As Wendy Ding, Old Madam Ding, and Elder Mark Mu from Medicine King Valley all took their seats of honor, the crowd below kept up a steady buzz of discussion, eyes glued to the stage.
The crowd below the stage immediately grew restless, with people scrambling to rush up onto the platform. Those who'd gone up early, full of swagger, now looked around and began to regret it.
Everyone wanted to show off in front of the crowd—even if they lost, if they caught the eye of someone important, their future would be much brighter. This was basically a death bracket—packed with experts.
One after another, people stepped onto the platform. Wild Monkey's voice rang out: "Hey, kid—I'm talking to you! Do you dare to come up here?"
Wild Monkey, already on stage, kept his gaze locked on Evan Lin down below. He stood there, shooting Evan an impatient glare.
"Hey, kid, I'm talking to you. Can't understand human language, or are you just planning to keep hiding like a coward? You got a death wish?"
Wild Monkey looked at Evan Lin with open disdain. The boy sitting below stayed silent, but when Wild Monkey shouted at him again, he just lifted his head, his face as calm and indifferent as ever.
In his eyes, this plain-looking kid was probably just some attention-seeking trash. Wild Monkey froze for a second, then burst out laughing as if he'd heard the world's funniest joke. "Me, wanting to die? What a joke! Do you really think you could kill me?"
"Is that guy competing too?" Wendy Ding followed Wild Monkey's gaze and looked curiously at Evan Lin, who was sitting calmly below the stage. Eric Ding chimed in, voice full of skepticism: "That kid probably doesn't dare go up—Wild Monkey's got his eye on him, and he's avoiding a fight because he's scared. Earlier, when he broke the testing pillar with one kick, he probably used some trick to boost his power."
To Wendy Ding, Evan Lin's appearance was completely out of place compared to everyone else around him. Eric Ding added, "Otherwise, a real expert wouldn't be afraid to step up now."
Nobody here wore a cap or carried a backpack—everyone looked like a bare-knuckle brawler. Zane Zhen sneered: "That kid must've been scared by what I said—he's afraid I'll kill him on stage, so he's dropping out in the first round."
All the contestants were up on stage fighting; the rest were just watching the show. Wendy Ding speculated, "The fighters on stage are all strong. Maybe that boy is waiting for the next round, hoping for a better shot to advance."
But Evan Lin was the only one Wendy Ding couldn't figure out. Carter Cheng cursed from the stands: "Damn it, get up there and get beaten to death! Even if you don't go now, when my uncle shows up later, he'll finish you off!"
She noticed that boy looked neither like someone about to fight on stage—he had no aura at all—nor like someone just here to spectate, since his calm, indifferent face made it seem like he wasn't interested in anything. Outside, Yvonne Ding finally finished her greeting duties and walked in.
"That kid is the one who smashed the testing pillar with a single kick earlier," Zane Zhen said coldly, a faint smirk on his lips. "But he's just got some flashy energy tricks. If he gets on stage, I only need three moves to make him lose!" Yvonne Ding hurried toward the stage, scanning the crowd for a familiar face.
Elder Mark Mu glanced at Evan Lin, his expression unreadable. But hearing Zane Zhen's words, he frowned. "Zane Zhen, you're one of Medicine King Valley's top third-generation elites. Beating someone in three moves is the least you should do—is that really something to brag about?" At that moment—
"Yes, Master. I was wrong!" A breeze picked up.
Zane Zhen lowered his head. The boy who'd been sitting there slowly stood up.
Elder Mark Mu half-mocked, half-praised Zane Zhen, smiling as he turned to Old Madam Ding. "I've watched Zane grow up—he's always been proud, has excellent talent and bones, but his arrogance is even greater. I hope Old Madam Ding won't mind." Keaton Wang tugged at Evan Lin's backpack, sensing the shift in mood. "Hey, Lin—what are you doing? Sit down!"
Old Madam Ding nodded. "Zane Zhen looks like a good kid. Seems this marriage is as good as settled." Megan Liu's face turned pale as she sat next to Evan Lin, suddenly the center of everyone's attention.
The crowd’s stares made Zane Zhen’s lips curl into a smile. He glanced at Wendy Ding on the other side, feeling his heart heat up.
Elder Mark Mu narrowed his eyes, gazing at the stage.
