Chapter 140: Chapter 140: Acted Too Late

Fan Yutong’s gasp almost escaped her lips, but suddenly realizing something, she forced it back down.

She rushed to Fang Chen’s side. Instead of rashly turning him over, she first supported his head and laid him on his side. She gently shook his shoulder and called out in a low voice, "Junior Brother Fang? Fang Chen?"

There was no response. The only signs of life were his faint, barely detectable breathing and the pain etched into his tightly furrowed brow.

When her hand accidentally rested on his waist to shift him slightly and check his airway, the sensation against her fingertips made her heart sink. Something was wrong! Through the Combat Suit, she could feel an abnormal indentation, accompanied by a damp, cold stickiness. These were definitely not simple superficial wounds!

Without further hesitation, she began to unfasten his Combat Suit. As she pulled it open, a thick, metallic stench of blood immediately assaulted her senses!

The mixture of dried and fresh blood around his mouth, jaw, and neck was a shocking sight. When she completely lifted the fabric from his back and saw the condition underneath, she couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath of cold air.

His back, his waist, his chest, his arms...

Almost every area covered by the Combat Suit was riddled with injuries—some deep, some shallow, some bruised purple, and others split wide open! Some were internal bruises left by the impact of Sword Qi, while others were internal bleeding seeping through the skin, caused by the violent shockwaves of powerful True Essence!

The longest wound, running across his abdomen, stretched for dozens of centimeters. She could even see...

When her fingers gently pressed below his left ribs and near his shoulder blades, she clearly felt the distinct sensation of fractured bones!

"He... he’s been forcing himself to hold on!" Fan Yutong instantly realized.

If it weren’t for the excellent seal of the Combat Suit’s material tightly wrapping his body, blood would have likely spilled everywhere. Yet, he had endured it the entire time, pretending as if nothing was wrong.

He wanted everyone—his opponents, the Speakers, and all the onlookers—to see that he, Fang Chen, had won this trial standing tall, relying on overwhelming strength! He wanted to forge an undeniably powerful image to justify his qualification for the spot, leaving no room for anyone to question his victory as a "tragic win" or a "fluke"!

Fan Yutong felt a complex swirl of emotions. "Since Senior Li announced your victory, you won! Even if you collapsed right then and there, it’s still a win! Why put yourself through this..." she murmured softly.

But then, she shook her head.

She knew that Fang Chen didn’t just want to win; he needed to win beautifully, leaving everyone speechless and sufficiently deterring those who might harbor resentment over his "exceptional exception."

A sudden thought struck her, and she looked toward the tightly shut doors of the training room. With the sharp eyes of Senior Li and the other Speakers, did they really fail to notice that Fang Chen was running on fumes?

Perhaps they did see it but chose not to point it out. They had tacitly allowed him to maintain his "victorious posture" in this way, which was exactly why they had called her out to escort him.

After Fan Yutong left, the training room erupted into fervent discussions.

"My goodness... He actually won?!" A student from the Jinyi Society spoke with a trembling voice as he pointed to the empty spot where Fang Chen had just stood. "He... he’s only in the High Martial Realm! He hasn’t even reached Qi Collection! Senior Sister Ding and Senior Brother Xu are legitimate Yellow Tier One Qi experts!"

"So what?" Beside him, a veteran student from the Black Tortoise Society crossed his arms. Though equally shocked, his tone was slightly calmer. "I heard that in this year’s martial exams, someone with merely a True Martial Realm cultivation forcefully defeated a High Martial Realm examiner!"

"Ahem..." Over in the Liuyun Society’s area, a student cleared his throat and lowered his voice, though it was loud enough for the surrounding circle to hear clearly. "That True Martial defeating High Martial guy you mentioned... seems to be the Junior Brother Fang who just walked out."

"Huh?!"

"He was the one in the martial exams too?!"

"Just what kind of monster did this year’s freshmen batch produce..." someone muttered, their face written with existential doubt.

After the initial shock passed, the topic uncontrollably drifted in another direction.

