The atmosphere at the scene was electric, the word “worthless” echoing throughout the air, as if trying to nail Lin Luxi to the pillar of shame. In the live stream, the bullet comments surged in unison, with countless “worthless” flooding the screen. Numerous asterisks appeared where insults were too foul, automatically censored by the system, and many users ended up silenced or banned as a result.
The main reason Lin Luxi had provoked such public outrage was the issue of fairness.
No matter the era, injustice is always the most relatable and the quickest to ignite people’s anger and protests.
The star network had an intelligent system in place to prevent any major incidents, but at the competition venue, this chant-like behavior continued for quite some time.
The arena was filled with thunderous jeers. The vice principal glanced at the principal, seeking his opinion. “Should we have someone shut this down?”
The principal clasped his hands behind his back and shook his head. “No need. Let them vent.”
In fact, the principal himself had some reservations about Yue Xinghe’s “buy one, get one free” arrangement. He didn’t want to let go of a talent like Yue Xinghe, but he also couldn’t bring himself to bully a junior like Lin Luxi. Standing by and doing nothing was his way of venting his own dissatisfaction while also forcing Lin Luxi to face reality.
Ordinary people had their own way of life. Those who delusionally attempted to step into a world that didn’t belong to them had to pay the price.
In all the years the Alliance Tournament had been held offline, this was the first time a contestant had incited such collective fury from the audience. Even contestants from other arenas, who were in the middle of their own matches, couldn’t help but pause and turn their attention to Lin Luxi’s match, unanimously deciding to wait until it was over before continuing.
As for the contestants seated in the stands, almost all of them wore looks of disdain. They looked down on those who used improper means to gain advantages, and by extension, they looked down on Lin Luxi, doubting he would deliver any remarkable performance on stage.
Lin Luxi’s opponent was a burly young man, three times his width, sturdy and solid, a hulking figure reminiscent of Qin Hao.
Amidst the heated chants of insults, Lin Luxi glanced toward the contestants’ seating area.
His eyesight was sharp, allowing him to clearly see a man with long golden hair, as if bathed in a layer of radiance under the sunlight. The man’s lips moved slightly, silently mouthing two words.
‘You can do it.’
The man’s gentle voice seemed to sound right beside him.
Lin Luxi broke into a radiant smile.
His opponent cracked his knuckles with a loud pop. Already annoyed by Yue Xinghe’s high-profile antics, he now sneered in disdain. “Lin Luxi, if you get on your knees and beg for mercy right now, I’ll go easy on you later.”
Lin Luxi let out an exaggerated “Ah?” and shook his head, pointing to his ear as if to say he couldn’t hear because it was too quiet.
The opponent took a deep breath and roared, “I said! Surrender now! Get on your knees and beg! And later! I’ll go easy on you!”
To drown out the thunderous roar of the crowd was no easy feat. His opponent, shouting at the top of his lungs, felt his throat burn raw.
Just then, the host managed to regain control of the venue, turning the speakers to maximum volume and declaring that the match would not begin until the chanting stopped. The spectators, eager to see Lin Luxi beaten to a miserable pulp, quickly complied and fell silent. The scene instantly became deathly quiet.
And so, the entire audience heard the opponent’s desperate yell.
Then, they heard Lin Luxi hum thoughtfully before replying calmly, “How about you kneel instead, and I’ll consider whether I should forfeit?”
Lin Luxi’s composed demeanor stood in stark contrast to the burly man’s furious outburst, drawing murmurs from the stands.
Feeling humiliated, the muscular man snarled, “Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit? Don’t come begging me later.”
With that, he said no more and readied his stance.
At most two punches, no, just one punch would knock Lin Luxi out cold and end the match. He didn’t want others accusing him of bullying the weak.
Lin Luxi stood there with his hands hanging naturally, his entire stance riddled with openings.
It seemed he had completely given up on resisting and was ready to abandon the match.
The audience could already picture the scene of Lin Luxi bloodied and weeping, and the live stream erupted with festive excitement as bets were placed on how many moves it would take for Lin Luxi to lose.
No one believed Lin Luxi could win.
The outcome of the match was already decided before it even began. Lin Luxi’s participation was nothing but a self-inflicted humiliation.
“Lin Luxi’s opponent is a sophomore. His mental strength is a bit low, only a C, but his physique is a B+. He can shatter rocks with one punch. Lin Luxi is doomed!”
Under the fiery gaze of countless spectators, the burly man made the first move. His fist, as massive as a sandbag, swung fiercely toward Lin Luxi’s head, targeting his temple.
If that punch landed, forget seeing stars, Lin Luxi might very well be knocked out on the spot.
The spectators clenched their fists, unable to suppress their smiles, and opened their mouths to cheer.
But then, Lin Luxi appeared startled, stumbling backward a step. The wind-driven fist brushed past his forehead, sending his silver bangs fluttering.
