Accepting Defeat

Facing the contemptuous gazes all around him, At that moment, Xiao Chenyang's face flushed scarlet with shame.

In truth, Just now, the instant he had involuntarily taken that step back, his heart had lurched, and he had sensed that something was terribly wrong.

That retreat, and a retreat made when the other party had not even attacked at all, wouldn't it make him the laughingstock of everyone else?!

And now, sure enough, it had!

All at once, his earlier arrogance, his earlier pride, had all become a joke!

Under the surrounding pointing fingers and disdain-filled gazes, a towering shame and fury rose in Xiao Chenyang's heart, and he wished he could charge straight up and risk everything against Shen Changchuan to salvage his current dignity!

Xiao Chenyang's feet tensed, wanting to step forward, while his face shifted between livid and pale, uncertain and changing, and his mind churned violently.

But that step seemed to carry the force of a thousand jun, stopping him from advancing!

This step of Xiao Chenyang's, in the end, was never taken.

"Forget it!"

"I've already lost all face today. If I charge up again and can't beat him, bringing humiliation on myself, that will only be even more disgraceful!"

"A cultivator cannot make decisions out of anger."

"Let it be like this. Next, I'll focus on observing his performance in the competition. Once I gain insight into his true strength and methods from below the stage and make my preparations, I'll defeat him fair and square afterward, to wash away today's shame!"

Xiao Chenyang made his decision through gritted teeth.

Either he would not fight, or he would defeat the other party and wipe clean his former humiliation!

For this, he could only forcefully suppress the furious thoughts in his heart.

It did not matter.