Among all the trainees, Ian Song was the youngest, but his combat ability was the highest. Still, no one thought he could beat Zoe Zhao.
"Go for it, Ian! Try to last a few more moves this time." An older trainee waved his fist at Ian. His name was Wang Song, a tech supervisor at an e-commerce company and the trainee Ian got along with best.
"I’ll run the bets: Ian loses within ten moves, 2-to-1 odds; survives past ten moves, 1-to-2 odds. Minimum bet fifty, maximum two hundred."
A burly male trainee of about twenty-five or twenty-six shouted. His name was Ye Hu, known for his boisterous personality and love of mischief. Apart from Ian, he was the strongest among the trainees.
I’m betting fifty on under ten moves.
I’m betting a hundred on under ten moves.
Me too, a hundred on under ten moves.
Since everyone’s betting on under ten moves, I’ll put two hundred on more than ten—just to encourage Ian," Wang Song said with a grin.
Everyone started placing bets. Out of twelve people, only Wang Song bet on Ian lasting more than ten moves; the rest all bet on under ten.
"Tiger, if you win tonight, you’re treating everyone, right?" Ian asked Ye Hu.
"Of course I’ll treat!" Ye Hu pounded his chest. He’d started the betting pool for fun, not for the money.
"Deal! I’ll give it my all to last more than ten moves!" Ian grinned meaningfully and stepped onto the ring.
"What’s gotten into you today? Missing getting beaten up by your big sister?" Zoe Zhao teased, her face mischievous.
"What if I said I’m here to bully you instead—would you believe me?" Ian smirked. In the gym, he didn’t have to stay low-key like at school and was much more flamboyant.
Zoe raised her eyebrows: "Oh? Haven’t seen you for a few days and you’ve grown some guts? Hope it’s more than just talk."
"Try me and you’ll see." Ian nodded seriously.
"Fine! If I can’t KO you in eight moves, you can do whatever you want!" Zoe snapped.
"Let’s not. That bet’s too big—I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle losing." Ian shook his head.
"Wow, not only are you bragging, you’re trying to bait me now." Zoe scoffed, then turned to the crowd. "Everyone bear witness: if I don’t KO Ian in eight moves, I’ll agree to one condition he sets."
The crowd burst out laughing and agreed.
Zoe looked at Ian again. "Satisfied now?"
"Zoe, you said it yourself—I didn’t force you." Ian grinned proudly, his smile sly as a little fox that had just stolen a chicken.
A faint sense of unease crept over Zoe, but she quickly brushed it off. She knew Ian’s strength all too well—if she went all out, knocking him out in five moves, let alone eight, would be a breeze.
She hooked a finger at Ian. "Come on, don’t say your big sister never gives you a chance. You make the first move!"
"Careful, Zoe! Here I come!"
Ian let out a sharp breath, strode forward, and aimed a punch straight at Zoe’s face.
Not knowing exactly how strong Zoe was and not wanting to hurt her, Ian only used half his strength.
As the saying goes, you can judge a fighter the moment they move. From Ian’s punch—the speed, the force, the gust of wind—Zoe could instantly tell his strength had improved tremendously.
Still, she didn’t take him seriously and threw out a punch to meet his.
Bang!
Their fists collided in midair. Instantly, Zoe felt a huge force surge from Ian’s punch, slamming into her and forcing her to stagger back three steps before she could steady herself. Shocked, she thought, "How did this kid’s strength get so terrifying?"
Seeing Ian knock Zoe back with a single punch, the trainees below the ring all widened their eyes, faces full of disbelief. Since when had Ian become so powerful?
As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot—when you have the upper hand, don’t let up.
After knocking Zoe back, Ian pressed his advantage, surging forward and unleashing a continuous flurry of combat moves from his Intermediate Combat Arts.
Zoe was forced into a panicked defense, stepping backward again and again under the relentless barrage.
But the ring was only so big—soon Zoe was backed up to the very edge, one more step and she’d be forced off.
