Once Fang Ping was back in the team, Tang Feng stepped forward, glanced at him, and whispered: “No problem right?”
Fang Ping shook his head slightly; the injury was not that serious.
However, this did not mean that Yao Chengjun was weak. If Fang Ping had failed to damage his Mentality, this battle would not have concluded so quickly.
Even so, Yao Chengjun’s unerring marksmanship and the implosion of his vigor had injured Fang Ping’s internal organs.
If there was another powerhouse like Yao Chengjun in the First Military School, Fang Ping would have been done for. Even his tough physique had its limit and it was not as if he were invincible.
Fang Ping shook his head, but off to the side, Qin Fengqing curled his lips and said, “Just pretend to be intimidating, you can already take a bath in all that blood of yours.”
Having said that and giving Fang Ping no chance to retort, he immediately demanded, “Give me back my saber.”
Fang Ping did not waste words on him; he tossed the saber over right away.
As for taking a bath in his blood...it would just take getting used to. After all, it was not the first time.
After Qin Fengqing caught his saber and inspected it carefully, he said in distress, “Look at this, there are so many scratches! It’s not your saber, that’s why you don’t care. Don’t pretend, even if you didn’t counter his last attack, he would still lose...”
Grade B alloy sabers were not so easily shattered and notches would not easily appear.
However, scratches...were inevitable.
During the fierce confrontation, Yao Chengjun’s long spear was not of inferior quality, so there were many visible scratches on the saber now.
Fang Ping said indignantly, “What’s wrong with a few scratches for more than ten million? One million for one scratch should be more than enough, stop whining!”
“I...”
Qin Fengqing felt like scolding him, the main thing was that he had not seen the money!
If he were to see the ten million, then he would stop complaining.
Fang Ping ignored him because the battle between CCMAU and NMAU was about to begin. At this time, both sides were in the midst of preparation.
...
CCMAU’s team.
At this moment, the Grandmaster came personally and said softly, “Don’t be flustered by Fang Ping. Just do your best.”
Li Hansong nodded and exhaled. “Dean you can rest assured about that. Although Fang Ping is strong, he’s not strong to the extent that I don’t stand a chance of defeating him. The winner or loser can only be determined after the fight!”
“That’s good, but you must be careful when you face Wang Jinyang.”
“I know.”
Li Hansong glanced over at Wang Jinyang. Across from him, Wang Jinyang was alone, stroking his sword. The other team members of NMAU were all feeling reluctant and helpless.
NMAU could only rely on Wang Jinyang. Even if Lan Wufeng were to come on stage, it would probably take only one punch to defeat him.
...
The second battle began very soon.
This time, Master Fu was not the commentator but Luo Yichuan of MCMAU instead.
Luo Yichuan spoke highly of both competitors, but said in the end, “Wang Jinyang is from NMAU. At a university such as NMAU, it is truly not easy to progress to this point. This has nothing to do with talent. No matter how talented, without hard work, it would be difficult for Wang Jinyang to get to this level.”
Wang Jinyang’s talent was immense and his bone marrow had mutated.
However, bone marrow mutation did not necessarily guarantee that one would become a strong powerhouse. If one did not put in hard work, even if one were given a golden body, it would still be a waste.
NMAU’s conditions were inferior to all these elite schools.
Wang Jinyang had not been surpassed by other people, not through any special care that NMAU had given him, but through his countless battles in the depths of the Catacombs where he had hunted out his own opportunities.
...
On the stage.
As soon as the two combatants stepped on stage, their momentum reached its ultimate peak.
Li Hansong’s momentum was extremely strong, but Wang Jinyang was no weaker than him. This surprised many of the strong powerhouses.
Li Hansong had also been honed in battle, as he had managed to secure the seventh position in Rank-4 before. Even though Wang Jinyang did not fight a lot, to be able to gain this kind of momentum was indeed very rare.
Once the referee saw that the two had no intention of speaking, without further delay he shouted: “Begin!”
As soon as the referee finished speaking, an energy blade penetrated the void as if it might shatter the sky, and sliced down in the blink of an eye!
That was Wang Jinyang’s saber!
However, Li Hansong astonished everyone even further!
A gold light suddenly radiated from Li Hansong’s head, instantly enveloping his entire body and converging around his fists!
Li Hansong leaped into the air; when he launched off the stage, it sank deep into the ground!
The next moment, Li Hansong raised his fist high in the air. The fierce golden light was so piercing many people had to close their eyes.
Boom!
