Chapter 157: The Semifinals, Battle Against He Chong!

Crack, crack, crack!
Three consecutive strikes, all landing squarely on the chest, every single punch delivered with full force. The vicious attribute triggered, sending the opponent's blood spraying and sternum shattering violently. Warm blood continuously surged from the throat up to the face. The man looked up helplessly at the sky, his whole body trembling slightly before he shattered into pieces and dropped out of the secret realm, landing straight onto a medical team's stretcher.
Running a hospital here must be ridiculously profitable!
Shi Tixin stood up abruptly, his entire body stained with blood. Looking around, he saw that the four secret realms had resolved their battles almost simultaneously, eliminating their enemies at roughly the same time.
Scanning from one person to another, Shi Tixin knew that these three individuals operated on a completely different level from the other competitors.
This was a world where the strong grew stronger. From his own experience, the fiercer one was, the more heavenly golden light they received. And receiving heavenly golden light made them even more formidable, leaving those in the tier just below them struggling to catch up, widening the gap between the top tier and the sub-top tier more and more.
One had to remember that Little Gou Dan had been guided by structured plans since childhood, systematically cultivating specific techniques and purposefully hunting down heavenly golden light. He Chong's family background was undoubtedly far inferior to Si Chongtian's, but he surely used the same method to strengthen himself—the underlying principle remained identical.
Looking at the other three secret realms, these three individuals must have all obtained heavenly golden light. The exact amount was uncertain, but they definitely possessed it. Otherwise, they would never have made it this far.
So, who would his next opponent be?
It wasn't just Shi Tixin paying attention; everyone who remained conscious was watching closely. Among these four individuals, the top three would be decided to claim the heavenly golden light. In other words, one person would fall short by a hair and end up with absolutely nothing.
"Losers exit, winners continue, merge!"
The Longtu Scholar cast his esoteric art once more, and the final four secret realms performed a stunning dance across the dimensions of space and time. Six-colored radiances flowed, fusing in pairs as Shi Tixin gazed solemnly at his counterpart.
When the six-colored ripples subsided and he saw his opponent, Shi Tixin's expression froze for a moment, and then a smile bloomed on his face.
He Chong.
It was He Chong!
Finally, he had run into him!
He had imagined the scenario of defeating He Chong in the finals of the minor provincial examination. Now, although it wasn't the finals, it was close enough. At least He Chong hadn't been randomly intercepted and taken down by some unknown nobody; after all, revenge was best enjoyed when exacted with one's own hands.
Besides—the semifinals?
Good.
Very good.
Wonderful!
Hiss—he drew in a deep breath, curling his five fingers, extending them, and then clenching them into a tight fist. Shi Tixin felt a tingling sensation akin to an electric shock surging from the depths of his soul, traveling from his tailbone straight to the top of his head, making his eyes flare with light.
"Shi, Tie, Xin!" He Chong's expression twisted as he let out a roar, "It's wonderful to meet you in the semifinals! You have no idea how much suffering I've endured these past few days, how many resources I've spent! Not only am I going to wipe you out, but I'm going to grind you to dust piece by piece right here, leaving you with no qualification to fight for third place, not even a shred of heavenly golden light!"
Shi Tixin split his mouth into a grin, his teeth gleaming sharp and cold like a beast's, and shouted back, "Well said! Our thoughts happen to align wonderfully!"
He Chong was stunned for a second, then snapped back to reality, a ferocious grin spreading across his face. "Overestimating your capabilities! I'll send you straight to hell right now!"
"What are you waiting for, then?" Shi Tixin spread his arms wide, his blood-stained face looking particularly terrifying. "Come on, let us—slaughter each other!"
"Hmph—!"
"Ha—!"
Blazing six-colored radiances erupted simultaneously from Shi Tixin and He Chong. With a sharp crunch beneath their feet, the two charged forward at blinding speed, hurtling straight at one another.
Bang!
Fist against fist.
Thud!
Foot against foot.
