Evolving infinitely from ground zero

The sudden burst of chūnibyō from the big boy left Lin Zichen somewhat speechless.

This kid must be a bit air-headed.

...

On the other side, in the audience seats.

Watching the big boy on the Martial Stage, Zhang Wanxin was completely shocked.

What on earth did this child eat to grow so big and tall in middle school?

Then, with a worried face, she said, "Husband, the kid is so big, how can Xiao Chen fight against him? What if he gets hurt?"

"It's fine, these big types usually aren't very agile. Xiao Chen can win by using nimble footwork, and as for injuries... there's a referee watching, so it shouldn't happen."

Lin Yansheng said soothingly.

He said these words, but in reality, even he didn't feel confident; he was more trying to calm Zhang Wanxin.

Differently from the couple, Shen Qinghan was full of confidence in Lin Zichen.

She looked at Zhang Wanxin and said confidently, "Don't worry, Aunt Xin, Xiao Chen will definitely win. Against those dumb brutes, Xiao Chen can knock them down with a single punch!"

Hearing her call someone a dumb brute, Zhang Wanxin immediately said with a gentle voice, "Han Han, you shouldn't call people dumb brutes, it's not nice."

"Oh, I won't do it again, Aunt Xin," Shen Qinghan said, acknowledging her mistake.

Afterwards, she looked towards the Martial Stage and put her delicate, white hands in front of her mouth, shouting with her little voice, "Xiao Chen, come on!"

When her cheering voice was heard, people on the opposite side of the audience seats quickly yelled back, not to be outdone, "Da Zhuang, come on, take him down!"

Zhang Wanxin, upon hearing this, was immediately displeased and also shouted, "Xiao Chen, come on, you can win, Mom believes in you!"

After shouting, she nudged her husband, Lin Yansheng, and urged him, "Husband, shout quickly, your voice is louder, we can't lose in momentum!"

"Xiao Chen, come on!!!" Lin Yansheng bellowed with all his might, making several nearby spectators' ears ring.

Guo Xiangyuan, in the rest area, heard this and had the other four team members cheer for Lin Zichen as well.

Seeing this, people from Shanhai No.1 Middle School immediately imitated them and shouted out their cheers.

In just a brief moment, the whole venue became lively.

...

On the Martial Stage.

Lin Zichen smiled and waved to both sides when he heard the cheers from his family and teammates.

His opponent, the big boy, stood there with a cold face, not moving at all, paying no mind to the family and teammates cheering for him, thinking it made him look cooler.

"Competitors, please take your positions quickly. The match is about to begin!"

The referee, seeing it was time, immediately said to the two on the stage with a loud voice.

Hearing this, both of them quickly took their positions.

Seeing that both were ready, the referee immediately raised his right hand and chopped down, "The duel, begins!"

As soon as the words were out, the big boy immediately charged at Lin Zichen like a bull.

This was a formal match; no competitor would foolishly let their opponent strike first.

This is a bad habit that doesn't lead to victory; if a competitor up top dares to do that, the coach below dares to curse them out.

Faced with the charging big boy, Lin Zichen simply sidestepped to avoid him and then lightly pushed on the boy's back with his hand.

Then, in the next moment, the big boy lost his balance and stumbled straight out of the Martial Stage, losing in record time.

All at once, the venue fell silent, stunned by this unexpected scene.

About two seconds passed.

Shen Qinghan was the first to snap out of it, her small face filled with excitement as she yelled:

"Xiao Chen, you're so amazing!!!"

Zhang Wanxin also hugged Lin Yansheng excitedly, exclaiming,

"Husband, you really have a knack for prediction; Xiao Chen actually won with agility against that big lump!"

"Ha ha ha, that's right, that's right." Lin Yansheng couldn't be happier, having merely guessed the outcome; no one could have expected that.

With the voices of these three, the other people around also came back to their senses, and a wave of murmuring erupted in the audience seats.

"What the heck? He's so much bigger and stronger, how could he lose?"

"Dead muscles, definitely dead muscles, not agile at all, no wonder he lost."

"Damn it, stupid lump, there goes my money down the drain!"

"..."

On the other side, in the competitor's rest area.

Guo Xiangyuan and the four teammates were all insanely excited, each of them shouting at the top of their lungs, "Zi Chen is awesome!"

