Chapter 492 - 491: Boycotts!

Maybe it was anger bubbling in his chest.

The middle-aged man’s voice was loud enough for everyone in the rest room to hear.

At once, the others inside turned to look at Wang Chao, their expressions tinged with suspicion.

It was obvious—they believed the middle-aged man’s accusation. To them, Wang Chao had taken part in a counterfeit match.

Wang Chao’s face darkened.

No one knew better than him whether that was true. Just moments ago, if he hadn’t retreated in time from Fenric’s strike, his arm would have been crippled.

Ignoring his cousin, Wang Chao gathered his belongings and stormed out of the gym.

When Fenric entered the backstage area, he immediately noticed the strange looks cast in his direction.

Many of them carried disdain.

He didn’t need to guess why.

Like the audience outside, everyone here believed he had just fought a fake match.

Fenric, however, was utterly indifferent. With an almost arrogant calm, he strode into the lounge.

If anyone dared question him to his face, he wouldn’t hesitate to let them taste one of the divine techniques at his fingertips.

The moment he appeared, Xiao Linger hurried over.

"Fenric, congratulations on winning again!" she said happily.

She was the only one in the audience who firmly believed the match hadn’t been fake.

Her trust came from her grandfather’s words—he had once told her that Fenric’s strength was unfathomable.

Sensing the odd gazes around them, Xiao Linger quickly added, "Fenric, ignore them. I believe in you."

Fenric gave a small nod. "The semifinals and finals are tomorrow, right?"

"Yes." Xiao Linger confirmed.

"Then let’s head back."

"Huh? Aren’t you going to stay and watch the next matches?"

"No."

To him, that was the truth. Those contestants were far too weak. Watching them fight was no different from watching children scuffle—it made little difference.

But his words instantly offended many in the lounge.

Already, they had doubted him and sneered at his so-called "fake" victory. Now, hearing him dismiss their matches as boring only fueled their resentment.

Martial artists were rarely the type to hold back.

"Cut! A fraud has the audacity to call other people’s matches boring?" someone scoffed.

"Exactly!"

"Heh, what a shameless face."

"Don’t worry, anyone who dares fake their way through the Martial Arts Conference won’t be getting away with it for long."

Xiao Linger’s cheeks flushed with anger. She opened her mouth to retort, but Fenric gently patted her shoulder.

"Let’s go," he said with a calm smile.

She blinked in surprise. He wasn’t angry?

Looking at his composed expression, she realized—Fenric truly didn’t care about their words.

At that moment, she felt that the young man before her possessed a maturity and steadiness far beyond his peers. His depth was unpredictable.

Meanwhile, Uncle Gon’s family— the father and daughter—sat staring blankly at the television, still unable to process what they had just witnessed.

Fenric had won again.

And once more, he had done it with just a single finger.

On the screen, countless viewers accused him of fraud.

The father and daughter found themselves wavering.

They knew Fenric. They were certain he wasn’t the type to cheat, nor did he have the influence to force well-known martial artists to deliberately lose.

But still—

For a seeded contestant to surrender after a single strike?

It was unbelievable.

"Dad, what do you think... about Fenric?" Caila asked hesitantly.

"Don’t ask me. I don’t know either," Father Gon sighed bitterly. Then his tone hardened. "But Ric is a boy I’ve watched grow up. He would never take part in something as shameful as fraud."

Caila exhaled heavily. "Then all we can do is wait for Fenric to come back and ask him ourselves."

If even the father and daughter harbored doubts, the reactions of outsiders were predictable.

Once the day’s matches concluded, the internet exploded with videos.

Many of the most thrilling martial arts bouts had been uploaded, quickly gaining hundreds of millions of views.

Netizens filled forums and comment sections with heated discussion:

"Damn! Li Yifei is insane—he sliced through his opponent’s weapon with a single sword!"

"Whoa, Tang Zichen’s strength has already reached the Innate Grandmaster level? That’s terrifying!"

"Ryan Collins is brutal—he directly shattered his opponent’s arm!"

"Unbelievable... Is that old man really the legendary figure people say he is?"

"This year’s Martial Arts Conference is stacked with monsters. It might be the strongest lineup in history!"

"With so many experts, the fight for the championship is going to be fierce!"

For countless netizens, watching these martial artists was like fans watching their idols on stage. Excitement filled the air.

Then, suddenly, a self-media account released a shocking headline:

"Shady Scenes Discovered in Peace Dawn City’s Martial Arts Conference Knockout Match—Suspected Fake Battle!"

At first, netizens scoffed.

The Martial Arts Conference was the top competition in the world. Who would dare fake a fight?

They assumed it was just another attention-grabbing clickbait scheme.

But after watching the two videos released by the account, many wavered.

"Sh*t... I just watched. That’s totally fake!"

"One finger to beat a seeded player? Who even thinks of something that ridiculous? Too fake!"

"Sure, other cities had quick finishes too, but this? This looks staged."

"Don’t tell me... was this really a counterfeit match? That’s way too bold!"

"Damn it, if fraud has infiltrated the Martial Arts Conference, someone report this now! Once the higher-ups see, these guys are finished!"

"Boycott counterfeit matches!"

"Boycott! We demand the senior committee of the Martial Arts Conference punish these shameless cheats!"

The videos from Peace Dawn City rocketed to the top of trending searches.

Outrage spread like wildfire, with countless netizens rallying against the alleged fraud.

The leaders of Peace Dawn City felt as though they were sitting on pins and needles.

Before the higher-ups could even step in, they scrambled to issue statements, swearing there had been no cheating.

But the uproar was too great.

Alarmed, the senior officials of the Martial Arts Conference launched an immediate investigation.

After questioning Wang Chao himself and thoroughly reviewing the matches, they confirmed no evidence of fraud.

At last, the Martial Arts Conference committee released an official announcement—