Chapter 70: Suppression

Having defeated a formidable opponent, Bai Zhenzhen looked around. She had expected her victory over the top student from Red Pagoda High School to stun the entire audience.

To her surprise, when she looked up, she realized that the corner ring where she fought received almost no attention. Most of the spectators were focused on Song Hailong, Le Mulan, and Zhang Yu, who had scored 300 points.

"Darn it!" Bai Zhenzhen thought to herself. "A bunch of people blinded by scores, failing to see the true championship contender."

However, Bai Zhenzhen believed that as time passed, her victories would surely attract more and more attention.

Meanwhile, the other two students in Bai Zhenzhen's group had watched her fight against Hu Yuntao intently from start to finish. Their original intention was to observe Hu Yuntao, as Bai Zhenzhen's performance in the ranking competition had been too weak. Hu Yuntao was their primary opponent of interest.

Yet, to their surprise, Hu Yuntao inexplicably moved to the edge of the ring, and then, caught off guard, was cunningly forced out. From the perspective of these two students, there was no instance of Bai Zhenzhen disappearing. Suddenly, they recalled that Zhang Yu, who scored 300 points earlier, had also used a similar trick to get the Yellow Turban Warrior out of bounds.

They couldn't help but wonder, "Is this Sungyang High School's new tactic? Relying on schemes and tricks to force people out of bounds, achieving victory against stronger opponents? These low-scoring students from other high schools really do have poor character."

The notion that low-scoring individuals possess poor character—a widely accepted theorem among the three major high schools—seemed to be proven true once again to both of them. Despite their contempt, both students became more vigilant, secretly cautioning themselves not to be careless and stumble against Bai Zhenzhen if they faced her later.

Just then, Bai Zhenzhen noticed Zhao Tianxing in the audience waving at her and giving a thumbs-up. "Hmph, that Old Zhao," Bai Zhenzhen thought, waving back at him. "As expected, it's these low-scoring students who provide enough emotional satisfaction."

In the audience, Zhao Tianxing, still giving a thumbs-up, said happily, "Ah Zhen saw us! I can't believe she beat Hu Yuntao from Red Pagoda High School so easily. At first, I was really worried that Hu Yuntao would overpower her."

He Dayou, standing beside him, said blandly, "Just luck. That tiger demon is a typical high-scorer with low ability; to be tripped out of bounds like that. I might even be able to beat him." Although He Dayou had felt sympathetic watching Bai Zhenzhen struggle against the Yellow Turban Warrior earlier, seeing her triumphant expression after defeating Hu Yuntao now made his heart ache even more.

Qian Shen said, "I feel... it wasn't that simple. Why did that tiger suddenly run to the edge of the ring?"

Just then, Zhao Tianxing pointed in Zhang Yu's direction and said, "Zhang Yu is about to enter the ring." Zhao Tianxing sighed with relief, "It's a good thing Yu Zi and Ah Zhen are in different brackets, one in the upper and one in the lower. They won't have to face each other in an early internal match."

He Dayou muttered faintly from the side, "Maybe Zhang Pianpian pulled some strings." He thought to himself that as the son of Sungyang High School's director, he could even manipulate the draws for the practical combat exam. For Zhang Pianpian, a super-rich individual with over 2.5 billion in deposits, arranging a convenience for her subordinates would certainly be no big deal.

Just then, Qian Shen exclaimed in surprise, "Dayou, look! Is Zhang Yu's opponent your junior high classmate?"

He Dayou's body stiffened, and he quickly looked towards the ring. When he saw Zhang Yu and Chu Qiuhe walking onto the ring together, He Dayou's brows furrowed instantly. Zhang Yu... He Dayou certainly didn't want this poor person, who had once instantly defeated him, to win. But Chu Qiuhe... He Dayou didn't originally care about the performance of this junior high classmate who always looked down on him. However, if Chu Qiuhe were to defeat a Sungyang High School contestant, He Dayou would also feel deeply uncomfortable.

Damn it... It's like choosing between two equally bad options. Could both of them just be eliminated?

In the ring, Chu Qiuhe first walked to the center of the ring, ensuring he wouldn't get too close to the edge and accidentally be pulled off by his opponent. As he walked, Chu Qiuhe could feel his blood surging wildly, his heart pounding violently, and the needle marks on his temples prominently protruding. All of this indicated one thing: Chu Qiuhe was using performance-enhancing drugs.

The words of his competition coach echoed in Chu Qiuhe's mind: "This is the latest combat supplement. It will enhance your muscle strength and stamina, temporarily boosting your physical power to level 2.2."

Chu Qiuhe hesitated, "Is this necessary?"

The coach replied, "Although Zhang Yu's stats are inferior to yours in every aspect, his martial arts skills are good, and he's adept at studying tactics. Moreover... do you think students from schools like his wouldn't take drugs to beat us?"

In the ring at this moment, feeling the drug's power spread throughout his body, invigorating his muscles and blood, Chu Qiuhe had never felt better. "This new drug is truly potent! No matter your skills or tactics, today I'll suppress you with absolute power."

