Chapter 38: You Want to Kill Me!
In the audience, a middle-aged man who looked to be only about thirty-five or thirty-six years old hugged his arms and watched as Fang Che walked away.
He chuckled softly :"This kid is interesting."
Fang Che made his way to the administrative office and handed in his application for off-campus housing.
Inside, there was a bald old man who looked up somewhat surprised: "Buying a residence at the edge of the Martial Arts Academy?"
He lowered his head and glanced at the paper, then exclaimed : "Fang Che?"
He looked up: "Young Master Fang from Bibo City?"
Then: "Young Master Fang known for his sense of justice?"
Finally: "No wonder you're so wealthy. No wonder indeed. Approved."
Duang!
Stamped.
Fang Che received the approval letter, feeling a mixture of amusement and absurdity.
The bald old man's sarcastic remarks were quite impressive.
But Fang Che wasn't angry.
This old man had a proper perspective. Just because someone mocked him didn't mean he had to treat them as enemies.
Since things were settled, he could endure a few jabs. After all, he was currently playing the role of a villain, wasn't he?
He returned home in a dignified manner.
After two hours of cultivation, a nap, and scolding Yen Meng a bit, he should come back in the afternoon without delay.
The bald old man's sarcastic remarks were quite impressive.
But Fang Che wasn't angry.
This old man had a proper perspective. Just because someone mocked him didn't mean he had to treat them as enemies.
Since things were settled, he could endure a few jabs. After all, he was currently playing the role of a villain, wasn't he?
He returned home in a dignified manner.
After two hours of cultivation, a nap, and scolding Yen Meng a bit, he should come back in the afternoon without delay.
As a result, the ninth guy was originally pretty strong, but he had really bad luck. In the first round of drawing lots, he drew Ding Jueran. With just one move, he was beaten to the point of spitting blood and rolling off the stage.
So, there was one more person below with a mournful face, bowing and scraping everywhere to borrow credits. Unfortunately, no one lent him any.
Wherever he went, it was as if people were avoiding the plague, steering clear of him.
A tuft of hair, lonely and forlorn, looked particularly desolate in the crowd.
...
Fang Che's performance sparked heated discussions.
Many who had been holding onto their points and waiting to see, abandoned their choice of Fang Che and switched to others.
Because although Fang Che won the first match quickly and even fought bare-handed against a bladed opponent, everyone could see that while Fang Che's strength seemed to be much stronger than Lin Ziqing's, he was still somewhat inferior to those who were winning cleanly and efficiently on the stage.
Moreover, many of Fang Che's victories were due to psychological factors - his sharp tongue confused his opponents.
Therefore, Fang Che's support rate clearly declined.
Of course, there was also a wave of girls who valued looks and didn't care about points, firmly placing their bets on Fang Che!
"Winning or losing doesn't matter. Just for this beautiful face, even losing is worth it!"
It has to be said, there were quite a few girls who were completely infatuated, and they were not in the minority.
Their main focus was just one thing!
Ah, just that one thing.
What are points? They had plenty of admirers!
...
On the stage, as the matches continued, Fang Che's guesses were quite accurate.
When he leisurely arrived in the afternoon, they had only reached the forty-fifth pair, with five pairs left to go.
Fang Qingyun was leading a large and imposing team waiting for him. Compared to before, the team had clearly expanded significantly, with several beauties added.
"Cousin, why did you run off? I searched around the stage eight times looking for you!"
Fang Qingyun was a bit angry, "For such an important competition, you actually didn't stay to watch the strength of the others? How could you be so careless?"
"Isn't this where you are, Cousin?"
Fang Che smiled, "You've definitely kept track of all the news for me."
Fang Qingyun snorted and pulled out a piece of paper from his sleeve, "These are all the previous winners of the battles. We analyzed them together."
Fang Che took a look, Wow!
So detailed.
Name, age, weapon, estimated cultivation, combat characteristics, fighting style, ranking in the match, and time of victory. Then in parentheses, suspected hidden strength... and so on and so forth...
"Too detailed!"
Fang Che took a quick look and found that there were actually six people here who won with just one move.
They were extremely skilled.
And these six people were now the top six in terms of support rate!
Huochurang, Ding Jueran, Qiu Yunshang, Xie Gongping, Moganyun, and Ximen Xuri.
"It's pretty much what I guessed."
Fang Che looked at these six names.
These six had the least exposure and the highest support rates, especially Huochurang and Qiu Yunshang, who had bets of over twenty thousand on them!
"How many people are betting on me to win the championship now?" Fang Che asked.
"I'm not sure how many people, but the points bet on you are seven thousand three hundred, ranking seventh!"
Fang Qingyun sighed.
"Why are there so many?"
"These are all based on looks." One of the big-eyed girls smiled and said, "I bet eighteen points on you. After all, my cousin is handsome, isn't he?"
"..."
Fang Che was speechless. He thought his support rate had already dropped, but he didn't expect it to still be so strong.
It can be seen that in this world where looks are important, there's no cure.
"It seems I need to keep a lower profile, complete Huang Yifan's task first, and focus on tricking people."
Fang Che made up his mind: "Winning is what matters. The rest... we'll see."
Four rounds completed.
Fifty people advanced.
Another draw.
Fang Che was still number one, the first to draw.
He took a look.
Couldn't help but be stunned.
Target locked in so early: Ximen Xuri!
Fang Che immediately recalled the keywords: hidden weapon, Red Blood Snake!
But the information Sun Yuan gave him showed Ximen Xuri as a Warrior of the Eighth Rank.
However, he no longer believed it; if he were a Warrior of the Eighth Rank, it would be impossible for him to kill demons and beasts, snatch points, and rank seventh among so many people!
This kid is also quite cunning!
