In an instant, the very air around Zhou Chechenâs palm seemed to freeze. A frigid wind howled toward Zhang Yu, stripping away the heat from his flesh with terrifying speed.
Standing nearby, Lei Jun watched silently, thinking to himself, âBold provocation.â
Unlike usual, Lei Jun didnât comment out loud for the crowdâs benefitâhe was deliberately withholding analysis, not wanting to alert Zhou Chechen.
âIf Zhou Chechen could fight on his own terms, his Frost Heaven Freezing Field would be incredibly difficult to deal with. He could wear his opponent down just by keeping his distance.â
âBut Zhang Yuâs words have forced him into a direct confrontation.â
âAnd that ten-move wager? It boxed Zhou Chechen in. As the vice president of the Student Council, thereâs no way he could accept such a large number in front of everyone. Heâll definitely go lower.â
âThat changes thingsâZhou Chechen, who excels at drawn-out battles, is now compelled to go all out within just three moves.â
âDidnât expect Zhang Yu to have this much real combat experience.â
âThe only question is⊠can Zhang Yu really survive three moves from Zhou Chechen?â
âŠ
A wave of terrifying cold energy struck Zhang Yu like a dragonâs roar.
Zhou Chechen said flatly, âThe first moveâget familiar with my Frost Heaven Freezing Field.â
As he spoke, Zhou Chechen advanced step by step toward Zhang Yu.
With each step, the fluctuations of his mana grew more intense. The rising cold surged outward, frosting the ground, ceiling, and walls.
Even the first-year students like Zhao Tianxing, standing far away, felt chilled to the bone. They exhaled white breaths and backed away, their faces pale as they stared at Zhou Chechen in fear.
âThe second move.â
Zhou Chechen casually pinched his fingers, and the icy mist that had spread through the room suddenly responded like a subject to a kingâs command, forming into a massive frost-covered hand that crashed down toward Zhang Yu.
Crackling noises followed as frost quickly coated Zhang Yuâs entire body. His skin visibly lost color as if all warmth was being drained away.
Zhou Chechen said coldly, âZhang Yu, I know youâre toughâyou can take a beating.â
âBut with my Frost Heaven Freezing Field rapidly lowering your body temperature, your blood vessels will freeze up, oxygen will be cut off, and every cell in your body will start to break downâŠâ
Inside Zhang Yuâs body, his mana exploded into motion. The power of the Great Sun Qi Sea Technique surged like molten magma, flooding his body with searing heat.
The Crimson Marrow Primordial Energy followed suit, heating his muscles and flesh in great rolling waves.
The Subdermal Qi formed by his Formless Cloud Qi worked in tandem with the Indestructible Seal Method, resisting the invading cold and blocking it outside his body.
Still, Zhang Yu sensed that Zhou Chechenâs attack carried more than just the Frost Heaven Freezing Field. It was also laced with the power of the Frost Abyss Technique, subtly disrupting his mind.
He could hear the wails of the dying in his earsâwaves of bitter resentment attacking his Sea of Consciousness and shaking his Dao Heart.
Though the Celestial Martial Heart-Forging Technique continued to grind down the negative emotions, Zhang Yu felt like a weary soldier, slaughtering endlessly on a battlefield. With every wave, fatigue crept in, and those resentments tangled around him like silk threads, slowing his thoughts and moves.
His inner techniques no longer flowed smoothly, and he felt a growing resistance in his martial power and mana.
âThis isnât working⊠the Celestial Martial Heart-Forging Technique isnât suited to counter the Frost Abyss TechniqueâŠâ
The moment he realized this, Zhang Yu instinctively switched to the Sacrificial Oxheart Technique.
It was a reflex born from having trained both techniques to level 10.
As soon as he made the switch, the invading resentments clung to the phantom ox in his mind but failed to disrupt his mental state.
That ox had long been accustomed to crawling through fields of corpses. Its heart remained utterly unmoved.
âŠ
Zhou Chechen looked down at Zhang Yu, who was covered in frost and seemingly frozen in place. He walked up slowly and said, âJunior, itâs over.â
âRight now, your whole body should be stiff and numb.â
âBut donât worryâitâs not serious. You wonât even need to go to the medical ward. Youâll just be unable to train or study properly for the next couple of days.â
âConsider it a minor punishment for disrespecting your senior.â
He reached out, intending to push Zhang Yu down with a fingerâonly for a wave of heat to blast into his face.
The frost on Zhang Yu melted rapidly. Aside from a few skin injuries, he was completely unscathedâbright-eyed and full of energy.
Zhang Yu said calmly, âSenior, that was the second move. Thereâs still one more.â
Zhou Chechen narrowed his eyes and replied seriously, âThen allow me to give you a final lesson.â
He opened his fingers wide. The cold mist converged into his palm, his mana transforming into pure frost-infused palm force.
âKneel!â
Zhou Chechen struck with all his might, slamming his palm into Zhang Yuâs shoulder.
A roar of wind echoed through the room as an icy storm burst from the impact point. The temperature in the training hall plummeted like a falling blade.
