Zhang Yang froze where he stood, the hand he had extended toward the referee hanging in midair, trembling slightly.
Zhao He said nothing, his face utterly expressionless, yet Zhang Yang understood every meaning in that gaze.
Among the children of the Power Elites, the hierarchy was just as strict.
More than eighty percent of Zhang Yang's family businesses depended on the Zhao Family to survive. In other words, even if Zhao He broke his arms and legs, Zhang Yang's parents would only applaud and cheer. In this jungle where the strong devoured the weak, those who clung to others had never possessed the right to say no.
Zhao He's intentions could not have been clearer.
Ordinarily, simply admitting defeat would have been one thing, considering the gap in strength.
But Lu Jue had now offered such terms. If Zhang Yang did not even dare to try under these conditions, he would be utterly disgracing the entire Power Elites circle.
With great difficulty, Zhang Yang turned his neck and faced the center of the arena again.
Lu Jue still stood there, looking so relaxed that he seemed to be watching a farce that had nothing to do with him.
"I..."
Zhang Yang's throat tightened, his voice dry as sandpaper scraping together. "I'll fight!"
Those two words had come out with extreme difficulty, yet they instantly set the entire venue ablaze.
"Now that's more like it!"
"Fuck! Even I want to get up there and try with those conditions!"
"Lu Jue may be powerful, but speed clearly isn't his strong suit. A fist is short while a sword is long—if you seize the timing, there's absolutely a good chance of touching his clothes!"
"Why do I feel like they're putting on an act? Could Lu Jue have already been bought off?"
The moment those words were spoken, the audience erupted into discussion.
"Don't you find it strange? Zhang Yang was cowering just a moment ago, so why did he suddenly dare to fight? And Lu Jue still hasn't even taken a stance..."
"Money can make ghosts turn millstones."
"If Lu Jue could be bought, he wouldn't have hit Jiang Youwei so hard earlier!"
"It's different. Jiang Youwei is merely the Power Elites' dog, but Zhang Yang is a genuine child of the Power Elites!"
The discussions in the stands gradually split into two camps.
Some firmly believed in Lu Jue's character and thought it impossible for him to join forces with the Power Elites. Others began closely observing every detail on the arena, trying to find some clue.
Amid those discussions, Zhang Yang's mind raced, and suddenly his eyes lit up.
He took two steps forward and deliberately lowered his voice, making sure only the two of them could hear.
"Classmate Lu Jue, we never had any deep-seated grudge. Why must we fight to the death?"
His voice carried deliberate flattery. "How about this? Let's put on a little act. Let me brush against you just once, and after it's done, I'll transfer two hundred thousand to you!"
Lu Jue's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
"Five hundred thousand!"
Seeing that the other party did not refuse, Zhang Yang rejoiced inwardly and hurriedly raised the price. "Two hundred and fifty thousand!"
"Four hundred!"
"Three hundred thousand at most!" Zhang Yang said anxiously.
"Deal!"
Zhang Yang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If this deal went through, he could not only save face, but also give Zhao He an explanation.
As for those three hundred thousand afterward, there would be no signed agreement and no witnesses. When the time came, he could simply insist Lu Jue was slandering him. What could anyone do to him?
Even so, Zhang Yang was still somewhat uneasy.
Cautiously, he made two feints. First, he swung his sword toward Lu Jue's left shoulder, then he pretended to attack his lower body. Only when Lu Jue remained completely motionless did he relax a little.
"You should move a little, too. Don't make the act so obvious. Once it's done, I'll absolutely present the three hundred thousand with both hands!"
"I, Zhang Yang, always keep my word!"
With that, Zhang Yang truly attacked.
His longsword tore through the air as it shot straight for Lu Jue's right sleeve.
He put eighty percent of his strength into this strike, leaving himself twenty percent of leeway. It ensured both speed and the ability to change moves at any moment.
In his imagination, Lu Jue should have made a token dodge, then allowed the sword tip to graze his sleeve at precisely the right moment.
However—
There was nothing where the blade passed!
He turned his head in terror, only to discover that Lu Jue had somehow leaped away from his original position. The next second, an immense force brutally slapped across his left cheek.
Smack!
The crisp slap cracked like thunder, echoing throughout the arena.
The force of that slap was so terrifying that Zhang Yang felt as though his entire skull were about to explode. He staggered and spun half a circle like a rag doll, several bloodied teeth spraying from his mouth along with saliva.
At that moment, all his schemes vanished like smoke. Only one final thought remained, screaming wildly in his mind.
Surrender!
I have to surrender immediately!
Yet his mouth had completely stopped obeying him. His lips could only produce muffled whimpers, like the mournful cries of a dying beast.
Just as he was about to collapse to the ground, Lu Jue stepped forward again. The instant Zhang Yang's body touched the floor, his right foot came crashing down with the force of a thousand catties—
Crack!
The sound of bone breaking was so clear that every spectator shuddered. Zhang Yang's right arm twisted at an angle that utterly defied human anatomy, jagged white bone even piercing through flesh and gleaming horribly beneath the sunlight.
"Ahhh—!"
A shrill scream finally burst from Zhang Yang's throat. Excruciating pain swept through his body like a tide, every nerve ending screaming madly.
The instant his body spasmed from the agony, his sphincter completely lost control. A stream of warm liquid suddenly gushed down his pant leg, forming an obvious puddle on the arena floor. Before everyone's eyes, he had lost control again!
He curled up desperately on the ground, convulsing violently like a crushed worm, tears and snot streaming down his face. Where was even a shred of a Power Elites child's dignity now?
Lu Jue had just raised his right foot and had yet to bring it down upon Zhang Yang's left arm when the referee rushed forward in a single stride and loudly announced:
"Zhang Yang has lost the ability to fight. Lu Jue wins!"
The entire process, from Zhang Yang's attack to his complete collapse, had taken only a few short breaths.
After a brief silence, that lightning-fast scene erupted into a tidal wave of cheers and jeers throughout the venue.
"Who still dares say Lu Jue was bought off now!?"
A booming voice exploded from the stands, filled with the exhilaration of holding one's head high at last.
"Exactly! That slap and that kick were aimed right at these arrogant children of the Power Elites!"
"He was so scared he pissed himself! Hahahaha! He's the first one today, isn't he?"
"Hahaha! Now I finally understand what Lu Jue meant by that. Looks like this isn't Zhang Yang's first time pissing himself?"
"What child of the Power Elites? Before true strength, they're all paper tigers!"
Applause rolled like thunder, and cheers surged like waves.
Many commoner students leaped to their feet, wildly waving their arms.
To them, these Quarterfinals had been far too stifling.
Countless commoner contestants had either been crushed by absolute strength or had their stamina drained by the Power Elites' relay battles, collapsing covered in wounds.
Every commoner's defeat was like another heavy stone being placed upon their hearts.
Lu Jue's battle had not only been immensely satisfying—it had also delivered a resounding slap across the face of the entire Power Elites faction!
In the VIP section, Zhao He's face was so dark it seemed water could drip from it. He shot a disgusted glance at the puddle on the arena, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
The other children of the Power Elites beside him also looked grim. Some exchanged uneasy glances, while others instinctively avoided the burning stares from below.
Amid the roaring uproar, a black shadow swept onto the arena like a hawk!
"Referee!"
A burly, dark-skinned man in branded Training Clothes landed steadily, his voice booming like a great bell. "I apply to challenge Lu Jue and hold the fourth-round match in advance!"
Before you continue