Embodying Myriad Traits, I Will Ultimately Become Immortal - Part 34

But the tiger palm still struck his fluttering hem. With a ripping sound, a huge hole was instantly torn through the waist of his school uniform.

"Good thing I'm wearing my school uniform."

Meng Chuan reacted swiftly. His clothes had been ripped apart—how could he only dodge without striking back?

He let out a roar, his momentum soaring into the heavens!

Then he charged forward in an arrow step. His left arm rose in a guard, fist turned inward as though shielding his forehead; his right arm drew back to gather force, palm loosely clenched. A cannonball was poised to launch.

At the sight, every hair on Zong Ping's body stood on end—even the yellow hair atop his head sprang upright strand by strand.

He knew something about Cannon Fist as well, and inwardly cursed his bad luck.

"This move carries overwhelming force. It's probably close to perfection! I can't meet it head-on!"

In people's minds, tiger forms were known for their fierce, unyielding might. Few who did not practice tiger forms knew of a tiger's agility.

No sooner said than done, Zong Ping formed tiger claws with both hands and alternated them before his chest, preparing to use soft force to deflect a thousand pounds with four ounces and send the attack flying away.

Inch Step was Cannon Fist's finest partner. Zong Ping understood Cannon Fist but not Inch Step—he had committed a grave taboo!

Rather than dodging aside, his opponent was preparing to take the blow head-on. Meng Chuan was overjoyed.

Inch Step needed time to build up power. This was exactly what he wanted!

"That's about enough. If I charge any longer, someone's going to die."

His rear foot stomped down with a bang! The terrifying explosive force nearly drove a crater into the arena beneath Meng Chuan's foot.

He swept before Zong Ping like a gale; before the man arrived, the sound did!

Eight muffled explosions rang through the air. Eight-Burst Cannon had truly entered the hall!

"I guessed right. It really is nearly at the nine-burst perfection stage."

"But why is its explosive force so strong?"

Zong Ping was rooted in place by that momentum. The fierce wind kept him from opening his eyes, and he felt that this punch would kill him.

"Second Uncle! Save me!"

The principal had long been waiting at the side. As a great expert of Nine Blood Qi and Transforming Force, he naturally intercepted Meng Chuan's heavy punch with ease.

The fist wind vented wildly behind him, blowing Zong Ping's bangs straight back.

"Holy shit, the principal is your second uncle?"

The wind from fists and kicks on the stage was too loud; only Meng Chuan heard that little secret.

Thinking that the principal's surname was Zong and this kid's surname was Zong as well, it seemed this was no coincidence.

Zong Ping smiled bitterly and nodded.

"There are always greater people beyond people, greater mountains beyond mountains. I concede."

His talent had been enough to enter Yong'an Martial Arts University's elite preparatory class, yet he had stumbled in tiny Peaceful High School.

Meng Chuan clasped his fists.

"You let me win."

Then he turned toward the crowd below, recalling his master's expectations for him, and declared loudly:

"Xingyi is the most badass!"

Those below who practiced Xingyi went completely wild, raising both hands and cheering:

"Meng Chuan is awesome!"

"Xingyi martial arts are number one under heaven!"

Watching this scene, Meng Chuan felt the atmosphere of victory in a match so vividly for the first time. He reveled in it.

Qi Fei also cupped his hands awkwardly in congratulations.

"Impressive, Meng Chuan."

Meng Chuan smiled in response. It was only a contest of youthful spirit between students; there was no need to take it too seriously.

The principal called Qi Fei up onto the stage, then formally announced:

"First, starting next semester, these two powerful junior students will attend classes and study together with all of you. Please give them a round of applause!"

This time, the applause was no longer scattered and sparse. Students did not have that many ulterior thoughts; Meng Chuan and Zong Ping's strength had earned everyone's respect.

"Awesome! Awesome!"

Thunderous applause and cheers immediately erupted throughout the Martial Arts Academy.

