First Battle, Complete Victory!

"It's him."

Li Mu followed the direction of the shouting and saw a young man in fancy clothes roaring at him, hysterical and seemingly mad. It was Xiao Feng, the senior he had once pranked.

"You surnamed Li, you made me lose all face in the entire academy. No matter what, I won't let you off today. If I don't get revenge, I, Xiao Feng, swear I'm not human."

Xiao Feng lunged directly at Li Mu, his fierce eyes showing his determination to tear Li Mu to shreds.

As the legitimate son of the Xiao family in Qinglan City, he had always been the center of attention. He never imagined that after Li Mu's stunt last time, people would point fingers at him wherever he went in the academy, whispering about the embarrassing scene he was in that day.

If Senior Nangong hadn't thought it wasn't advisable to have too many conflicts with the Profound Tier Class before the Class vs. Class Competition, he would have already stormed over and dismembered Li Mu.

He had finally endured until the day of the academy's grand competition. Seeing Li Mu's figure here, a surge of rage rushed to his head, and he could no longer heed the seniors' obstruction, directly pouncing forward.

Five steps, three steps, one step...

He was just about to reach Li Mu, just about to smash his fist fiercely into that face he hated day and night.

Suddenly, a massive fist appeared from Xiao Feng's right side without warning. The fist's power was contained, seemingly ordinary, but Xiao Feng's heart trembled. This was the aura of death.

Although the eldest son of the Xiao family was arrogant, he was by no means incompetent. In a flash, he crossed his arms in front of his chest, blocking this strange punch.

The moment the fist struck Xiao Feng, a tidal wave of power erupted. Xiao Feng felt like a small boat in a raging storm, tiny and helpless.

"Bang!"

Unsurprisingly, Xiao Feng was sent flying backward by this punch. Just as he was about to crash into the Earth Tier Class's formation, a blue figure flashed and stepped out amidst gasps, delivering a palm strike that caught the flying Xiao Feng.

"Senior Hao Meng, the competition hasn't started yet. Why did you attack a student from our Earth Tier Class? You owe me an explanation."

The person who made the move was none other than the top student of the Earth Tier Class, Nangong Qi, who was at the Half-step Foundation Establishment realm.

"Clearly, Senior Xiao attacked first without reason. How did Senior Hao become the one who injured someone?"

Li Mu looked at Nangong Qi, who was wearing a blue robe and possessed an elegant demeanor, and said calmly.

"Is this your place to speak? A freshman, even the City Lord's son, so what? In the Cangyun Empire, strength is paramount. You are not qualified."

Nangong Qi stood proudly, completely disregarding Li Mu. In his eyes, Li Mu was still that noble but talentless scion who hadn't cultivated for ten years.

"Nangong, be careful what you say. Junior Li is now the class monitor of our Profound Tier Class. If you have any objections, we can spar before the competition."

Seeing the other party speak disrespectfully, Hao Meng became displeased. He took a step forward, wanting to teach this arrogant young master of the Nangong family a lesson. Now, with the White Tiger Glazed Gauntlets on his hands and wearing the Marauder Wisteria Armor, his offensive and defensive capabilities had greatly increased. He could now say that he feared no one below the Foundation Establishment Realm.

"Hmph, as expected, a coward who only drinks and carouses at the Twin Phoenix Tower, hiding behind others to survive. Hao Meng, we'll have plenty of opportunities to fight during the competition. I hope you can last longer than last year. Let's go!"

Nangong Qi did not accept Hao Meng's challenge. Instead, he uttered a few harsh words and left with the members of the Earth Tier Class. No one noticed that his right hand, hidden in his sleeve, was trembling slightly. He had been injured by the residual force of that punch when he resolved Xiao Feng's crisis just now.

The White Tiger Glazed Gauntlets, combined with Hao Meng's years of steady cultivation, were truly terrifying.

This brief interlude was quickly forgotten by everyone, as the more exciting Qinglan Academy Grand Competition officially began. After Mu Bai's opening speech, all the students from the academy were eager to compete.

In previous grand competitions, most people were merely testing the results of their cultivation over the past six months. However, this year, due to the arrival of the Xuantian Sword Sect, everyone also had a desire to showcase themselves. After all, if they could be noticed by the sect and be accepted into their ranks to cultivate, their path to immortality would be much smoother, and their achievements would be higher.