A female student from the Cyan Simurgh Society, still gazing toward the door, suddenly whispered to her companion, "Hey, do you guys think... Junior Brother Fang just enrolled this year, he’s young, his talent is terrifyingly high, and his looks are... quite proper, right? He shouldn’t have a girlfriend yet, right?"

As soon as she finished speaking, someone nearby immediately scoffed. "Tch, too late! Didn’t you see Senior Sister Fan? She moved so fast! She followed him the entire time today, and when Senior Li called her name just now, she ran faster than anyone! With her having first dibs, would anyone else even get a turn?"

"Wow..." The previous female student immediately pulled a long face and stomped her foot in frustration. "Damn it! I missed another chance!"

Similar low-pitched conversations echoed throughout the crowd.

Meanwhile, at the front of the training room, the four Speakers wordlessly moved to the side.

They were enveloped by a simple soundproofing aura, ensuring their conversation wouldn’t be overheard by the outside. Shen Han, the female Speaker of the Cyan Simurgh Society, still wore an expression as cold as frost. She was the first to speak, her clear and cold voice laced with obvious displeasure.

"Li Su, you saw it too. That Fang Chen was completely a spent force at the end, holding on purely by a single breath.

"In terms of true strength, he isn’t that impressive.

"If Ding Yan had a High Martial Level Combat Suit, or if Xu Xiao held a High Martial Level weapon, Fang Chen wouldn’t have stood a chance."

Li Su’s expression remained calm as he slowly replied.

"However, a win is a win. Since the rules were set, it was a test of victory or defeat under predetermined conditions.

"I’m not showing favoritism toward the Liuyun Society, but facts are facts. If you want to blame anyone, perhaps you can only blame Junior Brother Xu Xiao for not daring to unsheathe his sword completely at the final moment. He lost his nerve first."

To the side, the sharp-edged Speaker of the Jinyi Society nodded and chimed in. "Li Su is right. Xu Xiao failed to seize the opportunity himself and got intimidated first. We didn’t lose unjustly. It’s just..."

A complex flash of admiration crossed his eyes. "This kid can really endure. I roughly estimate he had at least over a dozen dislocated and fractured bones, bleeding from internal organ shock, and countless external wounds. Anyone else would have hit the ground seven or eight times over by now."

Li Su nodded slightly, his gaze shifting to the arena where the fierce battle had just taken place.

"Indeed. It’s been so many years. After the High Martial Realm, examples of people winning battles across cultivation tiers are extremely rare.

"At this level, combat talent and willpower often yield little effect in the face of the absolute gap in the quality and quantity of True Essence.

"A gap is a gap. It’s not something you can easily bridge just by roaring a few times and putting your life on the line."

His tone shifted, carrying a hint of emotion. "But today, this Junior Brother Fang has truly... changed my perspective a bit."

Hearing this, Shen Han coldly snorted and looked away.

"Enough, Li Su. Stop showing off. To be honest, Fang Chen’s strength is just so-so.

"Relying on a bit of opportunism and a reckless, death-defying ruthlessness, he can play tough on his home turf.

"Once we reach the Ten Academies Grand Competition and he faces those peers nurtured by top-tier wealthy families, his little tricks will likely result in a first-round exit."

She was clearly still angry, especially when she thought of the miserable wound on Ding Yan’s face and the lost quota. Her tone grew even colder.

"Hmph. Today’s matter is concluded. Is there anything else to discuss? If not, I’m leaving."

With that said, without waiting for the others to respond, Shen Han turned around and walked out of the training room with crisp strides, leaving behind a cold silhouette.

The remaining three stood in silence for a moment.

Li Su shook his head and spoke to the Speakers of the Jinyi Society and Black Tortoise Society. "Shen Han still has that temper. It’s understandable. That child Ding Yan had enough points this year, and she worked diligently for her society last year. This time... it really is a pity."

He pondered for a moment before adding, "How about this: later, we’ll allocate an extra fifty low-grade Spirit Crystals from our alliance’s treasury to her. It will serve as compensation and comfort, allowing her to recover in peace. What do you two think?"

The Speaker of the Jinyi Society nodded. "Reasonable."

The Speaker of the Black Tortoise Society also had no objections. "It’s only right. We can’t afford to chill the hearts of those who work hard for us."

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