Disciple Competition (Mid)

As dawn broke, a melodious bell echoed through the disciples' living quarters, signaling the start of the Disciple Competition.

Zeng Fan got up. "It's finally starting. I wonder who my first opponent will be." As he thought this, he walked out of his room and found Yuan Jin already leaning against the doorway, a blade of grass in his mouth. Seeing Zeng Fan emerge, Yuan Jin spat out the grass with a few "pfft" sounds.

"Let's go! I've been waiting for you."

"Okay."

The two arrived at the competition grounds, situated at the peak of the mountain range. Dozens of stone platforms appeared before them, each tens of feet wide, ample space for these Body Tempering Realm disciples to battle.

This competition adopted a one-strike-and-you're-out rule. A single loss meant immediate elimination. Even if two disciples with top-ten potential met, only one could emerge victorious. Therefore, the competition wasn't just about strength, but also luck.

Below, the stone platforms were already packed with a sea of people, the clamor washing over them.

"There are so many people," Yuan Jin said, digging in his ear with a touch of awe.

"Basically all the Body Tempering Realm disciples are here. Those who feel they aren't strong enough also come to join the fun, so of course, it's crowded," Zeng Fan said, looking at the crowd with a headache. Where could Murong Xue be? With so many people, I can't possibly see everyone.

"Zeng Fan! Yuan Jin! Over here, over here!" A girlish voice called out. Zeng Fan looked up and saw Murong Xue waving and shouting at them from a high platform.

"Found her!" Zeng Fan led Yuan Jin towards the high platform, while Murong Xue descended to meet them.

"With so many people, I was worried I wouldn't be able to find you," Zeng Fan said with a smile to Murong Xue.

"Yeah, luckily I was on the high platform, so I could see more clearly." Murong Xue had clearly worried about the same issue. After reaching the high platform, she had looked around everywhere searching for them.

"Those on the high platforms are all Earth Vein disciples, right?" Yuan Jin looked up at the platform. There were dozens of people there, also Body Tempering Realm disciples, but their status was clearly higher than those below. Each of them exuded a powerful aura and carried an air of arrogance. Some noticed Yuan Jin's gaze and merely glanced at him indifferently, as if unconcerned with the disciples below.

"That's right, everyone up there is an Earth Vein disciple. Don't mind some of them with their bad tempers," Murong Xue said with a smile to the two, clearly not impressed by the arrogance of some of those above.

"I almost forgot, this Heart Protection Mirror is ready. Here, take it!" As she spoke, Murong Xue remembered the main reason she had come down. She took out a Heart Protection Mirror from her Storage Ring and handed it to Zeng Fan. Zeng Fan took it, and it still carried a faint, delicate scent of a maiden.

"What's this between you two? A token of affection?" Yuan Jin's eyes nearly popped out when he saw Murong Xue handing Zeng Fan the Heart Protection Mirror. When did these two get so close? he blurted out.

"You're going to die, you idiot! Say one more word and I'll beat you to death!" Murong Xue, hearing this, bristled like a startled cat and glared fiercely at Yuan Jin. However, her delicate ears turned red.

Zeng Fan quickly covered Yuan Jin's mouth and explained the origin of the Heart Protection Mirror. Murong Xue's expression softened somewhat after hearing Zeng Fan's explanation.

"You two be careful. Good luck in the competition," Murong Xue said, shaking her fist threateningly at Yuan Jin again before heading back towards the high platform.

"I have a feeling something happened between you two. You sly dog, you actually managed to win Murong Xue over," Yuan Jin said, resting his chin on his hand and looking at Zeng Fan with a mischievous grin.

Zeng Fan smacked Yuan Jin hard on the head. "Don't spout nonsense. We're just friends. If that temperamental girl hears you again, you'll get beaten!"

Yuan Jin rubbed his head and chuckled, as if he had already made up his mind about the matter. He stopped arguing with Zeng Fan and hummed a little tune as he walked towards the stone platform, awaiting his turn.

Zeng Fan sighed helplessly, put away the Heart Protection Mirror, and slowly followed behind Yuan Jin.

As the names of the disciples in charge of the matches were called out, many people were already fighting on the stone platforms. The sounds of physical collisions rang out intermittently, bringing both joy and disappointment.

"Zeng Fan." A voice called out.

Zeng Fan looked up and leaped directly onto the stone platform, feeling a slight nervousness in his heart. I wonder how strong my first opponent will be.

"Please don't let me face a tough opponent in the first round," he thought to himself. Then, another figure jumped up. Sensing the aura of cultivation, Zeng Fan felt a slight relaxation.

"Body Tempering Muscle Mastery. That's a relief." It was a disciple he hadn't seen before. The male disciple also let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Zeng Fan, clearly indicating that both of them had the same thought.

They bowed to each other, and the match began. The disciple charged directly at Zeng Fan. Body Tempering Realm disciples couldn't project their spiritual energy outwards, so most of their attacks were direct physical collisions. Zeng Fan wanted to test his strength against someone of the same realm. Their fists met with a whistling sound, emitting a dull thud.

Zeng Fan stood firm, while the opponent retreated two steps. The difference in strength was immediately apparent. "It seems my strength isn't too bad at this level," Zeng Fan thought, gaining a rough understanding of his own power. The opposing disciple also realized this, his face turning somewhat bitter. He hadn't expected to lose his first match.

