The Next One

"No wonder he dared to provoke the entire school's students over the loudspeaker; he truly has the strength to take on many alone. Even those ancient generals who could 'hold the pass against ten thousand' only displayed this kind of skill."

Xin Jia clasped her hands tightly to her chest, her body trembling slightly, her cheeks flushed as if she had taken medication. Her eyes were fixed on the figure going against the flow in the crowd, her gaze sparkling.

"No, his performance was unmatched, the bravest in the entire army!" Cheng Xin turned to Xin Jia and said, "I guarantee he will become a great figure in the future!"

On the training ground, all the onlookers could see were wisps of white Mengmeng dancing wildly, a dazzling spectacle. The figures were all entangled together, indistinguishable from one another. Only a series of snapping sounds rang out, and with each sound, a figure would be sent flying, crashing into the wall.

At first, the people who flew out appeared quite orderly, but as the number of people increased and Si Ming's moves became faster and faster, often the people in front were still pressed against the wall and had not yet slid down when the people behind had already flown and crashed into them. As a result, the two people screamed and fell to the ground in mid-air, clutching each other like gourds.

On the other hand, before those who had fallen to the ground could leave, those above them pressed down on them, piling up one on top of another to quickly form a pyramid. Among them, the students who had been bribed by Fu Feng were at the very bottom, barely able to breathe, suffering terribly.

The fierce battle continued for a while, when Si Ming suddenly felt a bright light before his eyes and his vision cleared up. It turned out that the fight had gone through the entire area, and about two hundred people had been sent flying by his "hitting people like hanging paintings" technique, piling up into a mountain of people.

Only two people remained in front of him, standing there trembling, not daring to make a move. When Si Ming's gaze swept over them, their faces turned as white as paper, and they collapsed to the ground.

Fu Feng, sitting in the audience, felt a chill run through his limbs and his scalp tingle. He regretted coming here in person. If Si Ming were to make a move against him, it wouldn't be as simple as just "hanging on the wall" and getting rid of him easily. The other party wouldn't let him go so easily. So he secretly gathered his inner True Qi and prepared to escape.

As Si Ming turned his gaze over, the instant their eyes met, Fu Feng was about to jump out the window and escape, but saw Si Ming nonchalantly look away.

Didn't you recognize me?

Fu Feng quickly noticed the slight smile on Si Ming's lips and immediately dismissed the guess. Then, a strong sense of humiliation welled up in his heart—the other party didn't care about him at all.

After doing so much, he was ignored like a clown... Fu Feng clenched his fist so tightly that he didn't even realize his nails were digging into his flesh.

"It seems none of the experts have arrived today. Let's wait until tomorrow. There are still six days left; the real show is yet to come."

Si Ming exerted force in his palm, tearing the twisted jacket in his hand into strips that flew upwards, nailing the banner to the beam. Then he laughed loudly, held his head high, and strode away.

Those who hadn't participated in the attack watched his retreating figure, hearing the groans of their classmates piled up like a mountain of flesh. Their hearts were filled with mixed emotions, and they remained speechless for a long time.

The second day of the duel in the ring.

"So you just let him hang that signboard up all day?"

Gaoyang Wuji looked up at the neon banner hanging above the training ground, which was flashing incessantly, and found it extremely glaring.

"You've completely disgraced the Martial Arts Club!" Gaoyang Wuji looked at the Martial Arts Club president and said in a deep voice, "Minister You, I need an explanation."

None of the Martial Arts Club members present thought Gaoyang Wuji's attitude in questioning the club president was problematic, because he was the top expert in the Martial Arts Club, the true ace. Even the teachers had to give him some face, since everyone wanted to befriend a potential powerhouse who might become Spirit Transformation in the future. Not to mention, Gaoyang Wuji had a record of challenging Spirit Transformation Grandmaster and escaping unscathed, making him a top expert in his own right.

Many people subconsciously believe that the club president is the strongest member of the group, just as the sect leader in novels is usually the most powerful master in the sect. However, in reality, this is often not the case. The position of leader does not require high martial arts skills, but rather emphasizes management and interpersonal skills. True martial artists should concentrate on their cultivation and would not take on the position of leader with many miscellaneous tasks, so as not to distract themselves. Of course, if one's strength is too weak, it will be difficult to gain the respect of others. Generally, a level of ability above average is required.

However, in ancient times, it was not uncommon for the sect leader to be the strongest, because they would establish sect rules that only the sect leader was allowed to practice the most powerful martial arts in the sect, and no one else was allowed to do so, in order to maintain the sect leader's authority and allow the sect leader to surpass others with only a small amount of effort. However, this differential treatment model was inefficient and had no competitive advantage, and it was eliminated in modern times, not to mention the modern era when all kinds of martial arts manuals are publicly available.

The club president explained, "Senior Gao Yang, you took the school team to Wuchang University for an exchange. The only expert left at the school was Zong Yutong, but Zong Yutong was defeated in one move as soon as he entered the game, and his morale was shattered. The rest of the team were no match for him, and basically none of them could last until the second move."

"Wait a minute, you're saying the opponent defeated Zong Yutong with just one move?" a woman with bronze skin asked in surprise. "Even if Zong Yutong's injuries haven't healed, he shouldn't have been defeated so easily. Could it be that he was tricked?"

The president sighed, "There was no scheming involved; he simply struck Zong Yutong head-on with a single palm strike, sending him flying after he had finished charging up his power. Judging from his performance at the time, he probably still had some strength left, though we can't rule out the possibility that he was just pretending to be relaxed."

