Conceding defeat

On the martial arts platform, Jun Wangchen brushed off his clothes, straightened his stray hair, and met Yi Tianchou's gaze, his voice full of resignation.

"Was that your strongest attack?"

"This... how is this possible?" A thunderous boom seemed to go off inside Yi Tianchou's head. He froze as though struck by lightning.

His palm strike, powerful enough to uproot mountains and lift massive cauldrons, had indeed landed on Jun Wangchen's face. Yet the instant it made contact, all its force had unraveled.

It felt like driving around in a brand-new car, only for the engine to inexplicably stall halfway through the trip.

Below the platform, Guo Wu and the others looked as though they had seen a ghost. Their eyes widened, unable to believe such a dramatic scene had unfolded before them.

The smiles on Song Lin's and the Song Family Martial Arts Academy disciples' faces froze once again, the shock in their eyes deepening.

How could this happen?

An attack that terrifying had landed on Jun Wangchen without hurting him at all?

What a joke!

Looking at Yi Tianchou's expression of existential disbelief, then at the horrified faces below the platform, Jun Wangchen kept a smile on his face, though his heart still fluttered with lingering fear.

If he had not activated Fiery Golden Eyes at the crucial moment, seen through the nature of Yi Tianchou's attack, and used the yielding force of Tai Chi Fist to break its weak point, that strike might really have injured him.

"Damn it!" To Yi Tianchou, the spectators' stunned expressions felt like the cruelest mockery. His face flushed crimson with humiliation and rage.

The next instant, Yi Tianchou unleashed his full strength. Every move came at Jun Wangchen with the ferocity of a tiger charging out of the mountains.

The power he unleashed through Thunderbolt Force was even more terrifying now, as though he might shatter the entire platform.

After his earlier brush with danger, however, Jun Wangchen was ready. Whenever a powerful attack was about to land, his eyes abruptly turned gold as he activated Fiery Golden Eyes, saw through the move's essence, and dismantled it with yielding force.

A minute later, Yi Tianchou was drenched in sweat and panting, while Jun Wangchen remained calm and completely unscathed.

"Who... who exactly are you?" The frenzy had vanished from Yi Tianchou's eyes, leaving only shock and fear.

I couldn't beat him. I couldn't beat Jun Wangchen at all. I could barely even touch him.

Strength like this was probably far beyond late-stage human rank. In other words, Jun Wangchen had deliberately held himself back, using only a fraction of his strength against me.

If he unleashed his full power, wouldn't he be able to take my head in an instant?

"My name is Jun Wangchen. I'm an ordinary third-year university student, a nobody hardly worth mentioning." Jun Wangchen smiled faintly, his manner extremely modest.

"A third-year university student?" Yi Tianchou's eye twitched, and a profound sense of frustration welled up inside him.

He had practiced martial arts for nearly ten years and reached Late-Stage Human Rank at twenty, earning constant praise as a born prodigy. His years of experience since then had brought a qualitative leap in his strength. Within a month, he would surely reach Peak Human Tier and attain an even higher level.

With a martial technique at his disposal, he should have been invincible among those of the same rank. But dreams were beautiful, while reality was harsh.

The slender young man before him, barely in his early twenties, had delivered a brutal slap to his pride and shattered those dreams.

From beginning to end, his opponent had not used a single martial technique. With nothing but crude, simple moves, he had repeatedly broken Yi Tianchou's technique and made him suffer.

Could the gap between people really be this vast?

Seeing Yi Tianchou standing frozen with a bitter smile, Jun Wangchen knew he must have suffered a heavy blow to his confidence.

There was no helping it. Against another opponent, Yi Tianchou would never have ended up like this.

Unfortunately, his opponent was a cultivator equipped with Fiery Golden Eyes, Tai Chi Fist, Divine Calculations, and numerous other support skills.

In terms of Spiritual Power alone, Yi Tianchou was already a whole level below him, never mind how lopsided the battle became once he used his support skills.

Jun Wangchen rolled his wrists, looked straight at Yi Tianchou, and suggested, "You don't seem to have the heart to keep fighting. Concede. You might spare yourself some pain that way."

"Concede?" Yi Tianchou stiffened, anger rising across his face. "I, Yi Tianchou, have never conceded in my life! Don't think breaking my moves gives you the right to talk down to me. I'm telling you, I haven't lost yet!"

"All right. In that case, there's no need for me to hold back. I hope you can take this move." Jun Wangchen sighed softly and traced several unfamiliar movements through the air with his palm.

In an instant, an aura as smooth as flowing water washed over the area like a tide. Everyone felt refreshed and relaxed, as though they were floating in a cool ocean.

Before long, that flowing aura vanished as swiftly as it had appeared, replaced by a terrifying surge of power that seemed capable of crushing mountains and rivers.

White light suddenly gathered in Jun Wangchen's hand, resembling a scattered field of stars. There seemed to be countless points at first glance, and even more upon closer inspection.

"Wait, th-this... this is my martial technique?" Yi Tianchou froze as though struck by lightning.

I only got Thunderbolt Force from Song Lin last night. No one else had practiced it. How had Jun Wangchen learned it?

Jun Wangchen smiled faintly. "That's right. This is indeed your martial technique. I seem to have picked up a few tricks while fighting you, so I thought I'd try it out and see how powerful it is."

