The moment Lam Minh stood up, wiped the blood from his mouth, and smiled, the entire Thong Nhat Stadium seemed to have the "pause" button pressed.
The commentator's voice on TV went silent. The cheers and whispers died down. All eyes, from the audience and coaching staff to the Blacklight supervisors, were fixed on the figure on the stage—a figure that looked frail but exuded a completely different, strange aura.
"What... what did he just say?" a spectator stammered.
"That smile... it's giving me the creeps."
Mai Tuyet Trinh, who had been standing in the victor's pose, was also stunned. She was the one who felt the change most clearly. Lam Minh's gaze was no longer that of a frightened little lamb, but that of a wolf looking at its prey. The "luck" and "clumsiness" from before had vanished in an instant, leaving only a terrifying calm.
"You..." Mai Tuyet Trinh frowned, a martial artist's instinct telling her that something was terribly wrong. "My knee strike just now was very powerful. How could you possibly stand up?"
Lam Minh tilted his neck slightly, letting out soft cracking sounds. He didn't answer her question. Instead, he made a move no one expected.
He beckoned with his finger, signaling for her to come forward.
This blatant provocation was like a slap in the face to the Muay Thai "Queen." The pride of a champion would not allow her to back down.
"You're asking for death!" Mai Tuyet Trinh roared, her initial caution now overwhelmed by anger. She charged forward again, unleashing a combination of blows even faster and more powerful than before. Punches, kicks, elbows, knees—all the essence of Muay Thai was displayed perfectly.
But this time, an even more terrifying scene unfolded.
Lam Minh no longer dodged with difficulty. He simply moved. His steps looked very ordinary, not fast, not slow, but they always ended up exactly where they needed to be. Every punch and kick from Mai Tuyet Trinh grazed past him by a hair's breadth, as if he could read her every thought. He was like a ghost, an illusion, impossible to touch.
"What... what is this?" The more Mai Tuyet Trinh fought, the more panicked she became. She felt like she was punching at empty air.
"Your speed is good," Lam Minh's calm voice sounded right next to her ear, even though he was standing in front of her. "But too many wasted movements. Your power is decent, but it's scattered. Too wasteful."
Each of his comments was like a needle piercing straight into Mai Tuyet Trinh's pride. He was pointing out her flaws as easily as a coach teaching a beginner.
"Shut up!" she screamed, launching her signature high kick at Lam Minh's head.
This time, Lam Minh didn't dodge.
He simply raised one hand.
POW!
The "Queen's" devastating kick, the one that had knocked out countless opponents, was easily blocked by a single hand.
Mai Tuyet Trinh was horrified. She felt as if her shin had just kicked a steel wall. The rebound force made her entire leg go numb.
"How... how is this possible?" she stammered.
Lam Minh still held her leg, looking straight into her eyes, his voice as cold as ice. "You're done attacking, aren't you?"
He applied a little force with his hand. A small stream of "qi" was transferred.
Mai Tuyet Trinh felt an irresistible force pulling her forward. She completely lost her balance. Lam Minh spun around, his other hand gently placing itself on her back. He used no force at all, just a light push.
Mai Tuyet Trinh's entire body flew sideways, soaring out of the ring and landing in the safety area below. She didn't land lightly, but she wasn't seriously injured, just completely drained of strength and spirit.
Lam Minh stood tall on the stage and dusted off his hands. The entire process, from the moment he stood up to the end of the match, took less than a minute.
Thong Nhat Stadium. Once again, silent as a grave.
There was no more laughter, no more doubt. Only absolute, utter astonishment.
Ly Thien Ba, the "Monster" of the tournament, who was sitting in the audience, shot to his feet. The smug smile on his lips had vanished, replaced by an extremely serious expression.
In the surveillance area, Quynh Nhu's chewing gum fell out of her mouth without her noticing. "That... that kid... he... he..."
At Lam Minh's house, the living room was also dead silent. Mrs. Mai asked her husband in a daze, "Honey... our son... did he just perform a magic trick?"
Mr. Lam Dao, a veteran, was the only one who sensed the abnormality. He muttered, "This isn't martial arts... This is a different kind of power..."
The referee, after being petrified for a while, finally remembered his duty. He raised Lam Minh's hand high and shouted, his voice still trembling:
"THE WINNER... LAM MINH! TRAN HUNG DAO HIGH SCHOOL ADVANCES TO THE FINALS!"
The referee's shout was like a signal. The entire stadium erupted. But this time, it wasn't laughter or jeers. It was screams of astonishment, and thunderous, unending applause.
They had witnessed the impossible. The little lamb they had been mocking for so long turned out to be a true tiger.
[Host has abandoned the act. Displayed overwhelming power. Caused extreme psychological shock to the entire audience and opponents. Impression Level: Max. Reward: 3000 Immortality Points.]
Lam Minh looked at the number skyrocketing on his system panel, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Pretending to be a pig gets boring after a while. Showing my hand once in a while... doesn't feel too bad either."