New Rules! Facing Wang Lei!

When Li Yao walked into the Martial Arts Arena, it was already packed.

He glanced around. There were even more people than yesterday.

The stands were a sea of heads. People filled the aisles, and the entrance was so crowded that no one could squeeze through.

"Go, Li Yao! Li Yao's number one!"

A voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.

Li Yao paused and looked toward it. A tall, skinny guy stood in the front row of the stands, waving at him.

It was Liu Ming.

The only person who had supported him during the Preliminaries.

And after Liu Ming shouted, people around him actually joined in.

"Go, Li Yao! Crush them!"

"Li Yao, you're awesome!"

"Let's go, Li Yao!"

Li Yao raised an eyebrow, a little surprised.

The last few times he had competed, the people below the stage had looked at him like he was an idiot. They had either mocked him or looked down on him.

Now people were actually cheering for him.

He gave Liu Ming a small wave. Liu Ming grew so excited that he shouted again, "Li Yao! I'll always support you!"

Li Yao smiled but said nothing more, turning toward the competitors' passage.

The Martial Arts Arena had set aside a passage for the top ten competitors. A barrier cordoned off the entrance, where security guards kept ordinary students out.

When Li Yao entered, he found that the other nine had already arrived.

Ye Xiao stood at the front with his arms crossed, expressionless as a statue.

Yu Xuerou stood beside him, cool and composed. She gazed straight ahead, lost in thought.

Wang Lei stood by the Fourth Arena, calmly adjusting his wrist guards.

Zhao Tiezhu, Li Mengqi, Zhou Hao, Chen Wei, Liu Yang, and Zhang Tao also stood in their respective places, waiting for the matches to begin.

Shi Jian and the other leaders had already taken their seats in the stands.

Shi Jian sat at the center, his hands resting on the armrests as his gaze swept the arena. His presence alone quieted the place considerably.

The teacher in charge of the matches saw Li Yao come in. He cleared his throat and called out, "Good! All ten competitors are here. I'll now announce the new ranking rules!"

Every eye turned toward him.

"This ranking tournament will pair competitors from opposite ends of the standings: First Arena against Tenth Arena, Second against Ninth, Third against Eighth, Fourth against Seventh, and Fifth against Sixth."

"The winners will make up the top five. Further matches will decide the top three and the champion!"

"Also, anyone dissatisfied with their ranking may challenge a competitor ranked above them, but each person has only one chance!"

The moment he finished, the crowd erupted.

"Opposite ends? Doesn't that mean Zhang Tao has to face Ye Xiao?"

"Damn. Looks like Zhang Tao's stuck in tenth again."

"Yu Xuerou against Liu Yang? No suspense there either."

"Fourth Arena against Seventh Arena—who's Wang Lei facing?"

Li Yao silently worked through the pairings.

One and ten, two and nine, three and eight, four and seven, five and six.

He was in the Seventh Arena, so his opponent was in the Fourth.

Who was in the Fourth Arena again?

He thought for a moment, then froze.

Wang Lei.

Li Yao frowned.

To be honest, he did not want to fight Wang Lei.

It was not because he was afraid. He respected Wang Lei.

Wang Lei came from an ordinary family with no connections. Both his parents were regular workers.

At eighteen, he had awakened a Stone ability and an earth-grade spiritual root. His talent rivaled Yu Xuerou's, perhaps even Ye Xiao's. But what Li Yao admired was not his talent—it was his character.

Li Yao had heard stories about him. Wang Lei had relied on almost no one and received no outside help. He earned the Spirit Stones he needed to cultivate himself, and even paid his tuition with money from part-time work.

Li Yao had also heard that Wang Lei helped support his family on top of supporting himself.

A man like that deserved respect.

What a shame.

Li Yao sighed inwardly.

Even if I let you win, you wouldn't get past Yu Xuerou and Ye Xiao. So I'll be the one to claim this victory.

That was what Li Yao decided.

