In the News

"Huh?"

Mu Qing looked at Song Qing not far away, only to see that the other party had completely lost consciousness. His chest was stained red with blood coughed up from his mouth, and the area around his abdomen was charred black, emitting wisps of smoke, his training uniform seemingly torn into rags by some force.

"What happened? I remember only hitting him with one punch. Is the first stage of the Thunderstorm Fist really this powerful?"

A look of confusion appeared on Mu Qing's face. One had to know that the Thunderstorm Fist he had just unleashed was the first time he had ever performed it; its power shouldn't have been this great. After all, Song Qing was also a top student at the fifth stage of Blood Qi. At most, it should have paralyzed him for a while, but it certainly shouldn't have left him severely injured like this.

"How vicious. This Mu Qing was playing the pig to eat the tiger, deceiving Song Qing into thinking he was only at the fourth stage of Blood Qi. After letting his guard down, he actually unleashed a martial skill and beat Song Qing into a severe injury in the blink of an eye!"

The surrounding students were all terrified. Within West Lake High School, students were allowed to spar if they had conflicts, provided they didn't go too hard.

However, no student had ever instantly beaten an opponent to the brink of death.

In particular, Mu Qing's methods did not seem very honorable in the eyes of the crowd.

"What Mu Qing just used was the high-level martial skill Thunderstorm Fist! And it was one move after another. That last punch had three bursts of lightning power; clearly, he has already cultivated this high-level martial skill to the third stage. Looking at how proficient he is, I'm afraid he mastered the third stage long ago!"

In the shadows, several top students were actually observing.

One top student was using a communication device to search for information about Mu Qing's Thunderstorm Fist online.

They had been watching from the dark when Song Qing went to cause trouble for Mu Qing, wanting to see if Mu Qing was truly unable to break through as the rumors suggested.

However, the outcome shocked them. Song Qing, also at the fifth stage of Blood Qi, had been beaten to the brink of death. This strength was already far above most top students!

"The Thunderstorm Fist Mu Qing used requires a full 90,000 Huaxia coins. That is a huge fortune. Even if the Thunderstorm Fist were easy to cultivate, it would be impossible to reach the third stage in such a short time."

A top student's expression was extremely grave as he muttered, "Everyone thought that Ling Fei, Wang Haixuan, and the others were the first among the top students to awaken their Blood Spirits, but looking at it now, I'm afraid the first one to break through is actually Mu Qing!"

"His Blood Spirit is one that has never appeared in West Lake High School before, and he has also cultivated a high-level martial skill. He will be a formidable rival in the Mock Exam!" Another top student took a deep breath, feeling the pressure.

One must realize that they were still just students, far from having the ability to kill fierce beasts to earn money. They didn't have much wealth on them, and even as top students, they didn't have enough money to buy high-level martial skills. Being able to afford a mid-level martial skill was already quite good.

Among all the top students, only the young masters and misses of the four great families of Hangzhou City had the financial power to purchase high-level martial skills.

"This Song Qing, he wouldn't have been beaten like this by me after I entered that strange state, would he?"

Looking at the strange and fearful gazes of the students around him, Mu Qing pondered for a moment and more or less understood the situation.

From Song Qing's charred and smoking abdomen, Mu Qing could sense a lightning aura unique to his Purple Lightning Bamboo. It was very likely that he had beaten him like this while unconsciously performing the Thunderstorm Fist.

"The situation is a bit off. Better to leave while I can." Mu Qing rubbed his nose, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he thought to himself that he was in trouble.

Seeing more and more East Campus students gathering to watch the spectacle, Mu Qing hurriedly retracted his Blood Spirit. The Purple Lightning Bamboo flickered with purple mist before returning to his mind, and he then strode toward the dormitory.

Although West Lake High School allowed private duels, beating someone half to death without deep hatred like Mu Qing had done would inevitably lead to school teachers coming to investigate the situation and imposing disciplinary actions or punishments on him.

Plus, since Song Qing was clinging to Wang Haixuan's coattails, there might even be people from the Wang Family intervening.

Thinking of this, Mu Qing's expression darkened, and the joy of having comprehended the first three stages of the Thunderstorm Fist due to entering that strange state was swept away.

The Wang Family was not only one of the four great families of Hangzhou City, but it was also rumored to have connections with the Wang Family in Beijing City, with many Federation Martial Artists sitting in their ranks.

"Hey! It's me, hurry up and come to the East Campus cultivation room. There's big news! It's rumored that Mu Qing, who was always unable to awaken his Blood Spirit and relied on forbidden drugs for cultivation, is actually already at the fifth stage of Blood Qi. He's a cold-blooded killer who just beat the top student Song Qing to death!"

Mu Qing had only walked a few steps when he heard a shout from not far away, causing him to stumble.

Turning his head, Mu Qing's mouth twitched. He discovered that a student from the school's News Department was calling his accomplices through a communication device.

"As expected of the News Department..." He felt speechless in his heart. He had heard a thing or two about the students in the News Department; no matter what happened, they would exaggerate it in every possible way. In the past, when the principal of West Lake High School picked up his daughter, they had spread rumors that he was on a date with a mistress.

"This place is definitely not a place to stay." Mu Qing's eyes sharpened.

