Getting Stronger By Fighting

At this moment, Wang Zhan was more violent than ever and stronger than ever.

However, the cause of all this was not external factors, nor was it his Inner Demon. Instead, it was his determination to go with the flow, using this indignant rage within him to truly push his limits.

"Next! Fight me!"

He roared, his hands soaked with blood. Drops of blood fell, like a hazy rain.

Silence enveloped the arena.

Most people did not understand why Wang Zhan had suddenly become so frenzied.

However, they were starting to understand one thing: this was a true arena fight. It was either you die or I live. Particularly when both sides were in the heat of battle, there would be no exceptions.

Everyone present had once pointed their blades at beasts, but when the day came that they had to point their blades at fellow human beings, their world began to fall apart.

"If I were standing in the arena, would I die?"

"This is too cruel! Humans are the spirit of all creation; why is the Federation training us to become these irrational beasts?"

"Did you see that? Wang Zhan has gone mad! Should we also become like him and point our blades at our own clan members?"

"Mad! Mad! The Federation today has gone completely mad! The peaceful earth of humankind will ultimately be destroyed by your instigation!"

"Sooner or later, the Federation will be destroyed by you! Destroyed by you!"

The helpless students roared, standing up, frantically pointing fingers at the four people on the referee stage, who sat calmly, as unshakable as Mount Tai, and had lived their entire lives for the Federation.

Some, unable to contain their rage, threw anything they could—their shoes, socks, cell phones, water bottles—toward the center of the arena, landing at Wang Zhan's feet or striking his head.

"You devil! You've gone mad, and you're their accomplice!"

"What kind of hero are you? The Human Race is shamed because of you! You will mark the beginning of humankind's destruction! Why don't you just die?"

"Wang Zhan! Thousands of years from now, history will remember your name! You are a scourge! Your infamy will last a thousand years!"

The start of the arena death match, and Wang Zhan's presence as the perceived main culprit, ignited the flames in the auditorium.

The Federation's machine is relentless. Everyone knew that from this day forward, to combat the beasts, arena death matches would spread to every corner of the Federation.

They would become gu worms, fodder to nourish the rise of those truly powerful beings.

But they are real, actual human beings. Born into the Human Race, they will look back upon its Heaven and Earth after death. Yet, during their fleeting lives, why must they fight so desperately?

Kill! Kill! Kill!

Kill all the truth, goodness, and beauty within humankind!

Kill all the harmony, cooperation, and peaceful coexistence within humankind!

Kill all the mercy and the spirit of finding common ground while respecting differences within humankind!

Meanwhile, on the live stream hosted by a reporter, the comments and bullet screen messages became increasingly frenzied, with no attempt at concealment.

"Demon! Demon! Demon! He is the demon who will destroy the Human Race..."

"What pathetic hero is this? Humankind doesn't need a brutal hero! Kill him! Kill him!"

"Wang Zhan, go die! You will be the disgrace of us all! Starting today, I am ashamed to share the surname Wang; I renounce it!"

But aside from these tumultuous roars,

Did you not see those four old men acting as referees on the high platform, their faces expressionless?

Did you not see the spectator seats, where the Federation's four great Academies were all silent, along with many more rational people?

Why can't you see? Just now, that guy wanted to kill him too. Why, why can't any of you see... Did you not see that even the reporter, merely an Internal Energy Martial Artist, was mumbling to himself, unheard by anyone, yet defending Wang Zhan in his heart?

He glanced around, seeing the faces filled with righteous indignation, and many more silent, complex expressions on the faces of the young people.

Finally, he felt a sliver of comfort, yet also a profound desolation.

This is the Human Race! All of you fear death, so the one who isn't afraid of death—or perhaps is your enemy—shouldn't survive... HAHA, HAHAHA! Why be a reporter? Why be an Internal Energy Martial Artist? Why marry, why start a family, why build a career? The Federation offers no support! I am ashamed to be associated with you all! If literature cannot save the nation, then I shall cast aside my pen and take up arms! HAHAHA!

At this moment, the Federation lost a reporter, lost an office worker who used to sit quietly in the back, lost an Internal Energy Martial Artist.

No one knew his future. If people had known of his choice, they might only have said:

One more or one less, it makes no difference. Even without you, the great ship of the Federation will still ride the winds and break the waves, forging ever forward...

"He's comprehending fist techniques..." Yuan Mengru spoke softly, watching Wang Zhan's crazed expression and the third team, which was almost too terrified to enter the ring.

Coming from a family of means and learning, and attending one of the Federation's top four Academies, Yuan Mengru could see at a glance that Wang Zhan was comprehending his own fist techniques. "But he has no foundation at all," Lin Xiaoyin hesitated. "How could he possibly comprehend fist techniques?"

She too had investigated Wang Zhan and found that, apart from his sudden rise in his third year of high school, he had been utterly unremarkable at all other times, not counting his time at the Martial Arts Academy.

