With Ming Qi's final Wolf Fist attack, Si Kou Yu was finally sent reeling with a humiliating blow.
A cacophony of sighs erupted from the square. They had seen fights before, but never such shamelessness. They were still agonizing over whether this could be considered harassment rather than a legitimate victory.
But it was clear that the referee was impartial. The first person to fall off the stage was undeniably declared the loser.
Thus, Ming Qi won the first match between Tianqi and Jiulian academies in such a mediocre manner.
Only after the referee declared Ming Qi the winner did he leisurely walk to the side, bend down, pick up the flung Nifeng Sword from the ground, put it back into his ring, and then slowly climbed down the stairs.
Yes, just like when he first climbed onto the stage, he climbed down after the fight.
"Damn, you'll die if you keep the booing down!"
Ming Qi muttered indignantly, walked over to the Tianqi Academy seat, and sat down.
"Well done!"
Zhao Qi gave a thumbs-up, his face beaming with praise.
"If you were my disciple, I'd definitely put you in solitary confinement!"
Just as Zhao Qi finished his praise, Prince Xu spoke coldly, his attitude clearly showing his disdain for Ming Qi's fighting style.
Kendo is most about one's character. To master the art of kendo, one must first cultivate one's mind, also known as the sword heart. Without a sword heart as pure as a blade, it's difficult to achieve success in the art of kendo.
Although Prince Xu was optimistic about Ming Qi's kendo talent, he hadn't expected him to lack the talent for cultivating a sword heart.
Thankfully, young people are highly adaptable, so Prince Xu wouldn't dwell on this fact.
The first round ended, with Tianqi Academy leading—a good sign.
However, Ming Qi didn't think the upcoming match would be easy. Tianqi Academy only had a handful of players, and Jiulian Academy had lost a round. This time, they would most likely send a stronger player to reverse their disadvantage.
As for Tianqi Academy, things were truly difficult.
"You do it this time."
Yue Dongqing was the first to speak. Last time, Zhao Qi had been the first to name the players, but this time, she spoke first.
She chose Qiu Ling.
Although the others were somewhat puzzled, no one denied Yue Dongqing's choice.
So, just like last time, Yue Dongqing announced the names of the participating disciples through telepathy.
Soon, after a quarter-hour break, the disciples from both teams took the stage.
"Jiulian Academy disciple Ren Xiangfei, Tianqi Academy disciple Qiu Ling."
Qiu Ling from Tianqi Academy stood up and walked towards the stage.
Jiulian Academy disciple Ren Xiangfei!
Jiulian Academy's senior disciple!
Upon hearing this name, Meng Junyi and the others lost all hope. While Qiu Ling showed considerable fighting spirit, her strength was no match for Ren Xiangfei.
After losing a round, Jiulian Academy would naturally send in a strong player to win the match. This seemed obvious, but Meng Junyi couldn't understand why the Canglong Guardian hadn't thought of such a simple question.
If they had, why would they send the weak Qiu Ling to the stage?
Confused, Meng Junyi looked up at the ring.
Jiulian Academy's senior brother, Ren Xiangfei, had already walked up to the stage and leaped onto it with a light leap. As for Qiu Ling, she had also walked up the steps, step by step, just like Ming Qi had done in the previous round.
Hmm?
Meng Junyi was completely confused.
Logically, Ming Qi's behavior was understandable, but what was the meaning of Qiu Ling's behavior?
The two men had just taken their positions on the ring when Qiu Ling took a few steps forward to the referee. After a few words, she turned and left the stage.
…
"Jiulian Academy vs. Tianqi Academy, Jiulian Academy's Ren Xiangfei wins."
After hearing the referee's announcement, Meng Junyi finally understood. Qiu Ling had simply stepped on stage and conceded defeat!
In a flash, Meng Junyi's mind was ablaze with questions.
Qiu Ling returned to her seat in a flash and quietly took her place.
"Junior Sister Ling, what's going on?"
When Qiu Ling returned, Tang Qi beside her couldn't wait to ask.
Meng Junyi wasn't the only one confused.
Qiu Ling remained silent, her expression remarkably steady.
"That's called tactics, Senior Brother Tang."
Ming Qi, standing nearby, clarified.
"Tactics?"
Tang Qi still felt a little confused. Although he wasn't stupid, his wisdom seemed to be fading at this moment.
"Yes, do you think Senior Sister Ling can beat Ren Xiangfei?"
Ming Qi asked.
"She's no match." Tang Qi had to admit that Qiu Ling had little chance of winning against Ren Xiangfei, but that didn't mean she'd just give up.
"So how did I win my last match?"
Ming Qi continued.
This silenced Tang Qi. Although Ming Qi had won his last match, it wasn't a graceful victory. He simply drove the opponent crazy and then knocked him down with a single, dirty punch.
But after hearing this, Tang Qi finally understood.
Is Jiulianyuan sending Ren Xiangfei this time really just to win back a match?
It seemed that if Qiu Ling chose to fight, it would most likely be a repeat of the fight between Si Kou Yu and Ming Qi.
