40: Chapter 40 Second Round of the Semifinals

Semi-finals, Second Round. Shen Ye vs. Fang Yan.

The match was scheduled for the afternoon.

Shen Ye went to watch the match between Su Wanqing and Han Xu in the morning.

Su Wanqing lost without any suspense, but the match lasted much longer than the one in the group stage.

After the Thorn Queen's second evolution, her cold resistance had increased by one level, and the Thorn Sea held out for a long time amidst the continuous cooling of the Frost Tundra.

Han Xu's Frost Giant eventually pressed forward bit by bit, and the Thorn Sea was frozen into ice shards, covering the entire battle stage.

When Su Wanqing conceded, applause actually broke out from the stands—not for the winner, but for the girl who used a plant-type ability to hard-carry against the ice-type until the very last moment.

Shen Ye stood up from the stands, walked through the corridor, and entered the preparation room.

Qin Shu was waiting at the door; he didn't follow him in, just leaned against the doorframe for a moment.

"Fang Yan's triangular cycle has a core that can move across three nodes. Your Elder Quan found it last time using a reverse spiral, but this time he won't give you that chance again."

"I know."

"How do you plan to fight?"

"Using Jin Lin. Imploding Sword Intent."

Qin Shu was silent for a while, then nodded.

He didn't say "be careful," but turned and left.

Shen Ye closed the door, sat down on the bench, and closed his eyes.

His consciousness sank into his Kingdom.

Jin Lin sheathed his sword in front of the sword stele.

The hundred-man Sword Cultivator squad lined up behind him, their flying swords already unsheathed, tips pointing obliquely at the ground.

Shen Ye's consciousness projection landed in front of the sword stele, and Jin Lin turned around, holding his sword to salute.

"Heavenly Dao."

"Fang Yan's Rock Giant has a core moving along a triangular cycle. If your Ring Sword Intent explodes from the inside, no matter how fast the core moves, it cannot be faster than the explosion speed of the Sword Intent."

Shen Ye said, "In this match, you are the main force."

Jin Lin nodded.

The small golden dragon on his shoulder slithered slowly, its dragon whiskers swaying gently.

"Jin Lin accepts the order."

He didn't ask, "Why not let Elder Quan coordinate?" nor did he ask, "Should Mu Sheng join as well?"

If the Deity pointed at him, he would go.

That was all.

Shen Ye opened his eyes.

The preparation room was dimly lit.

The broadcast of the previous match's conclusion came from the corridor, mixed with the applause and discussions of the audience.

He stood up and pushed the door open.

The third battle stage.

The grayish-white law slabs shimmered under the lights, and the buffer patterns were fully activated.

The stands were full of people.

The light gray square formation of Nanjiang No. 7 High School was on the left, the gold-stamped banner still unfurled, but Liu Yang wasn't holding it—he was in the front row, fists clenched on his knees, his expression even more nervous than Shen Ye's.

The dark red square formation of City No. 3 High School was on the right, Zheng Chuan sat in the front row, arms crossed over his chest, no smile on his lips.

Fang Yan was his uncle.

City No. 1 High School was at the very top, Su Wanqing sat in a corner, holding a data pad.

Beside her was Lu Chuan, hands in his pockets, eyes fixed forward.

In the last row of the stands, all four admissions officers were present.

Fang Yan stood on the other side of the battle stage.

Wearing the dark red uniform of City No. 3 High School, his shoulders were broad, and standing there, he looked like a rock whose sharp edges had been worn smooth by running water.

He didn't speak.

Neither did Shen Ye.

The referee raised a hand.

Both sides deployed their Kingdom Projection.

Fang Yan's Granite Fortress spread out on the other side of the battle stage, a grayish-white rocky wasteland where fine rock dust rose from the ground.

Rock Giants emerged from the wasteland—three hundred of them, each with a triangular cycle of spiritual power flowing within their chest cavities.

The mutant stood at the very front, its core moving rapidly across the three nodes of the triangular cycle, so fast that ordinary people could only see a blurred dark light.

Shen Ye deployed his Land of Cultivation.

All his dependents lined up within the Kingdom Projection.

Three thousand six hundred dependents, five hundred and nineteen at the foundation establishment stage, and over three thousand one hundred at the late stage of qi refining.