In other words, Wang Zhan had no martial arts skills and no resources. All he could rely on was himself.

However, fist techniques and martial arts are not things one can master in isolation; they require endless resources and experience.

Yuan Mengru shook her head.

"What you're saying applies to ordinary people. But is Wang Zhan ordinary? That punch just now already showed the prototype of a fist technique. Otherwise, even if his skull were fractured, that person wouldn't have died on the spot…"

That was the real reason.

At least Yuan Mengru clearly saw that Wang Zhan's punch should have grazed past a Warrior from the Ping State Military Martial Academy. But his sharp instincts and crisis awareness made Wang Zhan twist his body, landing the punch flawlessly on the dead man's head.

Even though he had to abruptly change direction under such urgent circumstances, he was still able to maintain such formidable power with a certain enhancement. If that wasn't the prototype of a fist technique, what was?

Lin Xiaoyin, however, suddenly had a thought.

Could it be... when the Academy Head taught him the Eight Extremes Fist, he actually foresaw today's events? Did he use the Eight Extremes Fist to build Wang Zhan's foundation?

Lin Xiaoyin knew that the Academy Head, much like her own master, often enjoyed setting people up. Yet, Wang Zhan was the first person to whom Shi Jingtian had imparted a fist technique without requiring him to become a disciple.

「On the referee stage.」

The four old men thoughtfully watched Wang Zhan, who had just roared, and the third team that was slowly, reluctantly making its way onto the stage.

They had naturally heard the students' denunciations, questioning whether they would destroy the Federation's foundation and the inherent goodness of the Human Race.

So, their response to all who dared to question them was a uniform, stony expression, like true, aloof demon-kings.

Wang Zhan, currently on the field and thirsting for battle, was naturally the wolf they had unleashed—not yet fully tamed—to provoke others.

Suddenly, Yun Tianyi's words echoed in Wang Zhan's ear again, carrying a chill that pierced his heart.

"Be ruthless. Tell them that even if the Federation is destroyed, they are nothing more than blood-sucking parasites. Not one of them is useful. All they know is how to roar self-righteously, thinking they're so important. Do they even understand what the Human Race is, what a battlefield is? Ridiculous."

Wang Zhan detected the indignation in Yun Tianyi's tone, and the cold disdain for those ungrateful students. So, his lips curled slightly, but his expression remained impassive as he said,

"Alright!"

So what if I take the blame? He didn't care. He had nothing. His father was gone, his sister had disappeared, and his mother was an ordinary person. His only path to power was to tie his fate to the great ship of the Federation.

If the Federation was strong, he would be strong.

This was the ideal state, one that would allow him to rise quickly, unchallenged by most. It also happened to align with certain plans Wang Zhan had been formulating.

Therefore, he was prepared to be the scapegoat. So what if he had to bear the blame for humanity's destruction?

If he was to die, what did he care if the world was engulfed by a deluge after his passing!

Perhaps because Wang Zhan agreed so readily, without even stipulating conditions, Yun Tianyi immediately turned to Wei Daoming, Mu Dongjun, and Edward, chuckling.

"Look at this kid, he's completely lost it. He didn't ask for any reward from start to finish. Are you sure you still want him? If not, get rid of him quickly so I can take him."

No reward?

The faces of the other three darkened.

A lone Wang Zhan might not be worth much, but a Warrior capable of killing a Grandmaster? That was invaluable!

That was why the Federation's four great Academies wanted Wang Zhan as an exchange student. Besides Edward, both Wei Daoming and Mu Dongjun believed that by providing resources and elixirs enabling Wang Zhan to fight opponents of higher ranks, he would be practically equivalent to a half-step Grandmaster.

But now, Yun Tianyi was boasting that Wang Zhan didn't want any reward?

The implication was that the Federation's four great Academies had so little prestige that they had to pay Wang Zhan to secure his agreement!

"HAHAHA..."

Yun Tianyi laughed smugly, seemingly oblivious to the waves of criticism still rising and falling around them.

Edward, however, shot him an irritated glance.

"Enough. The original plan cannot be changed, and I won't give up unless you can bring Li Shiji back to life. This matter concerns not only my Royal Martial Arts Academy but also the Li Family."

Edward said no more, but his gaze turned colder as it fell upon the low-ranking students whose denunciations were growing increasingly arrogant. He snorted.

"The admission standards for the Federal Martial Arts Academies are indeed getting lower and lower. Such naive and childish individuals, thinking they can save humanity with pure intentions while being unable to even see what's right in front of them—do they truly expect to survive long enough to become elites on the battlefield?"

Yun Tianyi glanced at Wei Daoming, and then specifically at Mu Dongjun, chuckling.

"That's not necessarily true. They might not be good for much else, but they certainly have an appetite."

His words were exceptionally sarcastic.