Campus Fame (Part 2)

"Dong!"

Lin Xiao stepped onto the metal floor of the alloy arena, his steps unsteady. A dull echo resounded as he landed.

The entire stadium was deathly silent. Thousands of gazes, like tangible probes, focused on his pale, paper-like face, and his trembling body, clearly overwhelmed.

"Heh..." Across from him, Liu Meng let out an undisguised scoff, like rumbling thunder.

He suddenly shook his arms. His bulging muscles inflated as if pumped with air, and veins protruded beneath his bronze skin. A wild, violent aura erupted!

The pressure of a mid-stage One-Star Martial Artist poured out without reservation, like an invisible heavy hammer smashing down on Lin Xiao!

"Lin Xiao! Kneel for me!"

Liu Meng roared menacingly, his voice making the ropes at the edge of the arena hum.

He had no intention of giving Lin Xiao any chance to breathe. He stomped his feet hard!

Boom!

The alloy arena let out a dull groan!

Liu Meng's sturdy body shot forward like a cannonball, enveloped in a suffocating, foul wind, instantly covering several meters!

His fist, the size of a sand pot, carrying a yellowish True Qi glow, tore through the air with a piercing shriek, aiming straight for Lin Xiao's face!

Iron Bone Raging Bull Strength! Immense power, capable of splitting stone!

This punch held nothing back!

The goal was to cripple Lin Xiao, even to take his life!

Suppressed gasps erupted from the stands!

Many girls even covered their eyes!

Fatty Wang, in the crowd, was jumping anxiously, his face pale!

On the main platform, Wang Zhenshan's eyes suddenly sharpened like knives. His hand, resting on the table, clenched tightly!

He could tell that Liu Meng's punch was filled with killing intent! He almost couldn't resist intervening!

At this critical moment!

Lin Xiao moved!

The instant Liu Meng's terrifying punch wind reached him, his eyes, bloodshot from the overdraft of Source Energy Points but exceptionally clear due to Nerve Signal Conduction Optimization, clearly captured the trajectory of the fist, the point of power burst, and a subtle flaw caused by Liu Meng's momentum!

No direct confrontation! No retreat!

Lin Xiao's body, like a weightless catkin, twisted sharply to the left at the very instant the violent fist wind hit him!

The movement was not large, but it was precise to the millimeter! It was as if it had been calculated countless times!

Whoosh—!

The terrifying iron fist, carrying the yellowish True Qi, whistled past Lin Xiao's nose!

The fist wind stung his cheek, and the stray hairs on his forehead whipped wildly backward!

A near miss!

Liu Meng's punch missed, and his massive inertia caused him to lean forward slightly, his move fully committed!

A flicker of shock crossed his eyes, clearly not expecting the heavily injured Lin Xiao to evade his confident punch!

"Dodging? How long do you think you can keep dodging!"

Liu Meng roared, his reaction incredibly fast!

His left leg swept out like a steel whip, carrying a dull whistling sound, and slammed hard towards Lin Xiao's lower body!

This kick was both fast and fierce, sealing off any possible evasion space for Lin Xiao!

Lin Xiao's pupils contracted!

His optimized reaction speed allowed him to capture the leg's shadow, but his injured body couldn't keep up with the commands from his mind!

It was too late to forcibly shift sideways!

Desperate measures!

He gritted his teeth and forcefully tapped his left foot on the ground!

Instead of retreating, his body lunged forward, like a moth drawn to a flame, crashing towards Liu Meng!

At the same time, he crossed his arms to protect his chest, bracing for Liu Meng's sweeping iron leg!

Bang—Crack!

A dull impact sound was accompanied by a grating bone-cracking snap!

"Ugh!" Lin Xiao let out a pained groan. His entire body felt like it had been hit by a speeding truck. His arms throbbed with excruciating pain, as if his bones were about to shatter!

His body uncontrollably flew backward, crashing heavily against the elastic ropes at the edge of the arena. He bounced back fiercely, landing on one knee, and spat out a mouthful of blood!

His complexion instantly turned from pale to a deathly sallow yellow!

Although the bones in his arms hadn't actually broken, under the terrifying force of Iron Bone Raging Bull Strength, the pain of fractured bones and the sensation of torn muscles instantly spread throughout his body!

The wound on his back split open again from the impact, and blood quickly stained his school uniform red!

"Brother Xiao!" Fatty Wang's eyes were about to split open!

