First Place (Third Update, Asking for Votes)

(Congratulations to 'Bingxin Yijiao' for becoming this book's first Deacon. An extra chapter.)

Hong Li and He Ying were injured, so the remaining matches were canceled.

That meant the next match would be either Qin Fen versus Lin Gaowang, or Lin Gaowang versus Xu Taiping.

After half an hour of rest, the competition resumed.

Lin Gaowang of Fifth High School versus Xu Taiping of Fourth High School.

From the start, Xu Taiping employed a shameless fighting style, dodging and darting about the Arena without exchanging blows with Lin Gaowang.

Lin Gaowang had no answer to this approach.

Unless his speed and explosive power surpassed Xu Taiping's reaction speed, or he could predict where Xu Taiping would appear next, it would be truly difficult to knock Xu Taiping down in a single move.

However, in the final minute, for some reason, Xu Taiping wanted to test the power of Lin Gaowang's Tiger Demon Fist. He exchanged a blow head-on with Lin Gaowang, lost out, and lost the match.

In any case, he could no longer take first place, so it did not matter whether he won or lost.

Next came the match between Qin Fen and Lin Gaowang.

Whoever won or lost would determine first and second place in this Freshman Martial Arts Exchange Competition.

Half an hour later, Lin Gaowang had recovered to his peak condition.

Qin Fen and Lin Gaowang stepped onto the Arena.

They had three minutes to talk.

"If you want first place, you can only get it by defeating me head-on. In other words, you have to take my Tiger Demon Fist directly. Are you ready? I won't hold back. If you think you can't take it, you'd better admit defeat now!"

Lin Gaowang launched a verbal attack.

"I don't need to take your Tiger Demon Fist."

Qin Fen said calmly.

"Oh? Are you planning to use a shameless tactic? At most, that would only result in a draw."

Lin Gaowang said.

Qin Fen shook his head, then raised a finger and said calmly, "One punch. I mean, I only need one punch to defeat you. Your Tiger Demon Fist may be fierce and powerful, but my Thunderclap Fist is only stronger. Your Martial Arts Teacher must have told you that. You haven't mastered your Tiger Demon Fist yet, so it only has the power for one punch. But my Thunderclap Fist has no such limitation. Still, I'll give you a chance. Let's decide the winner with one move. How about it?"

"Fine. We'll decide the winner with one move."

Lin Gaowang agreed immediately.

No matter what Qin Fen was planning, the proposal suited him perfectly.

"Begin."

The three minutes of conversation ended, and the Fifth High School teacher, acting as referee, gave the order.

In an instant, the auras around Qin Fen and Lin Gaowang changed dramatically.

A terrifyingly ferocious gleam surged in Lin Gaowang's eyes. His blood and qi roiled within him, Jing Li circulated through his body, and his aura climbed to its peak. An astonishingly savage aura erupted from him. At that moment, Lin Gaowang was like a vicious tiger.

At the same time, an incomparably fierce aura burst forth from Qin Fen's entire body.

His Jing Li flowed along the Thunderclap Fist's circulation route. A series of Bone Burst sounds came from within him, his thick black hair flying wildly as he clenched his five fingers into a fist. The air around him immediately became incomparably oppressive.

"Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain!"

"Wrath of the Thunder God!"

Qin Fen and Lin Gaowang roared at the same time and threw their punches simultaneously.

"Roar!"

As Lin Gaowang unleashed his punch, a tiger's roar rang out alongside it, bellowing through the mountains and forests, its might shaking the surrounding lands.

"Rumble!"

Qin Fen's fist crashed down fiercely from above.

In an instant, the Bone Burst sounds merged into a peal of thunder, adding even greater force to Qin Fen's punch. It was like lightning striking the earth, giving people the feeling that disaster had arrived and escape was impossible.

Boom!

Their fists collided viciously, erupting with a tremendous blast.

It was like two large trucks slamming violently into each other. Savage force swept outward, causing the Arena to tremble slightly. Cracks appeared beneath their feet, and a powerful recoil forced them both back.

Both of them retreated three steps from that blow. They were evenly matched.

However, after throwing that punch, Lin Gaowang's aura deflated rapidly like a punctured balloon. Qin Fen's aura, meanwhile, continued to rise, becoming even more imposing than before.

That was the Thunderclap Fist—its momentum was like thunder, only growing stronger and fiercer.

"Do you still want to continue?"

Qin Fen asked, looking at Lin Gaowang, whose aura had weakened.

"This time, you won. But once I fully master the Tiger Demon Fist, it's still uncertain who will win or lose. I'll challenge you again then. I hope you won't disappoint me when that time comes."

Although Lin Gaowang had lost, there was not the slightest hint of dejection in his eyes. Instead, his fighting spirit had been ignited.

"Fine. I'll wait for your challenge."

Qin Fen nodded in acknowledgment.

Lin Gaowang's challenge was also a source of motivation for him.

It could constantly drive him onward. Once he relaxed even slightly, someone might surpass him. If he were surpassed by someone who had once lost to him, anyone would find that humiliating.

"Qin Fen wins this match."

The Fifth High School teacher loudly announced the result.

"He won! Qin Fen won! He took first place in the Freshman Martial Arts Exchange Competition!"

"Hahaha, Qin Fen, well done! As expected of Chen Bo's brother. I knew you'd win!"

"..."

As Qin Fen stepped down from the Arena, Chen Bo immediately rushed up and gave him a big hug.

"Hey, hey, don't hold me so tight. I'm not into that."

Qin Fen shoved Chen Bo away and put on a look of disgust.

Martial Arts Teacher Zhou Wu also revealed a smile.

However, the smile quickly faded. He stepped forward and said, "Qin Fen, you won first place in the Freshman Exchange Competition. As your teacher, I'm happy for you, but I still need to warn you in advance to keep you from becoming arrogant and complacent.

"You only took first among ordinary martial arts schools. If you were in a key martial arts school, your strength would not count as outstanding. Many freshmen have already reached the Third Realm of Jing Li.

"The freshman exchange competition between Yang City's three key martial arts schools and the key martial arts schools in the surrounding counties is also being held today. The opening ceremony will be livestreamed tonight. You can turn on the television and watch their matches then, so you can see where the gap lies."

"Yes, Teacher. I won't become arrogant or complacent because of this. I'll cultivate even harder."

Qin Fen answered with a serious expression.

He understood that ordinary martial arts schools could not compare to key martial arts schools at all.

Even though he had won first place, he was merely the tallest among short men. If placed in a key martial arts school, his strength would only be average. If he became arrogant and looked down on others merely because he had taken first among freshmen at an ordinary martial arts school, that would be a joke.

Having won first place in the Freshman Exchange Competition, Qin Fen could not relax. He would have to cultivate twice as hard in the future to keep others from surpassing and trampling him beneath their feet, turning him into a laughingstock.

After a brief rest, the competition continued.

For Qin Fen, the competition was over, but Chen Bo and the others still had to keep competing, gaining combat experience and becoming familiar with the use of various tactics in matches.