Shame?

If I don't consider it shameful, then the shame naturally falls on others.

Wang Zhan chuckled, glancing with interest at the particularly delicate-looking Li Shiji, who was covered in rags.

"So, you're willing to talk now, are you? Weren't you acting all tough before? Go on, I can still play along with you."

Huh? Why do I suddenly feel so disgusted? What the hell? Wang Zhan abruptly came to his senses, his expression flickering unpredictably before quickly settling into an emotionless mask. He looked straight ahead, feigning seriousness as he said,

"Hmm... I believe I owe you an apology. I really shouldn't have treated you like that. It was too cruel, too disgusting..."

Li Shiji, seething with hatred, forced a bleak smile.

...

Among the hazy figures nearby, the corner of Li Chengyuan's mouth twitched slightly, a mixture of awkwardness and helplessness evident on his face. Mingyue, who had arrived just in time, quietly stared at Wang Zhan and the pale, exposed form beneath him.

"Whether his temperament is vile or not is a separate discussion," Mingyue said. "Are you sure you won't intervene? If you still don't act, once the State Governor arrives, it will truly be the beginning of a fight to the death between Wang Zhan and Li Shiji."

"...How do you know Wang Zhan isn't trying to cultivate an opponent or two for himself, to force his own improvement?" Li Chengyuan countered.

Mingyue suddenly turned her head.

"Do you think Wang Zhan is an idiot?"

"Of course not."

"Then why are you using your own idiotic reasoning to guess Wang Zhan's thoughts right now?"

Li Chengyuan looked at Mingyue in surprise, momentarily speechless.

"Ming... Mingyue, when did you become so talkative, and so sharp-tongued? Your words could kill without penalty!"

Mingyue turned back, her posture straight, and smoothed a strand of dark hair at her temple, saying calmly,

"I started learning it after interacting with Wang Zhan. Actually, his methods for dealing with these minor characters are quite effective sometimes. They not only let me vent my frustrations but also ensure I don't easily get the short end of the stick."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengyuan was left speechless, choking back his frustration as he cursed inwardly.

Wang Zhan, give me back my ice queen! You're useless at everything else, but number one when it comes to corrupting people!

However, the two of them didn't argue for long. They quickly sensed movement behind them and spun around abruptly.

"Don't move! Federal Police!" a deep voice commanded, a gleaming laser pistol aimed squarely at them.

The Federation entered the arena.

...

Li Shiji smiled bleakly.

"Do you think a single apology can fully atone for the calamity you've brought upon the Royal Martial Arts Academy and upon me today? I'm telling you, it's impossible! From this day forward, you are an enemy of my Royal Martial Arts Academy, and I, Li Shiji, swear that in this life and all lives to come, this feud between us will only end in death!"

Hearing the first part of his sentence, one might have mistakenly thought Wang Zhan had seduced and then callously abandoned Li Shiji. But the latter part made Wang Zhan's gaze instantly turn cold, though his face remained a mask of sincerity as he said,

"Then what will it take for you to let me go? I don't want to be an enemy of the Royal Martial Arts Academy. I'm just a good student who wants to study hard and improve every day, not one of you bigwigs from the upper echelons of the Federation! Do we commoners not deserve to live as freely in the Federation as you scions of noble families and privileged elites?"

Li Shiji was momentarily stunned, but after recovering, he sneered.

"Are you trying to hog the spotlight with your theatrics? Stop joking. If you genuinely just wanted to live a peaceful life, you wouldn't have targeted the Royal Martial Arts Academy, and you wouldn't have targeted me. You're simply a disgrace to the Federation, and anyone can see that!"

Damn it, it's not like I was deliberately targeting you... Wang Zhan thought.

Meanwhile, Li Shiji was also deep in thought, so frustrated he felt like crying but couldn't shed a tear. I'm just an innocent victim of an undeserved disaster! Why are you doing this to me? Couldn't you just surrender, or at least drive me away and let the Martial Arts Academy send someone else?

But Li Shiji had almost forgotten: Wang Zhan was just a Warrior. Even if his advancement was astonishingly fast, he was still only a Warrior. Li Shiji, on the other hand, was a genuine high-level Grandmaster. Even if he killed Wang Zhan, no one would so much as frown at him for it. It wasn't worth making a fuss over a dead man.

"So, what will it take for you to forgive me?"

That's enough drama, Wang Zhan mused. It should be enough to salvage my image a bit. Simply put, I'm done playing.

Li Shiji bared his teeth, almost gnashing them as he glared fiercely at Wang Zhan, his eyes filled with sinister ruthlessness.

"Let me tell you, it's impossible! Unless your entire family dies right in front of me, this feud between us will never be easily settled!"

Wang Zhan's anger instantly flared.

"Fuck your mother!"

You shameless bastard! I gave you an inch, and you tried to take a mile! Have I really been spoiling you too much?

Seeing as Li Shiji had already thoroughly exposed his true nature to those influential figures from Jing State, and assuming that plenty of busybodies had likely recorded it, Wang Zhan dropped the pretense. He laid his cards on the table and kicked Li Shiji squarely in the mouth, sending him sprawling with a mouthful of dirt.

"Fuck your mother! When the hell did I ever offend your Royal Martial Arts Academy? It's you lot who are insufferably arrogant and domineering, acting like everyone else on the road is an eyesore! And pieces of trash like you actually think you're in the right?"

