On the arena, the atmosphere suddenly froze.
Lei Ming's aura surged around him, his spiritual power at the Peak Ninth Level of the Warrior Realm roiling almost like a tangible substance. Even the alloy arena beneath his feet seemed to sink slightly.
The illusory Earth-Splitting Savage Bear behind him roared, bringing with it a savage, weighty pressure.
"Kid, you got full marks on the theory test, right?" Lei Ming grinned savagely and loosened his muscles and joints, which gave a crisp crack. "Today, I'll show you that at the Imperial Capital Academy, fists are the only thing that count!"
He wanted to establish his authority! In front of the whole class, he would ruthlessly crush this "theory genius" who had crawled out of some godforsaken corner and cement his own standing in Class Seven.
Before his words had faded, Lei Ming moved!
"Savage Bear Charge!"
With a low roar, he stomped down hard and charged straight at Xiao Han, wrapped in earthen-yellow light like a runaway heavy truck!
He was so fast, his strength so fierce, that the gale he stirred up made the cheeks of the students in the front row below the arena sting.
If that charge landed, an ordinary warrior at the seventh or eighth level of the Warrior Realm would suffer torn sinews and broken bones!
Yet faced with the ferocious attack, Xiao Han was like a willow seed drifting in the wind, merely swaying gently to the side.
Whoosh!
Lei Ming's heavy, forceful charge rushed past, nearly grazing the hem of Xiao Han's clothes, and slammed into empty air. Its immense force even sent ripples across the energy shield at the edge of the arena.
"Hm?" Lei Ming's strike missed, and a flicker of astonishment crossed his eyes.
Such fast reactions! But that had to be luck!
Refusing to believe it, he twisted at the waist and swung a heavy, powerful bear-claw strike back at Xiao Han's head, its howl tearing through the air!
But Xiao Han's figure became elusive once again.
His footwork was inscrutable, as though he could shrink the ground beneath him, or slip about like a ghost. Just before Lei Ming's attacks reached him, he always managed to evade them with ease at an inconceivable angle.
"A Step to the Ends of the Earth!"
This special footwork technique obtained from the system, supported by spiritual power at the Sixth Level of the Warrior Realm and paired with the evolved [Shadow Dominator]'s control over the subtle details of his surroundings, brought Xiao Han's movement to an inconceivable level.
On the arena, Lei Ming looked like a clumsy giant bear, constantly swinging his heavy fists and claws and whipping up fierce gusts, an imposing sight.
Xiao Han, meanwhile, was like a butterfly dancing through a storm. Every dodge seemed so unhurried, even carrying a hint of mockery.
Bang! Boom! Smack!
Lei Ming's attacks missed again and again, either striking empty air or brushing past the hem of Xiao Han's clothes. He could not touch even a strand of his opponent's hair.
The students below the arena had initially thought Lei Ming looked unstoppable and had victory in the bag, but gradually, their expressions changed from anticipation to surprise, and then from surprise to stunned disbelief.
"I... am I seeing this right? Lei Ming... can't hit him?"
"Xiao Han's movement... it's so strange! I can't even see how he's moving!"
"Is he really only at the Sixth Level of the Warrior Realm? His speed and reactions are faster than a lot of people at the peak of the Warrior Realm, aren't they?"
"Could it be... he didn't get in through connections?"
The murmurs gradually rose, and the looks directed at Xiao Han changed from initial contempt to bewildered doubt.
Lei Ming's expression grew uglier and uglier, his initial confidence turning to humiliation and rage.
He felt like a monkey being toyed with, utterly disgraced in front of everyone!
"Aaargh! Stand still!" Lei Ming was completely enraged. His eyes bloodshot, he threw back his head and let out a furious roar.
"Martial Soul possession! Earth-Splitting Savage Claws!"
The illusory Earth-Splitting Savage Bear behind him abruptly merged into his body. His frame seemed to swell, his muscles knotted, and an earthen-yellow sheen spread across his skin.
An aura even more violent and vicious than before erupted with a boom!
He spread both hands like claws, his ten fingers becoming as hard and sharp as steel, gleaming with a chilling light.
This time, instead of aiming at a single point, he struck with both claws, unleashing dozens of fierce claw shadows that sealed off every space around Xiao Han where he could dodge, like a raging storm!
The claw shadows wove into a net as earthen-yellow energy surged, gouging deep furrows into the arena floor!
This attack covered an enormous area, and its power was several times greater than before, at the very least! It looked as though Lei Ming was truly enraged and wanted to tear Xiao Han to pieces in a single blow!
"Finally getting serious?"
Faced with the attack blotting out the sky, Xiao Han's gaze finally sharpened slightly.
His figure, which had been dodging as though taking a leisurely stroll, suddenly stopped.
He was no longer dodging.
At the moment countless fierce claw shadows were about to reach him, Xiao Han slowly raised his right fist.
There was no earthshaking aura, nor any dazzling display of light and shadow.
But the instant he clenched his fist, an indescribable, terrifying force that seemed capable of annihilating all things quietly gathered at its edge.
"Annihilation Divine Fist!"
Though it was only a fragment, and though Xiao Han had grasped only the barest surface of it, the fist intent born of chaos and capable of destroying everything had already begun to take shape!
Now!
Xiao Han's gaze abruptly sharpened. Spotting a fleeting opening in the net of claw shadows, his right fist seemed to pierce through the barrier of space.
Though launched later, it arrived first, blasting straight into the torrent of violent energy!
The punch looked ordinary, yet it contained an ultimate force of "annihilation."
His fist landed precisely on a point on Lei Ming's chest where, after the possession, the energy was at its most violent, but also at its most unstable.
There was no earthshaking boom, only a muffled puff that made hearts tremble!
Like a balloon being punctured.
At that moment, time itself seemed to stop for an instant.
Then—
Crack!
The hard earthen-yellow sheen on Lei Ming's body was instantly covered in cracks like a spiderweb!
The violent illusory Earth-Splitting Savage Bear behind him let out a piercing wail, its light dimming visibly, almost dispersing!
Immediately afterward, an overwhelming force surged through the fist and violently into Lei Ming's body!
"Pfft—!"
The savage grin on Lei Ming's face froze in an instant, replaced by boundless terror and pain.
All he felt was an indescribable destructive force exploding inside him, as though all his internal organs had been churned to pieces!
As if struck head-on by a high-speed maglev train, he spewed blood mixed with fragments of his organs from his mouth, his body flying backward like a ragged sack!
Boom!
Lei Ming slammed heavily into the energy shield at the edge of the arena, bounced back, and fell to the ground. He twitched a few times before losing consciousness completely, a horrifying fist imprint caved into his chest, his breath barely discernible.
One punch!
Just one punch!
Lei Ming, at the Peak Ninth Level of the Warrior Realm, who a moment ago had been imposing and arrogant, unleashing his strongest attack with Martial Soul possession, had just... been instantly defeated?!