astonishment from the crowd.
"What a powerful blade technique! Zhao Gang's Gale Blade Technique has reached Major Accomplishment. Each slash carries more than six thousand catties of force!"
"Li Long's spear technique is just as impressive. That move, 'Dragon Roams the Four Seas,' nearly pierced Zhao Gang's throat!"
"Now this is a real clash between masters!"
Lin Fan watched without blinking.
These two were the strongest opponents he had faced so far. Their blade's fierceness and spearwork's precision far surpassed those of the contestants from the previous few days. More importantly, they weren't just highly cultivated; their combat instincts were exceptional. Every move combined offense and defense, leaving almost no openings.
"Brother Fan, can you beat them?" Chen Dahu asked quietly.
"Yes," Lin Fan replied without hesitation.
It wasn't arrogance, but a judgment based on his strength. After yesterday's battle, his Gale Sword Technique had reached Mastery Level (4876/5000), just one step short of Minor Accomplishment. More importantly, actual combat had given him an understanding of swordplay far beyond that of others at his level.
Others practiced the sword by following a set routine and drilling their moves. He practiced by measuring the effect of every strike through the system, testing each one in actual combat, and refining its angle and timing through careful thought.
That was the fundamental difference.
The battle onstage reached its boiling point.
Zhao Gang suddenly roared. His blade changed course, transforming a tempest of slashes into a single streak of light—the Gale Blade Technique's finishing move, Wind Sweeps Away the Clouds!
The slash was nearly twice as fast as before. Its blade light flashed like a ribbon, cutting straight toward Li Long's chest.
Li Long's expression changed. He spun his spear and unleashed the Soaring Dragon Spear Technique's defensive masterpiece, "Dragon Coils, Tiger Crouches." The spear's shadows formed a ring, shielding him from every side.
Clang!
Blade struck spear, scattering sparks in every direction.
Li Long grunted and staggered back three steps, the skin between his thumb and forefinger split and blood pouring out. But in the end, he had blocked the slash.
Zhao Gang pressed his advantage. His blade flashed again, sweeping through like a gale and striking in an unbroken flurry.
Li Long struggled through more than ten moves before finally revealing an opening. Zhao Gang seized the chance and slashed at his spear shaft. The tremendous force sent the weapon flying from Li Long's hands.
"I concede!" Li Long retreated several steps, his face pale.
"Second match, Zhao Gang wins!" the referee announced.
The crowd broke into thunderous applause.
In this match, Zhao Gang had demonstrated his overwhelming strength. The victory had not come easily, but everyone had seen just how powerful he was.
"Zhao Gang has made the finals!" someone shouted. "Now we'll see who wins between Zhang Kuanghu and Lin Fan!"
"What's there to see? Zhang Kuanghu will win for sure!"
"Lin Fan's done well just to reach the semifinals. Against Zhang Kuanghu, he doesn't stand a chance."
Amid the crowd's chatter, Lin Fan rose and walked onto the stage.
Zhang Kuanghu was already waiting there, arms crossed and wearing a haughty expression.
"Lin Fan, I didn't expect you to make it this far," Zhang Kuanghu sneered. "But this is where it ends. Yesterday, I broke your brother's arm. Today, I'll break all four of your limbs and leave you bedridden for three months."
Lin Fan said nothing. He simply drew his Wooden Sword, slowly.
The referee glanced at them, announced the usual rules, then waved a hand. "Begin!"
Before the words had even left his mouth, Zhang Kuanghu was already moving.
He stamped down hard and charged like a tiger bursting from its cage, punching straight at Lin Fan's face. His fist roared through the air with the sound of a tiger's growl. It was the opening move of the Fierce Tiger Fist—Tiger Descends the Mountain!
This punch was stronger, fiercer, and faster than the one he had used against Chen Dahu yesterday!
The spectators held their breath.
Yesterday, Zhang Kuanghu had broken Chen Dahu's arm with this very punch. Would he use it today to end Lin Fan's dark-horse run?
Lin Fan moved.
He neither met the punch head-on nor retreated. Instead, he shifted half a step to the side and thrust his Wooden Sword at an angle.