At this thought, Tang Qi and Meng Junyi both nodded thoughtfully, a simultaneous thought arising in their minds. As Tianqi Academy disciples, their responsibilities included not only upholding the academy's reputation but also taking care of everyone involved.
"Qinglong, you're the third one."
Yue Dongqing now directly called out a name. Although she was Yue Qinglong's younger sister, she seemed to have always been ignored. Yue Qinglong seemed to remember that she only affectionately called him "Brother Qinglong" when his younger sister teased him.
Being addressed by name instead of "brother," Yue Qinglong didn't hesitate and nodded immediately.
The break was a short, fifteen-minute break, and before long, the referee had announced the two disciples to the stage.
"Zuo Zihua, a disciple of Jiulian Academy, and Yue Qinglong, a disciple of Tianqi Academy."
Zuo Zihua wasn't a well-known name; Meng Junyi had never even heard of him.
Both sides took the stage, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then, at the referee's announcement, began.
Yue Qinglong's strength has improved significantly since the Tianguan Tower trials, and he's now at the ninth level of the Acquired Realm. While Zuo Zihua, despite his family background, possesses only the eighth level, the outcome of this duel is now clear.
Yue Qinglong had been building up a lot of energy, and once in the ring, he displayed remarkable skill, effectively knocking his opponent to the ground. The opponent was seemingly unable to stop, and only stopped after the referee's loud rebuke did Yue Qinglong's assault cease.
This round, Yue Qinglong's victory was resounding.
"Alright, it's over."
Just as the Tianqi Academy members were basking in the joy of victory, Yue Dongqing suddenly clapped her hands and stood up decisively.
She then shouted to the middle-aged referee on ring number six, "Zheng Huo, we're done fighting. Jiulian Academy lost."
Jiulian Academy lost?
Jiulian Academy lost!
Indeed, Jiulian Academy had lost so utterly.
As the dean of Jiulian Academy, Shang Qingjun felt the urge to slam his head on the table.
But regardless, Tianqi Academy had no one to compete. Could it be that their disciples would charge in and fight the referee?
Tianqi Academy didn't have a dean, but they had the support of Yue Dongqing. Yue Dongqing alone had completely dispelled all his thoughts. And what about the fact that they had Fatty Zhao, the Dan Pavilion Elder? And Prince Xu, the Biyou Sect's number one sword-wielding elder?
After a few seconds of rage, Shang Qingjun was completely deflated.
There was nothing he could do. Jiulian Academy could only consider themselves unlucky this year.
After confirming Yue Dongqing's words, referee Zheng Huo on stage six no longer had any objections and headed straight for the judging table.
When Zheng Huo came over to announce that the winner had been decided, no one in the judging table was surprised. After all, Yue Dongqing had made the decision.
...
While the other academies were still engaged in a bitter struggle, the battle at Tianqi Academy had already concluded. Yue Dongqing naturally bid farewell to Little Canglong and departed, and then Prince Xu also flew back to the Sword Pond on his flying sword.
"Boy, I'm counting on you."
Before leaving, Zhao Qi didn't forget to offer some encouragement to Mingqi.
Leaving Mingqi bewildered, Fatty Zhao sauntered off.
Shameless?
Displeased?
"Hehe." Zhao Qi chuckled, reflecting on what Xiang Qian had said. "Actually, I love the shameless and shameless..."
Mingqi and his companions returned early, but the other academies did not. The first round of the Golden Autumn Festival didn't conclude until that evening. By contrast, with the exception of Jiulian Academy, which had the misfortune of encountering Tianqi Academy, the other academies fully demonstrated their strengths. After a round of competition, plus a bye, the spots for the second round were determined.
Compared to previous first-round qualifiers, the most prominent this time was undoubtedly the dark horse Tianqi Academy. With a no-questions-asked attitude, almost all the outer disciples didn't consider Tianqi Academy's advance to the second round a formidable dark horse, but instead silently viewed them as nothing more than a giant fly.
"Let Senior Sister Ling go on stage and admit defeat, wasting a master of the other team."
In the Tianqi Academy attic, everyone gathered around the table for dinner, intently listening to Ming Qi's analysis of the so-called tactics.
Ming Qi took a sip of his wine and continued, "If we just admit defeat, Jiulianyuan will definitely send someone of moderate strength, because they need to keep a limited number of experts to support the team. And based on past experience, the winner of the first round of competition can't be determined until more than a dozen rounds have passed."
"That's right, the Lord Protector told me the same thing in his message back then."
Qiu Ling's eyes widened beside him. She even suspected Ming Qi had colluded with Lord Protector Canglong; otherwise, how could the two of them have such identical ideas?
"Great minds think alike," Ming Qi boasted. It was ridiculous. If he couldn't see through that little trick, he'd be embarrassed to say he came from a high-tech, modern world.
"Ah, let's eat," Meng Junyi took the lead and picked up his bowl.
Ouna chuckled quietly, and the other girls laughed too.
To be honest, they didn't discover until today that Junior Brother Ming actually had such a side to him. Yes, this side that is rarely seen in the public eye.