Sacred Elephant (2nd update)

Bang!

Rien was sent flying by the sudden punch. Knowing he had probably said the wrong thing again, he silently got to his feet and waited for his father's reprimand.

Rikett said angrily:

"I push you so hard not so you can win some measly exchange tournament! I want you to become a Fighter! A Fighter, do you understand?"

Unlike Ji Xuantong, who had only one daughter with average bone potential, Rikett had fathered three children in one go—yet every one of them had inferior bone potential.

Relatively speaking, Rien had the best comprehension.

In his early years, Rikett had crossed the oceans to build a life in Great Xia. He had fought his way to a foundation of his own in this land where the Martial Dao flourished, and he needed an heir.

But without the cultivation of a Fighter, how could one inherit a martial arts academy?

Whenever he thought of how Ji Feiyan was already at the eighth stage while his disappointing son was only at the third—and his other two sons only knew how to haunt nightclubs and chase women—he felt aggrieved. He was clearly so outstanding and hardworking, so why were his descendants so useless?!

Rien lowered his head and said:

"Sorry, Father. I will definitely become a Fighter!"

Rikett said:

"Show some spirit. Your father is waiting to pass the Mammoth Combat Art on to you, so that our Giant Elephant School can flourish in this foreign land and pursue the realm of the Sacred Elephant!"

Within the Giant Elephant School, the highest realm was the Sacred Elephant.

In the old days, there had once been a Native American who reached this realm. His strength rivaled that of a modern Combat Grandmaster who had broken the fourth shackle, capable of walking through gunfire and artillery shells.

Upon reaching this realm, one stood over ten feet tall even in an ordinary state. After unleashing one's strength, one became like a giant elephant, resembling Belifent, the Sacred Elephant King of American myth.

Thus, it was also known as the Sacred Elephant King!

After calming down, Rikett said:

"Among these opponents, I want you to pay attention to Lu Chenzhou. He is only sixteen, yet he is already at the third stage. According to my intelligence, he only entered the ranks half a year ago... This kind of progress suggests an enlightenment. He cannot be judged by ordinary standards!"

Rien's expression turned grave.

"Then he truly deserves our attention."

Wandering Dragon Martial Arts Academy.

"Liu Qingyuan, do you have confidence in placing among the top three in the youth division this time?"

River-Crossing Jiao, Chen Zhen, sipped his tea as he looked at the resolute youth before him.

"Rest assured, Master. The top three won't be a problem!"

"Mm. If you face Rien, remember to be careful. If you cannot beat him, surrender decisively. Don't injure yourself and affect your upcoming Pingjiang Martial University examination. As for the others, apart from Wang Chong, you should be able to handle them all with ease given your strength."

"Thank you for your concern, Teacher."

Golden Lion Martial Arts Academy.

"Junior Brother Wang Chong, your Lion Dance Step has improved again. You must be close to stepping into the proficient realm... The top two in the youth division should be secure this time."

A tall young man with long hair said with a smile.

He was Lin Jianxing, eldest son of Dancing Sky Lion, Lin Hong. Twenty-seven this year, he had entered the seventh stage a year ago. He was the senior disciple of Golden Lion Martial Arts Academy and held tremendous prestige.

Opposite him stood a short yet compact and capable youth.

It was Wang Chong, Dancing Sky Lion's true disciple.

"I wouldn't dare claim the top two. After all, Liu Qingyuan's strength is evenly matched with mine. If we fight, it will probably come down to our performance on the day. It is hard to say who would win for certain."

Though young, Wang Chong was steady and mature.

Thinking of something, he reminded him:

"Senior Brother, you should be careful too. Flying Swallow Martial Hall recently gained a new true disciple. He seems to be a Pingjiang Martial University graduate, a twenty-three-year-old seventh-stage expert. He isn't simple."

That day.

News arrived from the Pingjiang District Association. The martial arts academy exchange tournament had been set for May 21, 2221, and the venue had happened to rotate to Flying Swallow Martial Arts Hall.

"Great, it's our home ground!"

Du Men rubbed his fists together, brimming with confidence.

Lu Chenzhou climbed down from the wooden post. "The 21st? That's pretty good. Everyone still has some time to prepare. By then, our strength might even rise by another wave."

The others: "..."

In just a month and a half, where was there any chance to improve that much, brother?

Did he think everyone was like him?!

Lu Chenzhou looked at the Martial Dao Tree, calculating inwardly.

"This time is enough for me to open six apertures. The Black Tiger Fist will probably be hard to bring to mastery, but I can still push its progress past sixty percent and raise my vitality a little more. The Sea-Skimming Body has hope of making a sprint toward the minor accomplishment realm. That will be my trump card for catching them off guard!"