As his words fell, Jun Wangchen flicked his fingers beneath Yi Tianchou's terrified gaze. A slender streak of white light shot forward with lightning speed and struck Yi Tianchou directly in the chest.

Boom!

"Aah!"

The impact and Yi Tianchou's agonized scream echoed through the hall. His chest looked as though a train had slammed into it, the bones inside nearly crushed to pieces. He spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward, crashing heavily in front of Song Lin and losing consciousness.

Sharp gasps swept through the crowd as everyone stared wide-eyed.

How terrifying. Was this how fearsome a martial artist could be?

Song Lin gulped, his eyes filled with shock.

Yi Tianchou lay before him with his chest deeply caved in by Jun Wangchen's attack. He could even faintly make out the bones protruding within.

If Jun Wangchen had aimed that strike at Yi Tianchou's head, wouldn't it have blown his head apart?

At that thought, Song Lin recoiled in terror. His fear of Jun Wangchen reached its peak.

The Yang Family Martial Arts Academy disciples also backed away. Some were so frightened that they wet their pants.

With his head wrapped in bandages, Long Dongqiang stared blankly at the scene, feeling as though countless torrents had battered his heart.

At that moment, the memory of mocking Jun Wangchen fifteen minutes earlier flashed through his mind. Jun Wangchen had criticized Guo Wu's moves with the air of a seasoned veteran, while Long Dongqiang had scoffed, believing he was simply backing down.

Thinking about it now, Jun Wangchen probably had never considered Guo Wu a threat at all. He had likely stayed silent because he did not want to step onto the platform and embarrass Guo Wu and the Yang Family Martial Arts Academy.

Master Yang finally relaxed completely, his eyes brimming with gratitude toward Jun Wangchen. Had Jun Wangchen not stepped in and turned the situation around, his Yang Family Martial Arts Academy truly would have vanished from the East District.

Light flickered in Zi Hanyan's beautiful eyes, and the corners of her lips lifted gently. She seemed both admiring and startled.

On the platform, Jun Wangchen calmly glanced at Yi Tianchou on the floor and shook his head. Then he turned toward the Song Family Martial Arts Academy's side and said evenly, "You still have one match left. Send someone up."

The Song Family Martial Arts Academy's side fell utterly silent. A pin drop could have been heard.

Go up?

We'd have to be out of our fucking minds to fight you!

One punch from you would kill us ten times over!

Everyone looked toward Song Lin. As the master of the Song Family Martial Arts Academy, he would decide whether to send another fighter.

Guo Wu and the others also turned their gazes toward Song Lin. After a moment of silence, he gave Jun Wangchen a long look and gritted his teeth reluctantly. "We concede this academy challenge!"

With that, he bent down and apologized to the gatekeeper they had beaten. He then tossed the gatekeeper a bank card from his pocket and gave him the PIN before hurriedly ordering his men to carry Yi Tianchou away. The group slowly departed.

Yi Tianchou had been their greatest source of confidence. Now that he had proven no match for Jun Wangchen, sending anyone else up would only humiliate them further.

"How boring. I thought another expert might show up, but they conceded outright." Jun Wangchen watched Song Lin and the others leave, feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

He had finally found an opponent worth his attention, only for the man to collapse after a few exchanges. Anyone would have been frustrated.

Watching Jun Wangchen mutter to himself on the platform, everyone felt a surge of emotion and an unprecedented sense of admiration.

Now this was a true expert!

As Jun Wangchen stepped down from the platform, Master Yang immediately rose and approached him. He cupped his fists and bowed deeply, his words full of gratitude.

"My young friend, I truly can't thank you enough for today. If you hadn't helped us win this academy challenge, the Yang Family Martial Arts Academy would surely have faced destruction."

Jun Wangchen waved a hand and smiled lightly. "There's no need for that, Master Yang. I was only helping at someone's request."

Understanding dawned on Master Yang. He turned toward Zi Hanyan and thanked her as well. "Miss Zi, thank you so much."

"Master Yang, you're a friend of my father's. Of course I should help when you're in trouble." Zi Hanyan nodded, lifting her brows with an elegant smile.

"Old Zi certainly has a wonderful daughter!" Master Yang paused, then laughed heartily. He ordered his people to tidy the platform before leading Zi Hanyan, Jun Wangchen, and the others upstairs for the anniversary luncheon.

After the earlier contest, everyone had taken a keen interest in Jun Wangchen. Even those who did not know him wanted to exchange a few words so he would recognize them.

Jun Wangchen found it rather overwhelming. Their questions grew increasingly bizarre, and he had no idea how to answer them. Fortunately, Zi Hanyan and Master Yang kept answering on his behalf, saving him from too much awkwardness.

As he passed Guo Wu, Jun Wangchen stopped and gave him a meaningful look. With a slight smile, he said, "Senior brother, when I said earlier that your moves had flaws, you dismissed me. Now, are you convinced?"

Guo Wu's face flushed crimson, his eyes full of embarrassment. He took a deep breath and finally answered with a bitter smile, "I... I'm convinced!"

Jun Wangchen smiled teasingly. Leaving Guo Wu looking awkward, he walked lightly upstairs alongside Zi Hanyan...