A commotion erupted from the stands! With just one blow! Lin Xiao was already spitting blood and heavily injured! How could he possibly fight on?

"Trash! Can't even take one hit!"

Liu Meng retracted his leg with a sinister grin. Looking at Lin Xiao kneeling and spitting blood, his eyes were filled with cruel satisfaction. "Today, I'm going to crush every single bone in your body, one by one!" He strode forward, like a giant crushing an ant, and approached again!

Lin Xiao knelt on one knee, gasping for air. Each breath carried the smell of blood and a burning pain in his lungs.

The intense pain in his arms made it almost impossible for him to clench his fists.

Deep within his soul, a sense of depletion of [-2.13] washed over him like a cold tide, battering his precarious consciousness. The black cracks on the pale blue screen in his mind flickered wildly, as if they would shatter completely at any second!

The 30 minutes of reinforcement time were rapidly ticking away!

His severe injuries were frantically draining his already depleted life force!

He couldn't lose! He absolutely couldn't lose!

Fifty thousand Credit Points! Source Energy Points!

The hope of escaping this depletion! It was all in this battle!

"Scan! Maximum power! Target: Liu Meng! Weaknesses!"

Lin Xiao roared silently from the depths of his soul!

His will, like a dying beast, slammed fiercely against the verge of collapse of the light screen!

Buzz!

The light screen flickered and distorted violently!

Black cracks spread wildly! The core emitted a sharp wail of near disintegration!

[Warning! Core overload! Scanning accuracy severely reduced!]

[Target locked: Liu Meng (mid-stage One-Star Martial Artist). Martial Art: "Iron Bone Raging Bull Strength" (Yellow-tier High-grade, focuses on bone and sinew reinforcement, explosive power).]

[Status scan: ... Detected slight bone misalignment and Blood Essence stagnation in the third lumbar vertebra on the right side (old injury site)... A 0.05-second delay occurs when True Qi circulates to this area...]

[Modifiable items: ... Forcefully and instantaneously amplify the Blood Essence stagnation effect at the old injury site, triggering intense pain and localized muscle spasms (estimated effect: disrupt movement, weaken power output)... Required Source Energy Points: 0.1! Warning! Core is on the verge of collapse! This operation may cause irreversible damage!]

0.1 points!

Deducting another 0.1 points from [-2.13] would make it [-2.23]!

The risk of the core completely collapsing would exceed 90%!

Lin Xiao bit his lower lip fiercely, and blood instantly seeped out!

The warning of destruction from the depths of his soul felt like billions of steel needles piercing him simultaneously!

It was the ultimate fear of complete annihilation!

But Liu Meng's iron fist, shrouded in the shadow of death, was already swinging towards his head again with a fierce wind!

His ferocious face displayed undisguised killing intent!

There was no retreat! He could only gamble everything he had left!

"Modify! Target: Old injury point on the lumbar vertebra! Detonate it!"

Lin Xiao's will, from the abyss of despair, erupted with his final, most frenzied roar!

[Command received! Source Energy Points deducted: 0.1!]

[Source Energy Points: -2.13 - 0.1 = -2.23!]

[Modifying parameters... (Light screen collapses violently! Black cracks spread like a spiderweb, completely covering it! The core emits a devastating lament!)... Modification complete!]

Boom—!

An indescribable, immense emptiness and tearing pain, as if his entire soul had been instantly emptied and crushed, exploded in the depths of Lin Xiao's consciousness like a Big Bang!

His vision suddenly darkened, and fine bloodstains seeped from all seven of his facial orifices!

His body convulsed violently, as if it would fall apart at any moment!

In the real world.

At the very instant Lin Xiao's will confirmed the command and his Source Energy Points were deducted!

Liu Meng, who was grinning sinisterly, channeling all his strength into his right fist, preparing to completely smash Lin Xiao's head, suddenly stiffened!

His body, charging forward fiercely like a raging bull, felt as if it had been hit by an invisible giant hammer in the lower back!

The sinister grin on his face instantly contorted into an expression of extreme pain, shock, and disbelief!

"Ughhhh—!"

A piercing, distorted scream erupted from Liu Meng's throat!

The sound was filled with pain, panic, and incomprehension!

He felt as if his lower back, the third lumbar vertebra, an old injury site from a past martial arts mishap that he had long forgotten, had been stuffed with a red-hot iron brand!

