But soon, there were no more responses to the torrent of abuse.

Previously, countless teams, gathering experts from all fields, had studied this issue but failed to solve it. Chen Gu was just a contestant. How could he and a single Energy Gathering Mechanical Species solve this problem of the century?

Anyway, the prevailing notion among most people was: if I can't do it, there's no way you can do it either.

When Chen Gu arrived at the venue, he was suddenly surrounded by a horde of reporters. He had initially assumed they were there to interview him about tonight's match, but the first question left him dumbfounded: "Did the Combat Rooster use the 'Ancient Martial Arts Grand Nine Forms'?"

"Huh?" Chen Gu blurted out, "You figured it out that quickly?"

The reporters had anticipated Chen Gu would flatly deny it. They expected he would then thank Xiao Bu Yi for his vote of confidence, while humbly suggesting it was all a coincidence. However, they never imagined Chen Gu would admit it right off the bat!

For a moment, they were as stunned as Chen Gu. But then, excitement surged through them. True or not, this was big news!

Big news was their lifeblood! Even if Chen Gu was later proven to be bluffing—perhaps just to attract attention or intimidate his opponent—the initial buzz from the news would have already been harvested. Plus, they could later expose Chen Gu's deception, generating another wave of sensational headlines!

Perfect.

A barrage of detailed questions immediately followed. However, before Chen Gu could reply, he was whisked away by Alliance officials who had just arrived.

Only after following the Alliance officials into the stadium did Chen Gu manage to ask, "What's going on?"

The official gave a wry smile and sent him Xiao Bu Yi's article. After reading it, Chen Gu couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "This Xiao Bu Yi really knows his stuff!"

The Alliance official led him directly to the on-site manager's office for the competition. The manager pointed to the tremendous uproar outside and said to Chen Gu with a smile, "Mr. Chen, you've certainly stirred up another huge news story. All the fans are waiting for an answer."

Then, he asked Chen Gu seriously, "So now, on behalf of the Alliance, I hope to get a sincere answer from you, Mr. Chen: is everything Xiao Bu Yi said true?"

The official who had brought Chen Gu in remarked, "Mr. Chen already admitted to this during an interview outside just now."

The manager's mouth fell open. He then shook his head in resignation. "Young man, you're too impulsive. With something like this, if you had experience, you would have consulted with the Alliance and your agent first. Now we need to figure out how to salvage the situation..."

Chen Gu glanced at him. "You asked me for a sincere answer, but you'd already made up your mind, hadn't you? It's just that my answer wasn't what you expected.

"Don't trouble yourself thinking about how to 'salvage' anything. You can announce to the public that before my match with Olado, the Combat Rooster and I will perform a demonstration of the colossal beast version of the 'Ancient Martial Arts Grand Nine Forms' for everyone!"

The manager was aghast. "Ah? This... Mr. Chen, this is no joke! The Alliance has many experts. They'll be able to tell at a glance whether it's truly adapted from the 'Ancient Martial Arts Grand Nine Forms'."

This was almost a clear warning: kid, don't think you can just show up with some shoddy imitation, strike a few random poses to try and bluff your way through; you'll be exposed.

Chen Gu chuckled. "Go ahead and arrange it. If you can't, I can call Mr. Wei Kaitai."

Wei Kaitai was the official who had initially introduced Chen Gu to the Alliance. He was a high-ranking official at Alliance headquarters, his status far surpassing that of the on-site manager.

"No need, I'll arrange it," the manager conceded, though he couldn't help but cast a doubtful glance at Chen Gu. This guy is so certain... Is he really confident he can pull it off?

Soon, the official Alliance website posted the announcement. Although very little time remained before the match was due to start, this news quickly generated another wave of intense interest.