Zong Ping saw this and immediately felt every hair on his body stand on end. Even the yellow hair on his head stood up, strand by strand.
He knew a little about Pao Fist, and his heart sank.
"This move has tremendous force. It's probably close to perfection! I can't meet it head-on!"
Tiger Form was also known for its fierce, powerful movements, but few people who didn't practice it knew how nimble a tiger could be.
In the blink of an eye, Zong Ping shaped both hands like tiger claws and alternately guarded his chest, preparing to use the soft force of "four ounces deflecting a thousand pounds" to flick the attack aside.
Cun Step was Pao Fist's perfect partner. Zong Ping knew Pao Fist but not Cun Step. He'd made a grave mistake!
His opponent wasn't dodging. He was preparing to take the attack head-on, which filled Meng Chuan with delight.
Cun Step needed time to build momentum. His opponent was doing exactly what Meng Chuan had hoped!
"That should do it. If I keep building up power, someone's going to die."
His back foot struck the ground with a bang! The terrifying burst of force nearly made Meng Chuan stomp a hole in the arena.
He swept toward Zong Ping like a raging gale, his voice arriving before he did!
Eight muffled explosions rang through the air. It was Eight Explosions of the Cannon, mastered to the proficient level!
"I guessed right. He really is close to mastering Nine Echoes."
"But why is his burst of power so strong?"
Zong Ping was rooted to the spot, cowed by the force of the attack. The wind blew so hard he couldn't open his eyes. He felt that this punch would kill him.
"Second Uncle! Save me!"
The principal had been waiting nearby. As a Hua Jin expert with Nine Qi Bloods, he easily intercepted Meng Chuan's heavy punch.
The force of the punch whipped backward, blowing Zong Ping's bangs straight back.
"Holy crap, the principal is your second uncle?"
The wind from the punches and kicks onstage was so loud that only Meng Chuan heard this little secret.
The principal's surname was Zong, and this kid's surname was Zong too. It seemed that was no coincidence.
Zong Ping nodded with a bitter smile.
"There's always someone greater beyond the mountains, and higher mountains beyond those. I concede."
His talent was good enough to get him into Yong'an Martial Arts University's elite preparatory class, but he hadn't expected to stumble in a little place like Ping'an Middle School.
Meng Chuan cupped his fists.
"Thank you for going easy on me!"
Then he turned toward the crowd below the stage and recalled his master's hopes for him. He declared loudly:
"Xingyi is the damn best!"
The Xingyi practitioners below the stage went wild. They raised both hands and cheered:
"Meng Chuan, you're awesome!"
"Xingyi martial arts are Number One Under Heaven!"
As Meng Chuan watched them, he felt for the first time just how thrilling it was to win a martial arts match. He loved every moment of it.
Qi Fei also awkwardly cupped his fists in congratulations.
"Impressive, Meng Chuan."
Meng Chuan smiled back. It was just a clash of pride between students, nothing worth taking too seriously.
The principal called Qi Fei up onto the stage, then made an official announcement:
"First, starting next semester, these two powerful junior students will be attending classes with you. Let's give them a round of applause!"
This time, the applause wasn't scattered and halfhearted. The students weren't so calculating, and Meng Chuan and Zong Ping had earned everyone's respect with their strength.
"Awesome! Awesome!"
Thunderous applause and cheers filled the Martial Dao Hall.
"Second, the school will award first-place winner Meng Chuan a hundred thousand yuan in scholarship money, second-place winner Zong Ping fifty thousand, and third-place winner Qi Fei ten thousand!"
Meng Chuan was genuinely surprised to hear that the principal was giving him a hundred thousand yuan.
"Is the school really that rich? They're giving out this much for a final exam?"
The principal paused, then continued:
"Lastly, the top three in this exam—Meng Chuan, Zong Ping, and Qi Fei—will represent Ping'an Middle School at the Yong'an City High School Twenty-Four Schools Joint Examination in early October. I hope you'll bring glory to our school and make history once more!"
And so, Meng Chuan's first competition in life came to a close amid applause.
Yuanshen Martial Arts Hall.
In a secret chamber.
An old man sat facing a man in a black trench coat. The atmosphere in the room was strange and turbulent.
The man in black wore a mask patterned with the Void. The corners of its mouth looked as though they'd been painted over.
A huge white V-shaped grin stretched across it, like the wild, mocking laugh of a clown.
"Yuan Huan, have you made up your mind?"
The old man remained silent.
The masked man held out his right hand. Black smoke gradually rose from his palm. Then it split open like the jaws of a giant beast, making a rough, grinding sound as its teeth interlocked.
A strange object shaped like a seed, gleaming with a purplish-black light, slowly emerged from the opening in his palm.
The man in black looked solemn as he murmured some incomprehensible incantation.
As he chanted, the seed slowly changed, its dark glow growing ever stronger.
The old man across from him stared down at it, his expression grave. The wrinkles on his forehead had furrowed into something like a four-lane highway.
At last, with a ripping sound, the seed split open. A tiny black gourd-like thing burst out of its shell.
Once the little gourd had hatched, it fell still, and the black and purple light vanished at once.
"Do you see, Yuan Huan? This is the Seed of Fear."
"Swallow it, and you can become like us. You'll gain the power of a Heavenly Demon, grow stronger through fear, and live longer."
"You don't have many years left, do you, Yuan Huan? You don't want to give up your vast martial arts arena and your status as a martial artist revered by thousands, do you?"
The old man swept his sleeve across the tea table, knocking it over, and shouted angrily:
"Who am I?"
"I have faced death countless times, ventured deep into the Demon Nest, and slain countless Heavenly Demons. I may be old now, but my students are everywhere. I am the famous Heaven-Supporting Arm, Yuan Huan!"
"What is there to fear about death? How could I ever join forces with filthy people like you?"
Hearing Yuan Huan's righteous words, the masked man threw his head back and laughed.
"Ha ha ha ha! Yuan Huan, you're killing me! Stop pretending. If you don't want to join forces with us, what are you doing here, sitting across from me and talking so calmly?"
"You were never a good person to begin with! At twenty-two, you went into the Demon Nest for the first time with your classmates. In the end, you were the only one who came back alive, even though you were one of the weaker ones.
"At twenty-eight, you murdered your own brother to inherit the martial arts school. At thirty-eight, you killed your mentor and seized Zhenwu.
"At seventy, after forty years of marriage, your wife discovered your little secret. You killed her with a single, utterly coldhearted palm strike.
"And countless strangers have met their deaths at your hands simply because they stood in the way of your interests."
"You're an animal worse than pigs and dogs! What are you doing here, pretending to be some pure and virtuous flower?"
Yuan Huan broke into a cold sweat, his face changing dramatically!
These were secrets he'd buried deep in his heart. How could the man know about them?
"Our methods are beyond your imagination. We've dug up every last secret of yours. Cooperating with us honestly is your best choice."
The masked man gave him a little time to think.
Then his tone softened. He spoke slowly:
"But these things prove that we've always been cut from the same cloth. We're kindred spirits who've crossed paths along the same road."
"Join us."
"Join the glorious evolution!"
When he finished speaking, the room fell deathly silent.
A moment later, Yuan Huan nodded firmly, as though a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
A strange expression, one he'd never shown anyone before, appeared on his face.
"But before that, I need to find a test subject..."
Before you continue