Zeng Fan immediately went on the offensive. The disciple inwardly lamented his misfortune but could only press on, as surrendering directly would be too embarrassing. Both were still young and spirited. They clashed again. During the fight, Zeng Fan continuously familiarized himself with his own strength, deepening his understanding of combat. The relentless pressure of his power gradually made the opponent flustered. Zeng Fan seized an opportunity and landed a punch on his chest, sending him flying off the platform.

"Zeng Fan wins!" the disciple guarding the platform announced. Zeng Fan jumped off the platform and happened to see Yuan Jin also jumping down from another platform.

"You won?"

"I won!" Yuan Jin grinned at Zeng Fan. "Got lucky and ran into a guy at Body Tempering Bone Minor Accomplishment. My cultivation level totally crushed him, haha."

Zeng Fan had already become immune to Yuan Jin's subsequent words. He knew Yuan Jin's personality well. The guy loved to brag. The more you scolded him, the more energized he became. Ignoring him for a while would make him calm down on his own.

Later, the two each fought two more matches, both against opponents of the same realm. With their strength, they naturally won steadily. However, starting from the next round, most of the opponents would be at the Perfection stage. Besides Zeng Fan and Yuan Jin, most disciples at the Mastery stage were gradually eliminated.

"Zeng Fan!" The voice of the disciple on the stage rang out. Yuan Jin patted Zeng Fan's shoulder. After a moment's hesitation, Zeng Fan put on the Heart Protection Mirror. After all, from now on, most of his opponents would be at Body Tempering Muscle Perfection, so it was better to be cautious.

Zeng Fan leaped onto the stone platform. As expected, a male disciple exuding the aura of Body Tempering Realm Perfection stood on the platform. He was taken aback upon seeing Zeng Fan and grinned widely. "My luck is pretty good. I can still meet a brother at Body Tempering Muscle Mastery. But your good luck ends here."

"I didn't get this far on luck, senior brother," Zeng Fan said with a faint smile, his gaze slowly becoming resolute. I can't hide my strength anymore.

"We'll see," the male disciple sneered. He charged at Zeng Fan like a cannonball. Before reaching Zeng Fan, he stopped abruptly and swung a whip kick fiercely towards Zeng Fan's waist.

Zeng Fan raised his elbow to block the attack. The immense force sent him sliding backward, leaving two long scratches on the platform. "Is this the power of Body Tempering Muscle Perfection? It's indeed very strong." He shook his numb arms, a fiery glint flashing in his eyes. He stomped his foot hard and charged towards the disciple.

"Good, come on!" Zeng Fan charged forward. The man laughed heartily, intending to end the battle quickly as a reward for Zeng Fan's courage.

"Stone Splitting Fist!"

Spiritual Energy gathered in the man's fist, causing a gray light to emanate from his skin. To finish Zeng Fan quickly, the man had already unleashed his killing move and punched fiercely towards Zeng Fan.

"Huh?" The man was stunned. At the instant his fist was about to hit Zeng Fan's body, Zeng Fan's body dodged the attack at a strange angle, like a swimming fish.

"Let's see how many times you can dodge!" The man realized Zeng Fan was also using a killing move, but it seemed a bit peculiar, focusing mainly on evasion. As the fight continued, the man's expression gradually became solemn.

Every attack he made was skillfully dodged by Zeng Fan's agile footwork. Whenever an opportunity arose after evading the man's attacks, Zeng Fan would land a solid blow on him. Although the man's physical defense was stronger than Zeng Fan's, he couldn't withstand too many hits!

"Bastard! Are you only good at dodging?" The male disciple, driven mad by Zeng Fan, couldn't help but shout angrily.

Hearing the man's words, Zeng Fan's movements did not falter. His eyes were filled with calmness. After dodging a whip kick, he brought his palm down on the man's back. The man's face turned red, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"It's time!" As Zeng Fan dodged the man's attacks, he could feel threads of power gathering within his body, awaiting his command. Seeing the man cough up blood, Zeng Fan knew it was time to end the fight.

"Fish Dragon Dance!"

No longer dodging, the power within him seemed to answer his call, surging madly towards Zeng Fan's right fist. Zeng Fan felt his arm could no longer contain the immense strength. Twisting his waist, he powerfully drove his fist towards the man.

"Stone Splitting Fist!"

Seeing Zeng Fan stop dodging, the man rejoiced. However, sensing the power behind Zeng Fan's punch, he was startled. He directly unleashed his own killing move, fist against fist. In an instant, their fists collided with a deafening "Bang!" The shockwave of their blows sent sand and stones scattering across the stone platform.

At the moment of impact, the man's expression changed. He felt waves of immense power surge from Zeng Fan's fist. "Not good! I can't block this!" Before the man could react further, Zeng Fan's fist was unstoppable, smashing directly into the man's chest.

"Pfft," the man spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his entire body sent flying off the stone platform.

"Zeng Fan wins!" the disciple guarding the platform shouted, casting a surprised glance at Zeng Fan. It was rare for someone so young to achieve this.

Zeng Fan, however, paid them no mind. Upon hearing the announcement of his victory, he collapsed onto the stone platform, gasping for air.

"I won!" Zeng Fan couldn't help but feel exhilarated. Just one more victory, and he would be in the top ten, earning the reward of cultivating in the Quenching Body Pool!

After resting for a moment, Zeng Fan walked off the stone platform, but he didn't see Yuan Jin. "Has he been fighting for this long? Did he run into a tough opponent?" As he searched for Yuan Jin, a familiar disciple brought him news that made Zeng Fan's face grow cold.

"Yuan Jin was severely injured during his match and can no longer participate in the Disciple Competition."