Meeting Again
Nine Provinces Martial Academy.
The mountain gate, like two towering giants, pierces the clouds, its surface marked with the marks of chisels and axes, exuding a wild and profound aura.
Behind the gate, the vast White Jade Plaza, large enough to accommodate 100,000 soldiers for military exercises, now only had a few hundred people standing silently.
The leading middle-aged instructor, with a deep and imposing presence, was leading a group of elite disciples from the Nine Provinces Martial Academy in a line to wait.
His face was solemn, but his eyes kept drifting to a particularly conspicuous figure in the group, and there was a hint of tension between his brows.
The young man was as tall and strong as an iron tower, his simple Training Uniform bulging from his bulging muscles; it was Tuo Bashan.
His Qi and Blood surged like a mighty river, his eyes gleaming as he gazed at the vast starry sky, his whole being like a prehistoric beast poised to pounce on its prey.
"Junior Fellow Apprentice Tuoba," a Senior Fellow Apprentice standing beside him said in a low voice, his face full of helplessness, "the Senior Fellow Apprentice from the three academies of Heavenly Sword, Canghai, and Xinghe will be arriving soon. You absolutely must, absolutely must, restrain yourself! Don't start a fight right away; it concerns the reputation of our Nine Provinces Martial Academy!"
Upon hearing this, Tuo Bashan turned his gaze away from the sky, scratched his head, revealing a set of dazzlingly white teeth, and said with a simple and honest smile, "Don't worry, Senior Fellow Apprentice, I understand, I understand. Today we are the hosts, we won't make a move, absolutely not."
He had barely finished speaking.
"Buzz!!"
Suddenly, an invisible Sword Qi tore through the clouds in the sky, and a silver Starship with countless fine sword patterns engraved on its hull arrived silently, hovering above the plaza.
We've arrived at the Heavenly Sword Martial Academy.
As the hatch opened, a sharp, incomparable aura, seemingly capable of piercing one's Divine Soul, rushed out.
Tuo Bashan's eyes, which had been looking around, suddenly lit up and locked onto the young man in the lead, who held a folding fan and had a gentle and refined demeanor.
The promise he had just made was instantly washed away by the surging fighting spirit.
"Shen Xuan, let's fight!"
A deafening roar echoed across the square. Tuo Bashan stomped his foot, and the white jade ground instantly cracked like a spider web.
He was like a meteorite launched from its shell, carrying an incomparably violent wave of physical energy, charging straight towards the Heavenly Sword Martial Academy's team.
The middle-aged instructor leading the group's face instantly turned from red to green, then from green to black, while the Nine Provinces disciples behind him all raised their hands to their foreheads, their eyes filled with despair.
Oh no, the welcoming ceremony is about to turn into a full-blown brawl before it even begins.
However, faced with this ferocious and unparalleled attack, the young man called Shen Xuan could only sigh helplessly. Instead of retreating, he took a step forward, and with a whoosh, the folding fan in his hand unfolded. Just as Tuo Bashan's iron fist was about to strike his body, the fan lightly brushed against his wrist.
The punch, which seemed capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks, was deflected by this skillful force, grazing Shen Xuan's clothes and striking empty air.
Instead of fighting, Tuo grabbed his shoulder and patted his back twice with his large, fan-like hand, then burst into laughter, his laughter filled with the joy of a long-awaited reunion.
"You're still as slippery as ever!"
Shen Xuan was swayed by the slap, but a smile appeared on his lips.
Just as the members of the Nine Provinces Martial Academy breathed a sigh of relief, another Starship, entirely azure blue and seemingly carved from deep-sea ice, quietly arrived.
The hatch slid open, and a figure as serene and untouched as the moon stepped out – it was Su Qingyue.
Her cool gaze swept across the room, and when she saw Shen Xuan and Tuo Bashan with their arms around each other, she gave an almost imperceptible nod as a greeting.
Shen Xuan tapped Tuo Bashan's muscular arm lightly with his folding fan and chuckled, "You haven't changed a bit. I wonder if Chen Fan will be worried or happy to see you."
Upon hearing the name Chen Fan, Tuo Bashan's eyes instantly shone with a light a hundred times brighter than before. He abruptly looked up, gazing at the deep starry sky alongside Shen Xuan and Su Qingyue, as if they were waiting for something together.
The three of them moved in an astonishingly synchronized manner.
Just as their gazes converged, a silver-white Starship, its hull shimmering with Stars, silently pierced through the Void and slowly appeared in everyone's sight.
The Emblem both familiar and unfamiliar.
We've arrived at the Star River Martial Academy.
The Star River Martial Academy's Starship, its hull shimmering with Stars, hovered silently.
"Buzz!!"
The hatch slid open silently.
The first to step forward was Old Freak Wang, the Chief Instructor the Ancient Martial Arts School.
His imposing, bear-like body immediately exuded a strong sense of oppression.
However, all the Prodigies present subconsciously looked past him and towards what was behind him.
A young boy walked out slowly.
He was wearing the most ordinary student uniform, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his demeanor as calm as a neighborhood boy taking an early morning walk, his face even carrying a hint of sleepiness.
It was Chen Fan.
The moment he appeared, three pairs of eyes on the plaza were instantly drawn to him like magnets.
Shen Xuan stopped gently waving his folding fan.
A ripple appeared in Su Qingyue's usually cold eyes.
At this moment, the raging fighting spirit that had been suppressed for more than a year in Tuo Bashan's already incredibly bright eyes exploded!
"Chen Fan!"
A roar, brimming with extreme excitement and longing, resounded through the sky like thunder.
Under the shocked and furious gazes of all the team leaders, Tuo Bashan disregarded all rules and the occasion, suddenly bent his legs, and the hard White Jade Plaza beneath his feet exploded with a bang, cracking like a spider web!
He was like a ferocious humanoid beast that had broken free of its shackles, carrying a pure physical Qi and Blood that was many times stronger than when he had shaken Shen Xuan. He transformed into a black afterimage that was difficult to see with the naked eye, and punched straight toward Chen Fan's chest!
This punch contained no profound Dao Principles or mysteries, only the most domineering force!
Before the fist even landed, the violent wind from it tore through the air, causing the very energy of heaven and earth to change color. All the Undying Realm Prodigies present, regardless of which academy they came from, felt a chill that ran deep in their very souls.
They could clearly sense that the seemingly simple punch contained a terrifying power that could severely injure or even destroy any opponent of the same level on the spot!
The physical cultivation method of the Nine Provinces Martial Academy is terrifyingly powerful!
However, faced with this truly astonishing welcome, Chen Fan showed no surprise whatsoever, and even his lazy expression remained unchanged.
He simply raised his eyes, looking at the fist rapidly enlarging in his pupils, and a slight smile appeared on his lips, a gentle smile that seemed to transcend time and space, carrying a hint of nostalgia.
He neither dodged nor avoided.
Just as that fist capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks was about to touch his chest, Chen Fan's right hand, which had been tucked into his sleeve, finally emerged slowly, and gently clenched its five fingers to meet the earth-shattering punch.