"What's wrong, Bella?" Gavin Gan asked.
Bella Ba said gravely, "There's a crowd on the campus network hyping you two up just to tear you down. They've even elevated this duel to a matter of national honor. If you lose today, you might never be able to lift your heads at Waterwood University again."
"Let me see!"
Ian Song took the phone, and after skimming the post and most of the replies, his face grew a bit gloomy.
All those posts looked like they were praising Leon Long and Gavin Gan, but in reality they were just setting them up for a fall. More and more replies were popping up, all demanding that Leon and Gavin defeat Rina Miyamoto and bring glory to the country.
Handing the phone back to Bella Ba, Ian started thinking of countermeasures. If this were just a simple sparring match, losing wouldn't matter. But now, with all the hype, the duel had been blown up to a national level, and he couldn't afford not to take it seriously.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through Ian's mind—a plan from Fuso popped into his head.
Time ticked by, and finally it was half past four in the afternoon.
Gymnasium No. 3 was unusually lively, with at least five hundred students packed inside, all waiting to watch the duel.
With all the hype, the duel had already reached a fever pitch.
So most of the students had sky-high expectations for Gavin Gan and Leon Long.
At 4:40, Rina Miyamoto arrived at Gymnasium No. 3, surrounded by Hiro Miyamoto and a crowd of Fuso exchange students.
"Little sister, this is a golden chance to show off Fuso karate! Waterwood University is one of Yanhuang's top schools—if you beat Gavin Gan and Leon Long, it'll be like beating the whole university. So you have to do your best and let these Yanhuang people see how strong we Fuso are!" Hiro Miyamoto whispered in Fuso language, his face full of excitement and fanaticism.
Rina Miyamoto smirked, "Don't worry, big brother. I've watched their sparring videos—those two are just mid-Postnatal at best, two whole realms below me. Even if they both come at me, I can beat them easily!"
Hiro Miyamoto nodded solemnly, "The glory of Fuso, the honor of the Miyamoto family—it's all up to you!"
As five o'clock approached, Leon Long and Gavin Gan still hadn't shown up.
Restless voices started bubbling up in the stands.
"Damn, why aren't Gavin Gan and Leon Long here yet? Are they chickening out?"
"Maybe. I heard Rina Miyamoto is the Miyamoto family's top fighter, way stronger than Hiro Miyamoto!"
"Damn it, if those two really don't show, they're gonna embarrass all of Waterwood University!"
......
The students in the stands, riled up by certain instigators, were getting more and more worked up. Plenty of them were cursing loudly.
Hearing the students' angry shouts, Hiro Miyamoto couldn't help but flash a smug smile.
Meanwhile...
Gavin Gan and Leon Long were heading toward Gymnasium No. 3.
Just as they passed a secluded stretch of road, two masked men suddenly leapt out from the flowerbeds and attacked without a word.
Gavin Gan jumped in shock, but Leon Long stayed perfectly calm.
Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, Leon Long sprang into action, kicking out twice at lightning speed.
The masked men who'd just rushed them were sent flying back into the flowerbeds, knocked out cold.
"Ian, what's going on? Why did those two masked guys attack us?" Gavin Gan asked Leon Long.
"Obviously, someone doesn't want us showing up at the gym. That way, we'd be branded as cowards who ran away!" Leon Long replied coolly—but the voice was actually Ian Song's. That's right, Ian had come up with the plan to 'steal the beams and replace the pillars,' using makeup to disguise himself as Leon.
"Son of a bitch! Hiro Miyamoto really is a scheming bastard!" Gavin Gan cursed.
"Enough, let's hurry to the gym!"
At 4:57 p.m., 'Leon Long' and Gavin Gan walked into Gymnasium No. 3 together.
Seeing the two arrive safely, Hiro Miyamoto's face darkened. What was going on? The Miyamoto family's experts he'd sent to intercept them were all at Postnatal Great Perfection, but these two brats had made it to the gym without a scratch.
The students who'd been cursing just moments ago all shut up when Leon Long and Gavin Gan showed up.
Up in the stands...
Kelly Wu and her three roommates didn't come. After taking the Marrow-Cleansing Pill Ian Song gave them, all four were so drained by the process that they're still lying in their dorms, recovering their strength.
"Gan-san, Long-san, I thought you two wouldn't show up." Hiro Miyamoto stepped forward with a smile, clearly testing them.
"Yeah, we ran into a bit of trouble on the way—got jumped by two mad dogs." Ian Song said cheerfully, though his voice now perfectly mimicked Leon Long's.
"Oh? What do you mean by that, Long-san?" Hiro Miyamoto couldn't help but feel a twinge of concern.
"It's nothing, just talking," Ian replied coolly.
Hiro Miyamoto's expression turned cold, but he let the matter drop and asked, "Long-san, Gan-san, which of you wants to go first?"
"Long-san, Gan-san, I suggest you both come at me together!" Rina Miyamoto fixed her gaze on them, her eyes flashing with cold disdain.
Gavin Gan exaggerated, "Wow, Miss Miyamoto, you're really open-minded—asking me and Old Long to come at you together. You're beautiful, but we both have someone we like, so we'll have to say no!"
"Baka! Are you looking for trouble?" Rina Miyamoto glared coldly at Gavin, her tone full of anger.
At that moment, Ian stepped forward and said to Rina Miyamoto, "Miss Miyamoto, I'll go first. But since you're a lady, I'll let you have the first three moves!"
Rina Miyamoto was stunned for a moment, then a mocking smile appeared on her face. "Long-san, you'll pay for your arrogance!"
Ian smiled and said, "No matter what, we're citizens of the Celestial Empire, and we should have the grace of a great nation. Miss Miyamoto, please make the first move!" His voice wasn't loud, but somehow everyone present could hear him, and the crowd erupted in cheers.
"Since you're so confident, Long-san, I won't hold back!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Rina Miyamoto dashed forward with nimble, unpredictable footwork. In a flash, she appeared at Ian's right side, her hand chopping toward his neck like lightning.
But Ian shifted back just enough to dodge the chop, leaving Rina surprised. She hadn't used her full strength, but even so, a mid-Postnatal martial artist shouldn't have been able to avoid it.
"That's one move, Miss Miyamoto. You have two left, so make them count!" Ian said at just the right moment.
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, Rina attacked again, this time even more fiercely and quickly—a finger shot toward his eye, and a fist struck at his abdomen.
But to Rina's frustration, Ian dodged again.
"Just one move left, Miss Miyamoto. Better make it count!" Ian teased, making Rina even angrier.
Suddenly, she took a deep breath and fixed Ian with a cold stare, then quietly uttered, "Karate ultimate kill-move." (Note: 'Ultimate kill-move' refers to a finishing technique in karate, often reserved for decisive moments.)