Upon hearing Wong Ting’s words, Qian Jun’s complexion finally changed. His body began to tremble as he spoke with difficulty, "My lord, it is my fault! I am useless! I am not as good as Xu Ke! I have brought shame upon the Ten Great War Generals! I am incompetent. Please, my lord, allow me to relinquish my position as a War General."

A profound look of panic and despair filled Qian Jun’s eyes. Qian Jun, who held victory and glory in the highest esteem, finally collapsed at this moment after keeping up a facade for most of the day.

He was scared! He was truly terrified by Xu Ke!

Xu Ke’s every punch and kick seemed to wield the power to shake the heavens, effortlessly shattering his True Qi, his defenses, and his psychological barriers. No one knew what was truly going through the mind of Qian Jun as Xu Ke trampled him underfoot during the standoff with Jin Hankang and the others. Even in his nightmares, he could recall the countless gazes in the spectator area locked on him, watching as he was mercilessly pinned beneath Xu Ke’s foot, struggling in pain, the picture of helpless, desperate indignation.

Xu Ke had become a lifelong nightmare for Qian Jun.

But when Wong Ting heard these words, he changed the subject. "Qian Jun, do you know why I arranged for so many people to fight Xu Ke alongside you, why I arranged for three referees as a failsafe, and why I deliberately set the venue in Tianhai?"

Qian Jun trembled and shook his head. "I do not know."

His mind was awash with panic, his thoughts dominated by images of Xu Ke tormenting him like a dog. How could he possibly have the capacity to answer questions?

Wong Ting showed no dissatisfaction or impatience, speaking methodically, "Because I knew from the very beginning that you couldn’t defeat Xu Ke."

Upon hearing Xu Ke’s name, Qian Jun’s expression changed instantly. "My lord, you..."

Zhao Xiangping and Su Ximing were even more incredulous. If Wong Ting had known all along that Qian Jun couldn’t defeat Xu Ke, why would he have let him go and suffer such humiliation?

"I arranged for so many people to deplete Xu Ke’s strength, to make your victory a little easier. I arranged for referees because I was worried that after you were defeated, Xu Ke might cripple or even kill you, so they were there to protect your life. I chose Tianhai because I wanted to attack his mentality, to make him show weakness while fighting on his home turf."

Wong Ting spoke slowly, "But do you think any of those three measures had any effect?"

Qian Jun was silent for a moment before answering truthfully, "None."

"The fighters I arranged for were crippled by Xu Ke, two of them. Koo Zuo was clever enough to forfeit on his own initiative... but, haha, I have no need for deserters. Zhao Xiangping, when you get back, deal with him for me," Wong Ting said, chuckling coldly as he mentioned Koo Zuo.

Zhao Xiangping quickly replied, "Yes, my lord!"

Wong Ting continued, "As for Jin Hankang, haha, he did his duty. Ki Qinyin’s arrival was sudden, so he can’t be blamed. As for Tianhai, Xu Ke’s mentality wasn’t affected in the slightest. On the contrary, it was you lot who were led by the nose from the very beginning. Right up until you stepped into the ring, none of you realized he wasn’t poisoned. It’s truly laughable!"

Wong Ting’s tone was devoid of mockery, but his words made the three of them burn with shame.

Qian Jun said, "I am willing to accept any punishment. Please, my lord, do not blame them." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Zhao Xiangping’s and Su Ximing’s expressions changed. How could we let him do that?

Yet Wong Ting said indifferently, "There’s no need for punishments. The humiliation of defeat is already the best punishment."

The group fell silent.

"Losing a battle isn’t frightening," Wong Ting added. "What’s truly frightening is not knowing why you lost. Do you understand?"

Qian Jun was startled.

"You are indeed very talented, even more so than me," Wong Ting said flatly. "But you are too arrogant. You look down on everyone and treat others as if they are nothing. That is the main reason you lost. Did you really think breaking through to the Innate Initial Stage was enough to let you slaughter Xu Ke? The uncontrolled power of the Innate Initial Stage became the very reason for your defeat. You were too conceited!"

Upon hearing this, Qian Jun’s face turned deathly pale. "My lord, but didn’t you say that young people should be sharp and show their edge?"

"I did say that," Wong Ting replied. "But now, I don’t need young people. I need seasoned veterans."

Those words made Qian Jun’s face turn ashen. I understand, my lord!

Does this mean... he’s discarding me? Although he had already wanted to step down from his position among the Ten Great War Generals, he still couldn’t accept hearing Wong Ting personally kicking him out.

"My lord..." Zhao Xiangping and Su Ximing grew anxious and wanted to plead on Qian Jun’s behalf.

Who would have thought, however, that Wong Ting would smile at this moment? "Now that you have tasted such utter humiliation, you possess the foundation to become a veteran."

Qian Jun was stunned. Then, his body shook violently, tears welling in his eyes. "My... my lord..."

He finally understood Wong Ting’s intentions! Wong Ting had first scolded him awake, then provoked him to stop his mind from dwelling on his failure, and now, with these words, he revealed his true purpose. A tempered Qian Jun was what Wong Ting needed.

"I sent you to Tianhai because I did, of course, want you to defeat Xu Ke," Wong Ting said calmly. "But you, Xu Ke, and everyone else thought I sent you to Tianhai because I was vying for Wong Qifu’s affection and competing with him out of jealousy. They didn’t know that I was actually using Xu Ke as a whetstone to sharpen you. A blade only becomes brighter after it’s been sharpened!"

With these words, Qian Jun finally understood completely. So that’s how it was!

Wong Ting said, "I’ve investigated Xu Ke. He is very powerful and very talented; I have to admire him. To possess such terrifying cultivation at the age of twenty-five and still have the mind to plot against you shows that he is cautious and seasoned. Don’t be fooled by his arrogant words; his mind is more calculating than those old foxes. He is the type of person to despise you tactically but respect you strategically. Against someone like that, your probability of winning is very low! And that’s not even mentioning how you thought you were being clever by rushing your breakthrough to the Innate Initial Stage..."

The Qian Jun of before would have definitely snorted in disdain. But at this moment, he listened quietly to Wong Ting’s words.

"So, I pitted you—a man of exceptional talent who had almost never known defeat—against him because I wanted you to understand that there are always heavens beyond the heavens," Wong Ting said coolly. "Losing is not always a bad thing. The next time you face him, you will naturally possess the power to defeat him! Do you understand?"

Qian Jun took a deep breath. His fighting spirit, which had been completely shattered, gradually began to coalesce under Wong Ting’s words. Then, he slowly said, "I understand, my lord!"

"It’s good that you understand," Wong Ting said, revealing a hint of satisfaction.

Qian Jun looked up at the sunlight filtering through the car window, feeling its warmth. His gaze gradually grew focused and bright. At this moment, he finally understood what could make him grow.

Setbacks! They will make me stronger. All the humiliation in the stadium will become the driving force for my future advancement.

As the sunlight streamed through the window and bathed Qian Jun, Zhao Xiangping and Su Ximing could clearly feel his fighting spirit miraculously coalescing. His aura even began to fluctuate...

His previously unstable Innate Initial Stage cultivation had actually stabilized!

In other words, he had grown stronger.

Su Ximing and Zhao Xiangping were dumbfounded, their shock quickly turning into wild joy.

Qian Jun has grown stronger?!