"Oh no!"
Han Zhou had barely steadied himself when Fang Mo charged in. The onrushing force felt like a mountain crashing down, but it was already too late to dodge.
"Block it!"
He gritted his teeth and roared, planting his feet in a horse stance. His arms tensed as he tried to withstand the blow with his Iron Cloth Shirt.
Fang Mo drove in with a wrapped-elbow strike, slamming into Han Zhou's chest. In an instant, Han Zhou's face turned deathly pale. Fang Mo's blow sent him flying off the ring, where he landed and staggered backward several more steps.
Han Zhou spat out a mouthful of blood. His legs gave way, and he dropped to his knees. His Iron Cloth Shirt couldn't withstand Fang Mo's elbow strike at all.
It was just like Mountain Breaking Claw. Han Zhou had thought his Iron Cloth Shirt could stop the blow, but Fang Mo wasn't merely ferocious and powerful—he also knew the Inch Strength technique from Taiji Xingyi Fist. With his strength now, he could send a bull flying, let alone a man. And he'd struck a vital pressure point in Han Zhou's chest.
"Whoa!"
The crowd erupted into an uproar.
"How is that possible? Han Zhou got knocked off the ring?"
"What happened? I looked down for a second—how'd Han Zhou end up down there?"
"That was a shameless sneak attack! He should be disqualified!"
"Referee, why aren't you doing anything about such an obvious sneak attack?"
"A sneak attack? What, are you blind? Didn't they say to begin? Han Zhou let his guard down. Who else is he supposed to blame?"
Everyone below the ring argued, some of them getting red in the face. The people from Xiongying Martial Arts School were especially loud in their protests.
"Useless!"
Fury flashed in Wei Zhendong's eyes. He'd been sure of victory, yet they'd lost.
Guan Lie was surprised, too.
He'd assumed Fang Mo and Han Zhou would fight a hard battle, and that Fang Mo would probably lose. He hadn't expected the fight to end so quickly.
And Fang Mo had won!
He looked over at Xie Changmin, who nodded with a smile.
They hadn't put Fang Mo on the ring just because Guan Lu had insisted. The two of them had observed him in secret. They hadn't pushed him to train harder because they wanted Xiongying Martial Arts School to get the wrong impression, then catch them completely off guard. It had worked.
Once Fang Mo stepped into the ring, Han Zhou hadn't taken him seriously. In the end, Fang Mo had caught him off guard and knocked him off the ring!
But then Guan Lie gave a faint sigh.
"What a pity!"
"Yeah!"
Guan Lu pumped her fist excitedly. Fang Mo had won; she'd been right to insist.
"Fang Mo won?"
"I'm not dreaming, am I?"
"I don't think so!"
The Tiger Might Martial Arts School students stared in disbelief, their faces full of confusion.
That was Fang Mo—the one they'd always looked down on. He'd taken Han Zhou down in three moves and made him spit blood. It was more dreamlike than a dream!
"You... you cheated!"
Han Zhou actually got back to his feet, face furious. He pointed at Fang Mo and shouted, "I protest! I demand a rematch! This fight doesn't count!"
Fang Mo dusted off clothes that weren't even dirty and said with a smile:
"I sneak-attacked you? Didn't you say to start?"
"I—"
Han Zhou froze for a moment, then snapped angrily, "You didn't wait until I was ready! You attacked first—that's a sneak attack!"
Fang Mo smiled.
"If you weren't ready, what were you doing here to fight? Go home and have some milk first!"
"Hahaha!"
"Right! If you weren't ready, why come to fight? Go home and have some milk!"
"This kid hasn't grown up yet. Does he think this is playtime? Go find your mama!"
Laughter rang out around the ring, along with shouts of mockery. Han Zhou was so furious he looked ready to explode.
"You... all of you, shut up!"
Han Zhou pointed at the crowd and roared. Veins bulged across his forehead, and he looked ready to devour someone.
"Han Zhou, get back here!"
A furious shout rang out, loud enough to drown out the voices of thousands.
Han Zhou looked over and met Wei Zhendong's cold glare. He jolted, immediately coming to his senses, and quickly clutched his chest as he staggered away.