…

Watching Wang Zhan pummel Li Shiji for several more minutes, Shi Zhongming, who stood at the corner of a nearby building, spoke in a deep voice.

"Got it all on video?"

His young subordinate beside him nodded respectfully.

"All recorded, sir."

"Then release it. Use the headline: 'Martial Artists: The Federation's Greatest Menace—An Open Letter to the Dog-Eat-Dog World of Martial Artists!'"

The subordinate was shocked. Is he trying to get us all killed? This is suicidal!

But Shi Zhongming merely glanced at him quietly, his voice soft, his face etched with Solemnity and a chilling intent.

"Hmm?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Get it out immediately. I'll check the results when I get back. Remember, this video has to rank first in the hot search; buy the spot if you have to. Now, arrest them!"

Shi Zhongming, being the shrewd man he was, had immediately seen through that kid Wang Zhan's attempts to create more drama for himself. However, he didn't mind. The more drama Wang Zhan stirred up, the better. After all, Wang Zhan himself had killed several people that night, providing Shi Zhongming with plenty of leverage.

As long as it was utilized correctly, regardless of the strength the Martial Artists present represented, and whether they were good or evil, they could all become sharp weapons in Shi Zhongming's hands.

Others might want to extol heroes, praise Martial Artists, or scheme against rival factions and feuding families.

But Shi Zhongming was different. He had only one objective: to utterly ruin the reputation of Martial Artists, to make them reviled throughout the Federation like rats scurrying across the street, to drag them completely from their pedestals.

Only then could the Federation return to its former state, with Martial Artists fading from their current prominence. They were suited for bravery on the battlefield, not for bullying the good and fearing the evil within the Federation.

Originally, if Wang Zhan's appearance had merely been a coincidence, Shi Zhongming wouldn't have targeted him excessively. However, the actions of the Military Department tonight made the perceptive Shi Zhongming sense that something was dangerously amiss.

Obeying orders is a soldier's sacred duty; soldiers exist only to obey commands and eliminate enemies on the battlefield. But now, they actually wanted to prop up a single individual, sacrificing an entire city's safety for the rise of one Martial Artist?

Utterly preposterous! Since when had the Federation become the domain of a single person? Not even the President of the Federation would dare make such a claim.

Therefore, the Military Department deserved to be purged, Martial Artists deserved to be suppressed, and Wang Zhan deserved to die.

Shi Zhongming watched impassively as the Grandmasters were rounded up and arrested by the Federal Police. He saw Wang Zhan, face stunned, and Li Shiji, feigning innocence, being led past him under escort. A thought suddenly struck him.

Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if Wang Zhan died in custody... The Military Department is starting to get ideas of its own; it's best to shatter their aspirations completely...

Although Wang Zhan had appeared in Jing State purely by a stroke of luck, he was the instigator of all of tonight's clandestine events. And especially since the Military Department had actually spoken out to protect him, Shi Zhongming was now determined to see if he could eliminate him.

…

"You... you set me up?"

Inside the vehicle, the two of them, fully shackled, sat facing each other.

Who could have imagined that Wang Zhan, who had been beating and humiliating Li Shiji just moments before, would instantly transform himself into the victim?

Thus, when the authorities from Jing State arrived, Li Shiji's own viciousness and ruthlessness had firmly established Wang Zhan's "innocence." Even if some of Wang Zhan's methods were despicable and repulsive, everyone knew that people in the heat of anger can sometimes lose control.

But this didn't mean Li Shiji accepted this narrative. He only knew one thing: Wang Zhan had tricked him. Again.

This sewer rat who had crawled out of the slums... his level of insidious ruthlessness sent shivers down Li Shiji's spine.

When killing was an option, he killed. When it wasn't, with just a simple trick, he could make Li Shiji lose all face. Those later tactics, especially, had nearly made Li Shiji wish he could die of humiliation.

I'm a bona fide Grandmaster! In the future, photos of me might circulate online... they might even give me a nickname like 'Teacher Li'!

The very thought is unbearable!

Wang Zhan ignored him, not because he lacked the inclination, but because his face had suddenly turned deathly pale, and his frame seemed to shrink, becoming incredibly gaunt in an instant.

As Wang Zhan relinquished control over the Blood Essence Pill and ceased circulating the Supreme Clear Thunder Summary, the once-expanded and robust Essence Energy and mental energy within him instantly plummeted to rock bottom.

The time to suffer the complications had arrived.

Pure bliss while it lasted, sheer hell when it ended—that probably described Wang Zhan's current state. The pain was so unbearable he could hardly stand it. His teeth chattered softly as a tremor bored its way from deep within him to the surface, then from his body into his very brain, never pausing for an instant.

Li Shiji saw at a glance that Wang Zhan was in a terrible state. Recalling his earlier bravado and those inexplicable pronouncements, everything clicked into place.

He immediately burst into raucous laughter.

"Retribution! This is retribution! You lowly creature! Did you think you could act lawlessly just because your strength surged temporarily from one or two elixirs? In this world, debts must always be repaid! You overexerted yourself so much before; let's see if you survive this time!"

As he spoke, his gaze turned deep and somber, his tone becoming ominous.

"Of course, you can't die! You absolutely must hold on. If you die, who will I take my revenge on? Your old hag of a mother and your sister? You wouldn't be around to see it then, would you!"

He threatened wantonly, emboldened by his powerful physical body's defenses, utterly fearless.

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