I haven't even stepped into the ring, so why concede?

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the first bout between the Song Family Martial Arts Academy and the Yang Family Martial Arts Academy began.

The Song Family Martial Arts Academy sent out a short, wiry young man named Fu Ping, who specialized in kicks.

The Yang Family Martial Arts Academy sent out Long Dongqiang, the thick-browed young man. Although he sometimes slacked off during his three years of training there, he was no weakling and had a thorough command of punching techniques.

Perhaps because he knew the academy's fortunes hinged on this challenge match, Long Dongqiang attacked with exceptional ferocity from the outset. He held nothing back in his punches and kicks, clearly fighting with everything he had.

But his opponent, Fu Ping, was no pushover either. Whenever Long Dongqiang unleashed a powerful move, he backed away. He dodged his punches and evaded his kicks, slippery as an eel, steadily dragging him into a battle of endurance.

Five minutes passed in a flash. Fine beads of sweat gradually covered Long Dongqiang's forehead, yet Fu Ping still bounded around the fighting platform as energetically as ever, seemingly unaffected.

"Damn it!" Long Dongqiang cursed under his breath. He fixed his attention on his opponent, repeatedly scanning him as though searching for an opening.

Before he could study him for more than a few seconds, however, Fu Ping suddenly lunged forward.

Long Dongqiang had been itching for a head-on clash. Seeing his opponent come at him, he abandoned all other considerations and met him with a punch.

Just when it seemed Fu Ping would trade punches with him, he flashed a wicked smile and abruptly ducked beneath Long Dongqiang's fist. Then he swept out a leg, knocking Long Dongqiang straight to the ground.

Fu Ping had put half his strength into that kick. Long Dongqiang felt his entire lower body go numb on impact, leaving him unable to get up for the moment.

As though he had anticipated this, Fu Ping launched a frenzied series of attacks the instant Long Dongqiang fell.

Unable to move, Long Dongqiang had no way to counter Fu Ping's heavy punches and kicks. In less than a minute, he spat blood and tumbled off the fighting platform.

Fu Ping of the Song Family Martial Arts Academy won the first bout!

"Damn it!" Below the platform, Guo Wu stared at the brutally battered Long Dongqiang, his teeth grinding audibly. Unrestrained fury burned in his eyes, making him look like an enraged lion.

Academy Master Yang and the other members were furious as well. Injuries were inevitable in martial arts exchanges, but Fu Ping had been far too vicious.

"Academy Master Yang, Fu Ping has never known how to pull his blows. I'm truly sorry he injured your student. Still, please send out someone a little stronger for the next two bouts. It would be unfortunate if Fu Ping accidentally hit too hard again." Song Lin stroked his chin, a mocking smile on his face.

As his words fell, Fu Ping folded his arms across his chest on the platform and swept a contemptuous gaze over the Yang Family Martial Arts Academy.

The academy's students seethed. Guo Wu's expression turned especially dark, and he spoke directly to Academy Master Yang. "Master, let me fight."

"All right, but be careful. Don't do anything rash." Taking in the guests' peculiar looks, Academy Master Yang considered it briefly before finally agreeing.

The second bout soon began. Furious over what had happened to Long Dongqiang, Guo Wu attacked with tremendous ferocity.

Fu Ping had intended to wear down Guo Wu's stamina by dodging, only to discover that Guo Wu was even faster than he was. When a kick came flying at him, he had no way to stop it.

A minute later, Fu Ping made a mistake. Guo Wu punched him straight off the platform, breaking several of his ribs in the process.

"Well done! Our senior brother is amazing!" The Yang Family Martial Arts Academy's students all cheered, feeling that their anger had finally found an outlet.

Academy Master Yang also relaxed a little. Two bouts remained. As long as Guo Wu kept winning, they could still claim overall victory in this challenge match.

"So this is Guo Wu, the Yang Family Martial Arts Academy's senior brother and the East District's reigning martial arts academy champion for three consecutive years?" Song Lin narrowed his eyes and had someone help Fu Ping up. Then he turned and said calmly, "Tianchou, their trump card is out. You don't need to wait for the final bout. Go up now."

At his words, the Song Family Martial Arts Academy's students parted to make a path. A man wrapped in a long robe slowly emerged from the crowd.

An icy aura pervaded his entire body. His eyes were like a venomous snake's, and everyone he looked at felt a chill rise within them.

Beside Zi Hanyan, Jun Wangchen, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly looked alert, his expression growing grave.

The robed man radiated an immensely powerful aura. Every step he took stirred the flow of force, and the air seemed oppressive wherever he went. His strength already surpassed Guo Wu's and was almost on par with Jun Wangchen's own.

On the fighting platform, Guo Wu's pupils abruptly contracted as his gaze landed on Yi Tianchou.

