Proving Strength

At that moment, Li Yuan set aside all other concerns and pushed Chen Yong into the crowd.

This friend wanted to help him—Li Yuan could see that.

But Li Yuan didn't want Chen Yong to run into trouble or even get hurt because of this.

Besides, Li Yuan had confidence in today's match.

After acquiring the [Martial Recruitment Accelerator] talent, Li Yuan had not only practiced Cloud Extreme Fist but also refreshed his familiarity with other martial techniques and Movement Arts.

Now, when it came to his grasp of martial skills, Li Yuan felt he had reached a state of perfection.

So what if his opponent was the best top scorer in fifty years? That didn't mean he would definitely lose!

Seeing Li Yuan push Chen Yong into the crowd, Gu Yu looked toward the crowd and continued speaking.

"Any teacher who wants to compete for this challenge qualification can just step onto the field.

I'm used to responding to everyone's doubts, so there won't be any gossip after it's all over."

Gu Yu scanned the crowd. From his expression, he genuinely seemed to hope someone would step up and contend with him.

It wouldn't hurt to expend a bit of stamina first.

Many teachers from No.1 High School had come to watch today, but at this moment, no one spoke up.

Five minutes passed, and finally, a teacher from No.1 High School stepped forward.

Yin Yi was among the strongest young teachers at Lingshan No.1 High School.

Before Jin Fan came to Lingshan No.1 High School, Yin Yi was the one the leadership saw as the most powerful young teacher in martial arts.

Walking quickly to stand before Gu Yu, Yin Yi's face was full of politeness, and he even bowed respectfully to Gu Yu.

"I'm thirty-one this year, already past the age requirement for the Youth Martial Tournament. Even if I win this qualification, I can't use it.

But today, I still want to test a few moves."

Having said that, Yin Yi turned his head and pointed at Li Yuan, who was not far away.

"Before Teacher Jin Fan arrived, I was the one participating in many of No.1 High School's opportunities.

Some of those competition qualifications were also earned by Teacher Li Yuan.

After today's upheaval, he knows he's inferior, so he probably won't blame Teacher Jin Fan.

But if nothing unexpected happens, he'll likely blame me instead..."

At this point, Yin Yi's face twisted into a bitter smile.

As he smiled, he looked at Li Yuan and shook his head helplessly.

"By crossing hands with Brother Gu Yu, I want to clear my own name.

So that later, he won't come blaming me for taking his training opportunities.

I'll prove my strength and let him know those chances were given up because he didn't meet the requirements.

Not because I used some scheme to steal his fortune."

Hearing this, Gu Yu nodded in understanding.

These words, in the eyes of Gu Yu and the surrounding onlookers, painted a certain picture of Li Yuan.

Li Yuan, frustrated by his own lack of success, was blaming heaven and earth.

This time, he blamed Jin Fan for taking the opportunity, and when he got back, he would blame Yin Yi too.

In reality, it was all Li Yuan's own problem.

The spectators who had originally sympathized with Li Yuan were now misled.

One Jin Fan was one thing, but when Yin Yi also stepped forward to say such things about Li Yuan, the credibility was different.

Without any more wasted words, in that instant, Yin Yi struck.

He used a palm technique—Shockwave Palm.

This technique gathered palm force into surging waves, and when the waves were unleashed, they struck invisibly.

Just from this palm technique alone, it was clear that Yin Yi's strength was no joke.

The speed and power of his palm force were not something ordinary martial artists could achieve.

Yin Yi was already at the Fifth Grade. In such sparring matches, both fighters were usually kept at the same martial realm.

Yin Yi initially held back a little, but he didn't expect Gu Yu, a young man just over twenty, to also be at the Fifth Grade.

Gu Yu responded with a fist technique. His strikes felt casual.

But even with that casualness, everyone around could sense its extraordinariness.

The fist momentum was too overwhelming, so fierce that it generated a compressed, crushing force.

As the heavy fist approached, this force would pull in people and objects around it, dragging the target straight onto the fist.

After one exchange, Yin Yi confirmed that Gu Yu possessed extraordinary skill.

With this kind of fist technique, if one's talent was lacking, even getting started would be difficult.

But Gu Yu could strike freely, which showed just how deep his mastery went.

The onlookers around them certainly didn't feel it as keenly as Yin Yi did.

Still, watching from the sidelines, they could pick up on some of the finer points.

That control of force and speed relied not just on the martial artist's own physical condition, but also on technical skill.

Brute strength alone couldn't produce a boxing style like this.

From the very first exchange, Yin Yi was a bit flustered.

But in an instant, he regrouped and struck back.

Yin Yi sacrificed power in pursuit of Extreme Speed.

Now on guard, he was no longer forced back so awkwardly when facing Gu Yu.

The wind from his palms howled, and wherever it landed on the ground, it left a deep palm print.

Yin Yi's Movement Art, like Li Yuan's, was the Cloud Treading Step.

At this moment, Yin Yi used the Cloud Treading Step to constantly shift his stance.

Both palms kept striking forward with fierce gusts of wind.

He was fast, each palm strike fired off at a tricky angle.

It was clear that this Yin Yi truly had some skill.

The school leaders seated on the podium wore satisfied expressions.

Yin Yi's performance was proving to everyone else that their decision had been correct.

Why had Jin Fan transferred the opportunity Li Yuan had earned to Yin Yi before coming here? Because Yin Yi was worth it!

After about ten exchanges, Gu Yu seemed unwilling to drag things out any longer.

His fist momentum suddenly changed style, and his footwork shifted on a dime, instantly overwhelming Yin Yi.

Yin Yi's technique sacrificed some power for the fastest possible strikes.

But in front of Gu Yu, even that approach couldn't gain an advantage in speed.

Seeing this, Yin Yi had already admitted defeat in his heart.

The strength he had displayed by stepping forward was enough to vindicate himself.

Though he couldn't beat Gu Yu, compared to Li Yuan, he was more than adequate.

Losing to Gu Yu wasn't shameful—he was a Grandmaster's disciple, the top scholar in fifty years.

With that thought, Yin Yi took a deep breath and unleashed one more move.

He had already conceded in his heart; this was his final display.

A massive palm wind swept out, and Gu Yu, instead of dodging, met it head-on.

His fist force shattered the palm wind, and that heavy momentum stopped right before Yin Yi's face.

"As expected of a Grandmaster's disciple. I lose, and I lose willingly."

In front of so many people, Yin Yi spoke frankly.

Even though Gu Yu was so much younger, he showed no sign of reluctance.

None of the surrounding onlookers mocked or belittled him for losing to Gu Yu.

"Teacher Yin Yi's attacking methods weren't easy to deal with. I just happened to find a few openings.

If the mentor were here to see this, he would certainly offer high praise."

Gu Yu said a few polite words, giving Yin Yi plenty of face.

Of course, Yin Yi's performance just now was genuinely good.

Among so many young teachers in Lingshan City, his display easily ranked near the top.

At the same time, everyone gained a more intuitive understanding of Gu Yu's strength.

Before, they only knew his reputation was formidable.

Now, they truly knew his skill was extraordinary.

Among the young teachers at Lingshan No.1 High School, Yin Yi was at the top tier.

Yet in Gu Yu's hands, he lost without any suspense.

As for the upcoming spar with Li Yuan, even a three-year-old could guess the outcome.