No More Chances

His words seemed to strike a chord with some of the disgruntled people, and they all chimed in.

"Steward Jiao, I question him as well."

"Me too. He clearly has no mystic energy—how could he possibly pass the assessment? Just by relying on that so-called physical strength? How is that possible?"

"That's right. He must have cheated."

"..."

The fat man frowned in thought. Cheating?

He could not help but be suspicious. An ordinary person without mystic energy possessing physical strength comparable to a Nascent Breath martial artist—such things did exist, but they were exceedingly rare.

After all, some descendants of great powers were born unable to become martial cultivators, so their Lineages would use vast quantities of heavenly materials and Exotic Treasures to strengthen their bodies against unforeseen dangers.

But the price of doing so was enormous, far beyond what ordinary factions could bear.

But!

There was nothing special about Qin Jishi. How could he possibly be the descendant of some great power?

Clearly, that was impossible. Since he was not... the fat man had no choice but to become suspicious.

"Can you give me a reasonable explanation?"

"Steward Jiao!" Qin Jishi said solemnly. "Every word I said just now was true."

"How will you prove it?" The fat man saw not the slightest ripple in Qin Jishi's eyes.

"How about this?" Qin Jishi looked toward the Round-faced Youth. "He was the one who accused me of cheating. Steward Jiao, you may have him come onto the stage and compete with me in pure physical strength. If I am unfortunate enough to die by his hand, then it will prove that I did cheat, and I will have gotten what I deserved. But if I can withstand his attack, then won't the matter be clear?"

Qin Jishi had already given the Round-faced Youth a chance earlier. Since he did not know how to cherish it...

Fine!

Then he would send him on his way.

If someone like this stayed alive, who knew how many innocent people would suffer at his hands?

"Good!" The fat man nodded. "That is indeed a viable method."

"You..." As he spoke, the fat man pointed at the Round-faced Youth. "Did you hear what he said just now? Go onto the stage and compete with him."

"As ordered!" Upon hearing this, the Round-faced Youth had long since grown impatient. He had originally thought Qin Jishi would try every possible means to evade the matter, yet Qin Jishi had unexpectedly made the request himself.

Good!

Very good!

Before the Round-faced Youth could take a step, A'si beside him grabbed his arm.

"Third Brother, I feel that this is not so simple. You must not act rashly."

"Third Brother!" A'wu's expression was equally grave. "Fourth Brother is right. That brat cannot possibly be unaware of your cultivation. Yet he still dared to make such a request, so he must have something to rely on."

"Besides!"

"Have you forgotten Young Master's instructions?"

For some reason, they both felt that something was wrong.

From beginning to end, Qin Jishi had been far too calm. That calmness left them deeply uneasy.

And back outside Imperial Capital City, Qin Jishi's attack speed had been so fast that even their Young Master had failed to notice it. Could that have been fake as well?

"Fourth Brother, Fifth Brother!" The Round-faced Youth dismissed their concerns. "Don't worry, I know my limits. That brat is merely putting on a mysterious act. If I had not underestimated him earlier, how could he have succeeded? This time, does he think he can muddle through again with some unknown trick? I'll expose him and give him a proper lesson at the same time."

"He dared offend me?"

"Hmph!"

"He must be blind as a bat."

Ignoring their attempts to stop him entirely, the Round-faced Youth moved and leaped onto the circular platform.

"Third Brother!"

"Third Brother!"

The two could only resign themselves to it. Trying to dissuade him now would be futile, and they could only pray that they were overthinking things.

When they saw the Round-faced Youth step onto the circular platform, the crowd below erupted.

"I say, expose his tricks and beat him mercilessly. Let him know the consequences of deceiving us."

"Yes, yes, yes! Teach him a vicious lesson and make him spend the rest of his life bedridden."

"..."

As the saying went, those watching a spectacle never feared making it bigger. Especially those who had been eliminated—they could not stand seeing anyone else do well.

Of course, the descendants who had failed to seize the opportunity to take the assessment were also indignant. If Qin Jishi were exposed, they would still have a chance.

Hearing the crowd, the Round-faced Youth looked brimming with confidence.

"Rest assured, everyone. I cannot tolerate even a grain of sand in my eyes. I will never allow anyone to fish in troubled waters."

After saying that, the Round-faced Youth looked ahead, his expression turning respectful. "Steward Jiao, may we begin now?"

Seeing how impatient the Round-faced Youth was, how could the fat man fail to see what was going on?

Clearly, there was a conflict between them.

However, the fat man did not ask about it. He said coldly, "I need not repeat the rules. You will compete only in pure physical strength and may not use mystic energy."

"Begin!"

"Wait!" Qin Jishi, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke up and interrupted.

"What?" The Round-faced Youth's face was full of disdain. "Scared? Hmph, too late..."

"Scared?"

Qin Jishi shook his head. "Steward Jiao, I believe fists and feet have no eyes. If anything happens to either of us, the other party shall not pursue the matter."

Uh!

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Qin Jishi as though he were an idiot.

Was something wrong with this kid's head?

Was he forcing himself onto the road to death?

Or was he deliberately trying to bluff his opponent?

The fat man frowned. "Are you certain?"

Qin Jishi nodded. "Certain!"

The fat man looked toward the Round-faced Youth. "Do you accept?"

Without the slightest hesitation, he replied, "I accept... Of course I accept."

What a joke. The Round-faced Youth had been worrying about how to cripple Qin Jishi. These words were like adding fuel to his arrogant flames, completely removing any lingering concerns.

"Good!"

The fat man stepped back. "Then you may begin."

Having received the order, the Round-faced Youth sized up Qin Jishi with a half-smile. "Kid, we meet again."

"How do you want to die?" Qin Jishi asked coldly.

"What?" The Round-faced Youth gave a sinister smile. "How do I want to die?"

"That's right!" Qin Jishi nodded. "I said before that if you provoked me again, you would have no more chances."

"Trying to scare me?" The Round-faced Youth dismissed it. "Honestly, I truly admire your ability to put on a mysterious act. Even our Young Master was bluffed by you."

"You're impressive!"

The Round-faced Youth clenched his fists. "Unfortunately, you still failed to escape my sharp eyes. The humiliation I suffered before will be repaid tenfold this time."

As his voice fell, the Round-faced Youth did not wish to waste any more words. His fist brimmed with boundless fury as he threw it with all his strength.

Even without mystic energy empowering it, that punch still tore through the air with a sharp whistle.

"Dust to dust, earth to earth. For someone like you, staying alive is the greatest mistake."

Facing the Round-faced Youth's fury-filled punch, Qin Jishi slowly raised his arm and met it head-on.

Seeing this scene, everyone sighed and shook their heads.

"An ordinary person fighting a Nascent Breath Level 8 martial artist? What a joke."

"Look at that soft, limp fist of his. I really don't know why he is so determined to seek death."

"Oh dear, once he dies, we'll have a chance. That final spot will definitely be mine."

"..."

Yet before the crowd's mockery had even faded, the two fists collided. What happened next made everyone's eyes widen in utter disbelief.