First Battle, Victory!

As this matchup was announced, the entire arena fell silent for a fleeting moment, only to erupt into a roar of noise more intense than anything heard before!

Chen Hu, an expert at the mid-stage of Body Forging Level 7, was a figure known throughout the Chore Servant Courtyard for his ruthless and vicious nature.

And Zhou Xuan, a piece of trash who had only just barely managed to reach the passing threshold of Body Forging Level 5.

This was not a contest between equals; it was clearly a one-sided slaughter!

Everyone could see that this was intentional on the part of Chief Steward Wang!

Chen Hu himself was stunned for a moment, then a look of wild joy appeared on his face.

He looked toward Chief Steward Wang, his eyes filled with gratitude.

In his view, this was simply a victory handed to him on a silver platter by Chief Steward Wang, a deliberate act of favoritism!

As for those who had been thoroughly humiliated by Zhou Xuan's performance during the morning tests, especially those chore servants who hadn't even reached Body Forging Level 7.

They were now so excited that their faces turned beet red, as if they were the ones about to step into the ring.

"Hahaha, it's here, it's here! The good show is finally starting!"

"Senior Brother Chen Hu, beat him to death! Don't let him surrender so easily!"

"That's right! Break his arms and legs, let him know that even if a piece of trash gets lucky, he's still just trash!"

A chore servant who had been eliminated in the morning, filled with spite, roared at the top of his lungs: "Senior Brother Chen Hu! As long as you cripple him and keep him bedridden for the rest of his life, I'll treat you to a meal!"

"Count me in, I'll treat you too!"

"And me!"

The waves of malice, like tangible blades, surged toward Zhou Xuan from all directions.

They did not acknowledge Zhou Xuan, and they were even more jealous of him; they couldn't wait to see this former laughingstock beaten back to his original form, or perhaps even worse!

Facing the mountain-like pressure of provocations and curses from all around, Zhou Xuan simply walked into the circle with an expressionless face.

He didn't even bother to spare a glance for those people.

They were just a bunch of garbage, only fit to bark from the sidelines.

"Kid, you're quite lucky to get a special promotion from Chief Steward Wang."

Chen Hu twisted his neck, causing his bones to crackle, and looked Zhou Xuan up and down as if he were eyeing a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

"But your luck ends here."

"Don't blame me for being heartless, Senior Brother; if you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being so flashy!"

Before the words had even faded, Chen Hu stomped hard on the ground, his entire body lunging toward Zhou Xuan like a tiger descending from the mountain, carrying a fierce and vicious gale!

He had no intention of testing the waters; he went straight for a killing blow!

His fist aimed directly for Zhou Xuan's face, clearly intending to cripple or even kill him in a single strike!

Zhou Xuan's pupils constricted slightly. His feet moved in what looked like a panicked step backward, and he leaned back in an incredibly awkward posture, dodging the punch by the narrowest of margins.

He put on a display of being completely intimidated by his opponent's momentum, appearing flustered and helpless.

"Hmph! Is that all you can do—just dodge?"

When Chen Hu's strike missed, a cruel grin flashed across his face, and his offensive became even more violent.

Fists, kicks, elbows, and knees rained down upon Zhou Xuan like a torrential storm.

And Zhou Xuan was like a small boat tossing in a tempest, struggling to parry and dodging by a hair's breadth.

Every block he made looked forced, and every evasion looked pathetic.

Several times, the wind of a punch brushed against his cheek or ribs, making it look as though he could be hit and collapse at any moment.

Cheers and jeers rose and fell from the crowd.

"Hahaha, look at that coward! Wasn't he acting all high and mighty just a moment ago?"

"Almost there, almost there! He'll definitely be down in three more moves!"

However, ten rounds passed.

Zhou Xuan was still struggling to hold on.

Twenty rounds passed.

Although Zhou Xuan was panting like an ox, his face pale and his body drenched in sweat as if he were about to collapse at any second, he simply refused to go down!

The laughter from the crowd gradually died away, and everyone widened their eyes, their faces filled with confusion.

The script wasn't supposed to go like this!

Why was it different from what they had imagined?