The two of them stood face-to-face, their gazes clashing like sparks.
Zhou Chechenâs senior-year muscles erupted with full strength. The force he exerted was like a sky pillar, trying to crush Zhang Yu inch by inch.
His freezing aura blanketed Zhang Yuâs body, attempting to drain his lifeblood and destroy his ability to fight.
Zhou Chechen planned to force Zhang Yu to his kneesâto humiliate him as a warning and reassert the Student Councilâs dominance. Maybe even find out who was backing this mongrel now.
But to his surprise, a surge of resistance burst out from within Zhang Yu, far stronger than expected. Like a compressed spring, he rebounded with even greater force under pressure.
The heat pouring from Zhang Yuâs body rendered the cold useless in the short term.
Fu Ji chuckled, âTold youâthis guyâs burst power is crap. If he had kept his distance and worn you down with mana, itâd be trouble. But now heâs right in front of you? Easy.â
At that moment, Zhang Yu said, âSenior, three moves are up.â
âNow, why donât you try taking one of mine?â
Zhou Chechenâs expression changed. He immediately raised his hands to block.
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Heâd seen Zhang Yuâs close-quarters skills. No way was he letting himself get caught off guard.
But the moment Zhang Yuâs hands touched him, they barely applied any forceâ
Then boom! A thunderous impact exploded against Zhou Chechenâs abdomen.
Zhang Yu had taken advantage of the moment Zhou Chechenâs attention wavered, rebounding his palm force and channeling all his strength into a sudden knee strike to the gut.
Lei Jun slammed the table and exclaimed, âBrilliant! What a sneak attack!â
Zhou Chechenâs stomach clenched as if a giant hand had grabbed and crushed it.
He felt his guts twist violently, and for a momentâ
He clamped his mouth shut and swallowed the nausea.
âSenior, let me help you stand.â
Zhang Yu gently tugged Zhou Chechenâs arm, disrupting his balanceâand with that shift in weight, Zhou Chechen couldnât hold it in anymore.
âBleaghâ!â He vomited on the spot.
Fu Ji burst out laughing, âTold you! These filthy rich kids eat ten meals a day. Donât bother injuring themâjust make âem puke in public!â
Zhou Chechen managed to suppress the rest, then shoved Zhang Yuâs hand away, glaring furiously.
âYouââ
Zhang Yu backed off with both hands raised. âSorry, Senior. If Iâd known one move would make you throw up, I wouldnât have fought back.â
Lei Jun chimed in, âYou all saw it. Zhou Chechen wanted to beat Zhang Yu to his kneesâto humiliate him and shatter his Dao Heart.â
âBut Zhang Yu held on, and then made him puke in front of everyone. Completely lost face.â
âThey danced on the knifeâs edge between medical bills and mental trauma.â
âOne misstep and you either lose moneyâor your dignity.â
Lei Junâs voice echoed like thunder across the training hall. Zhou Chechenâs brow furrowed, his inner technique faltering.
Boom! Another wave of frost erupted as the Frost Heaven Freezing Field expanded again, dropping the roomâs temperature even further.
That was its strengthâthe longer it persisted, the colder the environment got, and the more powerful it became.
Zhou Chechen had only used three moves. He hadnât gone all out yet.
But just then, a hand landed gently on his shoulder.
âZhou,â Lei Jun said with a smile, âthree moves are up.â
âIf you keep going, the rest of these students are going to get frostbite.â
âSurely you donât want to lose both face and money, right?â
Zhou Chechenâs eyes narrowed. He looked at Lei Jun, then at the other studentsâmany of them already turning purple with cold.
He took a deep breath. It was over.
Anything more would only make things worseâand might cost him extra.
He shot Zhang Yu a final, piercing glance, then turned and left without a word.
Lan Ling followed him, shouting at the crowd, âPut your phones away! No photos!â
He quickly caught up to Zhou Chechen, fuming. âWe should just strip Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen of all their competition rights and perks!â
Zhao Tianxing, startled, put his phone away. But moments later, he couldnât help taking it out again to watch Zhou Chechen throw up.
âHe actually embarrassed Zhou Chechen?â he thought. âYu, youâre incredible!â
He could already imagine how this would blow up in the school chat groupsâhow Zhang Yu, a first-year, took three hits from the Student Councilâs vice president and made him vomit with one strike.
But at that moment, announcements popped up across several chat groups: all students were prohibited from sharing anything about the fight, especially photos or videosâŠ
As the second-years withdrew, the remaining first-years looked at Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen with starry-eyed admiration. This was the first time theyâd seen a first-year stand toe-to-toe with a second-year top student.
Zhang Yu ignored the crowd.
He pulled out his phone and messaged Le Mulan.
âDo you have a contact for the Purple Cloud Student Council leader?â
Le Mulan asked, âWhat are you planning?â
Zhang Yu recalled what Zhou Chechen had said outside the training hall.
âTell your Purple Cloud leader,â Zhang Yu said, âif they pay up, Bai Zhenzhen and I will skip the competitions.â
âGo straight through usâitâll be cheaper than going through Songyang High.â