Instructor Li, Cash? Or ZhiFuBao?

"Fine! Whoever wins gets the five thousand. It's coming out of my own pocket!"

Though Li Zhanting was somewhat reluctant, the thought of using this chance to brutally crush Lu Jue's arrogance filled him with delight once more.

He refused to believe that some brat from the slums could really stir up any waves!

At this, a sharp gleam flashed through Zhang Tie's eyes. All hesitation vanished as he strode into the center of the room, his burly frame carrying an unmistakable sense of oppression. He clasped his fists toward Lu Jue and smiled. "Student Lu, fists and feet have no eyes. Please enlighten me."

Seeing how instantly the other's attitude had changed, Lu Jue understood.

The temptation of five thousand was indeed far more tangible than conserving one's strength.

So he said nothing more. He merely calmly assumed the opening stance of Basic Fist Arts and gazed ahead with steady eyes.

Seeing that the two were about to fight, the surrounding students began talking among themselves, nearly all of them already picturing Lu Jue being swiftly knocked down.

"The gap is this huge, and he actually agreed!"

"If I were Lu Jue, I definitely wouldn't take the challenge. Getting beaten up for the sake of pride isn't worth it no matter how you look at it!"

"Instructor Li has gone too far. Isn't this just bullying an honest man?"

"Shut up, all of you! How dare you make such a racket during a class spar?!" Li Zhanting snorted coldly. Only after completely suppressing the commotion did he turn his gaze back to the center and urge them loudly:

"Start! What are you two waiting for?!"

The moment his words fell, Zhang Tie burst forth like a tiger unleashed from its cage, launching the first attack!

His steps were swift as he threw a vicious straight punch directly at Lu Jue's face. The wind howled around it; he clearly had no intention of holding back and meant to end this spar as quickly as possible.

Lu Jue had mastered Basic Fist Arts to perfection, and his eye was keen. Before the fist even arrived, he had already clearly judged its trajectory.

His instincts told him that with the slightest turn of his body, he could easily evade this reckless strike.

But the other man's undisguised contempt and aggressive pressure instantly ignited the viciousness in Lu Jue's heart!

Dodge?

Why should he dodge?!

Lu Jue's stance rooted itself like an ancient pine, utterly unmoving. He threw an equally artless Straight Punch, meeting the attack head-on!

Idiot! You're courting death! Zhang Tie rejoiced wildly, as though he could already hear the sound of the other's bones cracking.

However—

BANG!!!

The two fists collided violently. Yet instead of the crisp crack of shattering bone, the impact rang out with a heavy, muffled boom like a war drum!

The crushing sensation he had expected never came. The wild delight on Zhang Tie's face instantly froze, transforming into utter horror!

A surging, majestic force beyond anything he could imagine crashed over him like a flood bursting through a broken dam, pouring from the other's seemingly not-so-thick arm!

"What?!!"

Zhang Tie felt his entire right arm go numb with searing pain, as though his finger bones were splitting apart, while his blood and qi churned violently throughout his body!

But he had abundant combat experience. Though shocked, he did not panic. Borrowing the force of the collision, he forcibly twisted his body and rolled toward the side and rear, trying to bleed off the impact and open some distance.

Just as he was about to catch his breath and regroup—

In the next instant, his pupils contracted sharply, and all color drained from his face!

He discovered that after clashing with him head-on, Lu Jue had not even swayed. It was as if that terrifying recoil had been no more than a breeze brushing his face!

Even more terrifyingly, Lu Jue did not pause in the slightest and charged forward again!

"H-How is that possible?!"

Zhang Tie screamed inwardly. This completely defied every bit of common sense he knew!

Wasn't force supposed to be mutual?

Their bodies were not that far apart in strength. How could Lu Jue ignore an impact of this magnitude?

Before he could think further, Lu Jue had already reached him!

"Again!"

Lu Jue shouted low and swept an elbow across, the wind whistling through the air!

Caught off guard, Zhang Tie could only raise his numb right arm to block.

BAM!

Another muffled blow rang out. Zhang Tie's arm was smashed brutally back into his body, and he staggered backward.

Before he could steady his balance, Lu Jue's following attacks came crashing down one after another like a raging storm!

Spinning low kick!

Sinking hook punch!

Knee strike to the abdomen!

