CHAPTER 62: CHAPTER 62: WHEN THEY SAY 3 SECONDS, IT IS 3 SECONDS

Hu Qing’s opponent seemed to be a Swordsman. Before the referee blew the whistle, his long sword was already raised, pointing at Hu Qing from afar. His lengthy fringe hung over the bridge of his nose; his head was slightly bowed, and strands of hair stirred with his breath.

The arena was silent and without wind, yet the opponent’s white clothing, whiter than snow, fluttered like a cloak.

Judging by his appearance alone, he definitely had the style of an ancient, white-clad chivalrous hero.

The moment Hu Qing rushed forward, the opponent’s eyes brightened. Star Power surged around him, and the sword in his hand seemed to electrify, shining with a dazzling light.

FSHHH FSHHH FSHHH—

Several Sword Qi were unleashed, transforming into crescent blades that slashed towards Hu Qing in sequence.

The judges sitting on the high platform lit up with interest, nodding repeatedly.

"Sword Qi crisscrossing, elegant movement technique—there’s a lot to look forward to."

"Contestant No. 360 also has good looks. This appearance, combined with his Sword Qi, should allow him to gather a fanbase quickly."

"Yeah, he might just be another Li Mingfeng."

"That Contestant No. 500 is too thin. Although he looks very lean, that image makes him look like a villain!"

"From his moves, it seems he is of the close-combat type. Close-combat types basically stand no chance against long-range Mage types. Moreover, Contestant No. 360 wields a long sword while Contestant No. 500 is unarmed. Contestant No. 360’s advancement should be a foregone conclusion."

There usually weren’t judges’ commentaries during the preliminary rounds; even when there were, they were typically private. However, for some reason, after lunch, the judges’ microphone was turned on for public broadcast. A few matches even had judges’ comments after they concluded.

But this was the first time they started commenting just as a match began, even before a result.

Listen to this! What are they even talking about?

Close-combat types stand no chance against long-range Mages? This conclusion instantly upended Wang Lan’s worldview. Were the textbooks wrong? Long-range Mages and close-combat types were supposed to be mutually restrictive. Close-combat itself was divided into tanks, warriors, and assassins. Even warriors were further divided into tanky and agile fighters.

They say Mages counter warriors? Come on, let’s see them try to counter an assassin!

Wang Lan redirected his gaze from the stands and finally understood what Mingyue Wucheng’s dismissive tone meant. The feeling of having a group of judges who clearly knew nothing about the subject passing commentary, yet still having to humbly call them ’teacher,’ was indeed galling.

At this moment, Hu Qing successfully dodged the incoming Sword Qi and managed to close in right in front of Contestant No. 360.

Hu Qing’s eyes were as sharp as a wolf’s, his gaze firmly fixed on Contestant No. 360’s eyes. Contestant No. 360’s eyes began to show panic. Unable to prevent Hu Qing’s approach, he decisively raised his sword to execute his sword technique. But to Wang Lan, What kind of swordsmanship is this? It’s fundamentally just a raw sword skill! Obviously, the opponent hadn’t learned true swordsmanship, only its superficial aspects. He hadn’t grasped the essence, though he had learned to mimic the elegance well enough.

Hu Qing moved so close he nearly touched the opponent’s sword light, then broke through his defensive perimeter and suddenly thrust out with his hands.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—

After several muffled sounds, Contestant No. 360 was sent flying into the air and then hurtled backward.

"Wow? What happened?"

"Who saw that clearly?" the two hosts in front of the judges’ stand asked with exaggerated gestures, holding microphones.

And the Star Martial Warriors in attendance, regardless of their strength, could more or less discern what had happened.

"Quick, show us the instant replay! Let’s see what happened!"

"My goodness! Contestant No. 500 suddenly thrust out eight palm strikes, hitting Contestant No. 360 and sending him flying. These eight palm strikes were all delivered within one second! Truly worthy of a Star Martial Warrior—able to execute punches at speeds the naked eye can’t capture, speeds only a high-speed camera could record!"

"..."

All the Star Martial Warriors in the audience shuddered awkwardly, each turning to look at the two hosts on stage who were putting on an animated performance.

Apparently, they were rehearsing too.

Hu Qing instantly took down his opponent. Before the other could even land, Hu Qing turned and walked towards the stands.

"What is Contestant No. 500 doing? Contestant No. 360 hasn’t conceded yet... No, Contestant No. 360 is up again! The match isn’t over... Huh? Contestant No. 360 has fallen again..."

Hu Qing returned to his seat. Wang Lan turned to him, "Congratulations."

"Nothing to congratulate. On a real battlefield, I could have killed him instantly. But, did you notice anything?"

"Focus on the goal. Don’t waste an iota of unnecessary movement or Star Power. Defeat the opponent as quickly as possible using what you’re best at."

"Also, don’t commit everything without reservation. Always leave room for evasion or for activating a defensive Star Martial Skill. I’m of the Earth Attribute. During my charge, my Star Power was continuously preparing an Earth Wall defense. If the opponent had any other killing moves and I had no way to dodge, I could have activated the Earth Wall to buy myself time to evade."

"Understood."

"Contestant No. 700, please proceed to Arena 15 for the preliminary matches..."

Wang Lan stood up and once again secured the mask on his face. With Ghost Wail slung across his back, he straightened his posture and slowly walked towards the arena.

"Alright, bros, I, Fan, am about to start my first round of preliminaries. I thought it was just a walk-through, but it turns out I actually have to fight.

But I’m quite confident. My bros should know, with my looks and my strength, a small competition like this is a piece of cake.

