Martial Arts Major

Guo Chuming initially tried to get up and fight back, but the kick Li Ye delivered to his chest made him ache. He wanted to rise, but Deng Hao and Jia Dong's punches and kicks were heavy. Several times he tried to get up, only to be knocked back down.

Deng Hao focused on Guo Chuming's upper body, his powerful palm strikes and punches landing one after another. Jia Dong targeted his lower body, seemingly aware that Guo Chuming's skills were mostly in his legs. As soon as he saw Guo Chuming trying to stand, Jia Dong would kick his legs fiercely.

Li Ye couldn't help but laugh.

Waiting for the other party to cause trouble?

He didn't have that kind of patience. Strike first, strike hard, and once they're scared, they won't cause any more problems.

It wasn't just Guo Chuming who wouldn't forget them. Deng Hao and Jia Dong had spent a lot of money during the summer break to break through the Dragon Gate, and Guo Chuming was partly the reason. They hadn't forgotten Guo Chuming either!

"Ouch! Stop, stop hitting!"

After just a short while, Guo Chuming instinctively curled up, covering his head, and cried out in pain.

He had planned it all out: see the person, get revenge, or at the very least, fight for hundreds of rounds, back and forth, with both sides sustaining injuries, and then he would gain the upper hand, avenging the sneak attack from last time.

This was what he had planned, what he had planned!

"Stop!"

Finally, someone in the venue reacted. A group of people gathered to Li Ye's side rushed forward as the voice called out. One of them even leaped into the air, soaring like a hungry tiger pouncing on a sheep, heading straight for the two who were beating Guo Chuming.

Slap!

As the figure jumped up, Li Ye took three strides and grabbed his ankle, pulling him down. The person fell face-first into the dirt.

Then, Li Ye kicked sideways, knocking another attacker to the ground. He sidestepped, his hand forming a claw, and seized the throat of another person charging forward, yanking him back. The man collided with another, and both fell to the ground.

In a flash, all the attackers were down. The voice hadn't made Deng Hao and Jia Dong stop, but Li Ye's swift movements made them pause, staring.

"Damn it!"

The only one from that group who hadn't attacked stepped forward quickly, his fists swinging, creating gusts of wind within his school uniform. His Blood Essence surged, and his frequency leaped three times.

"Don't be too arrogant! In the world of martial arts, the strong are respected! Witness my 'Lightning Strike Fist,' Fei Zhishang—"

Slap!

A fist abruptly appeared before his face. As the fist struck, his nasal bone could be seen caving in. He flew backward, head tilted, and crashed to the ground.

Li Ye casually walked up to Fei Zhishang, retracted his fist, and shook his head. "You're doing a wind-up for a fight? You could have already struck with that much time."

"What are you doing!"

Just then, a shout echoed from the entrance of the venue.

A middle-aged man strode in, demanding, "What's going on?!"

Guo Chuming seized the chance to catch his breath and pointed at Li Ye and the others, exclaiming, "Teacher! They ganged up on me!"

The middle-aged man looked at them. Deng Hao and Jia Dong immediately stood on either side, lowering their heads.

He then glanced at the people lying near Li Ye before turning his attention back to Li Ye.

Li Ye smiled and said, "It was a normal spar. Guo Chuming agreed to meet us at the preparatory course cafeteria before the summer break, and now he's keeping his promise. Teacher, if this is considered a gang-up, then the other side should have more people than us."

The middle-aged man tutted and cursed, "The preparatory course cafeteria... Disgraceful! This is even more disgraceful. You had more people and still lost to newcomers! Guo Chuming, if you can't train, quit immediately to avoid embarrassing yourself further! Stay here for now, and go to the hospital after the opening ceremony!"

The middle-aged man then looked at Li Ye and the others. "You're Li Ye? You're at the Third Dragon Gate according to the form. Show me your stimulated Blood Essence."

The three of them stimulated their Blood Essence, revealing their leap frequencies.

The middle-aged man nodded approvingly. "Very good. Keep training hard; you might become a talent for a Key Martial Arts University. I'm your martial arts teacher, Gu Yang. Stay here for now. After the opening ceremony, we'll have unified training for all new students. Try not to cause trouble. It's understandable for martial artists to have difficulty controlling their surging Blood Essence, but there are other channels to resolve issues here. It's best not to engage in private brawls."

With that, he walked away.

The teacher's intervention also stopped Li Ye and his friends from continuing the fight.

A few people Li Ye had knocked down got up and helped Guo Chuming and Fei Zhishang to the side, their fighting spirit extinguished. They occasionally shot hateful glances at Li Ye.

Li Ye found an empty corner and leaned against it, surveying his surroundings.

There weren't many students in the martial arts major in the venue, only about thirty, and that included those who had entered after them.

Fourteenth Middle School was just an ordinary high school, so the number of martial arts students was within Li Ye's expectations.

"Brother Ye, how did you get so strong? There were several of them, and one of them was at the Third Dragon Gate like you."

Deng Hao gesticulated wildly. "You just did a few moves, and they all fell!"

Li Ye smiled without saying anything.

"Brother Ye, something's not right..."

