Trading injury for injury, life for life!

SPURT!

SHINK!

Two cringe-inducing sounds rang out almost simultaneously.

Zhao Qingwei’s sword light pierced Xu Wuyi’s chest as if penetrating a tough layer of leather.

After all, he had come to his senses a moment sooner than Tana. A slight shift of his body had allowed him to avoid his heart.

But the incomparably sharp Sword Qi erupted in an instant, still madly destroying the meridians within his body.

Xu Wuyi’s spear tip, however, had pierced Zhao Qingwei’s heart even earlier.

The spear is longer than the sword!

The majestic, scorching Qi and Blood, mixed with a hint of Heart Fire Intention, instantly shattered her heart’s meridians!

Their figures crossed and froze in place.

Zhao Qingwei looked at the spear shaft piercing her chest, then down at her own longsword buried in his body. A flicker of relief crossed her cold eyes before they quickly dimmed, and she dissipated into a flash of white light.

"East Courtyard, Xu Wuyi wins!"

Leaning on his longspear, Xu Wuyi barely managed to stay on his feet.

The wound on his chest was shocking to behold. Blood gushed out, staining his training uniform red.

His face was pale and his aura rapidly weakened. He was clearly severely injured.

The arena was already buzzing with discussion.

Everyone was stunned by the incredibly brutal, mutual-destruction outcome that had occurred in the blink of an eye.

Zhao Qingwei’s absolutely stunning sword strike had, in the end, been countered by Xu Wuyi’s unbelievably fierce and daring trade.

But Xu Wuyi had also paid an extremely heavy price.

He was grievously wounded, and there was no telling how much of his combat strength he could muster for the next match.

However, with only Sun Ming left for the North Courtyard, it wouldn’t affect the overall situation. The East Courtyard had essentially locked in their victory for this round.

...

As the referee’s announcement of Xu Wuyi’s victory faded, fervent cheers erupted from the East Courtyard’s spectator stands.

In the audience, the focus of discussion had already shifted from the stunningly brutal battle to the final match that was about to begin.

"Xu Wuyi is too heavily injured. Can he still fight?"

"He can definitely fight, but he’s probably at a fraction of his full strength. Sun Ming might not be strong, but he’s a proper Martial Artist. What if..."

"There’s no ’what if’. Even if Xu Wuyi is too injured, the East Courtyard still has two more people after him. This round is a guaranteed win!"

"The North Courtyard’s strategy this round was flawed!" some of the more analytical spectators began to review the match.

"If they hadn’t sent Luo Liang out first, or if Luo Liang had managed to wear Xu Wuyi down more—even just giving him a minor injury—the situation wouldn’t have become so passive for them."

"If Zhao Qingwei had saved that sword strike for a less-than-peak-condition Xu Wuyi, the result might have been completely different!"

"Yeah, sending Luo Liang first, only for him to be taken down by Xu Wuyi almost unscathed, was basically a freebie. Zhao Qingwei traded for most of Xu Wuyi’s life, but there was no one left to follow up."

"Sun Ming’s strength... sigh. There was a fair bit of luck in him breaking through to the Martial Artist realm. His foundation isn’t deep enough, so among Martial Artists, his strength is at the bottom of the barrel. Asking him to finish off a critically wounded Xu Wuyi will probably be difficult."

"There are no ’what ifs’ in a competition. All you can say is that the East Courtyard’s Xu Wuyi is too strong, and his tactical execution was decisive. Qin Rui’s strategy is to send out his ace for a head-on clash, and Xu Wuyi’s is the same. They don’t give you any chance to play matchups."

"..."

...

The short break ended, and the list for the final match appeared on the light screen:

East Courtyard: Xu Wuyi.

North Courtyard: Sun Ming.

When they saw Xu Wuyi still standing on the platform, many people breathed a sigh of relief, only for their hearts to leap into their throats again.

They were relieved because he could still carry on, but anxious that his injuries were too severe and he might suffer an unexpected defeat.

