The Lowest Standard

Ma Ran, having fought in countless battles, could have beaten Wu Di in a thousand different ways.

Here, I must praise the Black Rock Martial Way.

Although its upper limit is very low, Ma Ran had to admit that inner energy is a good thing!

Wu Di, having reached the Second Stage of Inner Qi, wasn't particularly impressive in other aspects, but his resilience was truly strong.

He was tough and could take a beating.

"Why did they suddenly start fighting?"

The members of Caolu Academy, who had been waiting peacefully in the small auditorium, all ran out, ready to break up the fight.

Fighting was a serious violation of discipline at the officially registered Caolu Academy and would result in severe punishment!

In severe cases, one could even be expelled!

Therefore, the two must be separated as soon as possible!

As the crowd emerged from the small auditorium, they saw that it appeared to be Ma Ran single-handedly beating up a younger opponent.

Oh...

Never mind, then.

Break up the fight?

This couldn't even be called a fight!

What's wrong with people practicing the Black Rock Martial Way having a friendly spar?

Without communication, without learning, without the collision of thought and practice, one would be stuck in their own little world and make no progress!

Inner Qi cultivators should be like this!

Sparring and practical combat more often, so as not to become like Zhao Kuo, who only knew theory but no practice.

The members of Caolu Academy, along with He Nanguang and Liu Huadie from Fulan Academy, all waited quietly on the sidelines.

Every single one of them was being hypocritical.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang...

The friendly spar concluded.

"That's all for today,"

Ma Ran brushed the dust off his uniform, his inner energy vibrating to ensure his hands were spotless, and said with a smile, "I acknowledge your courage."

"If you have time in the future, feel free to spar with me often."

"You're always welcome here."

Wu Di collapsed on the ground, gasping for air.

After a long while, he managed to get to his feet.

With a pair of black eyes, Wu Di was swollen all over from the beating.

He had a stern expression and was extremely unhappy.

He looked as if the whole world owed him money.

Normally, people who are unhappy all the time are easily isolated and excluded.

Unless they have ulterior motives, no one wants to spend time with a negative person.

But now...

The members of Caolu Academy all expressed understanding for Wu Di, and some even pitied him.

After all...

A normal person who has been beaten up would definitely not be smiling.

If they were, they would surely be mentally unstable.

Despite being extremely displeased, Wu Di was a man who kept his word.

Wu Di's eyes were swollen into narrow slits, and he stumbled over to Ma Ran.

"Men become friends through fighting,"

He said, his voice muffled, with one hand behind his back, "From now on, you're my... big brother."

Ma Ran was much stronger than him and deserved to take the lead in their friendship.

It wasn't impossible to find excuses, either.

For example, he could say he was tired from traveling, not acclimatized, and that Ma Ran had the advantage of the home-field environment at Caolu Academy.

But Wu Di disdained making excuses.

Losing is losing!

Weakness is weakness!

A loser has no right to make excuses!

Ma Ran was truly stronger than him, crushing him in every aspect!

Even though everyone's displayed speed and strength levels were similar, his experience, skill, and combat awareness were on a completely different plane from his own!

The gap was too vast!

Even if he tried a hundred more times, Wu Di felt he wouldn't have the slightest chance of winning!

Therefore, Wu Di was genuinely convinced.

He clasped his hands behind his back and stood proudly beside Ma Ran, looking like a devoted follower.

Liu Huadie and He Nanguang, standing not far away, were surprised to discover that the members of Caolu Academy seemed to have a... surprisingly good first impression of Wu Di!

Was this a benefit of getting beaten up?

No!

Rather than saying it was a benefit from being beaten up, it was more like...

Under Ma Ran's intense pressure, the universally disliked Wu Di from Fulan Academy had finally revealed a likable side to his personality.

The mischievous kid, Wu Di...

He had been saved.

His situation at Caolu Academy would definitely be much better than it was at Fulan Academy!

If the interaction between Ma Ran and Wu Di was a coincidence, then so be it.

But if all of this was within Ma Ran's calculations...

Liu Huadie and He Nanguang exchanged glances, both drawing in a sharp breath.

Hiss...

Could someone really plan to this extent?

Wait!

There was something off about this guy!

Liu Huadie suddenly snapped back to reality.

"He just said he only used inner energy from two acupoints, which is equivalent to one-tenth of his power..."

How long had Ma Ran been practicing Black Rock Martial Way?

And he had already filled twenty acupoints?

Sixteen acupoints corresponded to the Fourth Stage of Inner Qi, right?

Ma Ran and Wu Di's friendly spar had now been turned into a video file and uploaded to the "Dajiang" app, sparking a heated discussion.

"Did this young man really say he'd already filled twenty acupoints?"

"Who can tell besides himself? Current bio-energy detectors can't accurately measure the specific value of inner energy."

"Intelligence reports show that Ma Ran did indeed reach the Fourth Stage of Inner Qi a long time ago."

"His combat skills... are truly outstanding! Concise, efficient, and ruthless. If he wanted to, that kid named Wu Di would have been killed dozens of times already."

"It's worth mentioning that Ma Ran's Academic Power is very strong. He finished all the entry tests early and got perfect scores."

"That strong?"

"What's that! I heard he only took an hour to deduce and verify five hundred and twelve acupoints using the Black Rock Stele."

"???"

"That news is too fake! I heard before that he even reached the Second Stage of Inner Qi within that hour... Even if he created the Black Rock Guidance Technique, Caolu Academy wouldn't fake it to this extent just to create a star, would they?"

"When I first heard news about Ma Ran, I had the same reaction as you. Unfortunately, all the information, including what everyone just added, has been proven true."

"I also checked Ma Ran's information... Sigh... Sometimes, you just have to admit that the gap between people is even greater than the gap between humans and monkeys."

"This young man's talent is quite terrifying. A cultivation prodigy, self-created cultivation body, divine fighting style..."

"If Ma Ran were born in the birthplace of Black Rock Martial Way, he might have become a Grandmaster who founded his own sect."

"That's too high a praise, isn't it? The Black Rock Guidance Technique is just a small trick, not exactly a 'self-created cultivation body'."

"In the current inner energy cultivation system, everyone walks the same path. There's no such thing as 'internal cultivation methods'. Every bit of progress is hard-won! Let's keep our perspectives straight!"

"Alright... I admit I'm a bit unbalanced. Shamefully, Ma Ran's contributions are indeed greater than mine."

Seeing this, President Huang Weiguo locked his phone screen and looked up in Ma Ran's direction.

The phrase "center of attention" inexplicably surfaced in his mind.

Four or five days ago, that cold young man who exuded an aura of unapproachability had, unknowingly, become an indispensable and important figure in Caolu Academy.

No need for soul-stirring speeches.

Nor did he need to be approachable and constantly show concern.

Ma Ran was like a cold magnet, drawing the academy members to him like iron filings.

Bang!

The staff finally carried the heavy lead alloy case onto the stage.

Huang Weiguo immediately stood up and walked quickly to the microphone, announcing loudly, "The minimum standard test for supernatural ability awakening now begins!"

I've been getting up pretty early these past two days, hehehe