An indescribable, bone-piercing agony instantly erupted and spread like an electric current throughout his lower body!

Accompanying the agony was uncontrollable, violent spasms in the muscles of his right waist and thigh!

It felt as if countless steel needles were churning wildly within his muscle fibers!

The ferocious True Qi gathered in his right fist instantly dispersed!

His charging momentum came to an abrupt halt!

His sturdy body seemed to have its spine removed; he instantly lost his balance, stumbled, and lunged forward as if drunk!

His face contorted with pain and spasms, veins bulging on his forehead, and cold sweat poured down like a waterfall!

Opportunity!

Bloodlust flashed in Lin Xiao's eyes!

It was the counterattack of someone pushed to the brink, burning the very essence of their life!

He endured the soul-shattering pain and the extreme strain on his body, letting out a low roar like a wounded lone wolf!

His body unleashed its last remaining strength. Instead of dodging, he charged directly at the falling Liu Meng like an arrow loosed from a bow!

He didn't use his fists!

Instead, he concentrated all his strength into his left shoulder, the only part he could still barely move!

At the same time, the dim blue light screen in his mind, on the verge of complete extinction, was squeezed for its last, almost imperceptible trace of "activity." He forcibly locked onto the side and back of Liu Meng's neck, which was completely exposed and unprotected as he fell due to the pain and spasms!

Target: Carotid sinus!

Bang—!

Lin Xiao's life-burning charge slammed hard into the junction of Liu Meng's jaw and neck!

The force wasn't immense, but the timing and angle were as precise as a scalpel!

"Ugh!" Liu Meng, already dazed by the pain and spasms, found the precise impact to be the last straw that broke the camel's back!

His vision went black, and an intense wave of dizziness instantly overwhelmed his consciousness!

The suffocating sensation from the heavy blow to his neck made his hands flail uselessly in the air!

Thud!

Liu Meng's imposing, tower-like physique completely lost all strength, collapsing like a puddle of mud, face-down on the cold alloy stage!

It landed with a dull thud!

His body twitched a couple of times before becoming completely still!

Only the contorted face from the agony and his wide-open eyes, filled with shock and confusion, testified to what he had just experienced.

The entire Third Martial Arts Training Hall fell into a deathly silence!

So quiet you could hear a pin drop!

Thousands of eyes were fixed on the unbelievable scene on the stage—the arrogant and imposing Liu Meng lay on the ground like a dead dog, completely motionless.

And Lin Xiao, swaying precariously, covered in blood, looking as if he might collapse at any second, stood stubbornly like a flagpole, trembling slightly!

His face was as pale as gold paper, with dried bloodstains at the corners of his mouth, nostrils, and even his eyes. His school uniform was soaked with blood and sweat, clinging tightly to his body, outlining his scarred form.

Each breath was accompanied by a whistling hiss, as if he might completely give out at any moment.

But he was standing! Standing before his fallen enemy!

Time seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

"Whoosh—!"

The next moment, a tsunami-like roar erupted!

Gasps, sharp intakes of breath, and incredulous murmurs nearly ripped the roof off the stadium!

"My god! What happened!"

"Liu Meng... he fell? Knocked down by Lin Xiao?"

"Am I... am I seeing things? Lin Xiao won?"

"How... how did he do that just now? How did Liu Meng suddenly..."

"Silence!"

From the main platform, Wang Zhenshan shot to his feet, his low shout, imbued with True Qi, exploded like thunder, instantly drowning out the clamor of the crowd!

His sharp, eagle-like gaze was fixed on the swaying Lin Xiao on the stage, his eyes filled with shock, doubt, and an unexplainable scrutiny!

He strode quickly down from the platform and came to the edge of the stage. His gaze first swept over Liu Meng, who was lying motionless on the ground. He reached out to check his breathing and carotid artery, confirming that Liu Meng had merely fainted and was not in mortal danger.

He frowned deeply and then looked at Lin Xiao.

"Lin Xiao! How are you?"

Wang Zhenshan's voice carried a hint of solemnity.

Lin Xiao's current condition looked ten times worse than Liu Meng's!

He looked completely depleted, on the verge of collapse!

Lin Xiao heard Wang Zhenshan's voice, and his unfocused eyes struggled to sharpen.

He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but only a hoarse, unintelligible gasp escaped.

His body swayed violently, as if he would collapse at any second.

Wang Zhenshan's expression changed. He immediately climbed onto the stage and grabbed Lin Xiao, whose body was going limp.

