Chapter 245: Cunning

Under the strong urging of the crowd, Nie Yan reluctantly agreed.

When Liu Rui heard Nie Yan’s agreement, a sinister gleam flickered in his eyes. *You’re going down this time, kid! Let’s see how smug you can be!*

Nie Yan and his group left the classroom and walked towards the adjacent gym, which had an open space suitable for two people to spar.

More than twenty curious spectators followed them, making the scene very lively.

“Nie Yan, don’t push yourself,” Xie Yao said with concern. She understood Liu Rui’s personality—Liu Rui was too arrogant and would definitely go all out if things escalated.

Seeing the caring look in Xie Yao’s eyes, Nie Yan felt a warmth in his heart. Her kindness was precisely what attracted him most about her. In their past life, many classmates looked down on Nie Yan, but Xie Yao was never one of them. In fact, she had tutored him and encouraged him countless times. That was the kind of warmth Nie Yan would cherish forever. Even during his most reckless days, Xie Yao remained the purest part of his heart. Anyone who dared to harm her would face Nie Yan’s wrath without hesitation! In his past life, he had distanced himself from her only to avoid bringing any filth into her life.

Whenever he was in a corner, licking his wounds, thinking of her figure always brought him a refreshing warmth. These memories had supported him through the darkest days of his life.

“It’s just a casual sparring,” Nie Yan smiled, punching his chest lightly. “Although I haven’t gained much skill in combat, I can definitely take a punch pretty well.”

Seeing Nie Yan’s cheerful smile, Xie Yao couldn’t help but chuckle. Although still somewhat worried, she visibly relaxed. If things got too intense later, she could stop the match.

“Bro, don’t worry. If you can’t handle it later, I’ll pull you out. I won’t let you take too many hits,” said a tall, muscular guy about six foot two, giving Nie Yan a grin.

Standing there, he looked like an iron tower. He added awkwardly, “I’ve disliked that kid for a long time, but I’m not his match either.”

How could Nie Yan not recognize him? This was Zhai Hao, his good brother from his past life, known for his warm-hearted nature.

“Thanks, bro. Don’t worry, I won’t lose too badly,” Nie Yan replied, touched by Zhai Hao’s words.

“Haha, you’re pretty confident. Liu Rui has a squat of 130 kg and leg strength over 300 kg. Be careful,” Zhai Hao warned.

In high school standards, a squat of 130 kg and leg strength over 300 kg were indeed impressive. However, compared to Nie Yan, a monster-level freak, Liu Rui was far behind.

Nie Yan hadn’t tested his squat or leg strength in a long time. His squat was probably around 360 to 370 pounds, and his leg strength likely around 780 to 800 pounds. Liu Rui was simply not in the same league as Nie Yan. It was like an adult martial artist fighting a naive child—Nie Yan could easily destroy him! It was a complete dismissal! Yet Liu Rui was still smugly thinking he could beat Nie Yan.

“We’ll see. I’ll give it a try,” Nie Yan said. Since he had decided to play the weakling to catch the strong, he might as well go all the way.

To Zhai Hao, Nie Yan was surely going to lose badly. He had already prepared to rush in and pull Nie Yan out if things got too rough.

Nie Yan and Liu Rui stood in the center of the open space, facing each other, while the others stood around watching.

“Who do you think will win?”

“Definitely Liu Rui, no doubt!”

Everyone was betting against Nie Yan.

“Let’s go all out, otherwise it won’t be fun. Injuries are inevitable in a fight, but we’re all young. A little rest at home will fix everything,” Nie Yan said, looking like a helpless lamb awaiting slaughter.

“That’s true. With today’s medical technology, what injury can’t be treated? Then I won’t hold back either. Let’s have a real fight,” Liu Rui narrowed his eyes. He hadn’t expected Nie Yan to offer himself up so willingly. Since Nie Yan had said so, he wouldn’t hold back. Even if Nie Yan got seriously injured, no one could say anything.

No one had expected Nie Yan to cut off his own escape route.

“Is that kid crazy?”

“Who knows? He’s so stupid, practically asking for death!”

A sinister gleam flashed in Liu Rui’s eyes. *Since you want to die, I won’t be polite.*

“That’s not right!” Xie Yao said anxiously. If Liu Rui went all out with his leg strength, Nie Yan could end up seriously injured!

Without waiting for others to intervene, Liu Rui bowed to Nie Yan and assumed a basic starting stance.

Nie Yan also bowed. This was a necessary gesture in a fight, showing respect for one’s opponent, although Nie Yan had no such intention.

“Let’s begin!” Liu Rui suddenly accelerated, rushing at Nie Yan with great speed.

Seeing Liu Rui charge, everyone held their breath for Nie Yan.

Liu Rui raised his leg and aimed a straight kick at Nie Yan’s chest. Nie Yan raised his arms to defend, but seeing Liu Rui’s right leg coming, he swiftly sidestepped.

