The battle began. Sun Ming knew he was no match, but he summoned his courage and unleashed everything he had learned, his offense proving surprisingly fierce.

Qin Rui wasn’t in a rush to win. His Swordsmanship remained swift and precise, but he controlled his power and tempo, as if treating this duel like a training match.

Three minutes passed quickly amidst the intense exchange.

Though Sun Ming was constantly at a disadvantage, with several cuts on him from the sword’s wind, his eyes only grew brighter.

He could feel the respect Qin Rui was showing him—a respect for his status as a Martial Artist.

Finally, Qin Rui seized an opening that wasn’t truly an opening. With a flash of his sword, as swift as a fleeting shadow, he pierced through Sun Ming’s defense, the tip of the blade coming to a gentle stop over his heart.

The burst of Qi and Blood was instantly retracted.

Sun Ming shuddered, feeling a faint numbness over his heart. He knew his opponent had held back.

He sheathed his weapon and gave Qin Rui a solemn fist-and-palm salute. "Thank you for the lesson, Mr. Qin!"

"You fought well," Qin Rui replied, returning the salute with a calm expression.

"West Courtyard, Qin Rui wins!"

"Second round, West Courtyard wins!"

With the referee’s final announcement, the duel between the West Courtyard and the North Courtyard concluded. The West Courtyard had secured victory without any major setbacks.

The audience erupted in fervent applause. The West Courtyard had proven its strength, not only with the flawless Qin Rui but also with the dark horse, Tana. The North Courtyard, too, had shown its mettle with Zhao Qingwei’s stunning sword strike and Sun Ming’s unyielding performance.

Only Luo Liang was temporarily forgotten in some corner, mentioned only as a background prop whenever someone discussed Tana.

In the East Courtyard’s rest area, Xu Wuyi had taken in the entire exchange.

"Qin Rui’s gotten stronger," Shen Wei said, clicking his tongue. "And that guy... he’s got some principles."

Xu Wuyi smiled. "We’re all classmates; it should be this way. If we enter the Star Realm Battlefield in the future, we’ll all be comrades-in-arms. What grudge could be so deep that it can’t be resolved?"

Having constantly taken on missions to earn points recently, Xu Wuyi had come into contact with many other Martial Artists, which deepened his perspective on the matter.

The Federation had never truly been safe. Star Beasts and Alien Races were constantly pouring in from unknown corners of the universe.

They could practice Martial Arts in peace on campus only because countless others had put their own training aside to drive out these uninvited guests.

In the grand scheme of things, with all human Martial Artists fighting as one, their squabbles and conflicts at school were as laughable as children bickering.

...

After a short break, the second round of matches began: East Courtyard versus North Courtyard. The final round would be a showdown between the East and West Courtyards.

This wasn’t decided by a random draw. In the previous point-based tournament, the West and East Courtyards had ranked first and second, respectively, so the rules dictated they would face each other last.

In the rest area, Shen Wei cracked his knuckles eagerly and was the first to speak. "Old Xu, for this round against the North Courtyard, let Zhou Mingxuan and me go first!"

"That punk Luo Liang just got hammered by Tana, so he’s definitely stewing. It’s the perfect chance to go up there and frustrate him some more. The two of us will wear him down and do our best to force Zhao Qingwei to make her move again. The rest will be up to you."

Zhou Mingxuan nodded steadily beside him, clearly agreeing with this strategy, which was designed to clear the path for Xu Wuyi.

However, Xu Wuyi slowly shook his head, his calm gaze sweeping over his two teammates. "No. This round, I’m going up first."

"Huh?" Shen Wei was taken aback. "You’re going first? Then what about Zhao Qingwei...?"

"Qin Rui’s strategy in the last match was correct," Xu Wuyi cut him off. "If I go first, Luo Liang is no match for me. And if Zhao Qingwei wants to beat me, she’ll have to use that same sword strike."

"If I can’t take it, I’ll do what Tana did and try my best to heavily injure Zhao Qingwei. I’ll leave the rest to you."

