The Invincible Supreme Medical God
Chapter 266 - 215: A Fearsome Opponent_2

Chapter 266: Chapter 215: A Fearsome Opponent_2

The student stood slightly hunched on the stage. His clothes were torn to shreds, the once blue fabric now stained black with blood.

Every inch of his skin bore visible marks, as if someone had repeatedly stabbed him with a blade. Yet, even under such circumstances, the young man steadfastly stared at Rong Xing, an unyielding determination glimmering in his eyes.

Below him, the stage was gradually turning into a crimson sea, blood dripping off his battered body. But even so, the young man clenched his fists and charged once more toward the unharmed Rong Xing.

So far, every match Rong Xing had participated in ended with her opponents forfeiting, allowing her to secure victory. These forfeits occurred for various reasons: some sought to curry favor with her, others were unwilling to offend the City Lord’s only daughter, and many simply yielded to the overwhelming disparity in strength.

Now, standing before Rong Xing was the first student who refused to back down. His eyes saw neither the beauty nor the noble identity of the City Lord’s daughter, nor did they acknowledge the immense gap in their abilities. To the young man, Rong Xing was merely an opponent—a rival he had to fight with every ounce of his strength.

It wasn’t only Yan Xiaobao; everyone present admired this tenacious young man. Although he was a year older than Rong Xing, his cultivation base was only at the disciple-level Eight-star rank. His Qi was neither powerful nor particularly weak.

No matter how the audience judged him, it was clear the young man was inferior to Rong Xing in every aspect. Yet, he showed no intent to give up. Standing firm, he abruptly summoned the last threads of Qi from within his battered body.

Blood vessels in his right eye burst, making him look like a devil, while his Qi surged toward his right hand, aiming a desperate attack at Rong Xing’s seemingly vulnerable form.

"He’s cheating!" Deng Wu instinctively shouted in fear for Rong Xing, his voice trembling with panic. But the referee paid no heed, being absolutely certain the attack did not violate the rules.

"Please... be careful," Rong Ming murmured, his eyes filled with concern as he focused intently on his sister, who was experiencing her first serious contest in this tournament.

At this moment, Yan Xiaobao, observing alongside his friends, noticed their sudden unease. Even though Rong Xing had superior strength, there was no guarantee her opponent’s desperate attack would fail to hit its mark. Unlike the others, Yan Xiaobao remained calm. So far, nothing had managed to land a blow on the young girl, and this final attack was unlikely to break that pattern, given the determined but slowing movements of her adversary.

Yan Xiaobao was correct. As the clenched fist flew toward her, Rong Xing gracefully stepped aside, allowing the exhausted student to stumble past her and collapse onto the stage floor.

The audience, initially stunned, erupted into murmurs of disbelief as they realized how effortlessly Rong Xing had defeated her opponent. Just as the referee was about to announce the result, the young man rose again, covering his half-closed right eye as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"I... I can still fight... still... stand..." he said with great difficulty, blood seeping from his lips with every word.

Rong Xing regarded him cautiously, then cast a glance at her brother. A soft, tender smile spread across her face.

"I forfeit," she stated firmly, her tone leaving no room for the referee’s objections, who instantly lost the authority to declare her the victor.

"I won’t... accept... your pity!" the injured young man bellowed as he lunged at Rong Xing once more, only for her to evade him yet again.

"My cultivation may be higher than yours," Rong Xing said, her voice as gentle as a summer breeze. "But strength is not the sole concern of a cultivator," she continued.

"You defeated me long ago, with the resolve that brought you here to the tournament. It’s a resolve I have never possessed. I haven’t lost in power—but in mindset."

With that, Rong Xing stepped down from the stage and joined her friends, who appeared visibly relieved upon seeing her unharmed.

Rong Xing’s words rang true. The power of a cultivator could be attained by anyone with patience, but for those who aspired to greatness, unwavering determination was indispensable.

Suddenly, flyers about the unknown cultivator who had just collapsed on the stage piqued everyone’s interest. People were eager to learn more about him, knowing that this battle could significantly change his future.

Before anyone noticed, three weeks had flown by. Even now, Gao Yan, Rong Ming, Yan Xiaobao, and Wang Julong remained in the competition. Today marked the final eight matches of the tournament, and although Yan Xiaobao was curious about his own fight, he knew it paled in comparison to the quarterfinals.

Wang Julong went up against Rong Ming, a battle that left Yan Xiaobao feeling deeply conflicted. Rong Ming had been his friend for years, yet Wang Julong was the opponent he longed to face in this tournament.

Yan Xiaobao let out a quiet sigh, calmly watching the stage ahead. Now was not the time to worry about his fight later in the day—he needed to focus on the opponent standing before him now.

Today was the day to determine the tournament’s strongest eight combatants. Despite the obvious gap in the strength of Yan Xiaobao’s group compared to others, it was impossible for him to avoid facing at least one formidable opponent.

At the time, the opponent Yan Xiaobao faced was older than the usual competitors in his group by a year and ranked as an Eight-star disciple.

As he locked eyes with his opponent, Yan Xiaobao found the other boy radiating hostility. Until now, Yan Xiaobao had eased through the competition, picking off weaker opponents while leaving higher-ranked fighters to this individual, fueling his growing resentment after each match draw.

Today, he no longer needed to bottle his fury. Today, he could fight the so-called "genius" head-on. Glaring at him, Yan Xiaobao felt the malice directed toward him, the boy’s ice-blue eyes brimming with a chilling killing intent.

Although Yan Xiaobao’s rank was lower, he had no intention of letting such a fierce student overwhelm him. He wouldn’t let anyone stand in the way of his path to the finals. Steeling himself, Yan Xiaobao bowed habitually to his opponent, his ice-blue eyes glinting with resolve, his lips curling into a determined smile.

"The final fight of the second group begins now!" the referee announced, his booming voice echoing across the mountain peaks. At this stage of the competition, only one match took place at a time, ensuring the full attention of the audience was on the two young fighters standing on the special stage.

At the sound of the start, the older boy charged directly at Yan Xiaobao, moving with the silence of the wind, his Qi coiled around his clenched fists in perfect control. The previously still air came alive with energy as his fists pierced through with impressive speed, heading straight for Yan Xiaobao.

The sudden onslaught caught Yan Xiaobao off guard, but he activated Velocity Flow just in time, barely dodging the attack with the width of a hair as he retreated.

Seeing Yan Xiaobao narrowly evade such a swift strike left the audience in complete silence. No one moved, their eyes fixed on the boy employing an advanced martial arts technique.

Though Yan Xiaobao had fought stronger opponents before, none had been as ferocious as this one. He grudgingly admitted to underestimating his adversary. Relief washed over him as he managed to escape unscathed.

Feeling the raw power of his opponent’s fists during their brief exchange, Yan Xiaobao quickly calculated his options. His body could endure perhaps one direct blow at most, making the use of his Qi Guard crucial.

Summoning Velocity Flow, Yan Xiaobao created a perfect clone of himself, silently vowing to persevere. In an instant, two white-haired boys now stood on the stage, identical in strength and appearance.

The duplication through Velocity Flow was an obvious ploy to buy time as Yan Xiaobao evaluated his next move, knowing his opponent would hesitate for at least a moment to recalibrate his approach to the two identical figures.

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