"Second brother, that Jiang Qing is already injured, doesn’t big brother stand a chance to win?" Xia Yue asked.
Xu Ming shook his head and didn’t respond, but the worry in his eyes showed he didn’t have high hopes for this match. At this mont, everyone’s eyes were focused on Jiang Qing. After being repelled by Qiu Yong’s Mountain Collapse technique, Jiang Qing lay flat on the ground in a ’big’ shape, showing no sign of movent for quite so ti. So began to whisper, wondering if Jiang Qing had fainted.
While everyone was whispering, Jiang Qing suddenly sat up from the ground. Imdiately after, he grinned and began laughing heartily, as if he were enjoying himself imnsely.
Standing up, Jiang Qing patted his chest and laughed loudly, saying, "That was satisfying. Let’s continue!" With that, Jiang Qing pushed off the ground with his toes, charging toward Qiu Yong like a raging bull. Seeing this, Qiu Yong attempted to repeat his previous strategy, shifting positions to avoid Jiang Qing’s rush. However, Jiang Qing seed to anticipate his move and suddenly redirected his charge, locking onto Qiu Yong’s new position.
Qiu Yong’s eyes narrowed, attempting to shift again. But before he could move, Jiang Qing accelerated, his speed doubling from before, closing the distance between them.
With no way to avoid it, Qiu Yong had no choice but to et it head-on. He crossed his hands and pushed forward, attempting to block Jiang Qing’s head. Yet, feeling the strong power emanating from Jiang Qing, Qiu Yong’s expression suddenly changed. Before he could react, Jiang Qing’s head broke through his hands, colliding with his abdon.
Instantly, a surge of pain hit Qiu Yong, and his body flew backwards, landing further away. Before he landed, he caught sight of a blur — Jiang Qing had charged at him again. Still airborne, with no support from his feet, Qiu Yong was helpless against Jiang Qing’s rush, barely managing to kick toward Jiang Qing’s head with his right foot for leverage, propelling himself upwards once more.
Watching Qiu Yong soar into the air, Jiang Qing suddenly halted, a triumphant smile playing on his lips.
"I declare Dragon and Tiger Martial Arts Academy the winner of this match," Su He’s voice echoed throughout the gymnasium just as Qiu Yong’s feet touched the ground.
Lost? Qiu Yong was slightly stunned — how was this possible? He hadn’t been defeated; why was he declared the loser? Just as he was about to argue, his gaze was drawn to the white line at his feet.
This is... Qiu Yong’s heart sank, imdiately realizing the situation. He was out — according to the match rules, if one side steps out of bounds, they are declared the loser. The area of the arena was twenty by twenty ters, under normal circumstances one rarely steps out of bounds. However, under Jiang Qing’s continuous assaults, Qiu Yong had been propelled over ten ters, landing beyond the white line.
Thinking about this, Qiu Yong couldn’t help but sigh in frustration. He had aid to win this round with all his strength, unexpected loss left him feeling aggrieved.
Back at the Dragon Tiger Hall’s seating, everyone’s mood was dejected. However, regardless of the outco, Qiu Yong’s failure wasn’t deliberate, and he couldn’t be blad. He Ziyun voluntarily walked over to Qiu Yong, patted his shoulder, offering comfort, "Elder Qiu, you did your best, we still have a chance."
"Sorry, I was careless."
"Big brother, there’s no need to apologize. Even if there hadn’t been any unexpected incidents, you couldn’t have matched him head-on. This battle, whatever the conditions, you had no chance of winning."
Upon hearing Xu Ming’s voice, everyone was taken aback. Xia Yue exclaid, "Second brother, big brother clearly injured Jiang Qing. If he had held on a little longer, Jiang Qing surely would have lost."
"Really?" Xu Ming replied indifferently, "That’s just wishful thinking. The technique Jiang Qing practices seems unusual; if I’m not mistaken, it’s a skill that harms oneself before others. Big brother’s attack didn’t affect him. On the contrary, the stronger the attack, the greater the pain he endures, enhancing Jiang Qing’s strength. Big brother must have felt this during the confrontation."
Qiu Yong thought for a mont, nodding, "That’s true, I assud he was holding back his strength."
"So, under such circumstances, big brother’s chance of winning was very slim. In a way, losing may be better to avoid sustaining serious injury."
"What do we do now?" Yuan Yun asked, "Big brother, second brother, we’ve already lost one match. If we don’t win all upcoming matches, we’re finished."
Upon hearing this, everyone fell into silence. Qiu Yong, Xu Ming, Yuan Yun, the three had already competed, yielding one win, one loss, and one draw. He Ziyun was certainly going to compete, but his opponent would be Chen Quan. It’s evident that their match has no suspense, with Chen Quan sure to win. Thus, they must aim for another win to level the score with their opponents. As for what happens after, they’d rather not consider it for now.
"Next is the fourth match, please Dragon and Tiger Martial Arts Academy send your competitor," Su He’s voice announced, prompting a middle-aged man in his thirties to step forward, awaiting Dragon Tiger Hall to send their challenger.
He Ziyun studied the middle-aged man on the field, asking solemnly, "Who do you think should compete?"
Qiu Yong glanced at Zhang Zhongfeng beside him, sighing, "Let the fourth brother go. He’s the only suitable choice left."
The others nodded in agreent. Zhang Zhongfeng silently picked up his bow and arrow, preparing to compete. Just then, He Ziyun received a phone call. It was brief, only lasting seconds before he hung up.
"Mr. He, what’s the matter?" Yuan Yun asked.
"Nothing." With that, He Ziyun moved to the center of the arena. Seeing this, Chen Quan teased, "Master He, it’s not your turn to fight yet, are you eager to lose?"
"He knows he’ll lose anyway, so it’s better to finish the fight and go ho quickly rather than stay and be embarrassed," quipped the Martial Arts Academy folks.
He Ziyun, unfazed by their ridicule, spoke to himself, "Master Chen, I wish to raise the stakes a bit, what do you think?"
"Raise the stakes?" The crowd, along with Chen Quan and his team, were montarily stunned. Observers could clearly see that Dragon Tiger Hall was destined to lose with no winning potential. Yet, knowing he’d lose, He Ziyun wanted to raise the stakes — what was he planning? Could it be... he had an ace up his sleeve?
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