His sharp eyes scanned Liu Rui. In his view, Liu Rui was full of openings. He had at least ten ways to knock Liu Rui down in one move!

Liu Rui hadn’t expected Nie Yan to be so fast, much faster than Teacher Yang. A thought flashed through his mind—*This guy was pretending all along!* But by the time he tried to defend, it was already too late.

To Nie Yan, Liu Rui’s defenses were practically nonexistent!

Nie Yan turned and delivered a lightning-fast elbow strike to Liu Rui’s back. With a *thud*, Liu Rui staggered forward, feeling a surge of pain throughout his body, as if his bones were about to shatter, suffering severe internal injuries.

What a powerful strike!

Just then, a whistling sound reached his ears. By the time he realized what was happening, it was already too late.

Nie Yan executed a flashy spinning kick, delivering a thousand-jin force straight to Liu Rui’s face. With a loud *thud*, Liu Rui was sent flying and landed heavily several yards away, spitting out blood and groaning in pain, unable to get up.

And just like that, it was over!

The entire crowd was stunned!

They hadn’t expected the fight to end so quickly, and even more unexpectedly, Liu Rui had lost—utterly helpless against Nie Yan’s hand. This new student was just too formidable!

Everyone looked at Nie Yan with newfound respect. That kick had sent Liu Rui flying with hundreds of pounds of force!

Everyone shivered just imagining how much Liu Rui must be hurting.

That was undoubtedly an incredibly powerful kick, stronger than some provincial athletes! And Nie Yan was still just a high school student!

Nie Yan delivered that kick fueled by the anger from both his past and present lives, unleashing enough force to keep Liu Rui bedridden for some time. A sense of satisfaction surged in his heart. Liu Rui’s image of excellence and strength crumbled completely, his battered form lying on the ground, seen by everyone, including Xie Yao.

Nie Yan suppressed his satisfaction and looked at the surrounding classmates, giving them an expression of complete innocence. “Where can I find the school doctor? I didn’t mean to do that. I didn’t expect him to be so weak.”

Someone quickly called the school doctor, and a stretcher carried Liu Rui away. In a fight, both sides had exchanged bows, indicating it was a competition. Even if one side was seriously injured, as long as no one died, it was acceptable. After all, medical technology was advanced enough to save anyone still breathing.

“Damn, bro, you’re brutal. You got that guy good,” Zhai Hao whispered beside him, a smirk of schadenfreude on his face.

“Got him? Did I? I just didn’t expect him to be so weak,” Nie Yan feigned innocence.

“When I told you about Liu Rui’s squat and leg strength, why didn’t you react? And you said you weren’t good enough. That kick of yours had at least 500 to 600 pounds of force. You can pretend to be weak, but don’t treat others as fools,” Zhai Hao said, giving him a look of disdain.

“Haha, you figured it out. Keep it quiet, okay? Help me keep it a secret,” Nie Yan chuckled awkwardly.

“Still, that kick was awesome. I like it. Don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret,” Zhai Hao grinned sinisterly. This was something he and Nie Yan could keep between them.

Nie Yan’s friendship with Zhai Hao in his previous life had started from their mutual dislike of Liu Rui. Later, Zhai Hao had introduced Nie Yan into his circle of friends.

“You’re strong. If you have time, teach us some fighting techniques,” Zhai Hao said, his passion for martial arts evident.

“Sure, I’ll teach you everything I know!” Nie Yan replied earnestly. In his previous life, the brotherhood between him and Zhai Hao was something he hoped to continue in this life.

“That’s your promise!”

At that moment, Xie Yao approached from a distance.

Xie Yao looked at Nie Yan with a complex expression.

“You knew from the beginning that Liu Rui wasn’t your match, didn’t you?” Xie Yao said, a little angry. She had been so worried, only to see Liu Rui being the one sent flying.

Nie Yan shook his head and said seriously, “I won’t admit it. How could I know if he was stronger or weaker than me without fighting him?”

Nie Yan’s refusal to admit it made Xie Yao laugh, both annoyed and amused. Thinking back, Liu Rui was indeed quite annoying.

“You’re so cunning!” Xie Yao glared at Nie Yan, not in a good mood.

Nie Yan chuckled. It was enough for him that Xie Yao wasn’t angry with him for deceiving her. That kick against Liu Rui was worth it, and felt so satisfying!

“Bro, what’s your relationship with our class goddess?” Zhai Hao asked curiously. Noticing how close Nie Yan and Xie Yao seemed, he keenly sensed there was something fishy going on—something suspicious!

“Just friends, hehe,” Nie Yan smiled, secretly adding in his heart, *future girlfriend.*

Their interaction felt as if they had known each other for a long time, with a natural familiarity and rapport that surprised her. She increasingly felt that Nie Yan resembled someone she knew. His sly and cunning personality was almost identical, as if they were cast from the same mold. However, she couldn’t confirm whether they were indeed the same person, leaving her with a lingering sense of confusion.