After tending to his wounds, Lou Cheng was in no hurry to return to his hotel. Instead, he lingered in his private resting room to watch the other semi-final match.
Though everyone was convinced Kirin, Dong Baxian was sure to win, anything could happen in a real fight, and not even Lou Cheng could say for certain that Ren Li would lose.
In the arena, strength didn't guarantee victory. There were many other factors to consider—mentality, courage, perseverance, seriousness, disposition, health, mental health, as well as disadvantageous and advantageous match-ups. Without a huge difference in stage and with all factors aligned, even a third-pin Physical Invulnerability expert stood a tiny chance at defeating the Warrior Sage.
Back when Qian Donglou was thrashed by the Dragon King, he began to doubt himself and became indecisive, consecutively losing to second and third-pin opponents. It took him some time to recover from the trauma.