The Child of Fortune

The hulking boy's sudden burst of chūnibyō left Lin Zichen speechless.

That kid probably had big muscles and no brains.

Meanwhile, in the stands.

Watching the hulking boy on the Martial Platform, Zhang Wanxin was utterly stunned.

What had this kid grown up eating? How had he gotten so tall and burly in middle school?

Then, she said worriedly, "Honey, that kid's so huge. How's Xiao Chen supposed to fight him? What if he gets hurt?"

"It's fine. Big guys like him usually aren't very agile. Xiao Chen can win by using nimble footwork. As for injuries... there's a referee watching over them, so it shouldn't happen."

Lin Yansheng tried to reassure her.

That was what he said, but he wasn't sure himself. He was mostly just trying to comfort Zhang Wanxin.

Unlike the couple, Shen Qinghan had complete confidence in Lin Zichen.

She looked at Zhang Wanxin, her face full of certainty. "Don't worry, Aunt Xin. Xiao Chen's definitely going to win. Against a big oaf like that, Xiao Chen can take him down with one punch!"

Hearing her call the boy a big oaf, Zhang Wanxin gently corrected her. "Hanhan, you shouldn't call people big oafs. That's not nice."

"Oh, okay. I won't do it again, Aunt Xin." Shen Qinghan knew how to admit when she was wrong.

Then she turned toward the Martial Platform, cupped her dainty, fair hands around her mouth, and called out to Lin Zichen in her little voice, "Xiao Chen, do your best!"

At the sound of her cheering, someone in the opposite stands quickly shouted back, unwilling to be outdone. "Dazhuang, go for it! Beat him to a pulp!"

Zhang Wanxin didn't like that one bit. She immediately shouted, "Xiao Chen, do your best! You're sure to win. Mom believes in you!"

After shouting, she smacked Lin Yansheng beside her and urged him, "Honey, hurry up and shout too. Your voice is louder than mine. We can't let them outdo us!"

"Xiao Chen, do your best!!!" Lin Yansheng bellowed at the top of his lungs, making the ears of several nearby spectators ring.

Hearing him from the rest area, Guo Xiangyuan told the other four team members to cheer Lin Zichen on too.

Seeing this, the people from Shanhai No. 1 Middle School followed suit and began shouting encouragement.

In the blink of an eye, the whole venue had erupted into noise.

On the Martial Platform.

Hearing his family and teammates cheer him on, Lin Zichen smiled and waved to both sides.

The hulking boy opposite him stood there with a cold, aloof expression. He didn't even acknowledge the family and teammates cheering for him, thinking that made him look cooler.

"Both contestants, take your positions. The match is about to begin!"

Seeing that it was about time, the referee spoke loudly to the two boys on the platform.

They quickly took their places.

Once both were ready, the referee raised his right hand and chopped it down. "Begin!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the hulking boy charged at Lin Zichen like a bull.

This was an official match. No contestant would be stupid enough to let their opponent make the first move.

It was a bad habit that could cost them the win. If a contestant on the platform dared to do it, their coach would chew them out from the sidelines.

As the hulking boy charged at him, Lin Zichen simply sidestepped, then lightly pushed the boy's back with one hand.

The next moment, the hulking boy lost his balance and stumbled straight off the platform, losing in record time.

The venue fell utterly silent. Everyone was dumbfounded by the unexpected turn of events.

About two seconds later,

Shen Qinghan was the first to recover. Her little face lit up with excitement as she shouted,

"Xiao Chen, you're amazing!!!"

Zhang Wanxin excitedly threw her arms around Lin Yansheng and exclaimed,

"Honey, you really can see everything coming! Xiao Chen actually beat that big guy with his agility!"

"Hahaha, of course, of course." Lin Yansheng was delighted. He'd just made a wild guess, and somehow it had turned out to be right. What were the odds?

As the three of them shouted, everyone else came back to their senses as well. A wave of discussion swept through the stands.

"What the hell? He was so much bigger, and he still lost?"

"Nothing but muscle. He wasn't agile at all, so it's no surprise he lost."