He noticed that with every step the robed man took, a current of force spread around his feet. His footsteps even left slight depressions in the previously smooth floor.

This man was anything but ordinary!

"Yi Tianchou of the Song Family Martial Arts Academy? Didn't he leave five years ago?" Below the platform, Academy Master Yang stared at the robed man, breathing rapidly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Five years earlier, before the Yang Family Martial Arts Academy had made a name for itself, the Song Family Martial Arts Academy had monopolized the East District's academy championship. The main reason was that they had Yi Tianchou.

Back then, Yi Tianchou's strength had been beyond anyone's reach. Anyone who fought him failed to last three moves, and even those who managed to withstand three invariably ended up injured or crippled.

But Yi Tianchou had been too obsessed with martial arts to concern himself with academy affairs. Eventually, he had left the Song Family Martial Arts Academy to seek experience elsewhere.

Who could have imagined that he would return after five years? Judging by his entrance, he could now stir the force in the air and even control the flow of strength within his body. He was clearly far more formidable than he had been five years ago.

At that thought, Academy Master Yang's face turned ashen.

This challenge match was over!

While Academy Master Yang watched anxiously, Yi Tianchou suddenly drove his foot against the ground and shot onto the fighting platform like a cannonball.

Under the horrified gazes of Guo Wu and the spectators, Yi Tianchou covered the distance in a few strides, moving like the wind until he stood a meter in front of Guo Wu. His voice was as cold as a demon from the abyss.

"Will you forfeit, or will you let me cripple you?"

Arrogance. Utter arrogance. That was the impression Yi Tianchou gave everyone.

Guo Wu's first reaction was not anger but apprehension. Yi Tianchou was on an entirely different level from his previous opponents. Those bone-chilling eyes stared at him like a venomous snake eyeing its prey, making his scalp prickle.

Despite his fear, Guo Wu grew even calmer. Without answering, he used White Crane Spreads Its Wings, darted to Yi Tianchou's side, and swiftly struck with his palm.

His palm flowed smoothly, like a gentle stream. Yet on closer inspection, the attack carried the might of a thrashing giant turtle and a surging whale, powerful enough to overwhelm mountains and rivers.

The spectators below the platform looked stunned. Guo Wu truly deserved his position as the Yang Family Martial Arts Academy's senior brother. His attack was swift and formidable, seemingly impossible to guard against.

The academy's students all looked proud. They knew Guo Wu's strength well; driving his opponent back would only take a moment.

Only Academy Master Yang looked worried rather than pleased. He noticed that despite Guo Wu's swift attack, Yi Tianchou remained utterly calm, his hands clasped behind his back.

Without absolute confidence or sufficient strength, Yi Tianchou would never have treated his opponent so lightly.

Sure enough, a contemptuous look appeared on Yi Tianchou's face. He twisted at the waist, and strength erupted through his leg like a flood as he met Guo Wu's incoming strike head-on.

Palm and foot collided. An invisible gust burst from the point of impact, blowing several spectators' hair out of place.

Then a sharp crack rang out—the sound of a bone breaking.

The Yang Family Martial Arts Academy's students looked closer, and their expressions changed drastically.

Their immensely powerful senior brother, Guo Wu, had actually suffered a broken hand from a single kick by Yi Tianchou.

"Hss!" Guo Wu staggered several steps backward on the platform, sucking in a breath. His face was pale, and beads of sweat poured down his forehead. He looked utterly battered.

He had poured most of his strength into that palm strike. Anyone else would have needed their full power to withstand it.

Yet Yi Tianchou had merely thrown a kick, not only breaking through his palm strike but also breaking the bones in his hand. Such strength was terrifying.

"An ant is still an ant. Even if others consider you strong, to me you're merely an ant with a few pathetic tricks." Yi Tianchou sneered, then darted forward so swiftly that the naked eye could not follow him.

By the time everyone reacted, a foot was already hurtling toward Guo Wu's chest.

"No!" Guo Wu's face blanched. He hurriedly raised his hands to block, but it was already too late.

Boom!

The devastating kick struck Guo Wu's chest with thunderous force, sweeping through his defense as effortlessly as a blade cutting through water.

Guo Wu spat a mouthful of blood on impact. His body spun through the air before crashing down directly in front of Academy Master Yang and the academy's members. The glaring blood stained his body red and seared the hearts of everyone from the academy.

In that instant, the entire hall fell silent, the atmosphere as still as death.

The Yang Family Martial Arts Academy's senior brother, the expert who had held the East District's academy championship for three years, had been knocked off the fighting platform with a single punch.

An illusion?

A joke?

"Nothing but an ant!" Yi Tianchou glanced at Guo Wu as the Yang Family Martial Arts Academy's students helped him up. He sneered, his presence terrifying.