The various events of the academy's grand competition proceeded in an orderly fashion. However, ordinary test items such as mechanism battles and spell drills clearly could not attract Elder Qin's attention from the stands. During these times, he was either resting with his eyes closed or chatting with Mu Bai and others, as if everything on the field had nothing to do with him.

"Elder Qin, it's almost time. Shall we announce the start of the Class vs. Class Competition?"

Seeing that most of the competition events on the field were nearing their end, Mu Bai smiled and said to the elder from the Xuantian Sword Sect.

"As you say, Brother Mu. I am indeed eager to see the strength of your academy's top students."

Elder Qin stroked his white beard and cast his gaze upon the training grounds. The representatives of the Heaven, Earth, and Profound Tier Classes had already gathered, and the grand finale of the academy's competition, the Class vs. Class Competition, was about to begin.

According to academy tradition, the Heaven Tier Class would first compete against the Earth Tier Class. The loser would then compete against the Profound Tier Class. Each class could send a maximum of ten people to fight one-on-one. The winner could choose to continue fighting until all ten opponents were defeated, at which point the other side would win.

The competition system was actually very beneficial to the Profound Tier Class, which would compete later. After all, no matter who won between the Heaven and Earth Tiers, they would inevitably be somewhat depleted. However, in recent years, the Heaven Tier Class had completely widened the gap in strength with the other two classes. To preserve their strength, the Earth Tier Class had chosen to forfeit for several consecutive years, in order to ensure a greater advantage in their fight against the Profound Tier Class.

When Mu Bai announced the official start of the Class vs. Class Competition, Liu Yu, as the class monitor of the Heaven Tier Class, did not hesitate. With a light step of her jade feet, she was the first to leap onto the stage. Her black hair danced with the breeze, and a long sword complemented her stunning beauty, making even Li Mu sigh, truly worthy of the poem:

A beautiful face, slaying demons. With unbound hair and sword, her green robes like a shuttle. Since ancient times, fairies have been charming, Only this Liu, in the face of life and death, dares to fight. Galloping through Qinglan, her sword does not betray the song of time.

On the Earth Tier Class's side, Nangong Qi stepped up. He also leaped up, holding a long sword. However, compared to Liu Yu, this eldest son of the Nangong family clearly lacked a certain composure and ease. Both were at the Half-step Foundation Establishment realm, but their application of strength showed a clear difference.

"Senior Liu, your immortal-like demeanor is truly admirable. Although I very much wish to seek your guidance, this competition is crucial for the resource allocation of our entire class for the second half of the year. As the class monitor, I dare not indulge my own desires. Therefore, our Earth Tier Class will forfeit this year."

Nangong Qi cupped his hands towards Liu Yu, representing the Earth Tier Class in abandoning the competition against the Heaven Tier Class and surrendering directly.

Although his speech was eloquent, it still caused many spectators to grumble inwardly. Clearly, they were outmatched but unwilling to be defeated in front of everyone, so they had to make it sound like they were prioritizing the greater good.

Liu Yu, on the other hand, remained calm, as if whether the other party surrendered or not made no difference to her. She turned and leaped off the stage, returning to the Heaven Tier Class's formation.

"Brother Mu, I didn't expect your academy's Earth Tier Class to forfeit directly. It seems I won't have the pleasure of seeing those promising talents from the Heaven Tier Class in action today."

This Elder Qin from the Xuantian Sword Sect was clearly displeased with Nangong Qi's direct forfeiture. He had come specifically for those geniuses, and with this, his gains were significantly reduced.

"Please don't blame me, Elder Qin. Young Nangong Qi bears the heavy responsibility of being the class monitor, and sometimes he is too considerate of others. He clearly has the strength to fight Liu Yu but gave it up for his classmates. While it shows his compassion and loyalty, it is indeed a pity for himself."

Seeing Elder Qin's expression begin to fluctuate, the Grand Elder Nangong, who was standing nearby, quickly spoke up to smooth things over. However, seeing that Elder Qin did not respond, he could only consciously shut his mouth, feeling quite awkward.

Due to the Earth Tier Class forfeiting, the first Class vs. Class Competition was won by the Heaven Tier Class.

The second match saw the Profound Tier Class face off against ten members of the Earth Tier Class. The moment had finally arrived, and Hao Meng took a deep breath before stepping forward.

