40: Chapter 40 Suppressor
The day of the duel.
Before dawn, Wang Pingan's personal terminal began vibrating frantically, sounding like a death knell.
Bleary-eyed, he reached for it and swiped the screen open.
An official emergency notification from the Municipal Martial Arts Association popped up directly, written in the most solemn black Songti font.
[Supplementary Regulations Regarding the 'Martial Arts Demonstration' Between Li Moran and Wang Pingan: Following a joint deliberation by the Shencheng City Municipal Martial Arts Association and the Elite Base school authorities, to ensure the fairness and technicality of the demonstration, both duelists must wear 'Blood Qi Suppressors'. These devices will uniformly suppress the Blood Qi intensity of both parties to the early stage of Rank Two (300 Cal). This is hereby notified.]
Wang Pingan's sleepiness vanished instantly.
He stared at that line of small text; while his expression remained unchanged, his gaze gradually turned cold.
Playing dirty.
And doing it so openly under the guise of official business.
They were neutralizing his Blood Qi advantage at the peak of the mid-stage Rank Two, dragging him down to the same level as Li Moran, and then planning to defeat him using Li Moran's richer 'Great Family Heritage' and 'combat experience'.
A clever calculation.
This move to pull the rug out from under him was truly poisonous.
Knock, knock, knock.
The dormitory door was pounded so hard it shook the heavens.
Instructor Chen Feng entered with a dark face, practically kicking the door open.
"Wang Pingan! Did you see the notification?"
His chest was heaving violently, clearly livid.
"These shameless bastards! The Li family has actually stretched their hands into the Association!"
"We're not doing this duel! I'm going to the principal right now to cancel it! They are flagrantly breaking the rules!"
Instructor Chen was truly anxious.
In his heart, Wang Pingan was a piece of unpolished jade, his prized pupil.
He could not stand by and watch his student be ruined by such despicable means.
"Instructor."
Wang Pingan stood up and calmly poured a glass of water for Instructor Chen.
"There's no need to cancel."
Instructor Chen froze, his hand stopping mid-air as he took the water.
"What did you say? Are you crazy? Do you know what this means?"
"It means they think they have me right where they want me."
Wang Pingan smiled, though the mirth didn't reach his eyes.
"Isn't this even better?"
"It's the perfect chance to let everyone see who the real trash is once the realm suppression is gone."
"Instructor, just watch and see."
He picked up his own cup and took a sip, his eyes reflecting a heart-stopping calmness.
"Today, I'm going to make Li Moran lose so badly he won't even have his underwear left."
...
Central Stadium.
A sea of people filled every seat.
All the searchlights were focused on the tall arena in the center of the venue.
The atmosphere was so oppressive it was hard to breathe.
Li Moran was already standing on one side of the ring.
He wore a brand-new white martial arts uniform, standing tall with a confident smile on his face.
On his left wrist, he already wore a black, high-tech metal ring.
That was the Blood Qi Suppressor.
He looked toward the entrance of the opposing tunnel, his eyes filled with pleasure and cruelty.
He could already imagine Wang Pingan's panicked and pathetic state once his Blood Qi was suppressed.
Finally.
Wang Pingan's figure appeared at the tunnel entrance.
He was still in his ordinary grey tracksuit, looking completely out of place in this high-end environment.
He walked calmly onto the stage and, with the help of a staff member, placed another Blood Qi Suppressor on his wrist.
Hum.
A powerful suppressing force instantly emanated from the bracelet. His internal Blood Qi, which had been surging like a rushing river at over four hundred Cal, was forcibly pushed down by an invisible force and locked at the three hundred Cal level.
A long-lost sense of 'weakness' spread through his body.
Yet, Wang Pingan's eyes grew even brighter.
Because he could clearly feel that although the total volume of Blood Qi was suppressed, his control over every bit of power had become more refined and terrifying.
He looked up at the smug Li Moran across from him.
His gaze was like that of someone looking at a dead man.
"Both sides, ready!"
