The First Match

"My first match is against Zhou Tai'an?!"

Xia Ping's pupils constricted as he stared at the tournament bracket. He had known he would cross paths with Zhou Tai'an sooner or later, but he hadn't expected it to be in the very first round.

The School Fighting Tournament followed the format of the Tianshui City High School Fighting Tournament, utilizing a single-elimination system where one match decided everything.

There were twenty-seven classes in the third year, with ten students selected from each. Due to some unexpected withdrawals, the final count of participants landed exactly at two hundred and fifty-six.

The first round would pit these two hundred and fifty-six students against one another. Winners would advance through the rounds of one hundred and twenty-eight, sixty-four, thirty-two, sixteen, the quarterfinals, the semifinals, and finally, the championship.

To win it all, one would have to fight eight matches.

Yet, out of over two hundred random participants, he had somehow drawn Zhou Tai'an in the first round. It was a coincidence beyond belief.

"Xia Ping is fighting Zhou Tai'an in the first round? How unlucky. He's out before he's even started."

"Being out is one thing, but do you remember what happened last Friday? Zhou Tai'an clearly wants to teach Xia Ping a lesson. This is a rare opportunity; Xia Ping is done for."

"Isn't that the truth? Once he steps onto that ring, he'll probably be beaten into critical condition and rushed to the hospital for emergency care."

"Even though the referee can intervene, a single second of delay is all it takes. The power of one punch is enough to cripple Xia Ping. It's not like that hasn't happened before."

"Still, it's such a coincidence that they're matched up in the first round."

"It's no coincidence. Rumor has it Zhou Tai'an has connections in the school. He probably pulled some strings with the teacher managing the backend data to tweak the bracket. It's perfectly normal for this to happen."

"Indeed, just modifying the duel order in a school event isn't that difficult."

The students of Class 16 of Grade 12 whispered among themselves, casting pitying glances at Xia Ping. They felt that this kid had reached the peak of misfortune by offending Zhou Tai'an.

"He deserves it. That bastard deserves it."

Gao Wan and Yang Wei exchanged glances, seeing the joy deep in each other's eyes. Damn it, someone is finally stepping up to deal with this shameless Xia Ping. Heaven has eyes!

Only they knew how miserably they had been bullied by Xia Ping. They had been thrown into jail, their reputations were worse than dog shit, and when they arrived at school this morning, they had even been pelted with eggs by a street vendor.

Having lived through such a nightmare, one could imagine how much they hated this shameless bastard. They dreamed of seeing him suffer and tasting the humiliation they had endured.

Now that he was targeted by Zhou Tai'an, the school's top dog, Xia Ping would be lucky to walk away with his skin intact. Gao Wan and Yang Wei felt an immense sense of relief.

They had already decided: once Xia Ping was beaten into the hospital, they would pay him a hypocritical visit, mock him to his face, and perhaps even splash him with dog shit to show him who was boss.

Boom, rumble~

The moment the school announced the start of the tournament, heavy black trucks arrived around the sports field, unloading massive silver crates onto the ground.

Click, clack. With the press of a button by the staff, the giant silver crates transformed like Transformers, unfolding into small, ten-by-ten-meter fighting rings.

Beside these metal rings, tiered spectator stands were erected, capable of holding two to three hundred people, all equipped with high-definition cameras.

Even those who couldn't get a front-row seat could watch the action from every angle via these cameras, thanks to the advanced technology.

There were one hundred and twenty-six such metal rings in total, rented by the school from various companies for the day, densely scattered across the sports field.

Because the school's sports field was massive, it could easily accommodate all of them.

In just half an hour, the entire venue was set up by the staff. Such is the power of technology; it required very little manpower or resources.

"Will all contestants please enter their respective rings? The matches will begin in fifteen minutes. Failure to arrive on time will be considered an automatic forfeit," the sweet voice of the announcer echoed over the school's PA system.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Hearing this, the students and contestants on the field began to move, heading toward their designated rings, each marked with a clear sign.

"I seem to be at Ring 88. That's a lucky number." Xia Ping checked his match information and strolled casually toward Ring 88.

He immediately noticed a massive crowd gathered around Ring 88. It wasn't just students from Class 16; there were students from other classes and a large number of girls as well.

They surrounded the ring, three layers deep, chattering loudly, while other rings had only a handful of spectators, looking quite pathetic in comparison.

It seemed most of the audience had been drawn here. It couldn't be helped—the person competing was Zhou Tai'an, the heartthrob of the 95th Middle School, a campus idol with explosive popularity.

Not to mention, he was facing Xia Ping, the rumored boyfriend of Jiang Yaru. This was a battle between romantic rivals; in terms of drama and excitement, no other match could compare.

Many students wanted to see what was so special about this legendary scumbag—the bastard who allegedly got the school beauty pregnant, played a dozen women at once, and started chasing girls at the age of nine.

"He's here! Zhou Tai'an is here!" a girl shrieked, triggering cheers from the rest of the crowd.

A young man walked over from the distance, dressed in a white suit. He was dashing and handsome, his hair perfectly styled with wax, looking every bit the Prince Charming.

This was Zhou Tai'an.

He was followed by dozens of lackeys, moving in a grand procession. Compared to the average student, he stood out like a crane in a flock of chickens, dazzlingly radiant.

"Move."

Zhou Tai'an spoke coldly to the crowd in front of him. With a rustle, the crowd parted like an army, clearing a path for him to enter the ring.

The surrounding students were filled with admiration. He was truly the king of the school; such dominance was beyond the reach of ordinary students. Many of the girls screamed in excitement.

Bang! Zhou Tai'an leaped lightly, yet the ground shook, leaving two clear footprints. The concrete cracked into a dozen fissures, and with that explosive force, he vaulted over ten meters into the air.

Boom! He landed on the ring with the grace of a feather, as if nothing had happened at all.