Chapter Fourteen: Obeying the Will of the People is True Virtue!

Gao Wu was no stranger to stepping onto the stage for a match. He had often participated in smaller competitions before—school-hosted friendly matches, neighborhood tournaments—but he had never once received merit points from those events.

Now, for the first time, standing on the official stage of the Secondary School Martial Arts League, he was suddenly awarded a large amount of merit. This left Gao Wu somewhat puzzled. Why did this match bring him merit when the others hadn’t?

He glanced at the fervent crowd around him, and suddenly, understanding began to dawn. The source of merit was the positive emotions he stirred in the masses. Bai Xiang’s brutality had enraged the home crowd, and they all longed for Gao Wu to win. When he emerged victorious, he naturally garnered their admiration and appreciation.

Compared to the merit he earned through short videos, the merit offered by a live audience was vastly more substantial. In just this one match, he had gained at least three to five thousand points...

Excitement surged within Gao Wu. This way of amassing merit was exceedingly favorable for him. It seemed that even in the realm of short videos, it was the strong public approval for his life-saving deeds that generated merit.

To follow the will of the people was to gain merit!

Descending from the stage, Gao Wu was welcomed by the members of the martial arts team. Huang Long and the others wore complicated expressions—envy, jealousy, and a touch of awe. Clearly, the battle had left quite an impression on them.

Coach Huang Hai nodded in approval. “Well fought. Go and get some rest now.”

“Coach, I can still fight.” Now that Gao Wu knew he could earn merit through matches, and with his momentum soaring, he was unwilling to take a break.

“Oh?” Huang Hai’s gaze fell on Gao Wu’s swollen, bleeding eye, a trace of doubt flickering in his eyes. The injury was only superficial. The real danger had come from Bai Xiang’s two heavy throws. The fact that Gao Wu could walk off the stage was already a miracle in itself, yet he still wanted to continue fighting?

Was the effect of the imitation Blood Dragon Elixir truly this potent?

After some thought, Huang Hai could only attribute Gao Wu’s unusual resilience to the drug. He sneered inwardly; the stronger the effect, the greater the side effects. Energy could not come from nowhere—Gao Wu’s exhilaration must have come at the cost of immense vitality.

But if Gao Wu truly had an extraordinary tolerance to the drug, that wouldn’t be a bad thing...

“You’re sure you’re all right?” Huang Hai feigned concern.

Gao Wu didn’t care whether Huang Hai’s concern was genuine or not. He possessed the Divine Merit Book, which could calculate his remaining lifespan down to the hour, allowing him to accurately gauge his condition.

The previous match had been intense, but it hadn’t caused him much harm. He also had the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation; with half a minute’s rest, he could restore both strength and spirit.

He spoke earnestly, “I can keep fighting. Please give me another chance to prove myself, Coach.”

“Very well. Rest for a moment and regain your strength.”

Huang Hai handed him an energy drink, signaling him to recover.

Gao Wu accepted without ceremony, taking a couple of sips before closing his eyes in meditation, quietly circulating the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation.

The dragon of blue light coursed through his entire body, and the intense pain in his face, spine, and organs vanished at once. Even his swollen, throbbing eye seemed as good as new.

The school medic was at that moment tending to Gao Wu’s wounds, dabbing the blood from his face with a sterile swab, spraying hemostatic medicine onto his split eyebrow and eyelid.

Meanwhile, the livestream was playing an advertisement for this very hemostatic spray, produced by Taiji Group Biopharmaceuticals, touting its excellent effects and wound-sealing properties. The camera lingered on the spray in the medic’s hand for a dramatic close-up...

Gao Wu tried opening his eyes; though the swelling reduced his field of vision to a narrow slit, his sight had returned. It was enough.

He felt energy surging throughout his body, his mind clear, almost back to peak condition. Joy welled up within him—the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation at minor achievement stage was indeed miraculous!

The school medic unfastened his martial arts uniform and carefully examined his spine, finding no issues. Despite nearly being smashed to a pulp, Gao Wu suffered nothing more than some bruising—no broken bones at all. The medic was amazed by his formidable constitution.