His hands met an astonishing heat and a weak tremor!

"Medical team! Quickly!"

Wang Zhenshan roared at the crowd below.

The school doctor and two martial arts teachers, who had been on standby, immediately rushed onto the stage. They fumbled to place Lin Xiao on a stretcher and quickly began preliminary checks and bandaging.

"I... I'm fine..." Lin Xiao, lying on the stretcher, forced out a few words with difficulty. His eyes, however, were fixed on Wang Zhenshan, with a hint of stubbornness, "The prize money..."

Wang Zhenshan looked at Lin Xiao's stubborn gaze, then at the heavy prize money bag (filled with thick stacks of cash in Credit Points) that the school doctor had removed from Liu Meng. He fell silent for a moment, a complex expression flashing in his eyes, before finally nodding. "According to the rules, the winner receives the arena prize money. Eight thousand Credit Points. Lin Xiao wins."

He picked up the prize money bag and placed it in Lin Xiao's left hand, which could still move slightly.

The heavy sensation transmitted a faint spark of vitality into Lin Xiao's consciousness, which had been almost consumed by pain and exhaustion.

He clutched the bag tightly, his knuckles turning white from the strain.

[Ding! Detected Host completing the [Campus Fame] event (Influence: Medium)... Received Source Energy Points settlement: +0.3!]

In his mind, the faint blue light screen, which had almost completely extinguished, flickered with extreme difficulty and weakness, like the last ember of a candle in the wind.

[Source Energy Points: -2.23 + 0.3 = -1.93!]

A faint, almost imperceptible warm current, like a drop of sweet rain in a drought-stricken desert, seeped with immense difficulty into the depths of his depleted soul.

The black cracks that covered the light screen, as if they could shatter his entire existence at any moment, seemed to have... minutely... healed by a sliver?

The destructive wail at the core finally subsided weakly.

Although the heavy burden of [-1.93] remained, and the tearing of his soul and the physical pain did not lessen in the slightest, Lin Xiao knew he had won his gamble!

He had climbed back a small step from the brink of total collapse!

Eight thousand Credit Points secured! Source Energy Points slightly recovered! Intimidated the petty!

It was worth it!

The stretcher was lifted and quickly moved towards the medical room outside the stadium.

Lin Xiao lay on the stretcher, his consciousness drifting in a sea of pain and exhaustion, before finally succumbing to self-protective unconsciousness.

Only his left hand, still clutching the prize money bag, had bulging veins and did not loosen its grip.

In the stands, the crowd parted to create a passage.

Countless gazes followed the stretcher, filled with shock, awe, confusion, and... a hint of fear.

"He... he really won..."

"So ruthless... ruthless to himself, and even more ruthless to his enemies..."

"Lin Xiao... definitely someone not to be provoked from now on..."

In a corner of the crowd, a figure in inconspicuous school uniform, wearing a hood, stared at the departing stretcher with eyes like a viper. Their fingers rapidly tapped on their personal terminal, and an encrypted message was quietly sent:

"Target Lin Xiao, suspected of using unknown methods while severely injured, instantly defeated Liu Meng (mid-stage One-Star Martial Artist). Injuries are extremely severe, but willpower is tenacious. Suspicious point: Liu Meng's abnormal pain and stiff neck at the last moment. Recommendation: Increase threat assessment level. Shadow Mark has been confirmed to be emitting fluctuations, target's core state is abnormal, feeling of exhaustion is extremely strong. 'Parasitic Seed' resonance is weak, continue to monitor."

In the shadows atop the stadium, a cold gaze, almost merged with the steel structure, also watched from below.

Qin Bing, dressed in the Special Operations Ninth Division's black combat uniform, stood there as silently as a ghost.

Her cold, beautiful face was expressionless, only her eyes, sharp as a falcon's, were locked onto Lin Xiao, who was being carried away. Deep within her eyes, uncertain cold glints churned.

"Lin Xiao... what secrets are you hiding? The Shadow Alliance's mark... the strange counter-kill on the stage..."

She murmured to herself, her voice as cold as the Siberian wind, "It seems the surveillance level on you... needs to be adjusted."

Her figure flickered, like melting ink, and she silently disappeared into the shadows.

In the center of the stage, only Liu Meng remained, lying on the ground unconscious, with the drool that had flowed out due to extreme pain beneath him, silently testifying to this brutal and bizarre victory.