Chapter 70
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Chapter 70: Suppression
After defeating her formidable opponent, Bai Zhenzhen surveyed her surroundings, expecting her victory over Red Pagoda High School’s top student to have stunned the crowd.
To her surprise, she looked up and realized that the platform in her corner of the arena was barely being watched.
The vast majority of the audience was focused on Song Hailong, Le Mulan, and Zhang Yu, the student who had scored 300 points.
Damn it! Bai Zhenzhen cursed inwardly. They’re just a bunch of fools, utterly blinded by scores. They can’t even see the real contender for the championship.
However, Bai Zhenzhen believed that as time went on, her battle results would inevitably draw more attention.
Meanwhile, the other two students in Bai Zhenzhen’s group had intently watched the entire fight between her and Hu Yuntao from start to finish.
Their initial goal had been to observe Hu Yuntao. After all, Bai Zhenzhen’s performance in the scoring round had been weak, making Hu Yuntao their main opponent to watch.
But to their astonishment, Hu Yuntao had inexplicably ran towards the edge of the platform and, in a moment of carelessness, was tricked into falling out of the arena.
Clearly, from these two students’ perspective, Bai Zhenzhen had never disappeared at all.
Suddenly, they also recalled Zhang Yu, the 300-point scorer from earlier. He had used a similar tactic to knock the Yellow Turban Warrior out of bounds.
They could not help but wonder, Is this a new strategy developed by Songyang High School?
Relying on schemes and trickery to force opponents out of bounds, allowing the weak to defeat the strong?
These low-scoring students from the other high schools are simply inferior.
Low-scorers meant being inferior. The two students felt that this recognized principle among the top three schools had been proven once again.
Although they sneered inwardly, they also grew wary. They silently warned themselves that if they encountered Bai Zhenzhen later, they absolutely could not be careless and suffer a humiliating defeat from an unexpected source.
Just then, Bai Zhenzhen noticed Zhao Tianxing in the audience waving at her and giving her a thumbs-up.
Hmph, that Old Zhao, she thought, waving back in his direction. As expected, it’s always the low-scorers who give you the most validation.
***
In the audience, Zhao Tianxing gave a thumbs-up and said happily, “A-Zhen saw us!”
“I never thought she’d beat Hu Yuntao from Red Pagoda High School so easily.”
“At first, I was really worried that the tiger might eat her alive.”
He Dayou, who was beside him, said indifferently, “It was just luck. That Tiger Demon is a typical high-scorer with low skill. To be tripped out of the arena like that, even I probably could have beaten him.”
Although it had been painful for him to watch Bai Zhenzhen struggle against the Yellow Turban Warrior earlier, seeing her looking so smug after defeating Hu Yuntao made He Dayou feel even more distressed.
Qian Shen said, “I feel like… It’s not that simple. Why did that tiger suddenly run to the edge of the arena?”
Just then, Zhao Tianxing pointed toward Zhang Yu and said, “Zhang Yu is about to go on.”
Zhao Tianxing remarked with a sigh of relief, “Thank goodness Yu Zi and A-Zhen are in different halves of the bracket. They won’t have to face each other in an early internal fight.”
He Dayou murmured from the side, “Maybe Zhang Pianpian rigged it.”
He thought to himself that if he, the son of a Songyang High School board director, could manipulate the draw for the practical exam, it would be no big deal for a super-rich woman like Zhang Pianpian with over 2.5 billion in the bank to give her people a helping hand.
Just then, Qian Shen exclaimed in surprise, “Dayou, look! Is Zhang Yu’s opponent your old middle school classmate?”
He Dayou stiffened and quickly turned to look toward the arena.
When he saw Zhang Yu and Chu Qiuhe walking onto the platform together, He Dayou’s brow furrowed at once.
There was Zhang Yu, the poor guy who had defeated him in an instant. He Dayou certainly did not want him to win.
Then there was Chu Qiuhe. As for this middle school classmate who had always looked down on him, He Dayou normally would not have cared how he performed. But the thought of him defeating a student from Songyang High School also made him deeply uncomfortable.
Damn it… It was like choosing between the palm and the back of his hand, except both options piss. Can’t they both just get eliminated?
[Note: This is a vulgar twist on the common Chinese idiom “the palm and the back of the hand are both flesh” (手心手背都是肉), which signifies being unable to choose between two equally beloved things. By replacing “flesh” (肉) with “piss” (尿), the speaker expresses that both options are equally terrible.]
***
On the arena floor.
Chu Qiuhe walked to the center of the arena first, ensuring he would not be dragged off the edge by his opponent.
As he moved, Chu Qiuhe could feel the vital energy surging wildly within him. His heart pounded violently, and the veins on his temples bulged prominently. All these signs pointed to a single, undeniable fact. He, Chu Qiuhe, had taken a combat drug.
The Competition Coach’s words echoed in his mind. This is the latest Combat Supplement. It will enhance your muscle strength and stamina, temporarily boosting your Physical Strength to a level of 2.2.
Chu Qiuhe had hesitated, asking, “Is this really necessary?”
The Competition Coach had replied, “While Zhang Yu’s overall stats are inferior to yours, his Martial Technique is quite good, and he’s skilled at tactical analysis. Besides, do you really think students from that kind of school would not resort to drugs to win against us?”
Standing on the arena now, feeling the medicinal power spreading through his body and constantly stimulating his muscles and vital energy, Chu Qiuhe felt better than he ever had before.
This new drug is really potent!
