It was almost time for afternoon classes. Xia Ping came down from the rooftop and headed toward Class 16 of Grade 12. Just as he was nearing the classroom, two people suddenly stepped in his way.
He turned to look and immediately saw that both of them were girls. One was petite and cute, about 154 centimeters tall. She wore designer clothes from head to toe and carried herself with an air of wealth. It was clear she came from a very privileged background.
Xia Ping recognized her: Liang Xiaoxue, a classmate of his. She was a true rich beauty, haughty and condescending, and never paid the students in their class any attention. She rarely spoke to him, either.
The other girl was strikingly beautiful, with a cool, elegant air. She wore a white shirt that showed off her impressive figure—at least a D cup, by his estimate—and jeans that accentuated her long legs. She wore white sneakers.
Xia Ping knew her, too. She was Jiang Yaru, the class monitor of Class 16 of Grade 12 and the class beauty. She was extremely popular at school, excelled both academically and in martial arts, and was considered a goddess. Countless people pursued her.
She and Xia Ping had known each other since childhood. They were neighbors, and could be called childhood sweethearts.
"Xia Ping, I heard you're planning to fight Xiong Batian on the Flying Dragon Platform?" Jiang Yaru asked, looking at him.
Xia Ping nodded. "That's right."
"Why would you agree to fight Xiong Batian on the Flying Dragon Platform?"
Jiang Yaru stared into Xia Ping's eyes, her expression grave. "Do you even know what kind of person Xiong Batian is? He's a Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven, naturally strong, and supposedly trained in the intermediate martial art Thunder-Crushing Bear Fist. He's so powerful that even a Martial Apprentice Sixth Heaven could only fight him to a draw.
"You're only a Martial Apprentice Third Heaven. Are you going up there just to let him beat you? Hurry up and admit defeat. Give up this foolish duel."
"You don't understand," Xia Ping said.
Jiang Yaru glared at him, angry. "What don't I understand? You were obviously acting on impulse and fell for someone's provocation, so you foolishly agreed to this ridiculous duel.
"You know perfectly well you can't beat Xiong Batian. If you go up on the Flying Dragon Platform, all you'll do is get beaten. Why would you do that? Just to save face?
"Even if you won't die on the Flying Dragon Platform, if Xiong Batian seriously injures you, you'll have to be rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. Medical bills aren't cheap. Do you really want to add to your parents' burden?"
She knew Xia Ping's family circumstances. They were just ordinary people, and even one hospital bill could put a serious strain on them.
"Men are all like that. They have no real ability and can't beat anyone, but they still insist on showing off. That doesn't make you cool. It makes you stupid."
Liang Xiaoxue looked at Xia Ping with disdain. He had no ability at all, yet he was still grandstanding. She hated men like that most of all, and couldn't understand why her best friend cared about him.
"Anyway, don't meddle. I know what I'm doing." Xia Ping waved his hand, stepped past Jiang Yaru, and headed for the classroom.
How could Jiang Yaru know that he was no longer the same as before? He had obtained the Pure Yang Indestructible Art, advanced to Martial Apprentice Fourth Heaven, and learned the Five Forms Fist. His strength had greatly increased, and he was already more than capable of crushing Xiong Batian.
But why should he tell anyone? Even if he did, they probably wouldn't believe him. He would let the facts speak for themselves.
"Xia Ping!" Jiang Yaru glared at his retreating back, but she couldn't stop him. She was furious.
Liang Xiaoxue gave a cold snort. "Yaru, why bother with him? It's a waste of effort. Once he gets a taste of what's coming and Xiong Batian seriously injures him, he'll be rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. Then he'll know how badly he was mistaken."
"But if he's seriously injured, how am I supposed to explain it to Aunt Huang?" Jiang Yaru said, troubled.
Liang Xiaoxue waved a hand. "What's there to explain? You already tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen. If he decided to throw himself off a building, would we be able to stop him?"
"Forget it. It's too late to change anything now," Jiang Yaru said helplessly. Both of them had already agreed to fight on the Flying Dragon Platform, and the whole school had heard about it. Even if they wanted to back out, it was too late.
"All right, all right. Class is about to start. This is someone else's business, so stop worrying about it and get inside." Liang Xiaoxue led Jiang Yaru into the classroom.
By then, Xia Ping had also gone inside.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The entire class immediately turned to look at Xia Ping, their eyes full of curiosity, confusion, and disbelief. He had agreed to fight Xiong Batian on the Flying Dragon Platform, after all.
Who didn't know how vicious Xiong Batian was at school? He was a little tyrant who threw his weight around, was fierce in a fight, and was basically someone no one dared to provoke. Yet this guy had picked a fight with him and even planned to duel him.
He was usually just an ordinary student with ordinary grades, barely noticeable in class. Why had he suddenly done something so earth-shattering?
"Xia Ping, I heard you're going to fight Xiong Batian. Do you have a chance of winning?" one boy asked.
Gao Wan, who had been mocked by Xia Ping earlier, was still angry. He sneered, "He's aiming to get into Yanhuang University, so he must be incredibly strong. What's Xiong Batian to him? He could probably knock him down with one hand."
He looked at Xia Ping with a mocking grin. Everyone knew he was being sarcastic.
The other students burst into laughter and looked at Xia Ping as if he were a joke.
"All right, all right. Don't make fun of Xia Ping," Yang Wei stood up, putting on the air of a good guy. "After all, it takes courage to challenge Xiong Batian, and that alone deserves respect. At least I don't have that kind of courage. I'm ashamed to say it."
The other students laughed even harder.
"You don't believe me?"
Xia Ping glanced sideways at Gao Wan and Yang Wei.
"Believe you? Not a chance!" Gao Wan jumped to his feet. "You need to know your limits and stop overestimating yourself. You think you can get into Yanhuang University and beat Xiong Batian? Who do you think you are?!
"You're only a Martial Apprentice Third Heaven, an ordinary student who'd struggle to get into a third-rate university. And you're still sitting here daydreaming. Wake up! A salted fish never turns into a dragon."
"Whether I get into Yanhuang University or beat Xiong Batian is none of your damn business. You're like a dog catching mice—meddling in things that don't concern you."
Xia Ping waved them off, not bothering to deal with them.
Seeing Xia Ping still acting so smug, Gao Wan was furious. How could this guy be so infuriating? He'd even called him a dog. What an asshole.
His eyes shifted, and a sly grin appeared. "Since you're so confident, how about a bet?"
"A bet?" Xia Ping looked at him.
"That's right," Gao Wan said. "If you lose, you have to run naked around the school three times. If we lose, we'll do the same. Do you have the guts to bet with us?"
"Are you sure that's a good idea? I thought you two had physical defects. If you took your clothes off, people might mistake you for girls." Xia Ping looked at Yang Wei and Gao Wan with concern.
"Defects, my ass!"
Who the hell had physical defects? We weren't actually impotent. And it wasn't so small that people would think we didn't have anything there. You bastard, stop spreading weird rumors.
Yang Wei and Gao Wan were both so furious their noses nearly bent out of shape. This guy had a filthy mouth and was always saying all sorts of nonsense. What if the other students actually believed him?
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