He looked at Shen Wei and Zhou Mingxuan, his eyes filled with trust.

Shen Wei and Zhou Mingxuan exchanged a look, seeing the determination reflected in each other’s eyes.

"Alright! We’ll do it your way!" Shen Wei nodded firmly.

"Don’t worry." Xu Wuyi gave a slight nod, his gaze shifting to the screen that was about to display the match-up.

Soon, the screen flickered and the roster for the first match was announced:

East Courtyard: Xu Wuyi.

North Courtyard: Luo Liang.

...

On the arena stage, the white light faded.

Luo Liang stared at Xu Wuyi, who stood opposite him holding a spear. New and old grudges intertwined, and his eyes were practically shooting fire.

Their side had anticipated that the East Courtyard might send Xu Wuyi up first; it was the same strategy Qin Rui had used.

But the North Courtyard still decided to send Luo Liang out first. They knew Xu Wuyi’s Spiritual Power was incredibly formidable; having awakened his True Intention of Martial Arts back in high school, he was on a completely different level from Tana.

Zhao Qingwei’s sword strike had been able to seize Tana’s Heart and Spirit for an instant kill, but she had no confidence that she could do the same to Xu Wuyi.

That’s why they sent Luo Liang out first. Even if he ultimately lost, he could at least try to drain Xu Wuyi’s Spirit.

Luo Liang was quite confident about this.

In their last encounter, he had been instantly knocked out by a single Soul Suppressing spear strike, becoming the laughingstock of the entire first-year class.

After that bitter experience, he had reflected on his failure and, at great cost, specifically cultivated a Spirit Defense Secret Technique. Although he hadn’t reached the Great Success stage, he was confident he would no longer be as vulnerable as he was last time.

Although Tana’s Heavy Hammer had defeated him, that was a case of brute force overwhelming skill in a head-on clash. He had no excuses for that loss; in fact, it had only ignited his ferocity.

He refused to believe that Xu Wuyi could also possess the same monstrous strength as Tana!

"Xu Wuyi!" Luo Liang practically spat the name through clenched teeth. "This time, I won’t give you a single opening!"

Before his words had even faded, the Qi and Blood in his body erupted. He activated his Golden Jade Skills at full power, and a solid, heavy layer of golden-jade light instantly covered his entire body, appearing even deeper and more profound than last time.

At the same time, the Spiritual Defense barrier in his sea of consciousness quietly rose, standing at the ready.

He was determined not to give Xu Wuyi any opportunity to launch a Spiritual Attack. He would rely on the Absolute Defense of his Golden Jade Skills, combined with the Fist Technique he had painstakingly practiced, to avenge his previous humiliation!

"Begin!"

At the referee’s command, Luo Liang was the first to attack.

He used his Step Technique to shoot forward, his glowing golden fist tearing through the air with a vicious aura as he aimed straight for Xu Wuyi’s center.

The wind from his punch howled, and the golden light on his Gloves flashed. It was clear that after officially becoming a Martial Artist, his strength and speed had increased significantly.

However, faced with Luo Liang’s fully charged punch, Xu Wuyi’s reaction caught everyone by surprise.

He didn’t counter motion with stillness as he had last time, nor did he gather his spiritual Mental Realm or use any bizarre Body Technique.

He didn’t even use the "Soul Suppressing" Domain that had stunned the entire audience in the previous round.

He simply sidestepped, twisted his waist, and thrust his spear!

The dark red spear, like a dormant dragon, struck second but arrived first, aiming with unerring precision for Luo Liang’s wrist.

Qi and Blood condensed at the spear’s tip, radiating a searing heat, but there was no spiritual pressure whatsoever.

’Hm?’ Luo Liang’s heart tightened. ’He’s not using a Spiritual Attack?’

But his attack was already underway, and it was too late to change tactics. He could only steel himself and maintain his Fist Momentum. The golden-jade light on his arm flared brightly as he prepared to block the spear head-on, his other fist already poised to close the distance for a ferocious assault.

CLANG!

The spear tip struck Luo Liang’s wrist, producing the sharp clang of metal on metal.