As Wang Qiang was being led away, the crowd in the viewing area couldn't help but gossip. "Why is Ki Qinyin being so nice to Xu Ke? She's even helping him deal with his opponent taking a drug?"

"It seems there's something unusual going on between Ki Qinyin and Xu Ke... Maybe she only planned on dealing with the Martial Alliance, but when she saw Xu Ke, her interest was piqued, and well..." a man trailed off with a lewd smile.

When these words reached the ears of the Wang Family, Wang Qiya immediately turned and glared fiercely at the gossips, who promptly shut their mouths.

Wang Qiya quickly looked at Wong Qifu. "Sister, don't overthink it."

"Brother-in-law is just using Madame Yu's influence to make Elder Jin Hankang investigate Wang Qiang," she explained.

Wong Qifu nodded slightly. "I know."

They weren't fools; they understood what Xu Ke was doing. But even so, the expression in Wong Qifu's eyes couldn't help but shift…

Only after Wang Qiang had been taken away did Ki Qinyin speak. "Elder Jin, can the competition continue now? I'd still like to watch."

"No problem…" Jin Hankang forced a smile. He turned to look at Xu Ke, suppressing the frustration boiling inside him. "Xu Ke, the competition continues!"

But at that moment, Xu Ke was looking at him with a smirk. "Elder Jin, are you sure you want to continue?"

Jin Hankang froze. Following Xu Ke's gaze, he saw Qian Jun lying on the ground, barely breathing. His expression instantly became a sight to behold. In the chaos of Ki Qinyin's interruption, he had completely forgotten that Xu Ke had already taken Qian Jun out with a single kick.

Seeing this, the crowd couldn't help but burst into laughter. This was priceless!

As for the Ye, Huang, Qin, and Kang Families, their faces all turned grim. With Ki Qinyin meddling like this, hadn't she just handed the championship to Xu Ke? The ones with the ugliest expressions were Ye Yunfeng and Huang Zhendong. The former lost his potion, and the latter lost the money he paid to get the Ghost Poison Elders to act early. What a massive loss!

At this moment, Ki Qinyin rubbed more salt in Jin Hankang's wound, chuckling lightly. "Elder Jin, one of the contestants is that injured. Can the match really continue?"

"No… it's not necessary," Jin Hankang managed to say through gritted teeth, his face twitching.

Xu Ke said flatly, "Well, if it's not necessary, shouldn't you announce the winner, Elder Jin?"

Hearing this, Jin Hankang nearly slammed the table and stormed off. How could he tolerate being humiliated by Xu Ke like this? How could he bring himself to personally declare Xu Ke—a man who should have been dead by now—the champion?

But he couldn't leave. If he walked out now, who knew what vile things Ki Qinyin would spread about the Martial Alliance?

He could only declare through gritted teeth, "The champion of the Martial Alliance selection competition held in Tianhai… is Xu Ke!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire arena erupted in applause.

The faces of the Ye, Huang, Qin, and Kang Family members turned completely ashen, burning hot as if Xu Ke had just slapped them across the face. On the ground, the barely conscious Qian Jun fainted completely, unable to accept such an outcome.

In the end, Xu Ke had won the selection competition.

…

A short while later, Qian Jun was dragged away.

Zhao Xiangping, Su Ximing, and the others went to check on him. They found that his Dantian was not seriously damaged; he had just been kicked unconscious by Xu Ke. When they returned, they didn't even have the courage to meet Xu Ke's eyes. Fifteen of them had come, and now one was unconscious, one was crippled, and another was taken away for investigation. Their defeat was utterly miserable.

But among these fifteen people, one was secretly thrilled. That person was Koo Zuo.

I'm so glad I gave up so readily at the start. Otherwise, Li Ming and Wang Qiang's fate would have been my own. In his heart, Koo Zuo was convinced that giving up had been the correct decision. Faced with a terrifying monster who could take down Qian Jun in an instant, why would anyone push their luck and rush to their death?

…

After Qian Jun and his group left dejectedly, the atmosphere cooled. The people in the viewing area remained in their seats, showing no reaction. Seeing this, Chen Xiong and Yuan Shang cursed inwardly. What a bunch of snobs!

They were cursing because, in previous years at the provincial selection competition, a large crowd of family representatives would always swarm whoever won to "make connections." It was a common sight to see them groveling, trying to get on the champion's good side. After all, anyone who could emerge victorious from such a competition was guaranteed to be a key prospect for the Martial Alliance, possessing incredible strength and potential. If you didn't build a good relationship early, you'd never get another chance.

Chen Xiong remembered when Wong Ting won his year. Many family heads from Tianhai had traveled all the way to the provincial capital just to offer a few words of flattery.

But now, after seeing Xu Ke win the championship, they all remained glued to their chairs as if their backsides were nailed down.

Chen Xiong knew why. Isn't it just because Xu Ke offended Wong Ting? Even if Xu Ke won the championship and displayed terrifying potential, it's useless in their eyes! Potential is meaningless until it's converted into actual power. Xu Ke could be crushed at any moment by someone sent by Wong Ting from overseas. So why would they go up and congratulate him now? Wouldn't that be a pointless effort?

This was exactly why Chen Xiong called them snobs.

But even if they wouldn't come forward, others would. The members of the Wang, Zhou, and Chen Families walked over. Every one of them was ecstatic. How could they not be excited after witnessing Xu Ke defeat Qian Jun and stand up to Jin Hankang's abuse of power?

However, as Wong Qifu, who was walking at the very front, reached Xu Ke's side, her first words were, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Xu Ke replied, clenching his fist. "Feeling great."

Only then did Wong Qifu nod slightly.

Zhou Qingzhi laughed heartily. "Congratulations, Xu Ke!"

"Thank you, Family Head Zhou," Xu Ke said with a smile, his gaze scanning the area behind Zhou Qingzhi. He didn't see Zhou Qingyong. Clearly, the man had stormed off in a rage.

The people from the Chen Family were a middle-aged man and Chen Haiming.

"Xu Ke, we are deeply indebted to you. You've worked so hard! You've solved all of my father's problems!" The middle-aged man, his hair neatly combed, stepped forward and grasped Xu Ke's hand, so overcome with excitement that he was nearly incoherent.

Xu Ke chuckled and said quickly, "Uncle Chen, please, don't mention it. It's what I should do."

Xu Ke recognized the man: Chen Xiong's son and Chen Haiming's father, Chen Xuewen.

Just then, Chen Haiming hurriedly said, "Dad, let go! Boss just finished a match; he's exhausted. Be careful, you'll crush his hand…"

Chen Xuewen was taken aback for a moment before anger flared. "You brat, is that any way to talk to your father?"

He knew full well his son had gone to Xu Ke's clinic to cause trouble. He hadn't even settled that score with the brat, yet here he was, daring to lecture him in public? And never mind that his own son's actions against Xu Ke had been far worse than simply shaking his hand too hard...