N-A-A Chapter 107: Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war...
Chapter 107: Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war...
Soon, the five days passed in the blink of an eye.
In the three-person team competition, the main team of Class Zero, consisting of Yu Chen, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie, advanced all the way without defeat and successfully advanced to the top 16.
However, their luck wasn't so good in the individual competition.
Besides Yu Chen and Tang Wulin who persevered to the end, Gu Yue and Xie Xie were unfortunately eliminated before the top 16.
Given Gu Yue and Xie Xie's strength, they shouldn't have been eliminated so early.
However, in the individual competition, Yu Chen and Gu Yue faced off early. The two had a symbolic exchange, which ended with Gu Yue's defeat.
But the draw results for the individual competition can sometimes be quite dramatic—Gu Yue was drawn against Yu Chen in the qualifying rounds.
The two exchanged a few symbolic blows without tacit agreement, and in the end, Gu Yue "naturally" lost, sending Yu Chen into a deeper round.
As for Xie Xie, he had offended Ye Xinglan multiple times with his sharp tongue, and Ye Xinglan held a grudge against him. Ye Xinglan used a privilege granted to contestants to request a change in the matchups, placing Xie Xie directly against her in the individual competition.
As expected, Ye Xinglan unleashed all the pent-up frustration and anger she had accumulated over the past few days on Xie Xie, giving him a severe "lesson".
After the match, Xie Xie was beaten black and blue, almost turning into a pig's head, which fully proved that although Ye Xinglan often suffered in front of Yu Chen, her true combat strength was definitely top-notch among her peers.
Meanwhile, the blacksmith competition that Yu Chen and Tang Wulin participated in had already been decided.
As expected, Yu Chen easily won the championship with his amazing level 4 blacksmith skills and consistent performance.
Tang Wulin also performed exceptionally well, securing second place.
Mu Chen's daughter, Mu Xi, who is also a forging genius, came in third.
It is worth mentioning that, due to the nourishing effect of the soul power of Douluo Continent on his body, coupled with the influence of Yu Chen's own dragon bloodline, although he is only ten years old, he looks like a handsome boy of fifteen or sixteen, with a tall and straight figure and a calm temperament.
This reduced a lot of unnecessary attention and trouble for him, and also prevented him from appearing too shocking in forging competitions due to his young age.
Most of the people who know Yu Chen's real age are concentrated within the East Sea City Blacksmith Association.
After all, the forging competition circle is relatively closed, and many of the participants and staff are "insiders".
At this moment, the power of Mu Chen, an eight-star master craftsman and president of the East Sea Forging Masters Association, became apparent.
Thanks to his deliberate care and instructions, Yu Chen's true age did not cause much of a stir or investigation.
The top three spots are now all taken by students trained by Mu Chen. I bet when he finds out, he won't be able to suppress his smirk.
……
The time has come to the sixth day.
The morning session featured the round of 16 elimination matches in the team competition. Almost every team that made it to the round of 16 was formidable, making each match a tough battle.
After careful consideration, Wu Changkong still fielded his strongest starting lineup of Yu Chen, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie.
Thanks to Yu Chen's formidable strength and the increasingly skillful teamwork of the three, they once again narrowly defeated their opponents and successfully advanced to the quarterfinals.
The afternoon session featured the quarterfinals of the individual competition.
Yu Chen's opponent was a powerful three-ring Soul Master, but he still couldn't cause much of a stir in front of him.
Yu Chen won decisively and advanced to the semifinals.
Tang Wulin's luck seemed to have run out. In the quarterfinals, he encountered Ye Xinglan, who was in top form and eager to prove herself.
This was an exceptionally fierce battle. Tang Wulin maximized his control over his Blue Silver Grass and the explosive power of his Golden Dragon Claw, tenaciously battling against Ye Xinglan's Star God Sword.
The two fought for a long time, their soul skills flashing continuously on the arena, sword energy intertwining with vines.
In the end, Tang Wulin was unfortunately defeated.
Ye Xinglan's Star God Sword was too powerful, and Tang Wulin's defense was gradually broken down in the continuous high-intensity attacks.
"stop!"
With a shout, the referee rushed onto the stage like lightning, grabbed the swaying Tang Wulin, and a ball of vibrant white light surged from his hand, quickly patting him to temporarily stop the bleeding from the many wounds on his body caused by sword energy.
