Chapter 85

Mu Chenxing had rested through four straight matches, but by the fifth, he couldn’t hold back any longer. He called up the classmate across from him.

The classmate grumbled reluctantly, “How come I can’t slack off when it’s my turn?”

Mu Chenxing replied, “I’ve already drawn four or five matches against our own people. The next one will probably be from another school—I need to loosen up. Get up and spar with me.”

The classmate: “…”

He had no choice but to risk life accompanying the gentleman.

Mu Chenxing spent the entire morning sitting and chatting—about training, school, even playing rock-paper-scissors for fun.

The viewers who’d tuned in for the competition grew bored; the barrage comments were half as many as usual.

Sure, other players were fighting and there was some discussion, but it all lacked buzz.

The moment Mu Chenxing stood up in his arena and started fighting, not only did the barrage explode, even the judges perked up—several straightened in their seats.

“Ah, finally getting started.”

“I was about to fall asleep. What a relief.”

“Haha, looks like you were waiting for him too.”

“Of course. What’s the point of watching anyone else?”

“We’ve seen it all for four days now—everyone looks the same. Might as well watch Mu Chenxing.”

“Hahaha, yeah—at least Mu Chenxing’s easy on the eyes—”

“Vice Minister Hu,” Pei Yao drawled lazily, “I heard you got administrative punishment before. It’s really heartening to see you sitting here.”

Vice Minister Hu, who’d just called him pretty, paused and let out an awkward laugh. “Just a little mistake. Nothing to laugh at.”

The others quickly smoothed things over. “Everyone slips up sometimes. Totally normal.”

“Fix it and move on—it’s no big deal. Back to the matches!”

“Yeah, yeah. We’re judges here—focus on the competition!”

Pei Yao tilted his head, scanning the group with a beaming smile. “Right? We’re judges. Just watch the matches properly and don’t think about irrelevant nonsense.”

The crowd hurriedly chorused, “Yes, yes, of course!”

Pei Yao’s gaze lingered on Vice Minister Hu.

Vice Minister Hu nodded vigorously. “Absolutely—watching the matches!”

Only then did Pei Yao look away.

Vice Minister Hu let out a quiet sigh of relief, wiped his sweat, and nudged the person beside him. “What’s his deal?”

The other guy just shrugged.

In the span of a few words, half the morning’s events had passed.

Mu Chenxing’s fight was back-and-forth, but the judges were all Alphas—even if they hadn’t enlisted, they knew a scrap when they saw one. This was training at best, not a real contest.

Vice Minister Hu, still stinging from Pei Yao’s jab, grumbled sourly, “This Omega’s turned the whole tournament into a complete mess.”

“Watch what you say—”

“Sounds like you have some issues with the Alliance’s policy encouraging Omegas to train and enlist.” Pei Yao watched his baby on the field, lightly tapping the armrest with a smile in his voice. “How about we discuss it after the matches?”

Vice Minister Hu: “…”

Pei Yao added, “Or maybe call over a camera drone so Vice Minister Hu can deliver a major address to the entire Alliance?”

Vice Minister Hu glanced at the camera drones patrolling the arena and shut his mouth for good.

The matches drew to a close. Sure enough, Mu Chenxing’s opponent stepped out of bounds, handing him the win.

After a short break, the events resumed.

This time, Mu Chenxing drew one of the top contenders they’d pegged as a likely champion over the past few days.

This guy was a speedster too.

And he knew Mu Chenxing was injured—every punch and kick targeted the bone wounds without mercy, his ambition for the crown plain as day.

Mu Chenxing was a speedster himself; against this guy, he couldn’t fake it. He focused purely on evasion.

After a few exchanges, he got the measure of his opponent’s speed.

Then he struck back.

A muffled thump—he landed a hit on the guy’s side, dodged left on instinct, grabbed the incoming kick, used the momentum to leap, and fired back a reverse kick of his own.

The instant his foot connected, he released and evaded. But the opponent ate the side kick and swung a fist straight for his head.

Bang! Mu Chenxing took it near his jaw, the force shoving him back a few steps and creating distance.

The opponent paused, clutching his side and sucking in two breaths before clenching his fists and charging again.

Mu Chenxing touched the side of his face—swollen, but jaw intact, teeth fine.

This guy’s power… was just shy.

With that speed, Mu Chenxing had thought this match might be dicey.

Now he was calm. He rolled his neck and charged.

From the judges’ seats to the livestream, billions watched Mu Chenxing’s other fighting style for the first time—the most primal brawling method.

The clash of two speedsters blurred their forms to near-invisibility. Every pass brought the meaty thud of fists on flesh. Even through the screen, viewers winced in pain.

In dozens of seconds, both fighters’ faces bloomed with bruises. If not for the long-sleeved athletic gear, their limbs would’ve looked even worse.

