I Was Careless

"Stop."

With a clatter of falling debris, Yao Zhong emerged from the wall. His expression was incredibly grim as he stared at Xia Ping; he never imagined that this brat would actually dare to strike him.

Furthermore, the opponent's strength was truly no simple matter. Despite being only at the Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven, he possessed the power to send him flying with a single punch, leaving him no time to react.

Although his own carelessness played a part, overall, this kid was genuinely strong. It was no wonder he could defeat Zhou Tai'an with one blow; there was logic to it after all.

"Senior Brother Yao!"

A group of men in white training uniforms looked at Yao Zhong, gritting their teeth in deep frustration.

Yao Zhong's eyes were dark as he glared at Xia Ping: "You're quite good, actually having the ability to send me flying with one punch. Although it was a sneak attack while I was off guard, I must admit, you have some skill."

"Stop putting on an act. You spat blood after taking my punch, didn't you?" Xia Ping said with disdain. "To be honest, even if you weren't off guard, you still wouldn't be my match."

Damn it, this kid is too arrogant.

The group of men in white training uniforms were driven mad with rage, wishing they could rush up and beat this bastard to a pulp. He clearly only managed to hit Senior Brother Yao through a sneak attack, yet now he was acting all high and mighty—they had never seen anyone so shameless.

He was nothing but a piece of trash at the Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven; what right did he have to say such things to a master at the Martial Apprentice Seventh Heaven? He was clearly asking for a beating.

Yao Zhong's face was ghastly. If he could, he would also love to rush up and beat the kid down, but the truth was that after taking that punch, he had sustained some injuries, and his combat effectiveness was compromised.

If a real fight broke out, he wasn't at his peak, and he might truly not be the opponent's match—though he would die before admitting such a thing.

"Xia Ping, I won't argue with you. A true expert is forged in battle, not by blowing hot air."

Yao Zhong stared at Xia Ping and said: "Since you've made it into the school's top ten, you will inevitably represent the 95th Middle School in the Tianshui City High School Fighting Tournament, and I am a representative of the 99th Middle School."

"When the time comes, I'll see if you can still be this arrogant on the arena stage!"

"Let's go!"

With that, he turned and led his underlings away.

Although the other men in white training uniforms were deeply unwilling, they knew that causing trouble at another school was an unwise move that might lead to them being swarmed by the students.

Thus, they each glared at Xia Ping, but without saying a word, they followed Yao Zhong as he left quickly.

"A bunch of idiots." Xia Ping looked at these people from the Wuwei Martial Arts Hall with contempt. If they had all swarmed him at once, he probably would have had to run for his life.

After all, he was currently the public enemy of the school, hated by everyone, and he didn't have the charisma to rally others; if the students saw him getting beaten, they might even cheer for his attackers.

Of course, these people from the Wuwei Martial Arts Hall didn't know that, and they had all been bluffed.

But we'll meet again in the arena? I'm afraid by the time we meet next, I won't just be at the Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven. A cold glint flashed in Xia Ping's eyes as he watched their retreating backs.

The group returned to the Wuwei Martial Arts Hall, all of them fuming with suppressed anger, fists clenched in extreme frustration.

"Damn it, Senior Brother Yao, why did you hold back?"

"Exactly! He's just a piece of trash at the Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven. With your strength, Senior Brother, one punch would have been enough to cripple him and send him straight to the hospital."

"If you were worried about being swarmed by the 95th Middle School, we didn't need to fear them. We could have just fought them to the bitter end."

"That's right, who's afraid of whom? It's not like we haven't been injured before."

"I can't swallow this insult from that brat."

The group was furious, all of them incensed by Xia Ping's earlier attitude, and each wanted revenge.

Pfft! Suddenly, Yao Zhong couldn't hold it back any longer and spat out a mouthful of blood onto the wooden floor. His face turned deathly pale, and his body seemed incredibly weak.

"Senior Brother Yao!"

Everyone was shocked, rushing to support him, not knowing why this had happened.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. It was just some stagnant blood; spitting it out is for the best." Yao Zhong waved his hand, signaling that his injuries were not a major concern.

Someone asked in shock: "No way, Senior Brother Yao, could that shameless bastard have been right? Did that kid really injure you with a single sneak attack?"

The others wore expressions of disbelief. Yao Zhong was a master at the Martial Apprentice Seventh Heaven; how could he be injured by a mere Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven, even with a sneak attack? It seemed impossible.

"As much as I hate to admit it, that kid did indeed injure me."

Yao Zhong clenched his fists, his expression filled with resentment: "He didn't just blow hot air about defeating Junior Brother Zhou Tai'an. That kind of attack power is truly enough to threaten someone at the Martial Apprentice Seventh Heaven."

"I was careless for a moment, and I took a hit."

If not for that, he would have counterattacked immediately instead of swallowing his pride and suffering such humiliation.

Someone looked grim: "If that's the case, does it mean even you, Senior Brother, are no match for that kid? Are we just supposed to swallow this insult?!"

The others were equally unwilling. They were all martial artists—hot-blooded, proud, and quick to fight at the slightest provocation—how could they endure this?

"Swallow it? Like hell!"

Yao Zhong tightened his grip, sneering: "That kid only managed to land a hit because he caught me off guard with a sneak attack. In a real fight, how could he possibly be my match?"

"Besides, I am at the peak of the Martial Apprentice Seventh Heaven. In another month, I will break through the eighth meridian and ascend to the Martial Apprentice Eighth Heaven. My strength will increase significantly, and my punches will carry the force of ten thousand pounds."

"Dealing with a piece of trash at the Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven will be as easy as turning over my hand."

His eyes were filled with immense pride and absolute confidence.

"As expected of Senior Brother Yao, he is truly powerful."

"To have the chance to break through to the Martial Apprentice Eighth Heaven while still in high school—if this isn't genius, what is?"

"I reckon out of all the nearby high schools, Brother Yao is the strongest."

"With strength like that, he'll be able to achieve a great ranking even in the Tianshui City High School Fighting Tournament."

"That kid is done for. It'd be one thing if he didn't run into Senior Brother Yao, but once he does, his end will be miserable."

A group of people discussed it heatedly, their eyes lighting up. Each level of the Martial Apprentice Ninth Heaven was significantly more powerful than the last; while some experts could fight across a single level, attempting to challenge someone three levels higher was simply impossible.

Just then, Xia Ping returned home, only to find his parents seemingly waiting for him for quite some time, sitting upright and staring at him with solemn expressions.