"Shen Lang, you are very different from what I imagined. It's truly said that meeting is not as good as hearing about it."
Less than five seconds after Shen Lang stepped onto the stage, a man, who was one meter ninety-five tall, burly and powerfully built, walked onto the arena. He looked at Shen Lang and sneered,
"You will soon know what 'meeting is not as good as hearing about it' truly means."
Facing Xiao Zhantian's mockery, Shen Lang smiled and asked, "How many moves do you think you'll need to defeat me?"
"Within ten moves, you will be severely injured and thrown off the stage."
Xiao Zhantian looked at Shen Lang with a confident expression and said, "Although many people have praised you as incredibly skilled, like catching the Northern Spear King Nalan Wushuang with bare hands, or beheading Lin Nianfo with superficial knife and spear skills, to me, you are nothing. You will lose within ten moves."
"Ten moves?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Lang smiled and said, "That's too many. Let's make it one move."
"Xiao Zhantian, is it? I will defeat you in just one move."
"Arrogant—"
Hearing Shen Lang's words, the other members of the Martial Guard Division below the stage all burst into laughter. This was Shen Lang's first major martial arts competition, and he had no idea how powerful Xiao Zhantian was. Now, he dared to boast so wildly. He would soon regret his words.
"Xiao Zhantian, go, throw this kid off the stage for us!"
There were never a shortage of people who enjoyed stirring up trouble. Immediately, someone stood up and egged them on.
"For the past three years, you were the runner-up, only losing to Ma Feng. This year, Ma Feng was dealt with by Long Feng in the first round. You should at least win the championship. Throw this kid off the stage for us and let's see if you deserve to be the champion."
Everyone loved to instigate, as it cost them nothing. Naturally, they would stoke the flames as high as possible, the higher the better.
Moreover, from another perspective, this could be considered part of the competition atmosphere.
"Kid, did you hear that?"
Facing the instigation from the crowd below, Xiao Zhantian didn't get angry. He smiled at Shen Lang and said, "They want me to throw you off the stage. You see, the public's demand is so great, I can't refuse. In that case, I'll have to offend you."
As he spoke, Xiao Zhantian lunged forward like a leopard, then locked his hands tightly onto Shen Lang's clavicle, intending to use a move called "Overlord Lifting the Tripod" to lift Shen Lang and throw him directly off the stage.
However, as soon as Xiao Zhantian exerted force with his hands, he was stunned. He found Shen Lang to be like an ancient tree whose roots were deeply embedded in the ground. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move Shen Lang even an inch.
"Can you put in a little more effort?"
Looking at the profusely sweating Xiao Zhantian, Shen Lang smiled and said, "Your strength is not enough to directly throw me off the stage. You're too weak."
"Kid, don't be so arrogant. Take this punch first."
Unable to budge Shen Lang with brute force, Xiao Zhantian didn't dwell on it. He quickly threw a punch, aiming it heavily at Shen Lang's chest.
Others practiced punches on sandbags, but Xiao Zhantian practiced on iron stakes. His iron fists had caused Ma Feng a great deal of trouble over the past three years.
"He's enraged! Xiao Zhantian is enraged! Shen Lang is probably going to suffer."
Seeing Xiao Zhantian throw a punch, the others below the stage were shocked and said.
Many of them had not only seen Xiao Zhantian's iron fists but had also experienced them firsthand. They knew how terrifying Xiao Zhantian's iron fists were.
When Xiao Zhantian landed a full-power punch on an iron stake, it would leave an imprint. Shen Lang surely couldn't withstand his punch.
In a flash, in the time it took for everyone to take a breath, Xiao Zhantian's punch landed heavily on Shen Lang's chest.
"He's been hit! Shen Lang has been hit!"
The audience below the stage was incredibly excited, shouting, "After taking one of Xiao Zhantian's punches, Shen Lang will be at least severely injured, if not dead. He has no chance of winning this time."
"Shen Lang, this person is no simple fellow."
At the same time, Long Feng looked at Shen Lang on the stage and muttered to himself.
"Long Feng, what are you talking about?"
Hearing Long Feng speak, Luo Mingxuan, who was about to compete for the East River Martial Guard Division, asked curiously.
"Luo Mingxuan, Ma Feng was eliminated in the first round this year. I thought we had a chance to win the championship, but now it seems difficult."
Long Feng looked at Shen Lang and then said to Luo Mingxuan, "Ma Feng has been eliminated, but now Shen Lang has appeared. I feel like we are all going to lose to him."
"Long Feng, are you out of your mind?"
Hearing Long Feng's words, Luo Mingxuan looked at him in shock and said, "What Shen Lang? He has already taken Xiao Zhantian's iron fist. His chest bones are probably shattered. How could he possibly prevent us from winning the championship?"
"Luo Mingxuan, you only saw that Shen Lang took Xiao Zhantian's iron fist, but did you notice Shen Lang's condition?"
Long Feng sighed and said, "Shen Lang took a solid iron fist, but his face is ruddy, and he shows no sign of pain. How does he look injured at all?"
"What?"
As soon as he said that, Luo Mingxuan looked up and saw that it was indeed as Long Feng had said. Although Shen Lang had been hit, he showed no sign of pain, looked calm, and his eyes were peaceful.
"How can this be?"
Others also realized what was happening and said in disbelief, "Could it be that Xiao Zhantian's iron fist cannot harm Shen Lang?"
"You..."
Xiao Zhantian was initially full of confidence in his iron fist, but seeing that his full-power punch couldn't harm Shen Lang, his expression became extremely unsightly.
"Bang—"
In the moment of Xiao Zhantian's inner turmoil, Shen Lang moved.
With one punch, Shen Lang struck Xiao Zhantian's chest heavily. In an instant, Xiao Zhantian flew back like a kite with a broken string, falling heavily off the stage about seven or eight meters away.
Falling off the stage meant that Xiao Zhantian had lost to Shen Lang.
Seeing this outcome, everyone present was greatly shocked. No one expected Shen Lang to defeat Xiao Zhantian in just one move.
Furthermore, if he had truly defeated Xiao Zhantian in one move, it would have been acceptable. What was truly unacceptable was that after taking Xiao Zhantian's iron fist, he was completely unharmed and was able to counterattack immediately. This was simply unacceptable.
What kind of monstrous talent was this?
"Shen Lang?"
Not only were the other opponents below the stage intrigued by Shen Lang, but even the group of division commanders on the stage were curious about him. Lin Jingmeng smiled, seemingly plotting something.
"I lost this match, and I accept it wholeheartedly. Shen Lang, your strength is superior to mine."
Xiao Zhantian, with at least seven or eight broken ribs, stood up with difficulty after a long while and cupped his fists to Shen Lang, saying,
"Very well, I declare that in the second match, Shen Lang of the Nanling Martial Guard Division is the winner."
After Xiao Zhantian finished speaking, Lei Shen immediately announced the result of the match.