"Elders, I have a request."
Xiao Potian spoke calmly.
"Xiao Potian, whatever your request is, as long as it's within my power, I'll grant it!"
The elder said with a hearty laugh.
Indeed, he had intentions of taking Xiao Potian as a disciple.
"I've heard that Senior Brother Zhou Xianzong's strength is formidable. I, being less skilled, would like to challenge him and learn a thing or two!"
With that, Xiao Potian's gaze turned toward Zhou Xianzong.
"What did he say? He's actually challenging Senior Brother Zhou?! Doesn't everyone know that Senior Brother Zhou is a powerhouse at the eighth level of the Pulse-Opening Realm?"
Above the Body Forging Realm was the Pulse-Opening Realm.
"Xiao Potian is so bold and imposing, I love it! I want to have his babies!"
A group of onlookers chattered noisily.
Hearing Xiao Potian's words, the elder was about to offer some advice, but Zhou Xianzong, who had been waiting eagerly, immediately stepped forward.
Just as he was about to accept Xiao Potian's challenge, Luo Le'er suddenly spoke up.
"Zhou Xianzong, if you win, I might just agree to your pursuit!"
"What? I'll definitely…"
Before Zhou Xianzong could finish, he froze, dumbfounded.
What the hell?
Why is the plot going off the rails again?
Who the heck needs you to agree to my pursuit?!
Get it straight—I'm the big villain here!
Do you even know what a villain is?
You're the female lead; the one you're supposed to like is the male lead!
And I'm pretty sure this part wasn't in the original plot!
Whatever, I'll deal with it.
For now, I'll just act like a rookie and pretend I can't win.
But their conversation instantly infuriated Xiao Potian.
"Zhou Xianzong, do you dare to accept my challenge?"
"Why wouldn't I dare? But I won't bully you with my realm. I'll suppress my cultivation and fight you on equal terms!"
With that, Zhou Xianzong leapt onto the arena.
He then suppressed his cultivation to the eighth level of the Body Forging Realm.
You had to admit, the protagonist was indeed the protagonist.
In such a short time, he had broken through five levels of cultivation, going straight from the third to the eighth level of the Body Forging Realm.
The battle was imminent.
The crowd in the arena held their breath.
"Hah!"
Xiao Potian let out a loud shout, unleashing his full cultivation and throwing a punch straight at Zhou Xianzong.
Seeing this, Zhou Xianzong secretly rejoiced. He didn't even bother to fight back.
After all, he had the Invincible Diamond Body for protection.
Come on, hit me!
Then go win the female lead's heart!
Hit me hard!
I can take it!
*BOOM!*
The next second, Xiao Potian's punch landed on Zhou Xianzong.
But the expected pain didn't come.
Zhou Xianzong was thrilled. The Invincible Diamond Body was indeed amazing—being hit felt like nothing more than a tickle.
*CRACK!*
But at that moment, a sharp 'crack' sounded.
A faint sound of breaking bones echoed.
Zhou Xianzong froze, then saw that Xiao Potian's hand bone had actually broken.
What the hell?!
This is ridiculous!
Big brother, I didn't even try!
How did your hand bone break after just one punch?!
No, this can't be happening!
Damn system, are you messing with me?!
Zhou Xianzong was starting to lose it.
Why was everything going so wrong today?!
For a moment, the entire martial arts arena seemed to freeze.
Xiao Potian was also stunned.
But he couldn't show it. He had to endure the pain, or all his earlier posturing would be for nothing.
But a broken bone? That was some real, unbearable pain!
"Argh…"
Just as Xiao Potian couldn't hold back and was about to cry out, Zhou Xianzong beat him to it, letting out a scream first.
Then he dramatically fell backward, lying flat on the ground.
Phew.
Good thing I reacted fast enough, or I would've botched the act.
"Oh my gosh! Senior Brother Zhou actually lost to Xiao Potian!"
"Wow, Brother Potian is so amazing! So cool, so domineering!"
The martial arts arena erupted into a frenzy.
Hearing the cheers around him, Zhou Xianzong finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Phew~ Good thing my acting was convincing enough.
The plot was *this close* to going completely off the rails.
