Invincible and So Lonely

The news that Zhou Tai'an had been defeated by Xia Ping quickly spread throughout the entire school.

"What a huge upset! Zhou Tai'an has been defeated!"

"No way. Is that true? Wasn't Zhou Tai'an the favorite to win this tournament? How could he possibly lose?"

"The one who beat him was that scumbag, Xia Ping."

"Holy crap, isn't that guy only a Martial Apprentice Fourth Heaven? How could he possibly beat Zhou Tai'an?!"

"That news is old. That kid advanced to Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven ages ago. He's incredibly strong."

"I saw the match too. Zhou Tai'an got it so bad—his face was beaten until it swelled up. If it had been any worse, he'd probably have needed plastic surgery to get his old face back."

"Apparently that bastard was shameless and despicable. Even when Zhou Tai'an couldn't fight back at all, he kept beating and humiliating him, and even spat on him. If the teacher hadn't stopped him in time, he probably would've kicked him in the groin."

"What a monster! He'd attack someone who couldn't even fight back. Is he a demon?"

Students discussed the news excitedly, all of them utterly shocked. In an instant, it had swept through the entire school. Almost everyone knew about it.

There was no helping it. Zhou Tai'an was incredibly famous, practically the prince charming of 95th Middle School. He was one of the school's top fighters, an idol to the students, and the favorite to win the tournament.

Yet he had now been defeated by a nobody, and on top of that, had been thoroughly humiliated in the ring. The news was so sensational that no one could possibly have missed it.

The entire arena buzzed with discussion, and the other matches drew far less attention.

Half an hour later, the second round began. Another 128 people had been eliminated, so the number of rings had been cut in half, and the arena was half as full.

This time, a crowd gathered around Ring 75 because Xia Ping was facing another opponent. Everyone was curious to see just how strong he really was.

His opponent was a bald man, tall and imposing, with muscles bulging all over. He had a Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven cultivation. Seeing so many people show up to watch his match, he felt rather flattered—and his vanity was thoroughly satisfied.

"Baldy, take Xia Ping down! Don't let him keep acting so high and mighty."

"Exactly! Beat that smug look off Xia Ping's face. Make sure even his parents don't recognize him!"

"Baldy, I'm rooting for you. You have to beat him!"

"That Xia Ping is a beast! If you don't beat him, Baldy, can you even call yourself a man?"

A crowd of students frantically cheered Baldy on. They were even angrier than they had been at Xia Ping's last match. That kid was a demon—despicable, shameless, and utterly lawless.

Who would ever support a shameless scoundrel like that? They all hoped someone would teach Xia Ping a good lesson and vent their anger for them.

Hearing all that support, Baldy was pleased as could be. When had he ever been this popular? The cheers and encouragement made him feel like a great hero.

He stared at Xia Ping and cracked his knuckles, then snarled, "Xia Ping, you—"

Before Baldy could say another word, Xia Ping waved him off. "Don't talk to me, and don't tell me your name. I'm not interested in you at all. You're the kind of guy I can take down with one punch anyway."

"Remembering your name would be a waste of time and brainpower."

Even Zhou Tai'an, a Martial Apprentice Sixth Heaven expert, had been easily beaten by him. This opponent was only Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven, so he was even less of a challenge. One punch would be enough.

"What did you say?!"

Baldy was so furious his nose nearly twisted out of shape. He felt like steam was about to pour out of his head, and his face flushed red. Xia Ping considered him such a nobody that he wasn't even worth remembering.

Even if you look down on someone, there should be a limit!

The spectators around them burst into an uproar. They knew Xia Ping was arrogant, but they hadn't expected him to be this conceited. He was completely looking down on everyone.

He couldn't even be bothered to remember the man's name. That was just too insulting.

"Xia Ping, you say you can take me down with one punch? Are you kidding me?" Baldy was furious, his anger surging. "This time, I'll crush you for sure. I'll break all your limbs and show you what I can do!"

With a boom, the referee announced the start. Baldy lunged forward like a hungry wolf, his attack fierce. His hands were like wolf claws, tearing through the air as his feet pounded the ground and his body flickered from side to side.

He had mastered the intermediate martial technique Eighteen Hungry Wolf Styles. Every move was a lethal attack with terrifying power. His movements were swift and unpredictable; at the highest level, a single swipe could tear a mountain apart.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, five or six afterimages of Baldy seemed to appear across the ring. Each one looked like a hungry wolf, radiating a savage aura.

Though there was only one of him, he unleashed the might of a pack of wolves, enough to tear any prey to pieces.

But against the Heaven and Earth Audio-Visual Method, that speed was child's play. The speed he prided himself on looked as slow as a baby's to Xia Ping.

Boom!

Xia Ping's expression didn't change. He threw a single punch, making the heavy look effortless, the profound seem simple. In utter silence, it pierced through countless wolf-shaped afterimages and slammed into Baldy's head. Thousands of pounds of force erupted like a flood bursting through a dam.

"Ah!"

Terror flashed in Baldy's eyes as he let out a piercing scream. The blow mangled his head and instantly broke his nose. He was sent flying like a ball.

With a thud, he flew twenty or thirty meters through the air before crashing hard outside the ring, drawing gasps from the spectators.

Then Baldy's head lolled to one side, and he passed out on the spot.

The students around them fell completely silent, staring in stunned disbelief. They couldn't shout anymore. Xia Ping really had taken Baldy down with one punch. He hadn't even lasted a second.

The kid might have been arrogant, but his strength was the real deal.

"I told you. He was the kind of guy I could take down with one punch."

Xia Ping stood with his hands behind his back, looking every inch the martial arts grandmaster. "But you can't blame him. It's not that he's weak—it's that I'm too strong. I doubt there's anyone in this whole school who can take one of my punches."

"So this is what it feels like to be invincible? It's so lonely."

A hint of loneliness seemed to emanate from him, as though he were a martial arts grandmaster atop a mountain peak, undefeated beneath the heavens and unable to find a worthy opponent.

"Holy crap, tell this guy he's fat and he'll start panting."

"He's only a Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven, and he's already claiming to be invincible."

"There are plenty of people at this school stronger than him."

"Damn it, I've never wanted to hit someone this badly."

"Does anyone want to go up there and beat him? Someone call the police, before things get out of hand!"

Xia Ping's arrogant attitude drove the students wild with anger, and their Hate Points soared. This bastard was only a Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven, yet he dared to call himself invincible and claim there wasn't anyone in the whole school who could take one punch from him?!