Tiger Tyrant Fist!

The quarterfinals.

Xia Ping stood on the arena. His opponent was Gao Sheng, a powerful Martial Apprentice Sixth Heaven and a regular in the school's top ten. He'd already made quite a name for himself.

The students nearby held their breath as they watched the two face off.

"Xia Ping!"

Gao Sheng stared at Xia Ping and cracked his knuckles. "I don't know how you beat Zhou Tai'an, or what despicable trick you used. But don't think you can beat me that easily."

"I've mastered the intermediate martial art Tiger Tyrant Fist. My punches are fierce and unmatched—not like those of your previous opponents. If you dare underestimate me, one punch will send you to the next world."

His face twisted into a grimace. The muscles all over his body bulged like they'd been cast from steel, and he radiated a ferocious air, like a tiger emerging from the depths of the jungle.

He wasn't bragging, either. Thanks to his Tiger Tyrant Fist, his attack power was second to none in the school. Its force was powerful and domineering—even Xiong Batian had to bow his head before him.

Even though Xia Ping had beaten Zhou Tai'an, Gao Sheng was absolutely confident he could hold his own against anyone.

"You've mastered Tiger Tyrant Fist?"

Xia Ping's eyes lit up. This was good. The stronger the attack, the better. If it was weak, it wouldn't help him at all, would it?

He needed an opponent with powerful attacks.

He raised an eyebrow and gave Gao Sheng a contemptuous look. "Anyone can brag. Zhou Tai'an said he was the best in school, too, but I knocked him down with one punch."

"Tiger Tyrant Fist may be powerful, but it's useless if the person using it isn't. I heard someone turned it into a cutesy fist. I wonder if you've done the same."

"I'll show you cutesy!"

Gao Sheng was so furious he felt his lungs were about to burst. This kid had a vicious tongue. He'd taken Gao Sheng's mighty Tiger Tyrant Fist and made it sound like some cutesy little technique.

Gao Sheng was one of the school's top students, a powerful Martial Apprentice Sixth Heaven. How could he possibly have mastered a martial art meant for acting cute? This was the greatest insult he could imagine.

"Since you're asking to die, I'll grant your wish."

The moment the referee announced the start, Gao Sheng leaped forward like a tiger. He clenched his fist, every muscle taut, and unleashed an explosive force.

The true energy within him surged, seemingly containing a thousand jin of strength. He threw a punch, but Xia Ping neither dodged nor retreated. He simply let Gao Sheng's fist strike him.

"What? This kid didn't dodge? Is he trying to kill himself?!" Gao Sheng was stunned, but by then he couldn't pull back his strength.

Thud!

His fist landed squarely on Xia Ping's chest. The force burst outward, accompanied by a roar like a tiger's, shaking the mountains and forests. Even the entire arena trembled as if it might collapse.

"Ah, what a pity. I thought that after beating Zhou Tai'an, this kid might make a decent opponent." Gao Sheng sighed toward the sky. "But I never expected him to have water in his head. He just stood there and took my punch. He'll probably be in the hospital for four or five months before he recovers—after the College Entrance Exam, at the earliest."

"What are you shouting about?"

Xia Ping stood where he was and circulated the Northern Underworld Body Protection Art. He felt the immense force reverberate through him as the energy in his body was rapidly refined. He savored the feeling of his strength constantly increasing. But for some reason, the fellow in front of him seemed to have stopped and was still putting on a show. It annoyed him a little.

"Huh?" Gao Sheng was startled when he heard Xia Ping speak. "What's going on? Why aren't you screaming in agony? Why weren't you sent flying by my punch, unconscious on the ground?"

By all normal logic, anyone who took a punch from him should have been seriously injured.

"You think that little bit of strength is enough to make me scream and collapse unconscious?" Xia Ping sneered. "I told you, your fist technique is only good for acting cute. It's not useful for anything else."

Gao Sheng went berserk at those words and shouted, "Impossible! Nobody can take one of my punches without falling down and screaming! No, I don't believe it!" He couldn't accept this absurd reality.

He flew into a rage, clenched his fists, and attacked like a raging storm. His massive fists pounded Xia Ping again and again, with all his strength.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each strike rang out like the tolling of a morning bell or evening drum, making an earth-shaking noise. Yet Xia Ping stood right where he was, hands behind his back, without even taking a single step as he let Gao Sheng attack him.

In just five or six minutes, Gao Sheng had no idea how many punches he'd thrown—one hundred, two hundred, perhaps even three hundred. Yet the fellow still didn't have a scratch on him. Instead, he even looked like he was enjoying himself.

"As expected of the person known as the strongest attacker in the school. Every punch must have at least three thousand jin of force. The powerful vibrations are tempering my body and rapidly refining the energy within me. This guy is the perfect training partner!"

Xia Ping was extremely satisfied. He felt the true energy in his body steadily increasing, filling his dantian. He was on the verge of breaking through his sixth meridian and advancing to Martial Apprentice Sixth Heaven.

"Huh? The energy in his body has run out?!"

Before long, he noticed that Gao Sheng's attacks were becoming less and less effective. In the end, they couldn't help him gain even the slightest bit of strength.

His body had probably grown accustomed to Gao Sheng's attacks, and he'd also finished refining all the energy in the Golden Potion. He'd need to take another one before he could continue cultivating.

"Looks like this is as far as I can go today." Xia Ping knew that even if they kept going, he wouldn't be able to improve his cultivation any further.

But Gao Sheng was already panting and on the verge of breaking down. He stared at Xia Ping in despair. "Impossible! I hit you two or three hundred times. Why aren't you hurt at all? Are you even human?"

"I told you, your fists are only good for acting cute." Xia Ping stood with his hands behind his back, looking like a master. "I let you hit me without fighting back, and nothing happened to me."

"But you've hit me so many times. It's only fair that I hit you once, too."

Boom!

As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Ping abruptly raised his fist. His bones crackled and his muscles tensed. He lowered into a horse stance and twisted his waist, sending the force upward from his feet, one link at a time, until the air itself trembled.

He threw a punch at Gao Sheng, as if a meteor were crashing into the earth. The force was unmatched, and his fist struck Gao Sheng squarely in the chest.

"Ah!"

Gao Sheng let out a piercing scream. Three of his ribs snapped in an instant, and the tremendous force damaged his lungs and internal organs.

He was utterly powerless to resist as he flew through the air, traveling twenty or thirty meters before crashing heavily outside the arena. His head lolled to the side, and he passed out.