Gale Stab!
It was still a basic sword technique, still a simple, direct thrust.
But the angle was exceptionally tricky, aimed right beneath Zhang Kuanghu's arm—where his punch was strongest, yet also most vulnerable.
Zhang Kuanghu's expression shifted. He drew back his fist, turned it into a claw, and grabbed for the Wooden Sword.
Tiger Claw Hand!
The change in technique was lightning-fast, showing just how much combat experience he had.
But Lin Fan's sword was faster.
The tip quivered, evading the tiger claw, then changed from a thrust to a sweep, cutting toward Zhang Kuanghu's wrist.
Gale Sweep!
Zhang Kuanghu changed again, turning his claw into a palm and slapping toward the blade.
Lin Fan changed the course of his sword once more. The sweep turned into a slash, cutting across Zhang Kuanghu's waist and ribs.
Gale Slash!
Three strikes in a row, each one forcing Zhang Kuanghu to change moves and defend. His cultivation was clearly higher and his strength greater, yet Lin Fan was driving him back again and again with the simplest of sword techniques.
The spectators stared in stunned silence.
"What's going on? Zhang Kuanghu's being suppressed?"
"Lin Fan's swordplay... it's too fast! Every strike hits Zhang Kuanghu right where it's hardest to defend!"
"How is that possible? Zhang Kuanghu's at the peak of the 2nd Grade, while Lin Fan's only a 1st Grade Martial Trainee!"
The longer the fight went on, the angrier Zhang Kuanghu became.
He had thought he could crush Lin Fan with ease, but instead, his opponent was making him look pitiful with basic sword techniques. It was a humiliation beyond words!
"Roar!" Zhang Kuanghu suddenly bellowed, his aura surging as his fists doubled in speed.
The second move of the Fierce Tiger Fist—Hungry Tiger Pounces on Its Prey!
This was no longer a simple straight punch. It became a storm of fist shadows, surging like a hungry tiger and cutting off every avenue of escape.
The crowd cried out, "Zhang Kuanghu's fighting for real now!"
"This is his true strength! He wasn't even going all out yesterday!"
"Lin Fan's in danger!"
Faced with the storm of fist shadows, Lin Fan remained calm.
His footwork shifted, his figure drifting through the fists like a willow catkin in the wind. The Wooden Sword in his hand became streaks of light, each strike precisely aimed at the weak points in the fist shadows.
Thrust, sweep, slash, chop, parry, return.
The six basic moves of swordplay transformed in his hands, shifting through countless variations.
Even more astonishing, his swordplay kept improving as the fight went on.
[Gale Sword Technique proficiency +50] [Gale Sword Technique proficiency +50] [Gale Sword Technique proficiency +50]
The system alerts flashed wildly.
Every one of Zhang Kuanghu's punches was a whetstone, sharpening his swordplay. Under such pressure, Lin Fan's understanding of the technique advanced rapidly. Each strike was more accurate, faster, and more ingenious than the one before.
After twenty moves, Zhang Kuanghu's offense began to weaken.
The Fierce Tiger Fist was powerful, but it consumed a great deal of strength. Lin Fan's swordplay, by contrast, used skill to overcome force and expended very little energy. As one wore down and the other held steady, the balance of victory began to tip.
"Impossible!" Anger and shock flashed through Zhang Kuanghu's eyes.
He couldn't lose—not to a commoner, and especially not to a 1st Grade Martial Trainee!
"You forced me into this!" A trace of madness flashed in Zhang Kuanghu's eyes. He suddenly pulled a red pill from his clothes and swallowed it.
The pill went down, and his aura instantly surged. His skin flushed red, his veins bulged, and his eyes turned bloodshot.
"Blood Burst Pill!" someone in the crowd cried. "He took a Blood Burst Pill!"
"That's a banned drug! It can double your strength for a short time, but it'll damage your foundation!"
"Referee! He's breaking the rules!"
The referee's expression darkened. He was about to intervene, but Zhang Kuanghu had already moved.