Jia Dong was observing their surroundings. After his gaze met with Guo Chuming's hateful stare, he nudged Li Ye. "No one's paying attention to us?"

"Yeah... Are we too violent? That shouldn't be it, they were the ones who started it," Deng Hao realized belatedly.

Li Ye understood.

In this world, as long as you initiate a conflict, someone will join in, regardless of whether they are useful or not.

Given Guo Chuming's personality, he must have offended people in the martial arts major, otherwise, only so few people wouldn't have come up. They were clearly a small group.

However, their small group seemed quite overbearing. Even though Li Ye had dealt with them efficiently, no one had actively approached them.

"I'll go ask..."

Deng Hao was restless and walked straight over to someone practicing Lightness Skill by jumping between wooden posts. Just as he was about to speak, the person jumped from post to post in succession, as if avoiding some Plague God, quickly dodging away.

Deng Hao frowned and looked for the next person, but it was the same. The guy practicing punches quickly moved away before anyone could get close.

"What kind of fierce god or evil spirit is so powerful?"

Jia Dong clicked his tongue. "Terrifying, such immense pressure?"

"Something like that."

Just as he finished speaking, someone walked over from nearby. "Those people don't dare to offend Xiang Feipeng."

It was a female classmate with neat short hair. The school uniform she wore couldn't hide her long legs, giving the impression that everything below her neck was leg.

Whether she was beautiful or not wasn't important. What was important was that martial artists never had inadequate physiques. Especially women, once they broke through the Dragon Gate and their Blood Essence solidified, their skin would be delicate.

Besides, she was quite good-looking too, with big eyes and small lips, full of vitality.

The female classmate smiled at Li Ye. "Li Ye, my name is Yao Leden. I'm in the same batch as you, Three Dragon Gate."

Another Three Dragon Gate.

"Hello," Li Ye nodded. "You know me?"

Yao Leden smiled. "Guo Chuming made a fool of himself in the preparatory course cafeteria. It's spread throughout the Martial Arts Major, so it's hard not to know you."

"So what's going on here?" Li Ye asked.

"Here."

Yao Leden gestured with her mouth towards Guo Chuming's group. "Like you, they have a boss named Xiang Feipeng. He's very imposing, and no one dares to offend him. Usually, if they get bullied, they just have to endure it. You guys basically stood up for them today."

Li Ye was surprised. "There are still school bullies among Martial Arts Students?"

What was the point of all that martial prowess then?

Even before Deng Hao broke through the Dragon Gate, he dared to make a move just because Guo Chuming cursed him. Whether he could win was one thing, but whether he dared to fight was another.

Young people who practiced martial arts were naturally brave and spirited. How could they tolerate being provoked? Otherwise, why spend so much money and endure so much hardship, only to be stepped on?

If they were like this before breaking through the Dragon Gate, they should be even more willing to throw a punch after breaking through, right?

"Our concept of a school bully is different from ordinary people."

Yao Leden shook her head with a wry smile. "It's not that no one has challenged him. They fought fiercely. Last year, twenty-five people ganged up on him, and he defeated all of them. They were all beaten into submission."

"That powerful?" Jia Dong exclaimed.

"Powerful, and neurotic. Everyone here has been sent to the hospital by him. The least amount of time anyone spent was a month. You beat up his people, so you need to be careful."

She then looked at Li Ye. "Your martial arts seem quite strong too. You knocked out Fei Zhishang with one punch, but be even more careful. Xiang Feipeng prefers to torment people like you. He's a Fourth Dragon Gate, one level higher than you in terms of Blood Essence."

"Tell me, aren't you afraid?" Li Ye asked.

Yao Leden looked indifferent. "Hmph, I just can't beat him, but my family is no worse than his. I just think you guys are likable and came to give you a heads-up."

"Don't the teachers manage this?" Jia Dong asked strangely.

"When you were fighting earlier, didn't you think of the teachers?"

Yao Leden chuckled. "It's just a verbal warning. At worst, you go to the hospital. That's just how it is for martial artists. Don't think Fei Zhishang is just being chuunibyou; he's not wrong. In the world of martial arts, the strong are respected, and it's the same in the Martial Arts Major. If you can fight and have high cultivation, you can be a key player and bring honor to the school."

"Key player?"

"Yes, a key player for competitions. Each school only has three spots, and Xiang Feipeng is ranked second. The resources for us Martial Arts Students, including the meals you preparatory students eat in the cafeteria, were all fought for by them with their fists and kicks."

Li Ye's interest was piqued. Just as he was about to ask, Jia Dong understood immediately and said obsequiously, "Senior sister, tell us about it. We're new here and don't know anything. We used to hear that Martial Arts Students had good treatment and resources, much better than us preparatory students who are struggling. I heard that practicing martial arts is free now."

"We're in the same year, you're calling me old."

Yao Leden waved her hand. "Martial Arts Students are different from other students. You've seen it yourselves; there are no seats, and no grade divisions. Once you break through the Dragon Gate, you're a Martial Arts Student. After all, the main purpose is to improve Blood Essence."