Forget your fancy techniques and tactics. Today, I’ll crush you with absolute force.
The countdown to begin the match sounded. 3… 2… 1…
Chu Qiuhe charged at Zhang Yu like a wild beast, leaving a blur in his wake.
Boom!
With a single punch, he unleashed a torrent of savage energy, crashing into Zhang Yu like a speeding truck.
Expert-Grade Technique, Truck Blitz Punch! Level 2 Thurst!
In ancient times, Martial Dao masters observed birds, beasts, mountains, rivers, the sun, and the moon to create their cultivation arts.
Now, in this era, various experts study the flow of traffic and towering skyscrapers to forge the techniques of their time.
The Truck Blitz Punch was said to have been created by a Martial Art master who spent three months observing trucks on a highway. He comprehended the essence of their devastating impact and infused the momentum of a truck weighing tens or even hundreds of tons roaring down the road into his fist technique.
As a body refining practitioner specializing in strength, Chu Qiuhe chose to cultivate the Truck Blitz Punch to perfectly leverage his physical advantage.
At this moment, Chu Qiuhe unleashed his Level 2 Truck Blitz Punch with full force. He truly seemed to transform into a terrifying, hundred-ton truck, making the arena thudded with thunderous booms as he charged head-on at Zhang Yu.
Facing this blow of mine, Zhang Yu will have only one choice…
Chu Qiuhe was confident that with his strength, Zhang Yu stood no chance of withstanding the attack head-on. His only option would be to dodge.
But the Truck Blitz Punch had its own follow-up move to counter dodges.
Once he evades, I’ll immediately pursue him with the Truck Rapid Pivot Form. This will add the force of my punch to a high-speed, sharp-angled pivot, amplifying its power by another 50%.
I’ll send you flying out of the arena with a single blow!
But in the next instant, Chu Qiuhe was stunned to see Zhang Yu meet his attack head-on with a palm radiating white Gang Qi.
Was he actually going to try and take this punch directly?
Boom!
As Chu Qiuhe’s fist collided with the Formless Cloud Gang Qi, Zhang Yu felt his opponent’s force surge like a stampede of wild boars. It thrashed wildly within his Gang Qi, threatening to tear the barrier apart and send him flying.
Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique’s Level 10 – Full Concentration State!
Everything around Zhang Yu instantly slowed to a crawl.
Watching Chu Qiuhe’s fist sank inch by inch into the Gang Qi while Zhang Yu meticulously and acutely analyzed the trajectory of the incoming punch. He then subtly manipulated the Formless Cloud Gang Qi, guiding his opponent’s force.
Bang!
Chu Qiuhe felt his punch hit the Formless Cloud Gang Qi as if it were striking a slippery rubber ball. His fist was deflected aside, missing its target and slamming into the space next to Zhang Yu… a complete miss.
But the next moment, with a furious roar, Chu Qiuhe used his immense Physical Strength to halt his momentum. He then unleashed another punch at Zhang Yu.
Bang!
This punch was also deflected, leaving Chu Qiuhe’s guard wide open. He could only watch helplessly as Zhang Yu slipped inside his defenses.
With a series of sharp, crackling sounds, Zhang Yu landed three consecutive blows, striking Chu Qiuhe’s chest, ribs, and lower abdomen.
Roar!
The Combat Supplement numbed Chu Qiuhe to any pain. Instead, his blood surged with adrenaline. His powerful arms tensed as he prepared to trap Zhang Yu in a crushing bear hug.
With my strength, I could just grab him and crush him…
But Zhang Yu seemed to anticipate his move, dodging his grapple by a hair’s breadth at the last possible second.
Chu Qiuhe threw another punch, only for Zhang Yu to deflect its power again. Then Chu Qiuhe took two more blows to the chest.
Damn it… just one punch!
With his build, if I can just get my Truck Blitz Punch past his Gang Qi and land a single hit on his body, I’m sure I can overwhelm him!
He felt as if victory was just one solid hit away.
Chu Qiuhe roared and unleashed a torrential storm of attacks.
Yet he was the one who felt suppressed.
Zhang Yu seemed to dance through Chu Qiuhe’s onslaught like a winged ball. He would either narrowly dodge a grapple or use his Formless Cloud Gang Qi to deflect a punch.
I’m the one getting hit this whole time…
Am I… being suppressed?
Is he using pure technique to suppress me, even though I have greater strength, speed, and stamina?
Chu Qiuhe could hardly believe what was happening when the Formless Cloud Gang Qi slammed into his abdomen again.
Though he still felt no pain, his seemingly endless stamina faltered and he froze for an instant.
Not good… I think my internal organs are bleeding.
Zhang Yu seized this momentary lapse.
Upper abdomen… chest… shoulder… waist…
Zhang Yu’s relentless blows struck Chu Qiuhe’s body repeatedly. Each time Chu Qiuhe tried to muster his strength, the force of the attacks would shatter his efforts.
He felt like a giant sandbag, simply absorbing Zhang Yu’s unleashed power until he finally collapsed limply to the ground.
I… I lost?
I lost to a student from outside the Three Schools?
At that moment, Chu Qiuhe felt he could no longer face his classmates at Bailong High School.
He could already see his status at school plummeting. He would become a laughingstock among students and teachers and be reduced to a slave for countless classmates. He wished he could just leap from the thirtieth-floor rooftop of Bailong High School.
The terrifying vision of this dark future overwhelmed him, and he fainted.
Zhang Yu won the battle.