"Second, the school will sponsor first-place Meng Chuan with a 100,000-yuan scholarship, second-place Zong Ping with 50,000 yuan, and third-place Qi Fei with 10,000 yuan!"

Hearing that the principal was giving him a reward of 100,000 yuan, Meng Chuan was genuinely surprised.

"Is the school this rich? They're giving out so much for a final exam?"

The principal paused, then continued:

"Finally, the top three in this exam—Meng Chuan, Zong Ping, and Qi Fei—will represent Peaceful High School in the Yong'an City Twenty-Four School Joint Exam at the beginning of October. I hope you can bring honor to the school and create new glory!"

In the end, Meng Chuan's first competition in his life came to a close amid applause.

Ape God Martial Arts Academy.

Inside the secret chamber.

An old man sat facing a man in a black trench coat. The atmosphere in the room was eerie and turbulent.

The man in black wore a mask patterned with nothingness. The corners of its mouth looked as though they had been smeared with paint.

The enormous white V-shape at its mouth resembled a clown laughing wildly.

"Yuan Huan, have you made your decision?"

The old man remained silent.

The masked man extended his right hand. Black smoke gradually rose from his palm, then it split open like giant jaws, producing a grating sound of uneven teeth grinding together.

A strange object shaped like a seed, glimmering with a purplish-black sheen, slowly emerged from the crack in his palm.

The man in black wore a sincere expression as he muttered some incomprehensible incantation.

As the incantation was recited, the seed slowly changed, the black light around it growing ever more intense.

The old man across from him looked grave. He lowered his head to stare at it all, the wrinkles on his forehead twisted into a four-lane highway.

Finally, with a tearing sound, the seed split open, and something like a miniature black gourd broke out of its shell.

Once the little gourd hatched, it fell still, and the black and purple lights vanished at once.

"Do you see it, Yuan Huan? This is the Seed of Fear."

"As long as you swallow it, you can become like us and possess the abilities of a Heavenly Demon. You can rely on the power of fear to increase your strength, and thus gain a longer lifespan."

"You don't have many years left, do you, Yuan Huan? Are you really willing to give up this vast Martial Arts Training Ground, this Martial Artist status revered by tens of thousands?"

The old man swept his sleeve, knocking over the tea table, and thundered in fury:

"Who do you think I am?"

"I have risked life and death time and again, ventured deep into demon nests, and slain countless Heavenly Demons. Though I am old now, my students are spread everywhere. I am the famed Sky-Supporting Arm—Yuan Huan!"

"What is there to fear in death? How could I join forces with filthy people like you over such a thing!"

Hearing Yuan Huan's righteous words, the masked man laughed so hard he rocked back and forth.

"Hehehehe, Yuan Huan, you're going to make me laugh myself to death. Stop pretending. If you don't want to join forces with us, then what are you doing sitting here with me so calmly?"

"You were never any good to begin with! When you first followed your classmates into a demon nest at twenty-two, only you—the one whose strength had been in the lower-middle ranks—came back alive.

"At the age of , you murdered your own elder brother just to inherit the martial arts academy. At thirty-eight, you killed your benefactor and seized the True Martial.

"At the age of , after your wife of forty years discovered your little secret, you killed her with a single palm strike without a shred of feeling.

"And countless strangers were mercilessly killed by you because they stood in the way of your interests."

"You're a beast worse than pigs and dogs! What kind of pure white lotus act are you putting on here?"

Yuan Huan broke out in a cold sweat, his expression changing drastically!

These were secrets buried deep within his heart. How did he know?

"Our methods are far beyond your imagination. We have dug up every last one of your secrets. Cooperating obediently is your best choice."

The masked man gave him some time to think.

Then his tone softened as he spoke slowly:

"But those very things prove that we have always been travelers on the same road. At this moment, we are kindred souls and fellow travelers meeting upon that road."

"Join us."

"Join the Evolution of Light!"

As his words fell, the room sank into deathly silence.