The cheer died in their throats as soon as it began. The spectators looked like chickens suddenly silenced mid-squawk, their smiles frozen in place.
But it was only a single missed strike. The crowd quickly rallied.
“It was just luck. He dodged, that’s all.”
“XX, hurry up and wipe the floor with him!”
A worthless F-rank talent, no matter how good his luck was, could it actually win him the match?
Never expecting his attack to miss, the burly man felt a wave of shame that reddened both his neck and cheeks, even if his opponent had simply gotten lucky. With a roar of frustration, he tensed every muscle in his body. A muffled burst echoed as his shirt shredded apart, revealing a tangled mass of bulging, powerful muscles. Every inch of him radiated sheer strength.
Letting out a fierce howl, he charged forward and unleashed a relentless flurry of blows. Each punch and kick came so fast they were reduced to blurs, the sharp whistles of their trajectories proving he was showing no mercy.
Yet, for some reason, Lin Luxi seemed to have stepped on a banana peel while wearing roller skates, constantly appearing on the verge of falling, only to narrowly dodge each attack at the very last moment.
Under the storm of blows, Lin Luxi looked to be in dire straits, yet he hadn’t taken a single hit. Like a tenacious blade of grass swaying violently in a tempest, he appeared on the brink of collapse but remained completely unharmed.
A hush fell over the stands. The spectators had a faint sense that something was slipping out of their control.
But they refused to believe it. Driven by a growing unease, they held their breath, rallying behind the burly man with cheers that consumed all their strength.
Yet, the more fervent they became, the more frantic the burly man grew on the stage. Sweat broke out on his back in sheer panic, his movements becoming increasingly chaotic and uncoordinated.
After narrowly evading yet another punch, Lin Luxi panted heavily, seemingly spent. The spectators, who had just begun to deflate because the match wasn’t going as expected, suddenly surged with renewed energy, their morale climbing even higher.
“Strike while the iron’s hot! Hit him! Beat him down!”
“Ahhh, XX, go! XX, go! Charge!!”
The burly man, as if seeing a glimmer of hope, roared in fury and gathered his focus to throw the most powerful punch he could muster.
Lin Luxi seemed frozen in place, standing motionless as if struck dumb.
The audience’s eyes widened, their breaths held, and they rose halfway from their seats, ready to jump up and scream in celebration.
But in what appeared to be an accidental dodge, Lin Luxi casually reached out and pressed his hand down on the burly man’s head. Then, as if slipping on the floor, Lin Luxi tumbled to the ground, using the momentum to slam his opponent’s head into the floor.
Thud!
The burly man’s entire face smacked into the ground. His nasal bone shattered, and blood quickly pooled beneath him on the floor, a sharp, glaring sight.
The entire arena fell into dead silence. Spectators who had risen halfway froze mid-motion.
All across the stands, faces of every shape and size reflected the same shock and disbelief.
One person, dazed, turned to their neighbor for confirmation. “I think something’s wrong with my eyes… I just saw Lin Luxi slam his opponent’s head onto the floor.”
His neighbor looked equally bewildered, questioning his own existence. “My eyes must be broken too. Otherwise, why would I see the same thing—XX getting slammed into the ground?”
Amidst the collective self-doubt and murmurs of disbelief, a faint trace of a smile appeared in Yue Xinghe’s eyes.
The other contestants who had looked down on Lin Luxi at the start of the match now wore complex expressions, caught between shock and uncertainty.
But no matter how they felt, none of them experienced it as profoundly as the burly man on the stage.
Throughout the match, Lin Luxi had been like a fish, seemingly easy to catch, yet so slippery that it was impossible to get a firm grip.
Deep down, the burly man had begun to suspect that Lin Luxi’s strength was not as worthless as the rumors claimed. But by then, the crowd had already erupted again. Unaware of the truth, they only knew that a student who had legitimately entered the Alliance University had been slammed headfirst into the ground by a supposed “worthless” contestant.
They had placed their hopes on the burly man to teach Lin Luxi a lesson, only for the opposite to happen, he was the one who got humiliated!
Unable to accept reality, they felt deceived. Their fury boiled over, nearly giving them a stroke.
In their rage, they turned their anger toward the burly man, screaming insults laced with frustration, even more vehemently than when they had been cursing Lin Luxi moments ago!
“Is this what an Alliance University student is like? Can’t even beat a worthless nobody!”
“Rigged! Completely rigged! He must have been bought off by Lin Luxi!”
Even in the official livestream, the bullet comments were flooded with outrage.
The burly man didn’t expect to become the target of public condemnation in an instant. The torrent of accusations and insults left him dizzy, his mentality shattered. With an enraged roar, he charged at Lin Luxi, swinging his fist.
Lin Luxi sidestepped.
The burly man, who had unknowingly reached the edge of the stage, stepped half his foot off the platform. His arms flailed wildly as his body swayed like seaweed in search of balance. Seizing the opportunity, Lin Luxi casually delivered a kick, sending him tumbling off the stage.
