Era of Magic and Martial Arts

Chapter 412 - 396: Stuck in the Past Impression...

The referee on the stage remained unmoved, coldly watching as Tian Xiaohai fell.

As a highly professional referee hired by the school, he would never intervene unless he confirmed that a contestant had conceded, or was completely unable to get up after falling.

It’s not cold-bloodedness, but a steadfast adherence to fairness in the competition rules and a respect for the potential of the contestants.

On a rapidly changing battlefield, any miracle could occur—what if the fallen contestant suddenly erupted with power and leaped back onto the stage to continue fighting?

Isn’t that right!

Don’t say it’s impossible, and certainly don’t use your amateur opinions to question the referee’s professionalism; he’s experienced countless strange situations in competitions.

Exploding in power, making a comeback, these are just regular occurrences, and there’s also battling and then suddenly mutating on stage.

The students on the ground seemed to understand the competition rules well, quickly scattering to give Tian Xiaohai more room to buffer his fall.

After all, if he can delay hitting the ground for just one second, that’s one more second for a miracle to happen.

This unspoken, heartfelt friendship among classmates brought a relieved smile to the faces of the surrounding teachers.

Feng Mu half-squinted his eyes, with blood-colored Hook Jade spinning slowly deep within his pupils.

In his vision, Tian Xiaohai’s health bar above his head was plummeting like the speed of an elevator drop:

[134/848]→[120/848]→[99/848]...

If he truly hit the ground, it would be certain death, and some parts of his body would definitely need replacing.

"He’s already unconscious, catch him."

Being kind-hearted, Feng Mu didn’t want to take in a cripple into the Second Prison later. He said mildly, his voice so soft it was like he was talking to himself.

As soon as he finished speaking, Guan Chong shot out like an arrow leaving the string, without hesitation, he sprinted forward, arms open wide, ready to catch Tian Xiaohai.

His face was full of focus, not considering the possibility of his arms being broken by the heavy body of Tian Xiaohai falling onto them.

"What are you doing?"

"Interfering in the match would be judged as a loss, you can’t do that!"

Several urgent cries from students or teachers rang out sharply, all shocked by Guan Chong’s actions.

However, Guan Chong seemed to be deaf to their words, treating those sounds like a buzzing swarm of flies around his ears, as he steadily reached out his hands and caught Tian Xiaohai.

Instantly, a force like that of a falling iron block hit him, causing his body to involuntarily stagger in place, but he gritted his teeth and stood firm, not allowing Tian Xiaohai to slip even a millimeter from his embrace.

On the stage, the referee bowed his head to take a glance, and after waiting half a second.

He walked over to Feng Yuhuai, without hesitation raising her slender arm, loudly declaring:

"Quarterfinals, the winner is Feng Yuhuai!"

This loud announcement seemed to ignite the entire arena, instantly erupting into a tsunami of cheers.

Feng Yuhuai slightly tilted her head up, her proud, fair neck like a beautiful swan.

She gently coiled the stray strands of hair by her ear with a finger, and retied them with a blood-stained hair tie, as she tightened the tie, her face resumed its usual sweet smile.

However, her hair had already been dyed a dark red by the blood, which dripped along her hair onto the ground, forming a dark red stain under the spotlight, shining with a strange light.

The teachers and students below, as well as the audience, no longer viewed her as sweet, but bizarrely, their cheers became even more fervent.

Not sweetness, but a more thrilling beauty, which fascinated them, and also fascinated Feng Yuhuai herself.

The referee patiently waited for a while until the wave-like cheering gradually subsided, then slowly opened his mouth to speak to Feng Yuhuai:

"The semifinals will start in an hour, you can take this time to recover your breath and prepare for the next match."

Feng Yuhuai was in a brilliant mood, this feeling of being cheered under the spotlight was as enjoyable as feasting on a sumptuous ’banquet’."

No, these two feelings are completely different yet equally marvelous.

One is the taste on the tip of the tongue, originating from the body’s most primitive, instinctual desire, when delicacies lightly touch the taste buds, the genes in the body tremble;

The other is the enjoyment deep within the soul, the shivering and joy from the depths of the spirit, with the whole world cheering for me!

Feng Yuhuai reluctantly stepped off the stage, lifting her neck as she walked to Feng Mu.

She had seen earlier from the stage that it was someone beside Feng Mu who saved Tian Xiaohai, and she secretly speculated about the relationship between Feng Mu and Tian Xiaohai.

Guan Chong was surrounded by several persistent students, still relentlessly blaming him, and he expressionlessly ignored them.

It wasn’t until Feng Yuhuai came over that those students, unaware that they had almost been shot in the head, angrily dispersed.

"Brother, you know Senior Tian Xiaohai, I’m sorry, if I knew you two knew each other, I would have gone easier."

Feng Yuhuai walked over, her voice was soft and sweet with an apologetic look.

Feng Mu looked at Feng Yuhuai, showing a refined smile on his face, and gently explained:

"Yes, his father is a colleague of mine, Tian Xiaohai could be considered my subordinate in the future."

Feng Yuhuai’s expression stiffened slightly; she hadn’t been in contact with Feng Mu lately.

Or perhaps it should be said that she had called several times wanting to invite Feng Mu for a meal, but Feng Mu had not answered her calls.

Feng Ju often called Feng Yuhuai, but never mentioned the situation of the ’rebellious son’ on the phone.

Therefore, Feng Yuhuai didn’t know about her brother’s recent successful ventures in the Second Prison.

Her impression of Feng Mu still lingered on the time when he got lucky and got accepted by some martial arts school, gaining a few inexplicable senior brothers and sisters.

Simply put, Feng Ju’s psychological experiences were something Feng Yuhuai had yet to taste; at this moment, she still viewed Feng Mu with the superior attitude of a genius sister overlooking a wasteful brother.

Tian Xiaohai awoke from his brief fainting, feeling as if all the bones in his body were scattered.

"Minister, he’s awake." Guan Chong’s voice timely rang out, filled with respect.

Feng Yuhuai’s sense of superiority instantly transformed into a head full of questions upon hearing the word "Minister".

Beneath her exquisite makeup, the corners of her mouth twitched as if she had something caught in her throat.

Tian Xiaohai struggled to turn his neck, and when he finally saw Feng Mu clearly, his face turned beet red, both excited and ashamed, he said:

"I’m sorry for letting you down, I couldn’t achieve a better ranking."

Feng Mu smiled and interrupted Tian Xiaohai, his voice gentle as he reassured him:

"It’s alright, you performed well. This result is more than enough to enter the Second Prison, if you’re still willing to join us there?"

Tian Xiaohai hurriedly replied:

"Yes, I will definitely join the Second Prison, report under your command, I also want to...."

Feng Mu patted Tian Xiaohai on the shoulder:

"Don’t get too worked up, you’re seriously injured, it’s best to heal first."

Feng Yuhuai looked at Guan Chong’s undisguised respect and Tian Xiaohai’s evident excitement, her feelings were suddenly not so great.

The pleasure of being in the spotlight on the stage earlier had dissipated significantly, like a bowl of aromatic soup with a rat dropping in it.

...