Terrifying Strength

"Why was he so powerful?" Liu Tianyu was stunned.

He could sense that Mu Qing's aura was at Blood Qi Sixth Rank, yet the power he unleashed could faintly hold its own against two people at Blood Qi Seventh Rank.

"He didn't have this kind of strength before. It must be the Vermilion Fruit!" Wang Haixuan said coldly.

He had fought Mu Qing before. Strictly speaking, they had been evenly matched. If Mu Qing and Ling Fei hadn't joined forces, Wang Haixuan wouldn't have lost.

Mu Qing hadn't been this strong before. Clearly, he had obtained something in the valley that had raised his strength to this terrifying level.

For a moment, the greed on Liu Tianyu and the others' faces grew even more intense.

They didn't know much about the Vermilion Fruit's effects yet. But after seeing Mu Qing's formidable strength, they naturally assumed it came from the fruit.

"If we get those Vermilion Fruits, wouldn't we become incredibly powerful even at Blood Qi Eighth Stage?" Greed stirred in Liu Tianyu's heart. Wang Haixuan was no different; he already regarded the Vermilion Fruit as his own.

In their eyes, Mu Qing was at most as strong as someone at Blood Qi Seventh Rank. Meanwhile, they had two people at Blood Qi Seventh Rank, several at Blood Qi Sixth Rank, and a large number of students at Blood Qi Fifth Rank.

With so much strength on their side, there was no way Mu Qing could be their match.

"Don't let them get away!"

Liu Tianyu roared. At once, several students at Blood Qi Sixth Rank behind him darted forward to intercept Jiang Yuanjie as he left.

Jiang Yuanjie and Yang Shanshan looked grave. Both were covered in wounds and had no strength left to fight.

"Get out of here as quickly as you can. I'll hold them off!"

Mu Qing stepped behind them. In front of him stood four students at Blood Qi Sixth Rank.

All four let out furious shouts, summoning their Blood Spirits. A ferocious tiger appeared, along with icy blades and other manifestations of different attributes. They unleashed their martial skills, sending waves of sharp force crashing toward him.

Mu Qing's black hair whipped about. He suddenly let out a shout, and brilliant Blazing White Lightning flashed within him.

His gaze sharpened, and the weaknesses in all four students' martial skills immediately surfaced in his mind.

Mu Qing charged forward alone and struck the leader's weak point with a punch. Blazing White Lightning exploded, scorching his chest black.

The man cried out and fell to the ground.

One punch, one kill!

The other three were shocked, but they didn't stop. This time, all three charged at Mu Qing together.

Mu Qing's face darkened. No matter what, he had to make sure Jiang Yuanjie and Yang Shanshan got away safely.

Origin Force poured wildly out of his mind. At the same time, the Origin Force in his dantian surged out as well.

Though he had never practiced any water-attribute martial skills, simply channeling Origin Force into his fist was enough to let his full-power strike unleash more than two tons of force!

That was the terrifying power of Dual Blood Spirits.

Ordinary people couldn't break the two-ton limit before they broke through to the first Bloodline Tier and became Low-Rank Martial Practitioners. But with Dual Blood Spirits, Mu Qing had easily shattered that limit, bringing the force of his Origin Force to two tons.

And because he knew his opponents' weaknesses, he could easily kill people at the same level.

A frigid aura spilled from Mu Qing's left hand, cold to the bone. He channeled his water-attribute Origin Force into his fist and struck one man's weak point without using any martial skill.

The man's martial skill crumbled in an instant. His chest throbbed with pain, and he spat blood as Mu Qing's punch sent him flying.

Blazing White Lightning coiled around Mu Qing's right hand. Four bolts of it surged with domineering force as he met another opponent's attack head-on.

The opponent's arm shuddered violently. Mu Qing shattered the Origin Force pouring from his body, scorching his arm black. Paralysis Force surged through him, leaving him unable to move.

The last man was nearly scared out of his wits. Seeing how vicious Mu Qing looked, he didn't dare advance.

At school, fights had always ended as soon as one side conceded. No one fought like Mu Qing, who left people badly injured and half-dead with every strike.

He looked at his companions. One lay on the ground spitting blood; the other was in even worse shape, his arm completely charred and his flesh torn open, as if it had been ruined.

"Bang!"

Mu Qing showed no mercy. With Origin Force flooding through him, his two-ton strength erupted as he kicked the last man flying. He crashed into a tree, smashing its trunk apart. The force behind Mu Qing's kick was plain to see.

"So strong!"

The North Campus students stared at one another, murmuring among themselves with fear on their faces.

They had never seen a student this powerful.

In their eyes, the top students at Blood Qi Sixth Rank were already frighteningly strong. Anyone who could reach Blood Qi Sixth Rank on Lake Heart Island had surely fought fierce battles against wild beasts, earning everyone's respect and envy for their strength.

Yet a student like that had just been effortlessly defeated by Mu Qing and left severely injured.

"Useless!" Liu Tianyu's face turned livid as he watched his subordinates fall one after another, groaning. He cursed them.

"This Mu Qing—why is he so strong? It seems like his strength has already surpassed ours!"