Logically speaking, shouldn't a Body Forging Level 7 fighter resolve a fight against a Level 5 fighter in three punches and two kicks?

How could they have fought for so long, and even though Zhou Xuan looked miserable, he hadn't been hit even once?

"What is Senior Brother Chen Hu doing? Is he throwing the fight?"

"Impossible! Look at his stance; he looks like he wants to tear Zhou Xuan to pieces. How could he be throwing the fight!"

"Then how is Zhou Xuan able to take so much?"

No one could understand it.

And the person feeling the most stifled and furious in the arena was none other than Chen Hu himself!

He felt as if he were fighting a slippery, slimy loach!

The opponent clearly looked like he had reached his limit; every breath sounded like a broken bellows, and every step he took looked as if his legs were filled with lead.

Yet, his own attacks, which should have been guaranteed hits, were always dodged by the other party using all sorts of bizarre and incredibly unsightly postures!

That sense of powerlessness, like punching a pile of cotton, was driving him insane!

"Trash! Is all you can do is hide? If you have any guts, trade a punch with me!"

Chen Hu's eyes were bloodshot with rage as he roared, his offensive becoming increasingly reckless.

"Hoo... I can't... do it anymore..."

While dodging in a pathetic manner, Zhou Xuan gasped for air, his voice raspy as if he were about to stop breathing the next second.

But just as Chen Hu swung another heavy punch, thinking he had finally caught the opening caused by his opponent's exhaustion.

Zhou Xuan seemed to trip over his own feet, stumbling in a way that just happened to let the fist graze past him, while simultaneously pushing out with a weak, limp hand.

This push was soft and feeble, yet it landed exactly in the gap where Chen Hu had exhausted his momentum, causing him to stagger and nearly fall.

This stifling scene repeated itself time and time again.

Zhou Xuan was like a drowning man; every time he was about to sink for the last time, he would inexplicably struggle back to the surface, take a breath, and continue hanging on in a half-dead state.

This feeling burned away the last shred of Chen Hu's reason and stamina.

"I'll kill you!"

Chen Hu had completely lost his mind. He poured all his remaining blood energy into his right leg and unleashed a full-force whip kick!

However, his years of combat experience became worthless once his mind was clouded by rage and impatience.

This all-out attack had an absurdly large opening.

A flash of cold, sharp light flickered in Zhou Xuan's eyes.

He maintained his look of being exhausted to the point of death, stumbled again, and fell backward onto the ground.

Chen Hu's earth-shattering kick, due to excessive force and the loss of its target, caused his center of gravity to spiral completely out of control.

"Ah!"

He let out a strange cry, spun around twice, and finally, his vision went black as his body's energy was completely drained.

He collapsed face-first onto the ground, gasping violently, unable to move even a single finger.

He had exhausted himself into defeat.

The entire arena fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone stared in stunned silence at this dramatic scene.

Just then, Zhou Xuan, who had just fallen to the ground, struggled to get back up.

He propped himself up with his hands, his body swaying as if he had spent his very last ounce of strength.

Then, his foot slipped, and he lunged forward uncontrollably, crashing heavily onto the body of the fallen Chen Hu.

Crack!

A crisp, teeth-gritting sound of bone breaking suddenly echoed across the silent arena!

It was Zhou Xuan's body, landing squarely and precisely on Chen Hu's arm, which had been stretched out to support his weight on the ground!

"Ah!"

Chen Hu's pig-like shriek instantly pierced the sky above the Chore Servant Courtyard.

Chief Steward Wang slowly set down his teacup, stood up, and announced the result that no one could believe.

"Zhou Xuan, winner!"

There was no expression on his fat face, but he was sneering inwardly.

Acting? Keep acting for me!

A Body Tempering Realm level five, able to exhaust a Body Tempering Realm level seven mid-stage expert to death? And accidentally break the opponent's arm?

This kid's endurance, cunning, and precise control of power were far beyond the scope of the Body Tempering Realm!

A fortuitous encounter!

This was definitely a heaven-defying fortuitous encounter!

The greed in Chief Steward Wang's eyes as he looked at Zhou Xuan could no longer be suppressed.