He still wanted to see whether he could make a push for Black Tiger Fist mastery.

One hundred thousand yuan was equivalent to half a year of his family's income.

Second place only came with fifty thousand yuan.

Perhaps the other contestants were fighting for fame and honor.

Lu Chenzhou was different. He was fighting for money...

"I need to carve out more time to practice boxing during this period. I'll have to squeeze down my study time too. I wonder when the Dragon City University of Martial Arts evaluation results will come out."

Lu Chenzhou agonized over how to squeeze water from the sponge of time.

Once it was confirmed that he could enter a martial arts school, he could temporarily bid farewell to academic classes and devote himself wholeheartedly to martial arts. He could always come back to study later if needed.

In this era, diplomas were easy to obtain; the Martial Dao was hard to come by!

The present-day world.

Great Xia possessed the largest territory in the world.

The north revered martial strength. In the old martial world's map, the nomadic tribes of the grasslands had also been an important part of it, frequently invading the Central Plains, while martial arts experts from both sides waged endless campaigns.

After the founding of New Great Xia, all ethnic groups across the land were united. Five elite martial arts schools were successively established in the north—Yinshan Martial University, Yellow River Martial University, Imperial Capital Martial Arts University, Dragon City University of Martial Arts, and Xinghe Martial University—sending wave after wave of martial talent into the northern martial arts world!

Dragon City University of Martial Arts was located in the provincial capital of the Jin Region.

The Jin Region had a long history and had witnessed the rise and fall of Great Xia through the ages. In fact, three elite martial arts universities had originated here. Besides Dragon City University of Martial Arts, there were also Wutai Martial University of the "Five Buddhist Schools" and Northern Peak Martial University of the "Six Sword-Discussion Academies."

The former was a famous Buddhist mountain, while the latter was one of the Five Sacred Mountains. Both possessed deep martial arts foundations. Yet Great Xia's economic center was actually in the south, and the northern population was not particularly large, so the state launched the sweeping North-to-South Martial Arts Relocation Project.

Responding to the call, the elite northern martial arts universities established branch campuses throughout the populous regions of the south, balancing the development of Great Xia's Martial Dao and confronting the increasingly frequent Void Calamities.

Dragon City University of Martial Arts, main campus.

Qingtian Cang had just finished a meeting concerning the North-to-South Martial Arts Relocation Project. The Tai Lake Void Calamity had resisted attack for too long and might become a war of attrition, perhaps even a permanent state in the future. The Martial Arts Department required Dragon City University of Martial Arts to establish a branch campus in Su City and put it into operation as soon as possible.

He might also be assigned to the south.

"I'm just a bag of old bones. If I have to go, I'll go. Jiangnan's water towns are quite nice."

Qingtian Cang mocked himself. The south truly did nourish people.

The phone rang. Ji Xuantong's voice came from the other end.

"Teacher, do my two true disciples have a chance...?"

Qingtian Cang smiled and said:

"It's only been a few days, and you've already pressed me several times."

"Sorry, Teacher... I really can't help myself."

"Shi Ruyu is no problem. After deliberation, the review committee has preliminarily determined that it was an enlightenment. The school happens to be establishing a new campus in Su City, so I'll get her in there when the time comes. But she still needs to go through the formal assessment process, and her bone potential must be tested once more."

"Hahaha, wonderful! I knew she was promising material. Teacher, what about Lu Chenzhou? My third disciple feels even more formidable!"

"Lu Chenzhou?"

Qingtian Cang's tone changed, making Ji Xuantong's heart tighten on the other end.

"H-He can't make it?"

Qingtian Cang suddenly burst into laughter.

"He's no problem either. For now, we'll handle it as an enlightenment and continue observing him afterward. Tell him he can prepare to transfer schools. He'll first attend Dragon City Martial Arts Affiliated High School in Su City."

The affiliated high schools of elite martial arts universities had branch campuses in all of Great Xia's major cities with populations in the tens of millions. They admitted very few students, far fewer than the main campuses, making them exceedingly difficult to enter.

Average bone potential was merely the basic threshold for admission. Getting in was no different from being guaranteed entry into Dragon City University of Martial Arts. Having been toyed with by Qingtian Cang, Ji Xuantong was somewhat helpless.

Then came laughter he could no longer hold back.

"Hahaha, both people I recommended made it."

Though they were not Martial Bone Dao Fetuses, enlightenment could still bring considerable benefits to both the martial arts academy and Ji Xuantong himself. Moreover, the two might not lack chances for further awakening in the future.

Qingtian Cang said:

"Stop celebrating. When are you going to break through to the second stage, Ji Xuantong?"

Old Ji hurriedly replied from the other end:

"I have something urgent to deal with here, so I'll hang up first. Please don't blame me, Elder."

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