At Xu Ke's words, the stunned, open-mouthed crowd suddenly gasped, and many of them began to rub their eyes.

When they confirmed that Qian Jun was, in fact, once again pinned under Xu Ke's foot, they couldn't help but suck in another sharp breath.

The crowd found it hard to believe what was happening right before their eyes.

Qian Jun was a genius! A top-tier genius who had reached the Innate Initial Stage at only twenty-seven years old.

Instantly defeated by someone with less strength and a lower realm?

And instantly defeated twice?!

This was simply absurd!

But no matter how much they refused to believe it, the facts were laid bare before them.

Qian Jun's face was being scraped against the floor, but at that moment, he couldn't care less about his face.

His expression was a mask of disbelief and utter despair, with the faintest trace of his earlier smugness still lingering.

He couldn't believe it… Just a moment ago, when he charged forward, his attack had been the absolute pinnacle of his strength, the most powerful he had ever been in his life. So why, in the blink of an eye, was he pinned under Xu Ke's foot? This is impossible! I judged the situation perfectly! I had grown so much stronger, and as long as I didn't give that waste Xu Ke a chance to gather his strength, he had no way of turning the tables. To be safe, I even insisted on recovering to my peak condition before striking, just to ensure there were no mistakes. So why was I still defeated with a single punch? Worse, after being defeated, I'm being ridiculed by that waste Xu Ke in front of so many people… Could it be that I'm the real waste?!

Just then, Xu Ke smiled faintly. "Qian Jun, you said you could instantly defeat me as soon as the match restarted."

"I gave you your chance. What was the result?"

"You're useless!"

Xu Ke turned his head toward Jin Hankang. "Elder Jin, Qian Jun has lost his ability to fight. Declare his defeat."

The entire audience was startled by his words, and Jin Hankang's expression changed instantly.

Declare his defeat? How could he possibly declare defeat? Although Qian Jun was pinned to the ground, he had no visible injuries, nor did his energy seem depleted. He didn't qualify as having lost his ability to fight. Xu Ke seemed to be asking him to end the match, but in reality, he was just humiliating them further.

He was blatantly telling Qian Jun that even after breaking through to the Innate Initial Stage, even while completely unharmed, he was still just a useless waste in his eyes…

As expected, when Qian Jun, who was still reeling from his failure, heard this, a wave of shame a thousand times more intense than before washed over him.

He finally broke.

I can't lose. I can't lose!!

He looked up and roared with all his might, "Xu Ke, let go of me!!"

"I haven't lost! I can still fight! You can't declare my defeat!!"

He bellowed those few words from his chest with every ounce of strength he possessed.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard he shouted, no matter how desperately he struggled with his hands and feet to get up, he couldn't escape from under Xu Ke's foot. In fact, his struggles only served to press the sole of Xu Ke's shoe deeper into his cheek, leaving a clearer imprint as blood began to seep from the abrasion…

Xu Ke sneered, "And this isn't considered having lost your ability to fight?"

With bloodshot eyes, Qian Jun ground his teeth and roared, "Xu Ke, you waste! You don't know the first thing about fighting ability!"

"I'm a genius! I have many kinds of fighting abilities!"

"I'm all-powerful, you hear me?!"

Xu Ke just laughed, while the spectators in the viewing area shook their heads.

The man being pinned to the ground was calling the other a waste? Who was the real waste here?

Qian Jun was too arrogant. So arrogant that he couldn't handle the setback of being easily defeated twice in a row by Xu Ke, the very person he looked down on. He had instantly crumbled!

The crowd sneered while Qian Jun struggled, but Xu Ke indifferently continued to stand on him.

Since Qian Jun refused to concede and Jin Hankang wouldn't call the match, he might as well just keep standing there.

After all, stepping on an opponent wasn't against the rules. As time dragged on, the ones who would be disgraced weren't him, but Qian Jun and Wong Ting.

If Xu Ke had wanted to end the match, he could have kicked Qian Jun out of the ring or shattered his Dantian. But destroying his Dantian would be an obvious act of crippling him, and the three old men on the judge's panel wouldn't allow it. As for kicking him out of the ring, that would be letting Qian Jun off far too easily.

Only by continuing to stand on him could he truly torment Qian Jun, grinding away his pride piece by piece until he completely broke down.

If a Martial Path prodigy's mental fortitude completely collapses, it is a form of destruction. At that point, even without destroying his Dantian, it would be enough to ensure he never made a sliver of progress for the rest of his life!

This was a mental execution. Once a person's will was broken, they were as good as dead, even if left physically unharmed!

And so, the scene devolved into a stalemate.

Xu Ke stood on Qian Jun, while Qian Jun thrashed about, fighting for his life but accomplishing nothing…

As the situation grew more and more unsightly, Jin Hankang's expression darkened. He wanted to declare Qian Jun's defeat to salvage what little dignity was left.

But he couldn't bring himself to say the words.

Wong Ting wanted Qian Jun to win against Xu Ke and had even ordered them to help ensure his victory. But now, forget helping him win, Qian Jun couldn't even get to his feet…

Win? Fat chance! Besides, even if Qian Jun managed to get up, he was rumored to have many other techniques. How could a shaken Qian Jun possibly win then?

But just then, Jin Hankang's expression suddenly shifted…

Many other techniques… Xu Ke has many other techniques… Including the use of poison!!

At that thought, Jin Hankang shot to his feet and bellowed, "Xu Ke, you have committed a foul!"

The sudden accusation instantly silenced the entire venue.

A wave of confusion washed over the crowd.

"What is Elder Jin talking about?"

"A foul? When did Xu Ke commit a foul?"

"Don't tell me he's lost his mind because he can't accept Qian Jun's loss?"

The audience buzzed with discussion.

Meanwhile, Yuan Shang and Chen Xiong exchanged a look. "What is he up to?"

"Let's just watch and see."

On the platform, Xu Ke heard the accusation and smiled. "Elder Jin, you say I committed a foul. What foul did I commit?"

"Qian Jun accused me of a sneak attack, so I gave him a chance to recover. Is that a foul? Or perhaps stepping on an opponent's face and defeating them instantly in a head-on clash—are those fouls too?"

Hearing Xu Ke mention "head-on" and "instantly defeated," Qian Jun, still pinned to the ground, seemed to suffer another immense provocation and began thrashing wildly like a dying fish…

The crowd roared with laughter at Xu Ke's retort. "That's possible!"

"Maybe stepping on someone's face really is a foul!"

Yuan Shang even spoke up with a cold smile, "Stepping on someone's face shouldn't be a foul. But stepping on Qian Jun's face… that must be a foul!"

The crowd's mocking laughter grew even louder.

Jin Hankang's face flushed with anger and embarrassment, but he forced himself to speak. "If you had defeated your opponent fair and square before stepping on his face, that certainly would not be a foul."

"But if you secretly used poison to rob Qian Jun of his ability to fight…" he snarled. "What else would you call that, if not a foul?!"

As soon as he said this, Xu Ke's eyes narrowed slightly.

Beneath his foot, Qian Jun's body went rigid.

The entire arena was in an uproar as everyone's expression changed dramatically.

Xu Ke used poison?!

When did that happen?