A loud crack sounded. Some viewers in the audience were made so uncomfortable they even felt sick and nauseous.
Both of the combatants were blasting their ultimate moves!
...
At this moment, Liu Dali moved in front of Fang Ping to interview him but Fang Ping shouted, “Shut up!”
Who had time to pay attention to Liu Dali right now!
Both of these fighters might be Fang Ping’s opponents in the future. With opponents like these, it was necessary to assess their strengths first.
Liu Dali was speechless; he had no choice but to raise his head and look up.
He could not see anything!
The fight was so boring!
All that could be seen midair was a continuous collision between a beam of blood-red energy and a beam of golden energy. Ferocious roars were heard continuously. Some people nearby felt the tremors in their bodies; Liu Dali also felt some pressure.
Fang Ping was not affected and was also looking up.
The two on stage had unleashed their powers full force. Wang Jinyang’s saber was extremely fast and strong, but Li Hansong’s skull was naturally honed—he was practically a semi-golden body. As he unleashed his power, the force of his Iron Fist was astounding.
“Here comes the forty-meter changdao!” Fang Ping muttered as Liu Dali watched in boredom.
Immediately a gigantic blood-red energy blade appeared in mid-air!
“Hah!”
Li Hansong’s explosive roar resounded through the air. The golden light above his head was like the sun, causing many of the low-ranked martial artists to tear up.
“He is quite tenacious,” Fang Ping muttered again. Li Hansong’s skull was naturally honed; even his body had some characteristics of an immortal.
Now that he was in full force, even when the blood-red energy blade came hurtling down, Li Hansong did not dodge or retreat. Instead, he sent his golden fist violently towards the sword!
The energy blade did not stop at a single attack either; as soon as Li Hansong shattered the first, the second energy blade sliced down.
Then a second, and a third...
After they continuously clashed seven or eight times in a row, the two gradually landed back onto the stage. At this moment, the hitherto silent Wang Jinyang suddenly growled, and his whole body was enveloped in blood-red light!
A sound like the waves of a large river could be heard emanating from his body.
This was the sound of the flow of blood!
“Whoosh...”
It was hard to imagine that the flow of blood in a person’s body could produce a sound like turbulent waves.
Luo Yichuan explained quickly, “Bone marrow like mercury! What a fitting name!”
The reason for him saying this was that Fang Ping had also claimed that his bone marrow was like mercury, but he had hardly unleashed any special moves with it. At the very least it did not look as spectacular as what Wang Jinyang was doing.
...
Fang Ping stared at Wang Jinyang’s body which looked as if it was fully covered with blood, stunned for a moment. Then he cursed quietly. What a show-off!
Then again...he did not seem to know this move. Bone marrow like mercury was only supposed to accelerate the recovery of the Vitality, was it not?
Did it also stimulate Vitality to amplify Vitality Force?
At this moment, both of them were creating a spectacle. One was like a golden god of war, and the other was like a scarlet demon. Based on appearance alone, it was more entertaining to watch than the Mentality confrontation between Fang Ping and Yao Chengjun.
Mentality confrontations were intangible. Unless one had reached Grandmaster rank, it would not be able to manifest, and ordinary people would not be able to see it.
The two blood-red and golden-colored figures were constantly clashing.
From time to time, Li Hansong’s iron fist and Wang Jinyang’s changdao would strike the stage. Despite the stage being covered by A-grade alloy, faint cracks still appeared.
After all, this was not alloy used for forging weapons. As both of them unleashed their full powers without restraint, their strength was certainly no weaker than that of the Rank-5 Middle and Upper-stage powerhouses.
“Attack!”
While everyone was trying to follow the chaos on stage, Wang Jinyang let out a cold roar.
When martial artists fought, they would often roar loudly to release pressure.
Right after the shout rang out, everyone saw the blood-red energy blade swiftly obliterating the energy from the golden fist.
...
“Winner and loser will be decided now!”
Tang Feng said in a low voice.
His words had not yet settled before Li Hansong also let out a roar. A more intense stream of light radiated from his fist.
Boom!
The two launched their moves at each other, blood-red and golden shadows of light shooting out at the same time!
At this point, some Grandmasters intervened and shielded the audience area with a Mentality barrier.
The two figures slammed against the Mentality barrier and a loud sound was heard once again.
The next moment, across the distance, a blood-red energy blade surged into the air.
Wang Jinyang stopped his retreat. The Vitality Force enveloping his body intensified and the sound of blood flowing could be heard even clearer. Then the energy blade came hurtling down!