At that moment, a dignified old man with a full head of white hair stood up from the judges' seats and said gravely:
"This match is officially valid. Tiger Might Martial Arts School wins. Master Wei, do you have any objections?"
Wei Zhendong replied calmly:
"I have none."
"Good!"
The old man nodded, swept his gaze around, and called out:
"Tiger Might Martial Arts School wins this match!"
"Good!"
"Tiger Might won!"
"Tiger Might! Tiger Might!"
Students from the various martial halls raised their hands and cheered for Tiger Might Martial Arts School. The onlookers joined in, and the cheers shook the sky.
"Congratulations, Master Guan. You've taken on a fine disciple. Such a talent for combat is truly rare."
Hong Jiantong smiled as he offered Guan Lie his congratulations.
Xiong Jiang smiled, too.
"The young man's certainly impressive. He showed weakness first, then shattered his opponent's composure, and struck decisively without the slightest hesitation. Master Guan, you've clearly put a lot of effort into training him! He's far better than my own worthless disciples."
"You flatter me."
Guan Lie replied with a smile, but he felt conflicted. He'd never once given Fang Mo any guidance. It seemed Fang Mo had trained entirely on his own. He was starting to feel like he'd done little to earn the title of master.
Fang Mo stepped down from the ring. Amid the cheers, he returned to the front of the Tiger Might Martial Arts School group and clasped his hands in salute.
"Master, I've lived up to your trust."
Guan Lie nodded with a smile.
"Fang Mo, well done. Go rest at the back."
"Yes!"
Fang Mo answered and joined the group. Several senior and junior fellow students immediately came over to congratulate him, much more warmly than usual. He responded to each of them with a smile.
"Junior Brother Fang, you've made a name for yourself today!"
Ding Zhiyuan gave Fang Mo a thumbs-up, his face alight with excitement. He'd always felt Fang Mo was destined for great things, but he'd never imagined Fang Mo would go this far. His earlier investment had definitely paid off.
"I just got lucky and caught him off guard."
Fang Mo smiled modestly.
"Either way, you won."
Ding Zhiyuan said with a laugh.
"Fang Mo, you did well!"
Guan Lu came over and patted Fang Mo on the shoulder. Ding Zhiyuan promptly stepped aside with a knowing smile, watching the two of them. He couldn't help feeling that Senior Sister Guan seemed unusually close to Fang Mo.
"Senior Sister, what about the reward you promised?"
Fang Mo asked in a low voice.
Guan Lu lifted her chin and replied, not at all pleased:
"Why are you in such a hurry? I'll tell you when we get back!"
"Oh, all right!"
Fang Mo rubbed his nose. He didn't really care about the reward. He just wanted to know how Guan Lu had learned how strong he was.
"Useless! Every last one of them is useless—even worse than useless!"
Hu Yuehua was furious. She slapped the teacup off the table, sending it crashing against the wall.
The elegant, beautiful woman she'd been was nowhere to be seen. Her face was twisted with rage, her eyes filled with murderous intent.
"Madam, there's no need to get so angry over him. He may have performed well, but his bone structure determines that he won't get far. Bright Force may well be the peak of his abilities!"
Aunt Sun hurried to calm her.
"I won't allow even the slightest possibility!"
Murderous intent surged in Hu Yuehua's eyes. "I can't let him pose even the slightest threat to Yang'er. He is, after all, the legitimate eldest son of the Fang Family. If those old fossils in the Fang Family discover that Fang Mo really has talent, things could change!"
She ground her teeth and continued:
"Besides, this boy is far too good at hiding himself. We never noticed his talent all these years. That shows how vicious he is. He must have been hiding it for some scheme. Maybe his rescue last time wasn't an accident—he may have had a backup plan arranged. Yes, that must be it. It's possible someone in the Fang Family is still protecting him!"
Aunt Sun's expression shifted slightly. Her eyes turned icy.
"Don't worry, Madam. He was lucky to be rescued last time. If we strike again, I won't give him another chance!"
Hu Yuehua gritted her teeth.
"Make the arrangements at once. Whether Tiger Might Martial Arts School wins or loses, Fang Mo must die. I never want to see him again!"
Before you continue