Instant Kill

34th Arena Area.

The number of spectators and reporters far exceeded what he had seen during his matches at Cross-Peak Martial Arts Academy.

After all, a large crowd of easy-on-the-eyes beauties could always draw plenty of men's attention.

What was more, its main academy ranked among the top fifty martial arts academies in Great Abyss. Its strength could not be underestimated.

"Please show your ticket or competition credentials." A staff member stretched out a hand to block Chen Xu's path.

He took out his participant badge and entered the hall under the staff member's strange gaze.

"There really are oddballs every year, but this year has especially many. He came to fight in the arena wearing casual clothes." The staff member shook his head with a laugh and continued stopping the next visitor.

"Director Xiao, what do you think of this year's Jinning Martial Arts Academy Tournament?"

"Director Xiao, do you think your academy has a chance of reaching Jinning's top five this year?"

"Director Xiao, are there any opponents you think deserve special attention?"

The reporters surrounded a woman with neat short hair and a valiant, dashing air, firing questions at her without pause.

Sun Xiaoqi, squeezed to the edge by her colleagues, stamped her feet and angrily lowered her microphone.

Her gaze fell upon the venue. Since she was already here, she could not go back empty-handed. If she could not interview Director Xiao, interviewing her opponent would do.

"Chen Martial Arts Academy, Chen Xu." Sun Xiaoqi silently memorized the name displayed on the screen, her eyes sweeping back and forth between the area around the arena and the entrance to the venue.

The clothing of those participating in the matches was very different from that of ordinary visitors, making them easy to identify.

The referee glanced at his watch and shouted in a resonant voice, "Will both academy directors please take your positions!"

Once the referee called for them to take their positions, if either academy director failed to reach the arena within five minutes, they would be declared the loser outright.

If neither arrived, both would be declared losers, wasting an opportunity for nothing.

The reporters voluntarily opened up a path for Xiao Wan to head toward the arena.

Great Abyss had regulations: if the two sides had been called into position and the reporters still crowded around them without backing off, it could be considered disrupting public safety order or obstructing a contestant's entrance. In extreme circumstances, contestants had the right to use force.

Last time, a reporter willing to risk her life for performance results had tried to pester Director Xiao with a few more questions. She had been casually knocked to the ground by Xiao Wan, who did not even have to pay her medical bills.

Afterward, the reporter had tried to prove through legal means that the situation had not been extreme and demanded compensation. The result was obvious.

How could an ordinary person possibly win a lawsuit against a martial arts academy with a specially assembled team of elite lawyers?

"You're Chen Xu?" Xiao Wan's impression of Chen Xu plummeted when she saw how he was dressed.

Anyone unaware of the situation would have thought he was a tourist here to wander around. Wearing casual clothes to participate in the Martial Arts Academy Tournament—was there anything more ridiculous? It showed respect neither for martial arts nor for his opponent.

However, Xiao Wan's upbringing kept her silent. After all, the Martial Arts Academy Tournament had no uniform requirements for participants. Wearing martial arts uniforms was merely an unspoken rule everyone tacitly followed.

Some academy directors even wished their opponents would not wear martial arts uniforms. After constant improvements, martial arts uniforms were undoubtedly the clothing best suited for bringing out one's strength. If their opponents tied their own hands and feet, they would be delighted.

After reading out the rules, the referee retreated to the edge of the arena. Including him, most of the spectators did not think this battle would offer any clash of dragons and tigers.

Great Abyss Women's Martial Arts Academy was a powerful martial arts academy ranked among the top fifty in Great Abyss, while this branch was also one of Jinning's top ten.

Normally, the preliminary rounds existed for the top ten to rack up victories and charge through the encirclement with flawless records.

In short, the opponents assigned to them could not possibly be very strong.

This Chen Martial Arts Academy, which no one had even heard of, was clearly just cannon fodder meant to give them points.

"Begin!" The referee swung his arm down forcefully.

Chen Xu flashed to Xiao Wan's side, seized her shoulder, and hurled her off the arena.

Three steps, completed in one smooth motion.

The whole process took no more than two seconds.

Standing at the edge of the arena, Chen Xu waited a long while without hearing the referee's verdict and could not help asking, "Referee?"

Gulp.

The referee's Adam's apple bobbed twice before he trembled as he announced, "The winner is Chen Martial Arts Academy's Chen Xu!"

"Director Xiao... lost?"

The Great Abyss Women's Martial Arts Academy section was terrifyingly silent, as though they could not accept the truth and even suspected they were dreaming.

The director of a martial arts academy ranked in Jinning's top ten had been defeated cleanly, without even a chance to resist.

Compared with them, the reporters were far more realistic. The instant Chen Xu stepped off the arena, they surged toward him in a swarm. No one spared Xiao Wan, lying on the ground, even a glance.

This battle seemed to have let them witness a rising new star.

Chen Xu swept his eyes over the crowd closing in around him, then took three steps in place of two and swiftly broke away.

After leaving Arena 34, Chen Xu did not waste any time. Following the opponents matched by the system, he headed for other arenas.

One punch per opponent, he bulldozed his way through the preliminaries with ten victories in ten battles.

The image of the teenager in casual clothes was etched deeply into many people's minds. By the time the sky had darkened and Chen Xu had finished all his matches, both he and Chen Martial Arts Academy had gained a measure of fame.

After checking the time on his phone, Chen Xu returned to Chen Martial Arts Academy, picked up the suitcase containing [Assault Glory], and headed for the trading location he had arranged with "Demon God's Eye."

Today, he would let "Demon God's Eye" inspect the actual item, while Demon God's Eye would pay one hundred grams of Refining Liquid in advance.

Wang Xiaoqi rubbed the little bit of fat around her waist. Her weight-loss plan had once again been declared a failure today.

It was not that our army lacked the ability to resist temptation; it was simply that delicacies from mountains and seas were too alluring.

She had been planning to head for the ten arenas where preliminary matches were still ongoing when she spotted a casual-clothed figure taller than everyone else passing by ahead.

"That's the dark horse from daytime, Chen Xu!" Wang Xiaoqi looked around and discovered that, aside from herself, no one seemed to recognize him. Secret delight rose in her heart.

"A cute girl like me just wants to interview him alone for a few questions. He probably won't refuse, right?"

He had slipped away far too quickly during the day. Not long after blending into the crowd, he had made their whole group of reporters lose him.

After finishing a solo interview, she would be the only reporter in the Jinning area to have interviewed him. Just thinking about the possible rewards made her feel delighted.

"Heaven gave me this chance and let me run into him. I absolutely can't let down Heaven's expectations!" Wang Xiaoqi clenched her tiny fist and followed Chen Xu.

The little abacus in her heart clattered away. She would follow him first, then catch up once they reached a place with fewer people and take out her phone to record the interview.

Chen Xu walked faster and faster. The distance he covered in one step already took Wang Xiaoqi two or three steps, and after he sped up, she had to jog all the way just to keep up.

In the end, Wang Xiaoqi broke into a full sprint, yet Chen Xu still pulled farther and farther ahead. She could only barely see his back.

By the time she stopped, panting for breath, she had unknowingly arrived in the closed-off arena hall area.

At night, only the ten arena venues where daytime matches had not ended would continue their battles. All other venues were closed, and no one was allowed inside.

There was not a soul around. Wang Xiaoqi looked toward the lights a thousand meters behind her, and an inexplicable fear rose in her heart.

After catching her breath, Wang Xiaoqi looked around. Beneath her fear, there was also a measure of curiosity.

What was Chen Xu doing in this closed-off area so late at night?