The competitors who made it to the top sixteen were all exceptional choices, with the majority being extraordinary, and the likelihood of them becoming high-rank Prime Warriors, or even top-grade Origin Martial Artists in the future, was extremely high.
For example, if it weren’t for Li Yuan overshadowing them with his brilliance, Yang Hong and Wu Luo would have been capable of instigating a ‘Battle of the Gemini Stars’ legend among the freshmen at Kunlun Martial University.
But there was no doubt that among the top sixteen, there were those who were exceptionally dazzling, and Dantai Feng was in a league of his own in strength. This was confirmed in the first match from the top sixteen to the top eight.
Li Yuan, Garava, Yu Ming, and Guan Ying, on the other hand, were recognized as the most powerful contenders for the final four.
This was evident from the fact that all four of them had total points exceeding 90 in the second round.
However, most of the spectators had not anticipated that, as early as in the round of sixteen, Li Yuan and Garava would face each other.
“What’s going on?”
“With their strength, they should at least encounter each other in the top four, right? How come they meet in the first match of the fourth round? Are they targeting someone?”
“The organizer is Xia Country.”
“Could it be they are targeting Garava?” The hundreds of thousands of spectators on the Spectator Platform were suddenly abuzz with discussion, most of them had not paid attention to the match schedule in advance.
Or rather, among the 136 elite students who entered the third round, even if they knew their own ‘schedule,’ they wouldn’t leak it.
…”Garava!”
“Defeat that Xia Country person.”
“Li Yuan!!” Waves of roaring cheers suddenly erupted from the vast Spectator Platform, with both Xia Country and Tianzhu Country spectators vigorously cheering on their sides.
“Garava is the strongest.”
“Li Yuan, beat the hell out of that loser.”
“Li Yuan!!” On the Spectator Screen, a massive amount of comments were being rapidly posted, and the support levels for both sides were nearly even for a while.
There was no helping it; Tianzhu Country was the only one that could compete with Xia Country in terms of the number of spectators.
One side was close to three hundred thousand spectators, the other was over two hundred thousand, and the majority of the Spectator Platform was occupied by these two countries.
Whatever the reason, the match between the two ratcheted up the atmosphere of the combat space to its peak.
People like Yu Ming and Guan Ying were already watching the two on the stage with their eyes wide open.
Even Dantai Feng, who seemed to be resting with his eyes closed, was actually peering through a slit in his eyelids, stealthily watching the match.
Everyone knew,
Li Yuan vs Garava would undoubtedly be a pinnacle duel in the freshman battles of the ten schools.
…
While the atmosphere outside the ring was explosive, the two on the stage were both exceptionally calm.
“Li Yuan, I didn’t expect to encounter you so soon.”
“You’re strong, but I’m certain I’ll win,” said Garava, his dark skin making him look quite ordinary.
He wore a smile on his face, but his eyes conveyed a strong sense of conviction.
“Certain to win?”
Li Yuan smiled and said, “That’s what I think as well, I certainly don’t want to miss the Heavenly Materials Treasures.”
By making it to the top sixteen, there was already a reward of twenty million Blue Star Coins.
And according to the schedule, as long as they could defeat one another, their next opponent in the top eight would be quite weak, almost certainly unable to stop them.
Once they broke into the top four, they would be awarded Heavenly Materials Treasures.
For martial path geniuses like them, this was undoubtedly an astonishing temptation.
Both of them were filled with a desire for victory.
They could both feel the other’s strong intent to battle, and neither said anything more.
Then, the battle erupted completely!
“Boom!” Garava charged fiercely, his speed instantly at its peak. In his dark combat armor, he was like a dark shadow, brutally pouncing towards Li Yuan.
Hu!
Li Yuan held his spear in both hands, legs apart, and his body slightly leaning forward, already in a defensive stance.
“Hah!”
Garava roared suddenly as he closed in, his long spear striking like a venomous snake, bursting forth like a vortex in the water, whistling as it thrust forward.
The image of the spear changed unpredictably, mystifying and elusive, as if it had created dozens of afterimages, making it difficult to discern which one was the actual spear tip.
Li Yuan was completely enveloped.
Just this move alone was enough to instantly kill any Fourth Rank opponent.
