Muyang Third Middle School, on the Training Ground.
Qin Chen and Li Meng stood facing each other, with a sea of people gathered below the platform.
Thanks to Seventh Class's free publicity, a huge crowd had heard that Qin Chen was going to duel Li Meng, which was why so many people had shown up.
And more people kept arriving.
There was no other reason. Both of them were incredibly popular!
Although the students across the whole grade hadn't held a Ranking Battle,
their performance in the first Class Battle had already produced a Wild Ranking of the students in the grade.
Aside from its unreliable content, the Wild Ranking was actually quite accurate.
And on that list, Li Meng ranked among the top five.
A top-five student fighting on the Training Ground was bound to draw a sizable crowd.
But most of the people below hadn't come for Li Meng. They'd come for Qin Chen.
Compared with Li Meng, people were much more interested in Qin Chen, whose Star Energy Aptitude was only one.
It was no exaggeration to say that Qin Chen was now the most famous person in the entire grade, perhaps even the whole school.
Before this, no one at Muyang Third Middle School had ever had a Star Energy Aptitude of one.
Nor had anyone with an aptitude of just one ever broken through to Martial Artist and taken first place in a Class Battle.
In most people's minds, anyone with a Star Energy Aptitude below ten would have a hard time becoming a Martial Artist.
Unless they came from an exceptionally wealthy family, even if they could somehow draw in Star Energy to temper their bodies, they couldn't deal with the damage it caused afterward.
Watching the crowd below grow larger and larger, Qin Chen felt a little speechless.
He hadn't expected that simply agreeing to fight Li Meng would draw so many people.
But that was fine, too!
He'd give those itching to get a look at him a surprise, so they'd stop treating him like some rare animal.
Qin Chen turned and fixed his gaze on Li Meng. In a calm voice, he said:
"Come on!"
Yet Li Meng didn't attack first. He stared at Qin Chen with a grave expression.
He hadn't noticed it before, but now he realized he couldn't see through Qin Chen's cultivation level!
That meant Qin Chen's level was higher than his.
And there was only one possibility if Qin Chen's level was higher than his.
Body Tempering Third Layer!!
He wasn't some weakling like Wang Jing, who had only just broken through to Body Tempering Layer Two. He was already at the very limit of Body Tempering Layer Two, and could break through to the third layer at any moment.
So if Qin Chen's level was higher than his, he could only be at Body Tempering Third Layer!
At that moment, Li Meng found himself wondering the same thing as everyone in Seventh Class had earlier.
How could someone with a Star Energy Aptitude of only one cultivate so quickly?
But he wasn't afraid in the least. On the contrary, he was incredibly excited!
The stronger Qin Chen was, the more satisfying the fight would be!
And defeating Qin Chen would prove just how mighty he was!
Besides, who said someone at Body Tempering Layer Two couldn't beat someone at Body Tempering Third Layer?
It wasn't as if he'd never done it before!
Putting everything else aside, he was sure he was stronger than Qin Chen, at least in terms of strength!
With that thought, Li Meng roared:
"The Mighty Man is coming through!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Li Meng dug his feet hard into the ground and charged at Qin Chen.
Qin Chen's face darkened.
He felt that he should've just knocked this guy flat back in class instead of coming with him to the Training Ground.
Even though he hadn't shouted those words himself, for some reason he felt like he'd lost face, too.
This musclehead... there was definitely something wrong with his brain!
Qin Chen's eyes turned cold. He stepped forward, and his figure somehow became a little indistinct.
He was as ethereal and elusive as rosy clouds.
In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Li Meng, and he drove a fist hard into his abdomen.
From Li Meng's perspective, Qin Chen's figure flickered before him, then somehow appeared right in front of him.
Then a sharp pain shot through his abdomen.
He... was flying!
A tremendous force hurled Li Meng out of the Training Ground at breakneck speed.
The students standing in that direction scattered like startled birds, fleeing in every direction.
They didn't want to be crushed by Li Meng, the human tank.
As for the other students, they stared at Qin Chen on the platform, dumbfounded.
The exchange had lasted only a moment, but they'd keenly sensed the aura Qin Chen had released.
Body Tempering Third Layer!!
The crowd fell silent, but a second later, shouts erupted all around.
"He's at Body Tempering Third Layer?!!"
"I'm not dreaming, am I? Come on! Give me a slap!"
"Wait, you're actually going to slap me?!"
The shouts below varied, but every one of them was about their disbelief that Qin Chen had reached Body Tempering Third Layer!
Even Li Meng was still stuck at Body Tempering Layer Two, yet Qin Chen had already taken the lead and broken through to the third layer.
Li Meng had a Star Energy Aptitude of 63. The difference between that and Qin Chen's 1 was like heaven and earth.
And it would've been one thing if Qin Chen had merely reached Body Tempering Third Layer. The most astonishing part was that he'd knocked Li Meng out with a single punch.
That was what truly stunned them!
Quite a few of them knew Li Meng well. They knew perfectly well that just yesterday, he'd beaten a Body Tempering Third Layer Martial Artist from outside the school.
And yet even that opponent hadn't been able to withstand a single move from Qin Chen.
Just how strong was Qin Chen...?
For a moment, everyone on the field looked at Qin Chen with a hint of awe, and the same thought arose in all their minds.
The Wild Ranking... was about to be turned upside down!!
Feeling the faint traces of fear in the looks everyone gave him, Qin Chen gave an almost imperceptible nod.
It seemed he'd accomplished his goal.
Making an example of one to warn the rest really did work. These people probably wouldn't come looking for a sparring match just because they were curious anymore.
Qin Chen shook his head and headed off the field. As he passed, the crowd parted on its own, leaving a path for him.
At that moment, no one dared look down on this classmate with a Star Energy Aptitude of only one.
Nor would anyone bring up his Star Energy Aptitude again.
In the end, this world still belonged to whoever had the harder fists.
The reality was that Qin Chen now had the strength to crush them.
The strong were always respected!
Just as Qin Chen was about to leave the Training Ground, a shout came from behind him.
"Qin Chen!!"
He paused and turned around. Li Meng was clutching his abdomen with his right hand, his face deathly pale, but his eyes were blazing as he looked at Qin Chen.
"Among all the people my age I've fought, I, Li Meng, have to call you the strongest!"
"Not even those two guys from First Class and Fifth Class can put this kind of pressure on me!"
"I've made up my mind!"
"I'll let you have the title of Mightiest Man for now!"
"But only for now. Sooner or later, I'll beat you and take that title back!"
Li Meng's voice was utterly resolute.
Qin Chen's mouth twitched twice.
"There's no need! I have absolutely no interest in that title of Mightiest Man!"
"Keep it for yourself and use it to show off!"
"And as for beating me?"
"I'd advise you to pick another target, because..."
"The ever-widening gap between us will leave you in despair!"
With that, Qin Chen walked off without looking back, leaving everyone behind staring at one another, utterly shocked.
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