"Zichen, teach him a lesson. Senior really hates guys who like to use morality to guilt-trip others!"
"Zichen, I'll be cheering you on later!"
"Zichen, good luck! I'll take some nice photos of you!"
"..."
When Lin Zichen accepted the challenge, a stir immediately swept through the crowd.
Most of the voices belonged to Lin Zichen's little fangirls.
Hearing all the one-sided support, Zhang Kai felt nothing. If anything, he almost wanted to laugh.
You all think I'm a brainless hothead?
Wrong! So very wrong!
I'm a wise man who hides his light!
You're all on the third level, thinking I'm on the first, when I'm actually on the fifth!
I'm taking advantage of this genius junior before he's had a chance to grow, using my seniority to crush him and leave my martial arts career with an extremely glorious record!
Over the past month or so, Zhang Kai had watched Lin Zichen's martial arts talent pull far ahead of everyone else's.
He knew very well that if Lin Zichen trained for another six months, nobody on the team would be able to beat him.
So he had to take advantage of the fact that Lin Zichen had only started training recently and hadn't grown strong yet. He would challenge him in public right away and crush him without mercy.
That way, the greater Lin Zichen's achievements in martial arts became, the more Zhang Kai would have to brag about.
He'd tell anyone who would listen, "Back in my day, I was the man who beat up genius Lin on the Martial Platform!"
Lin Zichen had no idea Zhang Kai had such an elaborate fantasy running through his head.
With a thought, he dismissed the text floating in the void, handed the clothes in his hands back to Shen Qinghan, and headed toward the Martial Platform, speaking as he walked:
"It's already late. I still have to go home for dinner, so let's finish this quickly."
"Come on!"
Zhang Kai answered and set off toward the platform as well.
Seeing them go, Guo Xiangyuan, their coach, quickly followed.
On the Martial Platform.
Once the two had taken their places, Guo Xiangyuan said, "I'll referee this sparring match. Remember, friendship comes first, the match second. Don't let this hurt your relationship."
Lin Zichen said, "Got it, Coach."
Zhang Kai didn't answer. Instead, he looked down at Li Shutong and called out, "Xiao Li, record our match for us!"
He wanted to preserve today's performance on video. If Lin Zichen really made something of himself in the future, Zhang Kai could bring it out and brag to his heart's content.
"Sure." Li Shutong, one of the Martial Arts Team members, gave him an OK sign, then took out his phone and started recording the Martial Platform.
Seeing this, Shen Qinghan also took out her phone and started recording Lin Zichen's match.
But unlike Zhang Kai, she knew how strong Lin Zichen was. She was recording to capture his victory.
"Are you both ready?"
On the Martial Platform, Guo Xiangyuan looked at the two team members who were about to spar.
Lin Zichen said, "Ready."
Zhang Kai said, "We can start, Coach."
Once both of them were ready, Guo Xiangyuan retreated to the edge of the Martial Platform and raised his right hand high. Then he chopped it down hard and declared:
"The match begins!"
As soon as he spoke, neither of the two on the platform moved right away.
Zhang Kai looked at Lin Zichen and struck a confident, cocky pose.
"Junior, you've only been on the team for a month, while I've been here almost two years. I'll give you three moves first, so you can't accuse me of picking on someone younger afterward."
"Okay."
Lin Zichen replied tersely, then used Flash Step to charge forward. In an instant, he was right in front of Zhang Kai, kicking him straight off the Martial Platform.
Zhang Kai: "???"
The six team members below the platform: "Holy crap!"
Guo Xiangyuan stared in dumbfounded shock.
Fresh Milk Senior let out a scream. "Aaaah! Zichen, you're amazing! Senior's soul has been stolen by you!"
The other fangirls followed suit, shrieking like lovestruck idiots.
On the Martial Platform.
Lin Zichen ignored the commotion below and focused entirely on the text floating in the void.