The hundred-man Gold Spirit Root Sword Cultivator squad was in front, the hundred-man Wood Spirit Root Array Master squad on both sides, the hundred-man Water Spirit Root Mage squad in the middle, and the Fire Spirit Root Artificers and Earth Spirit Root Miners at the rear.

Jin Lin stood at the very front of the Sword Cultivator squad, hand on his sword hilt.

The small golden dragon on his shoulder slithered slowly, its dragon whiskers swaying gently.

Shen Ye did not summon Mu Sheng, nor did he summon Elder Quan.

Just one person.

The referee's hand fell.

"Begin."

Jin Lin's flying sword unsheathed.

Not from the front, but from the air.

The moment the referee's hand fell, he had already leaped into mid-air, the small golden dragon slithered from his shoulder into the flying sword, and the dragon patterns on the sword suddenly lit up, extending from the guard to the tip, the entire sword like a newly Awakened young dragon.

He did not pause, did not observe, did not test.

Man and sword as one, he stabbed straight down from the air.

Fang Yan's Rock Giants moved simultaneously.

The mutant stood at the very front, arms crossed to protect its chest, while the other Rock Giants arranged themselves in a triangular formation behind it, layer upon layer—not to attack, but to defend.

Fang Yan had never intended to attack from the beginning.

He knew that the individual combat power of Shen Ye's dependents far exceeded that of his Rock Giants, he knew that Mu Sheng's guiding vines could gather the Rock Giants into a single point, and he knew that Elder Quan's water flow guidance could disrupt the advancement rhythm of the Rock Giants.

So he simply didn't advance.

All the Rock Giants contracted into a defensive formation, the mutant at the very front, the triangular formation layered on top of each other like a dam made of rocks.

Jin Lin's flying sword collided with the dam.

Ring Sword Intent exploded from within the mutant's chest, the golden shockwave spreading in all directions.

The mutant's arms developed fine cracks the moment the Sword Intent touched them, but the Rock Giants behind it simultaneously injected spiritual power into the mutant's body—the triangular cycle was not just an internal cycle of a single Rock Giant; the triangular cycles of all three hundred Rock Giants could be connected in series.

Jin Lin's Sword Intent shattered the core from inside the mutant, but the moment the core shattered, the triangular cycle re-condensed the core fragments, regenerating it from another node.

Jin Lin struck sword after sword, the core in the mutant's chest shattered again and again, and again and again it re-condensed.

Shen Ye stood at the edge of the battle stage, his consciousness simultaneously connected to Jin Lin and the army behind him.

The three thousand six hundred dependents did not move, waiting for his command.

He glanced at Fang Yan.

Fang Yan stood in the center of the rocky wasteland, hands hanging naturally at his sides, without any superfluous movements.

His Rock Giants kept shattering and regenerating under Jin Lin's continuous Sword Intent explosions, the series connection of the triangular cycles allowing all Rock Giants to share the same circulation network—smashing one core caused the cycle to shunt the fragments to other nodes to regenerate.

It was like using a sword to slash at water; the water could not be cut.

Shen Ye raised his right hand.

The three thousand six hundred dependents behind him simultaneously deployed their Kingdom Projection.

Not three hundred, but all of them.

The hundred-man Gold Spirit Root Sword Cultivator squad was in front, and the moment their flying swords unsheathed, one hundred sword beams extended several inches simultaneously.

The hundred-man Wood Spirit Root Array Master squad was on the sides, vines extending from their cuffs and piercing into the soil layer beneath the law slabs.

The hundred-man Water Spirit Root Mage squad was in the middle, water flows rising from their fingertips and weaving into a net in the air.

The hundred-man Fire Spirit Root Artificer squad was at the rear, the temperature of the Earth Fire Furnace emanating from the fire marrow in their palms, illuminating the entire battle stage in red.

The Earth Spirit Root Miners were scattered at various nodes of the formation, pressing their hands to the ground, and the soil layer beneath the law slabs began to bulge slowly.

The stands were silent for a moment.

This was the first time Shen Ye had deployed all his dependents in the City-level Competition.

Fang Yan looked up, gazing at that overwhelming Kingdom Projection.

