By afternoon, the gymnasium had once again regained the lively atmosphere of the previous morning. The matches this morning and yesterday afternoon hadn't been very exciting, so many people had left to attend to their own business.

But this afternoon, because it was the final match between Xu Ke and Qian Jun, the expectations of countless people were instantly raised.

In their words, Xu Ke was mockingly referred to as the "disabled but determined" type. A person beaten by Li Ming to the point of vomiting blood and collapsing, yet who still refused to give up the competition, was surely courting death.

After all, his opponent was a powerhouse who had, from the very beginning, effortlessly disposed of young Postnatal Late Stage prodigies like Su Ximing and Zhao Xiangping.

Comparing the two, how could they not look forward to this afternoon's match? They were eager to see exactly how Qian Jun would slaughter Xu Ke, and in what manner he would be utterly defeated.

***

The very Xu Ke who was "bound for an utter defeat" had just arrived at the gymnasium with the Wang Family.

Having finished her corporate duties, Wong Qifu came to watch Xu Ke's final. She walked beside him, scanning him up and down. "Are you confident?"

"No." Xu Ke didn't dare make any guarantees, shaking his head.

Wong Qifu was stunned. "You're not?"

This seemed to be the first time she had ever seen Xu Ke so uncertain. After all, whether he was facing Ouyang Shuang or confronting three Innate Initial Stage experts at the Martial Alliance to rescue Xu Yi, Xu Ke had always appeared full of confidence.

So why is he lacking confidence now...?

"Qian Jun is no ordinary person," Xu Ke shook his head. "The deadliest thing about young geniuses is their unpredictability."

"His apparent strength is at the Postnatal Great Perfection realm, already a level above me. But if he can only maintain that level of strength, I'm not afraid of him."

"What worries me is that if his emotions intensify during our fight—extreme rage, for instance—it could trigger a burst of potential and instantly increase his power."

"If he breaks through to the Innate Stage then, I naturally won't stand a chance."

A shocked Wang Qiya, standing nearby, exclaimed, "Intense emotions can instantly boost one's power?"

"Is this something out of a novel or a TV drama?" She found such a thing hard to believe.

But Xu Ke just smiled and said nothing. Back when he was studying martial arts on the mountain with the Medical Saint, Xu Ke had once drastically increased his strength due to extreme fear. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to advance to Innate Great Perfection within a year.

As for the source of that fear, there was no need to elaborate. Those experiences were full of tears…

"So this is why you're both poisoned and vomiting blood?" Wong Qifu raised an eyebrow. She had already heard about Xu Ke vomiting blood this morning.

Xu Ke nodded. "That's about the gist of it. I also wanted to make him let his guard down."

"A person who believes victory is already in their hands is bound to grow careless."

***

Meanwhile, in the contestants' rest zone on the other side, Qian Jun was sitting quietly in the center, with Huang Sheng by his side.

"When he was fighting Ouyang Shuang, he used quite a few clever tricks, but his body hardening arts…"

Huang Sheng recounted how Xu Ke had overcome Ouyang Shuang, emphasizing his body hardening arts and hidden weapon techniques, urging Qian Jun to be on his guard.

But after listening, Qian Jun remained expressionless. "I know."

Seeing that Qian Jun said he knew but still appeared completely unconcerned, Huang Sheng's expression soured. "Qian Jun, you must be cautious…"

The Huang Family wanted to see Qian Jun and Xu Ke cripple each other. However, since Qian Jun was highly valued by Wong Ting, Huang Sheng felt he still needed to share what he knew and warn him. Otherwise, if something happened to Qian Jun, their Huang Family would have to shoulder a large part of the blame.

He thought caution was necessary, but others didn't feel the same.

Before Huang Sheng could finish, he was interrupted by a scoffing Su Ximing, who sported a buzz cut.

"Huang Sheng, the expert your family hired was too weak. Just because Xu Ke took him down, don't assume that makes Xu Ke strong, alright?"

"It was just a case of chickens pecking at each other. The one that wins is still a chicken. You want a tiger to be wary of that?"

"Haha, you're insulting the tiger!"

At these words, everyone else laughed with unconcealed contempt. "Exactly!"

"Just because the trash you hired was beaten by Xu Ke, don't think he's actually that good."

"Cautious my ass. This is a sure win."

Even though the Huang Family was one of Wong Ting's partners, they couldn't care less about the feelings of Huang Sheng, the probable future Family Head. In their eyes, the Huang Family was no different from the other powers licking Wong Ting's boots—nothing more than a dog.

Of course, the Huang Family was perhaps a relatively strong dog.

At this moment, Huang Sheng's face turned livid with rage. He'd come here with good intentions, only to be mocked because his man was too weak?

"Qian Jun, is this the result of your leadership?" Huang Sheng was no pushover. After being mocked, his face darkened immediately. "Flashy, arrogant, and still underestimating your opponent after losing three matches in a row."

"Brother Ting values this fight. This isn't about your personal grudge with Xu Ke."

"If you lose, will you take responsibility?"

Hearing this, the others sneered. "He's already been poisoned! You really think he can turn the tables?"

At this, Qian Jun finally looked directly at Huang Sheng and stated flatly, "I will win."

No more words were needed. Seeing this, Huang Sheng finally stopped talking, stood up, and left.

In his heart, Huang Sheng had always felt that Xu Ke wasn't really poisoned. Or rather, perhaps he was, but he must have used some unknown method to stop the poison from spreading. If Qian Jun wasn't cautious at a time like this, he would suffer a great loss. The main reason Huang Sheng thought this was because he himself had been burned by a similar trick before... Xu Ke's feigned death! Xu Ke had managed to stage a revival even after being stabbed through the heart. How could they be so sure an unseen poison was truly causing him unbearable agony? But since this bunch was so careless, he wouldn't bother anymore…

After Huang Sheng left, the group sneered.

Zhao Xiangping sat beside Qian Jun and asked, "Boss, do you need me to go scout out Xu Ke's condition?"

Qian Jun shook his head. "No need."

"Li Ming already told me about Xu Ke's condition."

"He's as good as dead."

"Understood."

***

The Tianhai Gymnasium gradually filled with people.

While waiting for the match to begin, Lin Zhongtian made a special trip to find Xu Ke. Worried Xu Ke might die, he subtly suggested that Xu Ke should give him the antidote. Wang Wu had the man thrown out directly. Lin Zhongtian left spewing curses.

In addition, Li Lang also came to watch the match with Li Shichuan today. Clearly, the father and son were also worried that Qian Jun would kill Xu Ke today. If that happened, there would be no one left to cure the poison in Li Lang's body…

As for the Qin and Ye Families, who had been here since yesterday, it went without saying. They had taken their seats early in the morning, waiting to see how Xu Ke would die…

However, one person's arrival surprised Xu Ke somewhat: Zhou Qingzhi's brother, Zhou Qingyong. Upon arriving, he gave Xu Ke a slight smile, one brimming with malice…

He wanted to see Xu Ke die, too!