Meanwhile, the people from Shanhai No.1 Middle School were all frowning, feeling somewhat displeased.

The coach from Shanhai No.1 Middle School, in particular, was so angry that his face turned green, berating the hulking boy, "Footwork! Footwork! How many times have I told you? Don't just rush straight in on the Martial Stage! Use footwork! Why don't you ever listen!!!"

The hulking boy was dumbfounded by the scolding, his eyes instantly welling up with tears, but he dared not cry.

Lin Zichen watched the coach from Shanhai No.1 High School and felt that this person might not be very competent.

The reason the hulking boy had been pushed out of the Martial Stage wasn't that he was moving too fast and couldn't stop, causing him to lose balance. It was purely the strength of the light push on his back that was too great.

After all, an arm that could easily lift over 1000kg was not something a middle schooler could withstand.

Even if this middle schooler was extremely bulky, he would still end up being pushed off the Martial Stage when faced with such a powerful burst of strength.

[You have successfully defeated a competitor, and your ranking in the competition has improved.]

[Total opponents knocked out: 2/1000]

As expected, as long as he defeated competitors in a highly competitive contest, he could advance the progress bar for his achievement tasks!

Lin Zichen felt a surge of excitement in his heart, eager to get started on the next duel.

Luckily, there was no break time in the middle of this tournament's matches, and competitors had to fight the next round immediately after winning their current duel.

"Chen Feng, you're up for this duel. Go all out from the start and defeat that freshman from Shanhai High School as fast as you can, got it?"

In the rest area of Shanhai No.1 Middle School, the coach, with a stern face, told the crew-cut boy ranked second in strength on their team.

The crew-cut boy nodded seriously and said, "I got it, Coach."

After speaking, he took his position on the Martial Stage calmly and stood there, silently waiting for the referee's signal to begin.

Seeing both competitors ready, the referee immediately raised his right hand and chopped it down, "The duel begins!"

Hearing the signal to start the duel, the crew-cut boy charged out in a burst, aiming a sharp side kick at Lin Zichen's neck.

Lin Zichen calmly ducked down, narrowly evading the side kick, and casually pushed the crew-cut boy's waist with his hand.

The next moment, while still in the middle of executing the side kick and standing on one leg, the crew-cut boy's body instantly lost balance. To the far-off onlooker, he looked as if he had slipped. He fell to the ground with a "thud."

Conveniently, he happened to hit the back of his head and passed out on the spot.

The venue fell silent once again, utterly stunned by the scene on the Martial Stage.

The first to react were the medical personnel who had been waiting below the stage.

After seeing the crew-cut boy faint from hitting the back of his head, they immediately rushed to the stage with a stretcher and carried him away for treatment.

Then, a flurry of discussion broke out in the spectators' seats.

"What's going on? How come that student from Shanhai High School is so lucky?"

"Well, geez, the previous opponent lost by running out of the ring, and now this one accidentally slips, hits his head, and faints. Is this the son of fortune?"

"It's not just luck, though. That move just now to dodge the side kick was really quick. They've got skill."

"Holy crap! It must be a rigged match! Refund!"

"..."

In the rest area of Shanhai No.1 Middle School.

The coach from Shanhai No.1 Middle School was dumbfounded, unable to believe the scene unfolding before his eyes.

Luck? Was this really just luck?

No! It wasn't luck!

This freshman from Shanhai High School had real skill!

Realizing this, the coach from Shanhai No.1 Middle School immediately turned to the strongest person on the team, a sprinter who could run a hundred meters in just 9 seconds, and said with a hint of panic in his voice, "Gaofei, you're up for this next duel. Focus on defense; don't attack proactively. Let's see what this freshman from Shanhai High School is all about. You absolutely cannot lose!"

"Don't worry, Coach. I'll win."

The boy named Gaofei responded confidently and then walked onto the Martial Stage with a self-assured demeanor.

He had observed the entirety of those two recent matches and felt that Lin Zichen wasn't particularly strong physically; he was just agile and knew how to take advantage in combat, which is why he could win so effortlessly.

So he believed that with his equally agile body, rich fighting experience, and the ability to sprint a hundred meters in just 9 seconds, as long as he took the upcoming duel seriously and stayed fully focused, there was no reason for him to lose.

...

PS: I'm setting the bowl down, asking for monthly tickets and recommendation votes!