All past conflicts, schemes, contempt, insults, and hatred condensed at this exact moment into the lethality of every punch and the force of every kick. Crash, bang, crack—the decisive battle between Shi Tixin and He Chong ignited into its climax from the very first second. Neither of them took a single step back, standing their ground barely a meter apart, roaring as four fists rained blows upon each other in a dazzling blur.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
Layers of light frictioned and collided, shattering then repairing, repairing then shattering. Six-colored light spots splattered everywhere, and their taut muscles threatened to burst their cheap garments. Shi Tixin was like a heavy artillery battery, locked in a do-or-die, unyielding exchange of sheer blows with He Chong!
"Hrargh—! Taste my Flying Sand Fist!"
He Chong roared, the speed of his twin fists skyrocketing in an instant. Hiss, hiss, hiss—the air was continuously pierced, and He Chong's fist shadows lashed out like a sudden sandstorm, descending upon Shi Tixin's head and chest in an overwhelming barrage, landing blow after blow.
Fast!
He Chong's fist speed was incredible, and the force behind each strike was immense!
Every punch not only carried a layer of six-colored light but was also infused with the immense power of vital essence. He Chong, blessed with an extraordinary family background, was at a much higher stage of vital essence cultivation than Shi Tixin. Now, that vital essence was being squandered as if it were worthless, entirely dedicated to accelerating his fists.
Parrying could no longer block them completely.
"You can't possibly beat me!" He Chong jeered. "Do you really think your pathetic, trash-tier basic fist techniques can win against me? I've already hired specialists to study everyone you've injured and undergone customized training specifically designed to counter you! Do you know how many resources that costs? Do you know how high-grade my Flying Sand Fist is? You lowly plebeian, how could you possibly beat someone who has spent a fortune!"
Thump, smack—the layer of light on his forehead was shattered and breached. Before it could recover, a gash was torn across his brow. Warm blood gushed down, but Shi Tixin's expression remained as unyielding as a boulder, completely unshaken.
Since he couldn't block it anymore, he wouldn't block at all—full-out offense!
Thud, thud, thud, thud! Shi Tixin swung his arms, his shoulders pivoting like levers to generate power. Ordinary basic fist techniques couldn't provide him with ultra-high fist speeds or agile form changes, but Shi Tixin was holding back a breath. This was a breath of unyielding defiance, a breath against unfairness.
Every single moment of life-or-death struggle, the relentless grinding pressure of daily survival, every trade-off and compromise between forbearance and dignity, every gritting of teeth and stubborn refusal to fall when he wanted to give up.
Everything transformed into a single breath, exploding and supercharging within Shi Tixin's chest, turning into a force that transcended his own limits.
Snap—the muscles in his arm twitched violently, producing a sound akin to a thick tendon snapping or someone clicking their fingers.
Simultaneously, the heavy punch of Shi Tixin's right arm accelerated abruptly, slamming fiercely into He Chong's chest with the force of a landslide.
Crack!
The layer of light shattered, and He Chong staggered back three steps, his eyes filled with doubt and astonishment, his face turning half-red, half-white.
"This, this is impossible! How can this be possible?!"
Hoo—Shi Tixin let out a long breath, then drew air back into his lungs. Beneath his sleeve, the surface of the muscle that had just twitched was bruised purple, looking as though it had suffered a heavy injury.
Yet, Shi Tixin's face betrayed no sign of it. He merely raised his hand, pointed firmly at He Chong, and curled four fingers into a beckoning gesture: "Again!"
He Chong looked as though he had suffered immense humiliation; his expression instantly twisted before he let out a frantic roar and lunged forward. "I don't believe it! The Flying Sand Fist cannot lose to trash-tier basic martial arts! I cannot lose!"
Snap—there was that finger-snapping sound once more. Shi Tixin swung his left arm fiercely, landing a sweeping hook straight against He Chong's temple.
Crack, crack—amidst the sound of shattering light, He Chong spun through the air and went flying backward.