The martial arts academy's training ground was silent as a grave.
Aside from Li Sancheng and the other two, everyone believed Han Zheng would surely be utterly crushed by Guo Mingyuan's advantage in cultivation and strength.
Yet no one had expected that the one being crushed would be Guo Mingyuan, who held the advantage in strength!
In truth, Han Zheng had still held back.
He did not want to expose too much of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, so he had not displayed his strength too extravagantly.
Otherwise, with the power of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, even if Guo Mingyuan had opened three more meridians than him instead of just one, it would have been useless.
The way Li Jingzhong looked at Han Zheng now grew ever more delighted.
Han Zheng's command of the Vajra Fist had already reached the point where it moved as easily as his own arms. His force followed his heart's command; he had truly grasped the essence of the Vajra Fist.
One had to know that it had taken Li Jingzhong nearly a year to cultivate the Vajra Fist to completion.
At the same age, Han Zheng had mastered the Vajra Fist even faster than he had.
Guo Mingyuan scrambled up from the ground in a wretched state, his face filled with disbelief.
He had actually been defeated by Han Zheng?
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
Guo Mingyuan rose to his feet, his blood and qi surging through his body. With a low shout, he charged at Han Zheng.
But this time, he did not use the Vajra Fist.
The veins on Guo Mingyuan's hands bulged, somewhat resembling Gao Kaiyuan's Shattered Jade Hand from the Three Harmonies Gang.
His hands became like eagle talons, clawing straight for Han Zheng's throat, eyes, groin, and other vital spots. Every move was vicious beyond compare.
Li Jingzhong frowned slightly. He recognized Guo Mingyuan's martial art.
It was the Eagle Claw Skill of Qiu Tianying, leader of the Sky Eagle Gang.
However, the Eagle Claw Skill itself was merely an acquired grappling art. It had to be combined with Qiu Tianying's other martial art, the Black Demon Hand, to unleash the effectiveness of an Innate Martial Skill.
The Guo Family had money, so it was only natural that Guo Mingyuan could learn the Eagle Claw Skill from Qiu Tianying.
But the Black Demon Hand was Qiu Tianying's true trump card, the skill he kept at the bottom of his chest. He would never teach it to an outsider unless it was his own son.
"Seeking death on your own!"
Han Zheng shook his head slightly.
The Eagle Claw Skill might have been somewhat stronger than the Vajra Fist, but before he had even properly learned the Vajra Fist, Guo Mingyuan had gone to cultivate the Eagle Claw Skill. That was nothing but a waste of time.
Han Zheng spread his Vajra Fist stance. Blood and qi churned through his arms like great vajra pestles as he smashed, cleaved, chopped, and burst forth—his momentum immense, his power unmatched!
Every move and stance was a Vajra Fist form, all deeply familiar to the martial artists present.
Yet when Han Zheng used them, they somehow felt entirely different, as if he truly were a demon-subduing martial monk with a wrathful vajra glare, every punch and every stance carrying the martial essence of the Vajra Fist.
Guo Mingyuan's Eagle Claw Skill was swift, while Han Zheng's Vajra Fist seemed simple and clumsy.
But every one of his punches precisely suppressed Guo Mingyuan, making that so-called Eagle Claw Skill look as laughable as a mother hen baring its claws to guard its food.
When the entire set of forms ended, Guo Mingyuan was sent flying. Both his hands had been blasted bloody and mangled by Han Zheng's tremendous force, leaving him in a miserable state.
"Han Zheng wins this round!"
After announcing the result, Li Jingzhong hurriedly had the martial arts academy's servants send Guo Mingyuan to Shenghe Hall to treat his injuries.
The Guo Family was now the richest family in the county town. He could not allow Guo Mingyuan to suffer some injury beyond treatment.
Li Jingzhong turned back to Han Zheng and nodded in praise. "Not bad. You have already obtained the true essence of the Vajra Fist. There is nothing more I can teach you about this fist art.
Even within Vajra Prajna Temple, your Vajra Fist would not lose to those disciples who have already taken the tonsure."
"It was all thanks to the academy master's excellent teaching."
Han Zheng humbly replied before returning to the crowd of disciples.
The others all looked at Han Zheng with exceedingly strange expressions.
Excellent teaching by Li Jingzhong?
They had all learned the Vajra Fist together, all taught by the same person. Why were you so outstanding?
Li Sancheng was still smugly boasting in a low voice, saying that he had not been exaggerating and talking about how formidable his brother was.
The other disciples could not be bothered with him, but they had to admit that Han Zheng had truly made a stunning debut.
His parents were both dead, and he came from a commoner background, yet he had relied solely on the most basic Vajra Fist to defeat Guo Mingyuan, who had daily medicinal baths and had secretly learned the Eagle Claw Skill as extra instruction.
Had Guo Mingyuan won this round, they definitely would not have accepted it. But since Han Zheng had won, they were convinced.
The next round was Chen Zhao against Song Tianqing.
The many disciples also looked forward to seeing whether there would be another upset, with a commoner disciple defeating an aristocratic disciple once more.
Unfortunately, there was no reversal this time.
Song Tianqing's cultivation foundation was solid, and he clearly had all sorts of external aids as well, making his physical strength far surpass Chen Zhao's.
Moreover, although Song Tianqing's comprehension of the Vajra Fist had not reached completion, Han Zheng judged that it had reached nearly ninety percent.
Chen Zhao was the true representative of the commoner disciples. Without any external aid, he had cultivated to this realm entirely through his own talent and perseverance.
Though he made no mistakes during the fight, he was suppressed by Song Tianqing from beginning to end. In the end, Song Tianqing's punch sent him vomiting blood in defeat.
