Yes, some things are not simply released just because one wishes them to be. At the very least, the matter of Fen Tu Kuang Xiao remained a thorn in Kuang Ge’s heart because Huo Ertie’s older brother had played dirty the day before the fight, injuring Kuang Xiao prematurely so he couldn't fight at his peak strength, resulting in defeat.

“Kuang Ge, I only lost one match. They played dirty, but so what?

It means I wasn't strong enough! If I had been strong enough, their tricks wouldn’t have mattered, don't you agree?

Be strong, make yourself so strong that their tricks are useless—then you’ve succeeded.” Fen Tu Kuang Ge still remembered the last words his brother, Kuang Xiao, had spoken to him the night before he left him when Kuang Ge was very young. After that, Brother Kuang Xiao vanished.

When he reappeared, his hair was a mess, despair filled his eyes, and he was completely deranged, not recognizing anyone. In the end, he was locked away in the family dungeon, living a life where he could not see the sun or breathe free air.

All of this… all of this was thanks to Huo Ertie’s elder brother! “I always believed that whoever made a mistake should bear the consequences, not their younger brother or other relatives.

But now, I see I was wrong…” Fen Tu Kuang Ge’s calm gaze suddenly turned sharp and frigid: “Since you take pride in what your brother did, since you dare to speak of my brother, then you should be prepared to bear the burden of your brother’s mistakes! Before I defeat your brother, I’ll collect some interest from you first.” “Hit me?

You want to fight me?” Huo Ertie trembled with laughter, his thick lips stretched as wide as possible: “You actually choose to fight me? Are you out of your mind?

Is your skin itching again? Did you forget the pain after your scars healed?

Do you forget how I beat you like a dead dog last time? How you were lying on the ground spitting bile?” Fen Tu Kuang Ge slowly lowered his head and walked toward the dueling platform.

An indescribable might emanated from him, causing the students blocking the stage to instinctively recoil to both sides, afraid to come into contact with his aura, as if even a slight brush would result in being devoured by a suddenly lunging tiger! In recent days, Fen Tu Kuang Ge did not appear particularly formidable next to Qian Jin, but that did not mean he was truly weak.

Surviving countless near-death battles was in itself a testament to his strength. It wasn't that Fen Tu Kuang Ge wasn't strong enough; it was that Duan Feng Bu Er and the others were too powerful, which made Fen Tu Kuang Ge appear weak.

Killing intent? The surrounding warrior students, who had witnessed the conflicts on various Human-Demon battlegrounds or even seen war firsthand, always believed they had cultivated a killing aura.

But compared to the thick, iron-blooded killing intent emanating from Fen Tu Kuang Ge—an aura mixed with the stench of carnage and blooming with the flavor of death—they likely didn't even qualify as having mere anger. The killing intent was like a blade; the killing aura was like a sword!

The students could only retreat further, clearing a path wide enough for two carriages abreast—a passage befitting an emperor's ascension—allowing Fen Tu Kuang Ge to walk onto the stage with firm, measured steps. “Huo Ertie, Lili Zhago.” Fen Tu Kuang Ge used the height of the stage to look down calmly at the two figures below.

He swept his right index finger toward the two, who were slightly raised in his direction, beckoning them: “Both of you, come up together.” Come up together? A regular warrior challenging Bloodline Warriors, demanding they come up together?

This demand had been voiced once before, not long ago, during Fabreidis’s funeral. It was the bold declaration made by Qian Jin, then ranked first on the Academy’s Hundred Battles List, challenging Lei Ting Shi Wang, the current number one, and Nu Hou Shi Wang, the number three.

The time since that statement had been so short that the words still echoed in people’s ears as they were passed around, yet now they were spoken again, this time by another ordinary warrior. What was this signifying?

Had the era of ordinary warriors arrived? In such a short span, two ordinary warriors had dared to challenge four Bloodline Warriors to face them all at once.

Huo Ertie wore a smile of disbelief: “Has you kid truly gone mad? Do you not remember who beat you like a dead dog last time?

Who do you think you are? Do you think you are Qian Jin?

You are nothing more than a dead dog I once beat until you couldn’t get up from the floor.” Fen Tu Kuang Ge quietly looked at Lili Zhago, who hadn't moved from below the stage: “Viper Bloodline Warrior, aren’t you coming up?” “If Huo Ertie can beat you, why would I need to?” Lili Zhago didn't step forward; instead, he took a small step back. That dense killing intent from moments ago was indeed startling.

This boy had followed Qian Jin for so long; perhaps he had truly become stronger? It was better to observe the situation first.

Fen Tu Kuang Ge stopped pressing Lili Zhago and let his gaze fall back on Huo Ertie: “Then let’s begin now.” Roar! Huo Ertie suddenly let out a deafening, furious bellow.

He fully activated the bloodline power of the Berserk Bear Bloodline Warrior. The moment his Battle Form manifested, his two massive feet trod down with heavy steps, like the pounding of a war drum.

Like a truly savage bear, he lunged straight for Fen Tu Kuang Ge, delivering a Bear Strike to Break the Sky Gale! A sneak attack?

