Easily Crushed

With the Advanced Martial Skill Thunderstorm Fist at his command, and having trained it to the third stage, Mu Qing was more than strong enough to crush ordinary top students.

Lv Yichen had only recently begun practicing a low-level martial skill. How could he possibly stand against Mu Qing's Thunderstorm Fist? One punch was all it took. Terrifying Blazing White Lightning surged into his body, and he was defeated in an instant.

"Oh no!"

Fang Quan had already begun using a martial skill, but when he saw how valiant Mu Qing was—defeating Lv Yichen with a single punch—he immediately thought of retreating.

He forcibly cut off the martial skill he had already unleashed. A wave of discomfort welled up inside him, but there was no time to worry about that now. He hurriedly ran toward Wang Haixuan.

Fang Quan reacted quickly, grasping the situation at once. Among the three of them, Pei Wen, the strongest, was held up by Ling Fei, while Lv Yichen, whose strength was about equal to his own, had been defeated by Mu Qing with one punch and was now lying on the ground, howling.

Clearly, the three of them had completely misjudged Mu Qing and Ling Fei's strength.

At Blood Qi Fifth Rank, not everyone was as evenly matched as they had imagined!

"Did I say you could leave?" Mu Qing shouted coldly.

In the next instant, Mu Qing's steps were as swift as lightning. Within a few breaths, he had intercepted Fang Quan and sent a Thunderstorm Fist crashing toward him.

As Origin Force surged through him, Blazing White Lightning burst forth. Three bolts struck Fang Quan in the abdomen.

With a bang, Fang Quan spat out a mouthful of blood. His school uniform was torn, and his abdomen was scorched black and oozing blood.

"I really pity your intelligence. Song Qing was about as strong as you, and I still defeated him. I wonder what idiot gave you the confidence to come after me," Mu Qing said mockingly.

At the same time, the lightning wrapped around his arm slowly faded. He turned to Wang Haixuan and suddenly smiled. "Could that idiot be you?"

"Ah!"

On the other side, Pei Wen was sent flying by a slap from Ling Fei. Several of his teeth were knocked out, and he crashed to the ground.

Ling Fei recalled his Blood Spirit, grinned, and came over to Mu Qing. "Who else could that idiot be but Wang Haixuan? What an arrogant fool. And look at all the country bumpkins and stray dogs he's got gathered around him."

As soon as he said this, the people around Wang Haixuan glared furiously at Ling Fei.

There were more than twenty of them, all top students and elite candidates in this mock exam. Anyone would lose their temper at being cursed out as a pack of country bumpkins and stray dogs.

Blood Spirits appeared one after another around them. Their auras flowed together, surging outward in a powerful wave.

Wang Haixuan's methods were undeniably impressive. He had managed to recruit so many top students; in the mock exam, they made up a formidable force.

Though Ling Fei had been cursing them out, his expression grew serious now.

As one of the first group to awaken their Blood Spirits, his strength went without saying. He was even no weaker than Mu Qing, who had trained Thunderstorm Fist to the third stage.

In Ling Fei's eyes, the top students Wang Haixuan had recruited really were a pack of country bumpkins and stray dogs. None of them could beat him one-on-one.

But now, with more than twenty top students joining forces, their combined strength might even prove too much for someone at Blood Qi Sixth Rank.

"Look what your loose mouth got us into," Mu Qing said with a wry smile, glancing at the more than twenty top students glaring at them from nearby.

Ling Fei scratched his head. "Uh... I didn't know those brats were so easy to rile up."

As for the danger Mu Qing and the others were about to face, Song Yalan, nestled in Wang Haixuan's arms, remained indifferent. Her heart didn't stir in the slightest.

Even though she knew Mu Qing had broken through and was stronger than ordinary top students, she had already made her decision. There was no going back to how things had been.

Besides, she wasn't optimistic about Mu Qing's chances. Wang Haixuan was the young master of the Wang Family, and he had easily won over more than twenty top students. Who could possibly compete with such a force in the mock exam?

Wang Haixuan didn't even need to lift a finger. He would have a mountain of mock-exam points in no time, and she would earn enough to make the top ten as well!

"Ling Fei, weren't you just talking big? How about we see now who the real pack of country bumpkins and stray dogs is?" one of the top students sneered, his cold gaze fixed on Mu Qing and Ling Fei.

"Please. You're only relying on your numbers. You've got ten times as many people as we do. If we fought one-on-one, would you dare?" Mu Qing retorted. Sparks flickered in his dark eyes, and he wasn't the least bit afraid.

Though they couldn't take on these more than twenty people head-on, Mu Qing and Ling Fei were both confident they could get away safely.

Mu Qing stood there like a spear, his dark hair seeming to shimmer with arcs of lightning. His handsome face showed no fear; instead, his eyes brimmed with the will to fight.

Mu Qing took off his school uniform jacket, revealing a white shirt underneath. Faint sparks of lightning flickered around his palm, as if he were ready to strike at any moment.

Beside him, Ling Fei also took off his school uniform, revealing a black tank top. His powerful muscles seemed to brim with strength.

