Chapter 279: Blasted Away With One Punch

The third match was a battle between weapon specialists.

"Heh, just watch me. I've recently made great progress in cultivating the Pity Flower Treasure Manual, specifically in the engineering section. Victory is certain!" Bai Longfei boasted confidently.

Thirty seconds later, he was soundly defeated by Quanye High School’s Cao Rui. Bai Longfei returned to the preparation area, looking dejected.

"Little Bai, did you exhaust yourself on your honeymoon? Weren’t you guaranteeing a win before the match?" Fang Buyi teased.

Bai Longfei was speechless and began doubting himself. He had used the school’s resources to unify his ten stages of the Qi Refining Realm. Additionally, he had learned several advanced weapon techniques from the Pity Flower Treasure Manual, giving him a solid boost in confidence. Yet, before he could even show off or perform any flashy moves, he had been knocked out by the sweet, smiling girl from the opposing team.

Quanye High School had managed to pull off a victory, and the venue erupted in joy. The home team’s fans cheered enthusiastically. Then, in the fourth solo match, a duel between medics, Ren Dong suffered another defeat.

What just happened?

Ren Dong was still in a daze as she stepped out of the light core cockpit. The match had ended in less than a minute. She had been caught off guard by a blitz attack.

“The other side used a blitzkrieg strategy,” Chen Fei consoled his student. “It’s not your fault. It’s mine for underestimating them. Quanye High School studied all of you carefully and struck at your weaknesses to force a quick match. They were well-prepared, and their tactics were spot on. If we had weathered their opening flurry, victory would’ve been ours.”

But there’s no room for regret or second chances on the battlefield. Chen Fei silently reflected on his own oversight. At that moment, the final solo match was about to begin. It was the most highly anticipated battle of the day as Li Xiaofei faced Tsukiha Yaiba.

The crowd erupted into loud cheers, fueling the atmosphere for the upcoming fight. While this was a decisive match for solo mode, the audience gave both competitors equal support. In fact, the cheers for Li Xiaofei were even louder. After all, Li Xiaofei had saved the city. His legendary feat of slaying the Bull Demon, a grade five star beast, had spread far and wide.

Every citizen knew that the recent silence of the city’s alarm sirens was thanks to Li Xiaofei. His public execution of the Bull Demon had frightened off the star beast hordes, allowing a temporary peace to settle over the city. He was the hero of the base city.

Even the fans of Quanye High School gave a warm round of applause to the young man slowly walking toward the light core cockpit in the arena.

"Li-kun, this time, I hope you give it your all," Tsukiha Yaiba said with a slightly smile as she stood in front of her cockpit. "I’m looking forward to this fight. Don’t disappoint me."

Li Xiaofei looked at the girl in front of him. She was elegant, with a refined and noble aura, and radiated a faint air of authority. It wasn’t hard to guess that Tsukiha Yaiba came from a noble family in the Jiepeng Empire.

Li Xiaofei had read up on her before the match and knew that she was considered part of the more moderate faction of the Jiepeng people. But so what?

The Jiepeng Empire would always be an enemy of Great Xia. The more skilled the Jiepeng warriors were, the greater the threat they posed to Great Xia. Besides, in Li Xiaofei’s mind, a Jiepeng dog would always be a dog.

"As you wish," Li Xiaofei replied coolly. "I will destroy you."

He turned and stepped into the light core cockpit. A faint smile appeared on Tsukiha Yaiba’s face.

The proud and stubborn genius from Great Xia still carries a deep prejudice against the people of Jiepeng. That is fine. Conquering an opponent like him would be far more satisfying than defeating those who are meek and easily subdued.

She too entered the light core cockpit, ready for the battle ahead.

***

Chaos reigned on Chang'an Street. The cries of the people echoed through every corner.

The ancient city was engulfed in the flames of war, with the stench of burnt corpses hanging heavily in the air. The sky was covered in black and red clouds. The faint sounds of battle between soldiers and the anguished wails of civilians could be heard in the distance.

Blazing Chang'an Street was one of the ten classic solo mode maps in the high school league system. Li Xiaofei had defeated superstar players like Xiong Zhigang on this very map.

Now, he stood empty-handed in his Noble Gentleman outfit. Opposite him, Tsukiha Yaiba had chosen to wear Quanye High School’s uniform, a sporty, practical design that stood in stark contrast to Mizutani Hikaru’s usual attire.

Mizutani Hikaru, the fierce and voluptuous warrior, had always donned traditional Jiepeng clothing in public, even during battles. Her choice of attire was a constant reminder of her Jiepeng heritage.

Tsukiha Yaiba, however, preferred to adapt to her surroundings. Since she was representing Quanye High School, she wore the school uniform. Since she had no financial concerns, she hadn't taken on any endorsement deals.

Like Li Xiaofei, she was also unarmed. The two stood a hundred meters apart as the street burned around them. The crackling flames that leapt and burned created a tense atmosphere, making the hearts of viewers in every livestream pound.

"Li-kun, please," Tsukiha Yaiba said, cupping her fists and performing the martial artist's salute of Great Xia.

Li Xiaofei returned the gesture, also cupping his fists. "I’ll give you the first move."

"Alright," Tsukiha Yaiba responded without hesitation.

Her starforce qi exploded outwards in an instant. Ten swirling vortices appeared around her like towering pillars of celestial energy and formed the image of star nebulae around her body.

Then came the light of ten shackles breaking as ten radiant suns illuminated the area around her. It was the tenth stage of the Limit Breaking Realm!

Then, 120 acupoints within her body began to glow, each one like a distant star, supporting the ten radiant suns that orbited her. She had formed a small, incomplete universe. This was the essence of cultivation; the pursuit of harmonizing the human body with the profound mysteries of the cosmos.

"One hundred and twenty acupoints, fully mastered!"

"Tsukiha Yaiba was hiding her true strength in previous battles!"

"But that’s still not enough. Li Xiaofei slew the Bull Demon, a beast equivalent to the Five Spirits Realm."

"Tsukiha Yaiba is undoubtedly exceptional, but unfortunately for her, she's facing someone far more terrifying, Li Xiaofei."

Shen Yan's voice echoed rapidly in the livestream chat, analyzing the unfolding situation.

Tsukiha Yaiba stood inside her starforce universe, the energy radiating from her distorting the air as they rippled outward.

Li Xiaofei shook his head and muttered, "Still not enough."

"It’s enough," Tsukiha Yaiba replied as the stars around her body started to swirl even faster.

Then she made her move. She closed the distance in an instant as she stepped forward, and launched a powerful punch.

Li Xiaofei casually raised his arm to block. For him, someone who had mastered the 120 acupoints of the Acupoint Opening Realm, this attack posed no real threat. He blocked effortlessly.

Boom!

Suddenly, he was gone. The audience saw nothing but a blur as Li Xiaofei vanished from the screen.

In the distance, a half-burning pharmacy exploded as if struck by a missile, collapsing into rubble. A wave of shocked gasps erupted from the spectators.

That was just the first move?! Has Li Xiaofei... been blown away?

No one could believe their eyes.

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

On Blazing Chang'an Street, Tsukiha Yaiba slowly retracted her outstretched fist.

"You were too arrogant." She said calmly, her gaze fixed on the collapsed, burning pharmacy in the distance.