Ye Xinglan was also almost exhausted. She collapsed onto the stage with a thud, her chest heaving violently. She stared blankly at Tang Wulin, who was being helped up by the referee.
From childhood to adulthood, she had never won so hard among her peers.
The opponent was merely a one-ring Soul Master, yet he had driven her to this point, almost exhausting all his strength.
"Just him... he's already this difficult to deal with. Just how unfathomable is the strength of Yu Chen, whom he acknowledges and who can even easily suppress me?"
The thought involuntarily popped into Ye Xinglan's mind, and the joy she felt from defeating a powerful enemy was instantly replaced by a heavy sense of reality.
These past few days, I've been stubbornly pestering and provoking, jumping around like a clown. What was it all for?
Is it to maintain that illusory "glory," or to conceal the fear and resentment deep within one's heart?
Seeing that even in defeat, Tang Wulin's eyes did not lose their luster, showing only respect for the battle and a clear understanding of his own shortcomings, Ye Xinglan fell silent.
For the first time, she truly began to reflect on her behavior over the past few days.
After fully recognizing the difference in strength between them, and the resilience and composure that Tang Wulin displayed, Ye Xinglan's stubborn arrogance finally began to melt away like ice and snow.
She struggled to her feet, took a deep breath, walked to Tang Wulin, whose wounds were being treated by the referee, and bowed deeply.
"sorry."
Her voice was a little hoarse, but clear and sincere.
"I've been too arrogant and rude these past few days. And today's match... I'm sorry, you're very strong, forcing me to give it my all. This is a healing pill bestowed upon me by my family elders; it's quite effective. Please accept it."
As she spoke, she took out an exquisite white jade porcelain bottle from her personal soul tool and presented it to Tang Wulin with both hands.
Just then, a cool breeze carrying a light frost swept by. Wu Changkong's figure had appeared on the arena without anyone noticing.
He didn't look at Ye Xinglan, but simply took the weak Tang Wulin from the referee's hands.
A thin layer of frost, radiating a chill, quickly covered the surface of Tang Wulin's wound, temporarily stopping the bleeding and relieving pain.
Almost simultaneously, a blue figure rushed onto the stage, crying.
When Xu Xiaoyan saw Tang Wulin covered in blood, pale-faced, and barely able to stand, tears welled up in her eyes.
She gently held Tang Wulin's other arm, half-embracing him, and looked up at Ye Xinglan with undisguised resentment and wariness in her eyes.
She opened her mouth, about to say something, but felt Tang Wulin gently shake his head in her arms.
In Tang Wulin's view, Ye Xinglan's all-out effort in the competition was the greatest respect she could show to her opponent.
Although my injuries look frightening, they are mostly superficial and have not caused any serious damage.
Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war, and he accepted his defeat wholeheartedly.
Tang Wulin, his face pale, forced a smile as he reached out and took the porcelain bottle from Ye Xinglan. His voice was weak but gentle:
"Thank you... Ye. I accept my defeat wholeheartedly. Your swordsmanship... is truly impressive." He paused, then continued...
"What happened before... is all in the past."
Looking into his clear and sincere eyes, Ye Xinglan felt increasingly aware of how childish and ridiculous her behavior had been these past few days.
She shook her head, her tone becoming even more serious:
"No, I should be thanking you. It was you... and your companions, who made me understand what it means to be 'there are always people more capable than you,' and also made me realize my own narrow-mindedness. I hope your injuries heal quickly."
Tang Wulin nodded, and in front of her, he uncorked the bottle, poured the pale green pill, about the size of a longan and emitting a light fragrance, into his mouth, and swallowed it.
The pill melted instantly upon entering the mouth, and a gentle yet powerful warm current surged through the body, rapidly repairing the damaged muscles and replenishing the depleted vital energy.
Tang Wulin's originally deathly pale face regained a rosy hue at a visible speed, his breathing became much more steady and powerful, and even his spirits lifted somewhat.
"This pill...it's really effective."
Tang Wulin exclaimed sincerely, as he could clearly feel his injuries healing rapidly.
"It's good that it works."
Seeing this, Ye Xinglan finally felt completely relieved. Her tense shoulders and nerves relaxed, and a faint smile of relief appeared on her face.
At this moment, Xie Xie also slowly climbed up from the edge of the arena.