As the countdown "3, 2, 1, begin" rang out, Chu Qiuhe, like a wild beast, lunged at Zhang Yu, leaving a blur in his wake. He unleashed a punch, radiating a ferocious aura, and charged at Zhang Yu like a massive truck.

Expert-level martial art — Truck Ramming Fist! Level 2 Drive!

In ancient times, martial arts masters observed flying birds, walking beasts, mountains, rivers, and the sun and moon to create their techniques. Today, various experts observe bustling traffic and towering skyscrapers to forge the martial arts of this era. Truck Ramming Fist, it is said, was created by a martial arts master who spent three months observing vehicles by the highway, comprehending the essence of a truck's impact, and incorporating the surging momentum of dozens or hundreds of tons of heavy trucks into his boxing technique.

As a strength-focused body refiner, Chu Qiuhe chose to cultivate Truck Ramming Fist to fully utilize his strength advantage. Now, with his Level 2 Truck Ramming Fist unleashed at full power, he truly seemed to transform into a terrifying, hundred-ton truck, making the ring thump and groan as he charged head-on towards Zhang Yu.

"Facing my strike, Zhang Yu will only have one choice..." Chu Qiuhe was confident that with his strength, Zhang Yu could not possibly contend directly; his only option would be to dodge. But Truck Ramming Fist had a follow-up move to counter dodging. "Once he dodges, I'll pursue with a 'Truck Quick Turn,' adding the force of this punch to a high-speed lateral shift with an acute angle turn, increasing the punch's power by another 5 points. I'll knock you out of the ring with one punch!"

But the next moment, Chu Qiuhe was astonished to see Zhang Yu meeting his punch head-on with a palm strike enveloped in white *gangqi*. Was he actually trying to take the blow directly?

As Chu Qiuhe's fist crashed directly into the Formless Cloud *Gang*, Zhang Yu felt his opponent's power surge like a stampede of wild boars, thrashing back and forth within the *gangqi*, trying to tear it apart and send him flying.

Heavenly Martial Heart Forging Art Level 10 Effect — Full Concentration State!

Everything around instantly entered an extremely slow state. Watching Chu Qiuhe's fist sink inch by inch into the *gangqi*, Zhang Yu precisely and acutely discerned the trajectory of the incoming punch, then subtly agitated the Formless Cloud *Gang*, redirecting his opponent's power...

Chu Qiuhe felt as if his punch, upon touching the Formless Cloud *Gang*, had struck a slippery rubber ball. His fist was surprisingly deflected to the side, striking the air right beside Zhang Yu... it missed. But the next moment, with a roar, Chu Qiuhe used his brute physical strength to halt his momentum, then unleashed another furious punch towards Zhang Yu.

However, this punch was also deflected, leaving Chu Qiuhe wide open. He watched helplessly as Zhang Yu slipped into his embrace. With crackling sounds, Zhang Yu delivered three consecutive punches to Chu Qiuhe's chest, ribs, and lower abdomen. The combat supplement prevented Chu Qiuhe from feeling any pain. Instead, his blood surged, and he powerfully moved to embrace Zhang Yu.

"With my strength, I can just grab him and crush him..." But Zhang Yu seemed to anticipate his move, evading the grapple almost at the last possible second. Chu Qiuhe then punched again, only for his force to be dispersed, resulting in two more hits to his chest.

"Damn it... just one punch! Given his physique, if my Truck Ramming Fist can just bypass his *gangqi* and land one solid hit on his body, I can definitely defeat him!" He felt certain that one decisive hit would secure his victory. Chu Qiuhe roared, unleashing a relentless torrent of attacks. Yet, he distinctly felt that he was the one being suppressed. Zhang Yu was like a winged ball, dancing gracefully under Chu Qiuhe's attacks, either dodging his grapples at the very last moment or deflecting his punches with the Formless Cloud *Gang*.

"I've been getting hit repeatedly... Was I... suppressed? He used pure technique to suppress me, despite my superior strength, speed, and stamina?"

Chu Qiuhe experienced this with disbelief. The next moment, his abdomen was powerfully struck by the Formless Cloud *Gang* once more. Although he still felt no pain, his seemingly endless stamina seemed to be momentarily cut off, and he fell into a brief state of rigidity.

"Oh no... my internal organs seem to be bleeding."

Zhang Yu immediately seized this momentary rigidity. Upper abdomen... chest... shoulder... waist... Chu Qiuhe's body was repeatedly battered by Zhang Yu. Every time he tried to exert force, his movements were forcefully interrupted by these heavy blows. He felt as if he had become a giant sandbag, allowing Zhang Yu to unleash his power upon him, before finally collapsing softly to the ground.

"I... I lost? Lost to a student from outside the three major high schools?" In that moment, Chu Qiuhe felt too ashamed to face his classmates from White Dragon High School. He seemed to envision his school status plummeting, being ridiculed by all the teachers and students, becoming a slave to countless classmates. He wished he could jump headfirst from the 30th floor of White Dragon High School...

And then, this dark vision of the future scared him senseless, causing him to faint.

Zhang Yu won this battle!