Seeing Chen Zhao still struggling to climb up while coughing blood, Song Tianqing's lips curled into a cold smile as he stepped forward.
Li Jingzhong quickly said, "Song Tianqing wins this round!"
Only after hearing Li Jingzhong's announcement did Song Tianqing stop.
"Enough. We'll end here today. Go back and rest for a day. The matches will continue tomorrow."
A few disciples close to Chen Zhao helped him to the clinic. The other disciples did not look kindly upon Song Tianqing either.
Song Tianqing's attacks had been far too ruthless.
That would have been nothing against an enemy, but they were all disciples of the same martial arts academy—fellow disciples, after all. Though they were competitors, there was no need to beat someone to death.
They had all seen it just now. Had Li Jingzhong not announced Song Tianqing's victory, he would surely have rushed up to deliver a finishing blow and cripple Chen Zhao completely.
Li Sancheng happily pulled Han Zheng along. "Come on, come on! To celebrate your victory over that Guo Mingyuan, let's have a good meal."
Zhao Jinming and Wang Bao followed behind, along with several martial arts academy disciples who were familiar with them.
Han Zheng had not wanted to go. With that time, he would rather cultivate.
But Li Sancheng and the others were too enthusiastic, so Han Zheng could only let them drag him to the little tavern Li Sancheng had taken him to before.
"Brother Han, defeating Guo Mingyuan this time really let us vent our anger."
Zhao Jinming raised his wine cup and toasted Han Zheng with some excitement before draining it in one gulp.
Han Zheng drank a cup as well. The wine was somewhat cloudy and weak, sour and astringent on the tongue—not particularly good.
"His family's grain shop earns so much silver, yet he still acts so high-profile. He does invite resentment.
But seeing him lose, you all seem to be more than relieved. You seem rather excited."
Han Zheng found their attitudes somewhat strange, as though they had some blood feud with Guo Mingyuan.
Zhao Jinming gave a bitter smile. "It is not exactly excitement. To put it plainly, we just feel stifled.
Academy Master Li teaches earnestly and rigorously. He accepts disciples based not on family background, but only on talent and ability. Even disciples with backing will be kicked out of the martial arts academy if they fail the assessment.
So throughout Black Stone County, Zhenwei Martial Arts School can be said to be the only place where commoner martial artists like us can rise to prominence.
At first, when Zhenwei Martial Arts School had no reputation, those wealthy and well-connected disciples from great families would not come here to learn martial arts.
Now that Zhenwei Martial Arts School has gained fame, it has naturally drawn those wealthy and powerful disciples.
But the academy master only passes down the White Ape Through-Arm Fist to one person from each class. Those wealthy and powerful disciples naturally have more resources than we do.
They have medicinal baths, and they can pay to learn martial skills from others as extra instruction. What do we have to compete with them?
There is only one spot among each class of disciples, yet it gets taken by those wealthy and powerful disciples. Of course we feel stifled!
This time, Brother Han, you defeated Guo Mingyuan. You have let us disciples of commoner birth vent our anger as well.
So what if they have wealth and power? They are still trash!"
The more Zhao Jinming spoke, the more worked up he became, and the others chimed in as well.
Han Zheng nodded thoughtfully and clinked cups with them.
Whether in his previous life or in this world, there had never been absolute fairness.
In truth, people like Young Master Zhou were the normal ones. His family had been in government for three generations—what right did a mud-legged peasant like you have to speak of fairness with him?
What Zhao Jinming and the others felt stifled and angry over was not that Guo Mingyuan had medicinal baths to assist him or could spend money to learn other martial skills as extra instruction.
It was that he clearly already had so much money and so many opportunities, yet he still had to come and seize their tiny, pitiful chance.
Among the past disciples of Zhenwei Martial Arts School, only during its early days, when it lacked fame, had a few commoner martial artists been taught the White Ape Through-Arm Fist.
Later, as wealthy and powerful disciples joined, the top spot was almost always occupied by them.
Only in this class had two anomalies, Han Zheng and Chen Zhao, appeared, giving those commoner-born martial artists a chance to vent their anger.
But unfortunately, Chen Zhao had lost to Song Tianqing. Han Zheng alone remained as their final hope.
"Brother Han, be sure to be careful tomorrow. Do not hold back under any circumstances.
That Song Tianqing is ruthless and insidious. If you hold back, he certainly will not."
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, one martial arts academy disciple sincerely warned Han Zheng.
He had fought Song Tianqing before and knew just how ruthlessly the other man struck.
After parting with everyone, Han Zheng headed straight home.
But just after passing through an alley, Han Zheng suddenly stopped, his brow furrowing.
"Who is it? Come out!"
From the shadows of the alley, an elderly man in a long robe slowly emerged. His head of white hair was combed without a single strand out of place.
Han Zheng had thought the Three Harmonies Gang had discovered something else, but it turned out to be an old man with no martial skill on him.
And Han Zheng felt that the man looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.
After thinking carefully, Han Zheng finally remembered. The man seemed to be an old shopkeeper under Song Tianqing.
Back when Song Tianqing had been ostracized by the entire Song Family, he had taken an old shopkeeper with equally little real authority and turned a shop's losses into profits.
When the academy held its large classes, this old shopkeeper had personally come to deliver meals to Song Tianqing as well.
"My name is Zheng Zhishan. You should have seen me before. I came today to discuss a transaction with you."
Zheng Zhishan stood with his hands behind his back and took out a banknote, staring at Han Zheng. "Tomorrow, you will compete against my young master. As long as you voluntarily admit defeat, these one thousand taels of silver will be yours!"