But seeing this, Luo Le'er was furious, her chest heaving with anger.
This damned Zhou Xianzong!
He's really pissing me off!
"Le'er, would you do me the honor of having dinner with me tonight?"
Xiao Potian, barely enduring the pain, smiled with utmost confidence.
He was certain that not only had he won first place, but he'd also beaten Zhou Xianzong right in front of her.
For a proud woman like her, she'd surely fall at his feet—er, pants.
"But Zhou Xianzong already invited me earlier."
Luo Le'er's voice was soft and gentle.
"Bullshit! When did I ever invite you?!"
The 'injured' Zhou Xianzong shot to his feet, glaring fiercely at Luo Le'er, screaming internally.
The protagonist already won the tournament and beat me!
Why the hell would you want to have dinner with me?!
You're seriously messed up!
Who wants to have dinner with you? Dream on!
"What?! So Zhou Xianzong already invited Le'er? No wonder she agreed to me so quickly earlier. It must be because that Zhou guy threatened her!"
Xiao Potian clenched his fists.
The fact that Zhou Xianzong was the prince of the Zhou Dynasty wasn't a secret.
The Zhou Dynasty, huh? I, Xiao Potian, will remember this.
One day, when my cultivation rises, I'll personally destroy the Zhou Dynasty!
"Little Sister Le'er, have you finally felt my love? Don't worry, I'll treat you well from now on."
Zhou Xianzong spoke with deep affection.
Though the plot had gone a bit off track, he still had to keep acting.
"Are you out of your mind?!"
Hearing Zhou Xianzong's words, Luo Le'er felt her scalp tingle.
She had only wanted to use their conflict to get rid of both their pursuits.
Who would've thought Zhou Xianzong would take advantage of the situation, making her feel extremely uncomfortable?
"Little Sister Le'er!"
Zhou Xianzong called out again.
"Get lost!"
Luo Le'er, worried Zhou Xianzong would cause more trouble, turned pale and left.
She could tell Zhou Xianzong was acting.
And that made her even angrier.
Seeing Luo Le'er leave, Zhou Xianzong and Xiao Potian tactfully left as well.
Zhou Xianzong was utterly confused. He clearly remembered that tonight was supposed to be Xiao Potian and Luo Le'er having dinner together.
So why didn't it happen?
No big deal, though—the plot was still somewhat on track.
And since the system didn't tell him to start over, it meant he'd done a decent job with the task.
As for Xiao Potian, he had now put Zhou Xianzong on his blacklist.
He secretly swore that once he rose to power, the first person he'd deal with was Zhou Xianzong.
Not long after, Zhou Xianzong returned to his luxurious residence, lay on the bed, and took out his diary to start writing, hoping to earn some rewards.
[Something's seriously off! I'm telling you, is this Ice Queen Luo Le'er brain-damaged or what? Or is she just PMS-ing?]
[Xiao Potian clearly beat me and won first place in the tournament, looking all majestic and stuff.]
[By all logic, Luo Le'er should've been completely smitten with him!]
[But this woman didn't just reject Xiao Potian's request—she even said she'd have dinner with *me*! Have dinner with my fist!]
[I don't have time to mess around eating with you. Tonight, I've got a date with Feifei!]
[But good thing I'm smart enough. The plot almost went completely off track today, but I managed to fix it.]
[If I remember correctly, the next part of the plot is Xiao Potian going to buy some Red Roland herbs, then running into Luo Le'er on the way.]
[Then Luo Le'er gets chased by a demonic beast, and Xiao Potian steps in to save the day, playing the hero. He even says something like, "Le'er, don't be afraid. With me here, no one can hurt you!"]
[And because of that, Luo Le'er falls head over heels for Xiao Potian.]
[Such greasy lines make me want to puke. I couldn't even say them, yet she thinks they're cool and make her feel safe? Ugh, gross.]
[And me? I just happen to witness it, get fed a ton of dog food, and get ruthlessly humiliated. Sigh… the tragic fate of a villain.]
"Host has successfully written in the diary. Charm value increased by +3, kidney function enhanced!"
The system's voice echoed in his mind.