"I told you to be happy. Didn't you understand?"

At that moment, Yuan Shang stepped out and roared with laughter. Although Xu Ke had played him for a fool, it didn't stop Yuan Shang from feeling triumphant. He knew Xu Ke was demanding Jin Hankang be happy as a way of getting revenge on his behalf. Just yesterday, when Yuan Shang had been worried about Xu Ke's injuries, Jin Hankang had gloated and told him to be happy, leaving him utterly stifled. So, of course, Yuan Shang immediately jumped in to back Xu Ke up. Otherwise, wouldn't Xu Ke's effort to avenge him be wasted?

"What did you say?" Jin Hankang gritted his teeth. Being mocked by Yuan Shang, a man he had always despised, and in front of so many people, was a devastating mental blow.

But just as he spoke, Xu Ke flashed a mocking smile. "Elder Jin, are you a broken record?"

"You..." Jin Hankang was speechless. All he could do was repeat the same line over and over.

Once Jin Hankang fell silent, Yuan Shang grew even more triumphant, practically wanting to dance on his head. "What's the matter? Why aren't you laughing, Elder Jin? From yesterday until now, you kept telling me to be happy. So why the long face? That won't do! Today is a great day for the Martial Alliance! Hahaha..."

Yuan Shang roared with laughter.

Nearby, Chen Xiong couldn't help but smirk. His position and personality kept him from kicking a man who was down, but that didn't stop him from enjoying the show.

Jin Hankang was so furious his body trembled, his old face flushing crimson. He wanted to argue, but the sight of Qian Jun being ground underfoot on the stage was a silent testament that he had no ground to stand on.

The spectators in the surrounding viewing areas saw Yuan Shang and Xu Ke teaming up to bully Jin Hankang, and they all chuckled and shook their heads in amusement. While many of them weren't fond of Xu Ke, they were even less fond of Jin Hankang, who had come from Long Capital to throw his weight around in Tianhai. Seeing him so humiliated he was speechless was incredibly satisfying for them.

In the Wang Family's rest area, Wang Qiya giggled. "See? I told you Vice Alliance Leader Yuan and Brother-in-law have a 'couple' vibe... Look, even their methods of revenge are the same!"

Wong Qifu had been smiling, but her expression froze when she heard her sister's words. "What 'couple' vibe are you talking about?" Her tone became slightly dangerous. She wasn't a chairman who was completely cut off from the outside world; she had certainly heard the term before. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Seeing this, Wang Qiya waved her hands in panic. "Nothing, nothing..."

Of course, if some people were happy, others were definitely not.

Huang Zhendong, Huang Zhenyang, and the others sat rigidly in their chairs, their faces turning purple with rage. Their expressions were utterly foul. Jin Hankang was their closest associate. Now that he was being publicly shamed, it was a slap in their faces as well, and it stung.

Peng Hetong's face was ashen. For the others, Jin Hankang's humiliation was merely unpleasant; it had no real impact on them. But for him, it was a disaster. With Jin Hankang publicly shamed, Wong Ting would certainly be displeased. If Wong Ting was displeased, Jin Hankang wouldn't get his promotion. And with that, all of Peng Hetong's hopes of being promoted from his position as the Tianhai Martial Alliance's Enforcement Hall Chief were utterly annihilated.

Not only that, but when Peng Hetong recalled how he had arrogantly flaunted his power in front of Chen Xiong and Yuan Shang, his face turned deathly pale. He began muttering to himself, "I'm doomed, I'm doomed. When they decide to settle old scores, how am I going to survive...?"

At that moment, Peng Hetong was consumed by endless regret. If only I had known Xu Ke could crush Qian Jun, I never would have betrayed the Tianhai Martial Alliance so quickly! But it was too late for regrets.

Besides Peng Hetong, two other men felt their courage shatter... Li Lang and Lin Zhongtian.

They had both believed that with Qian Jun making a move, Xu Ke was as good as dead. They had planned to get their antidotes back after his fall. But watching the events of the afternoon unfold, they finally understood the meaning of true despair.

Qian Jun, renowned far and wide as Wong Ting's top genius combatant, was now pinned like a dog, unable to even resist. Xu Ke could step on his head whenever he pleased. And they thought they could get an antidote after a man like that fell from grace? Wishful thinking! Against such a ruthless man, they would probably be waiting a lifetime for an antidote they would never receive.

...

While Xu Ke and Yuan Shang humiliated Jin Hankang, the most humiliated person in the arena wasn't Jin Hankang, nor was it the people in the crowd who had been indirectly slapped in the face by Xu Ke. It was Qian Jun.

The Qian Jun who was currently being ground under Xu Ke's foot.

A dusty shoeprint marred one side of his face. His eyes were bloodshot with rage and humiliation. A murderous aura emanated from him and his power swelled to its absolute limit, yet he still couldn't budge the foot pinning him down.

At first, he had tried to snap Xu Ke's leg, but it was like kicking iron. Then, he tried to writhe free and escape the crushing pressure, but Xu Ke remained impassive, simply adding more weight and rendering him completely immobile.

Every passing second he remained pinned was an eternity of torment. The humiliation felt like being roasted alive over a fire.

"Xu Ke..." Unable to break free, Qian Jun finally gritted his teeth and struggled to look up at him. But pinned as he was, he couldn't see Xu Ke's face clearly. He could only make out a silhouette haloed by the gymnasium's bright lights, casting a long shadow that enveloped him completely.

"What is it?" Xu Ke glanced down, the corners of his lips curling into a faint smile. "Any last words?"

His words boomed through the arena's speakers, drawing another collective gasp from the crowd. He wasn't just defeating his opponent; he was destroying his spirit. Before the match, Qian Jun had arrogantly told Xu Ke to prepare his last words. The tables had turned completely.

Qian Jun gritted his teeth. "Don't get cocky. Do you really think you've won?"

"I don't think the audience here is stupid or blind. They can probably see whether I've won or not," Xu Ke said with a smile.

At his words, Qian Jun's face froze. The crowd erupted in laughter. What could he possibly say to that?

Xu Ke added, "Or perhaps we should ask the chief referee, Elder Jin Hankang, and the other contestants what they think?"

Xu Ke turned his head, clearly intending to make more trouble for Jin Hankang and Qian Jun's lackeys. Jin Hankang's expression shifted instantly. Zhao Xiangping and Su Ximing were so scared they instinctively took a step back. If Xu Ke asks us, what are we supposed to say? If we say Xu Ke didn't win, the entire crowd will mock us for being morons. But if we say he did win, Qian Jun will probably kill us when we get back...

Fortunately, Qian Jun spoke up just in time, forcing the words through his clenched teeth. "Xu Ke, you won this time. I admit it."

"But you should know, if I hadn't gone easy on you at the start and let you build up your power on that long walk, do you really think you could have beaten me when you reached me? If I had gone all out from the beginning and unleashed my full strength, you'd be a corpse right now! I was careless in a ring match like this; I didn't use my full power. But in a real life-or-death fight, I would attack with everything I have and kill you easily!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire arena was stunned.