Translator: CKtalon
Ysarova returned to the stands, a little dazed as she recalled how she had lost that battle.
“Ysa,” her husband immediately comforted her. “Your opponent is Xu Jingming after all; it’s not embarrassing to lose to him! Moreover, you were out of the top 50 for the Cosmos Ranking’s fourth level. It’s already impressive that you entered the top eight. Every Russian citizen is proud of you. Nobody will blame you.”
Ysarova looked at her husband. “Don’t speak. I need some quiet time.”
“Oh.” The husband immediately shut up, but he couldn’t help but say, “I believe you will definitely surpass Xu Jingming in the future.”
“Shut up!” Ysarova glared.
“Alright, I’ll shut up.” He found the way his wife berated him charming!
Ysarova looked at the livestream and sighed to herself. She had cultivated the evolutionary method for more than ten years, but Xu Jingming had only cultivated it for ten months… The gap between them would only increase.
…
Xu Jingming also returned to the stands.
“Jingming.” Li Miaomiao hugged him warmly.
“Captain, you were able to defeat a Lv. 5 sharpshooter despite being at such a close range,” Wang Yi exclaimed in surprise. The others were also surprised by Xu Jingming’s victory.
“I’ll chat with Master for a while,” Xu Jingming said to his wife.
“Don’t let me hold you back.” Li Miaomiao nodded obediently. She didn’t want to disturb her husband and master’s conversation because the two of them had entered the semi-finals. It wasn’t suitable for others to disturb their exchange of experience.
“That Lv. 5 sharpshooter was very impressive.” Liu Hai waited until Xu Jingming sat beside him before saying, “She’s very fast, and her archery was a huge threat.”
“When facing a sharpshooter, I either let her fire or charge forward,” Xu Jingming said. “I had to tank her arrow at close range and charge forward; it was like dancing on the edge of a blade. It was a harrowing victory.”
“It would’ve been much easier if you used the shield earlier,” Liu Hai said.
“Haha, I was honing my spearmanship,” Xu Jingming said.
Yes, how could there be such harrowing experiences during normal training? How could he devote such nerve and willpower? Xu Jingming felt that his understanding of Water Style and Fire Style had improved a little.
“To dare use the competition to hone yourself speaks volumes of your confidence.” Liu Hai smiled at his disciple. He could vaguely sense that his disciple was getting stronger. Perhaps… he wasn’t his disciple’s match in a one-on-one battle.
******
The host and guests carefully explained the previous battle, carefully analyzing every move. After chatting for half an hour, the final match finally began.
“The last match today will be between Halu Singh and Tiger Fussen,” the female host said excitedly. “This match will also determine the last semi-final expert.”
Riven Gullit smiled and said, “Tiger Fussen was ranked second on the Cosmos Ranking not long after the virtual world’s launch. His strength is close to Liu Hai’s! Although his ranking fell later, he still easily entered the quarter-finals. As for Halu’s character, he’s the number one expert in India. He’s young, but his growth is phenomenal. His growth appears to be even faster than Tiger’s. It’s difficult to say who’s stronger between the two.”
“It’s difficult to say who will win this battle.” Alan nodded.
Miyagawa Meishin nodded slightly.
The three Lv. 5 experts had sensed that Halu Singh and Tiger Fussen were very powerful from their previous battles. The latter two hadn’t truly revealed their strength.
“Both parties have entered the combat map,” the female host said. “The two parties are quickly approaching each other. Halu Singh released his concealed weapon—a curved dart.”
On the snow map.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The three curved darts were strange and unpredictable.
Tiger Fussen was 2.35 meters tall, and his large hands were like cattail fans. He held two huge axes and wore heavy armor; the heavy armor had such a deterrent effect that others had no intention of attacking.
The three curved darts also attacked Tiger Fussen’s head.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Tiger Fussen easily blocked the projectiles with his two axes and protected his head.
“Next.” Tiger Fussen was like a giant bear as he chuckled at his opponent.
Halu Singh wore a solemn expression as he wore close-fitting soft armor and held two scimitars. He knew very well that… as long as he was struck by Tiger Fussen’s ax, light armor was meaningless; he would still die. It was better to wear soft armor to increase his speed and agility.
I have to hit his head; otherwise, I won’t be able to injure him at all. Halu Singh’s figure flashed, and he turned into a ghostly figure.
Clang.
Tiger Fussen immediately raised an ax. The ax’s surface was quite large, and it could double up as a shield when blocking the incoming scimitar.
Halu Singh circled around Tiger Fussen, searching for an opportunity time and time again to attack!
Huh? Xu Jingming and Liu Hai were a little surprised. This was because Halu Singh’s body sometimes lengthened and sometimes shortened. He was unpredictable in close combat.
“This kid from India is quite fast; he reaches 391 meters per second.” Liu Hai looked up. “The hardest to deal with is his body that can extend and shrink at will. His body is filled with tenacity, and the length of his arms and legs can suddenly lengthen or shorten in combat, allowing his attacks to be more unexpected.”
Xu Jingming nodded as well. “Upon reaching cellular-control level, one can instantly increase the length of the skin, muscles, and even move the bones to achieve instantaneous lengthening of the limbs. However, Halu Singh has clearly cultivated for a long time and has formed a unique combat method.”
“Ordinary people who haven’t evolved can do some slight extensions,” Liu Hai said. “It’s just that the changes in Halu Singh’s body are greater. He has also combined his movement technique and dual sabersmanship to form a complete combat technique.”
The two figures were as fast as lightning in the snow. They fought for more than a minute and exchanged hundreds of blows.
Swish!
Suddenly, a cold light lit up! It swept past Halu Singh’s thigh and sent one leg flying.
The audience exclaimed.
Xu Jingming saw it clearly—it was the ax that had suddenly increased in speed. After a prolonged battle, the speed of Tiger Fussen’s ax increased by about 50%. Halu Singh failed to dodge in time, and his thigh was sliced off by the ax.
The battle came to an end.
The crippled Halu Singh faced the lunging Tiger Fussen, and with just two strikes, his body turned ethereal.
…
“Tiger Fussen wins!” the female host immediately shouted excitedly. “The outcome of this match has been determined, and the semi-finalists have been decided.”
“All four of the world’s top four in this competition have been decided.” The female host looked behind her, and the battle map appeared on the livestream behind her. “The semi-finals will be held tomorrow; there will be a total of two matches. The first match will be Tejano Xire versus Liu Hai, and the other will be Xu Jingming versus Tiger Fussen.”
In the stands.
Liu Hai and Xu Jingming also looked at the battle map.
“Be careful of your opponent,” Liu Hai said. “Tiger Fussen’s ax can be very fast.”
“That I’ve seen.” Xu Jingming nodded and smiled. “Master, you have to be careful of Tejano! Since the virtual world’s launch, I’ve never seen Tejano reveal his full strength. He has always won easily while being very relaxed.”
“Tejano?” Liu Hai smiled. “When I defeat him, we’ll meet in the finals.”
“Alright, see you in the finals.” Xu Jingming nodded.
This was an agreement between master and disciple.