Instructor Chen served as the referee personally. He glanced at Wang Pingan, his eyes full of worry.
But when he saw Wang Pingan's calm gaze, he felt inexplicably more at ease.
He took a deep breath and swung his hand down sharply!
"Duel!"
"Begin!"
Before the words even faded!
"Wang Pingan, die!"
Li Moran let out a beast-like roar, charging toward Wang Pingan like a cannonball!
He pushed his early-stage Rank Two Blood Qi to the limit and threw a punch. The wind from the fist whistled with a violent momentum intended to completely crush Wang Pingan!
In his view, they were both at the early stage of Rank Two; Wang Pingan's proud realm advantage was gone, and all that remained was for him to be unilaterally slaughtered!
However.
Facing this fierce punch, Wang Pingan didn't even move.
Just a split second before Li Moran's fist was about to smash into his face.
His body drifted lightly to the left, like a willow catkin in the wind.
Swish.
Li Moran's heavy, powerful punch brushed past his clothes and struck empty air.
Li Moran was stunned.
Before he could react.
A fist appeared silently beneath his right ribs.
It was the exact moment after he had exerted his strength—his old force was spent and new force had yet to rise—a blind spot that was the most uncomfortable and impossible to defend.
Thump!
A dull sound rang out.
Wang Pingan's fist pressed neither too hard nor too soft against his floating ribs.
Li Moran felt a numbness in his side, and the circulation of Blood Qi in his entire right arm stalled.
"How..."
The smugness on his face froze, replaced by a flash of shock and suspicion.
But Wang Pingan gave him no chance to think.
His figure was like a shadow following the bone, moving at high speed while sticking close to Li Moran's body.
Phantom Step!
Federal Military Body Boxing!
Thump! Thump! Thump!
A series of dense thuds, like rain hitting banana leaves, echoed continuously on the stage.
Every one of Wang Pingan's punches hit Li Moran in the most awkward spots.
Joints, acupuncture points, Blood Qi nodes.
His attacks weren't heavy; one might even say they were light.
Yet every punch made Li Moran feel as if the Blood Qi he had painstakingly gathered was like a punctured balloon, constantly leaking out and unable to form an effective attack.
He felt like a marionette, being toyed with by an invisible giant hand.
He had a body full of strength but was restricted at every turn, so frustrated he wanted to vomit blood.
"Aaaah! I don't believe it!"
Li Moran went completely mad. He abandoned all techniques and began swinging his fists wildly like a shrew, trying to force Wang Pingan back with brute strength.
But this played right into Wang Pingan's hands.
During a close-quarters struggle, a fleeting opening appeared on Li Moran's chest.
Now!
Wang Pingan's gaze suddenly became sharp!
His right fist shot out in what seemed like an ordinary straight punch, but the moment it was about to touch Li Moran's chest, a highly condensed force erupted!
Inch Force!
Pfft!
Li Moran's body was sent flying as if struck by an invisible giant hammer.
He spat out a mouthful of blood mid-air, his face turning deathly pale instantly.
He felt a cold, penetrating force rampaging through his internal organs, making even breathing difficult.
He struggled to crawl up from the ground, but his body wouldn't obey.
Wang Pingan walked over slowly, looking down at him from above.
"It's over."
He raised his foot.
Li Moran's pupils contracted violently with fear.
He saw a faint speck of light, like a star, ignite at the tip of Wang Pingan's foot.
Meteor Fist Technique, Meteor Chasing the Moon!
Only this time, it was used with a foot.
Bang!
Wang Pingan's foot kicked Li Moran precisely in the jaw.
Li Moran's head snapped back, his eyes rolled up, and he lost consciousness completely.
The entire arena fell silent.
Everyone stared dumbfounded at the youth on the stage who was slowly retracting his foot.
The expressions on their faces shifted from curiosity to shock, then to disbelief, and finally transformed into deep awe.
"In this duel, Wang Pingan wins!"
Instructor Chen Feng's voice broke the silence of the stadium.