Chapter 73 Cold and Unfeeling "Foolishness"

In the end, the contest concluded with Zhang Ze’s victory. Although Fang Ying felt somewhat resigned, he ultimately had to admit that while Zhang Ze was slightly inferior to him in terms of martial skills and raw strength, the gap in cultivation made it difficult for Fang Ying to secure a win.

...

“What now?”
“From the look on your face, are you not convinced?”
The two, having fought and gotten to know each other, seemed to share a bond forged through combat. As Fang Ying shook his head and stepped off the stage, Zhang Ze shouted at him.
“Heh…”
“You’ve got quite a personality.”
With a light chuckle, Fang Ying didn’t bother to reply further and walked toward the Six Fortunes Martial Hall’s rest area.

Beneath Zhang Ze’s playful expression, a subtle glance flickered toward the direction where Leng Bingbing stood.
He mused inwardly, “That girl doesn’t look too bright. I wonder if she has the courage to take charge.”
“Never mind—if she doesn’t step up, and I run into those three fools in the next round, I’ll handle it myself!”

With that decision made, Zhang Ze stopped thinking about it further.

...

After about two or three minutes, the third match began.

Leng Bingbing wore a white athletic jacket, her hair tied back in a short ponytail, exuding vibrant youthfulness. Even Duan Peng, her opponent on the other side, was momentarily distracted by her appearance. Perhaps in his heart, he felt that raising a hand against such a girl was a kind of sin.

Pushing such stray thoughts aside, the two moved almost simultaneously.

It was worth noting that although Leng Bingbing was a woman, her cell strength exceeded 360S—a truly terrifying force in combat! Through the system, Zhang Ze knew her stats well and harbored no underestimation.

Still, he couldn’t help but recall those street performers from his previous life, who could crack stones on their chests or smash bricks with their bare hands.
He wondered, “In this world, with cell strength above 300S, maybe smashing rocks with one’s hands wouldn’t be too difficult?”

...

At this moment, Leng Bingbing on the stage was unaware of Zhang Ze’s thoughts, nor would she have any such bizarre hobbies as smashing stones barehanded.

Boom!

At their first clash, a sharp sonic boom echoed.

Duan Peng, to his credit, was somewhat gentlemanly in choosing his attack. His palm landed forcefully on Leng Bingbing’s left shoulder, forcing her several steps back. Yet, in the same exchange, Leng Bingbing landed a punch squarely on Duan Peng’s chest.

However, to Duan Peng, her punch seemed to have no effect at all.

...

“Sigh...”
Both were second-rank warriors. Although Leng Bingbing’s cell strength hadn’t broken past 400S, Duan Wuren knew well the power of her punch. Seeing his second brother’s reaction, he understood—neither of his brothers had heeded his advice. Otherwise, Leng Bingbing’s punch just now wouldn’t have been so ineffective.

...

On the other side, after noticing Leng Bingbing’s intent, Zhang Ze perked up and sat upright, his eyes fixed on her elegant figure.

Who knew what Zhang Ze was thinking? Peng Fei, watching his posture, felt his heart skip a beat. Who knows what scenarios he’d imagined in that half-second, but when he finally spoke, his voice trembled.

“Zeke, my brother, I’ve been single for twenty years. If I finally meet someone I like, you’re not going to steal her from me, are you?”

Hearing Peng Fei’s pitiful tone for no reason, Zhang Ze immediately frowned.
Good grief! You sound like I’ve taken advantage of you!
After a moment, Zhang Ze snapped out of it and scolded, “Get lost! What nonsense do you keep in that head of yours all day?”
“I’m thinking about important matters here—don’t act like a wronged little wife.”

After rebuking Peng Fei, Zhang Ze ignored him and turned his attention back to Leng Bingbing.

...

In the seats of the leadership, Zhao Jinghong’s gaze was burning with anger as he stared fiercely at Duan Peng, as if he had discovered something.
Beside him, Lin Yushan’s brows furrowed as if he had also realized something.

“I want an explanation.”

His tone was soft, but each word struck Lin Yushan’s heart like a blow.

...

On the stage, since the start, Leng Bingbing’s tactics had puzzled Duan Peng. By rights, with her second-rank cultivation and cell strength of 360S, even if her martial skills were lacking, she shouldn’t have been so powerless!

Yet, for all this time, every one of Leng Bingbing’s attacks seemed only to give him openings, achieving nothing more.

From Zhang Ze and the others’ perspective, Leng Bingbing had been exchanging injury for “injury” from start to finish. Not that this strategy was inherently flawed, but all they saw was Duan Peng striking her again and again, while her punches seemed entirely ineffective.

...

Witnessing this, Peng Fei clenched his teeth and gripped his sleeves, muttering under his breath, “Does Duan Peng have any decency at all?”

“To hit such a pretty girl—how could he bear it!”
“What, now?”
Hearing this, Qian Qian couldn’t help but retort, “If you’ve got the guts, Peng Fei, go up there and teach Duan Peng a lesson yourself.”

Ignoring the two jesters beside him, Zhang Ze’s skepticism turned to genuine interest in Leng Bingbing. In the entire training hall, few truly understood her motives. Those who did, without exception, admired her composure.

“Looks like I won’t have to step up after all—this year’s Martial Hall Exchange might not even go on,” Zhang Ze murmured as he glanced at Qi Lijun and the others.

...

“Heh—”
Just as Zhang Ze and the others exchanged glances, a soft laugh came from the stage. Leng Bingbing’s silhouette flashed; her cell strength of over 300S exploded with terrifying power. Yet her tactics didn’t change at all—straight charge, punch, and being sent flying.

Now, Duan Peng sensed something was off. He didn’t think Leng Bingbing was an idiot, so her persistent strategy must have a purpose. But in such a short time, he couldn’t figure out what it was.

“Heh… You’re not my match. I don’t want to hurt you—just concede!”
Duan Peng didn’t rush to attack again, but called out to Leng Bingbing, who lay not far away.

“Hmph—”
But Leng Bingbing ignored him. With a cold snort, she launched herself at him again—same charge, same punch… In Duan Peng’s eyes, he could already picture her being knocked away by his palm.

What he didn’t notice was that Leng Bingbing’s right hand, which had been curled into a fist, suddenly opened into a claw—

Rip!
Bang!

Her graceful figure was still sent flying by his palm. But this time, Duan Peng realized that every instructor and student in the training hall was glaring at him in anger.

Only when he felt a chill under his arm did Duan Peng realize the reason—his soft armor had been torn open before everyone’s eyes, making him stand out in an extremely embarrassing way.