Everyone's eyes were fixed on the arena.
Li Mu, who had just been so invincible that he'd defeated four opponents in a row and even broken through mid-match, his momentum at its peak, now stood frozen in place with his fist still extended.
A clear five-fingered red mark had appeared on his face, growing redder and more swollen by the second.
It stood in stark contrast to the other half of his face, which was flushed with anger and humiliation.
"Smack!"
The crisp, resounding echo seemed to arrive belatedly, exploding in everyone's ears.
"D-did I see that right?"
"Li Mu... got... got slapped?"
"Across the face?"
Below the arena, the joy and pride on the faces of the second group's students froze, replaced by bewilderment and shock.
On the first group's side, Hou Ze's grin froze. He rubbed his eyes, thinking he must have seen things.
Then, regardless of the atmosphere, he burst out laughing.
A flicker of disbelief crossed Bai Lingshuang's cool red eyes.
Her heart had been clenched tight, and after seeing that slap, it hadn't eased at all—instead, it had climbed even higher into her throat.
A slap across the face didn't do much physical damage, but it was deeply humiliating.
With Li Mu's fiery temper, Chen Yan was about to face his most unbridled fury!
"Uh-oh, this kid's really gone and set the madman off."
Hou Ze chuckled under his breath, taking gleeful satisfaction in it, but kept his eyes fixed on the arena.
Sure enough!
Li Mu's face turned completely "red-hot" at a terrifying speed.
It was a deep red, a mixture of shame, fury, shock, and disbelief.
"How dare you!!!"
He whipped around, and a roar like that of a wounded beast erupted from deep in his throat!
His crimson True Gang burst forth