Seeing how seriously the two of them were taking this, Wang Haixuan's eyes suddenly narrowed. He sized up Mu Qing and Ling Fei, as if trying to figure out where their confidence came from.

Even he, the young master of the Wang Family, with his confidence in his own strength, wouldn't dare stand against more than twenty top students.

"Enough!" Wang Haixuan suddenly spoke up, addressing the others. "Our real opponents are the students from the other three campuses. Don't waste our strength here."

He actually had no intention of taking advantage of this perfect opportunity to deal with Mu Qing and Ling Fei!

His top students exchanged puzzled looks, unsure what Wang Haixuan was thinking.

"Let's head deeper into Lake Heart Island. We've already wasted enough time, and we're falling behind," Wang Haixuan said. Then he started walking toward the island's interior.

The others exchanged glances, shot Mu Qing and Ling Fei one last furious glare, recalled their Blood Spirits, and followed Wang Haixuan.

"Haixuan, why did you suddenly tell us to retreat?" Song Yalan furrowed her brows, puzzled.

Wang Haixuan grinned and pulled Song Yalan into his arms. He buried his face against her fair neck and greedily inhaled her fragrance. Then his expression darkened. "I only meant to test Mu Qing. I already have a rough idea of Ling Fei's strength, but Mu Qing just broke through to Blood Qi Fifth Rank, and I didn't know exactly how strong he was."

His eyes suddenly turned grave. "As it turns out, Mu Qing is far stronger than I expected. He only just broke through to Blood Qi Fifth Rank, yet his strength is nearly on par with Ling Fei's. He completely outclasses ordinary top students."

The fates of Lv Yichen, Pei Wen, and Fang Quan had been far beyond Wang Haixuan's expectations. By sending those three to deal with Mu Qing, he had shown that he had underestimated Mu Qing from the very beginning.

"I'll let Mu Qing run wild around Lake Heart Island for a while. Once he's killed enough beasts and earned enough points, I'll show up and take everything from him!"

A cold glint flashed in Wang Haixuan's eyes as he led the group into the depths of the woods.

As for Pei Wen and the other two, he left them behind.

Mu Qing and Ling Fei hadn't gone all out, but the three of them had still been injured. They might drag the group down over the next few days, so Wang Haixuan had decided to abandon them without hesitation.

"I can't believe Wang Haixuan passed up this chance," Mu Qing murmured.

He had even prepared himself for a fierce battle. He hadn't expected Wang Haixuan to simply leave.

"Let's go too. We need to kill plenty of beasts and earn points if we want to make the top ten!" Mu Qing said as he put his school uniform back on.

Ling Fei nodded, picked up his uniform, and put it on as well. Then he and Mu Qing sped off toward the depths of Lake Heart Island.

The place where they had fought was still near the edge of Lake Heart Island, surrounded by dense woods. Mu Qing still had no idea what the terrain was like deeper inside.

By the time Mu Qing and the others had disappeared into the forest, Lei Kai and the other East Campus teachers at the edge of Lake Heart Island were staring in astonishment.

Even the weakest of these teachers had reached Bloodline Sixth Rank. They were Top-tier Martial Masters, so they could easily detect the conflict between Mu Qing and Wang Haixuan's group. It was as if it had happened right before their eyes.

"Had Mu Qing really only just broken through to Blood Qi Fifth Rank?" one Sixth-Order teacher asked.

"Vice Principal Lin personally tested him before. Just a few days ago, he hadn't even awakened his Blood Spirit, so he must have only broken through recently. But his strength is astonishing," said the elderly teacher from Class 3-A, his hoarse voice slow and rough.

"Like Wang Haixuan, Ling Fei was among the first to break through to Blood Qi Fifth Rank. After this period of training, he's already reached the peak of Fifth Rank and could break through to Sixth Rank at any moment. Yet Mu Qing, who's just broken through, is nearly as strong as him. It's truly astonishing," Lei Kai said, stroking his bushy beard.

"Something must have happened to Mu Qing. As for Ling Fei, it's a pity. His background isn't as good as Wang Haixuan's or students like Ji Jia. Without abundant resources for cultivation, he can't break through to Blood Qi Sixth Rank like Wang Haixuan," the old teacher said. Then he paused. "Still, this mock exam is an opportunity. Perhaps Ling Fei will break through in the heat of battle."

At that moment, the old teacher revealed a shocking piece of information.

Wang Haixuan had actually reached Blood Qi Sixth Rank!

Ling Fei was also on the verge of breaking through to Blood Qi Sixth Rank!

Neither the other teachers nor Lei Kai seemed surprised. Experts of their level could easily discern every student's exact strength.

While they were talking, streaks of light suddenly shot across the distant sky. On the ground, figures darted swiftly past, leaving afterimages in their wake, moving as fast as the howling wind.

Seeing the spectacle, Lei Kai burst out laughing and called, "You're all a little late, aren't you?"

The streaks of light in the sky came to a halt, revealing a group of formidable figures. Among them were a thin old man, a curvaceous young woman, and a stern-faced young man.