He had three hundred Rock Giants, connected by triangular cycles, with invincible defense.

But Shen Ye had three thousand six hundred dependents, five hundred and nineteen at the foundation establishment stage, and over three thousand one hundred at the late stage of qi refining.

He was silent for a while, then did something no one expected—he retracted his Kingdom Projection.

The Rock Giants walked back to the Granite Fortress one by one, the mutant walking last, the core in its chest no longer shattering and regenerating, but quietly moving slowly along with the triangular cycle.

Fang Yan nodded to the referee.

"I concede."

The stands exploded.

The dark red square formation of City No. 3 High School erupted in unbelievable noise—Fang Yan's Rock Giants were clearly still capable of fighting, the defensive system of the series-connected triangular cycles clearly hadn't been broken yet.

Zheng Chuan stood up, hands pressing against the back of the front-row seat, his lips moved, but no sound came out.

The light gray square formation of Nanjiang No. 7 High School erupted in cheers after a brief moment of stunned silence, but the cheers were not very uniform, mixed with confusion—Fang Yan hadn't been pushed to the brink, so why concede?

The referee looked at Fang Yan.

"Confirming the concession?"

Fang Yan nodded.

"I am not his match."

He paused for a moment. "He didn't let Jin Lin continue to strike. If he had pressed all three thousand six hundred dependents forward, Jin Lin's Sword Intent combined with Mu Sheng's guiding vines gathering them, Elder Quan's water flow guidance, the Fire Spirit Root's flame explosion, and the Earth Spirit Root's rock thorn assault—my triangular cycle wouldn't have held up."

He looked at Shen Ye.

"He didn't do that. He saved face for me. I concede."

The referee raised a hand.

"Winner, Shen Ye."

The noise in the stands gradually subsided.

Fang Yan turned and walked off the battle stage, pausing for a step when he brushed past Shen Ye.

"In the Provincial Tournament, I will come for you again."

Shen Ye looked at him.

"Good."

Fang Yan nodded and left.

His retreating figure paused for a moment at the entrance of the contestant passage, then disappeared into the dark red lights.

Shen Ye retracted the three thousand six hundred dependents.

They walked back to the Kingdom Projection one by one, the sound of the hundred-man Gold Spirit Root Sword Cultivator squad's flying swords returning to their sheaths was uniform as one, the Wood Spirit Root Array Masters withdrew their vines from the gaps in the law slabs, and the Water Spirit Root Mages withdrew their water flows into their sleeves.

Jin Lin dropped from mid-air to Shen Ye's side, the small golden dragon lazily coiled in his shoulder hollow, yawning.

Shen Ye nodded to the referee and turned to walk off the battle stage.

In the last row of the stands, the four admissions officers lowered their heads simultaneously to record on their data pads.

The admissions officer from Wanxiang University wrote: "When the dependent array is fully deployed, three thousand six hundred people have spiritual power connected as one. To subdue the enemy without fighting, the tactical deterrence has reached the level of the Provincial Tournament. Recommend raising observation priority to the highest, and including in the core candidate list."

The admissions officer from Shenyu University wrote: "Can directly enter the core layer."

The admissions officer from Cangqiong University wrote: "When Jin Lin's continuous Sword Intent exploded, the mutant core shattered and regenerated, Shen Ye did not let the Sword Cultivator squad follow up to finish the kill, but chose to press the entire field to force the opponent to concede. This kind of judgment is not trained."

The admissions officer from Eternal University wrote: "Three thousand six hundred people deployed, zero spiritual power waste, array switching took only an extremely short time. Resource utilization efficiency reached military-grade standards."

Shen Ye walked into the contestant passage.

Qin Shu was leaning against the passage wall, holding a data pad.

"You originally intended to use Jin Lin to decide the outcome with one sword. After discovering that the triangular cycle could be connected in series and regenerate, you immediately changed tactics—using the entire army of dependents to press on, forcing Fang Yan to concede himself."

"He is the one among the opponents I have encountered who is least like an opponent."

Shen Ye said, "He doesn't say polite things, doesn't collapse when he can't win, and doesn't act sour on social media when he loses. He just fights silently, goes back to change if he loses, and comes again after changing. I won't humiliate him."

Qin Shu was silent for a while.

