12: Chapter 12 Dropping out of school

"You little beast!"

Director Wang sprang up from his chair, rushed to the front of the stage, and pointed at Li Zhengyang's face.

"You went for the kill! How dare you go for the kill! Get out of this school!"

The crowd below began to buzz again.

But this time, no one echoed Director Wang; everyone was watching to see how Li Zhengyang would respond.

Li Zhengyang was in no rush.

He pulled a piece of paper from his pants pocket, unfolded it, held it up, and waved it toward the stands.

A liability waiver.

It was there in black and white—signatures, fingerprints, and the official seal of the Academic Affairs Office stamped by Director Wang himself.

"Both parties participating in live combat must sign a liability waiver; the school bears no responsibility for any casualties."

He returned the words Director Wang had spoken ten minutes ago exactly as they were.

"Director Wang, you made the rules."

Li Zhengyang folded the agreement and tucked it back into his pocket.

"I will withdraw, no problem. But the 200,000 bet—it's in black and white, and not a single cent can be missing."

Director Wang's expression turned ugly.

He knew he had been trapped.

The liability waiver was something he had created to let Wang Ming beat people up legally, and now it had turned into Li Zhengyang's amulet.

He had personally notarized the document, and hundreds of people in the school had watched it being signed; he couldn't deny it.

But even if he couldn't deny it, he had to try.

He could afford 200,000, but the problem was being strong-armed for money by a poor student in front of the entire school—how would he, Director Wang, be able to show his face in this school in the future?

Director Wang turned his head and shouted toward the backstage.

"Security! Get up here!"

Two men walked out from the backstage.

They weren't the uniformed old men from the school's security department.

They were two men in their thirties, sturdy and muscular, with malicious gazes, each carrying a standard-issue war blade in their hands.

First-rank Martial Masters.

Both of them.

Some teachers in the audience recognized them and whispered a few words to the people next to them.

These two weren't from the school; they were hired by Director Wang from the outside. They operated under the guise of security, but in reality, they worked as private thugs.

The two First-rank Martial Masters split to the left and right, sandwiching Li Zhengyang in the middle.

Their blades were already unsheathed.

"Student, please cooperate with the inspection," the one on the left said, reciting standard lines.

Director Wang added from behind: "Li Zhengyang! Your strength is abnormal! I suspect you have used banned substances! Until the investigation results are out, you are not allowed to leave the school!"

Banned substances.

A clever accusation. As long as the label stuck, the bet would be void.

The hundreds of students below began to whisper.

Li Zhengyang looked at the blade on the left, then at the blade on the right.

He smiled.

"Initiating physical force?"

He twisted his neck from side to side, cracking it.

"Perfect. Now, not only can I collect the debt, but it also counts as self-defense."

The one on the left moved first, swinging his war blade down from above.

Li Zhengyang didn't dodge; he raised his right hand and slapped the blade-wielder across the left cheek with a backhand.

Smack!

How much force was in that slap?

4th Rank Martial Artist, using full strength.

The blade-wielder went flying five meters, blade and all.

A mixture of teeth and blood traced an arc in the air, spraying across half the arena.

By the time he hit the ground, he had rolled his eyes back, life or death unknown.

The one on the right, having watched this scene, was terrified, his hand unable to hold his blade steady.

His first reaction wasn't to attack, but to turn around.

He wanted to run.

Li Zhengyang took one step forward and stomped on his right knee.

The sound of a shattering kneecap echoed throughout the testing grounds.

"Agh!"

The man collapsed to the ground, clutching his leg and rolling around.

Li Zhengyang looked down at him and moved his foot from the knee.

Three seconds.

From the moment the two First-rank Martial Masters unsheathed their blades to both of them lying on the ground, it had taken only three seconds.

The breathing rate of the entire audience dropped to its lowest point.

Director Wang watched the scene on the stage, his legs trembling.

He turned and ran toward the back of the podium, heading for the side window.

