Wu Sheng's crushing defeat came as a surprise to everyone. Even most of the Profound Tier Class students had not expected Senior Hao Meng to win the first match so easily.
"Senior Hao is incredible! Wu Sheng was so strong, his fist force had already taken form, yet Senior Hao sent him flying with a single punch."
"Although Senior Hao fought one against six last year as well, it definitely wasn't this easy. Looks like when the class monitor said he would help Senior Hao improve his strength, he wasn't joking. From now on, I need to cling tightly to the class monitor's thigh too."
Amid the rising and falling cheers of the Profound Tier Class, Hao Meng stepped down from the arena and returned to his own side.
"Junior Brother, these gauntlets are too powerful. They perfectly complement my Dragon Tiger Fighting Saint Fist. I feel like I could challenge even the top three students of the Heaven Tier Class now."
That battle had thoroughly ignited Hao Meng's confidence. The sensation of perfectly controlling his strength was simply too wonderful.
The next few battles could only be described as withering weeds and crushing rotten wood. The Earth Tier Class sent out three top students in succession, yet none could endure more than three moves beneath Hao Meng's fists. The Dragon Tiger Fighting Saint Fist had always been known for its broad, sweeping moves and fierce power. With the absurd enhancement of the White Tiger Glazed Gauntlets, anyone without half-step Core Formation strength truly posed no threat to Hao Meng now.
"Senior Sister Liu, how did Senior Hao suddenly become so powerful? He'd always been unable to break through to the Core Formation Realm. When he voluntarily left the Heaven Tier Class, I thought he would sink into decline from then on. Who would have thought his strength would become this astonishing?"
Even the Heaven Tier Class students watching the matches were shocked by the combat power Hao Meng displayed. Aside from the few at the very top who remained calm, the other students all wore grave expressions. This former senior from their class had somehow left them far behind.
"He really is strong. I really want to fight him."
Liu Yu's abrupt reply made the Heaven Tier Class students turn to look. The stunning girl had already fixed her gaze upon Hao Meng on the arena, the longsword in her hand trembling slightly, as though she could not help leaping onto the stage the next second.
"It's over, it's over. As expected of Qinglan Academy's number one battle maniac. She'll probably go pester Senior Hao every day from now on."
"I'm truly worried for Senior Hao. No one targeted by the class monitor has ever escaped her demonic clutches."
The originally tense atmosphere instead relaxed because of Liu Yu's outburst, while a new change took place on the arena.
The match between the Profound Tier Class and Earth Tier Class had reached its fifth round. After swallowing several Golden Crow Qi Replenishing Pills, Hao Meng's slightly depleted blood qi once more rose to its peak.
"Eating pills like candy—this really is a first in my life, Hao Meng's life. Still, only Junior Brother Ling could have come up with something like this."
After nodding toward Ling Mu below the arena, Hao Meng leapt onto the stage once more. Looking at Nangong Qi below the opposite platform, whose face was so dark it seemed water might drip from it, he slowly extended his right hand, raised his middle finger, and silently stared at him.
Ling Mu had taught him that gesture as well, saying it was a special gesture from a distant civilization that expressed a challenge in pursuit of fairness. Though Hao Meng did not know what distant civilization Junior Brother Ling meant, after trying it several times, he discovered that making the gesture gave him an indescribable sense of satisfaction. Now, facing Nangong Qi, he unconsciously made it again.
"Fang Yan, you go."
Though he could not understand Hao Meng's strange gesture, Nangong Qi still sensed the overflowing provocation from the Profound Tier Class camp. Gritting his teeth, he waved at a black-robed youth behind him and sent him onto the stage to face Hao Meng.
The youth called Fang Yan was initially stunned when he saw Nangong Qi send him out. After confirming that he truly needed to take the field, he cupped his hands toward Nangong Qi, then walked out from the group and leapt onto the arena.
"Fang Yan, remember this. You may only win; you cannot lose. Otherwise, you know what the consequences will be."
As Fang Yan passed Nangong Qi, those words of instruction—or perhaps warning—reached him. Fang Yan's body shuddered violently. He understood the weight behind those words. Today, there was no road of retreat for him.
Standing on the arena, Fang Yan wore black robes. He had starry eyes, sword-like brows, a nose carved as if by a blade, and sharply defined features. His gaze was keen and deep, unconsciously giving others a sense of pressure.
He held a three-foot-long saber, black from end to end, though a strange gleam continuously flickered across its blade. What was surprising was that such a swift blade had no sheath. Its body lay exposed just like that, displaying its sharpness and power to all around it.
Fang Yan simply stood before Hao Meng, his aura restrained so completely that not the slightest hint of danger could be sensed from him. Yet from the first instant Hao Meng saw the black-robed youth take the stage, he had raised his vigilance to the utmost. His keen instincts told him that the man before him was absolutely a formidable opponent.
"Who is this guy? I've never seen him before. He didn't appear last year either. Is he a newcomer too?"
The watching Profound Tier Class students began discussing him in low voices. Fang Yan was extraordinarily low-profile in daily life. Other than attending class, he stayed in his dormitory, so very few outside the Earth Tier Class knew him.
"This person is so strange. I can't sense even a trace of his aura. It's as though he's an ordinary person who has never cultivated, yet I vaguely feel that he isn't so simple. I can't see through him."
Fang Yan had also piqued Liu Yu's interest. Hao Meng's performance in the previous matches had already made her eyes light up. Now another Fang Yan had appeared, one even she could not see through. How could that not make this battle maniac's heart blossom with joy? She wished she could take the stage immediately and spar with both of them.
In this vast Training Ground, perhaps only Elder Qin of the Xuantian Sword Sect in the stands could truly see through Fang Yan's strength. His brows were furrowed tightly as well, his gaze constantly flickering over Fang Yan's body, as though he intended to see this mysterious youth through completely.
"Tut, tut. Not simple at all. His blood qi is rich and contains enormous power, yet he can perfectly restrain it without revealing the slightest trace. He must have cultivated some special technique. I wonder just who this youth is. That brat across from him who uses his fists is in for trouble now."
Elder Qin could no longer sit still. He had not expected that after missing out on the Heaven Tier Class's top students, the Mystic Tier and Earth Tier Classes would give him such a tremendous surprise. This elder, whose position carried great weight even within the sect, was already impatient to watch the two exchange blows.
"Profound Tier Class, Hao Meng. Please enlighten me."
"Fang Yan, Earth Tier Class."
No matter how the crowd below discussed them, the two on the stage had already regarded one another as their greatest enemy. The instant they saw each other, both had begun building their momentum. In a clash between experts, whichever side possessed the stronger momentum could seize the initiative.
"Junior Brother, be careful!"
Seeing that Fang Yan had no intention of striking first, Hao Meng did not hesitate. His right foot stomped down heavily, and his body shot toward Fang Yan like a cannonball, leaving even the ground cracked beneath the path of his strength.
Fang Yan, however, retained his cold expression. He neither dodged nor drew his saber, simply watching as Hao Meng closed in on him.
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