Chapter 129: Confrontation (Fourth Update)

“I refuse to accept this!”

Staring at Zheng Qilin before him, Du Sheng’s lips trembled incessantly. He wanted to say something, yet had no idea what. In the end, he managed only to force out those three words.

Some people trample on the rules because they believe their strength gives them the right to do so. But when someone stronger appears before them, they pick those same rules back up and use them as a shield.

It sounded rather laughable, but reality was often just like that.

When Du Sheng had told Zhao Jie that he was expelled, had he ever imagined that this day would come?

Of course not. At the time, he had thought nothing of Zhao Jie. In his eyes, Zhao Jie was merely a freshman with a little talent.

Nothing more.

What good would refusing to accept it do?

Zheng Qilin could not even be bothered to spare him another glance. Instead, he turned his eyes toward Gu Quanwei, who had remained silent for a long time.

“Director Zheng, I hereby resign from my position as vice president of the Student Union. I am also willing to perform guard duty in the Digital Secret Realm under Xiang University’s jurisdiction until the National Tournament begins.”

When he saw Zheng Qilin looking his way, Gu Quanwei’s heart shuddered. He hurriedly recited the explanation he had prepared.

By all rights, his offense was far more serious than Du Sheng’s. It had been on his orders that the expulsion notice was issued. He was the true culprit.

But with Du Sheng standing in front of him and taking the brunt of the punishment, he had gained enough time to think of a way out.

After much deliberation, he had realized that the only way to preserve his student status was to volunteer for guard duty in the Digital Secret Realm.

At that moment, Gu Quanwei hated Du Sheng to the bone.

If not for Du Sheng, he would not have lost his position as vice president of the Student Union, nor would he have been forced into the dangerous Digital Secret Realm, where anything might happen.

“What do you think?”

Zheng Qilin was fairly satisfied with the punishment Gu Quanwei had proposed for himself. Still, the final decision had to depend on Zhao Jie. If Zhao Jie was dissatisfied, then he would be dissatisfied as well.

“You seem quite dissatisfied.”

Zhao Jie looked at Du Sheng, whose face was ashen as death. Being expelled from Xiang University at his age, when he was already close to graduation, meant that even if he wanted to enter another university, no one would accept him.

Although he was an elite-level Tamer who had mastered super evolution, the heights he could reach in this life were now limited—unless he was willing to risk his life in the Digital Secret Realms in search of resources.

“Of course I’m dissatisfied! I’m an elite-level Tamer who has mastered super evolution. Why should I be the one expelled? Why should a good-for-nothing like you be allowed to stay?”

Hearing Zhao Jie’s words, Du Sheng glared at him venomously. In his mind, Zhao Jie was the one who had ruined him.

Would it not have been better if you had simply accepted your expulsion?

And besides, if you had revealed your background sooner, would things have come to this?

People like him would never believe they were in the wrong. The fault always lay with someone else. Such thinking was undeniably frightening.

“Very well. I’ll give you a chance.”

“Since we are both Tamers, let us settle this the way Tamers do. We will fight. If you win, you may remain at the university. If you lose, I will gladly take the reserve position on the varsity team that makes you so proud. You and that man will also go perform guard duty in the Digital Secret Realm.”

Zhao Jie pointed at Gu Quanwei and looked at Du Sheng with indifference.

The look Du Sheng had given him moments earlier had made him extremely uncomfortable. It had been a look filled with hatred.

In that case, he would crush Du Sheng so thoroughly that the man would never dare harbor such thoughts again.

“You said that yourself. Everyone here heard you!”

Du Sheng was like a drowning man who had seized a lifeline. He summoned every ounce of his strength and clung desperately to it.

He was an elite-level Tamer. He refused to believe that Zhao Jie could be his opponent.

He was certain to win this battle.

What an idiot Zhao Jie was.

“Director Zheng, prepare the arena.”

Zhao Jie dismounted from Greymon and looked toward Zheng Qilin.

“This…”

Zheng Qilin was stunned. Although that Greymon had evolved to the Ultimate level, it still seemed somewhat inferior to the SaberLeomon. Was this battle not a little too rash?

“All right.”

In the end, Zheng Qilin nodded and agreed.

……

Xiang University Arena.

It was an enormous venue. The space within seemed to contain the vastness of the cosmos inside a mustard seed, far larger than it appeared from outside.

It could practically rival a small Digital Secret Realm.

Only such a vast arena could accommodate sparring between Ultimate-level Digimon.

Xiang University was enormous, yet small as well.

The news that Zhao Jie, a freshman, was going to fight a member of the varsity team quickly spread throughout the entire university. Students with nothing else to do streamed toward the arena.

The Hua father and daughter were among the crowd.

“He’s only trained for a year, yet he dares challenge a member of Xiang University’s varsity team. Even if that person is merely a reserve, he is still an elite-level Tamer. Zhao Jie is overestimating himself,” Hua Mantian said to his daughter.

“Perhaps he has methods we know nothing about.”

Hua Feihua gazed toward the arena. One of the combatants was indeed Zhao Jie—the very same person who had defeated her in the Shashi Rookie Cup.

“You’ll regret this later!”

Du Sheng looked at Zhao Jie with a vicious grin. Did Zhao Jie really think that drawing with Leomon in its Champion form meant he could defeat him?

How naïve!

“Which of you is going?”

Zhao Jie ignored Du Sheng’s taunts. The reason he had proposed this battle was to destroy Du Sheng’s pride.

If Du Sheng could shield his younger brother at school, then once he left the university, he would be capable of even more outrageous acts.

Of course, that was not the main reason.

The most important reason was the venomous expression Du Sheng had revealed earlier. Zhao Jie had never taken him seriously, but that hatred had still sent a chill through his heart.

He himself had nothing to fear. But what about his family?

To eliminate that possibility before it could arise, Du Sheng’s spirit had to be crushed today.

“I’ll do it!”

Gatomon raised her hand. In the previous two battles, she had failed to defeat Leomon, and it had left her deeply frustrated.

She was the great celestial maiden, yet she could not even defeat a single Leomon.

How humiliating!

“Can you win?”

Before Zhao Jie could say anything, Agumon was already questioning her.

“You!”

“Hmph!”

Gatomon puffed out her cheeks and glared at Agumon.

Did he have no idea how to speak to people?

If he could not say anything proper, he should just keep quiet!

“Then you’ll do it.”

“This battle is very important. You may win, but you absolutely cannot lose.”

Zhao Jie thought it over before agreeing. He looked at Gatomon solemnly and warned her again, still uneasy.

Originally, he had planned to send Agumon. If anything went wrong, BlackAgumon could always step in to save the situation.

No matter how strong that SaberLeomon was, the two of them should have had no trouble teaching it a lesson together.

But since Gatomon had taken the initiative to ask for the fight—a rare occurrence—Zhao Jie placed his hopes in her.

“Don’t worry. Once I transform into my celestial maiden form, I’ll crush it without breaking a sweat!”

Gatomon patted her chest and continued assuring him.