Naive

Zhang Yunhao wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and sneered. "Come at me if you've got the guts. A loser is still a loser, even with someone helping him. Even badly wounded, I can still beat you."

"Looking for death!"

Zhang Yuntang's face flushed with rage. He roared and darted forward like a hunting leopard, unleashing Surging Waves Fist in crashing waves, one after another, toward Zhang Yunhao.

Zhang Yunhao dodged Zhang Yuntang's attacks, swaying left and right as though he had no bones in his body. He was gravely wounded and couldn't fight head-on, but that didn't mean he would lose!

"Zhang Yunhao, weren't you so arrogant? Why are you running around like a stray dog now?"

Seeing that Zhang Yunhao could do nothing but dodge, Zhang Yuntang—who had earlier been unable to fight back—laughed wildly. His attacks grew more and more ferocious, each blow making the air crack.

Aside from a few scattered cheers, everyone else fell silent. Even Zhang Yunyi, who hated Zhang Yunhao most, had nothing more to say.

Many people sighed inwardly. Zhang Yunhao had no chance of winning, and once the match ended, he was as good as dead!

As for Zhang Yunhao himself, he was utterly calm. His years hadn't been spent in vain. Though his heart burned with rage, he still managed to keep his composure. Lei Nu and Nangong Ru both quietly nodded at his self-control, even as they sighed, because Zhang Yunhao truly couldn't win.

Seeing that Zhang Yunhao couldn't fight back, Zhang Yuntang grew more and more excited as he attacked. He didn't realize that Zhang Yunhao was watching and memorizing every move.

Of course, even a genius like Zhang Yunhao couldn't learn a martial art just by seeing its moves. But Zhang Yuntang had learned this set of Surging Waves Palm by rote and hadn't yet mastered how to adapt it.

As a result, Zhang Yuntang's attack patterns were fixed. Once Zhang Yunhao had memorized them, he could tell what Zhang Yuntang would do next!

So Zhang Yunhao began to counterattack. While dodging, he retreated to the edge of the platform. Zhang Yuntang naturally pursued him. He was so pleased with himself that he didn't notice anything amiss, attacking relentlessly as he tried to beat Zhang Yunhao to death.

His current pattern starts with a feint from his left fist, then an attack with his right. If I dodge to the left in advance, I can strike while he changes moves!

Having seen through Zhang Yuntang's attacks, Zhang Yunhao seized his chance. His palm slipped through the storm of fists, swift as lightning, and struck toward Zhang Yuntang's abdomen.

Zhang Yuntang was shocked and had no time to defend himself. But the Great Elder had been watching closely. Although Zhang Yunhao's counterattack had caught him by surprise, he still managed to let out a timely snort.

However, Zhang Yunhao had been keeping an eye on the Great Elder. He turned his head just in time and dodged Ghost Thunder Sound!

Ghost Thunder Sound was powerful, but its weakness was just as clear: it wrapped sound in True Qi and sent it in a concentrated, straight-line attack. As long as you were ready for it, you could dodge in time. It wasn't a wide-area attack like Lion's Roar; it was only good for a sneak attack!

Of course, Zhang Yunhao had also been quick enough—and calm enough—to react.

With the Great Elder no longer interfering, Zhang Yunhao struck Zhang Yuntang cleanly. The blow wasn't very strong, but Zhang Yuntang still staggered backward against his will, stepped off the edge, and fell from the platform.

"This..."

Zhang Yuntang landed and froze. How could he have lost? How could he have lost under these circumstances?

The crowd fell silent in an instant. Everyone stared at Zhang Yunhao, standing proudly atop the platform, dumbfounded. Had he really won? Had he beaten Zhang Yuntang even with the Great Elder cheating so openly?

It was a miracle!

"Great!"

No one knew who shouted first, but everyone else, who had long been holding back, joined in with loud cheers and applause. Zhang Yunhao was incredible! Hahaha, so what if the Great Elder was involved? He'd still lost!

