Chapter 344: An Upset

Chapter 344: Chapter 344: An Upset

Upon hearing this, Havier aimed his spear at Yu Zhuoran with one hand and said with a smile,

"Perfect. I’ve been wanting to see what you’re capable of, too!"

"To be honest... I’d much rather be fighting Lin Qi from your country!"

Havier’s words made Yu Zhuoran’s expression darken. He snorted coldly.

"You’d better worry about getting past me first!"

[Semifinals, Match 2, now beginning!]

An emotionless AI voice announced from above the arena.

And so, the battle for the final spot in the championship match officially began!

"BOOM!"

Two figures, one purple and one white, shot forward, brandishing their respective weapons. One moved like a streak of light, the other like silver lightning, and they clashed in the center of the arena.

It was a clash of titans, a battle between two equals.

In the stands, the students from Xia Country and the White Eagle Federation were also locked in a war of words.

Like Lin Qi, Yu Zhuoran had no shortage of supporters.

Lin Qi watched the two fight fiercely in the arena. ’If my fight with Victor was a clash of pure power...’

’...then Havier and Yu Zhuoran’s is a contest of speed.’

Neither of them was slower than Miyamoto Genichiro—in fact, they were even faster. This was a testament to their Talents.

Their Qi and Blood Values were about the same, but their physical prowess was greater.

"BOOM!!"

"CRASH!!"

After several minutes of fighting, they both activated their Little Divine Powers at the same time.

To Lin Qi, it was as if two towering Eighth-Level Calamity Beasts had suddenly awoken, and their combat power soared.

Their physical abilities were massively enhanced, their strength grew immensely, and they launched into another round of fierce combat.

Even from Lin Qi’s perspective, he couldn’t say for certain who would win.

The gap in their strength was minimal; victory would likely depend on their individual condition during the fight.

A single slip-up could lead to defeat.

’Not like my fight with Victor, where the gap was enormous.’

...

Back in the ruined arena, the battle had reached a fever pitch.

"CLANG!!"

On the concrete road, the purple and white figures collided violently.

A terrifying shockwave radiated outward.

"Yu Zhuoran, you’re still too weak!"

"I’d still rather be fighting Lin Qi!" Havier said suddenly, his voice dripping with false contempt.

Yu Zhuoran, who was about to unleash a Killing Technique, froze for an instant before his expression turned grim.

His hands, slowed by the momentary lapse in concentration, were 0.1 seconds too late.

’This is bad!!’

Yu Zhuoran instantly realized he’d been tricked and frantically executed a Killing Technique with his Saber Technique.

But in that instant, Havier erupted with power. His speed skyrocketed as he unleashed a Killing Technique with his Spear Technique.

"WHOOSH~"

His entire body seemed to transform into a streak of iridescent light, his silver Long Spear piercing the air as it shot straight toward Yu Zhuoran.

Facing Havier’s Killing Technique and sensing the intense danger, Yu Zhuoran also erupted with power, swinging his Silver Battle Saber.

’Faster!!’

His eyes were wild as he screamed inwardly!

"CLANG!"

But he was still too slow. His Battle Saber scraped past the Long Spear, sending sparks flying.

"PFFT~"

Havier’s Long Spear instantly pierced through Yu Zhuoran’s heart.

"Apologies. I win!"

Havier maintained his smile, watching Yu Zhuoran collapse to the ground with a look of pure indignation, right before he dissipated into the Void.

[Match 2: Havier Wright (White Eagle Federation) is victorious!]

"Ladies and gentlemen, let us congratulate Havier Wright from the White Eagle Federation for defeating contestant Yu Zhuoran!"

"Let’s give him a big round of applause for successfully advancing to the finals!"

Xu Wenji announced loudly from above the arena.

After finishing the announcement, he looked toward Yu Zhuoran in the stands and sighed inwardly.

’To think that Yu Zhuoran, the one everyone favored, actually lost.’

’The only silver lining is that we still have Lin Qi. Otherwise, the championship for our Xia Country would be handed right over to the White Eagle Federation.’

