CHAPTER 217: GRAND COMPETITION XVI

Han Yi moved first—

not because he was brave,

but because standing still felt like waiting for death.

He rushed forward with a tiny scream,

"HA—please don’t hurt me—AH!"

Yue Shanshan didn’t even move her feet.

She just shifted her weight slightly,

like she was adjusting her stance for comfort.

Han Yi threw a punch.

She tilted her head.

His fist cut through empty air.

Han Yi spun halfway around from the momentum,

arms flailing like a confused windmill.

"I meant to do that!" he blurted.

The crowd laughed.

Yue Shanshan stepped forward.

"That’s cute."

Han Yi panicked.

He threw three punches in a row—

fast, messy, desperate.

Yue Shanshan blocked each one with a single finger.

Han Yi froze, staring at her hand.

"...Are you human?"

She tapped his forehead.

Just a tap.

Han Yi stumbled back with a squeak.

"You didn’t even hit me! Why does it hurt?!"

Yue Shanshan shrugged.

"Better foundation than you."

Han Yi tried again—

he jumped,

he kicked,

he spun in the air completely by accident.

Nothing worked.

Yue Shanshan sidestepped everything with tiny, relaxed movements.

The crowd started chanting:

"RUN, HAN YI! RUN!"

Han Yi yelled back,

"I’M TRYING!"

But he tripped over his own foot mid-run.

He fell forward—

Yue Shanshan caught him by the collar again,

exactly like last round.

"Careful," she said.

Han Yi’s voice cracked.

"I don’t want to be careful, I want to be ALIVE!"

Yue Shanshan sighed.

"Alright. Time to finish."

Han Yi’s eyes widened.

"No wai—"

She flicked his forehead again.

TAP.

Han Yi flew backward like someone launched him from a catapult.

"BYE WORLD—!"

He landed on his back with a thud, staring at the sky.

He raised a shaky hand.

"I... surrender... again..."

Tian Lei didn’t even wait.

"Winner: Yue Shanshan!"

The crowd roared.

Yue Shanshan dusted off her hands.

Han Yi didn’t move.

Mu Chen called out,

"Brother... do you see the sun?"

Han Yi whispered,

"...It’s beautiful..."

Lei Feng nodded knowingly.

"He’s in another dimension."

Ling Qingxue watched quietly.

One blink.

Translation: ...expected.

Tian Lei clapped.

"Next match—prepare yourselves!"

Han Yi groaned.

"Why am I still awake...?"

Han Yi eventually rolled onto his side like a dying turtle.

Yue Shanshan walked off the stage fresh as a morning breeze, not even breathing hard.

Han Yi stared after her.

"...She didn’t even warm up..."

Tian Lei ignored him completely and read the next names on the board.

"Next match—Ling Qingxue vs Zhou Fang!"

The crowd reacted instantly.

"Oh no..."

"That unlucky guy..."

"Zhou Fang fought hard in round one. He’s still limping!"

Zhou Fang stepped forward with the spirit of a man walking toward his own funeral.

He pointed at Tian Lei.

"Can we... pick someone else?"

"No," Tian Lei said.

Zhou Fang pointed at Ling Qingxue.

"Can she fight someone else?"

"No."

Zhou Fang pointed at himself.

"Can I fight someone else?"

"No."

Zhou Fang sighed.

"Okay. I accept my fate."

Ling Qingxue stepped onto the stage, calm as ice, expression unreadable.

Zhou Fang bowed respectfully.

"I will fight with everything I have."

Ling Qingxue nodded slightly.

"Good."

Tian Lei raised his hand.

"Begin!"

Zhou Fang started strong.

He rushed in with wide, fast punches.

He shouted while attacking,

trying to build his own courage.

Ling Qingxue watched him closely,

eyes sharp,

steps light.

Zhou’s fist came in toward her face.

She moved her head a few inches.

The punch missed.

Zhou blinked.

He tried again.

And again.

Three punches.

Four.

Five.

Every strike missed by a hair.

The crowd was silent.

It didn’t look flashy.

It didn’t look dramatic.

It just looked... unfair.

Ling Qingxue wasn’t dodging wildly.

She wasn’t jumping around.

She wasn’t showing off.

She just kept stepping to the perfect spot every time.

Zhou was sweating like a waterfall.

"Why... can’t I touch you?!"

Ling Qingxue finally spoke.

"Your center of gravity is unstable."

"Huh?"

She stepped forward and tapped his wrist.

Just a tap.

Zhou Fang’s arm dropped numb instantly.

He panicked and kicked at her.

She tapped his ankle.

His leg buckled.

He tried one last desperate punch with his other hand.

She touched his elbow lightly.

Zhou Fang froze.

Every limb suddenly felt like it weighed a hundred kilos.

Ling Qingxue placed her hand on his chest and pushed gently.

Zhou Fang fell backward like a falling tree.

BOOM.

The crowd exhaled all at once.

"...She didn’t even use strength."

"She just... disabled him..."

"What kind of monster control is that...?"

Zhou Fang groaned on the ground.

"My body... doesn’t belong to me anymore..."

Tian Lei lifted his hand.

"Winner: Ling Qingxue!"

No one cheered loudly.

They were too scared.

Han Yi whispered from the ground,

"...She scares me more than Yue Shanshan..."

Yue Shanshan cracked her knuckles.

"That’s why we don’t spar casually."

Mu Chen muttered,

"She would kill me by accident..."

Lei Feng nodded.

"She would kill me on purpose..."

Ling Qingxue walked off the stage calmly,

as if she had just taken a walk in the garden.

Tian Lei looked at the board.

"Next... the final match of Round Two..."

The crowd leaned in.

Han Yi prayed silently,

"Please... not my name... not again... please..."

Tian Lei announced:

Tian Lei announced:

"Yue Shanshan vs Ling Qingxue!"

The entire training ground exploded.

"HUH?!"

"THE MONSTERS ARE FIGHTING EACH OTHER?!"

"WE’RE GOING TO SEE SOMEONE DIE, RIGHT?!"

Han Yi covered his head.

"No... this is too much... my heart isn’t ready..."

Mu Chen shivered on the ground.

"Two tigers... only one mountain..."

Lei Feng whispered,

"Or both tigers kill the mountain..."

Yue Shanshan grinned as she stepped onto the stage.

"Finally. A real challenge."

Ling Qingxue walked forward silently.

No emotion.

No excitement.

No fear.

Just calm.

Deadly calm.

The two stood facing each other.

Yue Shanshan cracked her neck.

"You ready?"

Ling Qingxue nodded once.

"Yes."

Tian Lei looked way too excited.

"Positions."

Both fighters lowered their stances.

Yue Shanshan looked like a trained predator, muscles coiled, aura sharp.

Ling Qingxue looked like flowing water—soft, smooth, but impossible to grasp.

Tian Lei raised his hand.

The crowd held its breath.

"BEGIN!"

Yue Shanshan exploded forward instantly.

Fast.

Strong.

Direct.

A punch flew toward Ling Qingxue’s jaw.

Ling Qingxue’s body shifted left by a tiny step.

The punch missed cleanly.