Chapter 80: A Single Move to Victory

There was no flashy prelude, no showy combat techniques on display for the enemy. Everything happened within 0.2 seconds, all within a distance of 0.1 meters. A single punch landed squarely on Long Wu’s left shoulder.

Bang!

Crack!

Long Wu’s footing slipped as he lost his balance, toppling rapidly to the right. The cracking sound was unmistakably that of breaking bones. His burly body crashed heavily to the arena floor, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Long Wu howled in agony, unable to endure the pain—the bones in his left arm were likely shattered into several segments.

The vast Asura Arena was utterly silent, save for the harsh, heavy breaths of those present. Everyone was stunned, eyes wide in disbelief as they stared at the stage. Who would believe it if they heard—a quasi-B-ranked powerhouse, felled to the ground with a single punch? No one, absolutely no one, would buy such a tale.

And yet, it had indeed happened.

James and Luo Hao, both B-ranked adventurers, hurriedly leapt onto the stage, standing before Li Xin and appraising him from head to toe, their eyes alight with admiration.

“Yiran, you’re truly formidable!” James exclaimed with heartfelt awe.

“Yiran, our Mighty Team is in dire need of a powerhouse like you. Are you interested in joining? I assure you, I’ll offer the most generous terms!” Luo Hao was even quicker to extend an invitation.

James’ heart sank as he inwardly cursed Luo Hao for beating him to the punch.

“Yiran, our Order of the Holy Light is led by a captain who’s an A-ranked powerhouse. If you join, the captain will surely be thrilled,” James countered, invoking the name of Captain Desi.

Luo Hao’s face fell—he was displeased that James had played this card.

Li Xin, having withdrawn his fist, looked calmly at the two but offered no reply.

Meanwhile, the hundreds of adventurers below the stage erupted in commotion.

Everyone could see that Yiran had already held back. Had he followed the deathmatch rules to the letter, he could easily have blasted Long Wu’s head open with that punch. At the very least, it would have resulted in a grade 5 or 6 concussion.

If not dead, Long Wu would have been crippled.

As it was, his arm was broken, but there was still hope for recovery. The fact that two B-ranked powerhouses were now vying to recruit Yiran only made this so-called deadly duel all the more ironic.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Yiran’s strength might well surpass the B rank—perhaps he had even reached A rank.

Long Wu’s wails continued until several subordinates and teammates rushed onto the stage, hurriedly carrying him off to the hospital for treatment.

Li Xin smiled and said, “Mr. James, Mr. Luo Hao, thank you both for your kind offers. Allow me some time to consider, and I’ll get back to you later. Would that be all right?”

“Of course, here’s my card.” Both men handed him their business cards at the same time.

In truth, Li Xin’s meaning was clear: a polite refusal, but not a definitive one—it left a glimmer of hope.

“Yiran—”

A loud call rang from a distance, and everyone turned to see Vice President Fang Zhong striding over, followed closely by registration clerk Lucy, whose chest heaved as she gasped for air, her pretty face flushed red.

The men couldn’t help but let their imaginations run wild—what a sensation it must be to hold those snowy peaks in one’s hand.

Fang Zhong quickly reached them, the crowd parting to let him through as he hurried in to look Li Xin up and down.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Li Xin replied with a helpless smile.

“Wasn’t this supposed to be a deathmatch?” Fang Zhong frowned, still unclear on what had transpired.

“Uh…” Li Xin scratched his nose awkwardly. “It’s already over.”

“What? That fast?” Fang Zhong was half in disbelief as he peered onto the stage, finding no sign of Long Wu.

“Where’s Long Wu?” he asked a nearby D-ranked adventurer.

“Vice President Fang, Long Wu… he’s gone to the hospital,” the D-ranked adventurer answered hesitantly.

“What for?”

“He was taken out by Yiran in a single blow. But Yiran went easy on him—just broke his arm. He’s gone to get it set,” James replied grimly, still unable to believe it himself. As a B-rank himself, he knew full well that even the strongest B-ranker couldn’t take down a quasi-B in one hit.

Maybe an A-rank could, but even then, it wasn’t guaranteed.

“A… a single blow…” Fang Zhong was dumbstruck, staring in disbelief.

“Yiran, you…” He turned, but his words caught in his throat.

Where was Yiran?

Everyone looked around, but no one had noticed when he had slipped away through the crowd.

Only Lucy watched in silence toward the southeast: a streak of black wind sped away—that was Yiran, kicking up a trail of dust as he ran off at astonishing speed.

“So fast,” Lucy murmured, her beautiful eyes brimming with deep longing.

Kaiston Grand Hotel.

Li Xin carefully reviewed several quests, familiarized himself with the details, then logged off.

An hour had passed in the real world, just in time for lunch.

The moment he stepped out, before even reaching the dining hall, the clamor of loud arguing reached his ears. Li Xin’s heart skipped a beat and he braced himself, thinking to himself that this group of women never gave him any peace, and hurried inside.

Sure enough, Li Yao and Wang Huiyan stood shoulder to shoulder, brows furrowed and eyes blazing, glaring at Wang Xiaoqian on the opposite side, hands on her hips and panting with rage. The two weren’t feeling any better themselves—their faces flushed, clearly having just been through an argument.

As soon as Li Xin entered, all three turned to look at him.

Wang Huiyan and Li Yao looked embarrassed and were about to explain, but Wang Xiaoqian, quick as lightning, darted to Li Xin’s side and grabbed his arm.

Her ample bosom pressed snugly against his sturdy arm, trapping it between her peaks.

“Darling, you’re finally here—they were bullying me.”

Wang Xiaoqian’s big eyes shimmered with tears, her expression pitiful as she clung to him, swaying coquettishly.

“Mmm… so comfortable…” Li Xin closed his eyes, savoring the moment.

“Ugh… what a shameless woman…” Wang Huiyan and Li Yao muttered, helplessly disdainful.

How could a woman be so brazen?

“Hmph! Such a drama queen,” Li Yao stuck out her tongue in contempt.

“Who are you calling a drama queen?” Wang Xiaoqian shot back without missing a beat.

“You, of course—you…” Li Yao retorted.

“It’s you, it’s all you…” Wang Xiaoqian replied.

Their bickering grew more intense, on the verge of devolving into a scuffle. Li Xin, unable to bear it any longer, bellowed, “Enough!”

At once, the dining room fell silent.

“What happened? Huiyan, you tell me.”

Wang Huiyan sighed helplessly and recounted the events in detail.

Li Xin felt his head was about to explode—Wang Huiyan had cooked enough for eight, which meant there was none for Wang Xiaoqian…

That was trouble—Li Xin knew Wang Xiaoqian’s temper all too well.

After thinking it over, he offered a few words of consolation before instructing Wang Huiyan to prepare another serving. With this, the tense and heated atmosphere finally eased a bit. Though the three women were still unhappy, they couldn’t very well embarrass Li Xin further.

At 12:10, Doctor Chu, Zhang He, and others, whose business was temporarily closed, arrived and joined them for lunch. It was their first time meeting Wang Xiaoqian—she was indeed the legendary wealthy beauty with a supercar.

Though she had a bit of a rowdy air, the innate nobility she exuded was something Wang Huiyan and Li Yao simply didn’t possess.

As lunch, each person wrapped in their own thoughts, was drawing to a close, a cheerful and delighted voice suddenly rang from the courtyard:

“Brother Li Xin, you’re back! Did you miss me?”