"Hahaha! After all these years, your strength has truly become even more frightening, Tianchou." Song Lin stood and clapped vigorously, looking extremely excited.

To persuade Yi Tianchou to return, he had spent considerable money and resources. He had even given him a secret manual passed down by his ancestors before Yi Tianchou agreed to help him defeat the Yang Family Martial Arts Academy.

The results proved that he had made the right choice. Yi Tianchou's strength was simply unmatched.

Brimming with excitement, Song Lin turned toward Academy Master Yang and laughed. "Academy Master Yang, your academy's greatest support has already been defeated. I don't think there's any need to continue this challenge match. Just concede and spare those delicate students of yours a beating!"

Academy Master Yang clenched his teeth. He looked at the smug Song Lin, then at Guo Wu, whose face was furious but whose mouth was stained with blood, and finally at Yi Tianchou, who stood on the platform like the god of death. Suddenly, he sighed, seeming to age ten years.

Just as Song Lin had said, even Guo Wu, his finest student, could not withstand three moves from Yi Tianchou. Sending anyone else onto the platform would accomplish nothing except adding to the injured.

But conceding just like that, withdrawing the Yang Family Martial Arts Academy from the East District just like that—he simply could not accept it!

The academy's students gritted their teeth, but a deep sense of helplessness rose within them. They had not trained for long, and their strength was probably less than a third of Guo Wu's, let alone enough to defeat Yi Tianchou, whom even Guo Wu could not overcome.

The spectators exchanged glances and sighed softly. From the look of things, the Yang Family Martial Arts Academy was finished today.

Seeing Academy Master Yang's bitter smile, Zi Hanyan could not bear it. She murmured regretfully to herself, "It's all my fault. I should have brought Brother Eight. With his strength, he definitely could have beaten that man."

"Zi Hanyan, do you really want to help the Yang Family Martial Arts Academy win this match?" Seeing her reaction, Jun Wangchen suddenly asked from beside her.

"Academy Master Yang is a good friend of Dad's. He's helped him a lot and even saved his life several times. If Dad were here, he'd send someone to help without a second thought." Zi Hanyan nodded, feeling guilty.

"Dad originally wanted Brother Eight to come with me today, but I didn't think anything would go wrong at an anniversary celebration, so I didn't bring him. Sigh, this is all my fault."

Jun Wangchen pondered for a moment, then spoke as though he had finally made up his mind. "In that case, let me fight and turn things around for the Yang Family Martial Arts Academy."

"You're going to fight?" Zi Hanyan was startled and asked worriedly, "Jun Wangchen, that man is no ordinary fighter. Can you beat him?"

"I wouldn't say I'm a hundred percent certain, but at least ninety percent!" Jun Wangchen nodded confidently.

Although Yi Tianchou's fighting techniques were simple, every move was potentially lethal. He was clearly someone who fought frequently.

Such a person was strong, but also weak, because he focused too heavily on his own strength and possessed few supplementary skills.

By comparison, Jun Wangchen's supplementary skills far surpassed his opponent's. Whether it was the Acupuncture Point-Pressing Technique or Tai Chi Fist, he held every advantage.

Besides, he still had Divine Calculations. Even if he could not beat him, surely he could dodge his attacks.

"All right, but you must be careful, Jun Wangchen. You can always concede. Just don't get hurt." Seeing his confidence, Zi Hanyan hesitated for a few seconds. Then she recalled how he had saved her at the Tree-Back Dormitory a few days earlier and finally nodded.

Jun Wangchen made an "OK" gesture, then stood, slipped into the crowd, and slowly headed toward the fighting platform.

Meanwhile, Song Lin watched Academy Master Yang and asked again with a wicked smile, "Academy Master Yang, everyone is watching. Are you going to send out another student, or concede outright?"

Everyone looked at Academy Master Yang. Beside him, Guo Wu gritted his teeth and steadied his surging blood and energy before saying, "Master, I can still fight!"

"Enough, Wu. You can't beat him. If you go back up there, you'll die." Academy Master Yang waved a hand and refused with a sigh.

"But... but..." Guo Wu opened his mouth, unable to find the words.

The other students wanted to fight as well, but Academy Master Yang stopped them all with a sigh.

Seeing this, everyone knew Academy Master Yang intended to concede. Alongside their regret, other thoughts began forming in their minds.

With Yi Tianchou this powerful, the Song Family Martial Arts Academy's future was clearly boundless. Finding an opportunity to build ties with them could be a fine business opportunity.

As Song Lin took in the ingratiating looks directed at him from all around, the smugness on his face deepened.

Today was the day his Song Family Martial Arts Academy would rise.

With everyone's eyes fixed on him, Academy Master Yang closed his eyes and summoned all his strength, preparing to say, "We concede."

But just then, a calm voice suddenly rang out through the silent hall.

"I haven't even stepped into the ring, so why concede?"