Chapter 118: May You Remain Single for a Lifetime

The move remained unchanged: a simple punch, delivered from top to bottom!

Smash!

The speed was still incredibly fast, forcing Bai Yucheng to raise his arms and take the impact head-on once more.

Thud!

Fist met arm!

Bai Yucheng was sent flying backward again, grimacing in pain and barely suppressing a curse.

The crowd below erupted in thunderous applause and cheers. This was a real fight!

"Awesome!" someone yelled at the top of their lungs.

"Thrilling!" others chimed in, echoing the excitement.

"Hit him! Hit him hard!" some shouted, cheering on Chu Tianfeng, the "two-hundred-fifty" (idiot), while they were at it.

...

The crowd was fired up, and Chu Tianfeng was equally pumped. With a flick of his right fist, he unleashed another strike!

"I concede!"

Unexpectedly, while his right fist was still in mid-air, Bai Yucheng let out a sharp cry.

Chu Tianfeng was stunned, struggling to keep up with Bai Yucheng's rhythm. They had agreed on ten moves, and they hadn't even finished three! Besides, he had been using less than ten percent of his actual strength in every single strike.

Boo—

The audience, like Chu Tianfeng, began to boo Bai Yucheng relentlessly.

"I'm done playing!" Bai Yucheng pointed at Chu Tianfeng. "Shameless!"

He had originally intended to point out that Chu Tianfeng’s cultivation level was higher than the mid-stage of the Transformation Realm, but hearing the persistent booing from the crowd, he simply shut his mouth.

Fine, keep booing! Let’s see how I boo you lot later!

With that thought, Bai Yucheng wiggled his plump body and vanished into the crowd.

The elderly referee strolled out from behind the high platform. As he passed by Chu Tianfeng, he brushed him with a trace of his spiritual sense.

Oh? Late-stage Transformation Realm?

"I announce that contestant number two-hundred-fifty-one, Liu Feng, is the winner!" The elderly referee glanced at the martial artists below, a flicker of mockery playing on his face.

Chu Tianfeng sensed the referee’s spiritual probe, but he didn't care. He had already checked; he wasn't the only one in Group B with late-stage Transformation Realm cultivation. For some reason, however, those others hadn't made a move yet. They just stood silently in the crowd, watching the matches.

"Contestant number two-hundred-eighty-five, Cheng Chaoli, challenges the champion!"

Following the shout, a figure leaped onto the stage like a graceful swan.

"Are you clear on the competition rules?" the elderly referee asked, as tireless as ever.

"Yes, Senior, I am," Cheng Chaoli replied loudly.

"Begin!" The referee’s gaze swept over Cheng Chaoli with a hint of pity.

Cheng Chaoli cupped his hands toward Chu Tianfeng. "No offense intended!"

"Likewise!" Chu Tianfeng returned the gesture.

Cheng Chaoli stepped forward with his left foot and swung his right fist horizontally. Knowing this was just a probe, Chu Tianfeng gently swiped his right palm to block it.

"Hah!" Cheng Chaoli roared and followed up with a left-handed strike!

Chu Tianfeng remained nonchalant, angling his left palm upward to deflect the blow. Seeing his combination move fail, Cheng Chaoli immediately lifted his right leg, aiming for Chu Tianfeng’s lower body.

Chu Tianfeng’s spiritual sense had already locked onto the move. As soon as Cheng Chaoli’s leg rose, Chu Tianfeng shifted his body and darted backward to avoid it.

"Good!" Cheng Chaoli paused, then lunged forward again with a rapid flurry of kicks.

Whoosh!

A high kick with his left leg. Chu Tianfeng retreated slightly, blocking with his left forearm.

Whoosh!

Cheng Chaoli’s right leg followed, incredibly fast. Chu Tianfeng was forced to block with his right arm.

Thud!

Chu Tianfeng intentionally retreated a few steps.

After trading several blows, he realized Cheng Chaoli was highly skilled with his feet; his chain-kicking technique was fast and powerful. However, having spiritual sense allowed him to track every movement perfectly. Besides, he had played along long enough. It was time for Cheng Chaoli to get a taste of his own medicine.

"Again!" Cheng Chaoli, oblivious, roared as he launched into a spinning, top-like barrage of kicks.

Chu Tianfeng seized the moment. He dodged the left kick and, as Cheng Chaoli’s right leg swung high, he shifted his weight and delivered a swift kick to Cheng Chaoli’s left leg, which had just touched the ground.

Thud!

Chu Tianfeng’s foot landed squarely on Cheng Chaoli’s knee joint!

Cheng Chaoli’s leg buckled, and he stumbled. Chu Tianfeng followed up with a flying kick!

Thud!

Cheng Chaoli was sent flying to the very edge of the stage. If Chu Tianfeng had added even a bit more force, Cheng Chaoli would have been defeated instantly. But he didn't want to reveal his true strength, so he couldn't win too easily.

"Good!" The crowd erupted in cheers again.

"Beautiful!"

"Hit him hard! Don't worry about saving face for me!"

...

The roars were like the cries of dragons and tigers, so loud they even attracted spectators from Group A.

The Wang family had been keeping a close eye on Chu Tianfeng all along. Wang Caizhang, in particular, had his eyes glued to him. He never dreamed that the person his family had been desperately searching for would appear right before his eyes in such a dramatic fashion!

Seeing Chu Tianfeng, a literal godsend, Wang Caizhang was overjoyed. If he were a poet, he would have been ecstatic enough to recite verses. He had even brought Wang Zaitian and others to confirm the "prize" up close, using his own spiritual sense to scan him.

