Chapter 53: Chapter 53: You Can’t Win
7:30 PM. The evening breeze was slightly cool.
At Tianhai No. 2 Middle School, all the students were in their classrooms for evening self-study.
Inside the Virtual Room, the fifty students of the Elite class and their Martial Arts Instructor, Zhang City, had all gathered.
Ten Virtual Cabins, plus a newly installed one, made for a total of eleven, all sitting quietly in the room.
In the center of the room, a massive screen projected the image of a small, empty, all-white arena.
Amid the noisy chatter, Zhang City crossed his arms, his gaze sweeping over Li Zhou, Lin Qi, and the other eight students before he slowly began to speak.
"The exchange tournament is about to begin. After logging into the Red Realm, go to the Celestial Sea official website and find the link for the Martial Arts exchange tournament."
With that, he was the first to step into the brand-new Virtual Cabin.
The other ten students followed suit, each entering their own Virtual Cabin, Lin Qi included.
He logged into the Red Realm, and on his personal Space panel, he searched for the Celestial Sea official website, found the link for the Martial Arts exchange tournament, and clicked to enter.
WHOOSH!
The next moment, the space around him blurred and shifted. Lin Qi was pulled away and teleported to another area.
When he came to his senses, he looked around and found himself in the spectator stands. Seated next to him was Jiangtao.
Before him was a circular, white arena reminiscent of an ancient Roman coliseum.
"So this is the Martial Arts exchange tournament venue? I didn’t expect we could connect like this." Jiangtao looked around in amazement.
"The people from Songbai Middle School are here!"
Zhu Yuqi said suddenly, her eyes fixed on the area in front of them.
Everyone looked over. In the stands opposite them, eleven figures had materialized out of thin air.
Seven young men, three young women, and a male teacher.
The young men were either tall and sturdy or radiated sharpness; the young women were either tall and sharp-featured or full of life. They all looked over with an arrogant air.
Neither side spoke. They watched each other warily, and a tense atmosphere filled the air.
"Huh?"
But Lin Qi spotted a familiar face—Fast Sword!
He was the expert Lin Qi had been matched against in the Red Realm just yesterday. The man’s swift swordplay had left a slight impression on him.
He never thought the guy would turn out to be a student from Songbai Middle School, and one competing in the exchange tournament, no less.
’Don’t tell me everyone from Songbai Middle School is at his level?’
This made Lin Qi question Songbai Middle School’s overall combat power.
Zhang City stepped into the arena to meet the teacher from the opposing school.
The opposing team’s leader was a middle-aged man with a hook nose, a lean build, and an insidious air. The aura he exuded was just as strong.
"Hello!"
The two shook hands cordially and introduced themselves.
"Zhang City, from Tianhai No. 2 Middle School!"
"Cao Bin, from Songbai Middle School!"
"I hope that in this exchange tournament, we can put friendship first and competition second, and that everyone can gain something from it."
"Of course!"
The two men were all smiles, and the atmosphere was pleasant and harmonious.
But after they separated and turned back toward their respective stands, Cao Bin’s expression changed instantly. He sneered.
"Tianhai No. 2 Middle School... Show them the strength of Songbai. Make sure they don’t forget today’s tournament for the rest of the month."
"What gives them the right to have a Martial Arts exchange with us Songbai anyway?"
"Understood, Teacher Cao!" several students replied, cruel smiles spreading across their faces.
On the other side, after Zhang City returned, his smile vanished in a flash, like an actor changing masks in a Sichuan opera. He bared his teeth and said:
"The few of you are representing No. 2 Middle School this time, representing all of Celestial Sea City."
"No matter what, you fight to the death to win."
"Don’t worry, Teacher Zhang. I’ll show them what we’re made of."
Jiangtao cracked his knuckles, a confident smile on his face.
"That’s right. Maybe we’ll just win the first six matches, and the rest of you won’t even have to fight," someone declared confidently.
Zhang City nodded, not wanting to dampen their spirits, but as he looked toward the arena, he was deeply worried.
After all, Songbai Middle School was the second-best school in Bailu City. In terms of overall strength, to be honest, their No. 2 Middle School was no match for them.
He had no confidence they could win. It was all up to the students themselves.
[Martial Arts Exchange Tournament Rules]
[Students from both schools will compete according to the roster. The school with the most wins is the victor!]
[Will the first contestant please enter the arena!]
An intelligent female voice echoed through the air. Lin Qi narrowed his eyes, ready to go.
According to the rules, the roster was ordered from weakest to strongest. He was ranked tenth, which meant he would be the first to fight.
"Brother Qi, can you win?"