I, Fan, specially traveled from the Northeast to the South. I just got off the plane and I feel like I’m about to get heatstroke. This Southern summer is too hot! It’s already past the Beginning of Autumn, but the temperature is still over forty degrees Celsius.

It’s also muggy and hot. Seeing as I, Fan, am out here in this heat livestreaming for you guys, gifting a sports car wouldn’t be too much, right? Come on, bros, let the gifts roll in..."

"Fan’s shamelessly begging for gifts again..."

"Fan, just how tough is your old lady on you? A dignified Star Martial Warrior driven to busking on the streets?"

"Fan, yesterday you said you hadn’t eaten all day and begged for donations. Then I saw you devouring a whole cow on your stream! You liar..."

As soon as Wang Lan stepped onto the arena platform, his opponent came over giggling, all while bickering with his amusingly daft online fans. What’s this guy here for...?

"Contestant No. 700, Contestant No. 530, are you ready?" the sunglasses-wearing referee asked nonchalantly.

"Ready!"

His opponent also made an OK gesture.

"Fan, we’re not asking for much. Just try to lose with a bit of dignity..."

"Lose? How could I, Fan, possibly lose? Have you all forgotten that I’m a pure-blooded son of the Northeast? My combat power is off the charts by birth! Although I’m a bit unaccustomed to the Southern climate, the only thing that can affect my fighting strength is your donations!

Shower me with gifts! Your presents are my motivation. The more gifts you send, the harder I’ll fight! I guarantee you’ll get your money’s worth! I’ll switch to the camera on my hat now to give you all a first-person perspective of a Star Martial Warrior in combat."

The opponent put away his phone, and then, the referee’s whistle blew.

"The match has started! Let the gifts pour in! Rockets! Rockets! Send four rockets, and I’ll perform a three-second takedown, live! Hurry, he’s charging at me! Here he comes...

He’s a close-combat fighter, just like me, Fan! A close-combat duel—what a rare opportunity! Only three seconds left... the fight is on!"

HAH—

Fan suddenly stomped on the ground. His Star Power erupted instantly, sweeping outwards like an explosive shockwave.

This was Fan’s Star Martial Skill, Shock Wave. It released a 360-degree, omnidirectional concussive blast, sweeping away all nearby enemies. It was a highly practical Star Martial Skill, effective over an area rather than a set number of targets. The closer the distance, the greater its power.

BOOM—

However, the expected sight of Wang Lan being sent flying backward didn’t materialize. Fan took a step forward to pursue, but Wang Lan was nowhere to be seen.

Where’d he go?

A hand patted Fan’s shoulder.

Fan turned around. In an instant, a fist the size of a sandbag rapidly grew larger and brighter before his eyes.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—

Three rapid punches struck Fan’s chest in a triangular pattern.

Fan’s eyes instantly bulged, the whites shot with blood. When Wang Lan withdrew, Fan was kneeling on the ground, clutching his stomach.

"Contestant No. 700 wins!"

"Bros, send those gifts! He did it! He really did it!"

"Fan has tricked us so many times, but this time, he kept his word! He said he’d finish the fight in three seconds, and he succeeded! He wagered his dignity and honor to show us a three-second resolution... with him being the one resolved!"

"Hahaha... Fan is truly one of a kind! Think about it, has he successfully done anything he set out to do in the past few months?"

"No, he did it this time! I timed it—three seconds on the dot, not a second more."

"Actually, Fan is really strong. A lone wolf of the Northeast."

"Of course, Fan is a Star Shine Stage Star Martial Warrior, after all. He’s been with a Pioneer Team and mined with a Star Martial Group. He’s fit for the grand hall and the humble kitchen. With just his trusty club, he’s traveled the world. I’ve known Fan for almost a year now, and when he really gets into action, I’ve never seen him lose.

So how did the wolf from the North turn into a husky in the South?"

"That masked guy is so strong! He took Fan down in an instant?"

"Stop talking about other guys! Are you still Fan’s fans or not? Anyway, I sent my rockets. Fan kept his word, and so did I. But... just let me laugh for a bit first, I’m about to die laughing!"

Fan was carried off. A Medical Attribute Star Martial Warrior checked him and found no physical injuries, just internal shock to his organs that would heal with half a day’s rest.

"Have you experienced real combat?" Hu Qing suddenly turned to look at Wang Lan, hidden behind the mask, and asked flatly.

"Do the trial grounds count?"

"It seems I underestimated you. I always thought of you as just an ignorant student because of your youth. Turns out you already have real combat experience."

"To all contestants participating in the Star Martial Championship: the first round of eliminations has been completed, with a total of four hundred contestants emerging victorious. These four hundred contestants will be reassigned electronic numbers tomorrow and will proceed to the second and third preliminary rounds. Contestants who have advanced to the second round, please assemble here again tomorrow at 7:30 a.m...."

"Completion of the first preliminary round of the Star Martial Championship. Reward: 600 experience points, 50 skill points..."

Just as Wang Lan stood up to leave, a notification sound chimed in his mind.

Just one match, and I get 600 experience points and 50 skill points as a reward? That’s as much as defeating fifty people in a challenge!

And judging by the system’s mission notification, this seems to be a progressive, recurring task. This means the rewards for completing the second round will definitely be higher than the first, and the rewards for the main tournament matches will be even greater than those for the preliminaries.

Fifty skill points are pitifully few compared to previous mission rewards, but this is only the first round. If I can last until the championship, the gains might not be less than those from the junior trial grounds!

Thrilled, Wang Lan took the bus home. He never expected that footage from today’s preliminary matches would be edited into a music video by the organizers. Featuring dazzling fight scenes set to a heart-pumping PGM, the official theme song for the Suzhou City Star Martial Championship was released and immediately shot to the top of the music charts.