After taking the Blood Burst Pill, his speed and strength soared. He punched, and his force gathered like a solid mass, forming the phantom of a roaring tiger as it lunged toward Lin Fan.
The ultimate technique of the Fierce Tiger Fist—Tiger Roars Through the Mountains!
This punch had already surpassed the limits of a 2nd Grade Martial Artist, approaching the strength of a 3rd Grade Martial Master!
The crowd cried out in alarm. Many people had already shut their eyes, unable to bear watching Lin Fan get badly hurt by the punch.
But a glint flashed through Lin Fan's eyes.
At the very moment Zhang Kuanghu had swallowed the Blood Burst Pill, Lin Fan's Gale Sword Technique had finally broken through.
[Gale Sword Technique: Minor Accomplishment Level (5001/10000)]
Minor Accomplishment Level—a fifty-percent bonus!
And that wasn't all. The instant he broke through, an insight surged into his mind. The six basic moves of the Gale Sword Technique fused together in his thoughts, becoming an entirely new form of swordplay.
It had no name and no set move, only one defining quality—speed!
As swift as a gale, as fast as lightning, speed taken to the extreme!
Facing the lunging tiger phantom, Lin Fan didn't retreat. He advanced, his Wooden Sword becoming a streak of light.
The strike had no flourishes, no variations—only speed.
It was so fast that no one saw how he had drawn his sword.
They heard only a soft pfft.
The tiger phantom collapsed.
Zhang Kuanghu's fist stopped half a foot from Lin Fan's chest. It could advance no farther.
A Wooden Sword had already pierced his shoulder.
Blood trickled down the blade.
Zhang Kuanghu froze. He looked down at the sword through his shoulder, his eyes full of disbelief.
He couldn't understand how he had still lost after taking the Blood Burst Pill and unleashing his strongest attack.
Why had Lin Fan's sword been able to move that fast?
Silence blanketed the arena.
Everyone stared at the two figures onstage, dumbstruck.
Only after a moment did the referee react. He announced loudly, "First match, Lin Fan wins!"
The silence shattered, and the arena erupted in thunderous uproar.
"He won? Lin Fan won?"
"He defeated Zhang Kuanghu—even after Zhang Kuanghu took a Blood Burst Pill!"
"That strike... did anyone see it?"
"No! It was too fast! I only saw a flash!"
"Monster! Lin Fan's a monster!"
Amid the crowd's cries of astonishment, Lin Fan withdrew his Wooden Sword.
Zhang Kuanghu staggered backward, his face deathly pale. The Blood Burst Pill's effects began to fade, and the violent backlash made every part of his body ache. But the humiliation in his heart hurt even more than his body.
He, Zhang Kuanghu, one of the four strongest fighters in the Regular Class, had actually lost to a 1st Grade Martial Trainee, a commoner!
"Lin Fan..." Zhang Kuanghu gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with resentment. "Just you wait. I'll settle this score, I swear I'll..."
Before he could finish, he spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed.
The medical staff rushed onto the stage and carried him away for treatment.
Lin Fan stepped down from the platform, his expression calm, as if the battle just fought had nothing to do with him.
Chen Dahu rushed over excitedly. "Brother Fan! You won! You beat Zhang Kuanghu!"
"Mm." Lin Fan nodded and looked toward the platform.
Next was the second semifinal: Wang Hao versus Sun Hu.
Wang Hao had narrowly defeated his opponent in yesterday's Top Hundred tournament to advance to the final four. Sun Hu was the last of the Regular Class's four strongest fighters, and his strength was no less than Zhang Kuanghu's.
The winner of this battle would face Lin Fan for the championship.
"Can Wang Hao win?" Chen Dahu asked.
"We'll see." Lin Fan sat down in the stands.
On the platform, Wang Hao and Sun Hu stood facing each other.
Wang Hao wore ornate Martial Artist robes and a sword at his waist. A faint golden light shimmered across his chest—the Mortal Tier Top Grade armor. Sun Hu, by contrast, wore a fitted combat outfit and gripped a pair of short halberds, his aura fierce.
The referee announced the start, and the two clashed in an instant.
