Grievously Wounded

"One second, two seconds, three seconds..." The referee walked up to Wang Tian, who was lying on the ground, and began counting expressionlessly.

In the lounge, seeing that he had finally won, Wu Min couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Don't celebrate too early," Liu Yu's voice, tinged with seriousness, cut in just as Wu Min was patting his chest.

"What's wrong?" Everyone looked at Liu Yu with a hint of confusion.

Seeing their expressions, Liu Yu slowly said, "Although Su Lin won, he sustained quite a few internal injuries and his stamina is severely depleted."

"You have to understand, for our school to win, we need three consecutive victories. But Su Lin has already lost his fighting ability after just one win." Liu Yu paused here.

"Our team has lost." Although Liu Yu really didn't want to say something that would dampen everyone's spirits, the reality was right in front of them, and they had to face it.

Lost?

Hearing Liu Yu's words, everyone was momentarily bewildered. They had fought tooth and nail for their school's ranking, only to end up eliminated in the very first match.

"Seven seconds, eight seconds, nine seconds, ten seconds. Su Lin wins." As the referee announced the result, warm applause erupted from the crowd.

Looking at Wang Tian being carried away, Su Lin's face showed no sign of victory. It was clear he also understood that in his current state, he definitely wouldn't be able to win the next match.

In the stands of East District School, the unaware students were cheering enthusiastically. Their school had won, and they held onto the fantasy that if they maintained this momentum, victory was assured.

Unaware of the truth, they were perhaps the most excited people there.

On the commentary stage, Zhang Li was also speaking joyfully, praising her school. As a commentator, she did have a little bit of influence to subtly advertise for her school at appropriate times.

The fourth contestant from West District Academy slowly walked onto the arena. Seeing Su Lin, who was panting heavily, he sneered, "Yo, you're still going to compete in this state? Don't you have anyone else on your team?"

"Or should I let you have one hand?" the young man said, putting one hand behind his back.

Humiliation. Naked humiliation. Seeing this, everyone in the lounge felt a sense of indignation.

Su Lin ignored his opponent and turned to the referee, "Can we start?"

The referee, instead of saying "start" as usual, frowned and looked at the panting Su Lin. "Going up in your condition, you'll just lose. Why not just let the next contestant take the stage?"

Generally speaking, anyone without absolute confidence would concede directly. Don't think about wearing down the opponent's stamina; that's unrealistic.

Your opponent will definitely take you down in the shortest possible time.

The referee shook his head. He had fulfilled his duty as a referee. If Su Lin insisted on his own demise, there was nothing he could do.

"East District School's Su Lin versus West District Academy's Xiao Chuan." The referee brought the whistle to his lips and blew it sharply.

Xiao Chuan glanced at his opponent and said, "Since you're so eager to be carried out, I'll reluctantly oblige."

The fact that he had the leisure to speak at this moment showed that Xiao Chuan was already confident about the outcome of this match.

Xiao Chuan swiftly delivered a diagonal kick towards Su Lin's abdomen. Clearly, Xiao Chuan knew that Wing Chun primarily focused on defending the centerline, largely neglecting the sides.

For this kick, Su Lin could only dodge by sliding. If Su Lin had been in peak condition, dodging this kick would have been no problem, but he was still groggy.

Seeing Xiao Chuan as if there were several of him, how could he possibly dodge it?

Bang.

Su Lin's body flew backward like a cannonball.

"Cough, cough, cough." Lying on the ground, Su Lin coughed up several mouthfuls of blood.

"One second, two seconds, three seconds..." The referee expressionlessly began counting.

In the audience stands of East District School, everyone was silently cheering Su Lin on. Although they also realized that Su Lin, in his current state, had very little chance of winning.

But they were silently praying for Su Lin, hoping for a miracle.

In an inconspicuous corner of East District School, Leng Yanxi was watching Su Lin on the competition stage with a worried expression.

"Hey, Xixi, how's the match going? Did our school get the first win?" The Principal's voice came from the other end of the phone.

A hint of hesitation flickered across Leng Yanxi's pretty face, and she vaguely replied, "The match isn't over yet. I'll tell you the result when it's finished, okay, Daddy?"

"Okay, okay, my good daughter." The Principal's hearty laughter came through, indicating he was in a good mood.

"Okay, I'll hang up now, Daddy." Leng Yanxi hung up the phone before the Principal could respond.

The Principal shook his head, watching his daughter hang up, and sighed, "Girls these days just don't stay put."

The person opposite the Principal smiled and said, "I'm sure your daughter will find a good man."

"Let's hope so, Mr. Li. Shall we continue?" If Zhou En were here and heard the Principal's words, he would have guessed that this was the shareholder from the Li family who wanted to expel him.

On the arena, Su Lin finally managed to stand up unsteadily as the referee reached the eighth second.

Xiao Chuan tutted twice. "Look at you, you can't even block one move. What right do you have to compete with me?"

"Brother, are you trying to wear me down? Don't worry, it'll only take one kick to finish you. It won't take much of my stamina."

Su Lin ignored his opponent's taunts and slowly assumed the Wing Chun ready stance. However, this blatant disregard infuriated Xiao Chuan.

He charged forward directly. He feinted with his left fist. In normal circumstances, Su Lin would have seen through this feint, but now, dizzy and disoriented, how could he see clearly?

Su Lin reached out with his right hand, intending to counter with the Wing Chun "sticky hand" technique. But Xiao Chuan smoothly retracted his left hand, clenched his right hand into a fist, and ruthlessly punched Su Lin in the face.

"Ah!" Some timid girls covered their eyes and let out a scream.

Thud. Su Lin's face made forceful contact with Xiao Chuan's fist. His fragile nose couldn't withstand such immense force, and the sound of a bone breaking was heard.

In the lounge, the people from East District School all stood up. Watching Su Lin fall on the arena, their expressions became tense.

A hint of despair flashed in Liu Yu's large eyes. She knew that even if their side could win, even if they won this match, Su Lin would be unable to participate in the subsequent competitions due to his severe injuries.