If she lost to Ian in front of everyone, she’d never live it down. So she stopped holding back—her inner strength exploded from her dantian, letting her block Ian’s next three attacks in a row. Then her footwork shifted, and Ian’s vision blurred—Zoe vanished from his sight.
But then he caught a faint rush of wind behind him.
He didn’t even need to turn around—he knew Zoe must have slipped behind him. In the past, he’d never have dodged it, but now, with Intermediate Combat Arts, his reflexes were razor-sharp.
So he dropped into a lightning-fast squat and swept his leg out. Zoe hadn’t expected Ian to react so quickly and hurriedly pulled back, retreating.
Too bad, Ian’s sweeping kick was just a feint. He shifted his legs into a bow stance, then sprang forward, driving his right elbow at Zoe with lightning speed and eighty percent of his full power.
There was no time to dodge—Zoe could only channel her inner strength into her arms and brace herself to block.
Boom!
The force rippled through the ring with a muffled thud. Zoe felt an unstoppable power slam into her, sending her staggering all the way to the edge before she could barely steady herself.
"Holy crap, Ian must’ve taken some kind of aphrodisiac! He’s insanely strong!" Ye Hu’s jaw dropped wide open at the scene.
The rest of the trainees were just as stunned, shock written all over their faces.
After sending Zoe flying, Ian stopped attacking. Even though his elbow strike had knocked her back, he didn’t feel great either—a strange force had seeped into his skin, making his whole arm feel numb and sore.
If he guessed right, that energy must be the secret inner strength cultivated from the Zhao family’s Ninefold Breath Technique.
"Zoe, we’re past ten moves and you still haven’t KO’d me. Doesn’t that mean you lost?" Ian said cheerfully.
"Ian, you—" Zoe’s face suddenly flushed bright red. She never imagined she’d lose to this brat.
Seeing Zoe’s face flush red, Ian felt all his pent-up frustration finally released. He laughed gleefully, "What’s wrong, Zoe? Want to go back on your word? But hey, you’re not a guy—so I’ll let you off if you want!"
Zoe blurted out, "Who said I’m backing out, you brat? Just say it—what do you want me to do?"
Ian tilted his head and thought for a moment, a mischievous idea popping into his mind. His eyes gleamed slyly as he looked Zoe up and down.
Feeling his gaze, Zoe’s heart skipped a beat. "Don’t ask for anything too outrageous, or I won’t let you off easy."
Ian snickered. "Relax, Zoe. I wouldn’t ask for anything wild. How about this—just say, ‘Big Brother, little sister won’t dare again,’ and we’ll let it go."
"What?"
Zoe hadn’t expected Ian to make such a demand—her whole face turned green with indignation.
The trainees below burst out laughing again, egging them on.
"Come on, Zoe, hurry up and say it! Tiger made a killing tonight and he’s waiting to treat everyone to a late-night snack!" Ian teased, smirking at her.
"Ian, are you looking to die?" Zoe snarled.
You just can’t handle losing!
You... Can’t you pick something else?
You just can’t handle losing!
Fine, you win! Just wait till I get my chance next time!" Zoe was fuming, nearly losing her temper.
Ian didn’t care about Zoe’s threat at all. Instead, he cupped his hand to his ear, pretending to listen.
Zoe was so angry she could barely speak. After a moment, she muttered, voice barely louder than a mosquito, "Big Brother, little sister won’t dare again."
"Didn’t catch that—did anyone hear her?" Ian called out to the crowd.
"Nope, didn’t hear it!" the crowd jeered, egging her on. Every trainee there had been beaten by Zoe before; now that she was finally getting humbled, of course they played along.
Ian shrugged innocently at Zoe. "See? No one heard you, Zoe."
"Big Brother, little sister won’t dare again!" Zoe glared at Ian and shouted through gritted teeth.
Ian replied, "Good girl, little sister—Big Brother forgives you!"
Ha!
The crowd erupted into laughter again, the gym filled with noise and cheer.