Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

"I don't think his chances of winning are high. Even though he took first in the first two matches, he should be no match for Xiao Qitian in this third round."

"That's right. Xiao Qitian is an eighth-level Great Grandmaster despite his young age. Zhao Dong doesn't stand a chance."

As the crowd murmured amongst themselves, the third round of the competition began. The participants went on stage to draw lots.

"Kid, I hope you draw me!" Xiao Qitian said arrogantly, reaching into the box. He drew ball number one, which was pitted against ball number two.

Zhao Dong just smiled faintly. "I hope you don't draw me. I want to see you make it to the final round." With that, he reached in and drew a lot.

Ball number five! A bye!

Seeing Zhao Dong draw a bye, the other three fighters looked disappointed. They had all made it to the top five; even if they couldn't win the championship, they still wanted the highest possible rank. This bye automatically secured Zhao Dong a spot in the top three.

"Damn his luck!" Xiao Qitian snorted in frustration.

Zhao Dong, unconcerned, simply walked to the side and took a seat.

The matches began. Xiao Qitian won his match without any suspense. In the other duel, a middle-aged man at the sixth level of the Great Grandmaster realm claimed victory.

The fourth round began, and the remaining fighters drew lots once more. Zhao Dong drew ball number three and chuckled, "It seems my luck is still holding up."

"What dogshit luck! Fucking unbelievable! This kid's luck is just insane!"

"Right? He got a guaranteed second-place finish without even fighting. It's so galling!"

"Too bad for him, second place is as far as he'll go. Xiao Qitian is sure to win. What does he even have to fight Xiao Qitian with?"

"What's the point of winning the early rounds if you can't take the final crown?"

Such is human nature. When others are better than them, people are consumed by envy, jealousy, and hate. But when they are the ones on top, they see it as only natural and become smugly self-satisfied.

The next match began. The middle-aged man's strength was indeed exceptional. Even though Xiao Qitian outclassed him by two cultivation levels, it still took over a dozen exchanges before Xiao Qitian sent the man flying from the stage. The man rose to his feet, his face filled with frustration, but he didn't dare say a word, simply raising a hand to concede defeat. He knew perfectly well that he was no match for Xiao Qitian. His goal in fighting was to temper his skills against a superior opponent. He never imagined Xiao Qitian would use his full power from the start, sending him flying without giving him any chance to practice.

Seeing this, the crowd remained indifferent. The elders of the Qingyun Sect, however, frowned in unison.

"Xiao Qitian's strength is considerable, but his arrogance and unruly nature will surely limit his future."

"It's a shame about the rules. Otherwise, I really wouldn't want to see him take the championship."

"The final match is between Xiao Qitian and Zhao Dong. Let's hope young Zhao Dong can give us a surprise."

Xiao Qitian insolently cracked his neck, shot a sideways glance at Zhao Dong, and beckoned with an arrogant hook of his finger. "Kid, you can't run this time, can you?"

"Who said I was going to run?" Zhao Dong replied with a calm smile, walking slowly to the center of the square.

"Heh, it's best you don't. If you don't run, I'll beat you so badly you'll be looking for your teeth on the ground! I'll teach you the difference between a man and a dog!" Xiao Qitian laughed wildly. He had been holding back for so long and had been waiting for this moment for far too long.

"Hmm." Zhao Dong smacked his lips and nodded. "The difference between a man and a dog… yes, I expect I'll find out very soon."

"Tsk, this Zhao Dong is a real king of trash talk. He dares to provoke Xiao Qitian at a time like this? Is he not afraid of death?"

"Blades have no eyes! By provoking Xiao Qitian like this, his opponent might go for the kill!"

"Kid, you should just surrender! You're no match for Xiao Qitian. If you insist on fighting and lose your life, it'll be too late for regrets!"

Amidst the jeers, a few people offered words of caution. Zhao Dong's two previous victories had earned him a small group of supporters, but even they didn't believe he could be Xiao Qitian's match.

Xiao Qitian announced haughtily, "Come on. I'll give you three free moves. Don't say I'm bullying the weak!"

"Are you sure?" Zhao Dong laughed. He's giving me three moves? Would he even have a chance to get back up after that?

"Of course! When I say I'll give you three moves, I mean it! Hurry up and make your move, unless you want me to shatter your teeth first!"

"Fine, fine. In that case, Young Master Xiao, you'd better be ready to withstand three punches from a little rookie like me."

Zhao Dong's smile was unsettling as he slowly approached Xiao Qitian. He raised his right hand slightly and landed a deceptively casual punch on Xiao Qitian's chest. As the fist landed, the entire crowd was dumbfounded.

"What the hell? What is he doing? Is he trying to tickle Xiao Qitian?"

"Hahahaha! I'm dying of laughter! Is he trying to play the victim so Xiao Qitian will take pity on him?"

"No, he's deliberately humiliating him! That fool is playing with fire!"

The crowd erupted in a mix of mockery and outrage. Lin Qingyun, however, was completely baffled. From what she knew of him, this wasn't Zhao Dong's personality at all.

Amid the confusion, no one noticed the look on Xiao Qitian's face. His complexion was ashen and his eyes bulged, as if he were suffering some immense pain.

PFFT!

The next moment, Xiao Qitian coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood. His body shuddered, and he staggered back more than three meters.

Dead silence.

The entire arena fell utterly silent.

"What the hell? Why did Xiao Qitian spit up blood?"

"Damn it, was there something to that punch after all?"

The crowd was in shock. But Zhao Dong simply walked up to Xiao Qitian again and asked playfully, "Two moves left. Still spotting me?"

"Spot my ass!" Enraged and humiliated, Xiao Qitian roared and threw a punch.

Though an eighth-level Great Grandmaster was no match for Zhao Dong, he didn't dare take this cornered-beast's strike lightly. He somersaulted backward, dodging the attack, and immediately countered with a punch of his own.

"Mystic Sky Fist!"

With a powerful shout, his fist seemed to crackle through the air. It carried the force of divine might descending from the heavens, blasting toward Xiao Qitian with overwhelming pressure.

BOOM!

As their fists collided, a visible shockwave erupted from where they stood. When the force dissipated, Xiao Qitian's body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, landing more than ten meters away.

THUMP!

He hit the ground hard, spewing mouthfuls of blood. He was a miserable sight.

In stark contrast, Zhao Dong stood in the center of the square with his hands behind his back, not a speck of dust on him. He looked like a god of war.

"He won? Zhao Dong actually won?"

"He… he's actually stronger than Xiao Qitian? With the strength to win three matches in a row, how could his talent test possibly have been so low?"

"Is this the rise of an underdog? This is so damn inspiring!"

"Zhao Dong! Zhao Dong! Zhao Dong!"

After a moment of silence, a tidal wave of cheers erupted. Now, everyone was thoroughly convinced. If winning once was luck, what about winning three times in a row? If the previous rounds were flukes, could sending Xiao Qitian flying with a single punch also be a fluke?

The elders of the Qingyun Sect shot to their feet in excitement. Tears of joy streamed down Lin Qingyun's face.

The young man with the folding fan opened his mouth, ready to declare the match over. But just then, the severely injured Xiao Qitian suddenly flung three hidden weapons straight at Zhao Dong.

Seeing Xiao Qitian resort to cheating when he couldn't win, the surrounding crowd turned red with anger.