"Look, the Profound Tier Class has only sent one person again. Are they trying to win the match with just one person's strength?"

"It's the same as before. Although Senior Hao, whom they sent, is powerful, previous attempts have already proven that one person cannot fight ten. It seems the Earth Tier Class will win this time too."

"Yeah, but I heard the Profound Tier Class got two strong new students this year. They can't participate in this competition, but it'll be harder for the Earth Tier Class next time."

Hao Meng's solo appearance once again ignited the audience's chatter. However, none of the gossip could affect Senior Hao at this moment. The instant he stepped onto the stage, his eyes were fixed solely on victory.

From the Earth Tier Class's side, one person also slowly emerged. He was also seven feet tall, with well-developed muscles rippling with explosive power that constantly coursed around him. It was clear at a glance that he was also a student who focused on physical training.

"Earth Tier Class, Wu Sheng. I request your guidance, Senior."

"Profound Tier Class, Hao Meng. I request your guidance."

The two stood in the center of the stage, facing each other. Wu Sheng's eyes were filled with a desire for victory. As a second-year student, this was his first time qualifying for the Class vs. Class Competition. Defeating a former Heaven Tier Class student, also known for his fist techniques, would be the most perfect evaluation of his year at the academy.

As the eldest son of the Wu family, which monopolized Qinglan City's pawnshop business, Wu Sheng had cultivated his Vajra Fist to the Grand Perfection level. His strength was formidable, ranking among the top five in the Earth Tier Class. Hearing that Hao Meng was the academy's top fist technique master, he volunteered to be the first to fight.

Without further words, after a brief greeting, the two immediately engaged in combat. Wu Sheng struck first, throwing a punch at Hao Meng. The fist's power was immense, creating gusts of wind. It was the 'Subduing Tiger' stance from the Vajra Fist, and a phantom Vajra Buddha appeared, lunging directly at Hao Meng.

"I've heard your Dragon Tiger Fighting Saint Fist is perfected to the point of divinity. I've come to spar with my 'Subduing Tiger' stance. Before this Vajra Buddha of mine, even the strongest tiger must lie down."

Wu Sheng's momentum rapidly reached its peak, his fist technique completely locking onto his opponent, his heart filled with an invincible boldness.

Hao Meng was not to be outdone. He stepped back with his right foot, assuming a bow stance, and threw his right fist towards Wu Sheng. This move was the second stance of the Dragon Tiger Fighting Saint Fist, 'Tiger Roars Across the Plains.' A giant tiger with piercing eyes and a white forehead let out a furious roar, charging towards the incoming Vajra.

"These two are quite good. Their mastery of fist techniques has reached the point of manifesting intent. They probably only need to accumulate Yuan Qi to reach Core Formation."

Elder Qin, who had been uninterested, was stirred by the battle between Hao Meng and Wu Sheng. His gaze became more focused as he observed.

However, what happened next made everyone in the audience dumbfounded. The expected evenly matched fight did not materialize. Wu Sheng's manifested Vajra Buddha, born from his Fist Intent, was no match for Hao Meng's roaring giant tiger. It shattered instantly, and Wu Sheng himself was struck by the remaining fist intent, sent flying out of the ring. He tumbled several times on the ground before stopping, completely unconscious.

One punch. With just one punch, he had defeated Wu Sheng, who was considered the pinnacle of fist techniques. What kind of strength was this?

Hao Meng himself was overcome with excitement. The pair of gauntlets he wore provided a fifty percent boost to his fist technique's power. This single strike elevated the power of his Dragon Tiger Fighting Saint Fist to an entirely new level. Within this new realm, he also gained new insights into fist techniques.

"Damn it, how did his strength improve so much? Wasn't he said to have not broken through in years and lost his edge?"

Nangong Qi cursed inwardly. He had endured immense pressure to forfeit his match against the Heaven Tier Class, all to crush the Profound Tier Class. But Hao Meng's strength exceeded his expectations. Although Wu Sheng only ranked fifth in overall strength within the Earth Tier Class, Nangong Qi doubted he himself possessed the ability to defeat him in a single blow.

"The real show is just beginning. Senior Nangong, today will be an unforgettable day for the Earth Tier Class."

Seeing Nangong Qi's expression change, Ling Mu, standing in the front row of the Profound Tier Class crowd, smiled.

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