Seeing this spectacle, many spectators from the Xia Country couldn’t help but cry out in amazement.
Garava took the aggressive first attack, displaying fierce momentum.
“Whish! Whish, whish! Slash!” Li Yuan’s footwork shifted, he retreated like lightning while his long spear danced in his hands, its tip tracing astonishing arcs of light around him, creating a huge sphere of spears to completely envelop himself.
“Clang! Clang! Clang!”
The two long spears collided mid-air like lightning, countless images of the spears intertwining. The exchange was so fast that to many of the onlookers, it seemed as if five or six spears were clashing.
“Stellar as round.”
“The spear tip draws a circle.” Li Yuan was utmost calm, his spear striking repeatedly, seemingly flustered, fending off Garava’s onslaught.
But in actuality, no matter if it was a straight thrust, parry, flick, cleave, or press, Li Yuan’s range of attack always stayed within an arc.
Within this range, no matter how wildly Garava attacked or thrust fiercely, he could hardly advance an inch.
“As I thought.”
“Just as I predicted, if I defend with all my might, this Garava can’t shake me in the slightest.” Li Yuan was as nonchalant as a light breeze, his heart serene.
He had already decided that he could probably win with an offensive approach against Garava.
But that was not Li Yuan’s goal. His true target was Dantai Feng.
Garava? In Li Yuan’s eyes, he was just another whetstone.
If he couldn’t even defend against a Garava, how could he talk about defending against Dantai Feng’s blade?
“Bang! Bang~” Garava thrust and hacked furiously time after time. His combat style was completely different from that of Kimura Tatsuo’s.
He pursued a style of violent and fierce attacks, aiming to crush his opponents with absolute power and speed.
In the past, when facing top warriors in his own school, this strategy had been invincible.
But against Li Yuan, all his attacks were rendered ineffective and repelled.
“They say that prolonged defense will lead to defeat.”
“How can he defend to such an extent?” Garava could hardly believe it, his heart gradually sinking.
Attack! He had already attacked to the limit, but he still couldn’t touch Li Yuan.
“Comfortable!” The more Li Yuan defended, the more comfortable he felt.
At this moment, amidst the shouts of hundreds of thousands of spectators in this unique environment, Li Yuan vaguely felt he was getting closer and closer to fully grasping that distinct rhythm.
…On the spectator platform, hundreds of thousands of students from various Martial Arts Universities had already been shaken by the duel between the two.
Previously, whether it was Garava or Li Yuan, both of them had swept through the second round without anyone being able to withstand their two spears; now that they had encountered each other, the battle had escalated to such an extent.
One’s Spear Technique was wild and fierce, truly embodying the reputation of the spear as the king of the battlefield.
The other had been defending throughout, like an immovable mountain, blocking the opponent’s relentless barrages one after another.
“Garava!”
“He’s forcing Li Yuan to defend, powerful!” The Tianzhu Country’s audience cheered excitedly.
“Li Yuan!”
“Li Yuan!”
“In every battle, as long as Li Yuan can hold his defense, once he counterattacks, he will easily crush the enemy.” The Xia Country spectators believed this firmly.
…
“Garava is losing,” a top grade Origin Martial Artist teacher on the high Spectator Platform whispered, “Prolonged defense will lead to defeat. In a Spear Technique duel, the attacker usually has the absolute advantage, but he simply cannot shake Li Yuan’s defense.”
“Li Yuan’s skill level is clearly much higher.” More teachers commented.
“Stellar as a circle.”
“Li Yuan’s Spear Technique has truly captured some of the essence of the Stellar Spear Technique; this progress is frightening.”
“Genius!”
“His Spear Technique defense gives me the illusion that it simply cannot be broken. According to his file, he only reached the Fourth Stage Skill realm in March? That’s outrageous.” These teachers were at least in the Subtle Technique realm, and many were at Fifth Stage Skill.
How many Spear Techniques had they seen? Their standards were exceptionally high, and they quickly realized the actual situation on the platform.
“Li Yuan’s spear.”
“Stellar charm?” Li Yang, as Li Yuan’s teacher, found it somewhat incredible: “Has his Spear Technique improved greatly from before?”
