Xiao Fan and Hu Duyi stood their ground, their positions firm, and the anticipation of the audience filled the air. Xiao Fan maintained a calm and focused gaze, with his eyes reflecting his unwavering determination. On the other hand, Hu Duyi sported a mocking smile, oozing with overconfidence.

The staring contest between the two competitors had stretched on for what seemed like an eternity, and awkwardness began to creep in with each passing moment.

Thankfully, there was finally some movement because it was starting to get rather weird...

"So, you defeated Wei Fa, and now you think you're strong enough to fight me? Do you believe I'm just a little stronger than him or something?" Hu Duyi sneered at Xiao Fan, widening his mocking smile.

Xiao Fan remained silent, almost as if he had lost his voice. This silence seemed to irk Hu Duyi, who continued to taunt him.

"Just because I ordered some people to beat you, you dare challenge ME! Or perhaps you thought you could tire me out and make me lose my rank? If that's the case, you are gravely mistaken. Let me make one thing clear: I can defeat you in a single move." Hu Duyi genuinely believed that Xiao Fan stood no chance against him.

The crowd fell silent, realizing from Hu Duyi's one-sided monologue that the two harbored grudges from before. It had only been a little over three months, and Xiao Fan had already managed to anger countless people. He seemed to possess a talent for stirring up trouble.

The crowd watched the confrontation closely, their eyes filled with anticipation as if they were witnessing a thrilling drama. Ning couldn't help but notice some individuals reaching for popcorn, including the plump figure beside him. Well, Fatty Li did say he eats whenever he gets nervous.

"Let's see who will lose in a single move," Xiao Fan broke the silence. His words were quite shocking to everyone.

"Hahahahaha..." Hu Duyi burst into laughter as if he had heard the greatest joke of the century. His laughter was strange, resembling someone trying to imitate a certain god-complex maniac from Death Note but coming off more like a clown.

"You? Beating me? Ha ha ha. Listen closely, you piece of trash. I'll let you hit me ten times. If I take a single step back, I will surrender immediately. But if I don't...I will cripple you!!" The transition from the calm, arrogant guy before to this borderline crazy state certainly indicated the mental state of this guy.

"Cliche of ten moves? Damn! This guy is dead." The conclusion was clear to Ning, who was watching the sequence of events.

Come on, saying something like that was basically raising a flag. He was destined to lose and in a shameful way too. Yup, this guy was going to get one-shotted, possibly crippled, and seeing how arrogant this guy was, having his power stripped away will make him crazy for real. After all, the bigger they are, the harder they fall, and Hu Duyi was about to witness a fall like no other.

What puzzled Ning was the lack of concern from the crowd regarding Hu Duyi's threats made in such a public setting. If it were a situation where Hu Duyi executed his plan discreetly and later claimed it was an 'accident,' he could understand why the sect might turn a blind eye. After all, Hu Duyi's value surpassed that of the "trash." However, openly proclaiming such intentions was practically inviting ruin.

Even more perplexing was the apparent indifference of the supervising elder, who seemed unbothered by the statement. Why bother establishing rules for the tournament if such brazen acts were allowed? Nonetheless, Ning could foresee the inevitable outcome.

As expected, Xiao Fan's face lit up with a rare smile, his first in the tournament. He responded to Hu Duyi's taunting words with a calm yet resolute voice, "Are you sure about that?"

In a fit of arrogance, Hu Duyi bellowed, "Do it before I change my mind and defeat you in a single move instead!" His voice echoed through the arena, tinged with a hint of madness.

"If it's beating you want, then the beating you shall get." Xiao Fan took his martial stance. Qi gathered in his fists as he moved his arm in a mystical way.

"Heaven Shattering Fist, Second Form: SKY SHATTER!!" Xiao Fan shouted the name of the move once again, as was customary.

He punched straight toward Hu Duyi, specifically targeting his smirking face. The crowd felt a palpable force emanating from the fist as if the sky itself would shatter with a single blow. If even the crowd experienced this pressure, one could only imagine the magnitude of the impact on Hu Duyi.

With Ning's sharp vision, he saw the smirk fade from Hu Duyi's face, replaced by overwhelming fear. He seemed torn between circulating Qi and maintaining his pride, resulting in a slow, intense stare at the approaching fist. As the fist drew closer, Hu Duyi started to perspire profusely, realizing it wasn't worth it. So, he moved.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Yet, it was already too late—the fist was already in front of him.

BOOM!!

An explosive sound reverberated throughout the arena as Xiao Fan's fist collided with Hu Duyi's face, releasing a shockwave of force. The impact sent Hu Duyi hurtling through the air, his mouth spewing blood as if he were a broken marionette.

"Is he even alive?" someone tremblingly asked.

But it seemed he was, as after falling, he began to emit pained groans and attempted to speak, though his broken jaw rendered his words unintelligible.

While everyone tried to make sense of what he was saying, Ning was sure he saw numerous white objects resembling teeth flying through the air...

...

Hu Duyi noticed the sound he was making and slowly lifted his hand up to his mouth, a shocked expression on his face. As soon as he realized his teeth were missing, his face contorted with a mixture of despair and anger. He let out a banshee-like scream, directing his gaze at Xiao Fan with intense hatred as if he wanted to tear him into a million pieces. However, the pain and anger overwhelmed him, causing him to faint.