"Damn it, you big oaf! You made me lose my money!"

"..."

Meanwhile, in the contestants' rest area,

Guo Xiangyuan and the four other team members were thrilled. Every one of them was shouting at the top of their lungs, "Zichen, you're awesome!"

Across from them, the people from Shanhai No. 1 Middle School all frowned, looking rather unhappy.

Their coach was especially furious. His face turned livid as he pointed at the hulking boy and berated him.

"Footwork! Footwork! How many times have I told you? Don't just charge straight ahead on the platform! Use your footwork! Why won't you listen to me!!!"

The hulking boy was dumbstruck by the scolding. His eyes instantly welled up, but he didn't dare cry.

Lin Zichen looked at the Shanhai No. 1 Middle School coach and thought the man probably wasn't very competent.

The hulking boy hadn't gone flying off the platform because he charged too fast to stop and lost his balance. The real reason was that the hand that lightly pushed his back was simply too strong.

After all, an arm that could effortlessly lift over a thousand kilograms wasn't something a middle-schooler could withstand.

No matter how burly the kid was, against an arm with such explosive power, he could only be shoved off the platform.

[You successfully defeated a competitor. Your ranking in the competition has improved]

[Total opponents eliminated: 2/1000]

As expected, defeating an opponent in a highly competitive event advanced the Achievement quest!

Lin Zichen felt a flicker of excitement and couldn't wait for his next match.

Fortunately, there were no breaks between matches in this tournament. As soon as contestants won one match, they had to fight in the next.

"Chen Feng, you're up for this match. Give it everything you've got and beat that first-year student from Shanhai High School as fast as you can. Got it?"

In Shanhai No. 1 Middle School's rest area, the coach addressed the second-strongest member of the team, a boy with a crew cut, his expression stern.

The boy nodded solemnly. "Understood, Coach."

With that, he walked onto the Martial Platform, took his place with practiced ease, and waited quietly for the referee's signal.

Once both boys had taken their positions, the referee raised his right hand and chopped it down. "Begin!"

At the signal, the crew-cut boy sprang forward and aimed a vicious side kick at Lin Zichen's neck.

Lin Zichen calmly ducked, narrowly avoiding the kick, then casually gave the boy's waist a light push.

The next instant, the crew-cut boy, still mid-kick and standing on one leg, lost his balance. From a distance, it looked as though his foot had slipped. He hit the ground with a thump.

By sheer bad luck, he struck the back of his head and passed out.

The venue fell silent once more. Everyone was completely stunned by what had happened on the platform.

The first to react were the medical staff waiting nearby.

When they saw the crew-cut boy had hit the back of his head and passed out, they rushed onto the platform and carried him away on a stretcher for treatment.

Then the stands immediately filled with chatter.

"What happened? How did that student from Shanhai High School get so lucky?"

"Damn, the first opponent charged himself right off the platform, and now this one slipped and knocked himself out. What is he, the child of fortune?"

"I don't know if it's luck. He dodged that side kick so fast. The kid's got skill."

"Fuck you! This match was rigged! Give me my money back!"

"..."

In Shanhai No. 1 Middle School's rest area,

The coach stared in shock, unable to believe what he'd just seen.

Luck? Was that really just luck?

No! It wasn't luck!

That first-year student from Shanhai High School had real skill!

Realizing this, the coach turned to the strongest member of his team—a genius who could sprint a hundred meters in just nine seconds—and spoke with a hint of panic.

"Gao Fei, you're up for the next match. Focus on defense. Don't attack first. Figure out what's going on with that first-year student from Shanhai High School. You absolutely cannot lose!"

"Don't worry, Coach. I'll win."

The boy named Gao Fei confidently made his way onto the platform.

He'd watched both of the previous matches from beginning to end. Lin Zichen didn't seem particularly strong, just agile and good at using tricks during a match. That was why he'd won so easily.

Gao Fei thought that, since he was just as agile, had plenty of combat experience, and could sprint a hundred meters in only nine seconds, he had no reason to lose—as long as he took the match seriously and stayed fully alert from start to finish.