Wang Haixuan had noticed a few things.

Mu Qing's cultivation was only at Blood Qi Sixth Rank. His Origin Force was abundant, but the main reason for his strength was his raw power. Even without using martial skills, he could defeat people at the same level.

"After the mock exam, Mu Qing has to be eliminated!" Killing intent filled Wang Haixuan's eyes. He clenched his fists until his knuckles cracked.

He didn't even know when his dislike of Mu Qing had turned into such intense bloodlust. Perhaps it was jealousy.

Stealing Song Yalan away hadn't dealt Mu Qing much of a blow. Instead, Mu Qing had only grown stronger, displaying talent far beyond Wang Haixuan's.

"Follow me! All of you, attack together!" Liu Tianyu finally lost control. A beastlike roar rose from his throat.

He led hundreds of students in a charge!

"This mock exam was supposed to be my solo performance. I was supposed to break through to Blood Qi Eighth Rank, defeat that guy from the Student Council, and stand at the top of West Lake High School!" Liu Tianyu's eyes were bloodshot as he roared inwardly.

In his heart, it all should have belonged to him. The Vermilion Fruit was a treasure that would set him far above ordinary students, but Mu Qing had taken it all. Even that great strength was now on display in Mu Qing.

Mu Qing's expression grew slightly more serious, but he showed no fear. He stood between the oncoming students and Jiang Yuanjie and Yang Shanshan's escape route, facing hundreds alone, his gaze deep and his Origin Force surging within him.

"Anyone who dares come closer will die!"

Mu Qing roared at the sky. Lightning flashed in his eyes, and he moved at blinding speed, charging into the hundreds of students like a wolf or tiger.

Bang! Thud!

With a single punch to the stomach of a North Campus student, he sent the man flying into the air. He crashed to the ground.

Mu Qing's expression grew colder and colder. Lightning coiled around his palm as he struck one student unconscious, then planted a foot on another's face, breaking his nose.

He was like a tiger plunging into a flock of sheep, jaws wide as he tore through them. One North Campus student after another crumpled beneath his feet, blood spilling across the ground.

Of course, Mu Qing couldn't defend against every attack alone. Some students unleashed martial skills, their fists carrying terrifying force as they struck his back, chest, and stomach, leaving several bruises across his body.

"Die!"

Liu Tianyu suddenly charged out of the crowd, thrusting a finger at Mu Qing. Clearly, he had practiced some kind of finger technique; it was as sharp as a sword.

His Origin Force was water-attribute as well. That finger was like a drop of water: seemingly fragile, yet so sharp it could pierce anything.

Mu Qing reacted at once. Ignoring the other students' attacks, he met Liu Tianyu's finger with a fist wrapped in Blazing White Lightning.

Four bolts of Blazing White Lightning exploded. Liu Tianyu screamed as the flesh on his finger split open. The terrifying force snapped it, leaving it completely charred.

Mu Qing didn't come away unscathed either. A wound appeared on his hand, and blood welled from it.

But the wound was shallow. He had spotted Liu Tianyu's weakness at the last moment, avoiding a much worse injury.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Mu Qing frowned. Waves of intense pain surged through his mind, leaving his face pale and his body drenched in sweat.

His expression shifted in alarm. It felt just like the time before, when staying in Heaven and Earth Fusion State for too long had exhausted his Mental Power.

"Could spotting weaknesses also consume Mental Power?" Mu Qing's face changed as he realized what was happening.

At his current level, he couldn't sense his Mental Power directly. He could only tell when it was completely depleted.

He had spotted the weaknesses of several opponents earlier, but the Mental Power it consumed had been so slight that he hadn't noticed any clear effects.

But now, facing hundreds of people, he had spotted the weaknesses in dozens of martial skills in a very short time. He had even found the weakness in Liu Tianyu's Advanced Martial Skill. Without a doubt, that had drained far more of his Mental Power.

"Damn it!"

Mu Qing's face went pale. He cursed inwardly, not expecting his Mental Power to run out at a time like this.

But with so many people attacking him, he had no choice but to keep fighting.

So Mu Qing endured the agony of his depleted Mental Power and sent his Origin Force surging through him once more.

However, the North Campus students around him had already noticed something was wrong with Mu Qing. Showing no mercy, they rained down all kinds of attacks in an instant—fists, palms, and more.

Mu Qing spat out a mouthful of blood. Someone kicked him in the chest. It was Wang Haixuan. The strength of a Blood Qi Seventh Rank practitioner was formidable, and the blow injured him.

Lightning flared in Mu Qing's eyes like fire. He swept his gaze around, then lashed out with a sweeping kick, knocking several nearby students to the ground.

But Liu Tianyu and Wang Haixuan had vanished from sight.

They knew Mu Qing was powerful. Even though they themselves were at Blood Qi Seventh Rank, they refused to face him head-on. Instead, they struck and immediately hid among the crowd, making it impossible for Mu Qing to spot them right away.

Mu Qing threw punch after punch. Student after student fell, chests scorched black.

His brows knitted tight as he surveyed his surroundings, fending off the students' attacks while searching for Liu Tianyu and Wang Haixuan.