I will eventually become a god through sheer hard work.

Upon hearing this, Xue Jing teased, "Then you're not very loyal. I was bullied terribly just now, Suzuka-san, why were you just watching?"

"Xue-kun, this doesn't look like someone who's been bullied." Otogi Suzuka chuckled, pointing to the messy ground beside Xue Jing.

A blush crept across his face, and he cupped his cheek in his right hand, uttering a blissful sigh:

“It was amazing! That aura just now... it felt like I was being hugged tightly by Xue-kun.”

Upon hearing this, Xue Jing's smile froze instantly, a chill ran through his body, and a certain part of him tensed up.

He quickly waved his hand and said, "Little Deer, please don't do this, it's too scary."

Seeing his resistance and discomfort, Otogi Suzuka burst into a clear laugh, laughing so hard she trembled with joy.

His eyes curved into beautiful crescent shapes: "It seems I've grasped the key to defeating Xue Jun. I'm really looking forward to our match... Maybe a kiss would be more effective than a powerful ultimate attack?"

Upon hearing this, Xue Jing showed an expression that could almost be described as horrified for the first time, and involuntarily took a few steps back, moving away from Otogisuka.

Yin Muhu, who was also overhearing this, looked embarrassed and gave a "senior citizen's phone on the subway.jpg" expression.

Everyone who was watching Xue Jing was astonished by this scene. Why was Xue Jing, who had not yielded an inch in front of Zhou Yinglin, suddenly... disheveled in front of Otogisuka?

In the end what happened?

Otogi Suzuka was slightly taken aback, and said with a wry smile:

"Mr. Xue, I was just kidding."

Xue Jing's lips twitched. "You'd better be."

He really couldn't guarantee that if Otogiri Suzuka really did something reckless, he wouldn't kill her in a moment of panic.

Aside from the unpleasantness of the gift, Xue Jing had a pretty good impression of Otogisuka and considered him a friend he could make.

Time passed slowly amidst the banter and jokes.

The result of the first match came out quickly, and unsurprisingly, the renowned Fengti Liu Wei Junwu emerged victorious.

"Old Xue! How was my 'Secret Technique: Phoenix Transformation'? Wasn't it cool?"

Upon arriving at the players' viewing area, Wei Junwu immediately approached Xue Jing and said with a hint of smugness.

It seemed that because Xue Jing had called him "Old Wei" before, he felt that he was already very familiar with Xue Jing.

"Not bad, not bad move," Xue Jing replied casually.

The two creatures beside him, Suzuka and Inobutora, smiled knowingly, understanding the unspoken meaning—the person wasn't quite up to par.

"Ah~ That feels good." Wei Junwu, oblivious to the implied meaning, immediately showed a satisfied and pleasant expression.

This is Xue Jing, who was extremely arrogant, treated Zhou Yinglin like he was nothing, and said in an interview, "I am an eagle, you are snails"... and he actually gave him a "not bad, not bad" evaluation. The value of that evaluation is off the charts, okay?

"The second match is Old Song versus Li Miao... You've probably met Old Song before, right? He comes from the Tiandong Sect, an 'ancient martial arts school' passed down from the old era. Nowadays, there are very few people practicing this kind of ancient martial arts school. Sects like Taoism and Buddhism are basically hidden deep in the mountains, and their disciples rarely show themselves in public..."

Wei Junwu was good at finding topics to talk about, so he naturally stayed next to Xue Jing and talked non-stop. Even though Xue Jing didn't respond or only gave a cold "hmm" in response, there was never a dull moment.

Soon, the halftime break ended, and the second match of the quarterfinals began amidst the commentators' voices.

The two began their fight on the ring. Song Nanxing, with his calm and composed demeanor, assumed a fighting stance and remained motionless.

"The Tiandong School originated from the old-era 'Tiandong Theory,' which regards itself as the center of everything, believing that the heavens move while the body remains still... It emphasizes striking after the opponent moves but acting first, reacting naturally to the opponent's approach, and is a school that has studied the field of 'defense and counterattack' very deeply."

Wei Junwu began to introduce himself.

As he spoke, he sighed.

"Old Song is lucky, he got a spot in the top four without any special treatment."

Xue Jing glanced at him: "Oh?"

Wei Junwu asked curiously, "Don't you know? The quarterfinals are a double-elimination tournament."

"After today's matches, we will be divided into winners' bracket and losers' bracket. The matches will resume the day after tomorrow. The winner of the first match will play against the loser of the fourth match, and similarly, the winner of the fourth match will play against the loser of the first match."

He pointed at Xue Jing and himself: "After you and Zhou Yinglin decide the winner and loser, I, as the winner of the first match, will have to fight the one of you who lost... Damn, this is hellish difficulty."

At this point, Wei Junwu paused, as if there was something else he hadn't said.

If Xue Jing loses... then he will be beaten to death by Zhou Yinglin, and Zhou Yinglin will also lose his qualification for the competition. He will naturally receive a bye and advance to the semi-finals.

Wei Junwu curled his lip and said, "Old Song is much more comfortable... He is in the second match. After winning, he will fight the loser of the third match. The third match is between Yu Jia and Chen Chao. Without a doubt, Yu Jia will win and Chen Chao will lose."

"Winning two matches in the quarterfinals would have secured our advancement, and both matches were against the two weakest teams in the quarterfinals. Damn, what incredible luck!"

