Brat! Tell Me!

Su Li frowned tightly, but when she saw the blazing fighting spirit in their eyes, she knew there was no use trying to stop them. She could only sigh softly and retreat several steps.

Li Zhanting could feel the effects of the medicine clearly beginning to fade, the strength in his body about to gradually diminish. He knew he had to end this quickly.

"Come!"

He let out a roar and lunged forward like a mad tiger, still targeting Lu Jue's injured head!

He believed that with just one more strike, even if it merely grazed him, it would be enough to completely rob his opponent of the ability to fight!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The dull crashes of fists and feet colliding fell as densely as rain. In barely a dozen exchanges, their figures crossed and tangled, fist winds bursting in every direction.

Lu Jue could clearly feel that the force on his opponent's fists was slowly weakening.

As long as I can drag this out, I'll definitely win!

The thought appeared clearly in his mind.

Under normal circumstances, this would absolutely have been the most rational and safest choice. Once the backlash hit his opponent, he would be nothing more than an empty shell at the end of its tether.

But in the next instant, that thought was burned to ashes by an even more obsessive flame.

"Drag it out? Wait until he shows his true colors and collapses like a dead dog?"

"No!"

A terrifying gleam suddenly erupted from Lu Jue's eyes.

What he wanted had never been a cold victory devoid of heat!

What he wanted was to crush! To conquer!

He wanted, while Li Zhanting still believed himself to hold the advantage in strength and wallowed in the illusory power brought by trickery,

To use the most direct and domineering method to rip out that false "strength" by the roots and smash it to pieces!

What he wanted to beat was not merely Li Zhanting's body, but also his arrogant, untouchable pride!

"What have you been calling me from the very beginning?"

"A lowborn?"

Lu Jue's voice was like an awl, viciously stabbing into Li Zhanting's eardrums.

"Then open your eyes wide and look carefully! Watch how this 'lowborn' you speak of crushes you so-called Privileged One completely, one punch at a time!"

As his words fell, Lu Jue's offensive abruptly changed!

There was no longer the slightest hint of maneuvering. All that remained was nearly crazed aggression!

Facing the punch Li Zhanting threw in shock and fury, he did not dodge or evade. Instead, he thrust out his chest and met it head-on!

Bang!

The heavy blow slammed into his chest with a thunderous crash. Sweet blood rose in Lu Jue's throat, but he used the impact to close the distance in a burst, instantly coming face-to-face with Li Zhanting!

A flicker of panic flashed through Li Zhanting's eyes. At this distance, he would find it difficult to gather enough force to attack Lu Jue's head!

He had not expected his opponent to close in so decisively. He wanted to retreat, but the pain unleashed by the fading medicine slowed him for an instant.

That instant was enough!

Lu Jue's right fist gathered all his strength, rising from below with the determination to overturn everything as it viciously smashed toward Li Zhanting's jaw!

Bang!

His fist exploded through the air!

Li Zhanting's head snapped violently backward, his cervical vertebrae letting out a teeth-grating crack of dislocation. The momentum he had barely maintained through the medicine burst apart like a balloon pierced by a needle.

Lu Jue pressed his advantage without mercy, driving forward step by step!

Before his right fist had even shed its force, his left fist shot out like an iron hammer and smashed into Li Zhanting's barely raised arm.

Crack!

A clear sound of bone breaking rang out.

Li Zhanting's arm hung limply at his side. New wounds piled atop old ones, and the piercing pain tore a shrill scream from him. All color drained from his face, leaving behind nothing but extreme terror.

"Weren't you going to trample me beneath your feet? Where's your pride? Where's your confidence?"

Lu Jue's fist came down again, without any flourish, driving straight toward Li Zhanting's face, twisted by pain and terror.

"Your strength was built upon privilege and illusion."

"And my strength—"

"Comes from every struggle after being trampled underfoot, from every flame of fury that refuses to die even in the mud. It may be humble, but it is rooted in reality. That is why it cannot be broken."

