"I'll make him regret ever being born!"
"Looks like Medicine King Valley's prodigy really does have a grudge with that kid!"
"There's going to be a good show! This is going to be fun!"
Down below, all eyes focused on the stage.
In that instant, every gaze locked onto Evan Lin.
Some recognized Evan Lin as the guy who stomped and wrecked the Ding family's testing pillar that day, their faces full of anticipation.
Medicine King Valley's prestige can't be insulted, and what Evan did that day was basically treating Medicine King Valley like it was nothing.
Shawn Shi heard Zane Zhen's words, forced himself to stay calm, glanced at Evan Lin beside him, and seeing Evan still totally chill, finally relaxed.
Evan just sat there, lifted his head, glanced at Zane Zhen standing on the stage, his face indifferent, then—yawned.
"You!"
Zane saw Evan acting like that, his face twitching. He gave a cold laugh: "Don't think acting like you don't care means I'll let you off! If you know what's good for you, just get lost in the first round!"
With that, Zane waved his hand and walked off the stage from the other side.
Once Zane left the stage, Megan Liu and Keaton Wang both looked totally confused.
"Lin-ge, who was he talking to? Was it... you?"
Keaton Wang looked at Evan, while Megan Liu craned her neck, both faces full of confusion.
"Of course! Evan could handle him with just one hand!" Shawn Shi said proudly.
"One hand?" Megan Liu frowned, glancing at Evan. "My sister says you're really strong—are you really that strong?"
"Obviously! Did you forget? Lin-ge fought Drake Huang to a draw before!" Keaton Wang jumped in.
"Him? He fought Drake Huang? And it was a draw?"
Nearby, a mocking voice rang out.
A man in black training gear had appeared out of nowhere, arms crossed, head down, glancing at Evan Lin with his backpack—totally dismissive: "Drake Huang hit peak Inner Strength years ago, and he's got Mo Yang as his teacher. Even at peak Inner Strength, his real power was basically at pseudo-Vajra level! And he just broke through to the Vajra Realm recently. You think this kid could fight him to a draw? That's the joke of the century!"
"Who do you think you are, talking to Evan like that!"
Shawn's face changed slightly as he looked at the guy. He didn't have huge muscles, but his whole vibe was seriously sinister.
He had a sharp, monkey-like face—at first glance, he really did look like a wild monkey.
"You do know Drake Huang was killed recently, right? And the one who did it was Evan!" Shawn shot back, refusing to back down.
"You think I'm stupid? Sure, someone killed Drake Huang, but there's no way it was this kid! Drake was a legit Vajra expert—no way he'd get taken out by some punk!" Wild Monkey sneered.
He walked right up to Evan, crouched down, and stared at him: "Hey, kid, come on—weren't you supposed to be able to fight Drake Huang to a draw? Didn't you say you killed him? How about you and I go a round first?"
"I'm Wild Monkey, and I'm only at mid-stage Inner Strength right now. If you're really that tough, killing me should be as easy as squashing an ant, right?"
Wild Monkey glared at Evan coldly.
"Wild Monkey?"
"That's the guy who was raised by actual monkeys in the mountains!"
"He came to fight this year too?"
As soon as Wild Monkey spoke, people nearby stood up and looked over.
Shawn suddenly remembered something, face changing: "You're the one who, at just early-stage Outer Strength, beat Wild Monkey who was at early-stage Inner Strength!"
Wild Monkey glanced at the stunned Shawn, sneering: "You mean Zhao Xiu? When I killed him, I was only at early Outer Strength."
"Killed an Inner Strength rookie while still at early Outer Strength!"
Wild Monkey's words instantly set off an uproar all around.
Wild Monkey's exploits are pretty much household legend around Leighton City.
Back then, his parents abandoned him in the dead of winter—he almost froze to death, but a wild monkey from the mountains found him and raised him.
And not only that—compared to regular people, Wild Monkey is way stronger.
At just eleven years old, Wild Monkey made his debut by killing a then-famous early-stage Inner Strength fighter named Liu Xiu.
Rumor had it Wild Monkey was already at mid-stage Outer Strength back then, and lots of people tried to track him down—but he was always impossible to find.
No one expected him to show up now—already at mid-stage Inner Strength!
"So, what—are you scared? Come on, aren't you in the tournament? This is the second group, right?"
Wild Monkey looked up in that direction.
The thirty-five people who'd been knocked out in the last round had already been cleared from around the stage.
Derrick Ding announced loudly: "Round Two! This time, forty contestants again, and the last five standing move on!"
"Hear that? Since you're so tough, get up there and fight me!"
Wild Monkey bared his teeth in a grin, spun around, and bounced onto the stage in a few agile leaps, baring his teeth at Evan: "Come on up!"
Inside the Ding family hall.
Elder Mark Mu and Old Madam Ding walked out together, with Wendy Ding standing beside the matriarch.
Wendy was as stunning as ever—every smile and glance mesmerizing, and just stepping out made everyone turn to look.
"Shanhe, which round is it now?" Old Madam Ding asked.
"Round two. Zane Zhen made it through the first round." Derrick Ding replied respectfully.
"Good." Old Madam Ding nodded, then smiled at Elder Mark Mu: "Honestly, if I'd known how outstanding Zane was, we wouldn't even need this tournament."
"I've watched Wendy grow up. If she could marry Zane and face the future together, it would be a beautiful thing."
Elder Mark Mu's brows relaxed a bit. He looked at Zane Zhen approaching and said slowly, "Zane, did you hear what Madam Ding just said?"
Zane bowed slightly: "I heard, Elder. Don't worry—I'll take down everyone standing in my way, and at the very top of the tournament, I'll propose to Miss Wendy in front of everyone."
Wendy's eyes sparkled as she glanced at Zane, covering her mouth with a soft laugh: "Then I'll just have to wait for Young Master Zane's proposal."
"I've never been ambitious, but I always imagined my man would be a peerless hero."
Even Zane, with all his Medicine King Valley training, couldn't help but feel his heart race a little when he saw Wendy—his gaze burning with passion.
"Madam, Elder Mu, please take your seats—the next match is about to begin."
Derrick Ding stepped forward to lead the way.
Onstage, Wild Monkey raised his eyebrows, shot a glance this way, then turned back to look at the boy below the stage.