So He Wasn't a Nepotism Pick After All

"I challenge Qin Chen of No. 1 High!"

Mo Qing struck the bronze gong and shouted the challenge. Seeing everyone turn to look at him, he showed a hint of pride. The first person to issue a challenge was bound to draw the most attention.

Most importantly, the person he was challenging was Qin Chen. That was called standing up to those in power. Once he eliminated this nepotism pick, everyone would thank him for it.

"Come on, let's go take a look!" someone said, intrigued.

Many of them had wanted to challenge Qin Chen themselves, but hadn't made up their minds so quickly. Now that someone had made a move, they were naturally happy to watch the nepotism pick get eliminated.

"Is he an idiot?" Ma Jun frowned at the smug Mo Qing.

He knew perfectly well that many people thought Qin Chen was a nepotism pick. Such people had indeed existed before, so it was only natural.

But Qin Chen had placed first in everything since entering the training camp. Couldn't it really be because of his strength?

Besides, Yang Xue was the chief commander this time. A little digging was all it took to learn that, with Yang Xue in charge, there couldn't possibly be any nepotism picks. No matter who in all of Rongcheng wanted to use their connections to sneak someone in, Yang Xue would never agree, given her character.

"All talent and no brains!" He shook his head and left, not even bothering to watch the challenge. There was no suspense whatsoever.

Qin Chen was also looking at Mo Qing by the arena. His eyes narrowed, and without waiting for anyone to call him, he walked straight over.

"Are you sure you want to challenge me?" When he reached the arena, he stared at Mo Qing and spoke seriously.

"Of course. You don't have the right to refuse." Mo Qing smiled.

Qin Chen nodded and walked straight onto the arena.

Since everyone thought he was a nepotism pick, so be it. He would take this chance to strike one punch to ward off a hundred.

A man in military uniform also stepped onto the arena. "From now on, I'll be the referee for all your challenges."

"Once you step onto the arena to challenge someone, there are no rules other than no killing. Now, you have three seconds to prepare..."

"Begin!"

Without another word, the man made the announcement in a loud voice.

The spectators below the arena all tensed up. No killing, no other rules-it was simple. In these challenges, anything went as long as nobody died.

Many people immediately found it a little cruel.

"Qin Chen, there's no grudge between us. We didn't even know each other before this. But the Genius Training Camp's resources should be reserved for geniuses, so you should go back!"

Mo Qing spoke calmly. As soon as the words left his mouth, he planted a foot with a thud and shot forward.

"So strong!"

Seeing Mo Qing's speed and explosive power, some people's expressions changed slightly.

"Why isn't Qin Chen moving yet?"

Someone noticed that Mo Qing was already only about five meters from Qin Chen, yet Qin Chen was still standing where he was, completely motionless.

"He probably hasn't reacted yet!" someone said, shaking his head.

"What do you mean, he hasn't reacted? My boss can knock that kid flat without moving from that spot."

Hearing everyone say Qin Chen couldn't do it, Zhou Lei finally couldn't hold back and shouted from the crowd.

"Haha, boss? You took him as your boss?"

"You've got your eye on the backing behind him, haven't you?"

Everyone looked at Zhou Lei with disdain. A genius sucking up to a nepotism pick-it would have been one thing if the nepotism pick himself had decent strength.

But if he wasn't strong, what did it matter if he had backing? They were geniuses; sooner or later, they could build their own backing through their own efforts. Sucking up to someone else was contemptible.

Zhou Lei's face turned ashen, and he had no choice but to walk over to Huang Jian. Of all the trainees, Huang Jian was probably the only one who shared his view.

"Don't mind them. They'll soon find out how terrifying he is." Huang Jian looked at Qin Chen on the arena with anticipation.

As everyone waited to see how Qin Chen would be defeated, Mo Qing closed to within two meters of him.

He raised his fist. "This punch will send you to the hospital. Don't worry, you'll definitely be out in time for the college entrance exam!"

As he spoke, Mo Qing's fist blasted out, heading straight for Qin Chen's chest.

Qin Chen's expression was calm. The instant the fist arrived, he reached out and grabbed it.

Bang!

Fist and palm collided.

Mo Qing's body stopped dead. His eyes widened, and he was about to speak when his expression suddenly changed drastically.

"Let-"

Crack!

A crisp snap rang out. Immediately afterward, the crowd watched in astonishment as Qin Chen raised his arm, sending Mo Qing's body flying, then smashed him onto the arena with a bang.

"Aah!"

A heart-rending scream rang out, and then everything fell silent again.

When the crowd below the arena came to their senses, they saw Mo Qing lying unconscious on the platform and Qin Chen standing there without a ripple of emotion.

"Qin Chen wins!" The referee's voice broke the silence.

Qin Chen paid no attention to anyone and walked straight down from the arena.

"Your opponent's points will be transferred to your trainee card within an hour," the referee called after him.

He was utterly shocked as well. He knew that with Yang Xue as chief commander for this class, there couldn't possibly be any nepotism picks.

So he had expected Qin Chen to be the strongest in this class, but he hadn't expected him to be strong to this extent.

"Thanks!" Qin Chen walked down from the arena, one step at a time.

Everyone found themselves making a path for him without even realizing it.

Qin Chen's expression was calm. After walking out of the crowd, he said without looking back, "Whoever wants to challenge me next, make it tomorrow. I'm pressed for time, and I won't accept a second challenge in one day!"

At those words, everyone fell silent, their expressions complicated.

Challenge him? What a joke. Judging by what he had just done, none of them could have pulled it off. Even Yu Yang and Xu Fei stared gravely at Qin Chen's retreating figure without speaking.

Only after Qin Chen had gone far away did the crowd begin to talk.

"Who the hell said he was a nepotism pick? Step forward!"

"Holy shit, that move of his was terrifying. It hurt just to watch."

"First to reach the training camp, first to clear the mechanism-puppet course, first to get a lounge-all of it was actually thanks to his own strength!"

Now, no one said another word about him being a nepotism pick.

"Haha..." Suddenly, a burst of laughter rang out.

Everyone turned to see an exceedingly smug face. "I told you my boss only needed to stand where he was to knock his opponent flat. Does anyone still doubt it now?"

Zhou Lei swept his gaze over the crowd, looking down his nose at them.

But no one spoke up to contradict him. Some even looked a little envious.

"Brother Zhou, could you introduce me to your boss?"

"Yeah, Brother Zhou, I'd really like to meet Qin."

Some people began trying to get close to Zhou Lei.

Although they were all geniuses, some had just seen how enormous the gap between themselves and Qin Chen was.

They might all be at Body Tempering, but at their age, the gap between the early or middle stage and the peak couldn't be summed up as a mere two or three minor realms.

It represented the extent of their talent and potential.

"Sure thing, sure thing!" Zhou Lei said with a delighted smile.

I can be a big brother even here in the Genius Training Camp! Let's see if that old man back home still dares to say I'll never amount to anything! he thought smugly, lifting his head with his nose in the air.