After a brief moment of silence, the entire arena erupted in an uproar!
The commentator’s voice trembled with sheer excitement.
"My god! Oh my god! Another Great Success Killing Technique!"
"Lei Yi from Dubhe Martial Arts High School has been hiding his true strength all this time!"
"His Wind Thunder Stick Skill has also reached the Great Success Realm!"
The commentator was undeniably passionate.
With Lei Yi’s dominant victory, the pace of the tournament picked up once again.
The final five were officially decided: Qin Feng, Lei Yi, Shi Potian, and two other freshmen who had fought hard to advance with their Minor Success Killing Techniques.
The next round of drawings was even more dramatic.
The system’s lights flashed, and the result was revealed—Qin Feng had received another bye! He advanced directly to the top three!
The other two matchups were just as predictable.
Lei Yi defeated his opponent cleanly and efficiently.
As for Shi Potian, he emerged victorious after a grueling battle, narrowly defeating the other Minor Success-level freshman by leveraging his superior Combat Will and extensive practical experience.
The final three stood below the stage, about to draw for the final round-robin matches.
However, at that moment, Shi Potian let out a long breath. He glanced at Qin Feng, whose presence was as deep and unmovable as an abyss, and then at Lei Yi, whose will to battle surged to the heavens. A relieved smile appeared on his face.
He said to the two of them:
"Making it to the top three is more than I could have hoped for; I’ve already exceeded my goal. The stage from here on out belongs to you two monsters. I won’t go up there and be a backdrop, spoiling the audience’s fun."
With that, he turned and announced clearly to the referee:
"Referee, I forfeit. I will voluntarily take third place."
His decision wasn’t born from fear of battle but from a clear self-awareness and respect for true power.
He knew that what the entire audience wanted to see most right now was that ultimate showdown—a clash of titans.
Shi Potian’s graceful act earned him a thunderous round of applause from the entire arena.
With Shi Potian’s forfeiture, the final match-up for this year’s Qimingxing Inter-School League Freshman Tournament was officially set!
At that moment, the atmosphere in the arena was pushed to its absolute peak!
On the giant holographic screen, the portraits of Qin Feng and Lei Yi were displayed side-by-side. Beneath them was their information, enough to make any opponent’s heart pound with dread.
[Gun of Dawn]: Qin Feng - Thousand Army Spear (Great Success)
[Dubhe’s Thunder]: Lei Yi - Wind Thunder Stick (Great Success)
The commentator’s voice was hoarse and frenzied, and he roared with all his might:
"Ladies and gentlemen! After eight rounds of intense combat, we have finally reached the ultimate showdown of this year’s league! Great Success Spear Technique versus Great Success Stick Skill! Two peerless geniuses who have swept through the competition undefeated are about to clash on this grandest of stages to decide the one true King!"
Amidst a tsunami of cheers, Qin Feng and Lei Yi walked from opposite ends of the arena, step by step, toward the central main stage, which was bathed in brilliant light.
Their gazes met in mid-air, and it was as if invisible bolts of lightning were clashing fiercely.
The audience’s blood was pumping. Their cheers and shouts merged into a sound wave that shot to the heavens, threatening to blow the roof off the "Crown of the North Pole."
The match was about to begin!
The battle was imminent!
-----------------
All eyes were on the central main stage.
Bright spotlights bathed the hundred-meter-diameter alloy platform in light, making it as bright as day.
Qin Feng and Lei Yi faced each other from thirty meters apart.
At that instant, the entire "Crown of the North Pole" arena fell into an eerie silence. Hundreds of thousands of spectators held their breath in unison, afraid to miss a single moment of what was to come.
The air seemed to freeze. Only the tangible Battle Intent radiating from the two combatants collided violently in the unseen space, sending out ripples.
On one side was the peerless dark horse from Qiming First High School who had appeared out of nowhere, his Great Success Spear Technique sweeping through all enemies, unmatched and unstoppable.
On the other was the deeply hidden ace of Dubhe Martial Arts High School, also wielding a Great Success Stick Skill, his style as swift and decisive as lightning, overwhelmingly tyrannical.
This was a duel between Kings.
The referee took one deep look at the two opponents, quickly retreated to the edge of the stage, and then swung his arm down sharply!
"Match—begin!"
The instant the word "begin" was uttered, Lei Yi moved!
Without a hint of probing or holding back, he entered his strongest state the moment the battle began!
He unleashed his Wind Thunder Step to its absolute limit!
His figure transformed into a blinding streak of lightning. The alloy stage beneath his feet even groaned as if under immense strain the moment he pushed off.
He shot toward Qin Feng, moving so fast it was like teleportation!
The half-meter short sticks he dual-wielded let out a SWOOSH! SWOOSH! as they tore through the air, their momentum absolutely staggering!
Facing this thunderous opening strike, Qin Feng didn’t retreat. He advanced!
Using his Dragon Body Technique, his form became erratic and unpredictable. He seemed to transform into a wisp of incorporeal green smoke, sidestepping at an unbelievable angle to evade the attack.
At the same time, the three-meter Alloy Long Spear in his hands seemed to come alive.
Using his body as an axis, he parried, blocked, jabbed, and swept with his Long Spear. In an instant, a visible, absolute defensive circle formed from countless spear afterimages!
Lei Yi’s figure was as fast as lightning. When his first strike missed, he forcibly twisted his body in mid-air and launched another ferocious assault from a different angle.
Countless stick afterimages, carrying the sound of wind and thunder, rained down on Qin Feng from all directions.
But no matter which angle he attacked from, he was always met by a precise and cunning spear afterimage.
"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"
The dense clang of metal on metal rang out across the stage.
Qin Feng’s spear defense was like an indestructible dam, holding back Lei Yi’s tempestuous assault.
’He’s fast, and his power is immense,’ a thought flashed through Qin Feng’s mind.
’But his stick skill... is far inferior to Senior Sun He’s.’
’Sun He’s Great Success Stick Skill was "fed" to him, blow by blow, in the Qiming High School Private Domain by countless upperclassmen and old monsters who had graduated years ago.’
’Every single one of his techniques was imbued with the essence of a "killing art" that had been refined a thousand times over—concise, efficient, and deadly.’
’Lei Yi’s stick skill, on the other hand, while also at the Great Success Realm, still carries a trace of an "academic" stiffness. It’s more flashy than fatal.’
’It lacks the concise deadliness that can only be forged through countless life-and-death battles.’
The more Lei Yi fought, the more his heart sank.
His pride and joy, his speed, gained him no advantage against Qin Feng’s unpredictable and seemingly illogical Dragon Body Technique.
And his torrential barrage of strikes, powerful enough to shatter stone tablets, was neutralized every single time with an exquisite technique that deflected great force with a gentle touch.
That Long Spear would sometimes strike like a Spiritual Snake flicking its tongue, lightly tapping the side of his stick to dissipate its force. At other times, it would move like a giant python coiling, sweeping his attacks aside.
’This isn’t working!’ Alarm bells went off in Lei Yi’s mind.
’His spear technique realm is definitely higher than mine!’
’Qin Feng’s Thousand Army Spear has been at the Great Success Realm for a long time! It might even be approaching Perfection!’
’The transitions between his techniques are seamless and fluid, without a single flaw. His offense and defense are one!’
’My Wind Thunder Stick has only just entered the Great Success Realm. In terms of technical finesse, I’m being completely suppressed!’