Even Gaoyang Wuji's expression changed. "Zong Yutong is a body-refining martial artist, best at head-on confrontations, not to mention the Dragon-Tiger Archdemon Art is a top-notch external Cultivation Method. Even I couldn't... Only a Spirit Transformation could do this, and not even a Nascent Spirit Transformation in the early stages. Are you sure the other party is a student, and not some big shot pretending to be weak?"

The club president said helplessly, "She really is an exchange student, absolutely. I specifically checked the information with the school, and she just turned twenty this year."

Gaoyang Wuji and the others looked at each other, the atmosphere unusually heavy, and no one spoke for a moment.

Having successfully shifted the blame to "it's not that our army is incompetent, but that the enemy is too strong," the president felt a weight lift from his shoulders. However, not wanting to further demoralize the troops, he quickly added, "There's a reason why Zong Yutong was defeated so easily. Judging from the opponent's subsequent performance, this person is also a body-refining martial artist, and his strength is greater than Zong Yutong's. Therefore, Zong Yutong was completely suppressed. This is the intelligence I estimated after observation."

He took out a stack of papers and distributed them to everyone on the school team. Gaoyang Wuji glanced at them and saw that they contained an analysis of the abilities of the challenger named "Si Ming".

Chapter 642 The Next

"Internal Cultivation Level Eleven or twelve, fire element (yang), strength over thirty tons, speed unknown, suspected of having practiced some kind of external martial art, proficient in close combat techniques, possibly skilled in swordsmanship and whip techniques..."

The bronze-skinned woman said disdainfully, "This information is far too rudimentary. It's full of ominous, suspicious, and possible statements. What about fighting style and martial arts skills?"

You Bin said helplessly, "No experts showed up on the first day. Everyone was just watching. No one could withstand even one move, so naturally we couldn't get any detailed information. Besides, he's from the Su State, so he must practice Su State martial arts. It's hard to figure out his background."

Gaoyang Wuji said, "Actually, you can see quite a bit. His strength and Internal Cultivation both suppress Zong Yutong. No wonder he was able to defeat him with one palm. Most martial artists who practice external martial arts have only average Internal Cultivation because they have to spend a lot of time tempering their bodies. For example, Zong Yutong's Internal Cultivation is only at level ten, while this kid has been able to cultivate his Internal Cultivation to the point of approaching the Spirit Transformation Threshold. This is enough to show that he is extraordinary."

He then pondered, "If we take into account the strength he's holding back, his true power is probably even greater than mine. Such a person couldn't have just appeared out of nowhere; he must have a background. We need to investigate who his master was, which school he belonged to, and find out everything. Fayun of war says, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.' I don't need to elaborate on the importance of intelligence, do I?"

The bronze-skinned woman exclaimed in surprise, "Impossible! If his strength is even above the Captain's, doesn't that mean he possesses the combat power of Spirit Transformation cultivator?"

"It would be strange if a martial artist who dares to challenge all the students of Sun Wu University didn't have the strength of the Spirit Transformation stage. In fact, even a Nascent Spirit Transformation stage martial artist can't withstand a gauntlet of top-tier martial artists. As a general, one should consider defeat before victory. We should be lenient in our assessment of the enemy and overestimate their strength as much as possible," Gaoyang Wuji said without hesitation.

You Bin hurriedly said, "I'm afraid there isn't enough time. If it were the Nation of Valor, they would have already investigated his ancestors for eighteen generations. But he's Su State, which involves not only crossing national borders but also land routes. Investigating intelligence takes time."

As a cadre who climbed up from the bottom through hard work, complaining about how difficult the task is before doing anything is already an instinct for You Bin.

Gaoyang Wuji Spring Snow, who was known for his refined and sophisticated style, clearly didn't understand the intricacies of the game. Without hesitation, he said, "Then I'll give you two more days. Anyway, everyone just came back from sparring and is exhausted, so they need to rest."

A boy with a pointed face and monkey-like features complained, "Are we just going to let him continue to act arrogantly and trample on our Martial Arts Club's reputation for the next two days?" After saying that, he looked up at the banner above his head, and the others followed suit, finding it increasingly irritating.

Gaoyang Wuji calmly said, "Don't underestimate him just because he's only one person. Yes, perhaps we don't need tactics; we can win by wearing him down through attrition warfare. But who wants that kind of victory?"

Sun Wu University is one of the top universities in the Nation of Valor, and those who can represent the university team are naturally the best among their peers. Each of them has their own pride and would naturally disdain using underhanded tactics like a series of attacks, otherwise even if they win, it would be an unfair victory.

"We not only need to win, but we need to win spectacularly, leaving no room for criticism. Everyone, take this time to rest and get into peak condition. Don't rush into a fight. Since the other side has agreed to hold the position for seven days, we can wait until the fourth, fifth, or even the sixth day. We must ensure a decisive victory. If you lack confidence, don't make a move, lest your victory become someone else's bragging point."

All the teammates responded with a "Yes, sir," except for the boy with the pointed face and monkey-like features who chuckled and said, "We can't let that kid get too cocky and think our Martial Arts Club is really afraid of him. I'll go and gather some information for everyone. Anyway, I didn't put in much effort in this sparring session, and I'm in great shape. I don't need to rest."

Gaoyang Wuji thought that information on paper was ultimately less accurate than information obtained from actual combat, so he nodded in agreement. "That Monkey, you be careful."

Hou Fei laughed, "Don't worry, I'm best at dealing with these bull-type martial artists. You might not even get a chance to show yourselves, haha."