“Xiang Ning!” Fang Rou stared at the haggard Xiang Ning. She had been confident that he would easily beat Wu Rui, but now she had grown extremely worried. 

“I’ll intervene if he can’t hold on any longer. Even if we can't beat them, we mustn't let Xiang Ning get hurt!” Li Zimo tightly gripped his sword in anticipation. 

On the other side, Zhao Huatai noticed something was off and yelled, “They’re planning to distract Wu Rui! Keep an eye on them. If they move, we’ll move too.“ 

In an instant, four pairs of eyes fell on Li Zimo. 

Hmmph, no one will be able to rescue Xiang Ning now. His body hasn’t acclimatized to the new surge of power yet, he was reckless to provoke a seasoned tier two martial artist! It would be perfect if he falls back to tier one, he’ll get what he deserves!’ Zhao Huatai maliciously thought. He couldn’t allow anyone to distract Wu Rui at such a critical moment. 

“You!” Li Zimo’s brows were knitted together as he glared at Zhao Huatai with hostility. 

“Hmmph!” Wu Rui kicked Xiang Ning squarely in the chest, throwing him high in the air. Xiang Ning hit the ground and rolled twice before stopping. 

Zhao Huatai couldn’t help but celebrate. “That was awesome! That’s right, beat him up! Beat him up!” 

His team cheered. Wu Rui was enjoying himself too. During the hunt, he had often heard how powerful and awe-inspiring Xiang Ning was. But now it looked like Xiang Ning was just a little stronger than the rest; he was still no match for Wu Rui! 

Level: Tier two, one-star Martial Artist (780/5000) +120

“You’re strong. Looks like I’ve underestimated you…” Xiang Ning clamored up to his feet, covered in dust, “...but I will never admit defeat!” 

He exploded in a surge of energy. “Mountain-Splitting Slash!” 

Wu Rui scoffed when Xiang Ning launched his attack. When he first encountered Xiang Ning’s signature attack, he was too afraid to directly face it because he had heard about Xiang Ning achieving Peak Mastery. However, after several attacks, he realized the gap between them was like the heavens above and the dirt below. Thus, he didn’t plan on dodging at all. He slashed his iron rod forward and a powerful gust of wind blew when both weapons collided. 

Same as the times before, Xiang Ning was thrown back once more, though he sprung to his feet after three seconds. “You’re powerful indeed… but as long as I have an ounce of strength left in me, I’ll never admit defeat!” 

Level: Tier two, one-star Martial Artist (900/5000) +150 

Xiang Ning released a Triple Slash and charged at Wu Rui. 

Wu Rui frowned slightly, but still retaliated and sent Xiang Ning flying back. 

“You’re powerful indeed.…” Xiang Ning stood up once more, and to make himself look more pathetic, there was some blood on the corner of his lips. 

Wu Rui roared, “You’re no match for me, so stay down!” He sent Xiang Ning flying once more. The audience was stunned. 

Fang Rou’s concerned expression turned into exasperation. She nudged Li Zimo’s arm, asking, “Is Xiang Ning playing Wu Rui?” 

Li Zimo looked equally exasperated. 

“Let’s wait and see if he gets up in three seconds.” 

Xiang Ning stood up the moment he finished his sentence and said the same thing, “You’re powerful indeed.…” 

Level: Tier two, one-star Martial Artist (1040/5000) +140 

“How are you still standing?!” Wu Rui finally noticed that something was wrong, but when he saw how haggard Xiang Ning looked, he steeled himself and started accumulating his power. When Xiang Ning rushed forward, he exploded with his strongest attack yet. It would be enough to cause his target a severe injury. 

As he expected, Xiang Ning spat a mouthful of blood as he flew through the air, then slammed into the ground and rolled five times before stopping. 

Li Zimo suddenly had a bad feeling. That wasn’t acting—it was real blood! 

He was about to rush forward when —rat-tat-tat— several bullet holes appeared before his feet. Li Zimo looked up and furiously glared at Zhao Huatai. The young man next to him held a hot weapon, still faintly smoldering. 

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing? This is a solo duel, don’t you dare interrupt them.” Zhao Huatai eyed them in delight. This was admittedly the best day he’d had since the semester had begun. 

However, three seconds later, Xiang Ning shakily stood on his feet once more, muttering, “As long as I have an ounce of strength left, I’ll never stay down…. You’re powerful—” He suddenly realized he had repeated the same line too many times and it was causing a misunderstanding, so he changed his script and continued, “Is this what a true tier two martial artist is like?” 

Wu Rui was so enraged he couldn’t speak. He understood now—he had been tricked! How could Xiang Ning get back on his feet so many times? This was a joke! 

“You… how dare you!” Wu Rui was so furious he could not speak, pointing at Xiang Ning with a shaky finger. 

Noticing Wu Rui’s sudden rage, Zhao Huatai stepped forward and concernedly asked, “Wu Rui, are you alright?” 

Ignoring Zhao Huatai, Wu Rui’s eyes were glued to Xiang Ning. “You… you played me!” 

Xiang Ning paused. Had he been exposed? He looked at the blood and dust on his body. That couldn’t be. He had executed it all perfectly, how could Wu Rui have figured it out? “No… no way… how could that be? Why would I play you? You’re indeed powerful!” he solemnly said, but no matter what, he only sounded sarcastic. 

Wu Rui was fuming. Even Lu Shiyu, who only showed emotions when she talked to Xiang Ning, had a smirk on her face. 

“This is unacceptable! Unacceptable!” 

Fury Points +888

Xiang Ning was shocked at the number of Fury Points he received. Was it the anger from being tricked? He now had a dilemma. Should he proceed with his acting or provoke him more? He took one look at the raging Wu Rui and made his decision. He could no longer keep up with the act, so he might as well admit to it. 

“You’re right, I am playing you,” he flatly admitted. He considered himself an honest man, after all. 

“YOU!” Wu Rui’s eyes widened, bloodshot. His face was so red he looked like he was about to faint from sheer anger. 

Fury Points +999 

Xiang Ning was shocked. 999 Fury Points! Wu Rui must be ready to kill him now! 

As he guessed, Wu Rui picked up his iron rod and suddenly charged at Xiang Ning without any regard for the rules or proper technique. He looked like a manic dog. 

“Xiang Ning, I’ll kill you!” he roared, though he stiffened when he saw Xiang Ning’s smirk. He felt a dangerous tension surrounding himself and instinctively retracted his attack, then felt the pressure of a mountain heading toward him. 

“Mountain-Splitting Slash!” A force powerful enough to split a mountain exploded. This was the true magnitude of a skill at Peak Mastery!