Chapter 53: You Can

At 7:30 PM, the evening breeze was cool.

At Tianhai No. 2 High School, everyone was in their classrooms doing evening self-study.

In the virtual room, all fifty students from the elite class and their martial arts teacher Zhang Cheng had arrived.

Ten virtual pods, plus one newly refurbished, sat quietly—eleven in total.

In the center, a massive screen projected a small, entirely white, empty arena.

Amid the noise, Zhang Cheng crossed his arms and scanned Li Zhou, Lin Qi, and the other ten, then spoke slowly:

“The exchange match is about to begin. After logging into Chi Realm, go to the Tianhai official website and find the link for the martial arts exchange match.”

With that, he stepped into the brand-new virtual pod first.

The other ten students each entered their own pods—Lin Qi did the same.

Log into Chi Realm, open your personal space panel, search for the Tianhai official website, find the martial arts exchange match link, and click to enter.

“Whoosh!”

The next instant, the space around him shifted and transformed; Lin Qi was pulled out and teleported to another area.

When he steadied himself, he looked around—he was now seated in the spectator stands, with Jiang Tao beside him.

Before him stood a circular arena resembling ancient Roman architecture, painted white.

“Is this the martial arts exchange match venue? I didn’t expect it to be networked,” Jiang Tao said, amazed, glancing around.

“The Songbai Middle School team has arrived!”

Zhu Yuqi suddenly spoke, staring ahead.

Everyone turned—the opposite spectator stands suddenly materialized eleven figures.

Seven men, three women, and one male teacher.

The men were either tall and muscular or sharp and piercing; the women were either tall and stern or lively, all gazing over with haughty expressions.

Neither side spoke; both watched each other warily, the air thick with tension.

“Huh?”

Lin Qi spotted someone he recognized—Fast Sword!

The skilled fighter he’d been matched with yesterday in Chi Realm, who wielded a lightning-fast sword and had left a faint impression on him.

He hadn’t expected the man to be a student from Songbai Middle School—and now he was competing in the exchange match.

“Could all of Songbai Middle School be this strong?”

This made Lin Qi question Songbai’s overall combat capability.

Zhang Cheng stepped onto the arena to meet the other school’s teacher.

Their leader was a middle-aged man with a hooked nose, lean and wiry, radiating a sinister aura—his energy was no weaker.

“Hello!”

They shook hands warmly and introduced themselves.

“Tianhai No. 2 High School, Zhang Cheng!”

“Songbai Middle School, Cao Bin!”

“Let this exchange match prioritize friendship over competition—everyone should gain something.”

“Naturally!”

Both smiled broadly, the atmosphere cheerful.

After turning and returning to their seats, Cao Bin’s expression instantly changed—he sneered:

“Tianhai No. 2, let them see Songbai’s strength. Let them remember this exchange match for the rest of the month.”

“What level of school dares exchange martial arts with Songbai?”

“Understood, Teacher Cao!” Several students revealed cruel smiles.

On the other side

Zhang Cheng returned, his smile vanishing instantly—like a Sichuan opera mask change—he grinned:

“You’re representing No. 2 High School, representing all of Tianhai City.”

“No matter what, you must win—even if you have to fight to the death.”

“Don’t worry, Teacher Zhang, I’ll show them something they’ve never seen.”

Jiang Tao rolled up his sleeves, grinning confidently.

“Exactly—we might win all six matches, and the others won’t even need to fight.”

Someone made a confident declaration.

Zhang Cheng nodded, not dampening their spirits, but his gaze turned to the arena—he was deeply worried.

Songbai Middle School was the second-tier school in Bai Lu City; frankly, their overall strength far surpassed No. 2 High School’s.

Whether they could win—he had no confidence. It all depended on the students now.

[Martial Arts Exchange Match Rules]

[Students from both schools will compete in order of the list; the school with the most wins takes victory!]

[Please send the first competitor to the arena!]

A female AI voice echoed through the air; Lin Qi narrowed his eyes, preparing to enter.

According to the rules, competitors entered in order from weakest to strongest—he was tenth, meaning he would be the first to fight.

“Qi Ge, can you win?”

Jiang Tao asked seriously.

“Yes,” Lin Qi nodded.

Jiang Tao smiled: “I knew it!”

