Finally, he could eat to his heart’s content.

But...

Ethan Brooks's gaze suddenly fell on his outstretched palm. It was this very hand just now...

Snap. He abruptly clenched his five fingers into a tight fist.

There are always all kinds of accidents on the battlefield. Ethan Brooks repeated this to himself once more, then, feeling at ease, began to eat his noodles in big mouthfuls.

The dojo manager saw the young lady standing all alone in the arena, and a sense of foreboding rose in his heart. She had been standing there motionless for over ten minutes.

"Miss!" he couldn't help but call out.

The young lady seemed not to hear.

His unease grew even stronger. Could something have gone wrong with her cultivation? It never occurred to him that she might be injured—what a joke! In the entire induction field, those who could be her match could be counted on one hand. Even though she had suppressed her level and was fighting a blind match, he still didn’t believe anyone could trouble her. Her biggest problem would only be unfamiliarity with blind matches.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. Could it be that she had an epiphany?

Yes, wasn’t this just like the legendary moment of enlightenment? That must be it!

He immediately became excited. In the dojo he managed, in a blind match he arranged, the young lady had an epiphany—what a tremendous achievement! His mind was filled with fantasies of future success and glory, and a silly grin appeared on his face.

Emily Parker was utterly bewildered.

What had just happened had shocked her so much that she was completely dazed.

From the moment the accident occurred until just now, her mind had been a total blank. She hadn’t heard the middle-aged man call her, nor did she know the fight was over or that all the contestants had already left.

She was in a haze, but now, at last, she slowly began to regain her senses.

Her whole body was trembling, but she forced herself to endure it. It was just an accident, she told herself, but it was useless—her body still shook. The intense sense of humiliation made her tremble uncontrollably, and she struggled not to cry.

Even if it was an accident, she would never let that damned guy off!

She gritted her teeth and said to herself, word by word. This sentence seemed to have a strange magic; her trembling body immediately stilled, and she no longer felt like crying. That’s right, she would never let that damned guy off!

She regained her usual confidence—the lofty goddess had returned to the mortal world once more.

She took off the mask from her face, and light returned to her eyes.

Suddenly, the middle-aged man’s expression changed dramatically. His gaze was fixed on the five bluish-purple finger marks starkly visible on the young lady’s fair neck.

Heavens... He could hardly believe his eyes and almost cried out in shock. When he came to his senses, he clamped his hand over his mouth.

The young lady had been defeated!

If this news got out, it would absolutely cause an earthquake in the induction field. The young lady’s strength was definitely among the top five in the entire field—who could have beaten her? His first thought was that one of the previous contestants had disguised themselves and played a prank.

But he quickly dismissed this guess. The young lady’s schedule was secret, and her visit to the dojo was full of coincidences. Moreover, judging by the finger marks on her neck, the opponent had held back; otherwise, her neck would have been crushed instantly.

Thinking that something could have happened to the young lady in the dojo he was responsible for, the middle-aged man broke out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, the young lady was unharmed. Having survived the ordeal, the middle-aged man felt his legs go weak.

Emily Parker, after removing her mask, looked no different from usual. She said coolly, "Go check the identities of those contestants just now. Every single one, including the ones lying on the ground."

The middle-aged man dared not hesitate and hurriedly replied, "Yes!"

He could hear the chill in the young lady’s calm tone and knew she was truly angry. As far as he could remember, she had never suffered such a loss before. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the finger marks on her neck and felt a wave of fear.

If he knew what had really happened, he would probably have fainted on the spot.

Though he agreed readily, he was secretly complaining in his heart. Cautiously, he said, "I was negligent in my duties and didn’t keep their information. Now I can only investigate by other means—it may require help from the clan."

He had never imagined something like this would happen. In his mind, all the contestants were just sparring partners for the young lady. After all, they were all defeated by her—what did their identities matter?

"At all costs," Emily Parker's tone was icy. "The clan will use all its resources. Find out everything for me."

The middle-aged man stiffened. "Yes!"

He could feel the young lady’s determination.

It was no surprise—a student who could suddenly threaten the young lady had appeared. Neither she nor the family would ever let it go. He was confident that as long as the clan got involved, no matter how well the other party hid, they would be found.

Emily Parker, her face frosty, walked toward the dojo’s main entrance.

Stepping outside, she glanced at the surging crowds on the street, then turned to look deeply at the dojo, clenched her fist tightly, and left.

Ethan Brooks left the building supporting himself against the wall, and returned to Bingfeng Dojo the same way.