An Easy Victory

The first round of the competition began quickly.

Opposite He An, a burly man stood tall and imposing.

His name was Zhang Yuancheng, a man from the Government Office. In the first test, the stone lock he lifted weighed only fifteen hundred catties, so a bitter smile tugged at the corners of his mouth upon seeing He An.

After all, he had witnessed He An's performance with his own eyes just moments ago.

"Brother He, please enlighten me!"

"Please enlighten me!"

He An cupped his fists in salute.

Zhang Yuancheng let out a low shout and stomped his right foot heavily. The ground shook, and like an arrow released from a bowstring, he charged before He An in an instant.

The wind of his fist whistled as it arrived, devoid of any flashy movements.

Like a hundred-catty heavy hammer, it struck directly at He An's chest.

What he practiced was called Mountain Splitting Fist, and this strike, which used raw power to break through all techniques, was the very essence of the Mountain Splitting Fist.

The next second.

A dull, thunderous boom exploded.

Zhang Yuancheng was sent flying backward without the slightest warning.

Defeated!

Everyone was dumbstruck.

"Defeated... just like that?"

"What did this kid learn? How is he so strong?"

"I know the guy on the stage. He's at the Body Refining Realm and has quite a reputation in the Government Office. I didn't expect him to be so useless."

"What terrifying strength."

"I thought he was just using tricks before, but I didn't expect him to actually have this kind of power."

Discussions rose and fell among the crowd below the stage.

Master Li said in astonishment, "What is going on? Didn't he suffer internal injuries? How could he still possess such strength? Could it be that we guessed wrong?"

"It's not that we guessed wrong; it's that the person opposite him is too weak," Meng Cao waved his hand, analyzing the situation.

"No matter how injured he is, he is still someone capable of lifting a three-thousand-catty stone lock. How could he be defeated so easily?"

"Observe carefully. Given his strength, that kid named Zhang Yuancheng should have been dead or severely injured by that punch, yet he didn't suffer even the slightest injury."

"This means our hypothesis was correct: that kid is definitely injured."

"That makes sense."

Master Li was convinced.

Meng Cao sneered and muttered to himself, "What use is high talent? As long as you haven't fully grown, you're just an ant that can be crushed at will!"

On the stage, a soreness surged from his arm and instantly swept through his entire body. Zhang Yuancheng was deeply shaken, his expression complex.

Others might not know.

But as the person involved, he was well aware of He An's terrifying strength.

If He An hadn't held back during that punch just now, his arm would have been essentially crippled.

One must know that he practiced the Mountain Splitting Fist, a style that specialized in head-on collisions.

Had it been anyone else, they might not have fared even as well as he did.

He slowly stood up and cupped his fists, saying, "Many thanks to Brother He for showing mercy!"

"You are too kind!"

He An also cupped his fists.

He could sense that the other party had no killing intent; otherwise, he wouldn't have held back.

Not long after He An left the stage, Zuo Ying also won his match with ease.

He stood with his hands on his hips, looking smug. "Lord Wei, how about that? My strength isn't bad, right?"

Wei Yangyun nodded perfunctorily.

Seeing this, Zuo Ying's face darkened, and he pressed, "Speak up! What were you doing just now? Were you not watching my match, but looking at someone else instead?"

Under a barrage of threats and cajoling, Wei Yangyun nodded.

"I was watching the kid He's match."

Hearing this, Zuo Ying immediately became interested and stopped pursuing Wei Yangyun's "abandonment" of him just moments ago.

"How is his strength?"

"Strong!"

Wei Yangyun only said one word, but it hit Zuo Ying like a bolt of lightning.

She refused to give up and continued to ask, "Compared to me?"

"He surpasses you by several times!"

Wei Yangyun's voice remained calm.

Zuo Ying was struck by this, looking at Wei Yangyun with resentment. "Uncle, what do you mean he surpasses me by several times? I don't believe he is really that formidable."

Wei Yangyun did not refute him, saying indifferently, "You will know once you face him. If he does not hold back, you will undoubtedly be defeated within three moves."

Zuo Ying crossed his arms, flames of intensity burning in his eyes. He caught sight of He An and the others chatting in the distance. "No matter what, it is impossible for my, Zuo Ying's, strength to be that far behind his."

He pursed his lips and gritted his teeth.

"I don't believe it!!"

"Kid He, well done. I was worried about you just now, but it seems I was overthinking it."

After stepping off the stage.

Sun Wangxian was the first to offer his congratulations.

"It's not worth mentioning!"

He An waved his hand and asked, "By the way, how much longer until the next match?"

"It should be soon!"

Before the words had even faded.

A cry of alarm suddenly rang out from afar.

He An frowned and looked toward the sound, only to see Li Si slowly walking down from the stage, a look of utter disdain hanging on his lips.

"What happened?"

Before he could even ask, discussions filled with terror and fear spread around him in a short amount of time.

"So miserable. He had already conceded, yet he was still left with severe injuries."

"Who's to say otherwise? If you ask me, that guy did it on purpose."

"Son of a bitch, let's see how long he can keep acting so arrogant. Someone is bound to deal with him later."

"Keep your voice down, that guy is coming over..."

For a moment, everyone around He An fell deathly silent.

From the snippets of conversation among the bystanders, He An roughly pieced together what had happened.

He furrowed his brows. He saw Li Si walking out from the crowd; wherever he passed, the commoners scrambled to get out of the way, terrified of being targeted by this god of slaughter.

Li Si stopped in front of He An, staring straight at him.

"Something you need?"

He An raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing much. Just wanted to remind you that in two matches' time, your opponent will be me."

"I hope you'll bring your full strength then. Don't disappoint me."

Li Si said coldly, "Otherwise, people might end up dying, you know!"

"That's it?"

He An looked at Li Si provocatively.

His indifferent attitude immediately caused a fierce expression to appear on Li Si's face.

If not for the people watching nearby, he might not have been able to hold himself back from attacking.

"I hope you can still be this arrogant after the match!"

After delivering his threat, Li Si turned and left.

Watching his retreating back, He An cursed, "Sick in the head."

In the time that followed, He An secured two more victories.

Just like before, it was incredibly easy.

His performance immediately aroused suspicion in Meng Cao.

Could it be... that I guessed wrong before?

Master Li spoke up to comfort him, "Brother Meng, it doesn't matter. Regardless of how strong he is, once he runs into Xiao Si and Xiao Yuan later, he'll still be dead either way."

"Even if the worst comes to the worst, we still have others, don't we?"

"Just because one person couldn't beat him, does that mean all of them are inferior?"

He suddenly lowered his voice, "I've already made the arrangements. In every match from here on out, he'll be facing one of our people. Even if it's a war of attrition, we can wear him down until he's dead."

"You're right. We can wear him down until he's dead."

Meng Cao took a deep breath, calculating in his mind, "Xiao Si, Xiao Yuan, plus the disciples brought by Old Liu and Old Xu, and that kid Meng Zhan."

"Five people. A full five people, all of them outstanding talents among the younger generation."

"I refuse to believe it. Is it really possible for that brat to stay alive?"

Having thought it through, Meng Cao finally set his mind at ease.

It's in the bag!!

If you enjoy this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.