His gaze landed on Wild Monkey: "That guy seems anything but ordinary. His aura is fierce, and if you look closely, his temples are slightly raised. The way he bends his arms would let him unleash all his power in an instant."
"A real talent."
That was Elder Mark Mu’s four-word verdict.
Eric Ding hurried forward and bowed slightly. "His name is Wild Monkey. He’s a mysterious figure in Leighton City, grew up with monkeys, trained on his own, and now he’s a mid-stage Inner Strength expert."
The key thing is, back when he was just early-stage Outer Strength, he assassinated a famous early Inner Strength fighter—all with stealth and cunning.
Eric Ding explained in detail, his voice steady.
The Ding family had deep roots in Leighton City and held a wealth of information.
He quietly asked Elder Mark Mu, "Are you considering recruiting him into Medicine King Valley as a Valley Guardian?"
If Medicine King Valley picked a Valley Guardian from Leighton City, they’d owe the Ding family a favor.
"Hmm. It’s worth considering."
Elder Mark Mu nodded slightly.
"One slot left!"
From below the stage, Derrick Ding glanced at the number of fighters on the platform and called out loudly.
But nobody moved.
A few who had considered going up took one look at the lineup and decisively stopped in their tracks.
"Just Wild Monkey at mid-stage Inner Strength is enough to scare most people off, but now you’ve got Arm-Swing Tiger Jack Jiang, Iron Fist Ian Yan, and Overlord Leg Victor Chen up there too. Only an idiot would join this round."
"Seriously, Wild Monkey’s mid-stage Inner Strength, Arm-Swing Tiger Jack Jiang is early Inner Strength, Iron Fist Ian Yan is late Inner Strength, and Overlord Leg Victor Chen is also late Inner Strength. This bracket is stacked—anyone who goes up now is just asking to get wrecked."
"Step onto the stage now and you’re just waiting to get eliminated."
The crowd below the stage buzzed with anxious chatter.
On the platform, those who had already gone up—once full of swagger—looked around at their competition and immediately started to regret it.
This was a true death bracket—packed with experts.
"Hey, you! Yeah, I’m talking to you—dare to come up here or not?"
Wild Monkey stood his ground, glaring at Evan Lin with open impatience.
"You really want to die that badly?"
Evan Lin, silent up to now, finally lifted his head and met Wild Monkey’s gaze—his expression as calm and cold as ever.
"Me, want to die? What a joke! Do you know who I am? You think you can kill me?" Wild Monkey froze for a moment, then burst out laughing like he’d just heard the world’s funniest joke.
"That kid probably doesn’t dare go up. Wild Monkey’s got his sights set on him, and he’s avoiding the fight—must be scared." Eric Ding shook his head. "That time he shattered the testing pillar, I bet he used some trick to boost his cultivation."
"Otherwise, why would a real expert still be sitting here instead of stepping up?"
Eric Ding had barely finished when Zane Zhen sneered, "That kid’s probably scared out of his wits by what I just said. He’s afraid I’ll kill him on stage, so he’ll probably forfeit the first round."
"This round is stacked with strong fighters. That kid’s probably waiting for the next group so he’ll have a better shot at qualifying," Wendy Ding guessed.
"Damn it, go up there! I hope you get beaten to death!" Carter Cheng cursed. "Even if you don’t go now, when my uncle shows up later, he’ll kill you for sure!"
At the door, Yvonne Ding—who’d spent ages greeting guests—finally walked in.
She hurried toward the stage, scanning the crowd for that familiar figure.
Right then—
The wind stirred.
The boy who’d been sitting there all along slowly stood up.
"Hey—don’t! Evan, what are you doing? Sit down!" Keaton Wang, sensing the tension, tugged at Evan’s backpack.
Megan Liu’s face turned pale. Sitting beside Evan, she suddenly found herself at the center of attention.
All the stares from around them were suffocating.
"Sir!"
Shawn Shi looked excited—he believed in Evan Lin’s strength.
Evan Lin’s eyes stayed calm. "I was planning to wait a bit longer, but now—"
"You want to die? Fine, I’ll grant your wish."
With a calm face, the boy slung his backpack, pulled down his baseball cap, and climbed the steps—looking every bit the tourist as he walked toward the platform.