Li Furong stood below the stage, her eyes as wide as saucers. She was completely stunned, her mouth agape but speechless.
The surrounding uproar was like a distant background hum. It took her a long moment to snap out of it before she suddenly yelled at the top of her lungs, "Bro! What—what did you just do? How did you just toss Stone Sculpture out of there?"
Beside her, Li Yan was also completely shocked. He furrowed his brow and muttered under his breath, ’When did this kid... get so strong? Isn’t Stone Sculpture supposed to be famous?’
Su Manyu couldn’t help but cover her mouth, staring at Li Chang’an in disbelief, her eyes filled with worry. ’This can’t be a dream, can it? He was so incredible just now! But Chang’an... he’s never... How...?’
Waves of discussion rolled through the crowd below. The relatives who had been sneering just moments ago were all silent now, their faces etched with disbelief.
A few lavishly dressed family members stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.
"What’s going on? Who the hell is this kid? I thought he was just a nobody, but he gets up there and just tosses Stone Sculpture out?" someone whispered.
"Did my eyes deceive me? How did he do that? The kid looks as skinny as a rail, but he has that much strength? Did he really just throw him out with brute force?" another person couldn’t help but ask in a low voice.
Meanwhile, Li Chang’an, still standing on the stage, completely ignored the noisy chatter around him.
He walked off the stage and slowly approached Wu Yong and a few other students, the same faint smile still on his face.
Wu Yong stared at Li Chang’an, his eyes filled with surprise and a mix of complex emotions. It took him a moment to react before he managed a smile. "Li Chang’an... that move just now... was truly..." He shook his head, his tone laced with incredible awe.
"Teacher Wu, isn’t it just a testament to your good teaching?" Li Chang’an replied casually with an easy smile, as if nothing had happened.
The few students nearby who were still in the competition saw this, and their expressions all changed.
Just a moment ago, some of them had been glancing at Li Chang’an with disdain. Now, they were all frozen in place, their eyes wide with astonishment.
"He... he really took Stone Sculpture down all by himself?" a boy in a school uniform mumbled in disbelief, his mouth hanging open.
"For real? I heard Stone Sculpture’s Qi and Blood Value was almost 8.5! How could Li Chang’an... possibly be that strong?" another student asked, completely bewildered.
Standing at the very front, Zhao Suwu’s face had gone a little pale. Though he hadn’t said anything, he was already thinking to himself, ’This kid has to be joking. That kick just now... I saw it clearly. He didn’t use any fancy techniques, yet he managed to just throw a guy like Stone Sculpture off the stage? What in the world is going on?’
The few people next to him glanced at each other, their expressions complicated. Clearly, no one dared to underestimate Li Chang’an anymore.
"Li Chang’an, why didn’t you tell us you were this strong sooner? We all thought your Qi and Blood Value was low!" a boy finally couldn’t help but say, his tone a mixture of embarrassment and admiration.
Li Chang’an shrugged and gave a casual smile. "I wasn’t trying to hide it; it just never came up. Let’s just call this a surprise!"
"A surprise?" The boy’s face was a picture of disbelief. "You threw Stone Sculpture off the stage and you call that a surprise? That’s insane! Dude, with this kind of strength, you should have said something sooner!"
"I don’t think I’m particularly strong, it’s just..." Li Chang’an paused for a moment, a faint smile touching his lips. "I just don’t like to waste time. If I can win, I might as well be direct about it."
The students exchanged glances, all wearing helpless expressions. They clearly had no idea how to respond.
Zhao Suwu stood to the side, a bitter taste in his mouth.
He had just been about to mock Li Chang’an for his lack of strength, but now he had been thoroughly slapped in the face.
Suppressing the resentment in his heart, he pretended like nothing was wrong and said, "In any case, you’re pretty strong. But... there are tougher opponents ahead, so don’t get careless!"
"Don’t worry, I’m not getting ahead of myself," Li Chang’an said with a smile, patting him lightly on the shoulder.
The people around them watched this scene and couldn’t help but murmur among themselves.
And those who had initially been skeptical of Li Chang’an now had no choice but to re-evaluate him, their expressions showing a degree of reverence.
Wu Yong looked at Li Chang’an and sighed softly, his heart a swirl of emotions.
He spoke with a complicated expression, "Li Chang’an, you kid, you’ve really made me proud... But don’t let your guard down. The competition isn’t over yet, and there are still plenty of strong opponents to come!"
"I know, Teacher Wu!" Li Chang’an nodded, that confident smile still on his face. "I’ll be careful from here on out!"
As they spoke, the clamor from the surrounding audience grew louder. Clearly, many people still hadn’t recovered from their earlier shock.
Many were still chattering away, most of them looking at Li Chang’an with curiosity, trying to figure out what was up with this "dark horse" who had suddenly emerged.
"Hey, don’t you guys think something’s a little off about this kid? He just took care of Stone Sculpture so casually, and I didn’t even see him use any powerful Martial Arts," someone discussed in a low voice.
"Yeah, it didn’t seem like he had any kind of surge in his Qi and Blood either. He just won that easily. I really don’t get it!" another person added with a frown.