Chapter 458: Advancing to the Semi-Finals (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

After the nine-jing powerhouse Jili Shen and the three others nodded in greeting,

his gaze turned to the arena, where two contestants were clashing head-on.

"Has the ninth round already begun?"

He looked at Lin Qi with approval and said:

"Xia has produced another top-tier genius who can stand against Jienos. Truly extraordinary."

"I'm truly envious of Xia—its geniuses never cease to emerge."

"But our White Eagle Federation isn't far behind!"

A blond giant beside him chuckled:

"Lin Qi of Xia may be strong, but defeating Jienos is virtually impossible."

Jili Shen nodded and boomed with laughter:

"Jienos is my disciple—how could he possibly lose?"

"Since childhood, Jienos has shown extraordinary talent, with physical attributes far surpassing his peers, revealing astonishing martial prowess."

"At five, he helped his parents haul carcasses of disaster beasts from the battlefield; at six, his punch strength reached two hundred kilograms."

"At seven, he grew to one point six meters tall and could defeat ordinary fifteen-year-olds."

"At eight, his strength exceeded five hundred kilograms—he could lift a Class One disaster beast, the Iron-Spined Wild Boar."

"As he aged, his body kept growing, his strength continually increasing!"

"At sixteen, he awakened his special ability 【Earth Wall】."

"After a year of observation, he was successfully signed as an SSS-tier genius and became my disciple!"

"Now he's at the peak of the sixth realm, yet his punch strength surpasses many seventh-realm martialists."

"Pity that Jienos didn't awaken 【Heavy Earth】."

"Otherwise, his advantages would be maximized—this year's Global Martial Arts Tournament would have no suspense."

Hearing the black giant Jili Shen's words, others nodded; the blond giant also chuckled:

"Even with just 【Earth Wall】, Jienos remains formidable—he possesses invincible defense, earning him the title 【Iron Tower】."

"If this continues, only Jienos will emerge victorious."

Jili Shen nodded:

"【Earth Wall】 grants him absolute defense. Aside from slightly weaker agility and stamina, he has virtually no weaknesses."

"The longer the fight drags on, the easier his victory becomes."

He said this deliberately, casting a sidelong glance at the Xia audience.

His voice rang loud enough for leaders of other nations to hear clearly.

Naturally, this included the Xia delegation.

Upon hearing this, the Shanhe King smiled:

"This big oaf is still as simple-minded as ever."

He looked again at the arena and added: "Jienos won't win easily."

Li Li Qifeng and the North River Sword King also gazed at the arena, curious who would prevail—both were locked in direct physical combat.

Without any techniques displayed, it was hard to judge who was stronger.

After a moment, Li Li Qifeng suddenly spoke:

"Lin Qi will win this match!"

The Shanhe King nodded: "I feel the same."

At their words, others looked on with curiosity.

A ninth-realm martialist never speaks without reason.

Yet after speaking, neither offered explanation—they all turned back to the arena.

……

On the Bear Nation's spectator seats, Viktor stared at the two combatants and exclaimed:

"They are true geniuses."

"Even at the same realm, I wouldn't stand a chance against them."

Viktor knew well—if he stepped onto the arena, after just a dozen clashes, his body would collapse under the strain.

……

On the arena:

"Bang! Bang!!"

The two had clashed for two full minutes—the concrete beneath their feet was utterly shattered, a ruin of debris.

"Bang!"

Another powerful collision sent a gale swirling.

Lin Qi swung his black great spear, unleashing a torrent of overwhelming force.

"Crack!!"

Jienos staggered backward; his densely condensed stone armor shattered instantly.

Like firecrackers exploding, it cracked from his wrists all the way to his chest before stopping.

So strong!!

Jienos gritted his teeth, face grim—his arms went numb, his right hand gripping the battle-axe lost all strength.

He stared at Lin Qi across from him, stunned.

How is this guy so strong?

After two minutes of direct collision, over a hundred impacts—he could clearly feel the opponent's strength rising continuously.

Meanwhile, he had reached his limit; the terrifying force, infused with Jin Feng energy, hammered his body.

Even his densely condensed stone armor, his powerful martial bones, and his fourth-grade internal organs couldn't withstand it.

His internal organs suffered severe damage—he felt exhaustion and pain; beads of sweat began to glisten on his dark forehead.

I'm being outpowered in strength by Xia's Lin Qi.

Jienos felt desperate and furious inside.

If this continues, he's going to lose!

"Boom!"

Across from him, Lin Qi's heart pounded powerfully, his blood qi rumbling like distant thunder, pumping blood and bringing his entire body to life.

Clashing head-on with Jienos was truly exhilarating.

But this match—now it's time to end it.

Lin Qi's golden eyes blazed as he roared: "Jienos, you've already lost!"

Jienos widened his eyes:

"I cannot lose!!"

Thinking this, he surged with all his might, activating his Minor Divine Art!

But Lin Qi had no intention of giving him a chance—he shot forward like a black lightning bolt from where he stood.

"Boom!!"