In the next instant, Lin Qi vanished from his seat and appeared on the arena.

[Student Lin Qi, you have thirty seconds to prepare—select your weapon!]

Lin Qi looked at the panel before him and immediately chose the familiar black spear.

At the same moment, in the Songbai Middle School zone: “Fan Yong, smash him in the first round—show them what Songbai can do!”

Someone said.

Fan Yong had a square face, appearing quite simple-minded; now he grinned excitedly and patted his chest: “Leave it to me.”

With that, he too was teleported onto the arena.

“Wait!”

Liang Kai opened his mouth to speak—but Fan Yong had already entered. He sighed, his gaze heavy as he watched Lin Qi on the field.

“It’s just like him!”

Black combat suit, black spear—even his build and aura were identical, except he wasn’t wearing a black mask.

He was exactly like the one who defeated him yesterday.

“If it really is him, Yong Ge is in trouble.”

!

“But Fan Yong’s sword technique has broken into second rank—shouldn’t he win?”

Cao Lin, nearby, smirked wickedly: “Fan Yong is strong—if it weren’t for his low blood value and poor academic scores, he wouldn’t be ranked tenth in the grade.”

“With his second-rank sword technique, he’ll definitely open with a win and crush their morale.”

On the arena

Fan Yong wore a black-and-red combat suit, swinging a battle blade—his sword was long and wide, a horse-head saber.

He stood nearly two meters tall, broad-shouldered, thick-armed, radiating the aura of a boulder.

Fan Yong’s simple face split into a grin:

“Kid from No. 2, let you see Fan Yong’s sword technique.”

Lin Qi replied calmly: “A clown.”

“You’re asking for death!” Fan Yong grew angry.

[Arena Preparation Begins!]

[3, 2, 1...]

[First Arena Match Begins!]

“Boom!”

Fan Yong stomped the ground, lunging forward like a rolling boulder, his saber slicing through the air with the weight of a mountain.

In the same instant, Lin Qi also surged forward, his body darting, stepping in.

He gripped the spear with one hand, closed the distance, then clasped it with both hands, the spear tip trembling as he unleashed a powerful thrust.

This time, Lin Qi struck first.

Fan Yong smiled faintly, swinging his saber—his movements steady and slow, like a mountain rising from the earth.

He raised the blade from below, carving a perfectly stable arc, forming an unbreakable defensive circle.

Solid Rock, Unmoved!

“Clang! Clang~”

Lin Qi thrust his spear over a dozen times with astonishing arm strength—but Fan Yong’s sweeping saber blocked every strike.

“You can’t break my defense!”

Fan Yong’s blade danced, immovable as a rock, his stance unshaken.

“Bang!”

“Boom boom boom~”

At the same time, his movements were broad and sweeping, his power immense; each slash of his blade sent waves of fierce wind rippling through the air, as if carrying a thousand juns of force.

When the great spear clashed with the battle knife, a powerful counterforce rebounded.

“Clang clang~~”

Lin Qi launched several consecutive attacks, all of which were blocked, while the rebounding force numbed his arms.

Fan Yong smiled triumphantly at the sight.

“I told you—you can’t break my defense!”

In the spectator seats, Jiang Tao’s expression turned grim.

“Damn it, Brother Qi is in trouble.”

“This Fan Yong is strong—his knife technique has already broken through the second stage. Qi can’t penetrate his defense.”

Jiang Tao himself practiced the “Heavy Mountain Knife Art,” and he knew it intimately.

So he could tell: Fan Yong’s strength was extraordinary; even if he stepped onto the battlefield, he couldn’t be sure he’d win.

“Lin Qi is likely to lose this first match.”

Yu Jing shook his head and voiced his opinion.

“It’s only just begun—you’re already making conclusions? What do you know?” Li Zhou retorted.

Yu Jing’s face turned ashen, about to retort, when Zhang Cheng interrupted:

“Don’t jump to conclusions so fast—the battle changes in an instant; don’t make any final judgments until the very end.”

“It’s the same on the battlefield.”

Zhang Cheng spoke in a low, firm tone.

The others nodded and turned their attention back to the arena.

Zhang Cheng furrowed his brow; he had faith in Lin Qi, but he couldn’t guarantee he’d win.

All he could do was keep watching.

……

(End of Chapter)