It was the second floor; he wouldn't die if he jumped, and he could run once he was out.

A hand grabbed his hair at the back of his head.

Li Zhengyang had appeared behind him without him knowing.

With a pull, Director Wang was hauled back from mid-air.

Li Zhengyang pressed him onto the table and gripped his throat with one hand.

"Don't, don't, don't... Li Zhengyang... let's talk this over."

"I don't really have many flaws, but I absolutely hate deadbeats."

Li Zhengyang flipped him over so his face was looking up.

"The 200,000 bet—you want to welch on it? Fine. The interest starts rolling from now. 200,000 becomes 300,000."

"300,000?! I don't have it! I only have 100,000 in my card! Really, only 100,000!"

Director Wang's voice was laced with a crying tone.

Li Zhengyang used Director Wang's thumb to unlock his phone.

He opened the banking app; the balance was 100,000.

"No money?"

He flipped through it again and found a few familiar icons.

Speed Loan Treasure, Mouli Loan, Flash Borrow Flower... They were all online lending platforms.

"Director Wang, your credit score is pretty good." Li Zhengyang said as he flipped through them, his tone as casual as chatting about daily life.

"You, you, you... what are you doing!"

"Helping you borrow money. You don't have any, right? I'm helping you find a way."

Speed Loan Treasure, limit 40,000, click.

Mouli Loan, limit 60,000, click.

Flash Borrow Flower, limit 50,000, click.

When the liveness detection required facial recognition, Li Zhengyang aimed Director Wang's face at the front camera.

Director Wang tried to turn his head, but his neck was gripped, and he couldn't move.

"Don't move, open your mouth, blink your eyes."

Hundreds of people in the audience watched this scene.

The Academic Affairs Office's Director Wang was pinned to his own podium, being forced by a student to borrow money one by one from various online lending platforms using his own phone.

Surreal.

The money from the three platforms arrived one after another.

Including the savings, it totaled exactly 250,000.

Li Zhengyang transferred all 250,000 to his own card.

After confirming the arrival, he released Director Wang's throat.

Director Wang collapsed onto the table, gasping for air, his face covered in blood and snot—there wasn't a shred of the Academic Affairs Director left in him.

Li Zhengyang stepped back two paces and pulled out his phone.

The system interface lit up.

Recharge amount: 250000.

Confirm.

[Recharge successful!]

[Recharge amount: 250000]

[Obtained Qi and Blood Value: +2500]

[Current Qi and Blood Value: 7328]

[Realm Breakthrough: 4th Rank Martial Artist → 7th Rank Martial Artist!]

The moment the Qi and Blood exploded within his body, Li Zhengyang's body shook violently.

Qi surged out from his skin—not the thin layer from before, but a visible cyclone of energy.

The air around him was vibrating, and the pressure of a 7th Rank Martial Artist enveloped the entire testing grounds.

The students closest to the stands were forced to slide off their chairs by this pressure; their legs went weak, and they couldn't stand.

In the distance, a figure rushed over from the direction of the administration building.

The principal.

A 6th Rank Martial Artist, already the highest combat power in this vocational school.

He arrived at the entrance of the testing grounds, and the moment he felt that pressure, his footsteps stopped.

He retreated three steps.

He wasn't pushed; he retreated on his own.

A 6th Rank Martial Artist was a rank below a 7th Rank.

In the realm of Martial Masters, this gap wasn't a matter of whether you could win or not.

It was a matter of whether you could survive a single punch.

The principal stood at the entrance, not daring to come in.

Li Zhengyang stood on the arena, his Qi retracted, and he exhaled.

The bones all over his body were still faintly creaking, and Qi and Blood were surging through his meridians.

He jumped off the arena.

No one stopped him, and no one dared to stop him.

When he reached the entrance of the testing grounds, he paused, looked back at Director Wang lying on the podium, and looked at Wang Ming and the two crippled thugs on the ground.

Then, he pulled his student ID from his pocket and threw it onto the ground.

"Withdrawal!"