Everyone just stared at the pitiful figure lying on the ground, finding it difficult to reconcile 'that' with the usual arrogant Hu Duyi. Ning almost felt a twinge of pity for the guy, almost. No one would take him seriously in the sect anymore after this incident, and the loss of his teeth was an even bigger blow. He would undoubtedly become the subject of ridicule for who knows how long. It was clear that he was going to descend into madness.

As the crowd murmured amongst themselves, someone suddenly shouted in anger.

"YOU DARE!!"

A figure appeared abruptly in front of Hu Duyi and carefully lifted him up. After administering a pill to him, the figure turned their gaze toward Xiao Fan, emanating intense anger and bloodlust. The entire crowd fell silent upon seeing the black robe the figure was wearing.

"That's Hu Duyi's father, Elder Hu Chen! I heard he was on the verge of becoming an elder of the inner sect."

"Now that Elder Hu Chen is here, Xiao Fan is definitely in trouble."

Ning also discovered the identity of the figure through the whispers, and as he had suspected, Hu Duyi had an outer sect elder as his father.

There were inner sect elders and outer sect elders in the sect, with the former possessing greater authority than the latter. Among the outer sect elders, Hu Chen was closest to becoming an inner sect elder, to the point where they practically considered him one. Hu Chen slowly stood up and pointed at Xiao Fan, his eyes seemingly spewing fire.

"How dare you harm my son so severely in a friendly match and attempt to kill him. I will cripple you for breaking the rules!" Just as Ning suspected, this guy was shameless. Hu Chen conveniently ignored the part where his son threatened to cripple Xiao Fan, now focusing on taking action against him.

He was truly setting himself up for a future where he would face humiliation. The saying "your worst enemy is yourself" couldn't have been more accurate in this situation.

"You...!" Xiao Fan glared at Hu Chen, his fists clenched so tightly that blood began to seep out. He could only watch as Hu Chen approached him step by step, witnessing his hypocrisy.

Seeing Xiao Fan's state, he was probably having some of those "revelations" about how he needed power and how he was nothing without it, that stuff all the protagonist feels.

Hu Chen slowly approached Xiao Fan taking his sweet sweet time as if worried that the help would not appear in time for this young protagonist. Ning was waiting for some random elder to jump out to help Xiao Fan, and he was right. Just as Hu Chen had gotten a little too close for comfort, someone suddenly objected to it with a hoarse voice. It was someone Ning was very familiar with.

"HU CHEN, Stop right now!!!"

It was the elder who guarded the Martial Arts Pavilion. He appeared on the stage, his usual lazy demeanor nowhere to be found. The elder glanced at Hu Chen, and all the momentum Hu Chen had built up vanished instantly.

Hu Chen's face couldn't have been more unsightly, shocked by the 'unexpected' help that arrived just as he was about to finish the job.

"XIAO FAN BROKE THE RULES!! HE TRIED TO KILL MY SON!!" Hu Chen shouted, clearly not willing to give up.

"Hmph! Do you want me to repeat myself?" The Martial Arts Pavilion elder seemed indifferent, completely tuning out the enraged father, Hu Chen.

"I should have finished off the brat instantly!!" Hu Chen's regret was evident, but now that the pavilion elder was here, he could not do anything.

Meanwhile, Ning was watching all this like a wife who had just seen her husband run into a wall with an erection only to break his nose first. Extremely disappointing but not surprising.

He was ready to watch some kung-fu fighting drama, but it ended so quickly and abruptly. After all, he loved drama that had nothing to do with him.

Of course, if he had to be honest, Ning wasn't surprised by the turn of events, whether it was Hu Chen's arrival or the intervention of the pavilion elder. It was to be expected that the moment Hu Duyi acted so arrogantly, he had someone backing him. With Ning's insight, it wasn't hard to guess that an elder would appear the instant Hu Duyi was defeated.

As for the Martial Arts Pavilion elder helping Xiao Fan, it was another cliché. The pavilion elder was in close contact with the outer disciples, and it wasn't out of character for him to lend a hand to a promising disciple.

'Well, I'll have to ask the elder for some backstory later on...' Ning thought as he observed Hu Chen being completely silenced by the pavilion elder.

Anyone who guarded one of the most important resources in the sect—the martial arts manual—was bound to have more authority than some outer sect elder, no matter how outstanding the latter might be.

Hu Chen took one last look at Xiao Fan, seemingly wanting to tear every tendon in his body, but he backed off, seemingly afraid of something. Carrying Hu Duyi, he walked away, his face darkened the entire time.

Xiao Fan glanced at the elder, his face filled with a range of emotions, but before he could utter a single word of gratitude, the pavilion leader swiftly departed.

Xiao Fan also left the stage, leaving behind an agitated crowd. No one could believe what had just transpired. Not only did they witness Xiao Fan defeat Hu Duyi with a single punch, but he also managed to stand up against an elder. Some felt envy, others felt jealousy, but most of them were amazed by the rise of the 'trash' to his current position.

As for Ning, he felt he was ready for his challenge.