Seeing the harmonious scene of the people on the stage "shaking hands and making peace" and "appreciating each other", he was completely dumbfounded and rubbed his eyes hard.
"What's going on? Weren't they sworn enemies, practically ready to kill each other with their eyes, just a few days ago? How come they're making peace after just one fight?"
Xie Xie mentally groaned, "Sure enough, you can't guess a woman's thoughts. They change their minds in an instant, faster than turning the pages of a book!"
However, seeing that the atmosphere had been built up to this point, if he, as the former "main provocateur," didn't say something, he would seem too out of place.
Thinking of this, Xie Xie forced an embarrassed smile, scratched his head, coughed, and said to Ye Xinglan:
"Um... Ye, I was being rude and didn't think before I spoke. Please don't take it to heart. I apologize! And... your performance today was truly... outstanding! You deserved the win!"
He tried to make his tone sound more sincere.
Ye Xinglan glanced at him, her tone still calm, but without the previous hostility:
"I was wrong too."
She accepted the apology, but that was all. After all, Xie Xie's previous attitude and strange smile had left a significant "psychological shadow" on her, which couldn't be completely erased by a simple apology.
Being able to give him a beating and hear him apologize in person would be a way to vent my anger.
As Ye Xinglan turned around, preparing to leave the arena, her gaze caught sight of a tall and slender figure quietly leaning against the shadows at the exit.
It was Yu Chen.
He had been waiting there for some time, his arms casually crossed over his chest, a faint, enigmatic smile on his face, his gaze intently observing Ye Xinglan as she approached.
Yu Chen originally thought that with Ye Xinglan's stubborn and obstinate nature, she would only recognize reality and let go of that pointless arrogance and obsession when she was defeated by him personally on the field, lost completely, and her Dao heart was on the verge of collapse.
Unexpectedly, a hard-fought battle with Tang Wulin, a victory that was evenly matched, brought about such a big change in her, prompting her to reflect and grow.
It seems that she is still just a ten-year-old child, her mind is not yet fully formed, and her mind is not completely filled with the so-called "Shrek Glory". She still has room for growth and is malleable.
As Ye Xinglan approached, Yu Chen nodded slightly to her as a greeting. His eyes held less of the previous indifference and hostility, and more of a faint, almost approving attention.
Ye Xinglan paused almost imperceptibly, instinctively clenching her fist.
When facing Tang Wulin, she can communicate calmly and even apologize.
But facing this target that had once caused her the greatest setback and humiliation, and which she most wanted to catch up with and defeat, she still felt a tremendous, invisible pressure stemming from the gap in their strength.
"It's okay," she told herself silently, her gaze hardening once more. "Acknowledging the gap is just the beginning of catching up. Sooner or later, I will catch up with you, and then... truly challenge you!"
She didn't speak, but met Yu Chen's gaze and nodded slightly. Then, with slightly tired but determined steps, she walked past him and left the arena.
After Ye Xinglan walked away, Yu Chen walked towards Tang Wulin, who was surrounded by the crowd.
At this moment, although the effects of the pills had greatly improved Tang Wulin's complexion, the continuous arduous battles and the final defeat inevitably cast a shadow of gloom over the eyes of this usually resilient young man.
He lowered his head, his voice filled with self-reproach:
"Teacher Wu, Brother Chen... I'm sorry, I lost. I couldn't hold on until the end, and I let everyone down..."
Wu Changkong was carefully examining the progress of the pills dissolving in his body and the healing of his injuries with his soul power when he heard this, and his movements paused slightly.
Looking at the disheveled, blood-stained boy before him, who still tried to straighten his back and whose eyes were filled with guilt and resentment, his usually icy expression softened for the first time.
He didn't say much, but simply raised his hand and gently patted Tang Wulin's uninjured shoulder.
This simple action contains silent comfort and affirmation—you have done very well.
"Silly boy."
Yu Chen also stepped forward, reached out and ruffled Tang Wulin's slightly messy hair, his tone relaxed and teasing.
"Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war; young hero, please try again."
"?"
Although Tang Wulin didn't quite understand the slightly strange way the second half of the sentence was phrased, he knew that Yu Chen was comforting and encouraging him in his own way.
He looked up and saw the familiar, reassuring smile in Yu Chen's eyes. He nodded heavily, the gloom in his eyes dissipating considerably, and the flame of his fighting spirit rekindled.