Jiangtao asked, his expression serious.
"I can," Lin Qi nodded.
A smile broke out on Jiangtao’s face. "I knew it!"
In the next instant, Lin Qi vanished from his spot and reappeared in the arena.
[Student Lin Qi, you have thirty seconds of preparation time. Please select your weapon!]
Lin Qi looked at the panel before him and, without hesitation, chose the familiar Black Great Spear.
At the same time, in the Songbai Middle School section.
"Fan Yong, go blow him out in the first match! Show him how strong we are at Songbai!" someone said.
Fan Yong had a square jaw and looked rather simple and honest. He gave an excited smile and thumped his chest. "Don’t worry, leave it to me."
With that, he too was teleported into the arena.
"Wait!"
Liang Kai had just started to speak, but Fan Yong was already on the stage. He sighed, his gaze fixed gravely on Lin Qi.
’He looks so much like him!’
The black combat suit, the black great spear, even his build and aura were the same, except for the lack of a black mask.
He was the spitting image of the person who had defeated him yesterday.
’If it’s really him, Brother Yong is in for trouble.’
’But Brother Yong’s Saber Technique has already broken through to Tier Two. He should be able to win, right?’
Not far away, Cao Lin revealed an insidious smile. "Fan Yong is very strong. If it weren’t for his Qi and Blood Value and his academic classes holding him back, he wouldn’t be ranked tenth in his year."
"With his Tier Two Saber Technique, he’ll definitely secure our first victory and deal a heavy blow to their morale."
In the arena, Fan Yong was dressed in a black and red combat suit, brandishing a battle saber. His saber was long and wide—a horse-head saber.
He was tall, nearly two meters, with broad shoulders and thick, round arms. He carried himself with the presence of a giant boulder.
A grin split Fan Yong’s simple, honest face.
"You from No. 2 Middle School, I’ll let you experience my, Fan Yong’s, Saber Technique."
Lin Qi calmly replied, "Clown."
"You’re really asking to die!" Fan Yong was instantly annoyed.
[Match preparation starting!]
[3... 2... 1...]
[First match has officially begun!]
BOOM!
Fan Yong stomped on the ground, his body exploding forward like a rolling boulder. His large saber cut through the air, carrying the momentum of a great mountain.
In that same instant, Lin Qi also charged out, his figure flashing as he strode forward.
He held the great spear in one hand, then gripped it with both as he closed the distance. The spear tip trembled as he poured his strength into a sudden strike.
This time, it was Lin Qi who attacked first.
Fan Yong smiled faintly and swung his great saber. His movements were steady and slow, like a mountain rising from the earth.
He swung the saber upward from below in an exceptionally stable arc, forming a perfect defensive circle.
Pan Stone, Immovable!
CLANG! CLANG!
With astonishing arm strength, Lin Qi delivered more than a dozen thrusts with his spear, but every single one was blocked by the defensive circle Fan Yong created with his whirling battle saber.
"You’ll never break through my defense!"
Fan Yong’s blade danced, as steady as a rock, while he himself remained completely still.
BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
At the same time, his techniques were wide and sweeping, filled with immense power. Each swing of his saber stirred up gusts of wind, as if backed by a thousand tons of force.
When the great spear and the battle saber collided, a powerful force was sent reverberating back.
CLANG! CLANG!
Lin Qi launched several consecutive techniques, but they were all blocked. At the same time, the rebounding force made his arms go numb.
Seeing this, Fan Yong broke into a smug grin.
"I told you, you can’t break my defense!"
In the spectator stands, Jiangtao’s expression was grim.
"Damn it, Brother Qi’s in trouble."
"This guy, Fan Yong, is strong. His Saber Technique has already broken through to Tier Two. Brother Qi can’t get past his defense."
As someone who also practiced the Heavy Mountain Saber Technique, Jiangtao was all too familiar with this particular saber style.
So he could tell that Fan Yong’s skill was exceptional. Even if he were the one fighting, he couldn’t guarantee a win.
"Looks like Lin Qi is going to lose the first match," Yu Jing said, shaking his head.
"It’s just getting started and you’re already jumping to conclusions. What do you know?" Li Zhou retorted.
Yu Jing’s face turned ashen. Just as he was about to retort, Zhang City cut him off.
"Don’t be so quick to jump to conclusions. A battle can change in an instant. Don’t make assumptions until the very last moment."
"The same goes for a real battlefield," Zhang City said in a low, serious voice.
The others nodded and turned their attention back to the arena.
Zhang City furrowed his brow. He had a good deal of confidence in Lin Qi, but he couldn’t guarantee he would win.
All he could do was keep watching.
...