The fist drew infinitely closer in Li Zhanting's horrified, widening pupils, carrying the power to crush everything—

"Brat! Tell me! Now, who is the one who should be trampled beneath someone's feet?"

Boom!

Fist met flesh with a dull sound like thunder.

The victor had been decided!

Li Zhanting flew backward and crashed to the ground. His whole body convulsed, his eyes rolled back, and he completely passed out.

Lu Jue stood in the center of the field, gasping violently as sweat mixed with blood slid down from his brow.

Yet he remained standing there, his spine ramrod straight, like an unbroken battle spear.

The entire venue was deathly silent. Everyone had been shocked by the stunning reversal and the astonishing will Lu Jue had displayed.

They stared blankly at the blood-soaked figure standing tall in the center, then at Li Zhanting lying unconscious on the ground like a pile of mud. For a time, no one spoke.

What they had thought would be a completely one-sided crushing had reversed in such a soul-stirring fashion that the impact was simply too great.

Lu Guowei stood among the crowd, his face burning hot, the shock in his heart beyond measure.

"How is that possible? During the year-end assessment, he was clearly at the same level as me."

No matter how hard he thought, he could not understand how this cousin he had always looked down on had reached this point. This battle had completely surpassed his understanding.

But before long, jealousy surged up and forcibly suppressed that shock.

"Hmph, so what if he can fight? He's nothing but a mud-legged nobody with no background. He doesn't know how to read the situation. Just to show off for a moment, he's offended Li Zhanting to the death. He won't even know how he dies in the future!"

"Wait, with Instructor Li in this state, will there be changes to the upcoming assessment?"

Tang Ning wanted to throw her arms around Su Li beside her and cheer, venting the anger she had held in for so long!

But when she turned her head, she discovered that Su Li had vanished at some point. Tang Ning immediately forced down her emotions and maintained the bearing of a dignified young lady.

Then she took a deep breath, striving to keep her voice steady as she waved to the medical personnel who had long been standing by behind her. "Quick, treat Lu Jue's injuries!"

Several capable-looking, fully equipped medical staff immediately stepped forward. They skillfully opened their medical cases and prepared to treat Lu Jue's wounds.

Lu Jue's entire body ached fiercely, and blood loss had left his head somewhat dizzy. Looking at these medical personnel, who were clearly not employees of the martial arts school, he was a little bewildered.

At that moment, a faint fragrance approached. He looked up and saw a young woman walking toward him.

She wore a moon-white set of tailored Training Clothes. Her features and brows carried the noble air cultivated by a life of privilege, while her almond-shaped eyes, fixed on him, were full of admiration and concern.

She extended a slender hand, her voice crisp and pleasant.

"Lu Jue, I really liked your fight just now. May I get to know you? My name is Tang Ning!"

Lu Jue froze for a moment. He had heard of her famous name, but they had never interacted before. Yet when he saw the busy medical staff, he understood that she was the one who had offered timely help.

After hesitating, he wiped his bloodstained hand on his clothes, then lightly clasped her hand before releasing it at once. "Thank you, classmate!"

Just then, Lu Jue caught sight of a medical worker taking out a finger-thick vial of medicine that shimmered with a pale blue glow.

His expression immediately changed. He knew that thing was the legendary Emergency Healing Potion. Its healing effect was astonishing, and its price was even more outrageous—one dose cost well over a hundred thousand!

"Wait! Let's forget about that!"

Tang Ning instead signaled for the medical staff to continue, then flashed Lu Jue a bright smile. "Lu Jue, don't worry. I'll cover all the medical expenses this time."

"That won't do. How could I let you spend so much?" Lu Jue refused instinctively. He did not know her intentions, so naturally he did not dare casually owe her such a favor.

Tang Ning seemed to have expected his refusal. She stepped closer and lowered her voice slightly. "Lu Jue, the Emergency Healing Potion works best within an hour after an injury. Your injuries aren't light. You don't want to drag a severely injured body into the Quota Competition two days from now, do you?"