Invincible and Too Lonely

The news of Zhou Tai'an being defeated by Xia Ping spread throughout the entire school in no time.

"A massive upset, a shocking, earth-shattering upset! Zhou Tai'an has been defeated."

"No way, is that for real? Isn't Zhou Tai'an one of the favorites to win the championship? How could he possibly be defeated?"

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

"Holy crap, didn't that guy just reach the Martial Apprentice Fourth Heaven? How could he possibly take down Zhou Tai'an?!"

"That info is outdated. The kid already advanced to the Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven; his strength is terrifying."

"I saw that match too. Zhou Tai'an was in such a miserable state—his face was beaten until it was swollen. If it had been any worse, he'd probably need plastic surgery just to get his original face back."

"Word is that the guy is despicable and shameless. Even when Zhou Tai'an had no power to fight back, he kept beating him, humiliating him, and even spitting on him. If the teacher hadn't intervened in time, he probably would have kicked him in the groin."

"What a beast! To lay hands on someone who can't even fight back—is he a demon?"

Countless students were buzzing with discussion, all of them feeling incredibly shocked by the news. In an instant, it swept through the entire school; there was almost no one who hadn't heard about it.

It couldn't be helped—Zhou Tai'an's fame was simply too great. He was the Prince Charming of 95th Middle School, a school idol, a celebrity-like existence, and the heavy favorite to win this tournament.

Yet, he had been defeated by a nobody, and humiliated ruthlessly on the ring to boot. Such news was far too sensational for anyone to miss.

The entire competition venue was filled with heated debates, and the attention on other matches dwindled significantly.

Half an hour later, the second round of matches began. One hundred and twenty-eight people had already been eliminated, the number of rings had been halved, and the venue felt half-empty.

A crowd gathered around Ring 75 because this match featured Xia Ping against another opponent. Everyone was curious to see just how much strength Xia Ping truly possessed.

His opponent was a bald guy with bulging muscles who looked quite tall and possessed the cultivation of the Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven. Seeing so many people coming to watch his match, he felt a bit flattered, and his vanity was greatly satisfied.

"Baldy, take down that Xia Ping! Don't let him be so arrogant."

"Yeah, exactly! Beat Xia Ping's face until it's so swollen his own parents won't recognize him."

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

"That Xia Ping is basically an animal. If you don't beat him, are you even human?"

A group of students cheered desperately for the bald student. They were even more furious than they had been at Xia Ping earlier; that kid was simply a devil—despicable, shameless, and lawless.

How could anyone support such a shameless scoundrel? Thus, they all hoped someone could teach this Xia Ping a lesson and vent their collective frustration.

Hearing these cheers, the bald student was extremely smug. He had never been this popular before; such support and such cheering made him feel like a great hero.

He stared at Xia Ping, clenched his fists until they cracked, and snarled, "Xia Ping, you..."

Before the bald student could finish, Xia Ping waved his hand and said, "Don't talk to me, and don't tell me your name. I have zero interest in you. You're just the type of trash that can be dealt with in one punch anyway."

"Memorizing your name would be a waste of time and a waste of brain capacity."

Even a powerhouse like Zhou Tai'an, who was at the Martial Apprentice Sixth Heaven, had been easily crushed by him. This opponent, only at the Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven, was even less of a challenge; a single punch would suffice.

"What did you say?!"

The bald student's nose was crooked with rage, and he was so angry he felt like his head was smoking. He was absolutely livid, his face turning bright red. In front of this kid, he was actually a minor character whose name wasn't even worth remembering.

Even if you look down on people, there has to be a limit!

The surrounding audience erupted in an uproar. Although they knew Xia Ping was extremely arrogant and overbearing, they hadn't expected him to be this level of conceited—he was completely ignoring everyone.

To not even bother remembering someone's name—that was far too insulting.

"Xia Ping, you say you can finish me in one punch? What kind of joke is that?" The bald student was frantic, his anger surging. "This time I'm going to crush you, break all four of your limbs, and let you see what I'm really capable of!"

BOOM! The referee announced the start, and he lunged forward like a hungry wolf. His momentum was fierce; his hands were like wolf claws tearing through the air, while his feet vibrated, his figure flickering.

He was proficient in the intermediate martial art, Eighteen Hungry Wolf Styles. Every move was a killing blow with terrifying power, swift and erratic. When cultivated to a high level, a single claw could tear apart a mountain.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

In an instant, five or six afterimages of the bald student appeared on the ring. Each afterimage looked like a hungry wolf, exuding a fierce and tragic aura.

Although it was only one person, he exerted the momentum of a pack of wolves, enough to tear any prey to shreds.

However, such speed was child's play in front of the Heaven and Earth Audio-Visual Method. The speed he was so proud of was, in Xia Ping's eyes, as slow as an infant's.

THUD!

Xia Ping remained expressionless. With just one punch—light yet heavy, silent yet profound—he pierced through the countless phantom wolves and slammed directly into the bald student's head. Thousands of pounds of force erupted like a bursting dam.

"AH!"

The bald student's pupils dilated in terror as he let out a shrill scream. His head was deformed by the impact, his nose bridge shattered instantly, and his entire body was sent flying like a rubber ball.

With a BANG, he flew twenty or thirty meters through the air before slamming hard onto the ground outside the ring, drawing a gasp from the surrounding audience.

The bald student's neck went limp, and he fell unconscious on the spot.

The surrounding students were silent, dumbfounded, unable to shout any longer. He really had defeated the bald student with one punch, not even lasting a second.

Although the kid was a bit arrogant, this strength was no lie.

"I told you, he's just the type of trash that can be dealt with in one punch."

Xia Ping stood with his hands behind his back, striking the pose of a martial arts grandmaster. "But I don't blame him. It's not that he's weak; it's that I'm too strong. I doubt there's anyone in this entire school who can take a single punch from me."

"Is this what it feels like to be invincible? It's too lonely."

A trace of loneliness emanated from his body, as if he were a martial arts grandmaster standing atop a mountain peak, seemingly having fought across the world without a single rival, unable to find even one opponent.

"Holy crap, give this guy an inch and he really takes a mile."

"He's just a Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven, yet he dares to call himself invincible."

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

"Damn it, this is the first time I've ever wanted to hit someone this badly."

"Is anyone going up there to beat him? Someone call the police, the situation is about to get out of control."

A group of students was driven mad by Xia Ping's arrogant attitude, their hatred skyrocketing; a bastard at the Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven stage actually dared to claim he was invincible, that not a single person in the entire school could take one of his punches?!