Not His Match?

"Such precise control of distance—how could a disciple who had only been at Entry Level for a month possibly achieve it? Old Qin, did you give him private lessons?" a Martial Academy instructor on the raised platform in the corner asked in surprise.

"Haha, no. Gu Yang figured it all out himself. Well? Didn't I tell you so?" Qin Hu laughed heartily, his face full of pride.

"If he comprehended it on his own, then his combat talent is indeed extraordinarily high. Even if his natural physique is a little lacking, it does not matter. He is a fine seedling. Old Qin was right before!" Yuan Qingshan, the purple-clad instructor who had spoken first, nodded.

At this point, even the other Martial Academy instructors who had remained silent before began chiming in. "Old Qin, you have truly found a treasure. You will have to treat us later."

"Haha, no, no." Qin Hu waved his hand, then suddenly pointed toward an arena in the center of the small square. "Ah, there is a promising seedling in your formation too. I think that disciple is quite good. Among this batch of disciples, he should be able to rank in the top ten."

The youth on the arena stood straight as a pine, carrying himself with extraordinary poise. He was one of the two disciples Gu Yang had noticed earlier.

At the foot of the arena, another Martial Academy disciple lay sprawled on the ground in a sorry state, clearly having just been defeated by him.

That disciple was none other than Gu Yang's old acquaintance, Li Zhiwu.

"Haha, that child Fang Qi is indeed quite good. Not only is he talented, but more importantly, he is willing to endure hardship and possesses a devout heart for the Martial Path. Whether it is Stance Training or Martial Techniques, he improves very quickly. Once he breaks through to Blood Condensation, I plan to recommend him for the Seed Selection."

When Yuan Qingshan saw whom Qin Hu was watching, a smile could not help appearing on his face.

Fang Qi was the disciple he thought most highly of. Hearing Qin Hu praise him now truly scratched him right where he itched.

After the second round ended, Gu Yang returned to the formation and saw Li Zhiwu sitting dejectedly in a corner, silent.

After some thought, he walked over, patted Li Zhiwu on the shoulder, and asked gently, "What is it? Was your opponent strong?"

"Not strong. Extremely strong." Li Zhiwu seemed to have been beaten senseless, his eyes filled with confusion. "I did not have even the slightest chance to fight back against him. He crushed me in every aspect."

"Take it easy. Being strong for a moment does not mean being strong forever. As long as you keep working hard, there may come a day when you surpass him. Keep it up!" Gu Yang patted Li Zhiwu's shoulder encouragingly, then turned and left.

The Minor Competition continued round after round. He had barely exchanged a few words with Li Zhiwu when the third round began.

Gu Yang quickly stepped onto the arena, and the moment he saw his opponent, his pupils contracted.

This disciple's build was completely opposite to that little fatty from the first round. He had the broad back of a tiger and the narrow waist of a wasp, long legs and a tall frame. Though only ten years old, he already possessed a hint of heroic bearing.

Very strong!

The mere sight of him made Gu Yang feel wary.

More importantly, Gu Yang recognized him. He was one of the two people Gu Yang had deliberately committed to memory during the first round.

But Gu Yang was not afraid. Who was stronger and who was weaker could only be known after they fought.

Clang...

The gong sounded, and the battle began.

Before Gu Yang could make a move, his opponent charged toward him.

Whoosh!

With a flicker of his body, the youth did not attack directly. Instead, he first threw several consecutive feints with his fists.

Only after seeing that Gu Yang remained calm, retreating steadily without falling into disorder, did he unleash his real attack—a silent Side Kick.

Leg technique? Gu Yang narrowed his eyes, his mind highly focused. He sidestepped, then took another step back, dodging the Swing Punch that followed close behind.

Then he erupted fiercely, driving out a straight punch.

Bang!

"Old Qin, Old Yuan, your prized disciples have run into each other!" In the corner of the small square, a Martial Academy instructor asked quietly, "Who do you think will win?"

"Old Yuan's disciple has the strength to rank among the top ten of this batch. How could Gu Yang possibly be his opponent?" Qin Hu kept his eyes on Gu Yang and Fang Qi's exchange as he replied without turning his head.

"What are you saying? Your disciple has only been in the Martial Academy for a month. Even if Fang Qi wins, it would still be an unfair victory. If they had trained for the same amount of time, Fang Qi might not necessarily be his match." Yuan Qingshan replied politely, his face full of smiles.

But as soon as his words fell, the smile on his face abruptly vanished, and his brows furrowed tightly.

On the arena, Gu Yang's punch was easily blocked by Fang Qi.

But he did not care. Maintaining a certain distance, he rapidly threw punch after punch.

What surprised Gu Yang, however, was that Fang Qi quickly reacted. He rapidly retreated, as though he had encountered this kind of attack before.

Of course, Gu Yang did not know that Fang Qi's previous opponent had been Li Zhiwu, who had already experienced the Pull-and-Drag attack method Li Zhiwu had learned from Gu Yang.

Now, while Fang Qi could not be said to handle it with effortless ease, he could still face it calmly.

After retreating several steps to open up the distance and break Gu Yang's offensive rhythm, he suddenly stepped forward and struck.

This blow was swift as thunder. Though Gu Yang retreated again and again, he still could not fully evade it and could only raise his arm to block.

Bang!

Fist met arm. Gu Yang took a step back, his brows knitting together.

Fang Qi's strength exceeded his expectations somewhat. After only one exchange, Gu Yang understood that if he remained in his normal state, he would definitely not be Fang Qi's match.

Facing Fang Qi's next incoming punch, Gu Yang made a snap decision and suddenly erupted.

Boom!

With one punch, he gathered the strength of his entire body and smashed forward, a violent gale sweeping in all directions.

Fang Qi's pupils contracted. He retreated to evade the punch, then stepped close to Gu Yang, intending to seize the chance to counterattack.

In his judgment, Gu Yang had surely been forced to unleash his full strength, meaning there would inevitably be an opening in his defense.

Yet when Fang Qi launched his counterattack, what awaited him was still Gu Yang's heavy fist, poised and ready to strike.

Bang!

"How is that possible?!" Fang Qi staggered back, shock appearing on his previously calm face. "Could it be that he had been hiding his strength all along?"

"Old Qin! Has your disciple really only been in the Martial Academy for one month?" At the same time, a Martial Academy instructor in the corner of the square looked at Qin Hu with a face full of astonishment. "Are you certain he had not learned any Martial Path cultivation methods before?"

At this moment, Qin Hu appeared calm and unruffled on the surface, but his sharply contracted pupils and trembling little finger revealed that his heart was nowhere near as calm as he appeared.

Even he had not expected Gu Yang to display such formidable strength. This disciple was truly refreshing his understanding of him again and again!

Though Qin Hu did not know how Gu Yang had done it, he could still be certain whether Gu Yang had encountered the Martial Path before.

Shaking his head, Qin Hu replied in a deep voice, "Gu Yang has indeed only been at Entry Level for one month—twenty-four days, to be exact. And he definitely had not learned martial arts before. I personally taught him both Stance Training and Martial Techniques."

"A genius! This kid is absolutely a genius! What were those people in charge of selecting disciples doing? A genius like this was almost buried in the dust. I will definitely report them to the Academy Dean later..."

"Yes. Although he entered late, if he can maintain this rate of improvement, he may not be unable to achieve Blood Qi Condensation before the age of sixteen!"

Watching Gu Yang suddenly erupt and completely suppress Fang Qi, the Martial Academy instructors immediately began discussing it one after another.

Only Yuan Qingshan wore an awkward smile on his face, saying nothing...