He had previously concluded that Li Yuan could not win because as of September 30, he had just finished teaching Li Yuan and felt that Li Yuan was far from entering Subtlety with his heart and soul.
How much time had passed since then? Only a week!
“He is a true fighting genius, the more he fights and feels pressure, the more it stimulates his potential,” Dean Xu said in a soft voice. “Li Yang, you really found a treasure. Your student is an inconceivable genius of the Martial Path,”
“He has grasped the true essence of the Stellar Realm, give him time, and he will surely enter the realm of Subtlety with his heart and soul.”
“If before there was no hope of him winning against Dantai Feng, now… there’s a thirty percent chance,” Dean Xu affirmed.
“Thirty percent?” Li Yang nodded slightly.
He was well aware that Dean Xu was a High Rank Fifth Stage master, very close to becoming a Flying Heaven Warrior.
His judgment was more precise than his own.
“He’s about to win,” Dean Xu suddenly said.
Not far away.
“Garava.” The black-robed elder, Ba Qiang, sighed inwardly as he watched the intense clash on the platform: “It’s a pity; he happened to come up against Li Yuan.”
As Garava’s teacher, and a top grade Origin Martial Artist, he could see the terror in Li Yuan.
That immovable defense.
The Long Spear like a circle, as steady as Mount Tai, was far too stable, completely suppressing Garava.
The switch between offense and Defense often came down to who was stronger and who was weaker.
“He’s going to lose.” The black-robed elder Ba Qiang felt rather helpless within, thinking that if Garava encountered Yu Ming or Guan Ying, he would have had a chance to win.
Only Li Yuan.
“This Li Yuan, he even has a chance at victory against Dantai Feng,” Ba Qiang lamented internally.
…
“Garava is going to lose.” Some of the competitors in the preparation area also realized this.
“This Spear Technique?” Unbeknownst to himself, Dantai Feng had opened his eyes, his pupils gleaming: “The Stellar Realm?”
“Interesting!”
“Kunlun Martial University has actually brought forth such a master? Finally, my time isn’t wasted.”
Dantai Feng was not concerned but rather excited about Li Yuan’s emergence.
He was anticipating the battle with a strong adversary.
…
On the platform, Garava became increasingly panicked and alarmed as he fought because he realized that Li Yuan’s defense was becoming more and more composed.
He was beginning to counterattack!
No! To be precise, it wasn’t Li Yuan counterattacking, but an instinctive change within his Spear Momentum during the transition.
The core of the Stellar Spear Technique wasn’t rigid Defense, but defense as a form of attack.
Yet, it was Li Yuan’s casual counter during a defense that made Garava increasingly disheveled.
“I must win.” Garava gritted his teeth; he continued to attack fiercely, hoping to find a sliver of life.
But as time slipped by, his stamina began to decline.
Being the attacker, his energy consumption was inevitably greater, and his spear speed had begun to slow unknowingly.
Suddenly.
“Pu!” As if through a tacit understanding or a subconscious action, after blocking another attack from Garava, Li Yuan’s Long Spear swiftly transitioned and abruptly thrust out with an explosive burst.
From defense to offense!
Naturally as if ordained by the heavens!
This spear thrust, propelled by more vigor than any of Li Yuan’s previous attacks, had mobilized the subtlest strengths within his body.
The situation changed in that instant.
The speed of this spear thrust skyrocketed to a terrifying level.
“Pu!”
One spear cleaved through the vast sky, and in the next second, Garava’s figure had already turned ethereal.
“Impressive.” Garava opened his mouth as his figure completely dissipated.
One spear!
Garava, defeated!
“The Meaning of the Stellar.” Li Yuan, holding the Long Spear, stood quietly in place and murmured to himself: “In Defense, unshakable, like the vast earth.”
“In attack, like the Stellar Burst, an unstoppable force.”
Through the battle with Garava, Li Yuan’s understanding of the Meaning of the Stellar had indeed taken another step forward.
His eyes glanced at a section of the Divine Palace panel:
Skill Realm: Spear Technique (Fourth Stage 85%), movement technique (Fourth Stage 73%), Fist Technique (Fourth Stage 86%)
…Li Yuan had secured the second spot in the top eight.