A chain of jabs!

Zhang Tie could only shield his head with both arms, struggling desperately to fend them off.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The heavy impacts rang without end. He felt like a small boat tossed about in a tempest, liable to be swallowed whole at any moment!

Every block sent agonizing pain through his arms and churned his blood and qi.

Every attempt to counterattack was ruthlessly hammered back into his body by an even heavier assault!

This was not a spar at all. It was a one-sided crushing!

Yet though Zhang Tie retreated step by step and seemed utterly unable to fight back, he was actually observing Lu Jue's moves in secret.

He had fought his way up to rank one hundred and thirty-five in the grade with his bare fists. Even against those monsters in the top fifty, he had exchanged blows more than ten times!

Whether in pressure tolerance or actual combat experience, he far surpassed ordinary students!

He quickly noticed a problem—

Lu Jue only attacked and never defended! His entire body was wide open with vulnerabilities!

Good! Good! Good!

Since you insist on attacking blindly, I'll make you understand that a fight isn't won simply because someone is stronger!

As Zhang Tie dodged the assault, he quietly plotted his next move.

When one of Lu Jue's strikes missed and left him wide open, a trace of ruthlessness flashed through Zhang Tie's eyes.

Seizing the opportunity, he gathered every ounce of strength in his body and drove a punch toward Lu Jue's left ribs!

Got you!

BANG!!!

Zhang Tie's sure-kill punch landed solidly beneath Lu Jue's left ribs!

Not stopping there, he used the momentum after the punch to spin around, his left leg lashing out like a whip at Lu Jue's lower body!

Keep going!

Thinking his opponent had stiffened after being hit, Zhang Tie pressed in repeatedly, his fists raining down on every part of Lu Jue's body!

Every strike was thrown with all his strength, and the muffled sounds of bone striking bone burst forth in rapid succession!

Yet after several punches, Zhang Tie's heart abruptly sank—

Something was wrong!

He was not hitting an iron post, so why was the other man practically not moving at all?

The thought had barely flashed through his mind when he looked up and met Lu Jue's eyes—there was not the slightest trace of pain in them. Instead, they burned with a nearly fanatical fighting spirit.

"Had enough?"

A sinister smile spread across Lu Jue's lips, a cold gleam flashing between his teeth.

Since he bore Zhang Tie no grudge, he had still held back thirty percent of his strength, intending only to force the other back and make him concede.

But Zhang Tie had shown no restraint at all. Every move went straight for vital points, vicious and ruthless!

A savage aura surged up from the depths of his heart. His bearing changed abruptly, like a sleeping beast suddenly opening its eyes, and an icy pressure instantly spread through the air!

"Then now, it's my turn!"

The moment his words fell, Lu Jue moved!

He stepped in close and cut into range in an instant!

First punch!

Without any technique, it slammed into Zhang Tie's hastily raised arms!

CRACK!

A faint sound of bone fracturing rang out, and Zhang Tie's defense was completely smashed apart!

Second punch!

It followed immediately, landing solidly between his chest and abdomen!

Pfft!

Zhang Tie's eyes bulged wide. A mouthful of sour liquid mixed with blood foam burst from his mouth as all the blood and qi in his body was scattered in an instant, forcing him to hunch forward uncontrollably.

Third punch!

Lu Jue twisted his waist and turned his hips, then drove an uppercut upward from below, heavy as a siege hammer, smashing it viciously into Zhang Tie's jaw!

BANG!!

Fragments of teeth scattered everywhere!

Zhang Tie's tall, burly body was blasted upward, both feet briefly leaving the ground. Like a torn rag doll, he traced a powerless arc through the air before crashing heavily to the floor three or four meters away. He rolled twice, curled up, and could only groan in agony.

The entire classroom fell into deathly silence.

A pin could have been heard dropping.

Every student watching had their eyes wide and mouths agape, as if their throats had been seized, unable to make a sound.

The cold smile on Li Zhanting's face had long since frozen stiff, settling into an exceptionally ugly expression.

Lu Jue withdrew his fist and straightened up.

He swept an indifferent glance over Zhang Tie, who lay on the ground like a dead dog, then turned his eyes to Li Zhanting, whose face was livid and who stood silent. Calmly, he asked:

"Instructor Li, cash? Or ZhiFuBao?"