Extreme Contempt

As a direct descendant of the Ye family, one of the ten great families in Earthstar City, Ye Qiugao was born with a golden key in his mouth. Everyone, except for his elders, had to cater to him. Anyone who dared to show even the slightest bit of disrespect would face severe punishment.

Now, however, he had been slapped hard, in front of tens of thousands of people in the hall. Among them were school leaders, instructors, classmates, and many of his followers, admirers, and even some women he had taken an interest in.

Slap!

The slap didn't just leave his face swollen, it shattered his confidence, pride, and reputation all at once.

"Now, do you understand the gap between us?" Kent asked coldly, staring at him with no expression. With a flick of his wrist, another slap landed heavily on Ye Qiugao's left cheek.

"Do you think I'm lying? Hmph."

Kent didn't bother to explain further. His indifferent attitude and the disdain in his tone said everything about the truth.

Ye Qiugao's left cheek was swollen, though this time he didn't lose any teeth. However, the humiliation he felt was tenfold, and the anger burning in his eyes was now a blazing inferno.

"Kent, you… how dare you insult me like this? You're dead!" Ye Qiugao roared, filled with rage, wishing he could tear Kent apart, piece by piece.

"Insult you? Haha, I don't have the time for that, and you're not worthy. Everything you're experiencing now is the result of your own actions."

With a swift movement, Kent kicked out, and the force behind it caused Ye Qiugao's abdomen to cave in. His body was sent flying like a ragdoll, landing several meters away.

This kick was far more powerful than the one that had sent Huang Jintian flying. Kent used at least fifty percent of his strength this time, whereas against Huang Jintian, he had only used thirty percent.

But the defensive power shared by Huang Jintian's Immortal Stone Beast was far superior to the Mountain-pressing Giant Ape's defense, which Ye Qiugao was using. As a result, the impact from Kent's kick was devastating. Ye Qiugao was flung to the edge of the arena, nearly a hundred meters away. Before he could hit the ground, he was already writhing in pain.

Spit!

A mouthful of blood shot into the air and splattered back onto Ye Qiugao's face. He looked more miserable than he ever had in his life.

The damage was severe. Several of his ribs had broken, and his internal organs were badly injured. His body twitched on the ground, and it seemed his life was in danger.

"Kent, you self-righteous fool! Even if you've beaten me, you're still a shameless, loudmouthed bastard. You must be desperate to graduate, huh? Haha…"

Ye Qiugao, struggling to keep his composure, coughed up blood. Looking down, he saw his internal organs mixed with the blood—an utterly gruesome sight.

At this point, most of the spectators understood what Ye Qiugao had been saying. His strong skepticism about Kent's early graduation had become clearer.

"Is it really that serious?"

Upon hearing the truth, many were left confused. What kind of grudge could Kent and Ye Qiugao have that would make him go to such lengths to damage Kent's reputation? What would Ye Qiugao even gain from this?

Even if he succeeded in slandering Kent, would it cause Kent to lose everything? The more they thought about it, the less sense it made. At worst, Kent would have a bit of a bad reputation, but it wouldn't ruin him.

It didn't seem like a huge deal. On the light side, it could just be considered a joke, and on the heavy side, it was no more than some self-promotion or exaggeration.

It wasn't even really a lie, because Kent had believed it, so how could it be considered deceitful?

Kent looked at Ye Qiugao with pity, shaking his head in boredom.

The outcome of their fight was already clear, and he trusted the judges would announce the results fairly.

Just as Kent was about to turn and leave, Ye Qiugao, still unwilling to accept his defeat, shouted angrily, "Kent, you coward! You'll die a miserable death!"

Kent's patience was at its limit. Time and time again, he had tolerated Ye Qiugao's disrespect, but now it seemed that Ye Qiugao had gone too far. It was time to make a statement.

He didn't particularly like boasting, but in this case, it was necessary.

"Ye Qiugao, is your brain made of mush? Do you really think I, Kent, am the kind of person who speaks nonsense just to get attention?" Kent said, his voice dripping with disdain. "Now let me show you what true talent looks like."

With that, Kent reached into his space pouch and pulled out his ten exam results. He flicked them into the air, and they hung suspended, facing Ye Qiugao.

The results were normally recorded in the student's official file and would be accessible after graduation. However, the school had also provided Kent with a physical copy of his results.

Despite the distance of nearly a hundred meters, Ye Qiugao could see the grades clearly. When he saw the scores next to each subject, his pupils shrank in shock.

"This… this…" Ye Qiugao felt a lump in his throat, unable to speak.

"How could this be possible? His scores… they're so high! It must be fake, yes, it's forged!"

Ye Qiugao was greatly shaken. His reaction to seeing Kent's grades was even worse than the pain from his injuries.

He wanted to deny, question, and argue, but when he saw the school's official anti-forgery mark on the paper, he swallowed his words. All his objections died in his throat.

Kent, in order to make a point, turned around in place, allowing the audience to get a good look at his grades.

Many keen-eyed observers quickly saw the content of the results and began sharing the information with others. This sparked a massive stir, like an earthquake or tsunami.

"What?! Monsters' Encyclopedia, Medicinal Stones Encyclopedia, Survival Skills in the Wild, Exploration Reports from Other Dimensions—scores of 95, 92, 96, and 94 for the written exams, respectively? This…"

People were stunned, struggling to find words strong enough to express their amazement.

Looking at the six practical course scores, the shock grew even stronger. His scores were nearly perfect—truly miraculous.

Close-quarters Combat and Assassination — 98 Infiltration and Surveillance — 99 Monster Anatomy and Spiritual Medicine Transplantation — 95 One Hundred Ways to Escape from a Crisis — 97 Exploration Methods for Other Dimensions — 98 Combining Beastmastery and Beast Control in Battle — 100

Such outstanding grades were probably unmatched throughout Earthstar University. In fact, it was likely impossible to find any other student who could achieve a perfect 100 in the "Combining Beastmastery and Beast Control in Battle" course.

"Did you see it clearly?" Kent sneered. "Stop using your narrow vision to judge others; it only makes you look ignorant. I didn't want to stoop to your level, because, frankly, to me, you're just a pathetic little bug."

He paused, then continued, "But you keep pushing your luck and embarrassing yourself, and frankly, you're beyond saving. Ye Qiugao, this was started by you, so own it. Don't cross paths with me again, or you'll find out just how severe the consequences can be. Only Heaven knows what your fate will be."

His tone was calm, but the contempt was palpable, leaving no doubt about how he truly felt.