"Wait! Mu Qing, you can't leave!" Suddenly, the News Department student noticed Mu Qing wanted to leave and actually leaped forward, hugging his legs, crying and shouting, "In a little while, our News Department people will be here to interview you exclusively. We'll definitely make you famous throughout the entire campus, don't leave yet!"

This student was bloated, his belly almost bursting his West Lake High School uniform, but his movements were extremely agile. He held onto Mu Qing's leg tightly, tears and snot streaming down his face, determined not to let Mu Qing go.

Jiang Yuanjie was actually very happy in his heart right now. He was a department head in the News Department, specializing in finding first-hand news and then adding his own flair before publishing it; this was his hobby.

He happened to be passing by today and witnessed Mu Qing knocking Song Qing flying. With the College Entrance Exam approaching, a battle between two top students, both at the fifth stage of Blood Qi, would definitely grab attention. Therefore, Jiang Yuanjie had to secure this first-hand news and an exclusive interview with Mu Qing!

"Hmm?"

Mu Qing was just about to shake off the fat man's hands when he suddenly let out a soft exclamation, his pupils shrinking. He saw a powerful aura emanating from the fat man holding him, and a camera suddenly appeared. Wisps of Origin Force gathered on his chubby hands, binding Mu Qing like steel.

"So the top student from the News Department is this guy!" A strange look flashed in Mu Qing's eyes. He remembered hearing before that there was an eccentric department head in the News Department who was a top student. After breaking through to the fifth stage of Blood Qi, the Blood Spirit he awakened was a camera—very bizarre!

Mu Qing hadn't expected Jiang Yuanjie to be so shameless. A dignified top student and expert with fifth-stage Blood Qi cultivation was actually lying on the ground hugging his leg.

Suddenly, Jiang Yuanjie narrowed his eyes. The camera behind him flashed with a stream of light, and a strange force probed toward Mu Qing. The camera floated in mid-air, turning on automatically without anyone operating it, and began recording.

"Mu Qing! Don't leave yet. Our News Department people will be here with equipment soon. Before that, how about we do a little interview?" Jiang Yuanjie still held Mu Qing's leg tightly and chuckled. His Blood Spirit could actually perform filming just like a camera.

In fact, the functions of this Blood Spirit Camera far exceeded what others could imagine.

The moment the Blood Spirit Camera appeared, Mu Qing inexplicably felt a force probing him, as if it wanted to see through everything on him, with a tendency to invade his body.

"Hmph!"

Mu Qing snorted coldly. One had to know that his Blood Spirit was different from others; it existed within his mind. If others found out about this, it would surely cause a huge uproar.

His body trembled slightly, and Mu Qing channeled his remaining Origin Force. Wisps of electric light spat out from the pores all over his body, and the Purple Lightning Bamboo, mixed with rolling mist, emerged.

Having unconsciously performed the Thunderstorm Fist several times earlier, he only had a tiny bit of Origin Force left in his body. At this moment, Mu Qing gathered his final bit of Origin Force onto the Purple Lightning Bamboo.

Crack.

The Purple Lightning Bamboo, infused with Origin Force, churned with mist as a bolt of incandescent white lightning cracked and burst forth.

Jiang Pangzi's massive frame was sent flying backward, and the Blood Spirit Camera, which had been halfway through scanning Mu Qing, came to an abrupt halt. His bloated, corpulent body slammed heavily into the ground nearby, leaving a charred mark on his chest.

"Ouch! Murder! I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying..." Jiang Yuanjie secretly retracted his Blood Spirit, then began rolling back and forth on the ground, wailing incessantly with a terrifyingly twisted expression on his face.

"Look! Isn't that Jiang Pangzi from the News Department? He's a top student at the fifth stage of Blood Qi, too. I just saw him trying to latch onto Mu Qing's leg for an interview; I didn't expect Mu Qing to be so ruthless, beating him into such a state!"

Some students in the distance had not seen the full sequence of events and assumed that after Mu Qing had beaten Song Qing half to death, he was now attacking Jiang Yuanjie as well.

"Both Song Qing and Jiang Pangzi are experts at the fifth stage of Blood Qi. Is Mu Qing's strength really this formidable?" some students whispered among themselves.

Hearing these fragmented murmurs, Mu Qing's face darkened, and he hurried toward his dormitory.

He had only used the very last bit of his Origin Force just now, and that lightning power was only enough to shake someone's hand away at most.

The fact that Jiang Pangzi's massive body had flown backward and he was screaming so incessantly was likely all an act.

"I've heard that people from the News Department will stop at nothing for clicks..." As Mu Qing strode away, a sense of foreboding welled up in his heart.

Upon returning to the dormitory, Mu Qing was surprised to find that Ling Fei was not there, though he didn't pay it much mind, as Ling Fei had often spent the night in the Cultivation Room in the past.

After rinsing his body in the bathroom, Mu Qing collapsed into bed; too many things had happened today, and it was already one-thirty in the morning.

The next morning, Mu Qing sat on his bed, tapped open his communication device, and logged into the school's official website. The first thing that caught his eye was a piece of school news.

<Demon Mu commits murder in the dead of night, the entire campus is shocked!>

<Exclusive footage: Demon Mu brutally beats the head of the News Department; men weep and women fall silent after watching.>

<Demon Mu kills without blinking, possesses a mysterious lightning Blood Spirit, kills a fifth-stage Blood Qi expert with three punches!>