Terror

Xian lay on the ground, his body battered and bruised, yet a faint chuckle escaped his lips. A pained groan followed, but he couldn't help but laugh. A joke had come to mind, one so absurdly fitting for the situation that it almost made the agony bearable.

Lu Wen smirked as he strode forward, his boots crunching against the dirt. Without hesitation, he reached down, grasping Ye Xian's throat and lifting him into the air as if he weighed nothing.

"You've lost your damn mind," Lu Wen sneered, his grip tightening.

"This is just the beginning. I hope you enjoy pain because you're about to suffer more than you ever have in your pathetic life."

Ye Xian wheezed, struggling against the chokehold, but even as the air in his lungs dwindled, his lips curled into a defiant smirk.

"Hahaha… You idiot," he rasped. "You're gonna regret this soon. You should have used Ki Armor."

Lu Wen's brows furrowed.

"You are unworthy of such hospitality," he spat.

"Is that why you so generously received my loving slaps?" Ye Xian mocked, his voice laced with amusement.

Lu Wen's smile faltered.

"You really want to die, huh?" His fingers tightened further around Ye Xian's throat, his expression darkening.

"You know what happens to cheaters in a duel?" Lu Wen continued, his voice low and menacing. "The victim gets to decide the punishment. The only exceptions are death or crippling—unless the cheater's actions were severe enough to warrant those consequences." His eyes gleamed with malice.

"But you?" His grip became crushing. "I don't care about the rules."

"You humiliated me."

"And no one is going to stop me from crippling you."

Steve smirked from the sidelines. "You hear that, trash? You're done for!"

Fatty shook his head in exaggerated pity. "Tsk, tsk. Look at him, dangling like a rag doll. Not so arrogant now, huh?"

"Lu Wen! Hurry up and break his arms!" Steve shouted, eyes burning with excitement. "Make sure this loser never dares to fight again!"

Just as Steve and Fatty were about to continue their taunts, a cold voice sliced through the air like a blade.

"Shut up."

The atmosphere shifted.

Everyone turned.

Ye Qianying stepped forward, her expression as cold and unforgiving as a winter storm.

"You two bark like dogs, but you're nothing more than cowards who cheer from the sidelines," she said, her voice dripping with disdain.

Steve's face turned red in embarrassment. Being scolded by his crush was a humiliation worse than any beating. His shame twisted into anger, and he turned his fury toward Ye Xian, silently cursing him.

"W-We were just—"

"Just what?" Ye Qianying cut him off, her gaze piercing. "Mocking someone while they were down? That's all you're good for?"

Inside the barrier, Lu Wen smirked, his fist ready to strike once more—

When suddenly—

Ye Xian's hand moved.

Slowly.

Weakly.

With great effort, he raised his arm, pulling back for a full swing.

9th SLAP!

The sound was sharp, but it lacked the explosive force of his previous strikes. There was no Ki enhancement, no Limit Release—just a normal slap.

Lu Wen barely felt it.

His lips curled in amusement. "Is that all you have left?"

Ye Xian chuckled weakly. "You should have used Ki Armor."

Lu Wen rolled his eyes. "You're delirious. What, you still think you can win?"

His grip loosened slightly as he turned to the crowd, raising his voice.

"Look at this pathetic bastard!" Lu Wen shouted. "He thought he could cheat and get away with it! He thought he could—"

Tap.

A barely perceptible movement.

Ye Xian's fingertips brushed against Lu Wen's chest.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The strikes were swift, subtle, and precise.

No one noticed.

Not the spectators.

Not the referee.

Not even Lu Wen himself.

Ye Xian's smirk widened. "You talk too much."

Lu Wen's breath hitched.

A sudden tightness bloomed in his chest.

Then—

His limbs stiffened.

His muscles locked up.

His body—froze.

A flicker of confusion crossed his face. "W-What…?"

Ye Xian stood upright, his feet firmly on the ground, and with an effortless motion, he swatted Lu Wen's hand away, freeing himself from the grip.

Now, he stood beside his opponent, relaxed, unbothered.

The crowd fell silent.

Something felt off.

"What's going on? Why did Lu Wen let go of Ye Xian? Why is Ye Xian just standing beside him?" murmurs spread through the spectators.

A sense of unease settled over Steve and Fatty.

