I Was Just Careless

"Stop."

With a crash, rubble rolled away as Yao Zhong emerged from the wall. His face was dark as he glared at Xia Ping. He never would've believed that this kid would dare attack him.

What's more, his opponent's strength was no joke. He was clearly only a Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven, yet he'd had the strength to send Yao Zhong flying with a single punch, leaving him no time to react.

Although carelessness had played a part, overall, this kid was genuinely strong. No wonder he'd defeated Zhou Tai'an with one punch. It hadn't been a fluke.

"Senior Brother Yao!"

The men in white training uniforms looked at Yao Zhong, gritting their teeth, deeply unwilling to accept this.

Yao Zhong stared darkly at Xia Ping. "You're impressive. You actually managed to send me flying with one punch. You caught me off guard with a sneak attack, but I have to admit, you've got some skill."

"Quit pretending. You spat blood after taking my punch, didn't you?" Xia Ping said scornfully. "Honestly, even if you hadn't been careless, you still wouldn't have been my match."

Damn, this kid's way too arrogant.

The men in white training uniforms were furious. They wanted nothing more than to rush up and beat the bastard to a pulp. He'd only managed to send Senior Brother Yao flying by attacking him from behind, yet now he was acting all high and mighty. They'd never seen anyone so shameless.

He was just trash at Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven. What right did he have to say that to an expert at Martial Apprentice Seventh Heaven? He was practically asking for a beating.

Yao Zhong's face was horribly grim. If he could, he'd have rushed over and beaten the kid to a pulp himself. But after taking that punch, he'd been injured to some extent, and his fighting strength had suffered.

If they really fought, he might not be able to beat Xia Ping while he was less than his best. Of course, he'd never admit that, even if it killed him.

"Xia Ping, I won't argue with you. Strength is proven through fighting, not boasting."

Yao Zhong stared at Xia Ping. "Now that you've made the school's top ten, you'll represent 95th Middle School at the Tianshui City High School Fighting Tournament. I'll be representing 99th Middle School."

"Then I'll see whether you can still act so arrogant in the ring!"

"Let's go!"

With that, he turned and led his underlings away.

The men in white training uniforms were reluctant to leave, but they knew that starting trouble at someone else's school was unwise. The students might gang up on them.

So they all glared at Xia Ping without saying a word, then quickly followed Yao Zhong out.

"Bunch of idiots." Xia Ping looked scornfully at the people from Wuwei Martial Hall. If they'd all ganged up on him, he'd probably have had no choice but to run.

After all, he was the school's public enemy now, hated by absolutely everyone. He didn't have the kind of influence that would let him rally a crowd with a shout. If the students saw him getting beaten up, they might even cheer the attackers on.

Of course, the people from Wuwei Martial Hall didn't know that. They'd all been bluffed.

"So we'll meet again in the ring? By then, I won't still be at Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven." A cold glint appeared in Xia Ping's eyes as he watched them leave.

Yao Zhong and the others soon returned to Wuwei Martial Hall. Every one of them was seething, their fists clenched, completely unwilling to let it go.

"Damn it, Senior Brother Yao! Why did you put up with that?"

"Exactly! He's only trash at Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven. With your strength, one punch would've crippled him and sent him straight to the hospital."

"If you were worried that the people from 95th Middle School would gang up on us, there was no need. At worst, we could've fought them to the death."

"That's right! Who's afraid of who? It's not like we've never been injured."

"I can't swallow the way that kid taunted us."

They were all furious, still enraged by Xia Ping. Every one of them wanted revenge.

"Pfft!" Just then, Yao Zhong couldn't hold back a mouthful of blood. It splattered across the wooden floor, and his face turned deathly pale. He looked extremely weak.

"Senior Brother Yao!"

Everyone was shocked and tried to support him, not understanding why this had happened.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. It was just a bit of stagnant blood. I'll be all right now that I've spat it out." Yao Zhong waved them off, indicating that his injuries were nothing serious.

Someone stared in shock. "No way, Senior Brother Yao. Was that shameless bastard right? Did that kid injure you with a single punch when he attacked you from behind?"

The others looked incredulous. Yao Zhong was a Martial Apprentice Seventh Heaven expert. How could he have been injured by someone at Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven? Even with a sneak attack, it should've been difficult.

"Much as I hate to admit it, that kid did hurt me."

Yao Zhong clenched his fists, his face full of frustration. "He didn't defeat Junior Brother Zhou Tai'an by luck. That kind of attack really can threaten someone at Martial Apprentice Seventh Heaven."

"I was careless and took a hit."

If that hadn't happened, he would've counterattacked right away. He wouldn't have had to swallow his anger like that.

One of them looked utterly grim. "If that's true, does that mean even you aren't a match for him, Senior Brother Yao? Are we really supposed to just swallow this?!"

The others were just as unwilling. They all practiced martial arts, were full of vigor and pride, and were the sort to start a fight at the slightest disagreement. How could they put up with this?

"Swallow it? My ass!"

Yao Zhong clenched his fists and sneered. "That kid only got me with one punch because he attacked me by surprise. How could he possibly be my match in a fair fight?"

"Besides, I'm at the peak of Martial Apprentice Seventh Heaven. In another month, I'll break through my eighth meridian and advance to Martial Apprentice Eighth Heaven. My strength will surge, and I'll be able to throw a punch with ten thousand jin of force."

"Dealing with a piece of trash at Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven will be a piece of cake."

His gaze was arrogant, filled with absolute confidence.

"As expected of Senior Brother Yao. You're incredible."

"You're still in high school, and already you have a chance to reach Martial Apprentice Eighth Heaven. If that's not genius, what is?"

"I bet Big Brother Yao is the strongest student at any of the nearby high schools."

"With strength like that, you'll get an excellent result at the Tianshui City High School Fighting Tournament."

"That kid's finished. He'll be fine as long as he doesn't run into Senior Brother Yao. But once he does, he'll be in for a miserable time."

They chattered among themselves, their eyes lighting up. Every level of Martial Apprentice was stronger than the one before. Some experts could fight one level above their own, but challenging someone three levels higher was practically impossible.

Meanwhile, Xia Ping had returned home, only to find that his parents seemed to have been waiting for him for quite some time. They sat stiffly, watching him.