"You—!" Beibei was furious. He wanted to rush up and punch Shi Yu for humiliating his brother so viciously.But more than that, he was genuinely worried about Xu Sanshi.
Knowing his brother well, Beibei was almost certain that Xu Sanshi would rather die than utter those humiliating words. Shi Yu had dug this trap from the very beginning.
Around the battlefield, those who supported Xu Sanshi were shouting angrily, saying Shi Yu had gone too far.Others tried to encourage Xu Sanshi to just admit defeat already—what was the big deal in swallowing a little pride?But in truth, they weren't really trying to help him.They just wanted the show to end and didn't care about the cost to his pride.
Xu Sanshi still clung to his pride, refusing to yield even as pain wracked his body.
Those words… admitting defeat… they were just too humiliating.He couldn't say them.
Shi Yu didn't care either way.He didn't need words—he let his feet do the talking. He kept kicking Xu Sanshi repeatedly, not even bothering to punch with his hands anymore.
"Stop! He's going to die if you keep hitting him like this!" Beibei finally couldn't take it anymore.
He dashed toward the battlefield to intervene.
But before he could get close, a staff member of the arena blocked his way.
They weren't siding with Shi Yu—they were just enforcing the rules laid down by the Academy.No one was allowed to interfere in the match unless a clear winner had been declared.
And in this case, that didn't mean being knocked down.Only admitting defeat counted.
Xu Sanshi hadn't said a word—so the battle was still ongoing.No one could interfere.
"Then why don't you go persuade him?" Shi Yu snapped. "Why yell at me?"
His tone dripped with sarcasm, as if Beibei had lost all common sense.
Shi Yu had repeatedly emphasized what it would take to end the fight.If Beibei still didn't understand who he should be talking to, maybe there was something wrong with his brain.
Beibei's anger toward Shi Yu only grew—he was so mad, he even wanted to kill him.
But he had no choice.
With no other option, he gritted his teeth and tried to persuade Xu Sanshi.
Xu Sanshi, however, clenched his jaw tightly and remained silent.
"If you've got what it takes, then go ahead and beat me to death."
"You're really something. I respect your toughness," Shi Yu said mockingly, giving Xu Sanshi a thumbs-up——and then continued to beat him up.
Today, he wanted to see if Xu Sanshi really had the courage to take a beating to the death rather than speak.
"Master Xuan, if this continues, Xu Sanshi might die."Yan Shaozhe finally spoke up, looking toward the senior master with concern.
Master Xuan furrowed his brows. "It's… difficult for us to stop it now."
"We can't just stand here and do nothing," Yan Shaozhe insisted. "If something really happens, it'll be a serious problem."
Both boys were outstanding students of Shrek Academy. Losing either would be a huge blow.
"Don't forget," he added, "Xu Sanshi is the young master of the Xuanming Sect. If he dies here, we'll have far more than just internal trouble."
Master Xuan thought for a moment and finally nodded.
"Fine. Go stop the fight."
With the green light from the senior master, Yan Shaozhe himself stepped onto the battlefield.
His sudden appearance caused a stir. Many outer court students instinctively stood at attention—the dean himself had shown up!
Shi Yu paused mid-kick and turned toward Yan Shaozhe, who locked eyes with him.
"Let's end this here," the dean said. "You've beaten him enough. If you keep going, he might die."
Shi Yu frowned. "But… he hasn't admitted defeat. Doesn't that mean the fight isn't over yet?"
Although he respected Yan Shaozhe's position and strength, Shi Yu refused to back down so easily.
He didn't even give the dean face.
The students watching were stunned.Many thought Shi Yu was either incredibly brave or completely insane.
"He just disrespected the dean to his face? He's finished…"
Yan Shaozhe clearly didn't like that answer.
Normally, when he spoke, others listened.But Shi Yu wasn't following that script.
"Then what do you want?" Yan Shaozhe demanded, his tone stern."Just keep beating him until he dies? Aren't you afraid of the consequences?"
Shi Yu looked him in the eye and spoke clearly:
"If he doesn't admit defeat, then yes—I'll keep beating him.""And no, I don't think I'm doing anything wrong—even if he dies."
"We had an agreement. And you, the teachers and leaders of the academy, witnessed it."
"We must honor our agreements. If we let this slide, we lose our integrity."
"I want to be a person who keeps his word. I hope you, as my elders, can understand my stance."
"Without rules, there's no order. Without integrity, there's no place in this world.""I believe all of you are honorable people—and that you want your students to follow your example."
His words were so righteous and well-argued, they left Yan Shaozhe speechless.
The dean's brows tightened. He stared at Shi Yu in silence.
Shi Yu was clearly determined to force Xu Sanshi to say those words.
And with so many students watching, Yan Shaozhe couldn't just say, "Forget it, don't keep your promise."That would be setting a terrible example as a teacher.
"I'll continue," Shi Yu said respectfully, giving a slight bow——then turned and resumed kicking Xu Sanshi.
Yan Shaozhe stood frozen in place, stuck in an awkward position.
He couldn't stop Shi Yu, but he couldn't support him either.It felt like he was roasting on an open fire.
The students glanced at each other in disbelief.
"This Shi Yu… He really dares to defy the dean!"
In truth, Shi Yu didn't want to offend Yan Shaozhe.But if he backed down now, everything would become meaningless.
There was only one acceptable ending today:
Xu Sanshi had to say those words.
If someone forcefully ended the match, Shi Yu wouldn't forget.He might not fight back now—but that didn't mean there wouldn't be consequences later.
"Sanshi, just admit defeat for now," Beibei tried again."A gentleman takes revenge after ten years. We'll settle this later."
He had realized something—Yan Shaozhe wasn't going to stop Shi Yu.That meant Shi Yu was being protected, or at least favored.
If not, Yan Shaozhe would've intervened by force.
Xu Sanshi clenched his teeth.
"I won't… If you have the guts, kill me."
He was as stubborn as ever, locked in a personal grudge with Shi Yu.
"I don't like you," Shi Yu admitted, "but I admire your backbone."
Even so, he didn't stop.His admiration didn't mean he wouldn't keep beating him.
"Xu Sanshi, there's no need to keep going. Just admit defeat," Yan Shaozhe tried again.
"No," Xu Sanshi said firmly. He didn't believe Shi Yu would actually beat him to death.
"Shi Yu, if you kill him, you'll be violating school rules. You'll be expelled from Shrek Academy," Beibei warned."You'll also face retaliation from the Xuanming Sect. That's not a force you can handle. Think carefully."
Xu Sanshi was like a raging bull—unmovable, unyielding.Words and logic didn't work on him.
But Shi Yu didn't even blink.
"I'm not going to think that far ahead," he said, eyes gleaming.
"All I care about today is beating him until he admits defeat."