Qin Chen stood where he was, merely glancing at Wang Jing as she charged toward him.
Then he stepped forward, striking after her but arriving first.
His fist appeared in Wang Jing's pupils in an instant.
Wang Jing's expression changed at once. She abandoned her attack and immediately crossed her arms in front of her.
Bam—
A dull thud rang out. A tremendous force burst from Qin Chen's fist, sending her stumbling back five or six steps.
Once she had steadied herself, Wang Jing looked up sharply, her eyes filled with shock.
Before the fight, she had already sensed that Qin Chen was no ordinary opponent. But she truly hadn't expected the gap in their strength to be so vast.
A mere ordinary punch from him was already almost too much for her to withstand.
Her arms hung at her sides, trembling slightly.
But Wang Jing didn't give up.
Strength wasn't the only thing that decided victory or defeat. She was confident that Qin Chen couldn't match her speed.
That meant she still had a chance to turn things around!
"Cloud Smoke Steps!"
Wang Jing gave a low shout and stepped forward. Her footwork was light as a feather, her speed clearly much faster than before.
"Oh?"
"A D-rank Footwork Combat Skill?"
Qin Chen raised an eyebrow.
Wang Jing swiftly closed in, reaching Qin Chen in the blink of an eye.
Qin Chen wasted no time and threw a punch.
Wang Jing's feet flashed through a series of steps, and she easily dodged Qin Chen's attack.
Seeing this, a smile crept onto Wang Jing's lips.
But before the smile could fully bloom, she suddenly felt a pain in her stomach.
A sensation of weightlessness swept over her.
She saw the azure sky!
Wang Jing's body slammed heavily into the ground. A fierce pain surged through her abdomen, and beads of cold sweat broke out across her forehead.
Only then did she realize that she was lying on the ground.
The sharp pain in her abdomen told her exactly what had just happened.
Wang Jing stared at Qin Chen in disbelief. He still wore the same calm, unruffled expression as before.
Yet the pressure he exerted on her had only grown!
Wang Jing didn't understand!
How could two people both at Body Tempering Layer One be so far apart?
"Your fist... why is it so fast?"
"Just practiced it until it was second nature!"
Wang Jing: ...
Wang Jing slowly climbed to her feet and looked toward Wang Yuemei. "I give up!"
Then she took a long look at Qin Chen before turning and walking off the platform.
There was no point in continuing the fight.
Qin Chen's raw strength was clearly a whole level above hers.
If her Cloud Smoke Steps had reached minor mastery, she might have considered fighting on. But with her Cloud Smoke Steps only at the entry level, she clearly couldn't beat Qin Chen.
The students below all stared at the scene, dumbfounded.
Wait—
That was it?
Did it really have to end so fast?
They had thought there would be a fierce battle between Wang Jing and Qin Chen. They hadn't expected it to be so one-sided.
Everyone was completely stunned.
Since when was a Spiritual Energy Aptitude of just one point this powerful?
Could it be...
That one point of Spiritual Energy Aptitude was actually the answer in this day and age?
Before long, Qin Chen came down from the platform as well. The students unconsciously moved away from him.
Their eyes held a hint of awe!
In that moment, the old, timid Qin Chen had vanished completely. In his place stood the strongest of Seventh Class!
No one had any doubts about it.
Though he had fought only one battle, the result spoke for itself.
The strongest of the other students were, at best, on par with Wang Jing.
Wang Jing had been beaten black and blue. There was no way they'd fare any better if they went up there.
And that was exactly how things went from then on.
Qin Chen swept through his opponents, ultimately claiming first place in Seventh Class's Class Battle with ease.
Aside from a few opponents at Body Tempering Layer One who still wanted to struggle, every student who hadn't officially become a Martial Artist surrendered outright.
Not a moment's hesitation.
A Martial Artist needed not only an unwavering will to press forward but also the wisdom to adapt.
There was no need to go up and get beaten when you knew you couldn't win, right?
It wasn't as though this were some battle they absolutely had to fight. It was only a Class Battle.
As soon as the Class Battle ended, Qin Chen hurried straight to the Battle Skill Pavilion.
When it came to Combat Skills, the sooner he learned them, the sooner he could enjoy them!
Come on!
Bring on all the side effects!
Meanwhile,
News that a student with a Spiritual Energy Aptitude of only one point had won first place in the first-year Seventh Class Class Battle spread through the school at astonishing speed...
Before long, Qin Chen arrived in front of a building.
Looking up, he saw that the Battle Skill Pavilion was a two-story tower.
Compared with the other buildings in the school, which were full of modern flair, it had a certain old-world charm.
He reached the entrance.
The standard setup!
An old man, a reclining chair, and a spot in the sun!
Qin Chen walked up to him and said respectfully, "Hello! I came first in this Class Battle for Seventh Class. I'm here to choose a D-rank Combat Skill!"
The old man opened his eyes, glanced at Qin Chen, and said, "Go on in."
Then he closed his eyes again and basked in the lovely sunshine!
Seeing this, Qin Chen didn't ask anything. He gave the old man a slight nod and stepped inside the Battle Skill Pavilion.
After Qin Chen entered, the old man lying outside opened his eyes again.
He took a bead resembling a glass marble from his pocket.
The next moment, the bead gave off a faint blue glow, projecting a screen in front of the old man.
The screen displayed all sorts of information about Qin Chen.
"Just three days after awakening, his cultivation is already close to Body Tempering Layer Two. And the aura coming off him is no weaker than that of someone at Body Tempering Layer Two!"
"Is his physique unusually strong?"
"And his Spiritual Energy Aptitude is only one point?"
"Could it be..."
A gleam flashed in the eyes of the old man—Zhao Wu.
If Qin Chen had heard those words, he would definitely have exclaimed:
"I knew it! The old men guarding the Battle Skill Pavilion are never ordinary!"
One of the effects of Side Effect Reversal on Seven Injuries Fist was a slight increase in physical fitness after training.
So even though Qin Chen hadn't yet broken through to Body Tempering Layer Two, his actual physical fitness wasn't much weaker than that of someone at Body Tempering Layer Two.
That was why he could defeat Wang Jing and the others so easily.
The entry-level proficiency of a D-rank Combat Skill like Cloud Smoke Steps couldn't erase the gap between Wang Jing and him.
Before long, Qin Chen reached the interior of the Battle Skill Pavilion.
Rows of bookshelves stood neatly arranged before him.
Each shelf held many books, and every book was wrapped in a blue barrier-like covering.
Although technology was highly advanced these days and much knowledge was stored in virtual memory crystals, most Combat Skills were still kept in traditional books.
The blue barrier around each book was a form of protection.
Only after selecting a Combat Skill would the blue barrier disappear, allowing him to obtain it.
Until then, he could only read the basic introduction to the Combat Skill, not its actual contents.
It was to stop people like Qin Chen from exploiting the system!
With Side Effect Reversal, those incredibly difficult Combat Skills would be a piece of cake for him.
He might even be able to exploit every difficult Combat Skill in the place.
But he wasn't particularly disappointed. He had already learned about the rules before entering the Battle Skill Pavilion.
So he'd been prepared.
Before long, Qin Chen arrived beside a bookshelf.
He looked at one of the books...
Before you continue