Like thunder rolling across a stormy sky, it split the heavens.

He unleashed full power—his special ability 【Jin Feng】 doubled in intensity.

His immense strength, exceeding one hundred tons, poured into the black great spear, its tip sheathed in Jin Feng spearlight.

Like a golden dragon, it pierced forward, instantly tearing through the air; white shockwaves spread outward.

Jienos widened his eyes, feeling the surge of power within him—he swung his battle-axe, and a mountain appeared, its essence merging with the weapon.

Like splitting heaven and earth, he brought it down with all his might.

The 【Split Earth Axe Technique】's ultimate move—Mountain Collapse! "Boom!!"

A gale erupted as spear and axe collided violently.

The sharp axe edge met the spear tip; terrifying force surged outward.

The air trembled violently; Jienos released his power, activating his Minor Divine Art.

His strength grew even greater—but he felt as if a mountain was crashing into him.

His battle-axe could not cleave through this iron mountain.

"Bang!!"

Instantly, his stone armor shattered like bursting armor, leaving only a thin layer.

His body lost control, staggering backward several steps.

Lin Qi didn't move a single step—he let the spear, struck by the axe, sweep downward, spinning it before thrusting again.

In his golden eyes, Jienos's stone armor lay bare, its cracks exposed.

!

A single strike on one point would instantly shatter his protective armor.

His entire body's golden spearlight condensed into a golden dragon and thrust forward.

Precisely striking the flaw.

"Bang!!"

The spear pierced through the stone armor—its final layer shattered; the sharp tip tore through his combat suit, and even his tough skin couldn't resist the terrifying force.

'Puff~'

In an instant, the spear tip pierced through the heart, tearing and pulverizing it into pulp.

'Whoosh!!'

The gale raged once more, then the entire arena instantly fell still.

The patterns on Genos's body faded; blood spurted from his chest, and his stone armor shattered and scattered in all directions.

He looked utterly disheveled, his face twisted with despair and confusion as he stared at Lin Qi.

The final words died unspoken, dissolving into nothingness.

He was instantly teleported back to the spectator seats.

His wounds vanished instantly, as if the battle had merely been a dream.

Genos stared wide-eyed at Lin Qi atop the arena, his eyes filled with utter despair.

He had lost—his final move had activated a minor divine art, yet Lin Qi still shattered him with a single spear thrust.

The opponent's strength was far greater than his own—by more than just a little.

His stone armor, a suit of supreme defensive armor, had been shattered outright in direct confrontation.

This was a vast gap in true power.

It struck Genos a crushing blow—his pride, his strength, had been utterly suppressed.

The opponent was even a genius younger than him.

His inner resolve shattered instantly!

'This…'

Around him, other fourth-year geniuses also gaped, their expressions stunned.

Had they seen correctly?

Genos had lost—not narrowly, but crushed outright in a direct, overwhelming defeat.

They felt as if they were hallucinating.

Tracy was also frozen in shock—had an SSS-grade genius two grades above him really lost?

It wasn't that she was weak—it was that Lin Qi from Xia Guo was simply too strong.

Javier was dumbfounded—only a year had passed. What had happened to Lin Qi from Xia Guo? How had he grown so powerful?

Even the top geniuses of the White Eagle Federation had lost.

He looked around at the others, his face filled with shock and bewilderment.

…

On the arena, Lin Qi sheathed his spear and surveyed the ruined battlefield.

He exhaled, then was teleported back to the spectator seats.

【Match 4: Lin Qi (Xia Guo) Wins!】

The final semifinal slot had been decided—Lin Qi advanced to the semifinals.

The AI voice echoed across the spectator seats.

'Clap! Clap!!'

The silent spectator seats erupted instantly into chaos.

Thunderous applause and tsunami-like cheers rose up.

Especially from the Xia Guo section.

'Won! Advanced!'

'Lin Qi is amazing! He beat Genos—he's an SSS-grade genius!'

'He's made history again—a second-year student reaching the semifinals, defeating an SS-grade genius across two grades!'

'If he keeps this up, he'll win the championship.'

'Senior Shen Heng, Ivan, Niting are in trouble!'

…

On the spectator seats, Meng Meng Yuxuan exclaimed:

'This can't be explained by SSS-grade genius status—he actually won.'

'Among SSS-grade geniuses, he's among the strongest.'

Senior Shen Heng also sighed:

'If neither Ivan nor I had broken through to the Seventh Realm, he might have become the first second-year student to win the championship.'

'Now, beating him won't be easy.'

…

In the upper-tier spectator seats, in the White Eagle Federation section.

'Crack!!'

The Black Giant, gripping the armrests of his smart seat, crushed them instantly in his hands, stretching his neck to stare at the match result.

'How is this possible? Genos lost?'

'His stone armor was shattered?'

'This…'

His heart reeled—Genos was his prized disciple, destined to reach the Ninth Realm.

Even stronger than he had been in his prime.

Yet now he had been defeated—by a genius two grades younger!

…

(End of Chapter)