He's Destined To Be Defeated!

"More than a dozen different fights, and yet this trash with the stance of a drunken old fool managed to win them all without landing a single hit on his opponents." Chen Hao was seething right now, as contrary to him, who had to work hard to land a spot in the Semi-finals, someone relying entirely on luck was now seemingly his equal.

How infuriating this was!

But in reality, Jin's wins had nothing to do with luck.

To take full advantage of Against-Heaven's Understanding, he purposefully made his fights last longer. He did this by utilizing a Martial Art comprehended from a drunkard hanging around a bar in the Outer Sect.

The Martial Art was called 'Loose Drunken Immortal's Footwork,' and essentially made it possible for him to 'toy' with his opponents until they ultimately ran out of energy or knocked themselves out of the ring.

Not once did he attack them. Their being disqualified was all their own doing.

'I simply want to continue becoming stronger, all the while progressing my Martial Dao Evolutionary Path.'

Jin honestly meant no harm. He was just misunderstood.

"That damn slimy bastard! I could've been in the Semi-finals if not for him and his flowy, blowy movements!"

"Same for me! I'm in the 4th Layer Martial Apprentice Realm, yet that little wastrel actually tricked me into falling out of the ring after I already tired myself out!"

"Why don't we team up on him after the Competition is over?? Beat him black and blue to assuage our frustrations!"

"Excellent idea! I'm in!"

"Me too!"

So misunderstood indeed…

'I didn't even harm you lot. Why so aggressive?'

Jin could only sigh at the narrow-mindedness of the younger generation.

Interrupting his thoughts was the booming voice of the Announcer, as he started to name off those who would be fighting in the first match of the Semi-finals. Coincidentally, Jin's name was called, prompting the discussions of many.

Why?

It was solely because of who he was matched up against.

"I told you we'd meet again on the stage, Yang Kai," Chen Hao sneered. "Though I didn't expect a wastrel like you to fumble your way to the Semi-finals, it matters not. Today, you'll understand the difference between parentless garbage like you and a noble heir like myself!"

Even as Chen Hao made a reckless charge in his direction, spouting all manner of profanity, Jin remained indifferent. He simply activated |Loose Drunken Immortal's Footwork| and performed some confusing movements.

In the beginning, Chen Hao appeared to have the upper hand, even closing in on the willowy Jin a few times, but by the end, his expression worsened considerably. His thoughtless actions left him running low on stamina, with every additional move more sluggish than the last. Moreover, the defamatory whispers among the crowd further demoralized him.

Eventually, he could no longer take it anymore, and having seemingly lost his mind, he charged full-speed ahead in Jin's direction.

"DIE—!"

This was the last and final word the crazed Chen Hao spoke before his momentum was redirected by Jin's flowy footwork, sending him barreling off the ring.

BANG!

Chen Hao's head collided against the side of the arena wall, successfully incapacitating himself.

"This…" Even the Announcer was taken aback by this startling outcome. However, it didn't take him long to regain his senses and shout, "The Winner is Yang Kai!"

The cheers, although belated, resounded thereafter. The spectators never could've anticipated yet another win to be made by the unorthodox dark horse of the Competition, but they were all here for it.

"This boy is quite the big surprise," said Mei Lin, the female Outer Elder. "It makes me curious to see just how far he can go."

"That unusual technique he's using is pretty good, and even I'm interested in researching it and its origins. However, in the hands of Yang Kai, who's in the 1st Layer Martial Apprentice Realm, it won't get him to the finals."

The long-bearded Outer Elder gave his opinion.

The other male Outer Elder nodded.

Only Mei Lin was expecting a different outcome, for she believed there to be something more to the boy than he let others believe. It was just a gut feeling, but she was normally never wrong about these sorts of things.

Some time later.

"We're now entering the Finals, with only four contestants remaining!"

The Announcer's voice may have sounded, but all were too dazed to understand what he said. They were lost in thought, trying to wrap their heads around how a mere 1st Layer Martial Apprentice could make it this far in a Competition involving the very best Outer Disciples.

Was Yang Kai cheating?

Unlikely…

Was he simply lucky??

Who could possibly be this lucky…?

No matter what conclusion the spectators came to, Jin's repeated victories made little to no sense.

…

"Hmm…" Jin analyzed his opponent, sensing a calculativeness that wasn't present in his previous opponents. He baited and tricked the ones that came before, but that wouldn't work with this one.

"Well, no matter, I was planning to reveal my true strength at some point anyway," Jin shrugged.

"What did you say?" Chan Wu, his opponent, asked.

Jin shook his head. "Nothing, nothing. Please, make the first move."

Chan Wu frowned, feeling that this fellow sect brother was a bit too arrogant. With a cultivation base of the 1st Layer of Martial Apprentice, where did he get such confidence?

"If you're thinking of waiting for me to become impatient and careless like the ones you fought before, then you're wasting your time," said Chan Wu, unsheathing his silver sword.

"I specialize in speed, so beware," were the last words he spoke before vanishing.

When he reappeared, he was already right in front of Jin. A trail of ice and snow appeared behind him, representing the use of his |Frigid Sovereign Sword Arts|.

"Not moving like you were??" Chan Wu slashed down anyway, even while Jin stood perfectly still. "Then give up already!"

Either the slash would connect, leaving Jin seriously injured.

Or Jin would give up before it did, avoiding serious bodily harm.

Either way, in the eyes of the crowd, Jin's defeat was already set in stone.

He had a good run. For a 1st Layer Martial Apprentice, he had a hell of a run.

But that was all.

In the end, what mattered most was absolute strength. Tricks that allowed Jin to move in awkward ways were just that—tricks.

They were incapable of letting him surpass huge gaps in cultivation.

Chan Wu was not any ordinary 5th Layer Martial Apprentice either. He was at the very peak of the stage, and as a genius, was rumored to be capable of taking on some 6th Layer Martial Apprentices.

Jin's defeat was a definite outcome, and his apparent unwillingness to move was evidence of his fear.