"But once you're in the Martial Arts Major, the school does provide resources. The minimum is one Nutrient Solution per person per week."

"What Nutrient Solution?"

Hearing this abruptly, Li Ye felt an inexplicable chill.

"It's the Nutrient Solution used by Dragon Gate Realm martial artists on the market. It's easily absorbed and digested. Don't try to use it rectally; the effects are the same, and it's disgusting."

Yao Leden's face fell as if she remembered something.

"This part is given for free by the school, but if you want more, you have to earn it through martial arts. You know about training missions, right?"

They knew about that.

The cafeteria for preparatory students was fought for by the Martial Arts Students during their training missions.

"All the high schools in the city hold martial arts competitions regularly. The winners are eligible to choose good training spots, while the losers have to pick from the remaining ones. If you choose a good training spot, the school will give you rewards. You can keep what you get from the training spot or exchange it with the school. It's recommended to exchange it with the school, as the price is the fairest."

"Better ingredients, better weapons, better martial arts, more money... Money is the least valuable. Anyway, there are many benefits, and you can get several extra bottles of Nutrient Solution alone."

"What a pity..."

Yao Leden looked at Li Ye with regret.

"This is your last year. If it were a year earlier, you might have been able to become a key player, with much better treatment than us ordinary Martial Arts Students."

"Huh? Why can't he be one? Brother Ye reached the Three Dragon Gate in just one summer," Deng Hao argued.

Yao Leden smiled slightly, "Don't say I'm pouring cold water on you, but going from preparatory to martial arts major, especially starting in the third year of high school, the normal progress is to be thankful if you can improve your Blood Essence once in a year and reach the Fourth Dragon Gate."

"Reaching the Three Dragon Gate in one summer, you should know how much hardship and money it took. But the further you go, the harder the Blood Essence leaps become. The strongest here... well, she doesn't count, too special. Anyway, the second strongest is Xiang Feipeng, and he's only at the Fourth Dragon Gate."

Li Ye also understood. After reaching the Three Dragon Gate, the Blood Essence for further breakthroughs would be 600 points according to the data. Each leap would increase the value.

For a normal person with his common aptitude, training from elementary school to the second year of high school would only increase it by 80 points.

There were plenty of people who entered university at the First Dragon Gate and still hadn't leaped after four years; their homeroom teacher, Yan Menglu, was a living example.

It was just that he had Authority and Magic Treasures in hand, so it looked simple.

But it only looked that way. Li Ye felt he had been through a lot himself during this period.

Killing demons, practicing martial arts, constantly eating, then practicing martial arts again, and even killing a person...

In the middle of it all, there was a so-called Noble Family that coveted his Magic Treasures, someone a normal person wouldn't even encounter.

He just wanted to practice martial arts well, kill a few more gods, and ascend to the scenery of these nine realms of martial arts.

But in two months, so much had happened that he felt quite agitated.

"The principal is here!"

Someone shouted, and everyone looked towards the entrance.

At the entrance, Gu Yang was accompanying a group of people.

The leader was also a middle-aged man, whom everyone knew: the principal of Fourteenth Middle School. The principal didn't distinguish between liberal arts and martial arts majors; there was only one.

Around the principal were several other people.

Besides the vice-principal and director accompanying them at the end, to his left was a robust youth, perhaps two meters tall, with a build like a tower. His exposed arms were as muscular as steel cables, and he moved with the strength of steel.

An Iron Body Technique master!

To his right was a youth who gave Li Ye a sense of familiarity. He wasn't wearing a school uniform but a black martial arts outfit embroidered with a white bird with outstretched wings. He looked nonchalant, glancing around with a hint of wickedness.

There was also a familiar aura emanating from him...

He wasn't much different from that prodigal son, Ren Xu.

And accompanying the principal was a woman...

"Holy crap! What a beauty!" Jia Dong blurted out subconsciously.

She was also a young girl, with a vibrant ponytail that bounced as she walked. However, her expression lacked vitality, like his 'world-traveling' Master, with a cold face.

Her eyebrows were slender and sharp, devoid of any softness. Her eyes were large and expressive, but her gaze was indifferent. Her high, straight nose had an aggressive sharpness, and her red lips were pressed together, naturally unsmiling.

Her entire being exuded an aura of "stay away."

Yet, her figure was a stark contrast to her face. While her face suggested a slender build, the curves beneath her school uniform were undeniable. Her calves were straight, her thighs rounded, her hips wider than her shoulders, and her waist as thin as a palm. Her upper body showed a proud posture as she moved.

She was indeed a great beauty.

"Is this the top student?" Li Ye asked Yao Leden beside him.

She looked the part.

Yao Leden didn't say anything contradictory and nodded, "Yes, a special top student, Fu Chuxue, at the Eight Dragon Gate."

Deng Hao's eyes widened. "What?!"

Li Ye thought for a moment, "Fu... that surname is quite famous in Ningjiang."

Yao Leden said, "Just as you thought, she's the daughter of Fu Yan, a famous martial artist in our province."

Jia Dong clicked his tongue. "Really? I've never heard of such an important person attending our regular high school?"

She shrugged, "That's why she's special."