Sun Ming’s figure materialized on the platform. He looked at Xu Wuyi, who, despite his unsteady stance, had eyes that remained calm and composed. A trace of nervousness couldn’t help but show on Sun Ming’s face.

He was a Martial Artist, after all. Anyone who could advance at this stage was a talented Genius in their own right; they just couldn’t compare to those at the very top.

The chance to defeat one of this year’s strongest contenders, even a severely injured one, was both a temptation and a source of pressure.

"Begin match!"

The moment the referee’s voice fell, Xu Wuyi moved.

He showed no hesitation, let alone any thought of holding back or showing sportsmanship.

With his grievous injuries, every second he delayed meant his condition would worsen and the chance for an upset would grow.

WHOOSH!

Xu Wuyi activated Instant Shadow Step, his figure shooting toward Sun Ming like an arrow released from its bow.

His speed was much slower than at his peak, but his resolute aura and the oppressive feeling of his spear tearing through the air still made Sun Ming’s heart tighten.

It was true that luck had played a part in Sun Ming’s advancement to Martial Artist; his own foundation was not particularly solid.

Although his Life Energy Level was marked as 20.2, his Qi and Blood refinement and his control over his power were far inferior to top-tier geniuses like Xu Wuyi and Qin Rui.

Faced with Xu Wuyi’s preemptive attack, Sun Ming subconsciously adopted a defensive stance, brandishing his long saber to protect his vitals.

His thinking was simple and realistic—stall!

’Xu Wuyi is so badly injured, he definitely can’t fight for long. As long as I drag this out, I’ll have a chance!’

CLANG!

Xu Wuyi’s spear tip struck Sun Ming’s saber, letting out a crisp ring.

Sun Ming felt a powerful force transmit through the blade, making his arm slightly numb. He was horrified.

’He’s this injured, yet his strength is still so immense?’

He didn’t dare to block it head-on, so he changed his Step Technique, trying to create some distance.

But how could Sun Ming’s intentions escape the vastly experienced Xu Wuyi? He saw through the plan in a single glance.

’Trying to stall?’ Xu Wuyi’s eyes turned cold, and his assault suddenly quickened.

He no longer aimed for a one-hit kill. Instead, he simplified his Spear Technique, unleashing a flurry of thrusts, sweeps, taps, and parries that rained down on Sun Ming like a sudden squall.

Every strike was infused with condensed Qi and Blood. Although his injuries prevented him from using his full power, his precision and ruthlessness remained.

Sun Ming was hard-pressed to defend himself, his Saber Technique gradually falling into disarray.

He felt like a small boat adrift in a storm, besieged by spear shadows from all directions. The immense pressure left him breathless.

He tried to counterattack, but Xu Wuyi’s spear always managed to seal off his line of attack first, or force him back on defense from a more awkward angle.

’His Spear Technique... how is it still so powerful!’ Sun Ming grew more alarmed the longer he fought, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

He had originally thought that facing a heavily injured opponent, he could at least hold his own for a while. He never imagined that even effectively stalling would be this difficult.

Xu Wuyi’s face was ashen, and waves of pain radiated from the wound on his chest, but the hand gripping his spear was as steady as a rock.

The advantage of his powerful Spiritual Power became apparent at this moment. Even with his body in poor condition, his grasp of the battle and the precision of his moves had not declined significantly.

He knew he had to end this quickly.

Spotting a tiny opening as Sun Ming brought his saber back to block, Xu Wuyi gritted his teeth against the intense pain. He surged his Qi and Blood into his right arm, shifted his footing, and closed the distance in an instant!

The longspear shot out, not as a simple thrust, but as an exquisite, spinning downward press!

"Drop it!"

CLANG!

Sun Ming felt a sharp pain in his wrist as a clever force struck him. He could no longer hold his long saber, and it flew from his grasp.

He was terrified. Before he could even react, the cold spear tip was already pressed against his throat.

The sharp killing intent and heavy, oppressive feeling froze him instantly. He could only watch helplessly as the longspear fell and his figure dissipated into white light.