[You defeated a rival and successfully won the heart of a member of the opposite sex. You have gained priority in choosing a mate.]
[Total opponents eliminated: 1/1000]
I still have to eliminate 999 more rivals...
Thinking this, Lin Zichen dismissed the text and looked at his other six teammates below.
"Do you six want to spar with me too?"
"..."
But nobody answered him.
They were all stunned, still unable to recover from what they had just seen.
The first person to come to his senses was Zhang Kai, who had just been kicked off the platform.
At that moment, Zhang Kai was enduring the pain in his lower abdomen as he struggled to his feet. He climbed back onto the platform, still refusing to accept the result.
"That one doesn't count. I wasn't even ready! Let's do it again!"
Guo Xiangyuan snapped out of it at Zhang Kai's words. Frowning at him, he said with some displeasure, "Zhang Kai, you lost, so own it. Don't lose your martial spirit along with the match."
Zhang Kai opened his mouth to defend himself, but Guo Xiangyuan didn't give him the chance. The next second, he looked down at Li Shutong and called, "Xiao Li, come up and spar with Zichen."
"Oh—oh, okay!" Li Shutong put down his phone and climbed onto the Martial Platform as he answered.
Over the time that followed.
Lin Zichen sparred with every teammate on the team, winning all of the matches, just as expected.
However, to make his strength seem like it was still within the normal range, he didn't instantly knock out each opponent the way he had Zhang Kai.
Instead, he traded a few moves before defeating them.
That way, his astonishing display of power when he'd taken Zhang Kai out with a single kick could be explained, saving him plenty of unnecessary trouble.
Everyone would think Zhang Kai had been knocked out because he'd been showing off and let his guard down, rather than because Lin Zichen was actually strong enough to take him out in one hit.
"Genius! Zichen, you really are a genius!"
"You've only been on the Martial Arts Team for a month, and you're already the team's ace!"
"This year, at the district Martial Arts Tournament, Shanhai High School will definitely beat the other nine schools and take first place!"
Guo Xiangyuan patted Lin Zichen on the shoulder, grinning from ear to ear.
At the same time, Zhang Kai, who had refused to accept Lin Zichen before and thought he'd only lost because he'd been careless, was now thoroughly convinced.
He had watched every one of Lin Zichen's matches against the other teammates and realized that he really was outclassed. There was nothing left to say.
"Zichen, a bet's a bet. I, Zhang Kai, will accept defeat. From now on, even if you sit on my head and shit, I won't say a single damn thing!"
Zhang Kai looked at Lin Zichen and shouted loudly, his voice booming as though he were swearing an oath.
He thought it made him look cool. He'd accepted defeat and meant what he said, so he was sure he'd win the girls' favor.
But the girls around him heard him open his mouth with the rather smelly words "sit on my head and shit" and immediately thought he was vulgar. They didn't want to look at him again.
Lin Zichen had no time to deal with Zhang Kai. Frowning slightly, he studied the text floating in the void.
[Achievement: In formal competitive settings, eliminate a total of 1000 different rivals using the most primitive method of competition among living beings]
[Reward: Gain Biological Attribute—Natural Selection]
[Total rivals eliminated: 1/1000]
The progress had only increased by one when he defeated Zhang Kai. Beating the other six teammates hadn't increased it at all.
Lin Zichen thought carefully about the text that had appeared when he beat Zhang Kai. Before long, he reached a conclusion.
Not just any match could advance the achievement. There had to be a conflict of interest—in other words, the match had to be competitive.
The first spar with Zhang Kai had been judged to be a contest for the right to choose a mate, the most primitive form of competition among living beings.
Looks like I'll have to enter more competitions if I want to complete this achievement.
Every match in a competition was full of rivalry.
There was the competition for rankings.
There was the competition for prize money.
So, as long as he defeated an opponent in a competition, he would definitely make progress on the achievement.
P.S. Setting out a bowl—please vote with monthly and recommendation tickets!
Before you continue