Discovering that Chu Tianfeng was only at the late-stage Transformation Realm made Wang Caizhang even more certain that Chu Tianfeng possessed a unique technique. This only solidified his resolve to kill him and seize the treasure! A mere late-stage Transformation Realm practitioner being able to contend with a late-stage Xiantian Realm expert? Such a technique was simply too domineering and invincible!

No question: take it!

Wang Caizhang considered himself a professional at killing for loot. Thus, he watched Chu Tianfeng like a hawk, terrified that this cooked duck might fly away.

Of course, the Wang family weren't the only ones eyeing the "duck." A group of people from a chance encounter on the road—including the driver who had recognized Chu Tianfeng at the square—were equally delighted. He immediately ordered his two most trusted men to watch Chu Tianfeng as if guarding a pot of gold.

There was one more group concerned about Chu Tianfeng: the Du family, specifically Du Jingjing.

After Chu Tianfeng took the stage, she had come over to Group B to watch the fun. She knew his true strength and the level of the others in Group B, so she wasn't worried. She was just there to watch him play the "pig to eat the tiger."

When he knocked Cheng Chaoli down, she wasn't as happy as the crowd. She was worried he would expose his identity. So, while everyone else cheered, she was the only one singing a different tune.

"Two-hundred-fifty!"

"Dead pig-head!"

...

Her crisp, sweet, and charming voice was so captivating that many in the crowd wished they could act like idiots just to be scolded by her dainty fingers.

But Chu Tianfeng was not that kind of person! He didn't want to play the fool, at least not now.

Whoosh!

Chu Tianfeng lunged forward. Just as Cheng Chaoli regained his footing, Chu Tianfeng’s right foot struck!

Thud!

Cheng Chaoli only had time to raise his arms before taking the full force of the blow, sending him reeling backward. But since he was already at the edge of the stage, tragedy struck.

Whoosh!

Cheng Chaoli stepped into thin air and tumbled off the platform.

A loud thud followed. The audience burst into laughter! Cheng Chaoli, red-faced and dejected, scrambled up and vanished into the crowd.

"Contestant number two-hundred-fifty... one, Liu Feng, wins!" The elderly referee almost caught the infectious trend himself.

"Contestant number one-hundred-thirty-seven, Chen Shuo, challenges the champion!" This was another young man, mid-stage Transformation Realm, with a long face and medium build.

However, his actual cultivation was late-stage!

Chu Tianfeng really didn't want to fight him. Faking a fight against another late-stage practitioner was much harder than against a mid-stage one.

"Begin!" The referee looked at the two and felt a surge of joy. Thanks to the heavens, the time had finally come for steel to clash with steel!

"Brother Chen, I have an idea. If you’re willing to forfeit, I’ll give you three hundred thousand." To the referee's surprise, Chu Tianfeng used the same tactic as the fat guy: money as a weapon.

The elderly referee turned to stone, his face flushing a deep shade of liver.

"Five hundred thousand!" Chen Shuo’s business acumen seemed no less sharp than Chu Tianfeng’s.

"Four hundred thousand!" Being extorted by a mere late-stage Transformation Realm practitioner left Chu Tianfeng feeling somewhat depressed.

"Deal!" Thankfully, Chen Shuo didn't press his luck.

Chu Tianfeng turned to a corner of the stage, retrieved four hundred thousand in cash from his pack, and handed it to Chen Shuo. The referee watched the transaction in silence, silently cursing their female relatives in every conceivable way.

The audience was even more outraged than the referee. They erupted again.

"Two-hundred-fifty, where did your edge go?"

"Two-hundred-fifty, you damn spendthrift!"

"Two-hundred-fifty, I hope you stay single forever!"

Well, that last comment touched a nerve with a certain young lady, who glared at the speaker so fiercely that he broke out in a cold sweat.

"One-three-seven, show some spine!"

"One-three-seven, kill him!"

...

Regardless of the crowd's dissatisfaction, the deal was done. After Chen Shuo stepped off the stage, the referee announced Chu Tianfeng the winner.

However, before the words had even left the referee's mouth, four figures rushed onto the stage. Four young men, three of them carrying bags!

The referee felt his sanity slipping; he wanted to skin them alive and throw them into a hotpot.

"Contestant number fifty-six, Ma Zhiguang, challenges the champion!"

"Contestant number six-hundred-seventy-three, Lu Hui, challenges the champion!"

"Contestant number one-hundred-sixteen, Qiu Li, challenges the champion!"

"Contestant number three-hundred-seventeen, Yan Hailong, challenges the champion!"

The four spoke in unison, all acting as if they had a blood feud with Chu Tianfeng.

The elderly referee looked at them and spat out coldly, "Rock-paper-scissors! Winner stays, losers leave!"

Ma Zhiguang was the first to react. He bowed to the referee, then turned to Yan Hailong with a grin, shaking his right fist. "You in?"

"Bring it on, I’m not afraid of you!" Yan Hailong raised his fist. "One round decides it!"

"Fine!" Ma Zhiguang swung his head and pulled his fist behind his back.

Yan Hailong did the same, then suddenly thrust out two fingers, shouting, "Six brings good luck!"

Ma Zhiguang was the cunning one; he intentionally waited a split second to react, choosing a fist. Only after seeing the fingers in the air did he quickly change to two fingers, shouting, "Four seasons of wealth!"

Yan Hailong stared at the four fingers before them, his face a picture of pure frustration.

On the other side, Lu Hui and Qiu Li had also finished their match, with Qiu Li emerging victorious.

Yan Hailong and Lu Hui, filled with resentment, slunk off the stage.

"Heh, our turn!" Qiu Li shook his arms and walked toward Ma Zhiguang.