"CLAP CLAP CLAP!!"

Amid the thunderous applause, the spectators from Xia Country looked quite dejected.

"Holy crap, Yu Zhuoran actually lost!"

"There goes the all-Xia Country final I was looking forward to!"

"Looks like it’s all up to Lin Qi in the end."

...

「In the upper viewing area」

In the White Eagle Federation’s section, a burly, blond man named Lode folded his arms and burst out laughing.

"Excellent work, Havier!"

"As expected! Havier can always be trusted!"

"Now that he’s defeated Yu Zhuoran, he has no rivals left. He just needs to ride this momentum, crush Xia Country’s Lin Qi, and seize the championship."

"He’ll defeat Xia Country’s two great geniuses back-to-back and forge his own legend."

...

Meanwhile, many of Xia Country’s leaders, especially those from Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy, fell silent.

They felt as if they’d been slapped, their faces stinging with a burning shame.

They had all been saying Yu Zhuoran would make it to the finals, but now he had lost.

"Thankfully, we in Xia Country still have Lin Qi."

"We can only place our hopes on him now," Dean Liu spoke up.

"It’ll be difficult!"

The Dean of the Ninth Institute, who was dressed in blue robes, frowned and shook his head.

"Lin Qi has clear disadvantages compared to Havier."

Mu Hong interjected sternly, "But he’s the one in the finals!"

"I still have faith in my disciple!"

"He was able to win the freshman tournament, so of course he can win this one, too."

...

「In the Xia Country stands, at the Azure Sky Tenth Institute’s section」

Yu Zhuoran was teleported back, his face pale and his eyes vacant.

"Zhuoran, are you okay?"

Pei Jiu exchanged a glance with the others before asking.

Yu Zhuoran shook his head. "Just give me a minute."

This defeat was a massive blow to him.

He had been a Top Level genius his entire life, always number one in his studies and always number one in Martial Arts.

He’d had a few rivals back in high school, but ever since his Awakening, his Talent had grown even stronger, and he had been peerless.

It had been completely smooth sailing; he was virtually unrivaled.

This was the first time he had ever tasted defeat.

The fact that he was so easily provoked by Havier proved that his Psychological Quality still had room for improvement.

This failure was a profound lesson for him.

"It’s all up to Lin Qi now. If Havier from the White Eagle Federation actually wins the championship..."

"...it will be a huge embarrassment for Xia Country!" Wan Ming said, shaking his head.

"I think we can still put our faith in Lin Qi," Xia Lian said earnestly.

"Even Yu Zhuoran lost. How could Lin Qi possibly be a match for Havier?" Shen Zhenzhen sneered.

...

「Meanwhile, in the Azure Sky Sixth Institute’s section」

Lin Qi let out a breath. He, too, was very surprised that Yu Zhuoran had lost.

He had clearly seen Havier’s mouth move during that final exchange.

Yu Zhuoran had faltered for just an instant, and that single moment had determined the victor.

"Brother Qi, Yu Zhuoran actually lost?!"

"Now our Xia Country has to rely on you!" Jiangtao said, turning his head in surprise.

"Brother Qi, it’s all up to you!"

Everyone was on edge; their obsession with winning the championship was immense.

As the most powerful nation on Blue Star, failing to win the global freshman tournament would be an unspoken regret for their entire generation of new students.

Lin Qi nodded in response.

"Don’t worry. We’ll win."

...

At the same time, Xu Wenji’s projection appeared once more beside the giant Pyramid.

"Ladies and gentlemen, after five long days..."

"...our global freshman tournament is finally approaching its end. The championship will be decided between two contestants."

"They are contestant Havier Wright from the White Eagle Federation—their Superman—a formidable powerhouse who has defeated countless opponents."

"And from Xia Country, the record-breaking contestant known as the Mountain Monarch, Lin Qi!"

"As an Unawakened genius, he has defeated countless experts on his path here."

"Only one of these two men will be able to go all the way and claim the champion’s throne!"

...