The two stood facing each other on the stage.
"Student Fang." Ximen Xuri was dressed in white, looking quite handsome, with fair skin and a tall, well-proportioned figure. He wasn't fat or thin, and had a decent temperament.
Although his face was a bit long, it couldn't be considered a horse face, at most, it was a donkey face.
He clearly knew how to hide his weaknesses. With a slight chin lift, he said, "It's quite unexpected to meet you in this round. I'm sorry, but in such a real fight, there's really no room for tricks."
Implicit in his words was a clear sarcasm towards Fang Che's use of tricks to achieve first place.
Fang Che smiled warmly, "Ximen, you're right. It's no wonder you could achieve such a good ranking in seventh place. Your strength is indeed remarkable."
Ximen Xuri's face slowly darkened, and he said lightly, "Fang Che, does your name mean complete defeat?"
Fang Che smiled faintly, hands behind his back, looking down at Ximen Xuri with a condescending gaze. He said lightly, "Ximen, my studies are quite diverse, and I have some knowledge of phonetics. Your name, unfortunately, isn't very auspicious."
Ximen Xuri: "Oh?"
"Fang Che continued, "Since ancient times, the sun rises in the east. How can there be a rising sun at the West Gate? Your name goes against the natural order and will surely incur divine punishment."
Fang Che kindly suggested, "Why not change your name?"
Ximen Xuri's expression was cold: "With me here, wherever I am, that place is where the sun rises!"
Fang Che smiled faintly, "I'm afraid your Western sun, when it meets me, will be completely extinguished."
The words had been spoken.
But from the moment they stepped onto the stage, both of them felt simultaneously: they were not on the same path.
The animosity was strong.
Despite the verbal attacks, neither side gained an advantage, and both remained composed.
Since they couldn't find a mental weakness to exploit, they had to resort to showing their true abilities.
Ximen Xuri flicked his sleeve, revealing his fair palm. He slid his feet, gliding smoothly like on ice for seven meters, and then struck out with a palm!
Fang Che took a half step back with one foot, then pushed off and stepped forward again, his black robe fluttering slightly.
In a moment when the starlight faintly shimmered, they had already crossed two zhang, both revealing their right palms and striking out.
Boom!
Their palms collided, emitting a muffled sound.
The black robe and white robe fluttered at the same time, and both of them took three steps back.
The two referees on the stage looked at each other, their eyes filled with admiration.
This palm strike was intentional, meant to test each other's strength. But the key was that neither side had exerted their full power!
Fang Che was using the peak strength of Warrior Ninth Rank, while Ximen Xuri was using the strength of First Rank Martial Master.
"WTF!!!!???"
At first glance, it seemed evenly matched.
Ximen Xuri's face darkened.
He spun around, and suddenly a small whirlwind appeared around him. He turned into a shadow, attacking Fang Che with a fierce and violent wind.
Fang Che remained steady, not greedy for success. He only raised his cultivation to the level of Martial Master First Rank, responding to each move, with three parts offense and seven parts defense.
In an instant, the black and white colors on the stage intertwined and couldn't be separated, as if a tai chi diagram suddenly appeared with black and white halves.
Ximen Xuri launched a seven-fold attack, seemingly gaining the upper hand. However, he felt increasingly weighed down.
He couldn't break through Fang Che's defense.
Fang Che's defense was flawless. Moreover, with each collision, Ximen Xuri felt the recoil. His heart grew heavier.
The opponent's cultivation base is definitely above mine!
Despite appearing to have the upper hand, if this continues, I will definitely lose! Once the opponent counterattacks, I will be defeated.
Everyone watched as Ximen Xuri gained the advantage and pressed Fang Che, but only Ximen Xuri, who was in the midst of the situation, understood. He was actually the one who had truly fallen into a disadvantage!
I must win! I can't let this kid pretend to be a tiger!
Decision made.
With a flash of white, he somersaulted in the air. His white clothes spread out like a white crane soaring in the sky. With a flip, three cold lights shot out.
It was his hidden skill in using hidden weapons.
"Watch out!"
The hidden weapon was unleashed, accompanied by a loud shout as a warning.
The two referees shook their heads inwardly, having already discounted Ximen Xuri's character by ninety percent. They were prepared to save Fang Che.
Fang Che was clearly caught off guard and dodged in a panic, narrowly avoiding the attack.
But then there were seven flashes of cold light in the air, followed by three almost invisible dark lights.
The three dark lights aimed at the forehead, the lower abdomen, and the heart.
Soul-Stealing Mother-and-Son.
The referee's eyes showed anger.
This is a deadly move!
In a friendly competition, without any enmity, a deadly move was used!
Fang Che flipped to the side, drawing his sword with a swish. It seemed like an outburst of anger, unstoppable.
Clang clang! Two throwing spikes were knocked away, and his body moved continuously, suddenly rushing out through the gaps in the hidden weapons.
The blade suddenly shone brightly, as if a sun had appeared on the stage, dazzling everyone's eyes.
"Despicable!"
Fang Che roared, and blood splattered on the stage!
Ximen Xuri let out a piercing scream. One of his arms, along with half of his shoulder, fell to the ground.
Fang Che had his sword held horizontally, pressing against Ximen Xuri's throat. He seemed unable to control his rage, his arm trembling slightly as he shouted angrily, "This is just a friendly competition among classmates, and yet you tried to kill me!"
Fang Che's foot stepped on the severed arm on the ground, causing the wound to burst open with blood and flesh. The pale palm opened, and a steel needle that had been held in the palm rolled out!
The whole arena fell silent!
On the stage, Fang Che's body trembled slightly, his face filled with a mixture of grievance and anger.
It seemed as though he had suffered a great injustice.
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