No! A frontal assault!

Huo Ertie had learned a painful lesson from his swift defeat when facing Qian Jin previously, a lesson etched deeply into his mind from the very start of their clash. The moment he touched Fen Tu Kuang Ge’s killing aura, he knew the person before him might have turned into a formidable rival.

Had the dialogue not taken place, Huo Ertie would never have dared to utter such provocative words, triggering this confrontation, given how dense and iron-blooded Fen Tu Kuang Ge’s aura was. Ever since Thunder Lion King was defeated by Qian Jin, many ordinary warriors in the academy no longer bowed their heads when passing Bloodline Warriors; instead, they held their chests high, their eyes shining with unprecedented pride and confidence.

This situation deeply pricked the nerves of all the Bloodline Warriors in the academy. The instant Huo Ertie saw Fen Tu Kuang Ge, he thought that if he could knock down Fen Tu Kuang Ge again, if he could leave the ordinary warrior standing next to Qian Jin unable to rise, much of the Bloodline Warriors' lost face would be reclaimed.

In doing so, he would become a hero among the academy’s other Bloodline Warriors! But Huo Ertie never expected that Fen Tu Kuang Ge, whom he had treated like a child to casually beat a few months ago, seemed to have completely changed!

He looked like a genuine, formidable opponent now! If he had known this sooner… Huo Ertie had no time for regret.

At this juncture, he could only fight. As Fen Tu Kuang Ge signaled the start of the battle, Huo Ertie mimicked Qian Jin’s tactics from last time, launching a surprise attack, hoping to take down Fen Tu Kuang Ge before he could truly plant his feet or focus his mind!

Huo Ertie struck with full power from the outset, a simple, direct, clean close-range charge. The Bear Strike concentrated highly compressed Dou Qi at the point of impact, swirling torrentially with power ready to explode.

This strike, honed by a thousand trials, was capable of shattering the skull of a warhorse with one punch! If it could connect with Fen Tu Kuang Ge, one blow would end the fight!

Huo Ertie was confident that if his rush connected, the battle would conclude instantly. Bang!

Huo Ertie’s punch landed solidly and squarely on Fen Tu Kuang Ge’s abdomen. The sound of the fist connecting with muscle was not like striking flesh, but more like colliding with metal, accompanied by a faint, resonant clang that reached the ears of the crowd.

Having landed the blow, Huo Ertie himself couldn't believe how easily he succeeded. The surrounding students instinctively closed their eyes, and some even cried out, unable to watch Fen Tu Kuang Ge suffer a devastating hit.

One second… two seconds… The crowd didn't hear the body being violently thrown back to crash onto the ground. The students opened their eyes and stared at the two figures on the platform, momentarily stunned.

This… this was… Huo Ertie’s eyes were also filled with surprise. A punch to the abdomen should easily send a person flying, certainly breaking several of Fen Tu Kuang Ge’s ribs, forcing him to vomit blood, or making him kneel and unable to stand.

These were perfectly normal outcomes. But, precisely!

This normal outcome did not occur! After being struck, Fen Tu Kuang Ge stood there brazenly, not even bothering to bend over or show a flicker of pain on his face.

Calmness. All that the onlookers could see on Fen Tu Kuang Ge’s face was profound composure.

Huo Ertie’s momentary confusion was broken as his left shoulder suddenly tilted down, and his right leg shot up like a sturdy metal pillar, raising a sharp, whistling hum as he delivered a sweeping move with the force of a thousand armies, striking heavily across Fen Tu Kuang Ge’s cheek, knocking his head sideways. When the leg was retracted, Huo Ertie watched as Fen Tu Kuang Ge’s head, which had been thrown sideways, slowly rotated back to its original position.

Then, his neck made his head wobble slightly from side to side a few times, yet his eyes and expression remained imbued with that indescribable tranquility. The scene fell utterly silent.

A faint, almost imperceptible breeze stirred, brushing against the onlookers, yet it carried an inexplicable chill, giving everyone the sensation of being stripped naked and dumped into an icy wasteland. How could this be?

Huo Ertie had seen battle and faced difficult situations before. Sensing something terribly wrong, he accelerated his assault: elbow, knee, side kick, shoulder block!

A rapid-fire sequence of breathless, fierce, and wild attacks rained down upon Fen Tu Kuang Ge’s body. The assault had to stop eventually.

After releasing his Dou Qi in a furious, unchecked torrent, Huo Ertie stared blankly at Fen Tu Kuang Ge, who remained utterly calm. “Are you finished?” It was still that same calm voice, but now it sounded as if it were chilling the marrow of their bones—terrifying, like a demon king waking from slumber and calmly announcing his intention to consume a person for a snack.

“Then it’s my turn,” Fen Tu Kuang Ge murmured, lightly clenching his fist. The Dou Heart inside him was already spinning rapidly, channeling through the Dou Meridians to his palm.

His knuckles cracked with the crisp sound of popping beans, and in the eyes of the onlookers, his fist seemed to swell and grow larger by a full circumference.