The second elimination match was just as anticlimactic as the first—Tokisaki Kurumi immediately forfeited the moment the match began.
Zhang Chulan let out a long sigh of relief. "Close call… *close call*. At least I'm still alive."
From the third match onward, the tournament finally started to feel normal. Zhang Lingyu, Wang Ye, and Zhuge Qing—all top contenders in the upper bracket—defeated their opponents and advanced.
In the lower bracket, Zhang Chulan, Feng Baobao, Zhijin Hua, Feng Shayan, and Feng Xingtong all won their matches, with the sole exception of Feng Xingtong, who lost to his opponent.
Su Xiaoqi was surprised when Zhang Chulan, the last to compete, actually fought seriously instead of pulling his usual stunts.
Noticing Su Xiaoqi's questioning look, Zhang Chulan grinned. "Big bro, what's the point of hiding my strength in front of you guys?"
Once the first round concluded, the matchups for the second round were immediately announced.
Sakata Gintoki glared at the bracket. "Yanzi, beat the crap out of that Jia Zhengliang later. Kick his balls in if you can."
Feng Shayan blinked. "Do you have a grudge against him?"
"Pfft—"
Everyone in Su Xiaoqi's group burst out laughing. Those two might not have had any history before, but the *hatred* was real now.
After joking around with Feng Shayan, Gintoki slung an arm around Feng Xingtong's shoulders. "Don't feel too bad, bro-in-law. I'll take care of that idiot Wang Bing for you."
Feng Xingtong nodded. "Got it, bro-in-law."
Feng Baobao spoke up flatly. "He's my next opponent. Want me to bury him?"
Gintoki waved her off. "Buzz off. This is *family business*. No outsiders allowed."
Out of all the second-round matches, the one that worried Su Xiaoqi the most was Zhijin Hua's. Her opponent was Hu Jie, who had taken on the dangerous "High-Interest Loan" ability from Shen Chong, one of the Four Scourges of Quanxing.
Su Xiaoqi turned to Zhijin Hua. "Hua'er, maybe you should forfeit. Or I can just take him out first."
Lu Linglong nodded urgently. "Yeah, that guy's too dangerous. He *killed* his opponent in the first round."
Zhijin Hua smiled at them. "I want to use this match to change myself. Don't worry—if things go bad, I'll forfeit immediately."
"Hua'er, I really think you should reconsider—"
Before Lu Linglong could finish, the referee announced, "Second round, first match—Lu Linglong versus Zhu Qing, please enter the arena!"
Su Xiaoqi sighed. "You two go ahead. I'll talk some sense into Hua'er."
Zhijin Hua watched Lu Linglong walk away and murmured, "Linglong's changed. I can't stay the same either. Besides, didn't *you* tell me yesterday that I should change?"
Su Xiaoqi exhaled. "Fine. But if that bastard tries anything *after* you forfeit, I'll kill him on the spot."
Zhijin Hua grinned. "Thanks."
As expected, Lu Linglong and Zhu Qing's match ended instantly with another forfeit.
Zhang Lingyu won his match easily as well, setting up a third-round showdown with Lu Linglong.
"Lu Linglong, our match tomorrow won't be as simple as your last two," Zhang Lingyu declared coldly.
Lu Linglong scoffed. "I'm not in the mood right now. Piss off before I ask Su Xiaoqi to blow up this damn mountain."
Zhang Lingyu glared. "Are you insane? You're really leaning into this 'Su Xiaoqi's wife' act now?"
Zhang Chulan nearly had a heart attack. He clapped a hand over Zhang Lingyu's mouth and forced a laugh. "H-Haha, Linglong, my shishu grew up on this mountain—he doesn't understand social cues! No need to get mad, and *definitely* no need to blow anything up! You and big bro are basically *the* power couple of the异人 world now!"
Lu Linglong rolled her eyes at Zhang Lingyu. "The only woman who'd ever want you is *her*. Otherwise, you'd die a virgin."
"*WHAT?!*"
Zhang Chulan reacted even more violently than Zhang Lingyu. "*Shishu's* not a virgin anymore?!"
Lu Linglong smirked. "Yep. Better step up your game, *little virgin*."