"You have grown up."

He tucked the data pad under his arm and turned to leave.

Shen Ye walked out of the contestant passage.

Su Wanqing was waiting for him at the exit, holding a data pad, her eyes slightly red—not because of crying, but because of the side effects of pushing herself to spiritual backlash in the match against Han Xu just now.

"Is the Thorn Queen injured again?"

"It can be recovered."

Su Wanqing handed the data pad to him. "At the scene where Fang Yan conceded, Zheng Chuan's face looked worse than when you crushed him in three moves. You made his uncle concede in public, which is more uncomfortable for him than beating him personally."

"I didn't intend to make him uncomfortable. Fang Yan is Fang Yan, Zheng Chuan is Zheng Chuan."

Su Wanqing was silent for a while.

"I know. That's why Fang Yan appreciates your gesture."

She put away the data pad. "Lu Chuan is against Han Xu in the semi-finals, and is highly likely to win. If my calculations are correct, the final is you against him."

Shen Ye nodded.

Su Wanqing looked at him.

"Lu Chuan has won all his group stage matches, with an extremely short average time per match. In the first round of the semi-finals, he faced an A-grade fire-type, also extremely short. His Undead Sea, currently, no one has survived the first wave of the charge. You won all eleven matches in the group stage, two rounds in the semi-finals, the first round against Zheng Chuan was extremely short, and in the second round against Fang Yan, Fang Yan conceded. No one has seen your true strength either. The final is two people who have hidden their cards for the entire City-level Competition, showing all their trump cards for the first time."

Shen Ye did not speak.

Su Wanqing turned and left.

Returning to the contestant village, the sky was already at dusk.

Shen Ye pushed open the dormitory door, Liu Yang was lying in front of the data pad looking at the final predictions.

The official forum of the City Awakened Association had the voting page online—"City-level Competition Final: Lu Chuan vs. Shen Ye, who are you betting on?"

Lu Chuan's support rate was slightly higher, with Shen Ye following closely behind.

The comments below had already argued for many pages, some posting Lu Chuan's average time in the group stage, others posting the video breakdown of Shen Ye crushing Zheng Chuan in three moves.

Shen Ye returned the data pad to Liu Yang and sat down at the table.

Liu Yang put down the data pad and went to the cafeteria to get two portions of food—spirit plant buns, spirit beast steak, and two bowls of spirit grain porridge.

Shen Ye took the chopsticks and lowered his head to eat.

"In the Provincial Tournament, I will come for you again."

That's what Fang Yan said before leaving.

No resentment, no unwillingness to accept.

Just silently accepted it, then agreed to the next time.

Shen Ye picked up the spirit beast steak and took a bite.

The steak was fried just right, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

He chewed slowly, remembering when Su Wanqing walked off the battle stage this morning, the petals of the Thorn Queen were scattered all over the ground, and she bent down to pick them up one by one, as carefully as if she were picking up some precious fragments.

Shen Ye finished the steak and put down his chopsticks.

Liu Yang was chattering away next to him, analyzing the weaknesses of Lu Chuan's Undead Sea, saying that Skeleton Warriors were afraid of ice, Undead Knights were afraid of tripwires, and Stitched Giants were afraid of internal explosions.

Shen Ye listened, nodding occasionally.

Outside the window, the lights of the contestant village connected into one in the night, and the dome of the stadium in the distance was glowing with a grayish-white light band.

The final was in two days.

Two more days.

In the Kingdom, Jin Lin was practicing sword in front of the sword stele, the small golden dragon coiled on his shoulder, its dragon whiskers rising and falling gently with his breathing.

Mu Sheng was weaving a vine net beside the spirit field, twenty-one vine strips flying in the sunset, the small white flowers at the tips of the vines all closed, like twenty-four extinguished lamps.

Elder Quan sat cross-legged by the spirit spring, the water flow with three spirals merged was rotating slowly in his palm, he was not sleeping, just closing his eyes, listening to the sound of the water.

Not far away, the alchemy room of the Fire Spirit Root Artificers was glowing with fire, they were keeping watch tonight, and the first batch of foundation establishment pills would be out before dawn.

Shen Ye stood up, walked to the window, and opened it.

The night wind poured in.

He was waiting for the final.