Two minutes later, Gao Wu returned to the stage. The spectators wore looks of astonishment; could he really fight again after such a brutal battle?

The coach from No. 6 School was also bewildered. Watching Gao Wu on the stage, he finally instructed, “Fang Hai, you’re up as our secondary general. That kid definitely injected something—don’t take risks, just wear him down. Watch out for his whip kicks...”

Fang Hai practiced the Wild Bull Fist, his muscles and bones making him second only to Bai Xiang on the team, and his endurance was exceptional—perfect for exhausting an opponent.

The coach couldn’t quite get a read on Gao Wu, so he decided to play it safe and sent out his second-best fighter.

Seeing Fang Hai’s defensive stance, Gao Wu immediately recognized his intention: to play it safe and drag things out.

But with the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation in hand, endurance matches were the least of his worries. However, with the crowd’s fervor at its peak, a protracted battle would only dampen their enthusiasm.

Thus, Gao Wu decided to take a risk. If he slipped up, it wouldn’t be fatal.

As soon as the referee signaled the start, Gao Wu sprinted forward and launched a flying knee at Fang Hai. It was a risky move, but Fang Hai, intending to defend, didn’t have time to dodge and had to block with crossed arms.

Though Fang Hai was actually stronger, Gao Wu had marshaled all his strength into the hardest part of his body—his knee—smashing through Fang Hai’s guard and striking his forehead.

The violent impact made Fang Hai’s vision swim and forced him to stagger backward. Instinctively, he swung his arms to regain balance, fully exposing his head.

As soon as Gao Wu landed, he swung his leg high, the instep connecting squarely with Fang Hai’s ear.

The powerfully built Fang Hai went stiff as a board and toppled straight to the ground.

The referee, wary that Gao Wu might continue, darted over to intervene, raising a hand to signal the end of the match.

The city erupted in thunderous applause.

Though everyone at No. 9 School had high hopes for Gao Wu, no one expected him to win in a single exchange.

It was a clean, decisive, and beautiful victory.

The No. 6 School coach’s face was grim. He saw it clearly—Gao Wu had seen through his tactics and used a flying knee right away. Had Fang Hai been a bit more alert, he might have turned the tables.

But it was too late for regrets. With both Bai Xiang and Fang Hai defeated, the remaining team members were a whole tier below.

Was this boy really going to take down all five of them single-handedly?

After a long deliberation, the coach sent up a nimble fighter as the new main general.

With two consecutive wins, Gao Wu was now in his element. Though the new opponent was agile, the ring was only so big. After a short bout of maneuvering, Gao Wu seized a chance, wrestled his opponent into a hold, and delivered a flurry of headbutts—his skull was hard enough to knock the other boy out cold.

The fourth member from No. 6 School had lost his spirit. While dodging, he was floored by one of Gao Wu’s sudden sidelong kicks and immediately blacked out.

The final main general, likely having injected a stimulant, appeared wild and frenzied. He dared to trade punches with Gao Wu, the two of them standing toe-to-toe, exchanging dozens of blows. In the end, the main general collapsed to the ground, twitching, utterly incapable of further resistance.

Such a sweeping victory left the teachers and students of No. 9 School in a state of ecstatic excitement. Even the most reserved among them stood in the stands, waving their shirts and cheering.

Earlier, Bai Xiang’s ferocity and strength had weighed heavily on everyone at No. 9. Gao Wu’s comeback, turning the tide and defeating all five members of No. 6 School’s martial arts team, was nothing short of astonishing.

The emotional swing from despair to triumph was so immense that the taste of victory was intoxicating for all.

No. 6 School, on the other hand, was left crestfallen. They had hoped to sweep No. 9 School aside, but instead, Gao Wu had single-handedly routed them.

For the martial arts team of No. 6 School, this was a humiliation of the highest order.

Martial arts leagues were the world’s premier sport, and for every school, the Secondary School Martial Arts League carried enormous significance.

Collective honor, at this moment, was made real—every member of No. 9 School could bask in the glory!