Chapter 490 - 489: Where Did This Master Come From?

"What!!"

In the spacious stadium, the atmosphere suddenly froze. The only sound was Contestant No. 16, Rengei, screaming in pain.

Right now—

Rengei was half-kneeling on the floor, one arm hanging limply, the right side of his body swollen purple from severe internal bleeding.

Fenric’s single finger strike had shattered the bones and ruptured the blood vessels across half of Rengei’s body, causing massive blood loss.

If it had been an ordinary person, they would have fainted long ago from such trauma. But Rengei was a high-level martial artist with powerful vitality and blood energy—still, even that wasn’t enough to save him from this humiliation.

No one had expected the match to end this way. Everyone thought Rengei would be the one to dominate, but the result was shockingly one-sided.

It wasn’t the highly favored Rengei who won.

It was the unknown contestant, No. 15—Fenric.

And with just a single finger, he had crushed his opponent.

He had countered Rengei’s strongest fist with nothing more than one finger, and crippled him in the process.

If they hadn’t witnessed it with their own eyes, no one in the gymnasium would have believed such a thing possible.

"C-Contestant No. 15 wins!!"

The host had stood frozen in disbelief for a long time before finally remembering his role and announcing the result.

His voice snapped the audience out of their stupor. The stadium erupted into chaos.

"F**k! What did I just see? Did my eyes deceive me?"

"One finger defeated the heir of Eight-Step Chongshan Fist? Are you kidding me?"

"Wait—did Rengei throw the fight on purpose?"

"Impossible. That looked like a full-power strike!"

"Fake match? At the Martial Arts Conference? That’s suicide!"

"Look—the medical staff are carrying Rengei off the stage. He’s really injured!"

"Then... it wasn’t fake?"

The crowd buzzed with endless speculation. To them, the entire fight had felt unreal—it was far too short, almost illusory.

At the VIP table, local celebrities and city party leaders sat stunned.

The new seeded player they had placed their hopes on was defeated with a single finger strike?

Too absurd.

Rengei’s strength was obvious, not something to dismiss lightly. Yet Fenric had broken through his fully prepared punch with ease.

To accomplish such a feat, one would need to be at least an innate master.

Anything less was impossible—unless the fight was rigged.

One city leader couldn’t resist asking the elderly man beside him, "Old Zhang, what technique did Contestant No. 15 use just now?"

The old man furrowed his brows, his expression grave. After a long pause, he finally shook his head. "Ashamed as I am to admit it, I couldn’t see through his technique. The young man recommended by Elder Xiao... is truly remarkable."

"..."

The city leaders exchanged nods, their eyes filled with newfound respect.

Amid the clamor of countless voices, Fenric returned backstage.

He hadn’t intended to cripple Rengei. Beating him cleanly would have been enough.

But Rengei had been too arrogant—boasting he would cripple Fenric and even pay for his medical bills afterward.

And when Rengei struck, it had been a full-force blow. If an ordinary person had taken that punch, they would’ve been maimed for life, if not killed outright.

In such a situation, Fenric had no choice but to return the favor.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

With that one finger, he infused a trace of tremor force and abolished Rengei’s strength instantly.

At the backstage entrance, Xiao Linger was waiting for him.

Seeing Fenric return victorious, her face lit up. "Fenric, congratulations on winning the match!"

Fenric smiled faintly. "It was just a knockout round. Nothing worth celebrating."

"Even so... I still can’t believe it. You’re so powerful."

Xiao Linger’s gaze lingered on him, deep and thoughtful. "After this battle, your name will spread quickly."

Fenric only chuckled.

This was just the beginning. True recognition would come only when he claimed the Martial Arts Conference championship.

As he and Xiao Linger walked into the rest area, the other contestants looked at him with wary, guarded eyes.

Moments ago, they had dismissed him as a nobody—now, none dared underestimate him.

—---

In a residential building, a television broadcast replayed the shocking match.

"The eighth elimination round of this city has ended. The result was unexpected. Contestant No. 15, Fenric, ended the fight in less than thirty seconds—the shortest match of the entire conference!"

"Professor Zhou, as a sixth-rank martial artist, could you tell us what technique Contestant No. 15 used?"

"Based on my years of experience," Professor Zhou replied confidently, "the skill he displayed should be One-Finger Zen, a Buddhist martial art that focuses on finger strength. Once mastered, its power is extraordinary. Clearly, Contestant No. 15 has perfected it."

"Professor Zhou is indeed insightful. In your opinion, how far can Contestant No. 15 go in this tournament?"

"It’s hard to predict his exact standing, but I’m very optimistic about this young man."

The hosts analyzed the fight endlessly.

"..."

Watching the broadcast, Caila and her father sat in silence, stunned.

They had prepared themselves to visit Fenric in the hospital—never expecting to see him emerge as the victor instead.

"Fenric... is he really this strong?" Caila murmured. Then she turned to her father. "Dad, when did he learn One-Finger Zen?"

"Nonsense! That wasn’t One-Finger Zen at all!" Father Gon snapped. As a martial artist himself, he could clearly see that Fenric’s strike had nothing to do with Buddhism’s famed technique.

"This brat... when he comes back, we’ll demand answers."

Caila nodded eagerly, just as filled with questions.

—---

Back at the gymnasium, the tournament pressed on.

The first round of eliminations ended, narrowing the field to fifteen winners. With one bye added, sixteen contestants remained.

The second round would be decided by random draw.

Each contestant stepped forward to select their numbered ball.

Fenric drew No. 7.

His opponent: No. 8—the seeded player, Wang Chao.

Seeing the result, Xiao Linger’s expression tightened with unease.