Sun Hu's twin halberds favored brute force, each strike heavy and powerful, the wind of their passage howling. Wang Hao's swordsmanship was light and nimble, his sword gleaming like a rainbow, offense and defense in equal measure.
At first, they were evenly matched.
But after ten exchanges, Wang Hao began to fall behind.
Sun Hu's twin halberds were simply too powerful. Every clash left Wang Hao's arms numb. Worse still, Sun Hu had exceptionally rich Combat Experience. His halberd techniques flowed without pause, giving Wang Hao no chance to catch his breath.
"Wang Hao's going to lose," someone in the crowd predicted.
"Sun Hu is one of the four strongest, after all. Wang Hao may have plenty of resources, but he's still lacking in Combat Experience."
"What a pity. The young master of the Wang Family stops at the final four."
Yet Wang Hao's expression remained unusually calm.
Another ten exchanges passed. Sun Hu brought one halberd crashing down, and Wang Hao raised his sword to block. The impact sent him staggering back three steps.
An opening!
A glint flashed in Sun Hu's eyes. He thrust both halberds forward, aiming straight for Wang Hao's chest. If that strike landed, Wang Hao would have no chance of winning.
But just then, golden light blazed across Wang Hao's chest.
Mortal Tier Top Grade armor—the Golden Scale Armor!
Clang!
The twin halberds struck the armor with a tremendous metallic crash.
Sun Hu's expression changed. His halberds felt as if they had struck a mountain, and the rebound left his arms numb.
Wang Hao, meanwhile, had only taken a single step back. He was completely unharmed.
Seizing the opening, Wang Hao thrust his long sword forward like a venomous snake darting from its hole, aiming for Sun Hu's throat.
Sun Hu hastily brought his halberds back to block, but Wang Hao's sword suddenly changed direction, stabbing toward his abdomen.
Sun Hu blocked again.
Wang Hao's sword shifted for a third time, stabbing toward his thigh.
Three thrusts in a row, each one deadly.
Driven back again and again, Sun Hu finally left an opening. Wang Hao seized the chance and stabbed him in the right shoulder.
"I surrender!" Sun Hu retreated several steps, his expression dark.
He was unwilling to accept the loss. If not for that armor, he would never have lost.
But a loss was a loss.
"Wang Hao wins the second match!" the referee announced.
Scattered applause rose from the crowd.
Wang Hao's victory had been somewhat unsporting. But the rules allowed armor, and no one could say otherwise.
Wang Hao sheathed his sword and stepped down from the platform. His gaze turned toward the stands, meeting Lin Fan's in midair.
Both their gazes were calm, but beneath that calm surged a fierce battle intent.
"The final: Lin Fan versus Wang Hao!" Elder Sun announced loudly. "The final begins in half an hour!"
The crowd erupted again.
"Lin Fan versus Wang Hao! A real grudge match!"
"One's a commoner dark horse, the other a noble young master. This final should be interesting!"
"Who do you think will win?"
"Hard to say. Lin Fan's swordsmanship is bizarre, but Wang Hao has armor. Lin Fan's sword might not be able to get through it."
"Besides, Wang Hao didn't even use his full strength just now. He must still have a trump card."
Amid the chatter, Lin Fan rose and left the stands.
Chen Dahu followed behind him and asked worriedly, "Brother Fan, that armor Wang Hao has..."
"I know," Lin Fan said coolly.
Mortal Tier Top Grade armor could withstand a full-force strike from anyone below a 3rd Grade Martial Master. With Lin Fan's current strength, breaking through its defense would be difficult.
But not impossible.
"I'm going to prepare," Lin Fan said, heading toward the back mountain.
Half an hour was enough.
Enough for him to raise his Gale Sword Technique another level.
Enough for him to figure out a way to break through the armor.
Enough for him to bring this grudge match to an end.
The setting sun stretched his shadow long behind him.
Behind him, the entire academy was abuzz with talk of the upcoming final.
This battle would decide who truly stood at the top of the Regular Class.
This battle would decide whether commoners or nobles had the upper hand.
This battle was destined to be anything but peaceful.
Before you continue