On the day of the final match, Thong Nhat Stadium had not a single empty seat. Black market tickets were being sold for ten times their original price. This was no longer a high school combat tournament; it had become the most anticipated sporting event of the year.
In a VIP section of the stands, a group of people sat with expressions of both pride and nervousness. It was Lam Minh's family and relatives, specially invited by the organizing committee. Mrs. Mai wore a formal ao dai, her hand tightly clutching Mr. Lam Dao's. The aunts and uncles chattered endlessly.
"Oh my god, the stadium is so huge! Our Minh is so impressive!"
"When he comes out later, we have to cheer really loud so he can hear us!"
Lam An was holding a homemade LED sign that read, "BIG BRO LAM MINH IS HANDSOME AND THE CHAMPION!"
In the waiting room for the Tran Hung Dao team, the atmosphere was rather quiet. Hoang Long and Le Van Hung knew they wouldn't have much of a chance on stage; everything depended on Lam Minh.
"Captain, feeling the pressure?" Hoang Long asked.
Lam Minh, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, slowly opened them and smiled. "A little. I'm afraid I might accidentally hit him too hard and have to pay for damages."
His joke eased some of the tension. To Quyen stood beside him, double-checking her final analysis of Ly Thien Ba, but her eyes would occasionally flick towards Lam Minh, full of confidence.
Finally, the moment arrived.
The stadium lights went out, leaving only a single spotlight focused on the players' entrance. An energetic electronic track blasted through the speakers, and the voice of the nation's most famous MC boomed with power.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WELCOME TO THE FINAL OF THE CENTURY! A SHOWDOWN BETWEEN POWER AND MYSTERY! BETWEEN THE DESTROYER AND THE MASTER!"
The crowd roared like thunder.
"AND FIRST, LET'S WELCOME THE CURRENT CHALLENGER, THE PRIDE OF ASIAN INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL, THE AWAKENED MONSTER... LY! THIEN! BAAAAA!"
Ly Thien Ba emerged from the tunnel. He was shirtless, revealing a terrifyingly muscular physique. He let out a roar, raising both hands to display his strength. His wild and powerful entrance sent the crowd into a frenzy.
"The body of a god! The strength of a monster! Can anyone stop him?" the MC yelled.
After Ly Thien Ba and his team were on the stage, the MC lowered his voice, creating a sense of suspense.
"And now... his opponent. They come from a school with no reputation in martial arts. They have reached the finals through a series of unbelievable victories. They are the biggest enigma of the tournament. PLEASE WELCOME THE TEAM FROM TRAN HUNG DAO HIGH SCHOOL!"
The Tran Hung Dao team walked out. Hoang Long and Le Van Hung led the way. But all attention was focused on the person walking last.
"AND HERE HE IS! THE MAN WHO CREATED A MEDIA STORM! THE ONE WHO MADE US ALL QUESTION LOGIC ITSELF! THE TIGER IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING... CAPTAIN... LAM! MINH!"
Lam Minh stepped out of the darkness and into the light.
In that moment, tens of thousands of female fans in the stadium held their breath.
He didn't roar, didn't flex his muscles. He simply wore a plain competition uniform. His jet-black hair was slightly, naturally messy. His perfect 1.85-meter frame was not bulging with muscle, but lean and well-defined, hidden beneath the fabric.
And most importantly, there was his face. A face so handsome it was unreal. Sharp, refined, angular features, a high, straight nose. And his eyes. Deep, tranquil eyes like an autumn lake, yet they held a strange gravitational pull, making anyone who looked into them feel as if their soul was being drawn away. He didn't smile, just wore a calm, cool expression, creating an aura that was both mysterious and lethally charming.
"Oh... my god..." the female co-host stammered. "He... he's... so handsome!"
Instantly, from the stands, the screams of the female fans drowned out the cheers for Ly Thien Ba.
"Aaaaah! Lam Minh! I love you!"
"A Male God! A legendary Male God!"
"Who needs to fight when you're that handsome? Just give him the trophy already!"
In less than a minute, an online fan club called "The Society of People Obsessed with God Minh's Beauty" was formed and gained tens of thousands of members.
In the VIP section, Lam An proudly puffed out her chest. "See! That's my big brother!"
Mrs. Mai turned and whispered to her husband, "Honey, why have I never noticed he was this handsome before?"
Mr. Lam Dao just smiled without answering.
In the surveillance area, Quynh Nhu saw this scene and pouted. "A bunch of boy-crazy girls. He's handsome, sure, but he's still my punching bag." Though she said this, she couldn't understand why her heart was beating a little faster.
On the stage, Ly Thien Ba's face turned incredibly ugly as he saw everyone's attention shift to Lam Minh. He felt like a crude supporting character standing next to a shining protagonist.
"Just a pretty face!" he growled.
The two teams advanced to the center of the stage. Lam Minh and Ly Thien Ba stood face to face.
"You will regret stepping up here," Ly Thien Ba said through gritted teeth.
Lam Minh just looked at him, his expression as calm as if he were looking at a roadside rock, and then softly said a sentence only the two of them could hear.
"You seem pretty confident in the power of an 'Awakened,' huh? But you know, in my eyes, it's just a child's toy."
With that, he turned and walked away, not bothering to look back at Ly Thien Ba's face, which had turned purple with rage.
The referee gave the signal, and the first match of the finals officially began. But everyone knew this was just the prelude. All of them were waiting for the fateful showdown between the "Male God" and the "Monster."