Before the energy blade could even reach the ground, a huge crack had already appeared!
Li Hansong also leaped into the air, bombarding his opponent with blow after blow from his fists, but he was continuously being pushed under. Wang Jinyang followed up with one strike after another. After a few rounds, Li Hansong was forced into the ground itself, the impact of his feet creating a deep crater that sent earth and shattered rocks flying out.
At this moment, Wang Jinyang charged over, the changdao in his hand no longer emanating its Vitality energy blade, and lifted his weapon to slash at both of Li Hansong’s fists!
Sparks flew again and some of the surrounding objects were set on fire. These, however, were quickly put out by the Mentality of the Grandmaster powerhouses.
As the slashes descended, Li Hansong sank even deeper into the ground. The two of them continued their fight and descended below ground.
The audience craned their necks for a better view while Fang Ping continued to watch the battle, his Mentality hovering alongside in fine strands.
A burst of loud noise came from below ground.
Within seconds, a figure surged forth from the crater.
Wang Jinyang was slightly unsteady on his feet; blood was gushing from his mouth, and the blood-red energy around his body had dispersed. At this time, everybody could see that the fabric over his chest was ripped and the mark of a fist showed through clearly. His sternum had collapsed slightly as well.
The audience was a little dazed. Was this a win or a defeat?
Soon, everyone got their answer.
After a while, Li Hansong clambered out from the deep crater.
Compared to Wang Jinyang, Li Hansong did not appear to have any external injuries, but the spectators who caught sight of his face could not help exclaiming in shock.
Li Hansong’s face seemed to have been sliced open and golden light was surging, continuously repairing the wound.
However, as he still did not have the resilience of a golden body powerhouse, the cuts had not been completely healed yet. The distinct slash wound was still terrifying.
Wang Jinyang had sliced open Li Hansong’s head!
...
“This fellow must be cheating!”
Fang Ping could not help muttering. Li Hansong’s Headbutt Technique was awesome!
Wang Jinyang’s saber had sliced into him, yet not only had Li Hansong not been cleaved in half, but his injuries also were not too serious either. They appeared to be hideous but in fact, the injuries were not too serious. This Headbutt Technique was really something enviable.
As Fang Ping said that, several people nearby glanced at him, rolling their eyes.
Other people could say that, but Fang Ping had no right to!
...
On the stage.
Wang Jinyang looked at Li Hansong. Li Hansong said nothing but turned and walked off the stage.
He had lost!
Although his injuries were not life-threatening, his skull was slightly cracked. If he were to continue fighting right now, it would almost certainly become a matter of life and death.
As soon as Li Hansong left, the referee descended from midair, shouting, “Wang Jinyang wins, do we continue?”
Wang Jinyang’s expression did not change. He nodded, “Continue!”
CCMAU’s second fighter was Qin Ze, who was a powerhouse in the top 100 ranking list. Qin Ze did not delay either. Walking past Li Hansong, he nodded slightly and leaped into the air.
As soon as he went onstage, Qin Ze unleashed his full abilities. With a surge of Vitality Force, he struck with his saber!
“Boom!”
Wang Jinyang raised his saber to counterattack but retreated several steps. He frowned slightly, blood oozing from his chest.
At the opposite end, Qin Ze’s face was slightly solemn. Without holding back, he continued to attack ferociously.
Wang Jinyang retreated several times, changdao in hand; he did not attack any further.
After exchanging blows for several minutes, Wang Jinyang suddenly drew back his saber. The huge energy blade appeared again and sliced down!
“Ooof!”
Blood gushed out from Qin Ze’s mouth and he flew backward a good distance but charged forward again.
Wang Jinyang coughed and swung his saber for another strike. Qin Ze’s body accumulated multiple deep slash marks one after the other. Finally, he was unable to fight anymore and had to retreat from the stage.
...
After defeating the two men in succession, Wang Jinyang was like an arrow at the end of its flight.
In the grandstand, Fang Ping frowned slightly, “If he continues to fight, he’ll injure his core.”
Wang Jinyang was very strong, this Fang Ping had to admit.
Li Hansong was not weaker than Yao Chengjun; he might even be stronger. Of course, as the two had not fought before, it was difficult to say. Yao Chengjun was weaker when facing Fang Ping because his advantage in Mentality had been restrained.
Encounter Li Hansong would be a huge advantage, however. It would be difficult to predict who would win or lose.
