Chapter 718: Social Club (8)

The judges gathered and began discussing among themselves. The panel consisted of four officials each from both Great Xia and Jiepeng.

In most martial arts duels, determining the winner and loser was usually clear cut and objective. Unlike literary competitions, where subjective judgment could influence the results, combat was usually decided by obvious factors, leaving little room for dispute. However, the unexpected double knockout in this match complicated matters.

After deliberation, the judges ultimately declared the match a draw. Neither side was satisfied with the ruling. The leader of the Jiepeng exchange delegation immediately protested, arguing in favor of declaring Yoshida Maya the winner.

“I object! Yoshida-kun is still conscious. Given a few minutes, his superpowers would allow him to recover. If this were a real battle, he would have been able to stand up and finish off Zhao Guoqiang, who is in a coma. Yoshida-kun should be the rightful winner.”

“That’s right! The Great Xia team is despicable and is taking advantage of loopholes. Just because this event is held in your country doesn’t mean you can do as you please! Once the news spreads, your reputation will be in ruins...”

Several other members of the Jiepeng delegation also stormed onto the scene, loudly voicing their protest. The situation quickly turned chaotic. Spectators in the stands turned toward the main podium, their expressions filled with confusion and anticipation.

Meanwhile, the unconscious Zhao Guoqiang had already been carried into the waiting room and rushed into an emergency operating room. The medical team, who was long prepared for such incidents, immediately began resuscitation efforts.

Ignoring the objections of a young nurse, Li Xiaofei forcibly entered the operating room. The others observed this development with varied expressions.

Daoist Master Sanjue scoffed and said indifferently, “He’s not even a doctor. What does he think he’s doing by barging into the operating room? Getting in the way?”

Qi Honglei frowned but remained silent. The young master kept his eyes fixed on the broadcast screen. A trace of killing intent flickered in his eyes as he watched the Jiepeng representatives loudly protesting at the scene.

Daoist Master Sanjue sneered again. “At least Jiepeng’s leader knows how to step up and put pressure on the judges. And yet, our own team leader... heh, hides away the moment things go south. Hiding in the operating room, of all places. How amusing.”

“You better watch your words!” An angry voice suddenly rang out from the side.

Daoist Master Sanjue was momentarily stunned, and turned toward the source of the voice. A young man, around seventeen or eighteen years old, with bronze-toned skin was bristling. It seemed like he was a university student. His face was filled with anger as he glared at Sanjue.

“And who are you?” asked Sanjue as his eyes narrowed.

“My name is Li Guorui. I’m a student at Balitai University,” the young man declared loudly, as if summoning all his courage. “You may be a senior figure, but that doesn’t mean you can speak irresponsibly. Brother Li is absolutely not the kind of coward you’re making him out to be!”

Sanjue let out a cold chuckle. “Kid, what do you know? You’re just a university student. Go back to your classes, this isn’t a place for you.”

Li Guorui stood tall and spoke firmly, his voice unwavering. “That’s right. I’m just an ordinary university student, unknown to the world. I don’t belong here and being able to witness this event is an incredible stroke of luck for me. It feels like a dream to stand among the great masters of Great Xia. But I never expected that reality would be so different from reputation. Daoist Master, you must be a renowned figure of Great Xia, or you wouldn’t be here. But instead of uniting our people, you keep sowing discord with your cynical remarks. Tell me, are you really from Great Xia?”

“What did you just say?” Sanjue’s face darkened instantly. He hadn’t expected a mere university student to speak to him so boldly, let alone question his loyalty. His anger surged as he said, “Are you under the illusion that this old Daoist’s sword is not sharp?”

By this point, Li Guorui had completely thrown caution to the wind. People could say whatever they wanted but he wouldn’t tolerate insults to his brother.

Ignoring the restraining hands of his newly made friends, he took a bold step forward and declared, “A mere university student like me may not be much but my sword is not dull either.”

As soon as Li Guorui's words fell—

Crackle! Crackle!

A streak of violet lightning erupted from his body. Thunder rumbled ominously, like the growl of a primordial beast from the heavens. Dark purple thunderclouds swirled faintly above his head as they flickered in and out of existence.

In that instant, the seemingly ordinary university student transformed into a terrifying monster. The overwhelming surge of superpower energy that radiated from his body sent a chill through everyone nearby.

A master!

This is a true master!

The eyes of both the martial artists and the Awakened widened in shock. Up until now, they had assumed this young man was just some bystander, someone who had tagged along thanks to a favor from a senior family member. They thought that he was nothing more than a spectator.

But reality had proved them wrong. He had been hiding his true strength all along and he had awakened lightning-based abilities. A rare and highly offensive superpower.

The fact that his lightning was purple signified a mutation in his abilities, which was an even rarer phenomenon. While the exact effects of the mutation were unknown, one thing was certain. It was extraordinary.

Zhang Hongjing’s eyes widened in disbelief. Li Xiaofei had mentioned earlier that he wanted to bring a younger brother along to observe the event, so she had helped arrange it.

She had assumed he was simply bringing a family member to experience the scene. But now... She realized how narrow-minded she had been.