Fatty gulped. "B-Brother Steve… It's like… Ye Xian used the same method on Lu Wen that he used on you when he slapped you—"

Fatty abruptly shut his mouth the moment Steve's glare landed on him.

Ye Xian tilted his head, his grin playful yet cruel.

"Now, what should I do?" he mused, his tone dripping with mock contemplation. "Should I finish this with one last slap?"

He tapped his swollen face, as if deep in thought, before letting out a low chuckle. "But wait… I've already struck you several times, haven't I?" His smirk deepened, amusement glinting in his eyes.

He lifted a finger and tapped his face again—deliberately, pointedly—just to remind his opponent of the very same motion he had made moments before. A silent, taunting gesture, as if to say: See? Even my smallest actions repeat, just like your suffering.

"I've already won."

Lu Wen's eyes burned with fury. "What did you do to me, you bastard?!" he growled, his voice shaking with rage.

Ye Xian chuckled darkly.

"I told you before, didn't I?"

His voice took on a sing-song tone.

"You should have used Ki Armor."

His gaze flickered with mischief.

"Now, you'll experience true hospitality—the kind Steve is all too familiar with."

A wicked laugh bubbled from Ye Xian's throat, a sound so malevolent, so full of amusement and cruelty, that a shiver ran down the spines of everyone present.

Lu Wen felt an icy dread seep into his bones.

He had laughed at Steve when he heard about how his acupuncture points were sealed. He had mocked his friend for being humiliated in front of the entire student body.

Now, standing in Steve's place—unable to move, at the mercy of Ye Xian—Lu Wen finally understood.

Ye Xian let his arm hang limp for a moment, shaking off the exhaustion creeping into his muscles. His body ached—his ribs screamed in protest, several of them undoubtedly cracked or broken—but he ignored the pain.

With a slow inhale, he raised his arm again, his fingers twitching slightly as he took a firm stance. His feet twisted into position, his body coiling like a drawn bow. This time, he would put everything into it.

The final slap.

A surge of Ki flooded into his right palm as he activated Limit Release, forcing every ounce of his strength into the strike. His body burned, his lungs felt tight, and every breath sent sharp daggers of pain through his chest. Yet, his arm moved like a whip—blindingly fast, terrifyingly precise.

Lu Wen's eyes widened in sheer panic. His instincts screamed at him to move, to block, to evade—but he couldn't.

His body refused to obey.

He struggled to circulate his Ki, but it was useless. Not even a speck of energy responded to his desperate will. His limbs were frozen, paralyzed by the very technique Ye Xian had used on him moments ago.

A deep, chilling fear gripped his heart.

He tried to lift his arms—nothing.

He tried to shift his head—nothing.

He tried to brace himself for impact—but there was no escaping it.

For the first time in his life, Lu Wen realized what it meant to be completely powerless.

The slap descended.

BANG!

The impact was like a thunderclap. A vicious explosion of sound that echoed across the arena.

Lu Wen's face contorted violently as his head snapped to the side at an unnatural angle—skin rippling from the sheer force, sweat and blood spraying into the air like a mist.

His jaw dislocated instantly.

Teeth flew out like bullets, some shattering upon impact with the hard ground.

The force lifted his body off the ground, sending him into a wild, spinning spiral. His feet left the floor entirely, his torso twisting in midair.

His body nearly crashed into the ground headfirst, but the sheer rotational force whipped him back up—his arms flailing uselessly before gravity tore him down again.

CRASH!

He slammed into the floor, bouncing once, twice—before finally rolling to a lifeless stop.

Silence.

Dead silence.

Everyone stared, frozen in sheer disbelief.

Lu Wen lay sprawled across the ground like a discarded corpse. Blood pooled from his mouth, his face swollen beyond recognition. His fingers twitched slightly—proof that he was still conscious, still awake enough to feel every ounce of the agony coursing through his veins.

And above him, standing tall, stood Ye Xian.

His hand still tingled from the impact, his expression twisted into a cold, merciless smirk. His grey hair, slightly damp with sweat, framed his face as his piercing eyes gleamed behind the blindfold clothing with an almost demonic satisfaction.

He exhaled slowly, his voice dropping to a chilling whisper.

"I told you…"

"…You will regret sooner ."

Lu Wen's body shuddered violently, his swollen lips trembling—not from pain, but from absolute terror.

Because at that moment, he realized—

He was never the predator in this fight.

He had always been the prey.