"The rules have been announced!" the referee teacher called. "Competitors, take your places and prepare to enter the arenas!"

Li Yao came back to himself, took a deep breath, and headed for the arena.

He had just reached its edge when a voice came from behind him.

"Li Yao."

Li Yao turned and saw Wang Lei standing there, watching him calmly.

"Yes?"

"I'm going all out," Wang Lei said.

Li Yao smiled.

"So am I."

Wang Lei nodded, said nothing more, and stepped into the arena.

Li Yao watched him go, feeling a touch of admiration.

The guy really was a stand-up man.

He shook his head and stepped into the arena as well.

They stood facing each other.

The crowd began shouting again.

"Go, Li Yao! Crush him!"

"Go, Wang Lei! Take him down!"

"Place your bets! Ten to one on Li Yao, two to one on Wang Lei!"

"My money's on Wang Lei!"

"Mine too!"

Li Yao's mouth twitched.

Damn, ten to one?

You really think that little of me?

He was about to complain when the referee teacher called out again.

"Begin!"

The instant the words left his mouth, Wang Lei moved.

He lunged forward, Spiritual Power wrapped around his right fist, and drove it straight at Li Yao's face.

Li Yao slipped sideways and dodged the punch.

Wang Lei missed but did not panic. He immediately swung back with a sweeping strike.

Li Yao raised an arm to block. Their limbs collided with a dull thud.

Bang!

Li Yao retreated half a step and steadied himself.

Wang Lei remained where he was, unmoving.

What strength.

Li Yao was startled.

Wang Lei's Stone ability really did give him formidable physical strength.

"Again!" Wang Lei charged forward.

The two fought across the arena.

The crowd watched, their blood pumping.

"Holy shit! Wang Lei's fierce!"

"Looks like Li Yao can barely hold on!"

"I told you Li Yao's sixth-rank Martial Master strength was fake! He's been exposed!"

"Go, Wang Lei! Crush him!"

As Li Yao dodged Wang Lei's attacks, he weighed his opponent's strength.

Wang Lei was capable. He was quite a bit stronger than Gong Zhan, whom Li Yao had faced before.

But that was all.

Li Yao spotted an opening. He darted aside, avoided Wang Lei's frontal attack, and drove an elbow toward the back of his neck.

Wang Lei reacted quickly and twisted away, but Li Yao's elbow still grazed his shoulder.

"Hiss!"

Wang Lei sucked in a sharp breath and backed away several steps.

Li Yao did not pursue him. He stood where he was and watched.

"You're strong." Wang Lei rubbed his shoulder and looked at him. "But not strong enough."

"Oh?" Li Yao raised an eyebrow. "What would be strong enough?"

Wang Lei did not answer. He took a deep breath, and the Spiritual Power within him surged.

Li Yao felt a powerful aura burst from Wang Lei. His expression grew serious.

He's getting serious.

Wang Lei clenched both fists and stamped his foot. He shot toward Li Yao like a cannonball.

"Heaven-Shattering Stone Fist!"

His punch blasted forward, seeming to tear through the air.

Li Yao's pupils contracted. He did not dare take it head-on and slipped aside.

But the punch was so powerful that the wind from it scraped across Li Yao's cheek, stinging his skin.

Bang!

The force of the punch struck a stone pillar at the arena's edge. The pillar exploded, scattering rubble everywhere.

Everyone watching was stunned.

"Holy shit! What kind of strength is that?"

"Is Wang Lei trying to tear the arena down?"

"Li Yao's not going to get killed, is he?"

Li Yao steadied himself and looked at the shattered pillar, startled despite himself.

He really is strong.

He turned back to Wang Lei, a trace of seriousness in his eyes.

"That was a good punch."

"Want another?" Wang Lei said, preparing to attack again.

"Wait." Li Yao raised a hand to stop him.

Wang Lei paused. "What is it?"

Li Yao smiled at him. "I want to make a bet with you."