If the team leader had gone through the trouble of personally making arrangements, how could it have been for something so trivial? This young man, Li Guorui, had remained hidden until now. But she had never expected him to possess a lightning-based superpower, and a mutated one at that. That was nothing short of astonishing.

She needed to find a way to recruit him into the Dragon Group. A talent like this had to serve the nation. A thousand thoughts flashed through Zhang Hongjing’s mind, but she quickly stepped forward to de-escalate the situation.

“Daoist Master, Li Guorui, please calm down. This is not the place for a fight. The exchange conference isn’t over yet. If we start fighting amongst ourselves now, it’ll only make the Jiepeng people laugh at us.”

Daoist Master Sanjue let out a cold snort. “Since Officer Zhang has spoken, I will spare this brat for now.”

Li Guorui thought for a moment before retracting his lightning energy and said, “I apologize, Officer Zhang. I shouldn't have caused a scene.”

Zhang Hongjing let out a sigh of relief. But before the atmosphere could settle, Li Guorui turned toward Daoist Master Sanjue once again, his eyes sharp.

“But I must ask the Daoist Master to refrain from insulting my elder brother ever again. Otherwise, even if my life is worthless, I will fight you to the bitter end.”

Daoist Master Sanjue’s eyebrows twitched violently in frustration.

***

Inside the operating room, the bleeding in Zhao Guoqiang’s abdomen had been finally stopped after an intense emergency rescue effort. He had been pulled back from the brink of death.

The team of highly skilled surgeons let out a collective sigh of relief. The lead surgeon wiped the sweat from his forehead before giving a brief nod to Li Xiaofei, who was standing quietly to the side. Without saying much, the medical team packed up their instruments and left the operating room.

The moment they stepped out, they were immediately surrounded by the people waiting outside.

“Director Zhou, how is he?” Zhang Hongjing asked urgently.

Outside, the Jiepeng delegation was still loudly protesting. The exchange match had been temporarily suspended due to the controversy.

Daoist Master Sanjue, Qi Honglei and several others were also gathered at the makeshift operating room’s entrance, their faces filled with concern. Zhao Guoqiang’s fearless and heroic battle had earned their respect and they were all anxious about his condition. Director Zhou had seen many such cases before.

He calmly removed his surgical mask, took off his cap, and wiped the sweat from his forehead before speaking, “The situation is relatively optimistic. The surgery was a success. However, the patient needs immediate rest. I strongly recommend that he be urgently transferred to a nearby Class-A Tertiary Hospital ICU for close monitoring. As long as he makes it through tonight without complications, his life should be safe.”

“Is Team Leader Li still inside?” Zhang Hongjing asked.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

“Yes, he’s still in there.” Director Zhou nodded before frowning slightly. “This is a bit reckless. I understand that your identities are special, but even so, rules must not be broken. The operating room is a place where lives hang in the balance. If someone who knows nothing about medicine interferes with the procedure, it could be fatal.”

“I understand, but...” Zhang Hongjing quickly put on a polite smile, attempting to explain.

This Director Zhou was no ordinary surgeon, he was a world-renowned expert in the field. He was known in the medical world as The One Blade Zhao, a name that carried weight even across the world. His words held authority.

She quickly arranged for staff to escort Director Zhou and his team to a resting area. Today’s exchange event had turned out to be far more intense than expected.

It had only just begun, and there had already been bloodshed, with one fighter barely escaping death. And yet, there were still several matches left. No one knew how things would escalate from here.

Director Zhou and his medical team would likely be very busy before the day was over.

“I’ll go in and take a look.” Suddenly, Qi Honglei, the Voidless Swordmaster, spoke up. “I have a personally refined Void Blood Pill. It can protect the heart’s meridians and preserve vital energy. It might be able to help Old Zhao recover faster.”

Zhang Hongjing was momentarily stunned and said, “This...”

Qi Honglei’s legendary past was well known. His mastery of swordsmanship was unparalleled and his alchemy skills were equally famous.

Though many in the modern era doubted whether ancient pill refinement techniques could compare to modern medical science, such mystical remedies often had surprisingly effective results.

“How about this, I’ll report to Team Leader Li first,” Zhang Hongjing suggested, preferring to play it safe and seek Li Xiaofei’s approval.

“Is that really necessary?” Daoist Master Sanjue frowned instinctively.

At that moment the young master spoke up, “You need permission for something like this? The Voidless Swordmaster’s Void Blood Pill is famous in the martial world; it’s literally priceless. You couldn’t buy one even if you had a thousand gold bars. The only reason he’s offering it now is because Old Zhao fought for the nation and nearly lost his life. Don’t be so rigid.”

Zhang Hongjing furrowed her brows slightly. She could sense that some people held resentment toward Li Xiaofei. It was because he was too young. She wanted to clear up the misunderstandings. But just as she was just about to reveal Li Xiaofei’s true capabilities, the door to the operating room opened.

Li Xiaofei walked out.

“Team Leader, how is he?” Zhang Hongjing immediately stepped forward to ask.

Li Xiaofei smiled and replied, “He’s fine. He’ll regain consciousness soon. Just let him rest, don’t disturb him.”

Then, he looked around. “Who’s up next for the fight?”