"This kid really is something. Even I misjudged him."

Lei Nu clicked his tongue in admiration. He and Nangong Ru thought even more highly of Zhang Yunhao now. Despite being ambushed and gravely wounded, with his attacker still watching him like a hawk, Zhang Yunhao had used a clever plan to knock Zhang Yuntang off the platform. His strength and character were both exceptional.

Even the Clan Leader and Liang Dong looked at him in a new light, and for a moment, they wavered. But they still shook their heads. A talent was a talent, but some things were set in stone!

"I won't accept this! Let's fight again! I have to join the Heavenly Fist Sect!"

Zhang Yuntang climbed back onto the platform, eyes red, and roared hysterically. He simply couldn't accept defeat.

The crowd booed. This was shameless beyond belief. Zhang Yuntang was still young, and being jeered by so many made him feel both humiliated and furious. His face flushed, and he couldn't get a word out.

Just then, the Great Elder used his lightness skill to leap onto the platform. He motioned for Zhang Yuntang to calm down, then stared coldly at Zhang Yunhao. "Zhang Yunhao, you're dead."

The Great Elder had yet to break through to the Innate Realm, but he was still a peak Divine Sea Realm expert. Under his gaze, Zhang Yunhao felt like an ordinary person standing before a ferocious tiger, his whole body going cold and his scalp prickling.

But Zhang Yunhao wasn't frightened. He shouted, "Great Elder, I won! You can't kill me!"

"You won? I can't kill you?"

The Great Elder sneered. "You think winning the match means you can join the Heavenly Fist Sect, or that I can't kill you?"

Zhang Yunhao replied firmly, "I'm certain you can't kill me!"

"Don't know your place. Today, I'll show you that you're nothing but an ant I can crush whenever I please."

The Great Elder scoffed, then turned to the Clan Leader and Liang Dong. "Clan Leader, this boy only broke through to the True Qi Realm seven days ago, yet he already has such strength. There's an eighty percent chance he's with the Demon Sect. I suggest we capture him and interrogate him thoroughly. As for this match, it doesn't count."

The crowd erupted. How could anyone be so shameless? He was framing Zhang Yunhao right out in the open!

"You..."

Zhang Yunhao trembled with rage. He abruptly turned toward the Clan Leader and Liang Dong, waiting to see what they would decide!

Liang Dong had already been bribed by the Great Elder. He said indifferently, "This is your Zhang Clan's business. You can decide it yourselves. I'll only take the person you recommend."

The Clan Leader sighed inwardly. On the surface, he put on a cold expression and feigned outrage. "So that's what happened? Then of course we must capture him and interrogate him thoroughly. We in the Zhang Clan will never tolerate a member of the Demon Sect causing trouble!"

This time, the crowd didn't erupt. They fell utterly silent, a silence as dead as a grave. The atmosphere was so oppressive it felt as though a mountain were pressing down on them. The Great Elder's earlier ambush had already been despicable, but at least he'd left a scrap of paper to cover it up. Now, they weren't even pretending to have any shame.

Many people looked at Zhang Yunhao with sympathy. What did it matter if he was patient, or how strong he was? This time, he really was doomed.

This world had never promised fairness.

At the Clan Leader and Liang Dong's words, Zhang Yunhao clenched his fists so tightly that blood welled up. But soon, he relaxed them and smiled. First he chuckled quietly, then burst into loud laughter, louder and louder.

At first, his laughter was full of grief and fury. But as it went on, it turned entirely into self-mockery—Zhang Yunhao laughing at himself!

"I was still too naive!"

Though Zhang Yunhao had lived two lives, in his previous life he had only been a student and hadn't encountered much of society's dark side. And the Martial Immortal Empire was countless times darker than the world of his previous life; it didn't even follow the rules on the surface.

So Zhang Yunhao really had been far too naive.