Zhang Chulan clutched his chest. "*No justice in this world…*"
Once the upper-bracket matches concluded, the next quarterfinal matchup was set: Wang Ye versus Zhuge Qing.
"Zhijin Hua and Hu Jie, please enter the arena!"
Lu Linglong grabbed Zhijin Hua's hands. "Hua'er, *please* don't push yourself! Forfeiting isn't shameful—I'll help you get stronger later!"
Zhijin Hua smiled. "I know." She glanced at Su Xiaoqi. "I'm heading in."
Su Xiaoqi nodded. "I'll be watching. Good luck."
From the start, the match was completely one-sided. No matter how sharp Zhijin Hua's calculations were, the sheer gap in power rendered them useless.
Lu Linglong watched in horror as Zhijin Hua took hit after hit. "HUA'ER, STOP! FORFEIT ALREADY!"
But Zhijin Hua ignored her, stubbornly staying on her feet.
Lu Linglong snapped, glaring at Hu Jie. "HU JIE, IF YOU TOUCH HER AGAIN, I'LL KILL YOU!"
Lu Jin barked, "LINGLONG! NO INTERFERENCE! THIS IS *HER* CHOICE!"
Zhijin Hua panted, blood dripping from her lips. "Linglong… I'm not done yet…"
Hu Jie, lost in bloodlust, didn't care. He rained brutal punches down on Zhijin Hua's face and body.
Su Xiaoqi shouted, "HUA'ER, THAT'S ENOUGH! YOU'VE PROVEN YOURSELF!"
Zhijin Hua lifted her head weakly and smiled at him—then shook it.
Then Hu Jie grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off the ground as he prepared to drain her Qi.
"*HUA'ER!*"
Lu Linglong lunged forward—but Su Xiaoqi was faster.
In a flash, he wrenched Hu Jie's arm away, snapping it like a twig before catching Zhijin Hua in his arms.
She looked up at him, still smiling. "I held on… I didn't cry…"
Su Xiaoqi gently brushed her blood-matted hair aside. "I saw. Rest now. I'll handle the rest."
Zhijin Hua's eyes fluttered shut. "Mm… thank you…"
Su Xiaoqi's gaze turned glacial as he stared at Hu Jie, writhing on the ground. A white aura erupted around him.
The entire stadium trembled.
Zhang Chulan stammered, "I-Is he gonna transform?! I thought he only did that if Zhu Qing got hurt?!"
Sakata Gintoki picked his nose. "Relax. As long as his aura doesn't turn rainbow-colored, we're fine."
Su Xiaoqi hurled Hu Jie into the air—then fired *five* energy blasts: four small, one massive.
Zhang Chulan frowned. "Why so many? One would've been enough."
Gintoki explained, "The small ones blew off his arms, legs, and head. The big one? That was for the torso."
Zhang Chulan gulped. *No way in hell is Baobao-jie "taking" this guy. Front, back, sideways—just NO.*
After reducing Hu Jie to atoms, Su Xiaoqi teleported back to the stands with Zhijin Hua.
"Zhuqing, a Senzu Bean, please."
Zhu Qing handed him one without hesitation.
Tokisaki Kurumi muttered, "Is darling into Zhijin Hua now? Giving her something *that* precious…"
Su Xiaoqi flicked her forehead. "Senzu Beans *are* rare. But Hua'er earned this today."
When Zhijin Hua woke up, Su Xiaoqi fed her the bean.
Instantly, her injuries vanished—not even a scar remained.
Zhijin Hua gasped. "*I'm healed?!*"
Lu Linglong grinned. "Told you it was amazing. Too bad I didn't pull any yesterday."
Zhijin Hua bit her lip. "I… I don't know how to repay you."
Su Xiaoqi smiled. "Help me calculate something later. Use that big brain of yours to estimate my combat power. Deal?"
Zhijin Hua nodded eagerly. "I'll do my best!"
Zhang Chulan sidled up, rubbing his hands. "Big bro… got any more of those magic beans? I'll help you show off!"
**THUD!**
Feng Baobao punched him into the ground. "No hole, no bean. You're *unworthy*."
She turned to Su Xiaoqi. "Can I have one?"
"If you give it to me, I won't take you head-on. *You* can take *me* head-on instead."