Only then did the livestream catch on:

“Other players have all kinds of marks on their faces—these two were way too clean.”

“They only got hurt today!?”

“This Alpha’s impressive—still unscathed till day five.”

“…Mu Chenxing’s impressive too. Day five, and he’s only taken two hits on day one.”

“…”

“Mu Chenxing’s so hot!!”

“Go Mu Chenxing!”

“He’s all black-and-blue now. That Omega’s only edge is gone.”

“Could at least ogle his face before. Now it’s just like watching Alphas fight.”

“Logging off, peace out.”

“LOL, Mu Chenxing’s fighting for a medal in the University Arena Competition finals, and y’all haters attack his ‘nothing special’ looks.”

“Front row, scram—you don’t even qualify to show your face.”

…

Judges’ seats.

The discussion heated up.

“Looks like this—Ke Xuwu—is tough to shake.”

“Oof, brutal. Can really lay into a face like Mu Chenxing’s.”

“Power’s still lacking a bit. Mu Chenxing’s taken all those punches and his speed hasn’t dropped.”

“Mu Chenxing’s eating hits more often now. He’s gonna lose, huh? Shame.”

Pei Yao, who’d stayed silent till now, spoke up. “Ke Xuwu’s going to lose.”

The judges gaped in disbelief.

“No way!”

“He’s reacting slower from the hits.”

“His counters are down—he’s the one losing.”

“Only 30 seconds left—he can’t win.”

Pei Yao said coolly, “Mu Chenxing’s got Ke Xuwu’s attack patterns down. He’s herding him toward the edge.”

The judges leaned in to watch closely.

In under ten seconds, as Mu Chenxing took a shoulder hit and staggered back, Ke Xuwu eagerly pursued. His fist swung out—only for Mu Chenxing to seize his wrist, borrow the force, and lunge forward.

Ke Xuwu spun to chase. “Where you running—”

“District 43: Alliance First Military Academy’s Mu Chenxing wins!” the Intelligent Brain announced simultaneously.

Ke Xuwu: “!”

“No way, I calculated—” He stared at his own foot on the line, toe barely extended less than five centimeters, frozen.

Mu Chenxing nodded to him. “Good fight.”

He turned, wincing as he headed to medical.

The judges’ seats erupted in awe.

“God, when did he start calculating that?”

“Only an Admiral spots it at a glance.”

“How’s this Omega thinking while eating hits, countering, mapping habits, and setting traps?”

“This Omega’s brain is insane?”

“Even matches like this are the hardest. Thought it’d be a draw…”

“No wonder he made finals…”

Pei Yao, smile wiped since earlier, ignored them. He just watched that figure hobble to medical, saw him spray half his face, arms, and calves under the doctor’s help…

He furrowed his brow slightly, burying his thoughts.

The livestream caught on too.

If the prior days were Mu Chenxing scraping by on speed and opportunism till day five, this match was the first time he’d shown his full prowess since appearing on camera as a competitor.

Several new accounts—no avatars—broke down his attacks, probing, baiting, and maneuvers step by step.

As the details emerged, aside from the big shots’ analysis, the barrage went quiet.

Finally, one new account summed up: “No need to watch the rest. Not many Alphas in this tourney can match him. Mu Chenxing takes the crown.”

The analysts piled on, all voting Mu Chenxing.

“Mu Chenxing to win it all?”

“An Omega claiming the Arena Comp championship?!”

“No freaking way. Talk is cheap.”

…

The next matches seemed to prove the “newbies” right. Mu Chenxing shed his frail-as-a-willow-in-the-wind act from the prior days and started eliminating foes.

As a speedster, his pace matched Ke Xuwu’s, but his power outstripped it. The rest couldn’t keep up in speed, and paired with his first-rate Alpha-level strength, he picked them off one by one.

Today was finals day; his score led by a mile. Every opponent was a title contender.

Starting with Ke Xuwu, he fought at peak burst every time, grinding speed and stamina.

His foes did the same.

The livestream barrage thinned to nothing—everyone held their breath.

For the final match, the roster hadn’t even dropped, but Mu Chenxing had locked eyes on his last opponent: a hulking, tiger-backed bear-waisted Alpha.

Sweat-drenched Fu Yuefeng chugged half a bottle of water and murmured intel. “That guy’s a lefty. Left side packs a wallop.”

Mu Chenxing toweled sweat from his forehead and neck, nodding. “Thanks. Dinner on me when we get back.”

Fu Yuefeng grinned toothily. “No helping it—his hits really sting. Good thing I can tank.”

Mu Chenxing raised a puzzled brow. “Huh?”

Fu Yuefeng: “?”

