Chapter 41: After the Victory

In the next instant, James spat out a spray of blood. The radiance surrounding his body seemed to explode from within, shattering and dissipating before he slammed onto the martial arts stage with a heavy thud.

The arena fell into a profound silence. Everything had happened far too quickly. No one had expected Qin Zhe, who had been on the defensive the entire time, to suddenly surge with power and defeat James in a single exchange.

As for the Dean’s earlier shouts? They were completely irrelevant now—what mattered was that they had won!

With a sudden roar, the entire spectator stand erupted. They had won! And it had been so easy! Incredible! It was just too damn impressive!

"Qin Zhe, the number one of the Martial Arts Department!" a rugged man in the stands suddenly stood up and shouted, waving his arms.

"Number one of the Martial Arts Department! Long live the True Self Heart Scripture!"

A crowd of students joined in the frantic cheering. Whether they were martial cultivators, immortal cultivators, or demonic cultivators, their hearts were filled with the joy of victory.

On the high platform, Wang Zhongguo’s expression was also brimming with excitement. Damn it! They had actually won! Was that really the True Self Heart Scripture that the boy had used? What level had he managed to reach? The True Self Heart Scripture was meant to burn one’s potential to unleash physical power; could it really be enough to scatter James’s holy light in a single blow?

In just a moment, several thoughts flashed through Wang Zhongguo’s mind, and he finally made a decision. Next year, he would make the Martial Arts Department a priority discipline. Before that, he would have the academy library re-catalog the *True Self Heart Scripture* and gather martial arts masters to refine it, aiming to eliminate its dangerous side effects as much as possible. Although Wang Zhongguo was an immortal cultivator, martial arts were the essence of the Dragon Kingdom. If martial arts could rise, and he could witness such an unprecedented event, he would be more than happy to see it.

Nearby, William sat slumped in his seat, his face ashen as he watched James being knocked out in an instant. It was over! Everything was finished...

On the stage, Qin Zhe took in the deafening cheers, his gaze sweeping across the excited students in the stands. It felt like it had ended too quickly, but it wasn't a major issue; his "True Self" was still calm within his body.

Sensing his own condition and estimating the time, Qin Zhe looked down at James, who lay unconscious on the ground. *Wow, that punch was a bit heavy... I only used thirty percent of my energy, and the rest was raw physical strength. How did he end up looking like this?*

James, usually remarkably handsome, now had his entire face distorted and swollen, with only two of his white teeth remaining. Seeing the damage he had caused, Qin Zhe couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

"You were a bit too ruthless, weren't you? Didn't we agree not to make him lose too miserably?"

Yao Jing’s reproachful voice echoed in his ear via telepathy. Qin Zhe looked up to see her stepping onto the stage again. She leaned over to glance at James while maintaining her "goddess" facade, and sent another message.

"Tsk, tsk! He’s beyond recognition! You didn't actually lose your temper because he used me as a bet, did you? You’re making things very difficult for me!"

As she teased him telepathically, she saw him roll his eyes in response. She pursed her lips and gave a soft, feigned scold. "It’s over now. Can you dim your aura? With a body as strong as yours, aren't you afraid of burning through all your potential?"

"I can't stop it; I just have to wait," Qin Zhe replied, scratching his head with a helpless, goofy grin. The *Burning Blood True Self Art*, which derived from the *True Self Heart Scripture*, truly had no way to be deactivated once triggered. One had to wait for the three-minute duration to expire, unless defeated by someone else.

"You dared to use it even when you couldn't stop it?" Yao Jing’s expression turned strange. She shook her head, reached out with a hand wreathed in demonic energy to grab his arm, and raised it high. That simple gesture officially declared his victory.

In the stands, the atmosphere exploded once again. Everyone was chanting Qin Zhe’s name, with many girls shouting particularly hard—a wave of little fan-girls just waiting to be "harvested."

...

The exchange competition did not end with the five official matches. Since classes were canceled for the afternoon and almost the entire faculty and student body were gathered in the arena, the academy made a split-second decision to hold an internal personal tournament, preparing generous prizes for the winners.

Having won the exchange competition through five "friendly" matches, the students were feeling too energized to stop. Since they rarely had opportunities to spar, many of them eagerly lined up to sign up for the internal tournament. They were all young people around twenty years old; who among them didn't have a heart full of passion? Regardless of winning or losing, this was a stage to showcase and verify their own cultivation—there was no reason not to take a turn.

The Haicheng University Student Union, led by Li Zongheng, showed unparalleled efficiency. Mobilization, headcount, and scheduling were all handled methodically by the union. At the same time, student union members performed various talents on stage to warm up the crowd, pushing the already heated atmosphere to yet another peak.

Just like that, a spur-of-the-moment exchange match was turned into a full-fledged celebration. Qin Zhe had no intention of participating in the follow-up events, so he found an opportunity to sneak back to the lounge. Having secured the key victory in the exchange, all the attention was on him, which made him feel quite uneasy.

Fame brings trouble, just as a fat pig brings the butcher. He had truly made a name for himself in the academy today; if he didn't keep a low profile, he would inevitably face a lot of headaches in the future.

What left Qin Zhe speechless was that just as he finished changing his clothes in the lounge, Yao Jing pushed the door open, humming a tune with a light, jaunty step.

"Why are you here? The academy arranged an internal tournament; don't you have to keep hosting it?" Qin Zhe asked, frowning with a look of disdain.

"I made an excuse and pushed the rest of the work onto the President," Yao Jing smiled brightly, winking at him. "My boyfriend won the deciding match, so as his girlfriend, I naturally have to stay and celebrate with him, right?"

"Do you really think the President will believe that nonsense?" Qin Zhe said, his face a mix of laughter and tears. "Besides, do you really not care about your reputation? People who know you well might not think much of it, but with so many people in the academy, misunderstandings are inevitable. What if..."

"What others think of me has nothing to do with me," Yao Jing said with unusual nonchalance. Without another word, she threw herself onto the sofa and stretched, her posture revealing incredibly alluring lines.

Qin Zhe took one look and quickly averted his gaze. Was she beautiful? Of course. But this woman was toxic! Adhering to the principle of "not looking at what is improper," Qin Zhe sat on the other sofa in the lounge and said, "Since you don't have to host anymore, shouldn't you go to the changing room and get out of those clothes?"

"Why? Isn't this outfit quite nice?" Yao Jing tilted her head, a smirk playing on her lips. "Oh, I get it! You think I'm dressed too sexily and you're afraid that if you look too much, you’ll commit a crime, right?"

"Heh." Qin Zhe let out a dry, forced laugh, cursed her internally as a little succubus, and took out his phone to play a game.

Seeing that he was ignoring her beauty to play games, Yao Jing wasn't pleased, but she didn't get up to cause any trouble. Due to her nature, most acquaintances avoided her, and she had to act serious in front of strangers. Being able to get along with Qin Zhe like a friend felt quite nice to her.

Lying lazily on the sofa, Yao Jing pulled out a transparent crystal card. "Here, this is the reward the Dean promised you. I made a special trip to get it for you. Come to think of it, the Dean is quite thoughtful. The energy in top-tier spirit stones is too dense for ordinary storage equipment to contain safely. Considering you martial artists can't use spatial techniques, he just gave you this crystal card. It works just like a bank card; you can withdraw the funds directly at the bank or swipe it for purchases."