Xue Jing casually replied, "I see."

He didn't pay much attention to these rules, and he only knew that you had to lose twice to be eliminated in the double-elimination tournament, but he didn't realize there were some other intricacies involved.

"It's alright, you don't need to worry about that," Xue Jing said softly.

Wei Junwu: "Hmm?"

Xue Jing didn't say anything more, but just looked towards the arena.

With his keen eyesight, he had already seen through the situation on the field.

Faced with Song Nanxing, who remained unmoved despite repeated attacks, Li Miao, covered in sweat, was at his wit's end.

The outcome has been decided.

Otogi Suzuka naturally noticed this as well, and he spoke softly:

"Then, Mr. Xue, I'll head backstage to prepare."

Upon hearing this, Xue Jing nodded at him.

When Suzuka Otogi saw Xue Jing looking at him, he immediately smiled, winked at Xue Jing with his right eye, and was quite playful and cute, not at all like a man.

Xue Jing's lips twitched, and his fist hardened: "What are you doing?"

"Hehehe..." Otogi Suzuka didn't answer, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons with laughter, and she turned and walked backstage with a satisfied look on her face.

Xue Jing clicked his tongue.

This person... is undeniably good-looking, and undeniably terrifying, just too much.

Xue Jing had his suspicions that he was a woman disguised as a man.

However... his senses weren't so dulled that he couldn't tell whether a person was male or female.

Otogi Suzuka is undoubtedly male; he has all the physiological characteristics of a man.

That's why Xue Jing always felt uncomfortable whenever he was teased.

It was only because Otogisuka looked so feminine that Xue Jing instinctively didn't find her repulsive and suppressed his murderous intent.

Xue Jing felt he would have already killed any big, muscular man who dared to play these tricks on him.

"I go!"

Wei Junwu, who was standing next to him, suddenly let out a strange cry.

He clutched his chest, his face still showing lingering fear, and said:

"That was terrifying, I actually fell for it... I almost got turned gay, thank goodness."

He was also affected when Otogi Suzuka used a wink attack on Xue Jing.

"This Suzuka is just too beautiful... Sigh, what's the point of a man being so beautiful? It's such a waste."

Yin Muhu, standing next to him, also sighed, "Yes, I think so too. He's so handsome that sometimes you really can't tell he's a man."

……

As Xue Jing had expected, the match between Song Nanxing and Li Miao ended quickly.

After a short halftime break, Otogiri Suzuka took to the field.

As the third heir of one of the six major conglomerates in the Far East, a world-renowned young genius, and a world-class martial arts star, he is extremely popular. Even in Zhuxia, which is not his home turf, he still receives a great deal of cheers and applause from the audience.

His match ended quickly as well.

Even when facing a U19 finalist in the quarterfinals, Otogi Suzuka did not use her school's signature technique, "Shojin Slash," and did not even bring a weapon. With her hands empty, she elegantly and effortlessly defeated her opponent.

This was a match where the two teams were vastly different in strength, and the result was no surprise to anyone, not even Chen Chao, who was the opponent.

After the applause for the victor, Otogi Suzuka, the Super Arena gradually quieted down, and all eyes were drawn to the tall, upright young man standing in the player viewing area.

Everyone knows that the next match is the main event... which is why most of the audience members are willing to grit their teeth and buy expensive scalped tickets to be there today.

Xue Jing's expression remained unchanged, as calm as ever; he simply turned and walked backstage.

"It's finally here! I was born just to watch this game!"

"I can't wait any longer, bring it up quickly!"

"Twelve times the odds! This is the wave we've been waiting for! Going all in is a smart move. If you win, you'll be living the high life; if you lose, you'll be working in the sex industry. Xue Jing will win (voice cracks)!!"

"You gambler, you're fucking dead!"

The noise of the audience gradually faded away, and Xue Jing's phone vibrated. He picked it up and glanced at it.

It was a voice message from my sister, Xue Wan.

Xue Jing clicked play.

"Ah Jing!! Go! Smash Zhou Xiaoji's dick! Smash the faces of these little bitches online!"

"Master, Master! Chirp chirp chirp—"

The sound of Xue Wan gritting his teeth came from within, mixed with his little apprentice Zong Shichan's kiss in mid-air.

Zhou Xiaoji is a derogatory nickname for Zhou Yinglin... because of his sharp, eagle-like eyes, some people who dislike him call him Zhou Xiaoji.

Compared to the weakling cat with the third stage of Key Power, Xue Wan, the Land Key Immortal, is much more powerful. During this period, he has been debating with the group of bitches on the blog software every day to defend Xue Jing, and he can post hundreds of messages a day.

As a result, she gained followers every day, and gradually gathered a group of Xue Jing's fans under her command. They began to band together to fight back against Zhou Yinglin's fans, and her blog has become one of the few places online where Xue Jing has the upper hand in the online flame war.

Xue Jing smiled, replied with a simple 'OK' emoji, then silenced his phone and put it back in his pocket.

A staff member hurried up to him, catching his breath, and said respectfully:

"Xue Jing, it's your turn to go on stage. Please follow me to the waiting area."

Xue Jing nodded at him and smiled, "Okay, let's go."

……

"We've been waiting for so long! Welcome back to the U19 Finals Quarterfinals!"