Wang Jinyang was a cut stronger than Li Hansong, but after defeating Li Hansong, he had also suffered serious injuries. Then he had encountered Qin Ze’s desperate style of fighting. At this moment, if he were to continue, his internal organs would be seriously injured.
Meanwhile, CCMAU had another Peak Rank-4!
Even if this opponent was not as good as Qin Ze and the others, it would not be easy for Wang Jinyang to defeat another Rank-4 martial artist, especially when he was already seriously injured.
Tang Feng shook his head slightly. “Maybe it’s to avoid encountering you. Yao Chengjun is injured yet you seem to be fine. He would have a chance if he were to fight against Yao Chengjun since overall, the First Military School is not as strong as we are. But to fight with us...that would be difficult.”
If NMAU lost this time, they would have to face MCMAU. MCMAU’s Chen Wenlong and the others were still in perfect condition and Fang Ping had defeated Yao Chengjun. Wang Jinyang would find it difficult to fight.
On the contrary, if he defeated CCMAU, and then fought against the First Military School, there would still be a chance for NMAU to enter the finals.
While Fang Ping and Tang Feng discussed, Wang Jinyang chose to continue fighting.
This battle was even more difficult.
Wang Jinyang evaded his opponent’s attack several times halfway through and started to focus on dodging attacks. However, he was still hit by several punches and his chest injury became more serious.
Eventually, Wang Jinyang unleashed another outburst, defeating his opponent with a stroke of his saber and seriously injuring the third person from CCMAU.
“Conti...”
Wang Jinyang had not even finished speaking before NMAU’s old chancellor ordered suddenly from the grandstand, “Stand down!”
Wang Jinyang gave him a sidelong glance. The chancellor of NMAU gently shook his head. If this continued, Wang Jinyang would have to delay the prime time of his cultivation. If his injuries were too serious, they could not be easily healed by pills, just like Bai Ruoxi, when she had heavily injured her internal organs before. She had to rest and cultivate for more than half a year.
Wang Jinyang’s eyes betrayed his struggle, but he did not continue with the match. He strode down from the stage but sighed in his heart.
...
When Wang Jinyang retreated, CCMAU was relieved.
In the subsequent matches, everyone could almost predict the results.
This was not entirely unexpected. Two Upper-stage Rank-4 martial artists going up against one Early-stage Rank-4 and three Rank-3 martial artists who were not even at Peak Rank-3....this kind of match would rarely produce any major surprises.
Although Lan Wufeng fought desperately, he still lost to the Upper-stage Rank-4 powerhouse. He was eventually put out of commission by a sword impaling his right arm and slumped to the ground.
The remaining three people fought hard but were easily defeated by a few moves.
The last battle of Group B was a bit disappointing.
Even though Wang Jinyang had defeated the three Peak Rank-4 powerhouses, NMAU still lost. The overall gap between the schools was painfully obvious here.
If there had been another person who could have aided in the offensive however, they would have not been defeated.
After a few minutes, the referee shouted, “CCMAU has won!”
However, the CCMAU students who were outside the gym did not cheer.
This match had caused them some embarrassment.
MCMAU’s Fang Ping had single-handedly defeated the First Military School.
The First Military School had more of a name than NMAU.
When CCMAU faced NMAU, all three Peak Rank-4s were defeated by one person, and only when the fourth person fought had they managed to win. The victory was hard-won and there had even been the possibility of failure halfway through.
Right now no matter how one looked at it, CCMAU was not as good as MCMAU.
...
“Brother Wang, from the looks of it, either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow we’ll fight each other.”
At this point in the competition, it had already been determined that MCMAU would fight NMAU, and the First Military School would face CCMAU.
It only remained for the draw tomorrow to see who would fight first.
Tomorrow and the day after, there would be one match per day.
Having said that, Fang Ping frowned slightly and asked, “Can your injuries heal that fast?”
Wang Jinyang was looking rather pale at the moment, but he smiled and said, “Wait and see.”
Fang Ping smiled as well, stroking the saber at his waist, and shook his head slightly. “I might not need to use this.”
Both Wang Jinyang’s and Li Hansong’s injuries were not light.
If Li Hansong were to fight against Yao Chengjun, even if he managed to win, he might not have much strength left.
On the contrary, Fang Ping had not suffered too many injuries. With such a tight schedule, the competition was not only about strength but also about tenacity and endurance.
The others might not be as resilient as he was. In the finals, they might not be able to fight at full strength.
Wang Jinyang glanced at him and said nothing.