“Winner, Lin Luxi!”
The burly man never imagined he would lose, and to Lin Luxi, of all people.
If Lin Luxi was a “worthless” nobody, then what did that make him? Worse than worthless!
Driven to madness, the burly man covered his face with his hands and fled in shame.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, the audience went berserk.
What was supposed to be a one-sided match where the burly man crushed Lin Luxi had ended in a completely unexpected reversal.
The spectator stands were in an uproar, with chaotic shouting and cursing shaking the heavens.
The live stream fell silent for a full minute before erupting after a single bullet comment: “This has to be fake? Lin Luxi actually won?”
“There’s definitely some shady deal behind this! Lin Luxi is despicable!”
In the rest area, even the vice principal sounded uncertain. “Could Lin Luxi have actually bribed him?”
The principal pressed a hand to his forehead, glanced at the live stream, and immediately felt a headache coming on. He quickly ordered an investigation.
But none of this had anything to do with Lin Luxi anymore. As he exited the competition venue, Yue Xinghe was leaning against the wall at the contestant exit. Spotting Lin Luxi, he straightened up, and his tall frame suddenly made the space feel a bit cramped.
Yue Xinghe looked at the silver cowlick on top of Lin Luxi’s head and said, “That was a brilliant match. Xiao Xi is very impressive.”
The light above fell into Yue Xinghe’s eyes, resembling a golden sea.
Lin Luxi floundered in that sea for a moment, then blinked. “Actually, I owe it all to the moves you taught me. Everything else was just luck, pure luck.”
This little spy hadn’t even executed any moves earlier, what a little liar.
Still, one had to admit that watching the audience get toyed with, their emotions manipulated, and spun around like fools was even more entertaining than the hottest movies out there.
Yue Xinghe smoothed down Lin Luxi’s slightly messy silver hair and said with a soft smile, “I made a reservation at a restaurant tonight to celebrate your win.”
“Hahaha, what’s there to celebrate?”
Lin Luxi followed him out, saying there was nothing to celebrate, yet within seconds, he couldn’t help licking his lips and started rattling off a list of dishes.
Yue Xinghe shook his head at Lin Luxi’s eager, food-craving expression, but there was an unconscious hint of amusement in his eyes.
As the top school in the Earth Alliance, the Alliance University was surrounded by a well-connected transportation network and a thriving economy, with bustling commercial streets. At night, it was especially lively. Besides humans, there were various extraterrestrial races, both humanoid and non-humanoid, offering a feast for the eyes.
Lin Luxi even spotted a bright red, beady-eyed being with octopus-like tentacles on its head. He stared in shock, his gaze fixed on the creature. But before the being could notice, Yue Xinghe covered his eyes and said, “That’s an Altorian. Those tentacles on its head are private parts. If you keep staring, you might get accused of harassment.”
Lin Luxi paused mid-motion, about to pull Yue Xinghe’s hand away, and instead let it rest on his wrist.
The original novel had only briefly mentioned a few races without detailed descriptions, and the original character hadn’t been particularly worldly, leading to this embarrassing blunder.
Just the thought of being accused of harassment by that alien made Lin Luxi want to disappear. Relieved to have narrowly escaped such a fate, he took Yue Xinghe’s hand and expressed his gratitude with genuine sincerity.
For the rest of the way, he didn’t dare stare at anyone directly, only stealing glances with his peripheral vision, and still found it utterly eye-opening.
The group of four arrived at the restaurant Yue Xinghe had reserved. Lin Luxi glanced at the restaurant’s sign, then tilted his head back to look at the dazzling words “Blue Dream” at the top.
What a damn coincidence.
Lin Luxi tilted his head back and stared for a few seconds, not noticing the stone beneath his feet. His body tilted, and he stumbled toward Yue Xinghe, who had keenly sensed his movement.
It was the tail end of summer, and Yue Xinghe was dressed casually in a loose T-shirt. Lin Luxi could feel the firmness of his chest and the heat of his body transmitted clearly through the thin fabric.
Yue Xinghe didn’t budge an inch even after being bumped into. He asked, “Did you twist your ankle?”
As if scalded, Lin Luxi swiftly pulled his hand back, shook his head, and said with a slightly unnatural tone, “No.”
Chris let out a soft snort. “Tripping on flat ground. What grade of disability does that make you?”
Qin Hao glanced at Yue Xinghe with a hint of warning. “Chris! Don’t forget the purpose of tonight.”
They were here to celebrate Lin Luxi advancing to the next round.
Chris swallowed the mockery that had been on the tip of her tongue.
She thought about Lin Luxi’s performance in the arena today. She didn’t believe in luck. If someone experienced a series of fortunate events in such a short time, there was only one explanation.
That person was strong, strong enough to engineer a series of so-called lucky breaks.
But Lin Luxi?
Considering his past behavior, Chris shook her head. Maybe he really was just lucky.