Mu Chenxing clapped his shoulder. “Tanking isn’t why you won. Opponent’s stamina sucked, and his speed was slower than the guy who hurt me day one.”

Fu Yuefeng: “…”

Speechless, but he knew Mu Chenxing had it in the bag.

Sure enough, in the finale, Mu Chenxing wrapped it faster than against Ke Xuwu. He dismantled the tiger-backed brute without a stamina grind or taking a single hit.

At the end, the brute stared in disbelief. “Impossible!!”

Mu Chenxing ached all over but managed, “Good fight,” before trying to leave—only to get yanked by the arm.

“How’d you do it?? Beat you and I’m champ. No one beat me—how?!”

Mu Chenxing gripped the brute’s wrist and freed his arm.

The guy kept ranting. “Cheating?! You’re weaker, not that fast—how?!”

Mu Chenxing shushed him.

Once quiet, he tapped his chin, gesturing at himself. “You? Too many weak spots. If that guy hadn’t lost to me and gotten rattled, you wouldn’t even medal.”

The day-one injurer approached, planted himself in front of them, face grim. “Where exactly did I lose?”

The brute glared too. “Yeah, where? What weak spots?”

Mu Chenxing: “…”

…This scene flashed vibes of two guys fighting over a girl in some idol drama.

He shivered, snapping out of it.

“Arena Competition’s individual combat—not arm-wrestling strength or flexing muscles.” Mu Chenxing told the recent foe. “You overtrained bulk—limits your explosiveness. Speed’s decent, but you hesitate micro before every move.”

The brute froze.

Mu Chenxing turned to the other. “Your power’s brutal, speed top-tier. I beat you pure luck… heaven’s timing and positioning.”

The guy frowned. “Meaning?”

The brute looked lost.

In moments, First Military Academy Alphas sensed trouble and jogged over from all sides.

“What’s going on?”

“What do you want?”

Mu Chenxing waved them off, telling the first guy, “‘Cause I’m too short.”

The guy: “?”

The brute: “?”

Fu Yuefeng and crew: “?”

Mu Chenxing pointed at his own head, then at that guy’s chest. “You’re at least 30 cm taller than me. You can defend against me just fine, but when you’re attacking, you have to bend down to match me. You’re not used to it, so your movements hesitate and slow down. Of course it’s easier for me to hit you.”

He glanced at the burly, broad-shouldered guy. “You’re the same.”

That guy: “……”

Burly guy: “……”

Fu Yuefeng and the others: “Pfft!”

Mu Chenxing turned to the crowd of other competitors who had gathered to watch, flashing a toothy grin. “You’re all the same. You lot hit me even slower than my classmates back at school.”

Finally, he pointed at Ke Xuwu with a cheeky smile. “Fighting him was the hardest for me—because he’s the shortest.”

The crowd:

“Pfft.”

“Hah cough cough.”

Ke Xuwu, whose height barely scraped close to 1.9 meters, darkened his face. “You won, you won! No need for personal attacks!”

Mu Chenxing spread his hands. “No choice—you hit me the hardest.”

His whole body ached like hell, and with his bruised and swollen face, he looked hideous.

Ke Xuwu jabbed a finger at that guy from the first day, the one who’d injured him. “He broke your bone—why don’t you call him out?”

Mu Chenxing rubbed his nose. “If we went at it again, I might not beat him. Don’t dare personal-attack him.”

Ke Xuwu: “……”

Fu Yuefeng and the others: “Hahahaha~”

That guy patted Ke Xuwu’s shoulder with a sigh. “Don’t be bummed. He got me too. Who would’ve thought I’d lose the championship not to skill, but to my height?”

Ke Xuwu: “……That does make me feel a bit better.”

That guy choked.

Fu Yuefeng and crew laughed even harder, and even the folks from other schools who’d come over to join the fun started cracking up.

Mu Chenxing held back a laugh and extended his hand. “You’re all awesome. If there’s a chance, let’s fight again sometime!”

That guy shook it solemnly. “Don’t worry—I’ll find some short guys to practice with. I won’t let you win again.”

Mu Chenxing: “……Pfft, good! I’ll be waiting!”

Everyone else: “Hahahahaha~”

Meanwhile, the live stream chat, which had loyally recorded every bit of the banter, suddenly froze like it had glitched. It took ages before any comments finally scrolled in—

“Damn, I laughed so hard the neighbors almost called an ambulance!”

“Haha, I nearly passed out too!!”

“Hahahaha, who could’ve seen this coming!”

“I came up with 800 reasons for that loss—never imagined this one hahaha~”

“Pass it on: Alphas lost the University Arena Competition championship this time ’cause they’re too damn tall!”

“Turns out being a short Omega has perks like this haha!”

“Haha save me, I’m dying~”